moving day

i decided it was time for a change. if you're interested in visiting, here is my new address:
http://stephanietaylorr.wordpress.com

im still unpacking, so excuse the dust.

i may move back, who knows. checking out a new neighborhood for now.

sticker balance shock

i gave into the imposing doom of checking my credit card balances today. yikes. i knew that after the recent christmas shopping binge that it would be ugly. i guess i wasn't prepared for just how ugly. it's like my credit card flew from the top of a debt decorated christmas tree and hit every branch on the way down. merry xmas to me.

on top of that, i lost my citypass for the cta today. damn it. it was in a cute little coach change purse that was an awesome find at the outlet mall. damn.

to end things on a positive note, i had tea at the swanky peninsula hotel with my family today and it was spectacular. insanely overpriced for tea, one glass of champagne and finger food, but so cute. beautifully festive christmas decor, excellent customer service and tasty little pastries.

but im still pissed about my bus pass.

damn.

playing catch up

so i was a total failure with NaBloPoMo. wow. oops! i lack what you would call...motivation...sometimes. unless there is a piece of chocolate hanging in front of my face, i really fail to complete any task these days. i have been so overwhelmed with wedding planning and christmas and just life, that i am really trying to play catch up with everything.

wedding planning is in full swing. i'd like to think i've made good progress. most of the biggies have been nailed down: dress (yay!), bridesmaid dresses, flowers, venue, officiant, photographer. i have played email-tag with some musicians, but haven't scheduled interviews yet. it is honestly just a pain in the ass. i'd rather throw their names in a hat and just pick one so i don't have to be bothered with it anymore. we have to go try out some bakeries too. that should be fun. because we get to eat. chocolate. mmmm mmm. what's not to like? then there's a whole bunch of other stuff like what my hubs2b wants to wear, what his guys will wear, hotels, my veil and accessories and SHOES (very, very important), favors, registering for gifts, planning the shower, invitations (this is my profession and i am anal retentive so this should prove to be quite a pain in the ass bc i don't foresee myself allowing anyone to help me bc i like to torture myself), and the list goes on and on. it is fun, don't get me wrong and i know i will be sad when it's over, but right now, i want to throw something. at someone.

i am STRESSED OUT.

and then there's christmas. ohhhh christmas. like every year, i waited until december to shop. however, unlike other years, i am doing all of my shopping online. i'll be damned if im fighting off some soccer mom for a snuggie or standing in lines that are 5 blocks long to buy something i could have had mailed to my doorstep. no. id say im about half way done. im having a hard time coming up with inexpensive ideas that aren't really stupid and still have some sort of thought put into it. sure, i can buy everyone socks and call it a day, but that's not really what i do. it'll come together. or i guess, there's always the sock idea. or pink, footie bunny pajamas...

this post has really been a bitch fest. sorry! i'm not really that needy or pouty. i guess i just needed to vent. im working on our save the dates tonight and im actually really excited about it. i bought stamps for our xmas cards and will mail those out tomorrow. done and done. moving right along. maybe motivation will find me on the couch tonight...

everything but the kitchen sink

**i have been a huge slacker [well, i've sort of had an excuse, i was sick for the last 5 days] and haven't posted everyday for NaBloPoMo. BUT, i am doing the super-duper-mega-huge post i promised days ago and including all of the topics that i missed. don't be scared, i'll keep it short. so, without further adieu....

wednesday, november 4 - frenemies
a topic everyone can relate to. we all know people that we can't frickin' stand, who we wouldn't normally touch with a ten foot pole, but we are required to be civil because of work or common friends or they're your significant other's friends, or whatever. "friends" because you have to be. i have a hard time being nice to people i frickin' hate don't care much for, so being a "frenemie" is more than challenging.

thursday, november 5 - if i could have one gadget named after me, it would be...
i have no idea. it would most likely be something that is a quick read, doesn't require much patients and serves a very useful purpose. why would you waste your time with anything else that didn't fit those specs?

friday, november 6 - health care & health bars - any connection?
i don't know what kind of people are coming up with these topics, but i am not impressed. anyway, they are both about health? hello? health care is overpriced and never as good as you think/want it to be. and so are health bars. done and done.

