Congratulations Ms. Benz and D!!!

Congratulations on your engagement M and D! I am so incredibly excited for both of you and can't wait for your big day! (Hopefully, D, we shall meet before that day comes!)

Another Herald hottie bites the dust!

Here I go

Among the many wonderful and thoughtful gifts I received this year for Christmas was a mini-Janome sewing machine. I'm not going to lie, I had mixed feelings about this gift. (I.e. a touch of excitement mixed with absolute nervousness.)

For one, I am not what you'd call a domestica diva. I never had a home-economics class in grade school. And, I'm not even sure I've ever sewn a button onto an article of clothing. Because of this, my idea of "hemming" has evolved into grabbing some safety pins and/or duct tape and going from there.

My mom (thank goodness) has taken notice.

At 26 years old, I am now prepared to dip my toes into the pool of domesticity (if that's a word...). Wish me luck.

True meaning of Christmas

My family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. At 6 p.m. we head to church and then come right home to appetizers, drinks, Christmas music and gifts.

This year, like every year before it, we went to the candlelight service at my childhood church. Unlike past years, though, I found myself really savoring every moment.

My favorite part - when we light our candles and sing Silent Night - has never been more meaningful. Instead of singing, I couldn't help but just take in the moment. My family, overflowing into two pews, looked so happy. So blissful.

I sat there with my wonderful husband, nephew, sister, brother-in-law, mom, dad and three grandparents. (Definitely missed my bro and Aunt J.) Somewhere around the second verse, I couldn't hold back the tears.

I thought of all the years we've been in that same place. The same moment. With the same people. Then, for whatever reason, it hit me. That thought of not knowing how much longer we'd be able to celebrate this way, with all my loved ones. Emotions overtook me.

I pretended I had something in my eye when the lights came back on. My BP knew otherwise.

I don't think I'll ever be able to make it through Silent Night again.

So lucky

I was fortunate enough to hang out with many of my close friends this weekend.

I feel truly blessed to have them - as well as my friends I wasn't able to see - in my life.

I'm so lucky.

Congratulations N and M!!!

Congratulations on your engagement bro-na and M... I can't wait for the big day!

Happy Holidays!

As the holiday season draws nearer, I regretfully inform you that my blogging will indeed be at a bare minimum for the next week or so. I instead will be focused on spending time with my friends and family.

To my faithful (and unfaithful) readers, may your stockings be filled with your favorite treats, your homes filled with laughter and your hearts filled with love.

"Political correctness" aside... Merry Christmas to all!

Did you know...

... that to be a law professor, some colleges and universities do not require individuals to take the bar? Nope. As long as you have your J.D., you're all set to teach.

I found this incredibly interesting. As a person with absolutely no background in law, I would think that I'd want to be taught by lawyers who have some hands-on experience in their field. What do you think?

Happy Birthday M!

Happy Birthday to one of my best buds, M! I hope you have the most wonderful birthday and year ever! Can't wait to see you!

(I don't usually get into cats all that much but was quite fond of this picture for some reason...)

Merry Christmas message...

My father-in-law, G, would like to send a yuletide greeting your way. Please click here.

(I was having some trouble opening it in Firefox... Explorer seemed to do the trick.)

The next Paris?

Do you think she should get to keep the crown?

Read story here.

Thoughts thus far

1) I LOVE coming home to my husband every night.
2) Detroit is not as bad as I thought it'd be. (Although, I literally get off the expressway and am on campus.)
3) I miss my Mac!
4) Having a fenced in yard for Cooper is definitely less irritating.
5) I'm amazed by the diversity at WSU.
6) I love coming "home" and turning on E!
7) I miss our home.
8) I miss our beautious Christmas tree.
9) I hate not knowing things at work.
10) Traffic sucks.
11) I think I'll really enjoy working with the women in my office. (There are no men.)
12) I've never met so many lawyers in one day.
13) I miss my old officemates :(

To be continued...

Silence no more!

So long silence! Our Jeep will soon have a radio/cd player/mp3 player installed!

After nearly two years of nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company, I rejoice at the mere thought of melodic verses and bumpin' beats.

Thank you so much to B and G! What a WONDERFUL and incredibly thoughtful anniversary gift!

* The device featured is only a representation of our gift.

One down...

...And hopefully many, MANY more to go.

A and I were able to celebrate our one-year anniversary this year with the help of our good friends, T and C, who got married on Saturday. (A BEAUTIFUL wedding, I must say.)

They say that love grows stronger over time. With A, I find this to be 110 percent true.

The moment I met my BP, I knew. He was the one who made me laugh harder and smile longer than anyone I'd ever been with before. He respected me. He believed in me. He loved me. And, I him.

