The morning started off at 9:00, when I awoke. I slept in longer than I wanted to but at least I felt refreshed. Greg, on the other hand, was still dead asleep. Later I learned that he stayed up until 3am reading and playing computer games. When I woke up there was a text message from Michele informing me that she was heading into to town and wanted to know if I was available. So I called her and we chatted for a few and she invited Greg and me for breakfast while she was waiting for her truck to get checked.

Around 10:45am, Greg and I are outside cleaning out his car so we can fit Michele in the back seat. Yeah, his car was that messy! By 11am, Michele was picked up on the side of Rt. 2 and we head off to Honey Bee Diner for breakfast.

Breakfast was… eh at best. Service was so slow and our server wasn’t very friendly and made fun of Greg because he asked for orange marmalade for his toast (Greg could only have mixed berry or apple); she kept saying things along the line of “what do you think we are, a fancy breakfast place?” Hm… we won’t be returning anytime soon - if ever.

Around noon we were on our way to O.C (after we dropped Michele off at the Nissan dealership - she had a 10am appointment for a tune-up and oil change and didn’t leave until 5pm! And, her truck now stalls out. She’s taking it back in on Monday). Before me made it to 97 I realized that we didn’t have any cash for the Bay Bridge toll so we stopped at a gas station and filled up and got some cash. Finally, at 12:30pm we were en-route for Ocean City!

The drive to Ocean City was uneventful. I took a few pictures of the car ride (something to do while bored). I believe listening to the comedy stations on the XM Radio helped me a lot!

 

While on the way, via RT 50, we learned that the main bridge to Ocean City, the draw bridge, was closed due to repairs or maintenance and that we would have to take the RT 90 bridge in (the RT 50 bridge dropped you off around 5th street whereas the RT 90 bridge was around 60th street). Which actually worked in our favor because our hotel was on 56th street!

I became so giddy and excited when Greg told me that the lighthouse building that we could see from the RT 90 bridge was where we were staying!

Greg reserved a Lightkeeper suite at the Lighthouse Club Hotel. I have never stayed in a hotel that comes close to this place. It was simply magnificent. I honestly can’t put into words how amazing this place is!

The pictures don’t do justice for the place, but here they are:

Greg and I checked in sometime around 3pm. We hung out until about 3:45 just in awe of the place and talking about the plans for the night. I went through the phone book and called around to make sure some of the businesses and restaurants were still open, as it was off season, and only found one place that was open and serving crabs, Fisherman’s, and we made plans to go there for dinner.

Once we were done with the dinner discussion, we went downstairs and outside onto the deck and just stood there (taking pictures) taking it all in. I miss living on the water!

and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of Greg and me!

Now, it’s time to find us some mini-golf! Greg calls Tim to get the name of the preferred mini-golf location and then we’re on our way only to learn, once we arrive, that the place is closed for the season:

So, our quest continues and we find an indoor mini-golf place that was still open and (not) surprisingly wasn’t busy at all! So, we get our mini-golfing on!

The sun was setting fast and Greg had hopes to catch the sunset from our hotel, but we were still playing mini-golf. I offered to end the game in just go because I didn’t want Greg to miss watching the sunset on the water but he refused and wanted to finish playing; I was worried that Greg wouldn’t be able to see the sunset so I just played to get it over with. Greg won the game by about 5 or so strokes.

We made it back to the hotel in time to watch the sunset and take pictures. The sunset was beautiful…

it’s been a long time since I sat outside to watch the sun set. It was so beautiful and relaxing. It was at this moment Greg and I decided to come back every February for our anniversary and we talked about having our wedding on the water, as the sun was setting.

Once the sun was set, Greg and I talked about what to do next; go to the boardwalk or dinner. It was decided to go to dinner since the place closes at 9pm and it was nearing 6pm (I think). So, we went upstairs to our room and got ready and then headed over to the restaurant. As I mentioned, the RT 50 bridge was out so Greg and I had to drive all the way to the other end of the bay to get to the restaurant or any other place on the other end and then drive back. So, we spent and extra 1.5 hours driving each time we went anywhere that was on the other side.

