Veering Off the Path

Ugh! This last week was hard for me. I don’t know if was depressed about not returning to Ohio for a while or fighting off a virus … mostly likely a bit of both.

So excuse the belated blog post. Last weekend (May13-15) was awesome! Friday I met up with the hubs in CVG (the boat’s been in Charleston for the last few weeks, so we had to fly in separate). My parents pick us up and after a quick change of clothes, we watched the Reds win while I consumed two LARGE pieces of LaRosa’s pizza that I had been talking about for weeks! The game was followed by Rozzi fireworks and a concert of what is left of CCR. AND we even make it on the jumbo-tron!

The hubs, me and my parents sportin' our Reds gear

Saturday was Kimmy’s wedding. She looked gorgeous!!!!!

KimmyJo walking down the aisle looking soooooo pretty!

Mark and I had a blast dancing and eating cake (we even scored an extra piece! Yeah!).

It was a bit strange being back in Cincinnati, as it was the first time I felt like I was an outsider. I don’t know if that’s the right word. I LOVED being with the girls, but maybe it was a realization that my life isn’t on the same path as theirs. Somehow in my naivety, I always figured my friends and I would hold hands, skipping down the same yellow-bricked (… actually, hot pink) road of life. It’s not like we don’t all want the same things: career, spouse, house, dogs, kids, etc., it’s just that some are more on the same path while others are checking the boxes in a different order.

Here are some of the wonderful ladies. I heart them!

It was an awakening. Mark and I aren’t in market for owning a house, and we are nowhere near the vicinity of having kids, and while the other half of the girls are focused on their careers, I am back in school. By the time I finish my program and take my boards I will be nearing the big three-0. Not a big deal, except while most of my friends will have spent last eight or nine years advancing their careers, I will just be starting out … again. :(

And while Mark and I have been tossing ideas of where to live after I graduate (Charleston? NC? VA?), I know moving back to Ohio isn’t an option (unless by the grace of God, some tugboat company offers Mark a barge-side of a pay check. Even then, I doubt Mark will be content living so far inland). Knowing that cements that I will no longer even have the possibility of being on their path.

I do know that along my path, Mark and I will find somewhere to settle. Someday when we entertain the idea of parenting, there will be other people around that will be in the same situation, and our paths will merge. I guess being back home was a bit of a farewell. I will only be back for holidays or special occasions – not as easy to just hang out anymore.

I am grateful for the experiences I have been afforded. While I like to think that I always took full advantage of opportunities presented to me, my life in the last three years has been quiet an adventure. I have worked on a boat, been to exotic islands, moved across country, to a city that might as well be in another country … and managed to not get into an accident or completely lost while navigating the "Survivor"-esque roads of Miami. I entered a Master’s program that is WAY different than my previous journalism degree and joined Junior League, so I could feel like I am making a difference in my new "home," whether I’m feel completely home or (more likely) not.

I don’t know if I would have had all these opportunities, and those that await, if I stayed in Cincinnati. I also don’t know if I would have been content not knowing what could be out there. So yeah, my path is veering away from my friends. Which sucks because they are amazing women who make me feel so wonderful that I am writing a blog because it bothers me how much I miss them. And as a control freak I’m a bit envious that a lot of them seem to have settled down, while my future is so unsettled.

I know that more than anything I am so grateful for these women. I want when I say, “Please let me know if I can help,” to it mean more than just words. I want to be able to babysit, help them move, go out to eat or to a movie or sit and talk ... and not have to have it be crammed into a few hours in a way-too-short weekend.

Ugh! No wonder I was so exhausted last week. On a more positive note, my next post will be about my pups. And, I am already plotting two extra trips back to the O-hi-o before the end of summer. They girls may not get away from me that easily after all :)

Wedding Weekend!

I am off to Cincinnati for the weekend! I am super excited to get back to town.

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to get out of Ohio. I wanted to move to the coast, live on the beach and have a never-ending summer …. Funny how life works out. Now, on most days I would give up the sun and sand to get back to the rolling hills of landlocked Ohio. (Not to mention friends and family, of course.)

