Bits of naughty ... but not my naughty bits

I went with some friends to a bar/club in San Francisco. As I grow older, these "Night on the Town" plans become less and less so I enjoy them when they do come around. There's truly nothing like partying in the city, right? While the weather was bad, the parking angels were kind to us and we found parking relatively close to our destination, walked by a few strip clubs (yes, we were in North Beach) and found the Dragon Bar in time to not pay cover. Suh-weet.
Since we were a tad early, there was plenty of room to saddle up to the bar and order drinks. I've said this before and I'll say it again - You can try and try but you cannot take the poor out of the girl. It's very easy for me to refuse an offer to buy me a drink. It is damn near impossible for me to not drink a beverage when it's been paid for and put in front of me. As if people around the world are starving because there is not enough alcohol for them to consume. I know, it's twisted and even at that moment I know it's wrong but I feel like it's a social faux pas to not take a drink that has been paid for already. As if I was being so rude to throw away someone's hard earned money. My point? I paid for the first round and bought myself a rum & diet coke. I then received two more rum & diet cokes, a glass of champagne, a lemon drop and a random fruity shot (I never did find out the contents.)
I know who paid for MOST of them. It's quite dangerous when you drink with people who are generous with their money. While it's probably pointing out the obvious, I was tossed off my rocker. Luckily, I had paced myself so I was just sustaining a very nice buzz. Until that last anonymous shot.
Damn that shot.
Once I downed it, I knew I had just waged a war inside my body. I tried drinking lots of water but you know when you know and I knew. I was done for.
I was able to maintain while we were at the bar and even when we got into the car. The kiss of death for me, however, was the nap. I tried and tried to fight it off on the car ride back to my friend's house but I lost and closed my eyes.
Seriously, it took that five minutes for my stomach to go all kujo on my ass.
I woke up and found myself gagging. "Um, do you mind pulling over?"
I have been friends with this gal for about five years and we've had our fair share of drinks. But I've never asked her to pull over. She knew this wasn't good. She took the very next exit and as soon as she stopped I opened the passenger door.
Nothing. The fresh air seemed to do the trick and the gagging went away.
The two gals I was with felt like having some breakfast so we rolled into an IHOP at 1:30am. We sat down, ordered our food and I drank a tall glass of water. But that didn't seem to work. I calmly said, "I'll be right back. I have to vomit in the bathroom." One of them asked if I was sure and I said that all the liquid was just not settling well. So off I went to do the deed and then I washed up and went back outside and was happy to hear that I didn't look like I had done what I did. I'd like to think I'm a tidy person, even in gross times such as these. I felt a lot better by the time we left. I picked up my car and drove 15 miles back to my home.
When I parked in my driveway, the demons in my stomach stirred again. I had wanted to go to a chinese restaurant and order wonton noodle soup but my nonAsian friends felt that hashbrowns, toast, eggs and bacon were a much better remedy. I was sure I would wake The Man up because the bathroom is right across from the bedroom. Soooooooo ...
I made the decision to vomit in the driveway, hiding behind my car and the garage. At the time, it seemed like the best idea. I was hidden, the rain would wash it away and I didn't have to worry about waking up Jon. Once I was done, I walked inside, stripped off the clothes, washed my face, brushed my teeth and passed out in bed. Please believe that this was not a proud moment for me. While I was ecstatic that I did not wake up with a hangover, how embarassing is it to have to hose off your driveway while the love of your life is waiting in the garage, rolling his eyes, because I didn't want him to see that the rain didn't do its' job? In addition, I was so useless the next day, all I wanted to do was sleep because I was exhausted. The Man said that my party girl days are over. 21 I am not. I think he's right. While I love to dance the night away, I seem to get in a lot less trouble when drinking in the safety of a loved one's home. And I seem to have a lot more control over my alcohol intake.
Yes people, I am welcoming my 30th birthday with open arms.

