its been 7 days

And I dont have a fancy new thunderbolt, had time to re consider moving to Verizon and have come back full circle to waiting on a new freaking thunderbolt. I just want an awesome phone with awesome service that I won't get tired of in a year or so... :) Thats not too much to ask for.
Wedding plans are in full speed... almost 3 months to our wedding day and everything is beginning to pickup speed...and of course expenditure. This week, tuxes, invitations, scheduled a fitting, got my shoes, started blocking hotel room process, rehearsal dinner is sured up (thanks Ma D). Next week- getting with Delicious bakery on cake details, appointment on Saturday with Mickey @ Sedgefield Florist, rehearsal time decision, and maybe some info from our photographer Chris Fletcher (who is so awesome by the way).
Oh Aruba... you will be so well deserved.

i hate waiting

In seven days- I will be leaving Sprint after an almost 8 year relationship. While bittersweet, I am excited about the start of what hopes to be a beautiful relationship at Verizon with my new HTC Thunderbolt. So I said yes.... to Android and not the iphone. Sorry iphone friends- it wasn't meant to be.
Ok here comes geekspeak- The Thunderbolt is Android v2.2 froyo (wish it was gingerbread), 1 ghz snapdragon processor, come with 8gb storage expandable via microsd to 32gb which is included, 768 megabytes of memory, new htc sense touch 2.2 , 8 mega pixel camera w/led flash, 1.3 mega pixel front camera for all those beautimous head shots, HD video, wifi, still not clear about the mobile hotspot feature, voice and data capabilities for the multitasker, video skype, and picasa integration for you pic buffs.
I'm excited about it and scared. This is all touch and right now I am typing on a keyboard.. (Good old faithful blackberry). Everyone tells me I will catch on quick.
In any case- I'm welcoming the huge change and being open minded and optomistic. Wish me luck- and hopefully these 7 days fly by.

the beach weekend

Happy-- that's about all I can say. The beach is one place that I am the happiest. Yesterday wilson got to go on the beach for the first time ever. (He will be 10 yrs old this year). I can even share how happy he was and excited to be able to have a place to run. It was Reagan's first time too, but you know how babies are, they dont realize where they are or what they are doing till they get to a certain age.

We have been able to talk (without interruptions), be loud, watch normal TV (with no cartoons), eat whenever and whatever, just be us which is nice to do. Bryce will be back to work soon and times like this will be scarce at least till the wedding and honeymoon.

Last night I got to work on the target and macy wedding registries, but I really need to go there and get a scan gun. Wedding stuff :) is coming along well and still lots to do. But it will all come together :) and be so wonderful.

This past week we have nailed down who will perform the ceremony. *Someone we both actually know, but didn't know that each other knew of the person. I knew Andy back in the day from a previous job, and Bryce knows Andy from school. Small world.

im so freaking excited.

go with what you know...thursday night dinner

So its been awhile for the blog. I have so much to say this is the only place i could get it all down. Tonight, like many other nights I came home and the great debate of dinner came up. Normally if we dont have plans to eat with our friends, we go out to dinner. Tonight, being no different we started the what about this place, what about this... so we pulled out our little entertainment book out to see what coupons we had (buy one entree get the other entree). Since our favorite mexican restaurants weren't in there and neither was Chilis we decided to try something new. J butlers was tonights pick. It was close, reasonable and it was food.

Let me tell you- i will not think that way again.

First, the service sucks ass. Second.. I ordered my entree- chicken monterrey and the waitress says the rice sucks you really should substitute it with something else. I was like ok- so i picked the hot chips.. that were anything than hot. The chicken was covered, i repeat covered in green scallions. The cheese hardly melted, and even if it was, it wouldve solidified due to how cold it was. My nose was an ice cube. On my first cut I thought, wow I could use a saw. Thank god for pico and sour cream. It came with veggies, carrots and broccoli that had so much salt I am going to have to take two blood pressure water pills tomorrow. Bryce's chicken was worse... tasted like they reheated two breasts and tossed them with some terriyaki sauce. I went to eat my roll. The roll was hard as a rock, and over nuked. I took a bite and thought-- geez not even the bread... bryce was sweet enought to give me the rest of his which was soooo soft.

I was starved so I inhaled most of my food, but really- how do they make money? Well, I will tell you how, the bar was packed. Now this is the first time that I have eaten at the one on N Garden Rd. The one in high point was fantastic. But again that was eons ago.

Im not a complainer, but really i cant help it on this one.





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at the beach- reality is setting in about Monday;back to work!

*via blackberry excuse typos
So I got the kids to the beach this morning toting the usual items- chair bag with towels snacks each water bottle marked- God forbid one drinks out of the others, towels SPF 50 for them SPF 4 Dark Tanning for me-boogie boards sand toys and their nets (the new fad for the kids on the beach). The water was waaay choppy and a lot colder than I expected. I got in only once. I did however got to read! Blake found a friend and Natalie was busy building a moat at the edge of the water. Keeping an eye on them was easy today. The day started out gray and cloud filled. Maybe leftover from last nights storms? The sun broke thru and I was like- Let's roll. We stayed for a bit and then Natalie decided she wanted to leave for lunch and rest. Nonna Doreen met us with a friend Angela so Blake stayed with them. Nat ate lunch- I ate lunch + Britts Donuts (4 to be ridiculously honest). I can hear Bryce making the oink oink sound. They were soo good. Later, Natalie napped- and then I did and then Nonna and Blake went to get buns and vodka. Buns for dinner- vodka for the afterparty ;) I grilled the burgers while mom made the fries. The kids ate great. Later on we went to Scoops to get ice cream. So I started thinking about work and decided not to so I stopped. Switched gears and thought tabout the garage at home. We have so much to get put.tomorrow I pack us up and hit the road back to see my quarterback.