I mean, who wouldn’t want to see this skyline on a regular basis?

I will only be in town for a hot minute for my high-school friend, KimmyJo’s wedding. I haven’t seen her since my bachelorette party last summer, and it’s been almost five months since I’ve seen the other girls.

KimmyJo a few years back :)

A few years ago I had a tons wedding over the spring and summer. Now I just have one. And while I’m sad I don’t get to see my friends often enough, I’m also bummed I don’t get to dress up as often.

I’d like to say that what Miami fashion lacks in class, it makes up for in imagination, but if you’ve been here, you know nothing worn in this town leaves anything to the imagination (Mainly because it’s too bloody hot to actually wear clothing.)

The dress I’m wearing to Kimmy’s wedding I’ve had for two years, tags still on. I could never figure out the right place to wear it. But Kim’s wedding reception is at the beautiful Taft Museum and I figure this dress finally found its place in a spring evening wedding.

Here are a few other picks I would wear if I had more places to be seen (Girls, get married. My closet depends on it!)

Central Park West $107

Free People, $188

VOOM $173

Also, on my trip back from DAY on Monday, I saw a girl with these:

Obsessed!

Luckily, I have an awesome husband who, for my birthday in December, bought me a huge make up case filled with tons of little goodies, including the OPI mini-nail polishes from Sephora. And guess what color happened to be supplied? I will be definitely sportin’ some neon this weekend.

We are UD!!!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend. I went back to Ohio to celebrate my youngest brother, Eric, graduating from the University of Dayton. It’s my alma mater too, as well as my other two brothers.

I flew into Dayton Saturday morning and I immediately felt at home back on Ohio soil.

I talked to a grumpy Mark earlier that day. So when I passed by the airport gift shop selling “Nothing Tips Like A Cow: Ohio” T-shirts, I immediately bought HIS and HERS. It’s silly but you can’t help but laugh a little when you see it. Plus, I must represent down here.

My brother’s house had a graduation party. Of course, all of you in Ohio have been rained out for the last few weeks, and the party was no exception. Even with a tent, the ground was a pool. Luckily my brilliant cousins, and their spouses, all UD grads, decided to wait out the rain by playing flip-cup. (Apparently there was flip-cup at our wedding as well … I’m sad I missed it). My brother Brett came in from Chicago with some of his roommates, who also happened to be UD grads. At the end of the night it was the alums, not the current graduates, who had the party going.

Sunday started with graduation. After a quick lunch and a few Mother’s Day mimosas, Brett returned to Chicago and my parents helped Eric finish packing his room. I decided to go for a literal stroll down memory lane (plus, I was not going to use the bathroom in my brother's disgusting Ghetto house).

UD hold such a special place in my heart. It was so unique; a place where friends really are family. It made me a bit sad to walk around campus, and slightly jealous of those who still get to go to school there.

I thought I’d include a few pictures of this beautiful piece of paradise.

My house senior year!

St. Joseph's Hall, where I spent almost every day

Lit up for Christmas on Campus.

Positively Counting the Days

Wow! What a historic weekend: Miss Kate became Princess, Pope John Paul II was beatified and Osama bin Laden was killed (p.s. I read this somewhere that Hitler also was declared dead on May 1. Spooky, eh?).

This weekend also marked the official start of the yacht season for Mark and me. On Sunday, Mark drove 10 hours, back to the boat in Charleston. From now on, he’ll be traveling up the coast, and we’ll return to our “just visiting” marriage status.

It’s always depressing seeing him leave (I think Martini has a harder time, realizing that it’s one car ride he’s not going on). And though I much rather have him here, yesterday I was trying to think of positive things about this time apart.

What?! You're not taking me with you?

Don't go!

1. I get the WHOLE bed.

Mark is a tall man; he doesn’t fit in just any old bed (Made evident when we were at my parents home for Christmas, where my old bed is stationed. It's a queen and homeboy’s feet hang well off the edge!) So we bought an amazingly comfortable California King bed. It’s an awesome bed, and it’s where the pups and I hang out when Mark isn’t home. All three of us spread out and relax as we watch our favorite TV shows (see #3).

