Sometimes I Wish I was Clever....

This I love.

Comic from here

Although, I'm pretty sure not everyone else would be thrilled with this idea...

Twas the Day Before Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm stuck at work.

Bummer.

The good news is I'll get out in time (fingers crossed) to finish my shopping.

The bad news is someone decided to turn the heat off in the building...

My tootsies are chilly!

Picture from here

All I want is to be tucked in my bed, nice and warm.

Maybe next year....

A Little Late is Better Than Never

This past weekend, Joe and I went up to New York to visit one of his friends from college.
Unlike here, where it rained and rained, New York got a nice dose of snow.
In my personal opinion, everything looks better in the snow.

For example:Central Park

And these two

And then Joe thought he would be sneaky and throw snow... but he was caught!

And New York at Christmas would not be the same without a visit to Mecca - Rockefeller Center

A little bit closer now!

And Times Square - with hardly a person in sight!
And a very tired Joe.

A little more time until Christmas... a lot of more rushing around and getting things done,
and Christmas will be here in no time!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

My roommate, Megan, and I decorated the house for Christmas the other night.
It totally got me into the holiday spirit.

Megan working on the lights

The finished product

A little artsy

The front of the house - thanks to Meg's dad for doing the outside decorating

I've also finished making the big gifts that I'm giving for Christmas, so that's a relief.

I can't believe how close it is to Christmas... incredible!

Things and things

Sorry for my lack of posts, but I have been busy - with Christmas-y things and the like.

For example:

making this look a little more presentable...

and realizing that getting this to look presentable is a lost cause!

Later this week, I will try to put up some more updates...



Maybe.

Dysfunction Palooza

Did you ever have one of those days, when things are just crazy?

And you have falling-down stockings?

And you have a shoe that squeaks with every other step?

And it just makes you wish you had stayed in bed?

Or at least had better hosiery, or shoes?

Today was one of those days.

In other news, I handed in my final today, so I'm pretty much done for the semester. Yay!

Twenty-Five Little Known Facts... as demanded by Lauren

25 Little Known Facts from the Life and Times of Mariel
25 – I love swinging on swings. I think it’s the rhythmic pattern of it, but it’s so relaxing to me.
24 – I really want to join a yoga class… and have for a while now, but I keep making excuses for myself to not join any classes.
23 – I buy wine and books based on how pretty or clever the label or cover is. I am that shallow when it comes to certain things.
22 – I never really push myself to my full potential because I’m afraid I’m going to screw up in some way.
21 – I have vivid daydreams of being in a car crash. Like, flying through the windshield type… even though I wear my seatbelt religiously.
20 – When I’m stressed, I like to listen to the radio in my car WAY loud.
19 – I wish I were skinnier. But I’m too lazy to get myself into the shape I know I should be in… also, I make up excuses for myself. I also feel goofy when I’m at the gym. Even though everyone else is there for the same reason… I’m very self-conscious when I’m there. Strange.
18 – I used to think I would be okay living by myself in a foreign country, but I’ve come to realize that I would rather stay in the vicinity of my family and friends… I’d be too lonely out there on my own.
17 – I love taking naps… and wish I could do so at my desk at work.
16 – If I won the lottery, I would pay off my family’s debts and put the rest away, but I would still work.
15 – I love watching sunrises. There's something about the quiet as the world gets to start a new day. And sunrises on the beach?? I'm totally sold.
As long as I am guaranteed a nap right after I watch the sunrise, I'm sold.
14 – I wish I still played piano. There are so many songs I wish I could play, and sort of regret not knowing how.
13 - I want to live in a house with a huge garden. And a giant kitchen.
12 – I am happy, but I feel like I don’t deserve to be this happy.
11 – I want to run the Broad Street Run May 3rd in celebration of my 25th birthday. I haven’t run since June, but lately I’ve been having daydreams of me running places, and then trying to figure out the mileage. I think it’s time to start up again.
10 – I wish I could be better organized, but I don’t have the time to make that effort.
9 – I’m still waiting to find my special talent. I can get by with a ton of things, but there’s nothing that I super excel at.
8 – I’m total crap at spelling. And when I come across a word that I can’t spell, I fixate on the correct spelling, and then repeat it to myself in my head, over and over.
7 – I wish I could just spend my days reading and doing arts and crafts. What I wouldn’t give to be Martha.
6 – I love dancing randomly. I also love techno music (not enough to listen to it non-stop, but to dance to, yes.) I also love being quirky. I don’t know why, but I do.
5 – After I learn something in class, I forget it almost immediately. It’s as though my brain takes any break in classes (Christmas, spring, summer, weekends) and just wipes itself clean.
4 – I always have a song in my head. The other day, it was the theme song to The Price is Right. I haven’t watched that show in months, and haven’t heard the song in months either. But there it was, accompanying me throughout my day.
3 – I really think some of my remarks are clever, but other times they’re just mean. And I kind of despise myself for that.
2 – Not many things bother me, but when I find something that irks me, it irks me to no end.
1 – I like spending time with my family. It kind of makes me sad (okay, it really makes me sad) when I don’t get to see them or talk to them during the week. Especially on Sundays.