Even smaller random bits

Finally, some progress! Down 1.6 lbs! Am I the only one that winces when she gets on the scale and even before the number pops up? Just wondering.
I've been going to the gym more often (well, more often than never which is progress.) I still feel a little out of place in the weights area but I'm over the whole meat market atmosphere. I love that most of the women at my 24 Hour Fitness wear big ol' shirts and sweats. Before, there were a lot of sportsbra-only wearin' chicks. I'm not a hater - it's just intimidating! Like I said, if I weighed my dream weight, I would walk around buck NEKKID.
OK, I would wear heels.
I forgot to mention in a survey that my most favorite job ever was my job at Bare Escentuals. I briefly worked at the Embaradero location (right in the Financial district of SF) and it was glorious! It wasn't in a mall so we opened at 10:00am and closed by 6:00pm each night. The shop was more boutique-y than other stores so it was super easy to clean and we would get out, at the latest, 7:00pm. Oh, I also got 50% OFF all the make up. I know, such a random fact about me but I can't believe I forgot to mention this as one of my jobs. My gosh, I would still be working there if it paid the bills.
I'm going drinking tomorrow night in the City. Oooh-doggee. Going out and partying in San Francisco is very rare for me so when it does happen, I get a little tingly. I'm hoping for a nice buzz and no heaving on the sidewalk. Because that would be very 21 of me. I remember talking to someone and saying how it was acceptable and EXPECTED of friends to take turns puking and/or taking care of one another. I admit that I would now glare at my friends and fight the urge to kick them. I hate cleaning/smelling/seeing puke. Anyway, I'm going out a girlfiend for her birthday so The Man is staying at home with the pups (he really really did not want to go.)
I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
PS: I had to add this ... I was reading some entries that I wrote last year around this same time. I was so unhappy because of work. The rest of my life was dandy but I was so miserable at my old job. I am very thankful for my new career (it still feels new!), my husband-to-be, wonderful family and friends. Oh, and pups, of course! I feel at peace and am very thankful for that.

Complete thoughts? Pshhhhhht!

Well, random complete thoughts - yes. Thought-out paragraphs - a big fat NO.
I loved visiting Sister, WGD and The Boy. I'm sure that having a guest is not the most relaxing thing for them but I was plenty relaxed. We knit, we played, we worked out ... we even went out for some drinks! I love where they live and completely understand why travel magazines tote it as a resort community (but I do love the granola and boondocks of it all, too!!!)
I'm frustrated. I've been working out a lot more and keeping a food diary and haven't lost a pound. And nope, my clothes are looser. To make matters worse, The Man and I measure our waists and we both were s-h-o-c-k-e-d. Talk about facing up after being in denial - "Oh, these jeans are a tad snug but I'm sure my waist has changed only a centimeter." Riiiiight.
Despite being frustrated, I am still a happy person. I am very excited to be getting married. I am almost as excited to be on vacation for three weeks! I haven't taken that long of a vacation while working since ... never! I've either been in between jobs or in school. I feel a tad bit naughty.
Been struggling with the whole name change thing but think I've finally made a decision. Professionally, I'd like to stick with my maiden name. I haven't asked them, though, if I will be forced to change it since I'll be changing it on my SS# and driver's license. But I'd like to be able to keep it my maiden name at work. Everywhere else, I will be Mrs. Ramirez. I'm hoping that being sorted alphabetically by last name is a practice that has been left at school. Random, right? To go from A to R may be a bit jarring, though. I liked getting whatever it was over with first!
The Man just bought his barong for our wedding. (Why he was measuring his waist and had inspired me to measure mine - I'm such a dumb ass.) A friend of mine didn't want her husband to wear one because she thought it looks like a doily. After she pointed that out, I kind of agree. But I still think it's beautiful because it's part of our culture. Plus he will be so much more comfortable than wearing a suit!
I still love my job. It's challenging but I am very happy. I grit my teeth when I say, "Money isn't everything" but I really do believe it.
I'm sad about Heath Ledger. I wasn't his number one fan but I admired his work. He was in one of my favorite movies, 10 Things I Hate About You. Ironically, I think it was his least favorite. Anyway, I suppose it's just yet another example that money isn't everything. But it's not an example that I'm happy to display as proof. He was a dad - poor kid.
I'm getting married in eleven weeks. Unbelievable. I know it's life changing yet there won't be much that will be different in my day-to-day routine. Yet I'm so excited and know that it means so much.

Didn't I just do this?? Oh well, thank Cyn!

things you may or may not know about me... The directions are at the end.