Who wouldn't want to share a bed with these two?

The most amazing night's sleep ever!

2. I have a hair station.

We are lucky enough to have a beautiful apartment with a HUGE bathroom that has HIS and HERS sinks. And when Mark is gone, it becomes HERS and HER HAIR STUFF sinks.

3. I can watch my trashy TV shows.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE reality TV. Specifically, I LOVE Biggest Loser (obviously a tear-jerker, not so much trashy), Bethenny Ever After (can I BE her?!), Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, and ALL The Real Housewives of …. It’s guilty-pleasure, embarrassed-to-admit-it, trashy reality TV. And no judgment or rolling of the eyes sitting next to me.

4. I get to count down ‘til I see him again!

As much as I love Mark being here, there is always a timeline in the back of my head. It’s terrible to live life waiting for a departure date. We’ve done it a million times, and I know it’s temporary, but it never gets easier. However, the “most positive” thing about Mark being gone is that I get to look forward to seeing him again!

… Which luckily won’t be that long, as we "rendezvous" in Cincinnati for my friends wedding in just a few weeks. I am so looking forward to being back home and seeing all my girlfriends. We always pick up right were we left off, even in spite of marriages and babies and living states apart.

The Dress

I’m sorry to say that I will be one of the one’s with their alarm set for 4 a.m. on Friday. Whether or not I will be up, I’m not sure. But somewhere in between sleeping and waking I am DYING to see Kate Middleton’s wedding dress.

There are speculations on how she will dress. Traditional? Stylish? A hint of Diana?

Most assume it will be a British designer, so I have Googled the designers mentioned. While Bruce Oldfield is out, I still LOVE his designs. They are so elegant and simple; I will I could have had him as my designer. Check out this two piece beautiful creation:

It reminds me a bit of Princess Raina’s dress. (I DIE over the jacket.)

Another name drop was Libelula designer Sophie Cranston, but frankly her designs seem too causal for a royal wedding. Kate’s favorite designer is Issa London, but they’ve never done a wedding dress before. Another contender, who I have also fallen for is Phillipa Lepley. Check out the back of this dress?

How perfect for a nautical wedding?

Apparently Vivienne Westwood is another candidate, though maybe a bit too much for the palace. We all remember the Carrie dress? I don’t want to get too carried away because I think I would be devastated if it wasn't VW.

I have a feeling Kate will wear something form fitting; she tends towards body hugging clothing to begin with. She has lost a lot of weight and unless it’s stress (which could be. I freaked out with 200 people watching me, I can’t imagine the world!) I’m sure she’s gearing up for something that resembles a dress, not a big fluffy cupcake.

Um, did I mention her parents offered up the $434,000 price tag for the soon-to-be-memorable dress?

I have my own predictions. I leave you with some queen-worthy styles that the everyday princess-bride can afford.

Justin Alexander's Grace Kelly Masterpiece

Love Amsale

Audrey Hepburn wore a short dress

Justin Alexander's (#8465) modern day Audrey Dress

Of course I had to include a something pink

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Easter marks the first holiday Mark and I have spent just the two of us!

Easter is my favorite holiday. As a Christian, it’s obviously one of the most important, as it is the foundation of our entire belief system. But it’s also one of those holidays where there is no expectations.

It’s a bit bittersweet, as any holiday without close family feels a bit little strange. While Mark and I headed to church this morning, it was weird not seeing EVERYONE dressed up. Cincinnati is so traditional, and I miss that in south Florida.

My family’s tradition usually include Sunday mass (I’ll throw in my inter-dominational service Saturday night), my brothers complain about getting dressed up, all four of us are fighting over who gets the shower next and struggle to get a spot in the mirror. After church we either hit up the country club or Dad makes the infamous holiday-only casserole while us “kids” (we are all well over 20) search for our Easter Baskets; baskets filled with Esther Price, BonBonerie cookies, and Jelly Bellys.

