Days go by...

Alright... so I'm a few minutes late with the grand announcement of this season's theme. But I've just spend the last 2 hours chilling out with Lisa discussing hopes and dreams and guys and all kinds of great stuff. I love girl-talking. It's fab.

Besides, I needed to keep you guys waiting for the theme because that's sorta the whole point.

Let's review... we've experienced much crazy new life stuff in the past few months: engagements, babies being made, people moving around the town and the state, etc. etc. Many things have been happening in the Fall of Making it Happen. And while, all of these things are new and good, I think that the fruits they will bear have not yet been completely seen.

And so, great wonderful people, in the spirit of Advent... I officially dub this season...

THE WINTER OF ANTICIPATION

What are we anticipating? Many great things... babies, marriages, springtime, and lots of awesome stuff that we cannot yet know about. It's all very exciting and hopeful and happy.

I love you and goodnight!

And so it goes...

I am officially declaring this day, November 30th, 2004 as the last day of the "Fall of Making it Happen". I hope you've finished all your happenings, because, dearest friends, it is over.

I'd like to use this post on the last day of Making It Happen to let you know some of the TOP happenings of the season. (I was hoping this would be a Pictorial, but it turns out I've messed up my scanner and scan I cannot.)

In no particular order:

1.) Dan & Stephanie are having a baby! Their announcement at the Little Flower Party of Big Fun in October was wonderful. During the most creative drink contest, Dan and Stephanie had my roommates and I try the drink that Stephanie created. After each of us tasted it, we said... "Well, it just tastes like coke." (It was actually caffeine free coke.) So we said "What's it called?" The name of the drink was EGJ... short for Embryonic Growth Juice. Most people at the party snickered not quite catching the full meaning... and then it hit! And many screams and many laughs and many hugs and many smiles were had by all! Way to MAKE A BABY happen, Dan and Stephanie! I'm so excited for you guys.

2.) Randy and Rachel got engaged! What a better season than the Fall of Making it Happen for Randy to make it happen! Congrats and kudos to the newly engaged couple and their Bruno and their crazy kitties... who will be living as one big happy family in a less than a year! Happy planning and happy engagement! May your next 11 months of planning be more joyous than stressful and more loving than crazy.

Other happenings include moving into the Daisy House, giving birth to a new website, roadtripping to Texas to see Therese, and many others that I'm forgetting or not saying cuz they seem silly in the context... but please...

POST YOUR HAPPENINGS!!!

What did the "Fall of Making it Happen" do for you??

And stay tuned, for I will post the Winter's theme before midnight on December 2nd!

That's Amore!

A couple years ago one of my big brothers told me that the average person only falls in love like 3 times in his or her life. I was a bit disturbed by this fact back then because I had already been in love twice. I'm still a bit disturbed by that statistic... though I guess the third time is a charm, and I haven't found that one yet.

But here's the deal. My question is "Do people actually fall out of love?" Because I'm pretty sure that I don't. (Okay.. well that's not EXACTLY true.. because I'm not IN LOVE with anyone anymore... but I still love each of the two to whom I've said "I love you".) Back in the day when I said "I love you" to those 2 guys (at two VERY different times of my life, by the way), I really honestly meant it. While dating each of the guys, I could have easily seen myself ending up married to him.

And it's really weird... because though I can't really see myself married to either of them anymore, I'm pretty sure I still love both of them. And it's a different love from how I love my friends or my family.

Now, I highly doubt I'd ever date either of the guys again if given the chance, and I really don't keep in touch very well with either of them, but I know that when I said "I love you"... I meant it... and I don't think that's ever really stopped.

And I guess this brings me to the point that I'm at now. What happens when I find that third guy? Or what happens when I find the one that I'm really going to marry and love actually forever? Does my love for these other two go away, or does it just continue to change as it has since I've been without them? Because it's true that what I feel now is nothing compared to what I felt while dating each of those guys.

I just think love is weird. Am I just a hopeless romantic? Is it weird that I still love guys who I haven't dated in 3 and 5 years respectively? What do you guys think?

Friends...

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way....
Your job's a joke, your broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're ALWAYS stuck in second gear...
when it hasn't been your DAY, your WEEK, your MONTH, or EVEN your YEAR!"


Ah... sweet joyous theme song. How true you are. But that is not EXACTLY what this blog is about. I've been pondering friendship lately (and by "lately" I mean for about the last 3 minutes.) And I find myself to be quite perplexed.

Now I understand the whole fact that we have acquaintances and we have friends. But what I don't get is how many different degrees of friendship there are... and how do you know when you've grown out of friendship... and why does friendship end... and how do you know when it's over?

I think this all came on as a result of a recent string of email conversations with a bunch of my friends from high school. Back in the day, we were like INSEPARABLE. We had fun.. we shared everything.... Even my mom thought we were one of those groups of friends who wouldn't just crumble as we grew up. But then I went off to college, and a couple of the others went off to college, and a few people stayed around home... and we all just changed. Or maybe I just changed. But something is DEFINITELY different. Like, there's still 3 or 4 of them that I can sit down with and have a normal conversation... but I don't even feel remotely comfortable or welcome in the so-called "group" outings anymore... (though I'm not sure they exactly exist in large numbers).

And it's really weird. The people that I hang out with now (college friends and post-college friends)... well... I can't even imagine having a complete mixture of the two groups. A few of them could mesh well into the other group... and 2 or 3 of them actually do this. But to just put all of them in a room together would be.. well.. unpleasant.

