Quarters

This is going to seem like such a small thing...

I "collect" quarters. What I mean is that whenever someone at home leaves change around the house, in the washing machine/dryer, or discards it, I take the quarters. Nobody minds and if anyone is thinking about it, they put their leftover quarters in a jar for me. It's not that particularly like quarters or even that have one's from all 50 states it's just that I buy my daily fountain diet coke with 3 quarters (a deal, I know) and get my afternoon snack from the M&M machine with qaurter so quarters have become *very* important to my daily life.

Knowing my affinity for quarters my boyfriend has been saving all of his (without telling me) and when he was at my house yesterday filled my change holders with all of his quarters which means I'm good to go with the M&M's and diet coke for (at least) the week.

Sometimes it really is the small things....

And all that Jazz

Between Lindsay and Brittany I've had enough.

Fed Cup

If you recall, I went to the Fed Cup right before vacation and now I have finally gotten around to uploading my pictures! It was incredible- - the setting (Stowe, VT), the people (I saw Venus up SO close!), and the FUN! I took a few of the girls from my tennis team because this was such a great opportunity to see some awesome tennis and my boyfriend came with his two roomates (all tennis pros... they were in heaven). Venus played first which was just awesome because she was who I was most looking forward to seeing and then she played doubles as well.

The U.S. lost (who's keeping track?) but it was a great experience anyway. And to think... all of these people were in Vermont. :)

The court that was built specifically for this event

The flags...

The teams

The serve :)

The win! :)

I'm back.

Whew! What a vacation it was! I’m home and getting back into the swing of things but there is something so depressing about the first week back. I wish I was still there! My family is still there, only my youngest sister and I came back- - me to work, her for summer school so it’s even more depressing knowing that my family and friends are still on the beach!

The weather was perfect- hot and sunny during the day, cool and breezy at night. We hit the beach every day, left in time for happy hour and let the festivities continue until bedtime. My mom, sisters, cousins and aunts (all avid Jazzercisers) didn’t want to take a break from working out while on vacation so we jazzed and body sculpted on our porch every morning. (Quite the sight for all of those vacation-walkers who meandered by.) It was fun though and made last night teaching inside that much less fun!

Our whole family was able to come including my cousin from NC whom we haven’t seen since February. I know you are all probably sick of hearing about my vacation so I’ll stop here, but it is my favorite time of year and my absolute favorite place to be.

There is actually a motel for sale (a motel that part of the family always stays in and where we stay when we head up in the winter) and I would *LOVE* to buy it. Unfortunately, I don’t have the $2.3m to get it. Yet. :)

Not too much is going on this week, catching up, filling in for a lot of vacations at Jazzercise and getting the house/my mom’s office ready for my parents to come home. I’ve got three lawns to mow, a pool to vacuum, laundry to put away, and about 1,000 pieces of mail to open. Tonight though? I’m taking my Grandpa out to dinner.

One Handed Wiffleball

Because we'd hate to spill our drinks on vacation. :)

I'm here, still catching up. More later!

I'm Back!

I hope everyone's great! I just got in late last night and I'm still catching up, but here's a pic to until I'm officially back!
The view...

On Vacation

I'll be on vacation and away from the computer for the next 10 days... have a great week, I'll be thinking of you, FROM THE BEACH! :)

My vacation should start tonight, but my sisters and I will be joining everyone Sunday evening after we get back from the FED CUP. That's right, I'm going to the Fed Cup, WOO HOO!

Check out who's going to be there:

RUSSIA:Svetlana Kuznetsova (#5 in the world); Nadia Petrova (#7 in the world); Anna Chakvetadze (#9 in the world); Elena Vesnina (#58 in the world); Team captain: Shamil Tarpischev
USA:Venus Williams (#31 in the world); Meilen Tu (#41 in the world); Lisa Raymond (#1 doubles player in the world); Vania King (#74 in the world); Team captain: Zina Garrison

Jazzercise

I got a 3.6 on my Jazzercise score! (Out of 4.0). Not perfect, but that's okay. I got some really great feedback and there are many, many more "subtleties" I need to learn. I'll have plenty of time to practice (in my head) while I'm lounging on the beach next week. (sigh.) I cannot wait to get to Maine. It's almost worse than the anicipation before Christmas. We go every year with the our whole family and two non-family families and we really just have the BEST time. I guess it's like Christmas in July only it's warm, sunny and all of the presents are ALCOHOL. Woo!

