Christmas Recap

I have to say Christmas 2010 was pretty successful...

On Christmas Eve Eve Brian hosted a fabulous little holiday cocktail party at his apartment. Check out additional pics from the very successful Soiree on the facebook album here.

Brian, Me & Ant

Cheers!!

 Christmas Eve I headed out to NJ for the remainder of the Holiday weekend.  This was my first Christmas sans my parents and second "white" Christmas in New Jersey.  At first I was a little sad that I wasn't going to be spending the Holiday with my parents, but I was spending it with family and that's what really counts.   Its about time to start making new traditions for myself.  I had a great time and no regrets not going back to California for the Holiday, also think I wouldn't have made it back to NYC if I did thanks to the crazy Blizzard on Sunday.

Christmas Eve was wrapping all the gifts that both my Mother & I shipped to my Uncles, 4pm Mass then Jersey Aunt Mary's for the evening.  And in the theme of making new traditions I again made the Danenhower Deviled Eggs for the festivities. Check out my serious egg cracking skills...  Oh, best part of Eve, Mary accidentally hit her sister, Theresa in the eye with some fuzzy slippers and Theresa got a black eye, see below.

Look at those perfectly cracked hard-boiled eggs... I got skills

Mary, Theresa & Theresa's Black Eye

 

Christmas Eve night after returning home from Mary's I participated in my family's tradition of receiving new PJ's for Christmas, Love.

Christmas morning we had an amazing breakfast cooked by my Aunt Dawn then we opened gifts.  I got a new macbook!!  That was a serious surprise,  Thanks Mom & Dad!

"Oh.. My.. GOD... I got a new computer!!!"

Christmas afternoon the Dimon family along with my Aunt's Sisters (Jersey Aunts) & Mother came over for presents, merriment and food.

Grans chilling at the bar with Chels & Ash

The Cousins w Gran in our Xmas PJ's... Top: Ashley & Me; Bottom: Chelsea, Granny & Jonathan

And Sunday I finally saw some snow, Blizzard was a little more than I was requesting for.  I was looking for some light snow, maybe 4 inches max, not 20.

Sunday at 2pm before it got really CRAZY Blizzardy

For more pictures from the Christmas weekend in Jersey you can check out my facebook album here.


Best Part of the whole weekend, Monday I got a SNOW DAY!!!  Impromptu 4-day weekend!


And now.... Happy New Year!!

New Years Resolutions vs. Aspirations

Its crazily enough almost the end of 2010 and time to think about 2011.  In 16 days everyone will come up with some outrageous New Years Resolutions for 2011.  I on the other hand am making "New Year's Aspirations" vs. Resolutions because lets be honest, no one ever follows through on their resolutions.  We all set these unattainable goals and resolutions for the New Year that we only half attempt in the first few months of the year then inevitability give up by Spring for a lack of effort, determination or sheer boredom.  So this year I've come up with a few things that I'd like to aspire to do in the New Year and (hopefully) years to come.

1. Actually put money into my non-existent savings account.  (My Mother will scoff at this one because she knows this will be my hardest aspiration).  That means spending less money on whatever I spend money on, I don't know where it goes.  My American Express bill is always a surprise.

2. Clean up my dirty mouth.  I have the innate ability to throw in a "dirty" word in almost every conversation and sometimes those words are not appropriate for the audience.  I need more than orbit gum to clean up this dirty mouth, I need a rubber-band around my wrist and sheer determination to keep my language cleaner.

3. Limit the number of excuses.  I'm very good at coming up with multiple excuses to not do something.  I aspire to stop making so many excuses for any number of activities like: going to the gym, doing the dishes or laundry, participating in activities out of my comfort zone, etc. 

4. Dance, just dance.  I need to make a commitment to (1) sign-up for class and (2) show up to class.

5. Cook Dinner a minimum 3 nights a week.  This aspiration can be looped into #1 and #3.  I like to cook but (#3) find an excuse not to and end up ordering from seamless web (#1).

To be clear I'm not resolving to do all these things, but aspiring to.  So you can't hold me accountable if they don't pan out 100%.

Boobie Update

Today I was surprised, astonished, slightly (just a tiny bit) disappointed, but not really surprised.  I went to Linda the Bra Lady to officially get my new boobs fitted into some under-wire bras... Final boob size 32 F or 34 DD, I thought I lost my boobies, guess not.

1. My first push-up bra, 2. t-shirt bra, 3. Everyday bra, 4. My first sexy/lace bra

It was a whole new experience trying on the new bras.  I had no idea how they were supposed to fit, especially the push-up and lace bra since I've never owned one before (didn't need & never made in my size), I had to ask my fitter if that's how they were 'supposed' to fit. My shirt even fits differently now, it fits better because I have boobs! Now my boobs are separated and lifted into individual cups versus my wireless non-cupped, no boobie definition bras I was currently wearing.

