Random Friday Fun

TGIF! This week has been another low key one at work, so my focus has been mostly at home and on myself. Cleaning has continued... as Sheena pointed out, I was a big tease by only showing you the dining room mid-clean without ever revealing the final result. So with out further ado...

Isn't it beautiful?!?! I realize I sound insane, but I really want Birdie to come home to a perfect house. If that's the case I have a LOT more work to do.

Speaking of Birdie Gurl, here are her two latest pics.

I sure do love that little peanut, and we don't even have her yet!!!

I have also been eating healthier and exercising daily. It feels good although the "newness" of it is wearing off and I do feel tempted to eat "baddies" but so far so good. Anna let me borrow her 21 Day Fix DVDs and I LOVE them. Thank you Anna! She is a good cheerleader. :-)

And just to keep things mixed up, here's a survey just because. Enjoy!

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

Closed. I also need the bedroom door to be closed as well.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?

Yes absolutely. That is if I didn't use them all up.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

Tucked in. I like order.

4. Have you stolen a street sign before?

No but I ordered a "Survivor" Street sign from E-Bay once... I was a big fan of the show.

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?

Yes as a starting point, but then I always transfer the notes onto a more permanent list.

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

Not usually

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?

Bees? Although I've never been stung before... but with bees I'd like to think I stood a chance of running away.

8. Do you have freckles?

A few here and there. Mostly on my arms.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?

Yes, unless I'm making a weird face.

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?

When people assume they can call you by a shortened version of your name.

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

Sometimes...

12. Have you peed in the woods?

NEVER

13. Have you ever pooped in the woods?

NOOOOOOOOOO

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?

Yes, especially if I am trying on clothes at the mall haha

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?

Nope

16. How many people have you slept with this week?

What kind of question is this? What kind of people are out there????

17. What size is your bed?

Queen

18. What is your song of the week?

(I am ashamed to say I like the new Justin Bieber song...)

19. Is it OK for guys to wear pink?

Yes

20. Do you still watch cartoons?

Why yes I do. But mostly cartoons like Family Guy.

21. What is your least favorite movie?

Powder

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

My bank account.

23. What do you drink with dinner?

Plain or seltzer water

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

BBQ Sauce

25. What is your favorite food?

Peanut Butter

26. What movies could you watch over and over again and still love?

Legally Blonde. Mean Girls. What a Girl Wants.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?

That would be my husband.

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

A Girl Scout!

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

Unless there's a magazine out there called "Desk Job Bodies" I don't think so.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

Probably a few months ago to Katie Wells!

31. Can you change the oil on a car?

Well I think oil actually goes in a car... 

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

Yes...

33. Ever ran out of gas?

Thankfully no!

34. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich?

PBJ or PB and honey

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?

Peanut Butter Toast or Cinnamon Toast

36. What is your usual bedtime?

10:30 - 11:00

37. Are you lazy?

Meh... I always like to be doing something. But I also really don't want to get out of bed in the morning. So kind of?

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

Green M&M, Lady Bug, Statue of Liberty, Old Man, Minnie Mouse, Clown, Pippy Longstockings, a Cheerleader

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign?

A Pig. Of course since I like to eat.

40. How many languages can you speak?

Me speaks the English real good. I also like to pretend I can speak Spanish on occation. And once upon a time I know I took Japanese, but that seems to escape me. 

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

No

42. Which are better: legos or lincoln logs?

Legos

43. Are you stubborn?

:-) 

44. Who is better: Leno or Letterman?

That's past my bedtime. But I enjoy watching Jimmy Fallon clips on YouTube.

45. Ever watch soap operas?

Sheena and I used to watch a Japanese Drama (soap opera). It was incredible.

46. Are you afraid of heights?

Not as long as I feel secure.

47. Do you sing in the car?

Sometimes.

48. Do you sing in the shower?

Not usually.

49. Do you dance in the car?

Sometimes.

50. Ever used a gun?

Does a BB gun at summer camp count?

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

Wedding? Not sure if those are considered portraits. Otherwise it would probably be my senior year of high school!

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?

Cheesy in the best possible way.

53. Is Christmas stressful?

Only because of lack of planning (on other's parts clearly, lol) and because of all the sweets/temptations

54. Ever eat a pierogi?

I think I've had a bite of one...