Christmas Spirit

Last night was one of the first nights where I could really feel the holiday spirit.

And not just the "running-around-need-to-get-things-done" type of spirit.
Just the relaxing, genuinely glad that it's the holidays feeling.
Although I got no real shopping done, it was nice to spend some time with these two lovely ladies:

We saw some really great sights.

Plenty of white lights,

Red ribbons,
And plenty of Christmas decorations - with lots of color
And also, some law-abiding reindeer:

The windows looked wonderful, all decorated for Christmas:
Everything looked wonderful and festive...
It definitely got me into the holiday spirit!


And to make up for the picture from Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving Weekend

Be Warned: this post has little words but lots of pictures.


Let's start at the beginning.
Wednesday night was a wonderful time at the Hollywood Tavern.
Lots of dancing and ridiculousness.

A little Shout perhaps??

Being serenaded by some guy.

Thursday was the parade in Center City, then dinner at my parents' with the Kauffmans.

Tobin wasn't too impressed with his first Thanksgiving Day Parade

Santa Claus is coming!!

Two turkeys

Friday was Black Friday shopping with the family, then New Jersey for the Gilson wedding.

The Old School cousins

And some of the New School cousins

Saturday was a day at the spa... followed by a wonderful wedding.
No pictures of that, but maybe I'll find some...

It's Thanksgiving Eve... what more do you expect?!

Some things I found on my computer...
they made me smile.

what a wonderful thing a weekend is

Weekends are a bit like rainbows;
they look good from a distance
but disappear when you get up close to them.
~John Shirley

This weekend seriously disappeared. It was another one of those weekends where things were planned, but not really. My roommate from college, Liz, came down for a little visit. Liz and I were roommates for all 4 years of college (with the exception of 1 semester junior year) and she knows me very well. She and I always have a great time when we're together. We are usually on the same wave length, especially when it comes to our sense of humor. Liz is always thoughtful, and kind, and freakin' hilarious. Some of the stories she told this weekend had me in tears... and happy ones at that! And I figure, after putting up with me for 4 years, she has to have a lot of patience!

Liz arrived on Friday, and was promptly whisked to the nearest cheesesteak place for her yearly fill of Philly's finest. After dinner, we went to a happy hour in Center City - and stood in one of the coldest lines ever. We danced and had a generally good time...

Liz and some of the gentlemen she attracted

Saturday was a trip to King of Prussia, after many a story and plenty of test-grading (Liz likes to take her work everywhere!) Saturday night was a night 'in' with a dash of RockBand mixed in. Liz left very early on Sunday morning, in search of coffee and cheap gas. I directed her to both. All in all, a great weekend spent with a great lady - who I am very fortunate to know.

What a terrific duo!

In other news: sister Nina came home today for Thanksgiving break. She was a general pest, attacking everyone and climbing all over the place. But I guess it's good to have her home and in one piece.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Nothing beats an early Sunday morning viewing of Monty Python's Flying Circus on
BBC America.

Nothing.image from this site

Happy anniversary to me

Today marks my 2-year anniversary with work.

So for the past 2 years, I have been sitting at the same desk,

looking at the same computer, doing the same job.

Crazy.

Crazier still, that means I've been out of college for 2.5 years.

Yikes.

Seriously,

Where has the time gone?!

Sometimes, this is how I feel about work.

errands on my lunch hour

Dear old men in red trucks whom I encountered on my lunch hour:

Do you think that where ever you are going is more important than where I am going??

True, I only went to the dry cleaners...

but there is no need for you (both of you!) to cut me off.

Perhaps it's the color of your truck

that makes you think you're the most important thing out there.

I often feel the same way when driving my red car.

Next time, just watch it.

Cause then I won't have to come back and write a post about you.

Who is she?? The cat's mother??

The other day at work, I made a comment that was funny, but not totally "gotten" by everyone in the group. As I walked away from the situation, I realized that what I had said could be taken as "snarky." I immediately felt awful. When I related this story to one of my cousins at a later date, he laughed, and said "You're just like our moms!! SASSY!!"