My boobs are like the prodigal son - I had them, I lost them and today they came back.  I guess I'm also a ball of contradictions when it comes to the ladies: (1) I didn't want my ginormous boobs, (2) Got them reduced, (3) Want big boobs again (push-up bra).  Still overall still best decision of my life and now I have so many options for bras, even cute, sexy and lacey bras I did not know in my previous boobie life.  Yay, to the new ladies!


UPDATED:
how appropriate - an article on "sister sizes" for any of those who are curious how 32 F and 34 DD are essentially the same size

Cow Class

So today I took my final butcher class at Jeffery's Meat Market.  Same concept but it was a totally different experience than last week's Pig Class.  I enjoyed myself and I learned a lot but I think I preferred the pig over the cow class.  But now I'm interested in the sausage class...

"Just Too Damn Smart"

Per my Mother's request I finally looked up my grades from my last two OD classes I took in November.  I already assumed I got As since every other class I've received As and I DID (shocking, I know).  So either the professors are easy graders or I'm just amazing, both work for me.  I've got one class left in Spring then I will have earned a Certificate in Organizational Development and Leadership. Woot Woot

'Tis the Season

This year I decided to get into the Holiday Spirit and do a little decorating around the apartment.  I really wanted to buy a Charlie Brown Christmas tree but they're really expensive.  Then I would also have to invest in twinkle lights, ornaments, etc which I do not have money for since my Amex is nearly maxed out with Christmas gifts for friends, family and a few for myself.  So I did some mild decorating...

Holiday Door Contest at Work

My Classy Front Door

Some garland

Some Silver Sticks that Light Up

And Look I baked Coffee Cake Muffins...

Pig Class: An explanation

So it seems there was confusion about my last blog post…

For my birthday I asked my parents to purchase me butchering lessons.  So on Saturday I went to my first lesson at Jeffery's Meat Market.  In the class we "built" a pig section by section; from front foot to butt to hind foot.  If you look at the picture album you can see each piece a we put it together and you actually see a whole pig.  As we put the "pieces" together we learned about each section and how to cook it.  I even tasted a few things too, like pigs feet.  Then the best part - we made sausage!  and then we ate the sausage and it was delicious. 

I hope that synopsis clears up some confusion.

Pig Class

Today in Pig class we "built" a pig, had some laughs and made some awesome sausage.

Meet Frank

Overall, a very successful Saturday.  You can check out the pictures from today here

Next week... Cow

The SMART Daily: WD-40

My friend Blake has this awesome blog called 'The SMART Daily' and I just had to share his latest post about WD-40.

Learn & Enjoy... The SMART Daily: WD-40 :: 40+ uncommon uses for the Answer in a Can...: "Does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40 is?"

Happy Thanksgiving

There is something about Thanksgiving that makes it one of those special holidays.  It might be the massive amounts of food you can consume without any judgment or the awesome shows on TV, but I think the best part is spending time with the ones you love and the insane conversations that happen around the table.  This year I decided to capture the holiday....I'm bringing you one of the best things to come out of dinner besides the conversation, which would have been totally inappropriate to capture.

So with out further a-dew, please enjoy the musical stylings of Mary & Theresa singing Shirley Temple's "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

And... You're Welcome!

What I Learned Yesterday...

I'm not cut out for commuting!

Yesterday, Laura (my Coordinator) and I went on a store visit to Stamford, Conn to meet with the General Manager, Operations Manager and walk the floor meeting associates while getting some feedback on our credit programs.  Store visit was great, train only took 45 minutes to get there in the early afternoon.  Now fast forward to 5:15pm...  The train platform is packed with finance girls and guys all eager to get home.  Its a mad dash onto the train to get a seat, either a middle or one of those horrible squatter seats that face the wrong way.  Well Laura and I got the squatter seats with our knees butting up against the people across from us.  The train was PACKED full of douches in the bar car and slutty finance girls trying to find a rich-finance bf.  Instead of an easy 45 minute ride it was more like the longest 60 some-odd minutes of my life. The seat was uncomfortable, the car was humid and I was falling asleep from the gentle motion.  By the time I actually got home I was so exhausted from the day I nearly collapsed (over exaggeration maybe) on my couch.

Note to self - I'm not a good commuter, stay on island of Manhattan.

Its Cookie Time, Its Cookie Time, Its Cookie Timmee!

(When reading the title of this blog post please think back to Troop Beverly Hills and the cookie concert)

Well it was Cookie Time at L&T today.  The cutest little Girl Scouts were selling, not taking orders but selling COOKIES!!  I love Girl Scout cookies and what I love even more is instant gratification, today those two things happened simultaneously.  I bought 2 boxes of tagalongs and 2 boxes for the troops, I hope they like cookies in the desert. 