Since I met him, I wake up each day feeling more lucky than the last. I am truly blessed to have such an incredible partner in life.

I love you A.

Goodbye Owens

Well, it's been real. :)

I can't believe this chapter is officially over.

It's amazing how many wonderful people and friends have come out of it.

From the gang at work to the 'ol PC, T-Town has certainly been good to us.

Man, we were very lucky.

Cheers to new chapters.

Feelin' it

I'm feeling the love today.

I was so lucky to work with such wonderful people at the OCC.

I will truly miss the people and the many "drink nights" with the gals.

Thank goodness for blogs.

So true. So true.

The quote of the day today is by Albert Einstein...
"The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax."

Personally, I wholeheartedly agree. (Although, I'm pretty sure I haven't really tried to understand EVERYthing in the world.)

No wonder I'm a fan

Check out Neil Patrick and Jason from "How I Met Your Mother" on the Megan Mullaly Show. These guys are truly talented.

Click here.

A perfect "Holiday"

A and I went to see "The Holiday" last night. I must say, I enjoyed every moment of it. I really love Jude, Kate and Jack. And, Jude and Cameron seemed to have such chemistry on screen.

It was one of those that I could have sat through all over again - right after it finished.

I will definitely own this movie.

*P.S. I would also like to state that Jude Law is back on my list. His smile is just brilliant.

A terrifying trend

Wow. I was reading a feature story on msnbc.com today about this whole new “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) revolution happening online these days. That, combined with the last episode of the always hilarious and witty “Boston Legal” that featured a “pro-ana” plantiff, made me very interested in learning more.

I googled “pro-ana” and found hundreds (maybe thousands) of websites devoted to losing weight. Apparently, many “pro-ana” supporters believe that anorexia is a lifestyle choice – not a disease. In their websites, they've found a place to network with other supporters to discuss their diets, new weightloss techniques, fasts and "thinspo" (inspirational images of emaciated models and celebrities).

This whole thing both scares me and makes me sad. Here are some of the comments that I read.

“With the holidays fast approaching, I know we all want to stick to our caloric restriction plans, and meet our goal weights. I thought we could post our stats, and goal weights. Maybe that will help us stay on track! Height: 5 feet Current Weight: 80 pounds Waist: 22 inches Hips: 29 inches Goal Weight by December 25th: 75 pounds I'm having a hard time lately because everyone is forcing food on me. Parties and family gatherings are the worst. Everyone's like, ‘Have a cookie,’ ‘Eat this, I made it myself.’ Great... guilt.”

And…

“Evening peeps. Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the weekend. Well I’m a big fat failure: Day Two of my lemon detox and I caved. Stuffed a whole flapjack into my body. 500 Calories. I almost passed out at the gym so thought hmmm I’ve a calorie target of 14,000 to burn by Christmas perhaps I should eat a little something seeing as I was running on the treadmill with what felt like a goldfish bowl on my head. Why did I choose such a rubbish option? Greed I guess :-( Anyhow managed to burn 1100 calories today. Didn't bother going to work hehe - 1h30 in the gym and 90 minutes Bickram…killer but YAY only 10,000 calories to go. Should I hate myself or be excused seeing as I worked hard at the gym. Obvioulsy I don't eat again today. I’d love to hear your thoughts and how anyone is getting on. Bye for now”

I can’t imagine. The pain. The agony. The hunger. The sadness.

I know there’s no stopping websites like this from popping up. I just hope parents out there are playing an active role in the children’s lives and watching their computer habits. Peer pressure and the need to fit it can take hold of anyone I suppose.

* As I was looking for a picture to accompany this post, I actually felt like I was going to vomit from seeing some of the photos. How can anybody think that's attractive?

Yeah for Dr. Scott!

Congratulations to my best bud H, who is graduating this weekend from the University of Michigan with a doctorate in physical therapy.

I am so excited for you! I can't believe it's actually here!

Have a great time celebrating tonight... Wish I could be there with you!

Love you!

Nooooo!

People.com – Perhaps Project Runway's Tim Gunn should take his own advice and "Make it work."

The Bravo TV star may not be joining judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors and host Heidi Klum (who also executive produces the show) when Runway returns for its fourth season, Entertainment Weekly reports in its new issue.

His responsibilities as chair of the fashion design department at New York City's Parsons school, where Gunn, 53, has worked for 23 years, make him unavailable for filming during the academic year.

Last season – which resulted in a win by bad-boy designer Jeffrey Sebelia – began shooting after the end of a semester. Next season's schedule reportedly has not been locked in.

"As we have in past seasons, we will find a way to work around everyone's schedules, and are confident the team will be back," said Sarah Rothman, a spokeswoman for The Weinstein Company, which produces the show.