So we have a new house and I am at the beach!

Yes yes- its very true. I needed a break for crying out loud! And this was an awesome idea (thank you nonna Doreen). Me, Nonna Doreen and the kids are at the beach for a couple days and will enjoy the beach tomorrow. *if natalie can get to bed. We have already had 3 excuses- scared, hungry, and the light is too bright. ehhm correction 4- needed a band aid for a blister boo boo on the foot.

So the house- the house is fabulous! We have been working sooo so very hard. The last post I wrote about the night before closing. I couldnt sleep a wink that night. Luckily- not too much was going on aside from the walk thru- the closing- the cable and a shopping trip to hhgregg (will revisit this in a few). After we walked thru and made sure that everything was taken care of on our list we submitted- we got even more excited- and headed to close. Which- on the way to we got lost, turned around a couple times -- passed it and then had to go in reverse in front of the office into the parking lot (im so Jersey its sick). After I signed and signed and signed the dotted line-- I think I wrote my name 50 times-- I got the keys and we kissed and hugged. Everyone looked genuinely excited for us. It was a great time and one that I will never forget. The sellers didnt look very happy at the table. Bryce said that it was almost like they werent happy. I say that they really didnt want to have to move but maybe was forced to? I dont know. So of course we ran to the house and looked around some more and then ran to hhgregg. We found a stove and a microwave and left there and then started to bring things in.



July 1st was HELLACIOUS! It was moving day and my knee started killing me an hour after I woke up. I took the House approach and popped pain killers. It helped. But then after stop numero DOS of FIVE- the driver was like- this isnt going to fit. about the same time I get a call from Bryce about the gas line to the stove being illegal with no cutoff and that hhgregg will not install the stove and that when they brought the microwave out to install it was dinged and they made a hole in the wall ripping the old one out. So after stop 3- (my storage unit) they had to drop off at the new house (1/2 the load) and head to Bryce's and then do the complete unload. They went over their time-- by 5 hrs. I complained about the sze of the truck and the manager said that it was the same size and therefore wouldnt issue credit. That was about a bitch.



So 1k later we put the bed together went to garden ridge bought chairs for the kitchen table- grabbed dinner from Mario's (steak and cheeses) and wondered what tomorrow held. Which was unpacking dishes and glasses and dishes and glasses-- I have 16 ya know!

Saturday was building the china closet and Sunday was a cookout with our family and some friends. Yes- we had a shin dig a few days after we moved into the house.
Monday was almost like a day of rest- Tuesday kicked into high gear with a storm door install, cable man coming back out and of course Wallpaper Stripping Tuesday. Natalie's room was a nightmare. But the best idea (again thank you Nonna Doreen) was good ole hot water. Not 25 buck DIF...Paper came down by Wed, Wed night we spackled- yesterday we painted and today we put the bed together and the room in order. What a feat we pulled off. We went from plaid to a very dainty light lilac. Blakes room next and Bonus "Man" Room to follow.

Almost in order.... until we embark on another project. :)

The move to our new home...night before close

Natalie (aka Pinkypie) was out of school for another day today. No goop in the eyes and they are really clear. She goes back tomorrow. To say the very least- when it rains it pours. Everything and anything stressful has surrounded our move. From almost not being able to close because of a screw up at the government (imagine that right?!), to Natalie and her pink eye- work is bananas being at the end of the month and fiscal year. All amongst calls about scheduling appointments for the wedding- and a grandfather in the hospital. sigh...but just like Bryce says- it will all work out. There's no need to stress.

I did get a small amount of packing in today- and got to spend a great deal of time with my mom and daughter- just the girls altogether- laughing-yelling at each other- being cranky- thinking about when Natalie was a baby- or what we will put in the new house- and how excited Natalie is. I thought to myself riding in the car back as they were laughing at each other singing Toes in the Sand (yes Natalie got mom to sing it-- or at least the yeehaww at the end)- this was a great time- one that I wont forget what I did the night before the close of our house.

The mere fact of the idea that tomorrow I will sign the dotted line on a 30 yr mortgage scares the shit out of me. I have worked hard to recover the last 1yr and almost 7 months. I have so much to show for it too. Because there is no longer an I- its a we. I have someone that is so supportive- and when he knows I need it- he is right there behind me- whether its to catch me- guide me or to give me a pat on the back. We are so lucky to be moving into a beautiful place that our family will call home.

Pete and Kimmy came by for an awesome visit-- I always wish they can stay longer and hang out. We talked about invitations, the move and pickup time for my dining room set- MY DINING ROOM SET-- yay. I havent seen it in forever and all the pieces will fit in my dining room.

Its all almost surreal. I still keep thinking that I am going to wake up and say- damn that was thee best dream ever.