4 jobs I had in my life:
1. High Tech PR intern - back in '99 and it paid $10. I thought I had hit the jackpot!!!
2. Sarah & Vinnie Morning Show intern - woke up at 4:30am for that one. Not paid.
3. KGO-TV production assistant - woke up at 1:45am for that one! I lasted three months. Those were three looooooooooong months. Thankfully, I got a teeny promotion. First job out of college and I got paid $12.75 with no benefits.
4. SF State Dorm Data Entry Clerk - I'm sure it was NOT the title of the job but that's what I did. Double the data entry work because they were on two different systems. I lasted one month and then told them some dumb excuse of why I had to quit. I thought I was going to snap and stab myself in the eye.

4 movies I would watch over and over:
1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
2. 50 First Dates
3. Little Women
4. The Wedding Singer

4 places I have lived:
1. Parents' house
2. Mary Ward Hall at SFSU
3. Mold infested apartments at SFSU (but I got to room with Kim so it wasn't all bad!:)
4. Treasure Island

4 TV shows that I watch:
1. Cashmere Mafia (it ain't no Sex & the City)
2. Grey's Anatomy - I'm hoping that there's still hope
3. The Office - please pay the writers so I can watch my show!!!!
4. Desperate Housewives - I'm not as big of a fan as I used to be but it's getting good again.

4 places I have been:
1. Hawaii - Oahu & Maui
2. Philippines - Makati, Boracay, Bicol
3. Germany
4. Michigan - I thought I would just throw that in there ;)
**HELL (aka my workplace....AHAH) - so funny, Cyn! That was my old workplace ;)**

4 people who email me (regularly):
1. La Re Doute
2. Amazon
3. Work
4. Yelp

4 of my favorite foods:
1. My dad's cooking - I agree, Cyn! My dad's cooking too!
2. milk chocolate just-about-anything
3. Home cooked Filipino food
4. Sushi

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. In bed - not because I'm sick but because it's a Saturday morning!
2. Hawaii
3. Back at my Sister's
4. almost at any beach on a sunny day

4 Things I am looking forward to this (2008)year:
1. Getting married to the Man
2. Being with him and my family in Hawaii
3. Not working for three weeks!
4. Lose weight in 08 I like that one, Cyn, so I'm keeping it for myself

4 friends I think will respond:
I have no idea!

I suppose there is an upside

I'm trying not to get nervous. Because there really isn't anything I can do, right? I was supposed to get my wedding dress by now but the boutique said that it will be another month. I'm just confused because the dress is so simple and it's not being tailor made to fit me. So why is it taking so long?
I guess the upside is that I get another month to work out and eat right before trying on the dress for alterations. But the control-freak in me wants the dress already in my hot little hands. The paranoid side of me is simply worried that mid-February will come around and the dress will still not be ready. Then I will get really nervous because I definitely need to get the dang thing altered.
I'm not freaking out at this very moment. Because I know that there is still plenty of time. But I am such a deadline person that when someone tells me to expect something by a certain time, I want it by the deadline. Like RIGHT NOW! Ahh well.

Operation: Damn Good in the Wedding Dress

I went to the gym today!
Can I get an Amen?!
I'm sure I don't have to describe how hard it is to psych myself in the morning to go to the gym. First of all, The Man has rubbed off on me. I hated, HATED, how he would press the snooze button every freakin' morning. Now I do that!!! Not only that, I'm actually WORSE than him, pressing the snooze button far more times than him now. (Pay back's a biatch, though, right? Heehee!) Anyway, it's very hard to get myself out of bed, into gym clothes and out the door. But I'm determined now. Because I want to look Damn Good in my wedding dress.
What's funny is being in other friends' weddings never inspired me to work out. I mean, I wanted to but than I would just think, "Well, it's all about the bride, right? No one will be looking at me." So back to sleep I would go. Not even my trips to Hawaii really inspired me to tone and shed a few pounds. I have to say that my own wedding day is a pretty strong motivation for me. Seriously, the last time I was this motivated was senior prom. And that was because my date was 5'6" and weighed only TEN POUNDS more than me. I was determined not to look like a bowling ball next to his pin-sized figure. (Looking back, I should have just gotten another prom date but I was 17 years old and a little dim at the time. No, I'm not shallow enough to just dump the date because of his thin figure, the boy had some baggage. But that is an entirely different post that probably doesn't need to be written.)
I don't want anyone to think that I'm working out for two hours and being all gung-ho. I'm there for a little under an hour, running for 25 minutes and then doing sit ups and weights for the remainder of the time. I know that's not exactly boot camp but I know it's better than what I was doing before. Which was nothing. I'm also not resorting to celery sticks and water. But I am writing down what I eat so I'm more aware of my eating habits. I'm also doing Power Yoga again!!!! I missed it so much and have been doing it for a little over two months.
So I say ... "Bring it on, twelve weeks!" I am determined to look good on our wedding day. Plus, like I wrote before, we're going to be in Hawaii so I would like to look my best. Of course, I'm hoping that all these good habits I'm training myself to do will carry over when I get back from our wedding so it doesn't all go to hell in a hand basket (whatever that means.)
Wish me luck!!!