saturday, november 7 - orange
for real? hmmmmm ok for this one, things that are orange: oranges [duh], shorts at hooters, the "publish post" button in blogger, an awesome plastic chair i own from the purdue health center circa 1970, a tiger without stripes, clock work orange [not the color orange but a delightfuly effed up movie], basketballs, goldfish crackers. that's all i got. oh, and the word orange is one of the only words in the english language that doesn't rhyme with anything. hmph.

sunday, november 8 - conspiracy theory
i'm convinced that the government is one big, gigantic conspiracy theory. they know so much more then they let on or that they tell us. all these movies about aliens and transformers and secret organizations. totally believable and real. i mean the idea that the government has been hiding these things for years and there are super secret departments with top security clearance guarding optimus prime 5 mi beneath the surface of the earth. why is it so hard to believe? our recent history is based off of the ignorance of the american people. for example, 9-11, you don't think the government knew about that in advance? if you answered no, you would be wrong.

monday, november 9 - past
past. i am a big "past" person. i reminisce often. i still laugh at memories i have from college, drum corps, high school, grade school even. we learn from the past. from bad/good relationships, run-ins with the law, things we learned in school, by testing our alcohol limit, everyday human interaction. we are who we are today because of our past. our past shapes our future. the past can be 10 years ago, 10 days ago, 10 minutes ago.

however, dwelling in past events isn't healthy. we can't change anything that has happened, so there isn't a point. you really have to wonder though, and i know i do sometimes, what if? what if i would have pursued my love of dance and went to a different college? what if i wasn't perpetually 5 minutes late? what if my parents didn't get divorced? what if i didn't luck out and find a job last may? what if? there's really no use in doing that either, but it's interesting to think about. like one of those books that lets you choose what happens next; should you go down road A or B? Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads... :)

My bad day

Sooo I know I said that I was doing a super duper mega post today, but it turns out I lied. My car drama is now buy a new car drama. Ughhh. The problem with the car will cost almost as much as it's worth so i've been advised to junk it. On top of it, I got the flu today! Whoo hoo for me! At least I'm posting something everyday to keep up with NaBloPoMo. Even if they are meaningless.


-- Post From My iPhone

Potential New years resolutions...sort of

So this is a fake post. It's just taking up today's post's spot since I can't actually post about today's topic. It's a long story. Car drama. I'll spare u the craziness. Tomorrow I will be doing a super double post! Get excited. Today's topic is "potential new years resolutions". I'll just say that in my 15ish years of making resolutions, I have only ever kept one. Quitting smoking in 2004. My fiancé asked that I stopped and I pretty much quit cold turkey. [pat on my back] I'll post about more NYE resoltions tomorrow along with the ever intriguing topic of frenemies...


-- Post From My iPhone

unique holiday tradition

sooo i thought long and hard about this topic and couldn't come up with a single holiday tradition that could be deemed "unique". silly, strange and ridiculous, yes. but unique, not so much. the only thing that i guess might be unique is the fact that i, more or less, have to suffer through two of each holiday bc my parents are divorced. i have two birthdays, two thanksgivings and two christmases. sure this may sound awesome, but let me assure you, it is anything but. i think it would be fine if i got a full day with each family for each holiday, but again not the case. i have to split the day and cut my visiting with each side of the family short. only getting to see uncles and cousins that i see strictly on the holidays for just a couple short hours. when most get excited to go christmas shopping, bake cookies and listen to christmas music the day after halloween, i begin to dread the upcoming holidays. the guilt rolls over me like a frickin steam roller as i start think about splitting my time and having to leave one family early and see the other family late. it makes me sick to my stomach....theres that irrational behavior again. i guess you can kind of call me a grinch...but i dont want to ruin it for other people. i guess a grinch in my own head?

that being said, i cant imagine not being with either side of the family for the holidays. thinking about missing out on one sides celebration makes me really sad. everytime i consider "well maybe ill do thanksgiving with mom and christmas with dad this year", it always comes up a wash bc i ALWAYS choose to do both. holidays aren't holidays without my family.

and NOW i have my fiance's family that i need to work into the equation. they live 5 hrs away so that makes it even more complex. this is the first round of holidays where i've had to split among 3 families. ill let you know how that turns out.

**i sort of thought of something that i guess could be called a tradition. every year that jeff and i have been dating, i have bought him an ornament for the christmas tree i hoped we'd have together one day. i tried to always find a picture ornament with the year on it so we could look back and laugh at how we looked through the years. this is the first year we will have our own tree and finally get to use all of the ornaments. the thought really does make me warm and fuzzy inside :)