Now if only the Girl Scouts would update their packaging.



Love me some tagalongs!

I don't know how much longer this box will last.  They are ADDICTING!!

Happy Birthday Makenzie

Happy 1-month Birthday to one of the cutest babies in the world!

Up close & personal

She even helped cheer on the Chargers for the WIN yesterday!

Future Charger Girl

My little art project

I finally hung my before surgery art project last night at 10pm, probably to the dismay of my neighbor. 

Ta Da!

Its not perfect nor nearly as smooth as the fully bellies I saw in the instruction packet, but I'm not Martha Stuart so I think this is pretty good for me. Some people (Amy) might think its weird that I'm hanging by boobie mold (I prefer 'bust') in my apartment, but I think its clever and could be considered "modern art".  Hey, all the Mom's-to-be hang their whole bust & belly in their kids rooms decorated like lady bugs or fully bronzed.  I think I'm keeping it pretty simple, its also hanging in my bedroom and not in full view of any one who walks in.  And doesn't mean I have to keep it up forever, maybe eventually I'll send it to my parents house where all my old relics are stored.

Some perspective on location

I already can't believe how big my boobs once were... Crazy what a little over a month out of surgery can do to you.  Feeling better than ever, the surgery was the best decision of my life thus far.

Somebody got dressed up

And that person was Me! And I looked good, damn good!!

Tonight was the Ultimate Facelift Gala at work and I really enjoyed getting all dressed up.  It was a great reason to buy a new dress, new shoes and get my makeup done.  Except once I got all dressed up no one recognized me since I never look like this.  But I got a lot of compliments, so maybe I should "dress up" more often.

Side Note: My feet were killing me by 9pm but it was totally worth it, because I looked good!

Nor Cal Weekend

Who knew traveling could be so easy?  If you know anything about me I usually have the worst travel karma EVER!  I'm never someone you want to travel with, but for some reason the travel God's were on my side Thursday evening.  I had an easy peasy subway ride to JFK, breezed through security, had time to have a nice meal in the French Bistro (flying Jet Blue--side note: new goal to try every restaurant in the Jet Blue terminal), casually walked over to my gate and then was able to board the plane early.  The Captain greeted the plane letting us know that this was a flight going direct to Cancun and if we were on the wrong flight we needed to advise a member of the flight crew immediately.  No one moved, because hell I'd rather go to Cancun vs. Oakland any day.  Best part of flight, we arrived early!  Seriously I didn't know travel could be so easy.

Friday morning was spent doing something I love, shopping at Nordstrom.  I took a little ride down to Corte Madera for a little shoe shopping.  Then stopped by Sonoma for a quick visit to the campus and then had the most amazing lunch, In-n-Out!  Had a #2 animal & protein style with animal style fries and a pink lemonade, don't judge its been 8 months since my last animal style.  Oh, and Friday night we had Golden Spoon for dessert and I totally forgot how much I really do love fro-yo.  I had chocolate and peanut butter with brownie crumbled for a topping.  Delish!

Oh So DELCICOUS

Saturday morning was spent at Pezzi King winery for their late harvest picking event with my parents.  Thanks to the torrential rainfall most the planned events were modified and thus more alcohol was consumed.  But overall it was a really interesting event; we got to see an abbreviated version of making wine and were able to taste juices, wine from the tanks and some of their bottled reserve vintages (I was taking pictures and posting to facebook then I got a text from Megan “Enough pics of the scenery and events.  Post some pics of urself.  I want to see the new and improved bbk J”).  Then they fed us a Mexican feast that was delicious and kept refilling our wine glasses while we were all under tents while the rain poured down around us.  By the time we left we were soaked and cold with our stomachs full of yummy food and great wine.  Quick stop at home to change into dry clothes and then I headed back to campus for the ACAC semi-annual meeting.  When I got to campus Alexandria and Melissa were anxiously waiting to see the new ladies, lol (they’re just so popular).  The meeting was a meeting, nothing too exciting but I think lots of great ideas/next steps came out of the meeting.  Excited for the next 6 months of great ACAC actions.  But the best part of Saturday, we watched the Goonies!  "Hey you guys!"

ACAC - well those of us who made it out for HH

Sunday we celebrated Ian's birthday (its really Thursday) with BBQ ribs, potato salad, chocolate cake decorated in Charger colors (it didn’t help the Chargers) and ice cream.  It was all very delicious, maybe too delicious.

Ian's Happy Birthday present from Jackson - a Hug!