Dinner was amazing. I was so surprised at all that we received with our meals! The all-you-can-eat crabs included shrimp, fried chicken, french fries and hush puppies, in addition to the crabs for only $25.99!! I passed on the shrimp and only had one order of chicken, french fries and hush puppies; I was here for the crabs! Greg ordered grilled salmon and teryaki wings. Here’s some food porn…

the crabs were delicious! Surprisingly, I only had one ‘bad crab’ out of the 20ish crabs I had. While I was still eating crabs, Greg surfed the interweb on my cell phone (because he was done eating and I wasn’t), and we talked about coming back this summer and I was telling him that if we come back, we’re bringing Mom and other family members and having dinner here, no matter what! The service was amazing and the food was great and priced very well.

After dinner we headed to the boardwalk (after having to drive all the way around the bay and then up Coastal Highway), but took our time getting there; we drove through Ocean City’s neighborhoods (as I was thinking out loud about homes in Ocean City and schools and such since all you see on the main road, Coastal Highway, are hotels and businesses) and arrived about 8:45pm. The boardwalk, when in season has a couple thousand people walking at the same time, was dead. Vacant. Desolate. Erie. I have never, in all the years of coming to Ocean City, seen the city so… shut down. It was cool but weird. When we arrived, Playland was still open and we talked about going in and play a few games but we wanted to walk around first.

Greg and I took a walk down to the shore and watched the waves crash. It was very peaceful. I was thankful that Greg packed an extra jacket (even though the jacket was a Christmas gift from his ex when they were dating) for me to wear. It was down right windy and a little on the chilly side (even for me, and I rarely wear a jacket/coat - even if it’s snowing). When we made it back to the boardwalk, Playland had closed so we just took random pictures. I wanted a picture of Greg, and me, by the huge tire that was at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not place:

And, for some reason, Greg had  to have a picture of Thrasher’s…

 Eventually we left and decided to find a local grocery store to get items for snacks and breakfast as well as some liquor. Well, we found a liquor store but no grocery store that was open. We talked about buying a bottle of wine

or maybe some items to make mixed drinks

but decided to buy a small bottle of champagne and pre-mixed bottles of mudslides and lemon drops. The next stop was the 7-11 where we bought some soda and chips and dip (so romantic) and then it was back to the hotel!

When we arrived at our room the lights were low and there was a candle lit, our bed was turned down and there was fresh fruit and orange juice in the fridge and some cranberry pound cake on the counter! I was a little freaked about the candle because I was asking myself if I lit a candle before leaving a few hours ago but then I don’t remember even seeing a candle in the hotel when we arrived, so it must of been the turn down service! It was very romantic.

Greg made me take a shower when we returned to the hotel because I smelled of vinegar and old bay. I was impressed by the soap and shampoo provided; the bar of soap was of actual size verses a mini travel size, and it was like something one would buy at Bath and Body Works (fresh smelling, bits of ’stuff’ in the bar to exfoliate, etc) - I loved the bar of soap and told Greg that we’re taking it home with us!

When I got out of the shower Greg was in the jacuzzi, with the fireplace lit and the candle still twinkling, waiting for me. Sadly, the jacuzzi had the opposite effect on us; we were way too relaxed while in the tub to do other ’stuff’ and believe it or not, we didn’t have sex - we talked about it, we kissed and did other ’stuff’, but no sex; we were too tired (it was nearing midnight) and too relaxed to put forth any more effort.

The bed was a queen; Greg and I are used to sleeping on a king. Greg slept well, I did not. It took a long time for me to fall asleep and I didn’t have much success staying asleep. I was up by 7:30am, though I would doze off for a few minutes every now and then. By 8:30, we were both up. There was a Washington Post (one of my favorite newspapers) at the door and I started to read the paper (Greg stole the sports section) and have some of the cranberry pound cake.

Once Greg was done reading the paper he made a few subtle hints about finishing what we started the night before in the jacuzzi… it was then that we ‘celebrated’ our anniversary the way it was meant to be celebrated!

Greg got into the shower and I got dressed, only to realize that I left my brush in the car. I was hoping my hair didn’t look too bad with the headband in…

when Greg got out of the shower and was dressed, we started packing and getting ready to check out and saying good bye to the best place either of us have ever stayed in.

we spent a few minutes on the balcony just thinking and stuff.

I believe we checked-out around 10:00 or 10:30. We decided to head over to Assateague Island in hopes to catch a few pictures of the wild ponies. One the way to Assateague we stopped at a off the road park that was on the other side of the bay from where we stayed. The day started off cloudy and cold, so the pictures were a little more challeging to take, but they turned out pretty well…

after about a half hour we headed over to Assateague Island. On the way there, there was a part of the road that was lined with these really neat looking trees:

Finally, after the long drive to Assateague Island we made it (my patience during car rides is very low)!