Needing a little motivation and inspiration ...

... and having three months until my wedding is just the gentle push kick in the ass I need.
Holy smokes, that's 12 weeks. TWELVE WEEKS.
I haven't talked about Jenny Craig in a while because, while I'm still in the program, I've been terrible about sticking to it during the holidays. I also got sick which was the perfect excuse to stop working out.
Well, sweet baby Jeezus (thanks for putting that into my vocabulary, Pookie!) it's time to get SERIOUS! Mama Lu needs to get toned and slim for the Big Day. Because I was the brilliant mastermind who convinced her significant other that it would be FAB-YOO-LEZZ to get married in Hawaii. Well, that means running around half nekkid (well, tanks and shorts or a bathing suit is being half or more nekkid.)
So I'm pushing myself to be better at working out and eating less crap. Remember how I wrote about bacon? NO BACON!
I better look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G in my wedding pictures if I'm giving up bacon. You may be wondering, "What about Jon? Don't you care what JON looks like in the photographs?!" Look. The Man is gorgeous. I think he can either work out or do nothing and he will still look super duper handsome in our pictures. I also better look amazing because I'm going to the gym. I no likee the gym! But I'm going. Because it's good for me. OK, let's be real. Because I'm getting the kick in the ass that our wedding is coming in twelve weeks.
Sweet Baby Jeezus.
----------------------------------------
12:00pm update - I went to the gym! I decided to run, do some sit ups and squats. I felt SO MUCH BETTER after I worked out ... like I accomplished something! I just have to remember how that feels when I have that argument with myself if I should go to the gym. Whooohooo! Now I just got to do the same thing tomorrow. And the next day. Ooh doggie.

Random tidbits

All rightee then. I am not one to back away from a tag ... unless it's an excessive tagger but Pooks is a decent woman. So here are my random bits! That sounded kinda naughty, didn't it?
1. I'm a fairly neat person until I get sick. Then there are used tissues (or what my SO not-so-affectionately calls them, "Snot bombs") everywhere. I used to have them on the floor and would probably still do it except the pups love to eat tissue. Sometimes I'll still accidentally leave them in bed which causes an uproar when discovered by someone other than the owner. Heheh. I still leave a pile on my nightstand because I'll have to blow my nose into the wee hours of the morning.
2. I seriously hate planning events. I mean, I know I've already expressed why I hate entertaining at home but the biggest reason why I don't throw parties is because I hate being disappointed. I hate it when friends flake and I take it way too personally. My brain knows that people, especially friends, don't' mean to disappoint you, it just happens sometimes. But I take it to heart and end up not talking to people for at least a month. I like having friends and don't want to set up myself or anyone else for failure so it's just in everyone's best interest that I don't plan parties. Heaven help me when we have kids.
3. I can eat my money's worth in bacon at breakfast buffets. I mentioned this before but didn't go into detail because it's kind of disgusting. I mean, think about it. Restaurants usually charge almost a buck per bacon slice. I think I can eat anywhere from 20-30 pieces of bacon, no problem. I know, pretty gross, but I can. I have standards, of course. The bacon has to be crispy. Limp bacon is foul.
4. The first time I had a conversation with The Man I was drunk. We had seen each other a couple of times before but never talked. I was three drinks in when he came into the club. And yes, alcohol does make people braver. Or stupid. I was too shy to initiate a conversation with him before but with three drinks under my belt, I was good to go! I thought I was charming but he remembers it a little differently. I like my version of the story.
5. I'm easily sucked into infomercials. I try to change the channel right away because, if I don't, I will end up watching the whole thing. They fascinate me. I guess it's because I studied production value of television as well as some of the tactics used to draw people in that I start looking for these certain things in infomercials. I especially love it when they do a comparison of their product verses Product X and Product X (for instance, like a regular ironing board) becomes the most cumbersome thing ever and the actor nearly kills herself trying to use it. It's so funny because it's completely unrealistic but that is the comparison they give. They do it for shaving razors, too. I love it!
6. We love our pups. A lot. I know it's no secret but I'm actually a little afraid we will have puppy withdrawal when we leave for two weeks for our wedding. We're not going to breakdown into hysterical sobs or anything but I can already picture us saying to each other, "Aww, I miss the pups sleeping with us." On our honeymoon, no less!
7. I love chocolate. I mean LOVE chocolate. I can probably eat a whole box of Sees Truffles in one day. OK, that's a lie. I KNOW I can eat a whole box in one day. I've done it. I'm not proud but it's true. My dad used to say I was like an ant. I had no idea that they were hiding sweets (like in the back of a pantry in an obscure container labelled, "Flour") and I would just find the chocolate. It's like we're soul mates. OK, not really but that is kind of a weird connection to chocolate.