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?

Marionberry

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

Children's Book Author/Illustrator, Paleontologist, Pilot for Delta Airlines, Astronaut, Saxophonist

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

Never really thought about it

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

Yes!

59. Do you take a vitamin daily?

No...

60. Do you wear slippers?

Yes!

61. Do you wear a bath robe?

Yes x 1,000,000

62. What do you wear to bed?

A top and bottoms. Depending on the weather it could be a tank top and shorts or multiple shirts/sweatshirts and fleece pants

63. What was your first concert?

The Beach Boys at the Puyallup Fair

64. Walmart, Target, or Kmart?

Target

65. Nike or Adidas?

Nike

66. Cheetos or Fritos?

I like both!

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

Peanuts

68. Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?

Um... maybe? I'm assuming they are a latin group. This is a random question.

69. Ever take dance lessons?

Ballet, Tap, and one Modern class

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

Well my current spouse is a professional musician. I suppose if something terrible happens to him and I have to get a new spouse, I will pick Billionaire for his profession. 

71. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

72. Ever won a spelling bee?

I competed in a school-wide spelling bee in 2nd grade, which makes me think I must have won my classroom spelling bee, but I honestly have no recollection of that 

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

I cried once when a lady won a car on the Price is Right.

74. Own any record albums?

I used to have a few! But not anymore

75. Own a record player?

Andy does have one

76. Do you regularly burn incense?

Negative

77. Ever been in love?

I don't think this survey was meant for someone my age...

78. Who would you like to see in concert?

Justin Timberlake

79. What was the last concert you saw?

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra :-)

80. Hot tea or cold tea?

Hot only.

81. Tea or coffee?

COFFEE

82. Sugar cookies or snickerdoodles?

Snickerdoodles!!!!

83. Can you swim well?

Well enough to not die. But you won't find me swimming tons of laps.

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

Yes

85. Are you patient?

I prefer instant gratification, haha

86. DJ or band at a wedding?

I kind of like a DJ but sometimes bands are really fun too

87. Ever won a contest?

I vaguely feel like I won a coloring contest at a grocery store (or at least I entered and wanted to win). I also won tickets to a jazz concert on the radio once.

88. Have you ever had plastic surgery?

No. I grew everything myself, haha.

89. Which are better: black or green olives?

Yuck

90. Can you knit or crochet?

No :( See number 85...

91. Best room for a fireplace?

Living room

92. Do you want to get married?

I would like to register for gifts again!!

93. If married, how long have you been married?

9 months and 13 days

94. Who was your high school crush?

Sammy (my saxophone)

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

Yeah... I've probably done that before...

96. Do you have kids?

About to have a little puppy named Birdie!!!!

97. Do you want kids?

Ugh. There's the question...

98. What is your favorite color?

Gray. Always.

99. Do you miss anyone right now?

My parents

100. Who are you going to tag to do this video next?

Oh this was supposed to be a video? Well now didn't I screw things up...

A Little Play Never Hurts

Remember how I worked for a zillion days in a row? Well, I've still been working, but I think I used up all of my mental energy during the previous weeks. I cannot concentrate at work - partly because I can't stop thinking about our new puppy and reading things about dogs online.

And so... here are all of the non-work things I've squeezed in over the last few days.

One morning I went golfing with Andy, one of his adult students, and the adult student's wife. I only stayed for the first 9 holes, but it's the first time I've ever actually golfed a full 9 holes. I'll toot my own horn and say that I did a pretty good job considering. Andy got really close to a hole in one! And the other big news from the golf outing was that we came up with the name for our little pup - Birdie. :-)

On Friday night, we had a lovely dinner over at Will and Rose's house. That gave me a nice chance to snuggle with Luna.

While we were there, we played "Morphology" - basically Pictionary but using items to create sculptures rather than drawing. It was really fun! And of course, the girls dominated. :-)

After work on Saturday, Andy and I hit the sales. He bought a new pan - and later cooked us his most delicious meal to date. We also got Birdie her first possession... a place for her toys!

We also did a little spring cleaning this weekend. I ended up doing a deep clean of the dining room. It looks AMAZING now, but it definitely got turned upside down in the process.