I wanted to go to the beach because the waves are usually bigger and better than the ones in Ocean City.

after about a half hour we head back to the car to look for wild ponies! Unfortunately, we only saw two from afar…

by now it’s nearing noon and we’re starting to feel hungry. So we head back to the main road and I start to recognize a few buildings and realize that we’re in the area that I used to stay when my family would visit Ocean City! We used to stay at these cottages called Coconut Grove for a few years until the cabins were bought out by the Francis Scott Key resort; seeing the old cottages brought back a lot of memories - and the strongest memory is when my family spent a week in Ocean City and I had a raging ear infection and wasn’t allowed to go swimming. I remember lying in the sand and having to lay on one side for about a half hour after I put my ear drops in and then getting a wicked sunburn on the side of my thigh (that was awesome to peel).

So, we’re driving around and I’m starting to remember things and we end up at a marina and there is a bar/restaurant called HarborSide so we decide to stop for lunch. I believe I’ve eaten there before many years ago because I remember sitting by the window and watching the big(ish) boats come and go.

I decided to try their signature drink, an Orange Crush

I forget what the drink includes (aside from the ‘fresh’ squeezed orange juice) but it wasn’t all that impressive. As you can see from the picture, it looks more like lemonade rather than something orange and it tasted a little diluted.

We ordered some buffalo wings (I’ve been on a buffalo kick for a couple weeks now) as our appetizer

and I was a little disappointed; the texture was right but it was lacking flavor (i like my wings with a little more spice and some vinegar).  For lunch Greg ordered a burger and I had the Crisfield Chicken sandwich (a grilled chicken breast topped with crab dip). Again, I was disappointed in the lack of flavor in the food (Bateman’s has a similar sandwich called the Chicken Chesapeake and it tastes so much better). Needless to say, I don’t think I’d be returning to this place anytime I am in Ocean City. But, it was nice to sit and watch the boats…

during lunch we looked up the address to the Sonic in Delaware (via interweb on my cell phone) and made that our second destination once we had our fun on the boardwalk!

I was happy to see that the boardwalk had a little more activity than the night before; I was also happy to see that some of the shops along the boardwalk were open!

We started out on the jetty; I was mesmerized by the waves crashing onto the rocks

Once we had our fun on the jetty we headed to the boardwalk.  I stopped in a jewelry store and bought my Mom a pair of earrings (pure silver and 40% off), then I bought a tub of Fisher’s famous popcorn, and a bag of cotton candy. Greg stops in Dolle’s and buys some fudge and truffles.

afterwards we head over to Playland to play a few games. My hands were sticky from the cotton candy so I wasn’t all that interested, but I did play a game of skeet ball and beat Greg!

After playland we head off to Delaware! The drive wasn’t all that bad. The only ‘issue’ was that Greg would drive the.exact.speed limit and it drove me nuts! I wasn’t being a ‘backseat driver’ by any means but I let him know that I felt he was driving too slow. I took pictures to keep me occupied…

I believe we hit Dewey, Delaware first and just kept driving. Eventually, we were in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I’ve never been to Rehoboth Beach before, so Greg drove around the popular spot…

and Greg asked me to take a picture of this pub…

and then we’re on our way. Greg asks if I want to stop at the outlets and I say sure.

 We went into one store and didn’t buy anything. I wasn’t in the mood to do any shopping, even if it is tax free. By now I am exhausted and can’t wait to go home and sleep in my bed! But, we still had at least 3 more hours of driving!

Bridgeville, DE was our spot; this is where Sonic is located and Greg wanted to stop at Sonic’s to end our amazing anniversary weekend. The drive wasn’t all that bad; I liked driving through Georgetown, DE - I liked the houses. I like the older houses with the wrap around porches and turrets.

It was a long drive (and stinky at times due to the farms we passed). I was getting more and more tired (and cranky) as the drive continued on to what felt like an eternity!

And then I saw the sign!