So I guess my question is this: Can I person outgrow a friendship? And if people change does that mean that friendship ends... or are you supposed to adapt? And how hard should one strive to make sure that friendship doesn't just fizzle? And where does virtue come into all of this?

Good luck, and God Speed.

Pink-Be-Gone... Hello Holidays

Heya Ladies and Gents,

Because the Christmas season is just around the corner, I decided to do a couple of format changes. (Oh.. and also... I really felt kinda lazy today so I just sat here and worked on HTML) Yes, I am a nerd. And that's Okay. Because I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And Dogonit... people like me.

But don't worry your pretty little heads off, I've got the pink template all saved and ready to be put back once the season has passed.

I think I shall clue you in on things that I am looking forward to in the next month or so:

1) The Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Day Dinner
2) Thanksgiving (and THUS...a FOUR DAY WEEKEND)
3) Ryan coming for a visit.
4) The 3rd annual "FOURTEEN DAYS OF CELEBRATION" including such events as...
--(begin FDoC events)
5) Ray Ray's 3rd 21st Birthday.. he he he he he...
6) The Rascal Flatts concert on December 11th
7) The Nutcracker Prince
8) My 24th Birthday and thus my yearly favorite-memories-of-the-year blog
-- (end FDoC events... more to come... obviously)
9) Jesus' birthday
10) The Twelve Days of Christmas including a fabulous wine and cheese party
11) NEW YEAR'S EVE 2004
.... and much much more.

WHO's EXCITED???!!! :)

What a Weekend!

This weekend rocked. I had today off... so it was a 3-day weekend, but it was JAMMED packed full of fun and friends.

In the words of Inigo Montoya:
"Lemme esplain... no too much... Lemme summup."


1.) Drove home. Saw parents. LOVE PARENTS!
2.) Drove back. Went out with group. Ate bad Italian. (And a couple of the guys had VEAL. yes.. that's baby cow. It makes me sad.) Drank STRANGE Italian alcohol provided by a priest while watching Blues Brothers at the rectory. Tried out the "Sing Along with Mitch" 1962 record on the HiFi. Had fabulously wonderful dreams after gross Italian alcohol.
3.) Cozy Days on Sunday filled with Lisa's brunch and games of phase 10 with new guy in town Andrew. Then old high school friend Scott came over for a chat. Then we all went to Young Adult Mass with the Bishop which rocked and was followed by scrumptious dinner. Then watched Good Will Hunting with Lisa, Scott and Andrew.
4.) To top it off, got to see the Aurora Borealis (aka Northern lights) with Kim and Andrew after driving 20 or 30 miles out of town to get a good view. It was AMAZING. You all should check it out if you get a chance.
5.) Spent my Monday (a day OFF of work) chilling out with Kim and Andrew and singing "If I had a Million Dollars" to guitar accompaniment. Watched Ocean's 11. Went to Mass. Then I washed the bird poo off my car (note to self: DO NOT PARK UNDER THE RADIO TOWER AT WORK EVER AGAIN.) And now I'm updating the blog.

WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND! THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THIS FABTASTIC EXPERIENCE OF WONDERMENT AND ENJOYMENTINESS. LOVE YOU!

Yawnagoogle

Because I quite enjoyed reading the stream of consciousness and random thoughts that my blog-inspirer Kyle recently wrote, I decided to do one of my own.

In a few weeks, Ryan is coming to visit. You all remember Ryan don't you? If you flash back to post from a year ago or so, you may find him referred to as "cute neighbor boy", "the pilot", "Boy A"... etc. etc. Anyhoo.. he's coming for some more pilot training and he's promised to take Kim and I out to dinner. I CAN'T wait to see him again. YEAY! Have you ever met someone that you just can't help but love? Ryan is that guy for me. And I'm not talking REAL love.. i'm talking crazy, stupid-feeling, weak knees, twinkly eyed puppy love. I mean, seriously, if I ever dated the boy I'd probably become the most depressed woman on the earth... but nevertheless being around him makes me all kinds of happy.

G-Dub won the ELECTION. I'm so happy... nearly to tears actually. I was so afraid of having to wait ANOTHER 30 to 50 years for a chance at Supreme Court Justices who would overturn Roe v Wade. I felt as though the world would become a blackened place nearing its end if Kerry got elected (and not becuase he's Kerry... but because of the waves that would have come from his pebble being dropped into the political pond.) Now the world and the U.S. can go on in our not so fabulous state... with at least a glimmer of hope.

I miss my family. It makes me cry.

What do you call a bunny carrying a canteen and a backpack who's on his way to Heaven?? St. BuNNYVENTURE... tee hee tee hee

I'm feeling rather sick about the fall of Making It Happen. I haven't made much happen in the last month and it disturbs me. I better come up with one of my infamous hairbrained ideas pretty soon. (FYI... there's a big one stewing.)

Did I ever tell you guys about Operation Hanging Gardens or Operation Mystify Mark? They were great. Remind me to do that sometime...

Hugs are the greatest. Sometimes I wish that God would come down and give me a hug.

Have a good weekend. I'm off work on MONDAY. Why? Because I haven't had a day off since I started my job back in February and I'm reaching serious and unpleasant burnout. So i'm taking the day off. JOY. ELATION! RAZZLE DAZZLE!

Dressed up like a million dolla trooper. Tryin hard to look like Gary Cooper.. SUPADUPA!