Andy and I decided to hit the sales once again on Memorial Day, and this time headed to the outlets. We spent a lot of time there, especially at the Croc store. I know, I know... not exactly the most fashionable, but they are all SO comfortable!!! We each ended up getting two pairs.

We spent the afternoon with Andy's extended family (dad's side) for an indoor BBQ as it was raining on and off. 

And there you have it! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy... thankfully work isn't really busy for another week, so I expect more play to be on the table in the near future.

Big long post + BIG NEWS!

I am finally done with my crazy busy streak!!!! I worked 21 days in a row and I am SO GLAD it is over. Here's a look at the final stretch.

Last week I was very busy with the Tiny Tots concerts. Over four days I was responsible for over 3,000 little kids. Yikes. But, they all went well, and now that they're done I don't have to deal with this type of concert for many months. Yay!

Those concerts kept me plenty busy during the day. My nights were busy too. On Thursday, Kara and I went to see Lani perform in "Into the Woods." Lani is so talented!!! I really enjoyed the show - it made me miss playing in the pit for musicals.

On Friday night I had to go to the ROCmusic benefit concert. Thank goodness Anna was up for going with me! We had a lovely dinner at Wegmans before spending three thousand hours listening to string music. I was most excited because I tried pulling my hair back with bobby-pins rather that the tiny claw clips I always use, and I felt it turned out well.

I had to work Job #2 on Saturday and then.... get ready for the big news..........

I GOT TO MEET OUR NEW PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sadly Andy was out of town, but Anna and Bipul were nice enough to go with me. It really helped making a decision with them there.

She is part cockapoo and part poodle mix so she should be a pretty cute girl when she grows up. We get to bring her home in one month... I'm glad to have the time to prepare for a puppy, but I sure hope the time goes by fast! I'm so excited!!!!!!

Here's a picture of the mom... she was a really sweet dog.

We still have not settled on a name, so I am very open to any suggestions you might have. Please let me know!

After the excitement of the puppy, Anna, Bipul, and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2. It was decent so I'm glad we went, although I can say without a doubt the first one was better.

On Sunday I woke up and went straight to the office. I had about 3 hours to magically create an entire set of activities for the family concert that afternoon. While I don't normally wait until the last minute like that, I've just been so busy. I was pretty proud that I came up with some pretty solid activities using things I had on hand - and they were all a big hit.

The bird was Gertrude McFuzz. It was a Dr. Suess themed concert. Once that concert was over, I WAS DONE. Andy and I went out to dinner, then his friend James came into town, we all met up with Anna and Bipul for froyo and then back to their place to hang out. It was a fun night!

The next day (Monday) I did NOT go to work. Yay!!!! Instead, Andy, James, and I went to get pedicures. :-) 

Now our feet are ready for summer. :-) I spent the rest of the day laying around our hot house. It wasn't the most thrilling day off, but I suppose I just needed a day of doing nothing.

And here I am back at work! Ugh. But with a puppy on the way, I need to save my days off so I can spend time at home once we get her.

So there you have it. I survived! Hope you are all doing well, and remember - send me those puppy names!

My Name is Barbara

When I answer the phone at Job #2 I say, "Good morning, Job #2, this is Barbara." And without fail, once a week someone will respond, "Hi Margaret."

What???

If it happened once, fine. But it happens every single week. How?? I don't mumble. So maaaybe it's just a bad phone connection that's causing them to misunderstand me.

Well...

This morning before I went to work the Tiny Tots concert, I stopped at Starbucks for coffee. They asked for my name. I said, "Barbara." And this is what I got.

Now I realize the person forgot to cross the "t" but that is clearly "Margaret" and not Barbara. I don't think I look that much like a Barbara, but I certainly don't look like a Margaret. Come on people!!!!

So. To make sure we are all on the same page, let's talk about my name.

1) My name is Barbara. I think of myself as Barbara. I respond quickest when someone calls me Barbara because that is what I call myself in my head.

2) Some people like to call people by shortened versions of their name. If you are one of those people, please call me Babs (which most people choose) or Barbie (which is currently only used by Nicole and Earl but I am perfectly fine if that list grows longer). 