The Simpsons are Coming?

Check the story out:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm

I'm On My Way

Well, not until Sunday but I cannot WAIT to get there. The sun, the sand, the ocean, the ice cream... :)

When we were at the Red Sox game a couple of weeks ago it was Disability Awareness Night and many of the night’s activities were centered around children and people with disabilities. Right before the game started a softball team of individuals living with downs syndrome took the field and were able to play for a few outs which, I’m sure, was the highlight of their season. When it was time for the National Anthem one of them stayed on the field, stepped up to the mic and started singing. (If you’ve been to a Sox game before you know they show the lyrics to all of the songs played so the words were right up there on the big screen next to the video that was showing people in the crowd.)

It wasn’t immediately obvious that the person singing had downs syndrome but his tendency to get “stuck” on the last syllable of the word had some people glancing around trying to figure it out. Well, right in the middle of, “And the rockets red glare…” they showed him singing up on the big screen, and he happened to be glancing up at the same time, saw his face up there and CRACKED UP! It was the funniest thing I have ever seen, the whole stadium laughed a little and quieted down so he could finish. Except he couldn’t. He got the giggles, tried to pick it up, but lost his place in the music. This is where the magic of Fenway comes in: (I’m sure this stuff happens elsewhere, but to be a part of something like this just gives you chills.) They cut the music, kept the mic on and the entire stadium, at once it seemed, started singing along with this boy until he could find his place again. Then at the end, everyone stopped singing and let him have a solo for the grand finale. He couldn’t have been more proud when they showed him again on the big screen and he finished without missing a beat.

There was not a dry eye in the house.

On Lending

Hi there,

I saw you eyeing my dress, I know, you loved it. I do too. In fact, that was the most money I’ve spent on a dress in 5 years, which doesn’t say much, but it does say something. I love the color, the way the flowers are perfectly splashed on in hot pink and end before the seam under the chest. I love the way it’s strapless and offsets my tan. I love the way I looked in it in every picture from the wedding I wore it to last summer.

So when you asked to borrow it for a wedding you had in September, I didn’t really want to let you borrow it, but I did because that’s what I *always* do, with the promise that you’d return it, unwashed and un-dry cleaned. Because that’s the way I like it. I like to deal with my clothes myself because inevitably you will put my favorite sweater in the dryer and it will shrink to doll-size or you will bring my dress to the dry-cleaners with gum stuck to the bottom and forget to tell them and it will set and be irremovable.

I expected my worn dress back from you by the end of September and when I hadn’t seen it by October I thought I would remind you, you said you would drop it off when you came over for dinner. You came, but the dress didn’t. When I reminded you again in December, you said you would bring it to work and I could pick it up when I met my friends out for drinks there. I came, but the dress didn’t. When you said you would bring it over on your way home last week you didn’t show and didn’t bother calling. Well, guess what. Now you’re moving to California TODAY and I still don’t have my dress, and, quite frankly, I’m pissed. I’ve tried calling BOTH of your cell phones and BOTH mailboxes are full and not receiving messages.

I would like to say that I’m never letting anyone borrow anything again, but I won’t because it’s probably not true. And nothing that I’m going to say is going to ease the annoyance that has settled in my stomach. At the very least you have reminded me that when you lend out your stuff you should expect to never see it again. Ever.

Signed,
Your un-happy lender

Hellooooo! I'm here! I hope everyone had great 4th of July's! Mine was WONDERFUL! I have much to say, so I'll be back soon!

Boston!

The moon rising over Fenway... it doesn't get much better than that! :)

We had a *great* weekend! I got to see my best friends from college, two I haven't seen since they graduated (1.5 and 2.5 years ago!) which was, to say the least, awesome.

The Red Sox actually lost the game we were at, but when you're there you kind of forget about that part because it's just so fun! We also got to do a whole slew of fun things, like Fanuil Hall, Tia's on the Waterfront, PF Changs, Clery's, the Sail Club, the BEACH. :) It was quite the perfect weekend!

Now it's time for some CELEBRATION! The 4th is always great fun at my house because my sister's birthday is on the 3th (party tonight, woo!) and our town parade goes directly in front of my house so we have a big lawn/parade party that starts at 9:30 in the morning. I'm running in a 5k tomorrow morning too, with my sisters, and I'm actually Jazzercising in the parade... don't ask. :) And my cousin is here with her three kids so I've been spending MUCH time with them! I hope everyone has a great Holiday!