So here are the rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them..Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.Okay, I tag (without links cause you know who you are):
Sister
Tater
Kim
Cyn
Tel
Di
Jen
I just went down my blog list :) Hopefully y'all will do it!

Oh, that's right. YOU need a ring, too!

The Man and I have received many exclamations that sound a lot like, "I can't believe you're done planning everything already!" As I've told everyone, I do not enjoy the planning process, I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when things are checked off the list. We aren't completely done planning but the main bulk has been taken care of. And we definitely have loose ends here and there that need tying up.
Like getting The Man's ring. Whoopsies!
See, Jon doesn't wear ANY jewelry for two reasons. The main one is that he's in construction so jewelry proves to be a hazard if worn at work. He doesn't even wear a watch although he could. And I know that his reasoning is actually NOT bull$hit because I've been at a job (it was when I worked for an event management company) where a man caught his wedding ring on a piece of machinery and had to be taken to the emergency room because all the skin from that finger was scraped/pulled off.
For real, though.
The other reason is because he is a Seventh Day Adventist. Don't ask me about the details because all I know about it is that it's a religion and they don't wear jewelry. Call me shallow but that kind of was a deal breaker when I entertained the idea of converting.
Mama likes her some jewelry and ain't no one going to be telling ME that I can't have an engagement and wedding ring!
The Man looked online a while back at wedding rings to see what he wanted. He knew he did not want platinum because he didn't want me to spend a lot of money on something he would wear only on the weekends. (No argument from me!) But we also knew from seeing how my ring has held up that, while platinum is a strong metal, it is by no means scratch resistant. He found this metal called tungsten which was supposed to be very strong, stronger than titanium, and happened to also be the metal used for drill bits. I kind of liked that considering his work is in construction so a ring made of this material seems very him.
Anyway, we kept putting it off and putting off but with THREE AND A HALF months left to the big day, we decided today was the day that we would get his wedding ring. So today we went to the Shane Company to check out their wedding rings. We had gone there before to look at engagement rings and he liked the customer service (they don't work on commission so you don't feel like a carcass on a desert highway surrounded by vultures. You know what I mean.) We looked at the tungsten rings and he liked one style but it was mixed with platinum and Jon felt that drove the price up too high. And, just our luck, they didn't carry the exact same style with white gold. The rest of the styles weren't to his liking. The jeweler asked us if we would consider other metal and we said yes. He said he was glad to hear that. "Well, the great thing about tungsten and titanium is that they are very very strong and will hardly scratch. The bad thing about them is that because they are very very strong, they can never be re-sized once you purchase the ring so the size you buy is the size you must keep. Also, umm, most hospitals do not have cutters strong enough for Tungsten or Titanium. So if you get into an accident ..." he trails off and leaves my imagination to finish his statement.
WHAT?!?! That worried me out enough to say, "Hon, why don't we look at white gold?" I mean, can you imagine? What the F would happen if for some freak reason he was in a freak accident and they needed to cut off his ring because his hands are swelling up but they CAN'T?! So then the F what?!?!?! OK, so I'm working myself up but all these thoughts were racing in my mind. Off we went to the white gold wedding bands section.
Thankfully, The Man liked the selection of rings. He was searching for a ring with a satin finish so scratches wouldn't show up so easily. He also wanted something simple. We had some luck on our side, after all! He found one that he really liked -
We likee! (Been watching too much Sex & the City.)
I ordered the ring and we will be receiving it in a few weeks. I know he won't be wearing it much but I'm glad that he has one and it's one that he really likes. Lawd knows I love mine!
CHECK. One more thing off checked off our list. Now we just have to order his Barong for the wedding.
And, of course, get those damn RSVPs from people ....