3) While my name is not Margaret, it is also not Barb. I do not like to be called Barb. I was named after my mom's best friend. She is Barb. Not me. And I especially don't like to be called Barb (like her) because I didn't really like her when I was little. A lot of other people go by Barb. In my mind, they are old cat ladies, which I do not aspire to be. Also Barb sounds ugly. This is a Barb...

There you have it. Just in case you forgot who was writing this blog, it's me, Barbara. :-)

Weekend of Celebrations

What a weekend!

Saturday was my good friend Alyssa's wedding!!!!! I definitely got teary during her ceremony - I was just so happy to see her so happy. For starters, Alyssa looked flawless. So beautiful. So elegant. So tiny! And her dress was gorgeous. I'm also not sure I've ever seen a groom who smiled so much. It warmed my heart to watch the two of them together.

Her bridesmaids wore navy blue (gorgeous) and all the men wore gray suits, which you know I love. The flowers were a mix of whites, creams, and pale pinks. Everything looked so sophisticated - I loved all of the choices she made!

After her ceremony, we drove to the reception. That part was not fun because the AC in my car decided to just stop working, and it was 92 degrees outside. Yuck. Alyssa and Shaun had their reception in a park lodge, so I was thrilled when we went inside to find out it was air conditioned!!!

We immediately got our favors - drinking glasses that we personalized and used all night. Such a good idea.

The guest list was actually very small so Andy and I felt honored to be there. Our friends Elizabeth and Andy were also invited, and we had a great time hanging out with them all day.

(I'm not sure if you can tell, but my allergies are in full swing and my eyes were not feeling so great)

Somehow Alyssa and Shaun had found this food truck that did all of the catering for their wedding. Our dinner tasted SO good. Some of the best catered/wedding food I've ever had.

With dinner done, they moved on to the toasts and special dances. Again, seeing Alyssa's smile was the absolute best. It really warmed my heart! I know I already said that, but it's true!!

Now for what may have been the best part of the whole wedding.... instead of wedding cake, they had tiers of donuts!!! Wha?!?!??!! Why didn't I think of that! I caught the groom sneaking one as soon as the dances were done. ;)

Alyssa's wedding was absolutely perfect. Congratulations you two!!!

And now onto Sunday! Not only was it Mother's Day, but it was also my mom's birthday!

Andy and I pretty much woke up and hopped in the car to head to Buffalo to see his mom. His aunt was hosting a Mother's Day brunch, so we got to Buffalo early in order to spend time at his parents' house first. The weather was beautiful so we all sat out on their back patio. About a month ago when Anna and I went shopping, I saw a cool gift set from Lush, so I picked that up for Andy and I to give to his mom. I think she liked it!

The brunch at Andy's aunts house was really tasty. Bacon, ham, egg casserole, french toast casserole, yogurt, fruit, bagels, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, donuts... you name it! Unfortunately we had to dine and dash because Andy had to teach lessons and I had to sit in on an interview for Job #1. Boo.

I also got to talk to my mom on the phone. She sent me an awesome picture of all of the loot she accumulated for both her birthday and mother's day. 

I really wish I could have celebrated with her in person (and to have a piece of the cake my dad made) but it is what it is. Thank goodness long distance phone calls are free now!

And so ends out celebratory weekend. Happy Mother's day to all you mother's out there!!!

Busy B

May is barely underway, but so far it has proven to be non-stop action. I'm already exhausted!

Friday, May 1st
I worked. Then... I don't really remember. I think I did some grocery shopping and returned some things at TJ Maxx. The night ended with me trying out a new face mask. Pretty wild night!

Saturday, May 2nd
First I worked at Job #2. Then I had a hair appointment which I always enjoy because, 1) I love my hair stylist, and 2) she always does such a good job. Then I went shopping for my mom's birthday present. And finally spent the night with Andy watching the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight which was a lot of fun. We lucked out and were given two tickets to watch the fight at a hotel ballroom. The place was packed!

Sunday, May 3rd

Walked around a giant neighborhood garage sale with Andy, and somehow managed to lose my jacket. It was a gorgeous day.

 That afternoon I had an Around the Town Concert that I was in charge of. Lame! It would have been good, but it was such a gorgeous day and I think people just wanted to be outside (including myself). So... not the biggest audience, but oh well. It's understandable.