And guess what, again Monday the travel Gods were with me.  It might have taken 2 hours and 15 minutes to drive 68 miles to SFO but I breezed through security, we might have boarded 30 minutes late but arrived 30 minutes early.  Those are some amazing tail winds!  And I even got into a cab within seconds of getting outside.  Only crappy part of Monday was unpacking.  Unpacking is almost as bad as packing.

Jackson:  This 3 year-old is now an iPad pro.  He can turn on, login, change pages & play games on both my Dad's and my iPad with ease.  Honestly, its disgusting how smart and tech-savvy today's youth is but he's just so cute when he's concentrating so hard on the games.  Now both our iPad's have pages of kid’s games (some I think I'll save and play later).  His interest has now become obsessive so I don't know how Ian & Teresa are going to handle "can I play with your iPad?" when there are no more iPads to play with anymore.  Side Note: Must clean iPad after sticky/buggery fingers have been all over it.

Makenzie: Let me tell you, she is just so precious!  There are ugly babies out there (I'll be honest, not all babies are cute) but Makenzie is so freaking cute, like Gerber baby cute.  She's such an easy baby until she got sick Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (poor thing has two eye infections and a cold) but I could love on her all day long.  And she loves her Auntie Lyssa because Saturday night she slept in my arms during the Goonies and Meghan said "You look good with a baby" maybe that’s just because it was so easy with her (I never considered myself a "baby" person).  I can't wait till she gets a little older and I can dress her in fabulous outfits with ruffle butts and bows.

One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing Meghan, my bestest friend in the whole wide world.  Since I moved to NYC and she went back to school we don't ever get to see each other, so it was really awesome to spend some time with her and catch up on each other’s lives.  But we have the type of relationship that we always pick up from where we left off no matter what's happened in between.  Love that girl!  Now we just need to plan a movie weekend.

Lets talk about the rain issue... I left NYC with rain in the forecast expecting a Sunny Nor Cal and got rain.  WTF?!  This is supposed to be nice, crisp sunny weather and I get torrential downpours.  I did not pack for this!

So my Mom is a total caregiver and both my brother & I take advantage of her.  Mom wants to be needed and boy do we need her when she’s around.  “Mom can I have a glass of water?”  “Mom can you do this?”  “Mom can you do that?”  And she does! And its not like we can help it, especially me since I never get to see/use her as much as I like.  Gotta love Mom!  She is a pretty amazing lady for always being selfless with her kids.

Since both Mom & Dad cooked every night, I was eating way better than I usually do.  This too delicious home cooking did a little number on my weight loss; I gained 2.8 lbs – yikes!

Overall it was an awesome weekend and wish I could have stayed longer, especially to love on Makenzie.

Recovery Part 3

Friday, 10/15/10: Stitches Out
Today was the second to last step in the medical journey of appointments, I got my stitches out!  I had to call my sister-in-law last night so I could get an overview of the procedure since I've never had stitches actually removed (usually they just dissolve since all previous surgeries have been of the oral nature) so I needed a heads up of what I was to expect.  Or else I would probably hyperventilate on my way to the appointment with the fear of the unknown. 
It was actually quite easy, just a little pinching and snipping not too shabby.  My Doctor looked at the ladies & said they're healing perfectly (woot woot).  I can go back to my so-called "normal" life and slowly start lifting weights (but not too much) again. 

But first lets try with staying up past 9pm then we'll head back to the gym.  Though I really want the swelling to officially go down I was told I have to be patient because its going to take a few more months and about a year for the ladies to find their right place.  I'm not a patient person, so I guess this is good life lesson.

At the next appointment (in one month) all that needs to happen is a quick look at the healing progress.  I should expect my Doctor to say they are healing perfectly and they are looking good.  Cause they do look good, if I do say so myself.

Down 10

Exciting news kids, I lost 10 pounds! (well its actually 9.9, but I'll round up)

So you're wondering how did I do this, let me explain.

Because of my operation I'm restricted from the gym till mid-November and banned from lifting anything heavy till I don't know when.  So I thought why not start Weight Watchers since my lifestyle was heading to more sedentary one and gaining weight wasn't on the recovery agenda.  My boobs use to always stick out farther than my stomach & now that they are significantly smaller I need to make sure the ratio is still intact. 

On August 31st, I weighed in (and it was a little scary), set a goal of less 5% and started tracking.  And like magic Today, October 12 I met my first goal.  Though I think the week after surgery's loss of 2.5 lbs could have been due to the ladies or the fact that the very little I ate was regurgitated the first two days (but we won't tell WW).  But I'm not done yet!  I've got a new goal, another less 5%.  So wish me luck for another down 10!