During Pre-Cana one of the speakers talked about making new traditions as a married couple. This Easter is our first opportunity to decide on how we want to celebrate a holiday, which is the sweet part.

We went to Good Friday service, visited the “Vatican Splendors” art exhibit at the Ft. Lauderdale Art Museum and went to service this morning (… which we were an hour early for. We were running “so late” I didn’t have time to double-check the time, of course.). I made brunch, complete with mimosas. (I even wore my fancy apron one of my besties gave me for my birthday, thanks Melz!).

My fancy & stylish apron from Anthropologie Love it!

AND! After seven months of marriage, we FINALLY got to use our “fancy” dinnerware, platters, bowls and serving utensils! I even got a little flash with a tablecloth and broke out my old, inner yachtie stewardess and prettied-up some table settings.

table setting

Our first Easter table! & my handsome husband

It was a fantastic, champagne-y late lunch (… I rarely cook, so it took me a while). We ate on our balcony, which has such a amazing view Mark and I couldn’t believe we didn't eat out there more often. Most people would kill to vacation here, and we are blessed enough to live here (yes, I did say I feel blessed to live in SoFla … maybe it’s the mimosas and the Cadbury eggs).

Even Martini and Morgan got some Easter-loot.

And now we continue our celebration of tradition-making by ordering an Easter pizza :)

I hope your Easter was just as blessed as ours!

Morgan getting her basket

"Paw"

Martini checking out the Bunny Loot

The Great Outdoors

Inspired by a sermon from our church in Ohio, Mark decided he wanted to put away the computer, turn off the TV and get back to living simply. Insert, an impromptu camping in SW Florida.

Two hours west of Miami lies the Collier-Seminole State Park. Mark organized us a drive up campsite and although we weren’t backpacking, I insisted we “rough” it as much as we could. We packed up our spanking new camping gear, the bare essentials of food and clothing and the pups and headed west.

(Little did we know, our neighbors had fans around their campsites, Christmas lights, stereo systems, gourmet foods and cooking items. Whatever happened to cooking a hotdog on a stick?)

our campsite

Unfortunately it wasn’t as picturesque as we had planned. Our assigned campsite was infested by wasp. I panicked (I have a history with yellow jackets), refusing to move anywhere near the flying spawns of Satan, which meant Mark was left with heavy lifting. After a lot of work and even more sweat, our tent was up and a fire was started.

Surprisingly, we didn't take into account that spring in the swamp brings out bugs. With the wasp and the increasing number of brown flies, Mark decided to make a trip to the ranger station for more fire wood and a quick pass by the gas station near to pick up bug spray. The ranger told us we could move campsites. Luckily, the site next to us was open and wasp-free. A few trips back and forth we were once again ready to relax.

We literally puddled sitting in front of our tent. The dogs were constantly getting tangled up. I didn’t bring any long pants because it’s effing hot in Florida; thought it would have been nice to be protected from the ‘squitos. A veggie burger fell into the fire. Half the campsite was rented to a Cuban family reunion, and if you didn't know Cubans are loud: loud talking, loud music blaring (Christina Aguilera, the Spanish version), lots of people and a huge pig turning over a spit.

Nothing was going right.

Martini's not into the camping

Tangled.

Morgan exploring

The night cooled off a bit, and lucky the campsites had restrooms with showers. After an ice cold shower we were able to jump into the tent. We just started relaxing, when Morgan gave a warning bark. The yacht captain in Mark sprung into action, flicking on his flashlight on a raccoon scouring our campsite (the bandit was actually really cute and really clean. I kept wondering how he was so clean and I had to scrub the dirt off me after camping for only half a day).

In the morning, Mark attempted to make me fresh coffee. Unfortunately the press didn't work and the coffee ended up more like silt water. We called it quits, packed up quickly and went on a hunt for anyplace that had decent coffee.

We did spend the rest of the afternoon at the dog beach then drove back to Miami.

On another note, this past weekend marked three years together for Mark and me. I didn't realize it until Monday night (See how romantic I am?). But it’s actually quite fitting we had a disastrous camping trip … after all everything we’ve done has never been easy.