I got to thinking, it might not be too bad to be like my mom. That and the fact that I AM my mom. From the way I dance to the way I laugh, I'm Beth. From my hair to my nose, I'm Beth.

One of my favorite memories of my mom is the summer before my senior year of high school. She took the time to drag me up and down the East Coast visiting possible colleges. When we started our road trip, I didn't really think it would be all that fun... it would be just like another shopping trip with my mom. But somewhere outside of Boston, my mom started to show her real side - not just the mom side. I remember laughing about something ridiculous while we were waiting for the tour at Brown to begin, thinking my mom was a pretty cool gal. Moments later, when I got stung by a bee on my foot, she went straight back into mom-mode. I love knowing the fact that she cares about me and loves me, but is still willing to be my friend. And drive six hours to a school I didn't really like cause the girl was wearing pearls...

Thanks, lady!

Sunday Nights

This weekend was rather busy.

It started with an evening out with ladies I used to work with.
It then continued up the Eastern Coast, where I met up with some friends from college.
And some hijinks ensued.

a lovely day on the sound

It ended on the couch with a plate full of Chinese food
and a guy I kind of like.
Such a good weekend.



Also, the trains I took this weekend to New York reminded me of another thing:

I promise I'll go back there... maybe I'll even take that guy.

What would I ever do without you three

"I could never love anyone more than I love my sisters"
Louisa May Alcott

And so it begins

I just looked at my calendar and realized:

This weekend marks the yearly slide into the holiday season.

no, not that kind of slide

Every weekend, from now until Christmas, is filled with some sort of festivity...

holiday related or not.

Every weekend until December 25th, I will be traveling to and fro...

visiting friends, relatives, and the like.

I love this time of year.

It's so busy, and festive.

It's so great to meet up with friends that you haven't seen in a while.

The family parties are always a delight.

And plus - the shopping.

The malls are crowded and decorated in such a festive manner.

It's never relaxing, but all the running around is always worth it.

And with Thanksgiving thrown in the mix... it's sure to be a great time.

O holidays - how I adore thee.

Tuesday Night

Last night I had the wonderful pleasure of dining with some of my favorites from high school.

a picture of us at a wedding in december
It's so hard to believe that we've known each other for roughly 10 years. 10 years!! (Am I that old?!?!) These are the girls that I met during my freshman classes. These are the girls who totally know how crazy I can be... mainly because they can be just as crazy. These are the girls who I can talk with for hours and hours... and still walk away having more to say. These are the girls who I can still imagine being a huge part of my life in 30 years (I mean, come on, my mom had her high school friends at my sister's wedding!) These are the girls where there is never any drama... we all just get it. These girls mean so much to me (please note: they could never, never replace my sisters... but they're still just as close to my heart.) And now, one of these girls is on her way to be married. And did the honor of asking the rest of these girls to join her in the wedding party. How fun!!

Days when I have no work

I love having off from work.

I get to stay in bed as long as I want

photo from here
Please note: this is NOT what my bedroom looks like!
I get to laze about in my PJ's for the greater part of the day
photo from this place
Not the exact ones I have, but probably just as comfy
And today, I get to read this lovely book - instead of doing homework

photo courtesy of here
I managed to swipe this book from Joe's library
All in all, it should be a rather relaxing day
With maybe a little run mixed in.
Maybe.

O, hey.

So, I'm new to this thing. I'm not sure why when I post pictures it says "Align Center" directly underneath them. And then when you click on it, you just see shiny foreheads. I'm not sure why you sometimes get the warning when you log onto my blog (Many thanks for even being interested!) (as an aside, I actually think that warning is up there because it took me so long to figure out what I wanted in my blog... what did I want to say to the world, what colors should I say it in, etc.) I'm not sure why there are empty boxes sometimes at the ends of my posts. I don't know what they do, and I don't know how they got there. So please, just bear with me. O hey, I'm new here.

Weekend - Part Deux

So dinner with the family was delicious. I made chicken with apples, broccoli, buttered noodles, and rolls. Perfect way to end a weekend. mmmmm.... dinner

And none of this would be possible... NONE!... without my lovely sister, Diana. She totally stepped in as my sous chef and did a killer job with the chicken.

Di's a total genius in the kitchen. And the classroom.

Mom helped out with the dessert. Fantastic Harvest Cake. Plus some Breyer's Vanilla Ice Cream. It was seriously pretty darn good.