2 Weeks with Mom

A reflection of spending the last two weeks with my Mom:

She is amazing!  She cleaned my bathroom twice (it was not up to her standards), no more mildew!  She also cleaned my kitchen thoroughly, dusted my bookshelf, vacuumed and did my laundry (multiple times).  If you know me, you know I’m a very clean and organized person but my Mom takes it to another level.  But she was the best caretaker I could have asked for; when I needed a water refill she was there with a filled cup, when I was hungry for a snack there one was, when I was feeling down she was there to pick me up and always on time with my medications.  I am ever thankful for her taking two weeks of her life to take care of me.  Running errands around town for me making sure I have everything I need, whether its taking an adventure to Costco to buy me a mattress top so my back wont hurt at night or finding a medical supply store to get more non-adhesive, hypoallergenic bandages.  She made amazing dinners every night, even my favorite Chicken with a Mascarpone-Marsala sauce.  The most amazing thing is that we didn’t kill each other.  Now I’m kinda sad that she won’t be waking me up tomorrow morning, making me breakfast and sending me off to work and really sad that she won’t be at my apartment when I get home.  As much pain as I was in these past two weeks it was a real pleasure to spend some quality time with just my Mom.  Love her!

I'm an Auntie Again

Welcome Makenzie Frazier!  She came into the world at 9:24 am pst on Friday 10/08/10, she weighs 7.35 pounds and she is 19 inch long. 

How Precious!  Jackson loves his new baby sister

Hello Beautiful

Recovery Part 2

Wednesday, 9/29/10: The tubes are out!

Wednesday was a very exciting day… I went outside!  Had an appointment at my Doctor’s office to have my drainage tubes pulled out and all the tape pulled off.  The tape portion wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, the tubes on the other hand was a totally different sensation that I’ve never felt before.  It wasn’t painful per se but it sure wasn’t pleasant, it was just weird.  I could feel the tubes coming out & it felt like he was pulling for days, those suckers were in there far.  The whole thing only took 15 minutes; those Doctor’s are quick.  Now I’m wearing almost the same training bra I wore in elementary school to make sure the ladies are protected.

Then we packed up for the big excursion to New Jersey for the rest of my recovery week.  A trip to NJ was definitely needed, my apartment was getting just a little too small and a bigger space was necessary.

Thursday – Saturday, 9/30-10/2/10: Recovering in Jersey

I had my first shower in a week!  Don't worry I was clean the whole week thanks to sponge baths, but this was the first time I got to wash my hair.  When I started with the shampoo I pulled out so much hair I could have made a toupee for a bald man.  Had daily adventures with my Mom running errands, going to dinner with my family and finally got a much needed manicure and pedicure.

Sunday, 10/3/10: Ut Oh

We had a minor set back.  Woke up Sunday morning with a rash developing on my right boob, not OK.  So while I hung on the couch my Mom and my cousin Jonathan packed the car for the drive back into the city.  It looked like I was going to college, the trunk was packed with crap—trips to Costco, Acme, Target and BBB really add up in the merchandise department along with all my laundry in the back.  Drive back to the city was a breeze and I even got the expect opinion of Dr. House (aka Dr. Looze) diagnosing my red boob as an irritation/rash over bbm.  The ride to the city only took an hour but once we go through the Lincoln Tunnel it was 45 minutes to my apartment thanks to those friendly Polish walking down 5^th Ave.

Not feeling 100% Sunday evening my sister-in-law demands I call my Doctor’s office since my rash could actually be an infection and there is a possibility I could become septic (I don’t know what that is, but it sure sounds serious—it happened a lot on Grey’s Anatomy).  Call the doctor’s office and I had to text pictures of my boobs to my Doctor (the only time sexting is allowed) to find out that I have an allergic reaction to adhesive.  Had a prescription called into the 24 hour Duane Reade for some super antibiotics and I stocked up on some Tylenol & Benadryl to help with some of the pain and the massive itchiness.

Monday-Friday, 10/4-8/10: Back to work

Monday was my first day back and I was excited to get back into the groove.  Being at home for a week was not a vacation or even a stay-cation it was Closter phobic.  I needed to get my routine back, damn it.  I got a little too ambitious on Monday getting in at 8:30 and leaving at 5, with only a minor interruption of a quick appointment at my Doctor’s office to have the serti-strips removed (goodbye adhesive, hello stitches).  I was scolded on Monday when I got home for over doing myself, so I promised to leave earlier on Tuesday.  Wednesday wasn’t my best day, my ambitiousness got the better of me and I ended up on my couch by 3pm and in bed by 8pm.  Apparently I really wasn’t listening to my body because I slept in till 7am on Thursday morning.  Everyday I came home from work, changed into pjs, plopped on the couch and vegged while Mom made something yummy for dinner, watched a show and went to bed.  If I ignored anyone it wasn’t on purposes, I was so exhausted from the day.  But I’m finally learning to listen to my body and know that you don’t recover in a day and it takes time.