In the blink of an eye

Two weeks have passed and it's already 2008! Good lor'.
Christmas was fantastic this last year. Putting up decorations really made a difference. I even invited people over. Seriously, I had different groups of people over the house during the holiday season and entertained. I wouldn't necessarily call them dinner parties but the fact that I entertained is pretty crazy. (I am happy to report that everyone treated my toilet with respect - part of the many phobias that can be read here if one doesn't understand my fear of having people over.)
Anyway, back to the decorations. It wasn't like Christmas threw up in my home but it truly made a difference. I loved the little tree lit up first thing in the morning. OK, an "aww" moment - Jon wakes up before me during the week so he would turn on the Christmas lights on the tree in the bedroom so it would be one of the first things I would see when I woke up. I loved the smell of Christmas trees in the house. I adored seeing all the wreaths, christmas candles, garland, and greeting cards on my curly card holder (which you can buy here. No, I don't get a cut but I think the artist's story is cute and I like the idea of supporting artists.)
Then my sister, BIL & nephew came for Christmas which was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. They were a lot of fun and made the holidays even better. Unfortunately, I got sick and I am pretty useless when I'm sick. I just want to sleep so I didn't get as much quality time as I would have liked. But I was able to enjoy Christmas and hang out with the family. Then Sister planned a little Spa Day with some friends which was very, very nice. I've always liked this particular spa but, unfortunately, hadn't gotten my money's worth with their massages. Until now ;) Nothing like a little Burke Williams lovin', good company, Santana Row still decorated with Christmas cheer and yummy food to make a day spectacular.
Now it's the new year. Sister left a few days ago and decorations have gone down (boo!) except for the little Christmas tree in the bedroom. I'm waiting until the Friday pick up. But the other christmas tree has been put outside and everything else Christmas-y in the house has been packed away. I am a little bit sad but I know that they'll all come back out in 11 1/2 months :)
I also realized that our wedding is in exactly 3 1/2 months. Whoa. Just around the corner. Guess I should put in a vacation request NOW. Guess I should also be hittin' the gym and staying away from everything that is tasty. Damn. But both of us want to lose weight before the wedding and it's seriously and literally down to crunch time. I'm still very put off by the people (who shall remain nameless because it will come back to bite me in the ass if I start naming names even though they will probably never read this blog but I'm still too chicken since these people will be in my life forever) who haven't sent in their RSVP or even bother to contact us. And if you've ever planned a big social event or a wedding, you know what I'm talking about. I just keep telling myself that everything is going to be OK. And my Sister & mom have assured me that there is a certain percentage that the caterers cushion for the assholes that haven't given us a definitely answer yet. Obviously, I'm not quite over it yet and a constant reminder why I don't like to plan events. I also plan to do a little payback when they get married and hem and haw over my decision to attend until the very last minute of their big day. Anyway, as I was writing, we're giving the caterers the definite number and they will be able to add a few people if that's what we will end up needing to do.
But (and my Sister also knows this) I keep telling myself that this shindig is about Jon and me. That what matters most is we are there and that I need to remember how happy I am to be with him. Which is easy until a family member of his or mine tell us that so-and-so thinks they're going but they're not sure and they'll let us know when. Maybe.
So yes, there are many things I'm looking forward to in 2008. I get to see my sister at the end of the month! Then in a few more months we're off to get hitched. Sure, I want to do the other things that I promise to do every year like lose weight. That has proven to be a toughie. But I'm praying for mono so those 15 lbs should come off easy. Kidding. Sort of. I have so much to look forward to and am excited to continue our journey together for yet another year! I've always said how much I love our little circle of bloggers because it's helped me stay close and become closer to many people. I wish all of my friends and family a healthy, happy and prosperous 2008! With lots of love, L