Gunn's good-natured mentoring of the Runway contestants has made him a fan favorite – and the feeling is mutual. "I'm the luckiest man on earth," he told PEOPLE earlier this year about his newfound fame.

ANTM

Yeah. I'm hip to the beat. I called it ANTM. (Only real fans know to use this acronym.)

So, if there are any other ANTM fans out there, what did you think of the results last night? Are you glad the "loose cannon" won or were you rooting for the "bitch."

Personally, I was rooting for CD all season but, after seeing the runway "walk" last night, could have easily been swayed to the dark side.

They'll both do well.

* Side note: Tyra needs to start covering up those floatation devices of hers. They're getting to be bigger than her head and are incredibly distracting to viewers.

Twinsies

Have you ever been out and about, and glanced around only to see a couple wearing matching jackets, sweatshirts, pants and the like? I have. And, every time I see it I ask myself if I would ever do such a thing with my sweety.

Is it corny? Is it lame? Is it cute? I can’t decide. I think it depends on the couple and their ability to pull it off in such a way that doesn’t leave audiences wanting to put their fingers down their throats.

What do you think? Would you do it?

* This post came to mind as A and I looked in the mirror last night while we were getting ready for bed. We had both put on (without the other’s knowledge) a bright yellow shirt and gray pajama pants. Made us both crack up.

P.S. I have absolutely no idea who the people are in the above picture.

It's been far too long

Went out to look at Christmas lights last night – one of my absolute favorite things to do this time of year. Anyway, on the way home we stopped for sundaes at McDonald's. I ordered strawberry, which brought back memories of childhood. (After school, my mom would sometimes treat me to either a small fry or a sundae at McD's.)

It was so wonderful. There will definitely be more strawberry sundaes in my future.

* I got mine with no nuts.

So sad

Well, James Kim's body was found only about a mile from his family's car. (He had traveled about 8 miles according to the article.)

This story is just so unbelievably sad to me. Makes you want to hold on tight to your loved ones.

Read the story here.

Heartbreaking

I saw this story on The Today Show earlier this morning. I watch the news every morning but, for some reason, was really affected by this one.

I just can't imagine what that family is feeling right now. And, I know that my husband, like many other loving and brave significant others out there, would have totally done the same thing.

I'm certainly praying for the Kim family.

Yikes!

Don't celebs have stylists?
Don't they have mirrors at least?!

I heart Christmas

Like so many people out there, I joined the masses this weekend and set off to the mall for some holiday shopping.

It was a very successful trip.

K's list? Completed. A's list? About five more people to go.

I decided to wrap when we got home. And, sitting in our living with our Christmas tree and other decorations, I looked around and got "that" feeling. The feeling of happiness. Of bliss. Of celebration and song. Of Christmas.

Please. Just call me Tiny Tim.

Me First

A and I went to see Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – a kick-ass cover band – on Friday in D-town. Awe. Some. They were so great. They came out in cowboy hats and aviator shades (in true SuperTroopers style) and turned songs like “Goodbye Earl” and "Jolene" into punk. (Apparently they have a new “country and western" album out.)

Other favorites included “I Believe I Can Fly,” “Rocketman,” “End of the Road,” “Seasons in the Sun,” “Rainbow Connection,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Wild World,” “Summertime,” etc. (You get the idea… I liked them all!)

Seriously, nothing beats seeing that type of crowd jam to Boyz II Men and the Dixie Chicks. Truly amazing.

One thing I don’t understand about these types of concerts, though, is the moshing and body surfing. How is that in any way enjoyable?

To learn more about the Gimme Gimmes, click here.

From Express to Warrior

I'm going to be a Warrior my friends! I start my new job as a development officer at Wayne State University's School of Law on December 18.

I'm so excited – and nervous – for this whole process.

Thank you all for being so supportive!

Written in the stars?

I’ve never been one to get too heavy into astrology and horoscopes. Yes. I’ll occasionally read my horoscope online or check out the Sunday paper. I’ve always found such things intriguing. But for the most part, I’ve never really taken it very seriously.

I realized something this week, though. Most good change – like big change – in my adult life has occurred during the winter months. I transferred from good ‘ol Suck 4 to WMU in January. A few years later, I took off for East Lansing in the winter for grad school. I obtained my first full-time job and moved to Ohio in February of 2004. I got married last December. And, now, I’m geared up to start a new job (YES! I SAID IT!) just before Christmas.

Perhaps something is written in the stars that change – for me – comes only in the wintertime. Not sure when (or why) I had this little revelation but I’m pretty sure I’m more interested in astrology and such.

Has anyone else noticed any weird patterns in their life?