Weekend, 10/8-10/10: Jersey again for some “relaxation”

Spent the weekend in Jersey with my Mom and we did my favorite bonding activity Saturday, shopping at Nordies!  After having a rough to weeks nothing makes me feel better than some retail therapy at my favorite store.  Even better, I was trying on clothes in smaller sizes and even bought a button up shirt!

Recovery wise, this weekend has been crazy!  My swelling has gone down significantly, my rash looks more like sunburn, and blisters are starting to heal.  Things are looking up!

Tainted Love

Why is it that every time my favorite 80's cover band, Tainted Love comes to NYC I can't go?  I made it for their first appearance at BB King’s, their 2nd appearance was September last year when I was in California & their 3^rd appearance was Friday, 9/24/10. WTF!? Tainted Love can't you check with me first before you book in NYC?  I'd really appreciate it.

Maybe if luck is on my side when I'm in Nor Cal at the end of October they'll be at Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa...

Just checked, that’s a negative for that weekend.

#Fail

Recovery: Part 1

Saturday, 9/25/10: Mom’s Birthday

I know that taking care of me was exactly what my Mom wanted to do for her birthday.  Saturday was a little rough, didn’t take to the vicodin so well (that whole taking painkillers on a full stomach is a MUST) and getting use to the drains took some time.  But I survived thanks to some Gatorade & Pedialyte.  I also received a nice surprise on Saturday, a delivery of flowers from Michael (and Brian). 

Sunday, 9/26/10: Dad arrives

Sunday my Mom was going to rent a car & drive to Bayonne to pick my Dad up from their cruise but because I wasn’t event 50% of Saturday we had a car pick him up and bring him back to my apartment.  Nothing really special happened on Sunday except Dad made my first real meal; pork chops, wild rice, broccoli & cauliflower.

Monday & Tuesday, 9/27-28/10: It’s a cozy apartment

It’s been very cozy in my tiny apartment.  My Dad likes it cold, my Mom likes it warm and I like it just right.  But even though it’s my apartment – it’s freezing!  Dad is SO paying my Con-Ed bill this month.  Sleeping has been difficult since I’m not all drugged up, my back hurts and I can’t stay asleep.  I’m ready for when I don’t have to have my chest elevated (Might take an ambien tonight to ensure I at least get 8 hours).  Other important notes of progress: I can sit up & walk by myself now.  It use to be a dual effort to get up & move around but now I’m doing it all by myself.  I might be slow but at least I’m moving.  I was officially off the vicodin as of Monday; just have some soreness in my chest (obvious).

Tomorrow I take my big adventure to the Doctor’s office to get my bandages & tubes removed.  The tape itches and I’m hating the tubes, so tomorrow can come any sooner.  Plus I want to see what they really look like!

Friday, 9/24/10: Day of Surgery

Woke up WAY to early on Friday since we had to be at the hospital by 6am.  I let my Mom get pretty before I even rolled out of bed.  What did I have to get pretty for?  I wasn’t even allowed to put on eye or face cream, wtf?!  Hello, dry skin.  When my Mom & I left the apartment at 5:30am it was still dark and I was somewhat concerned if we’d even get a cab since 2^nd Ave was deserted.  But NYC cabs never fail and within a minute or two at least were barreling down the street.  Got to Tische at 5:45am (always early) and was called in to the patient holding stalls (aka Pre-surgery consulting room) by 5:50am to start the magical day.  

*My note to NYU 10^th floor day surgery folks: put some magazine in those stalls and give better directions after changing into those awesome gowns.  I sat in that room totally bored and confused because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next for about 20 minutes before the first round of nurses/doctors came to visit me.  A magazine or something besides the poster on the wall on relaxation techniques would have been a nice.  I did watch the sunrise though.

OK, back from tangent.  My Mom was finally allowed to come keep me company around 6:30am and then the fun began.  I met with nurse one, my Doctor’s intern, the Anesthesiologist, my Surgeon and then one more nurse (Jeanette, I think) who walked me to Operating room # 10.  Mom finally got to ask how long the surgery would take, 3 hours—give or take.  I never needed to know I was going to be asleep. 

Once in the OR I met all the other nurses and they were hilarious.  They asked if I was taking time off school for the surgery, that’s what I get for not wearing my glasses or any makeup.  Anyways, I mentioned that I worked in Marketing/Advertising at Lord & Taylor and they went crazy.  As usual, L&T is their favorite store (I really need to start traveling with coupons)!  They mentioned last year’s Fashion’s Night Out and the Fire Fighter calendar signing.  I laughed because I have the same calendar in my office.  We chatted about FNO & L&T for a while till my surgeon came in and I’m sure he felt a little out of place when we were talking about all the cute Fire Fighters, lol.  IV in, oxygen mask on, compression socks massaging my calves, dreaming of a far away beach & I was out.  Apparently according to my Anesthesiologist (can that not be the hardest word to spell, geese) I’m a typical redhead, I needed A LOT of drugs to keep my under and I woke right up after the surgery.  My surgeon found my Mom in the waiting room and informed her that he was really pleased with the results.  Well, that’s good to know.