Monday, May 4th
I made my news debut. Thanks to Anna's chauffeur/support service, I made it to the news station (my car was not doing well...) and pulled off an interview which was remarkable as I had ZERO talking points/no clue what I was going to be asked. That pageant training came in handy! Click here to see my interview!

The rest of the day AND night was spent getting ready for the Education Luncheon that was happening on Tuesday. I was in charge of making all of the centerpieces (among a host of other things). Oh, and I also picked up my car from the shop. I had to get new back brakes plus other things that I don't understand and now I am the world's poorest person. At least my car was not as bad as another that was at the shop...

Tuesday, May 5th
Cinco de... nope not for me. No celebration because I was slammed with the Education Luncheon. I did, however, wear a dress that I thought was sort of festive for the holiday.

My centerpieces turned out really well.

A video that I had been a part of was also debuted. Don't judge me for wearing the same outfit as I wore for my news interview. This video could also be called "my job description" lol.

Aaaand, once it was all over I had to go work Job #2. It was an exhausting day!

Wednesday, May 6th

Today. I am so tired. I had two meetings at work. Now I'm off to REDO, and won't be home until close to 8:00.... another long one. 

And no real rest on the horizon. Please feel free to slather me with copious amounts of praise for all of my hard work. :-)

Mayday May Day

It's May 1st! Dare I say it finally feels like spring is here to stay? I might even move my snow brush to my trunk!

With only a little more than a month left in the orchestra's season, Job #1 is getting to be pretty busy. And of course Job #2 is still happening. When I look at my schedule, the next date where I have nothing scheduled for work is May 24th. Ugh. UGH.

This past week at work has pretty much been spent getting ready for all of the things coming up. We also took time to recognize our volunteers at a special recognition night, as well as say goodbye to our interns as they are graduating. My intern is the one of the left!

Ok enough about work. I've been looking at Pinterest a lot on my downtime and now really want to learn how to do a dutch braid. After several days of trying, I finally had a somewhat successful attempt this morning (with wet hair... that seemed to help a lot).

It was too messy to keep for work so I didn't leave it in, but I'm still pretty pleased with how I'm coming along!

I know... what an exciting life I lead. ;-)

In true exciting news though, my mom booked a family vacation for us. Come August, Andy, my parents, and I are going on a cruuuuuuuise!!!!! Yahoo!!!! I can't tell you how badly Andy and I both need a vacation after these last 4 months!

Ok, but let's get back to Pinterest. I came across this really interesting post about a girl who lived according to the Pinterest Popular Page. She had some successes and some failures, which I can definitely imagine. It got me thinking about what I use Pinterest for, and whether or not it really adds to my life or if it makes me feel bad about myself (because I can't live up to all of the perfect things that are on there).

It's a pretty easy answer... I have definitely benefited from Pinterest. Here's what I've gotten out of it:

- Wedding ideas. TONS of the things I did for my wedding, from invitations, flower arrangements, cake decor, groom/groomsmen attire, and picture ideas came directly from Pinterest. I'm not sure how I could have planned my wedding without it.

- Fashion. Ok, so I don't replicate the exact outfits I see, but I do find outfits I like, see what I already own, and then shop for other things that would complete the look. It was in searching for "how to wear ankle boots" that I convinced myself I should buy some... and I ended up wearing them all the time!

- Recipes. Yes, I've pinned more recipes than I've made, but pretty much everything I've made has turned out well.

- House decor. Our bedroom is modeled off of a pin I found. And when I was putting things on the shelves we hung in our living room I once again consulted Pinterest for how to decorate them. I know that sounds weird, but it helped! I've also implemented a few of the organization ideas I got from Pinterest that have also proven to be very good.

- Work ideas. I find so many good ideas for kids crafts whenever I have to organize kids concert activities. At the last one, a mother came up to me and said, "I saw this on Pinterest!" Why yes, yes you did.

- Laughs. Have you even checked out the humor section? It's pretty funny.

I don't try the things that I'm not interested in or know I wouldn't be great at (like contouring with makeup). But I really just scroll right passed those things - I don't get caught up a feel like a failure for not being able to do it. I'm usually searching for something specific and am rarely let down. If you haven't tried Pinterest, I'd give it a shot!