Woke up in recovery and had the nicest nurse, Frank.  Can I just say Frank was AWESOME!  I was totally loopy (a given) and every time I told Frank my Boobs hurt he pumped me full of drugs.  Could a girl ask for more?  Frank was my protector, he made sure I stayed put in one of his recovery bays.  Everyone else around me was moving from their bed to the chairs on the other side within an hour or two, not me.  When it was time for me to move to a chair he brought the chair to my bay & told the orderlies to be careful with me since I just had a very painful surgery.  I was in recovery from 10:30 till about 4pm, and within that time I got a rainbow popsicle, graham crackers, gingerale, lots of painkillers and sleep.  While totally loopy, I kept telling Frank he was the best nurse I’ve ever had.  I’ve had a few surgeries and by far Frank stands out as a totally awesome guy who really cares for his patients (or at least the ones the really likes).  When Frank had to take his lunch break he switched off with another nurse and gave her the rundown and he made sure I was in good hands.  I asked for Frank’s contact information, since I want to send him a letter and a Friends & Family coupon so he can continue his obsession with sneakers and his wife can get a new purse too.  

Cab ride home was a little rough, not that the cab driver didn’t drive very safely and made sure not to do the standard stop/go routine of an atypical cab driver (I think he figured he should be a “good” drive since he picked up his fare at the hospital) but it was all the pot holes on 1^st that really killed me.  I had to hold my new boobs for the duration of the ride.

Once home I felt like a narcoleptic, awake for 5 minutes and asleep for 30.  Mom was ensuring I had my vicodin every 4 hours and my antibiotic every 6.  Shelly stopped by around 8pm to see me & she stalled in the front entry when she saw me.  She said “they’re so small!” then we held up my mold and realized there is a BIG difference from before and after.

I woke up Friday morning a 34FF and ended up going to bed at 34D, they took 500 grams (roughly 1.3lbs from each boob).  I got some small tatas now (for me at least).

Thursday, 9/23/10: Boobie Mold

 The idea to mold the ladies was conceived in the car with Becky, Shelly & Rob (Rob drove, he did not participate in the conception conversation) when we were all in Philly for the engagement party.  After waiting not so patiently for the mold kit to arrive (it was supposed to arrive on Tuesday and didn’t show up till Thursday—not so happy with Amazon’s current shipping situation) Shelly came over after work to help me commemorate the last night of my ginormous tatas.  I greased up while Shelly turned my living room into an art studio.  Moved my rug back, put a drop cloth down that covered my entire living room & began cutting up strips of plaster of paris.  My Mom only laughed and provided color commentary and the hot water.  Then the adventure of molding began, I wont go into graphic detail but lets say it was a memorable evening sitting in my living room.  It was great way to spend the night before my surgery having a few laughs and realizing my boobs were really THAT big.

36 Years

My Dad is being animated for my nephew; see the tiny hand in the corner

So my parents came into the city on Saturday so I could drive them to Bayonne, NJ to catch a cruise to Canada for two weeks on Sunday morning.  But the point of this is post is that my parents have an amazing relationship.  While sitting on the couch flipping between college football & the news my Mom effortlessly curled up into my Dad and I thought I want that someday.  Someone who you can cuddle up with, who knows exactly where your body fits into theirs.  They’ve been married since 1974, that’s 36 years of effortlessly fitting together (I’m not sure all 36 years have been effortless, but so far its worked). My Dad still teases my Mom, she gets frustrated and we all laugh (at her).  But I can only hope that I find something that lasts as long and is as special as theirs.

I just think that giant knife makes it interesting

Beach chairs are still there

Yes, these are my beach chairs and they are still sitting in my hallway from last Saturday on Fire Island.  Really don't want to bring all the sand into my apartment, so I'll wait just a little while longer till I finally break down, clean them off & put them away for the Fall & Winter.

****Update: Someone told on me!  I got a letter from my management company stating that I was breaking numerous agreements in my rental contract.  WTF?! Who was I bothering? Whatever.

Dinner with Shelly aka Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

Yoda is a Yankee fan, much to Rob's dismay

Its Shelly’s last month in NYC and we need to make a lot of Shelly/Alyssa time happen before the more, so we had dinner Wednesday night at her place.  Shelly made me Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti; it was like Mac & Cheese with chicken and the macaroni substituted with spaghetti.  And let me tell you, it was delicious!  We chatted, I saw pictures of her new place in Princeton Junction, drank some South Carolina wine and picked our Survivor Football picks for the week (Atlanta & Giants).  Overall a very good Wednesday Night.

Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti

Look at that delicious, yummy goodness

Labor Day: Last weekend of summer

My best friend Megan came for the long weekend and it turned out to be by far one of the best weekends I’ve had in the city in a long time.  The weather was amazing and only made our adventures that much more fabulous. 

Thursday Megan arrived and I was so proud of her, she took the subway from JFK to my place.  For someone who’s only been to the city twice, I was amazed (mainly because I often have issues taking the subway to JFK—but my travel woes are a different story)!  We met Sara at Brother Jimmy’s for dinner and a few drinks (OK it was a lot of drinks & some random shots too) before heading home for a crumbs cupcake to satisfy a drunken craving. 

I was so jealous of Megan sleeping on Friday morning when I had to get up for work, I wasn’t feeling 100% and just looking at her sleeping pissed me off.  It was my last 1:00pm summer Friday and I couldn’t have been more grateful and in mourning at the same time.  Megan met at work then we ventured into Times Square for an old tradition, the OG (Olive Garden) for lunch (its one of those Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell kind of situations).  We needed to reminisce and catch up over unlimited salad & breadsticks.  After lunch we walked up to Central Park and meandered around for a bit but not before stopping at the M&M store for a little dessert.  We made a stop at the Bethesda Fountain and found some cute little turtles swimming near the Boat House.  Did you know turtles love peanut butter M&Ms?  They’ll practically jump out of the water for that sweet little morsel of pb & chocolate.  After walking from Times Square through Central Par back to my apartment we had big plans for Friday night; dinner out and then my couch.  Then of course we had to watch a sappy tearjerker of a movie (Damn it Megan!).

Turtles love Peanut Butter M&Ms

We had an early Friday night only because we had to prepare ourselves for the adventure to Fire Island on Saturday Morning.  Since we wanted a full day at the beach we had to get up early for the exodus out of the city.  I don’t think Megan was prepared for all the modes of transportation it takes to get some sand between one’s toes.  Cab > LIRR (with a transfer in Jamaica) > Shuttle > Ferry, then reverse for home (that’s why most people go for the weekend not just the day).  The weather on FI was amazing but we hit a sand storm at 11:45am that lasted for about two hours.  Now I think I know what it must be like to be in Iraq (minus the intense heat, gunfire, and lack of beach), there was sand all over my stuff!  Megan had a very creative way of protecting herself from the pelting sand.  Once the wind had died down the day was amazing until high tide.  3:45pm high tide and that was it.  We were both asleep on our towels till we woke up to water rushing right over us.  Wet and disoriented I’m running down the beach trying to catch my sunglasses & shoes before they’re lost forever in the surf.  By the time we put ourselves back together we’re at the top of the dune with two towels that are soaking wet, covered in sand and probably weigh about 30 pounds.  Decide we should probably leave the beach since we can’t recover from high tide and we were starving.  Pack up all our stuff and Megan sacrifices her beach bag for the towels and head for the town square.  Half way up the beach I can feel the towels dripping down my butt & leg, we stop at a bathroom and weigh our options.  (1) Take towels home & do what with them? Or (2) ditch towels and buy new ones next year.  We chose option two and casually walked away.  We had lunch and then took the long ride home.  Exhausted from the sun (and a little burnt) we opt for delivery and Legally Blonde 2.  

Do you see all that sand?

Megan's very creative way of keeping the sand away

Sunday was Open day.  Megan & I woke up early again for day tickets to the US Open.  We made the trek to Queens for a day of tennis.  We got to watch V. Williams vs. Peer and Nadal vs. Simon.  By the Nadal/Simon match we were baking in the sun reapplying sunscreen like it was our business (OK I was reapplying like it was my business, Megan just reapplied).  We spent half the time watching the matches and the other half making remarks about people’s food and what looked good to eat.  Another easy night at home on the couch watching 48 Hours (or something).

Monday Funday!!  Finally slept in and then made our way to the West side for some day drinking at The Frying Pan.  Enjoyed some margaritas, delicious food, amazing weather and good company.  Megan & I gossiped about everything, caught up on life and determined that Megan thinks she could live in the city, but only during certain months.  Don’t remember much else because after a few hours and pictures of margaritas we made it back to the East side for Blockheads for dinner and then ceremoniously passed out at 8pm.

Always Thirsty

Don't worry, we shared

Then Tuesday morning was a little rough & just sad because Megan left back for the Left coast (tear*) and I had a minor hangover.  So that was Labor Day weekend.

(there Megan, the weekend blog is finally posted)
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