Yay!! We made it - finally!! And you know what, neither of us were even hungry! We were still full from lunch earlier in the day and by now it was 5:45pm! But we couldn’t leave without ordering something…

the drinks were our biggest desire; given their commercials are about their drinks. So Greg ordered a Cherry Limeade and a Cranberry something or other and I ordered the light version of the Cherry Limeade - which, in all honesty, tasted like a virgin Sherlly Temple. But it was good. Also, we decided to order meals anyway; I had a bacon cheeseburger and Greg had a chicken sandwich…

the food was good, I guess. Nothing, aside from the drinks, stood out to me. Greg said he enjoyed his meal whereas I couldn’t even finish mine!

 I believe it was 6:07 when we left Sonic’s. We guessed how many miles we had left and around what time we would make it home. Greg guess that we had about 65 miles to go and I guess about 100 (the actual mileage was about 70 something) and I guessed we’d be home between 6:55 and 7:15 (we made it around 7:03).

We watched the sun set on the way home and then I ‘watched’ the skies and their colors…

The End.

Today was weird; Greg, Mom and I all thought it was Sunday. Today felt like a Sunday. Thankfully, it isn’t Sunday - yet; it will be in 59 minutes.

Greg and I didn’t get home until 12:30am after the concert. But, I’ll write all about Blue Man Group later.

Amelia woke up at 7:30 and Greg took care of her while I slept until 8:30 (have I mentioned how awesome Greg is?). Once I was up I started on the laundry and completed 3 loads; yay me.

Greg decided to take a nap at 9 and I took care of Amelia. She was one cranky baby. Nothing made her happy; she would cling to me like she wanted to be held but as soon as I had her in my arms she would wriggle to get out. There was no winning with her. Finally at 10am she decided to take her first nap. As soon as she was in the crib I went to wake up Greg. Greg and I laid in bed and chatted until 10:30, at which I got online to check email and started to write Jay back (congratulating him on passing his exam and replying to his decision to set short and long term goals) but I was constantly distracted and didn’t finish that task until a little after 1pm; and Amelia slept until 11:30!

 Around 1:30 we left to go to Target. Our goal was to get new sippy cups for Amelia (as Max, the dog, ate one of her cups while at Moms and the lid to another cup broke), get another bookcase and to look at microwaves. We ended spending over two hours in Target! Oh, and we bought a RED microwave! next, when we feel the need, we’re going to get a RED toaster (how geeky am I?)! I get so excited over the smallest things.

While we were at Target, Amelia’s sour mood followed and the only thing that kept her happy was when she could walk with us (she refused to sit in the shopping cart)!

At least she behaved, mostly. Actually, I was rather surprised at how well she did and her lack of interest in tearing things off the shelf. Of course, the one shelf she tried her hardest to destroy was the shelf that hosted all the baby-food in GLASS jars; only one made it to the floor and didn’t break! Then, when we were in the clothing section, Amelia decides to have a little shopping spree and just grabs clothes, willie nillie, off the racks and carry them over to our cart!

Unfortunately, she selected clothes that we too small.

Amelia’s mood didn’t improve any when we came home and she fought sleep until 4:30! I called my Mom and she said it sounded like Amelia was starting the ‘terrible twos’ early and then she went on to remind me of how much I kept saying that I couldn’t wait until Amelia was at this stage after she was born; I reminded Mom that I wasn’t complaining about Amelia’s random moments of fussiness or crying, but just letting her know what’s going on (after all, she asks me every time we talk on the phone what Amelia’s up to).

Fast forward to about 7:30,  Amelia was already fed, bathed, and in bed (though not asleep; that won’t happen until nearly 10pm!) and I see my girlfriend Kara is online. Kara and I started at PRP at the same time (we were in training together) and our friendship was pretty much instantaneous! Kara is going to be one of my bridesmaids, along with Michele and my cousin April is going to be my maid of honor. Kara and I chatted for nearly two hours. Kara always knows what to say to make me feel so special to her; for example:

Kara (2/16/2008 8:36:35 PM): I’m so proud of you for just being who you are.  I have never met a person who was more true to themselves than you are.  You are such an amazing person. 
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:37:39 PM): *sniff* you’re making me all emotional and teary-eyed!

Kara (2/16/2008 8:38:32 PM): Well, I just adore you.  You will always be my friend!  I will MAKE you ALWAYS be my friend!  So don’t get any ideas.

Mostly, Kara and I talked about wedding stuff . Here are some excerpts from our chat (and show what silly sense of humor she has):

Kara (2/16/2008 8:57:07 PM): I’m glad you like saturated color tones and not pastels.  I would not like it if I had to wear a pastel bridesmaid gown.  I would and will if you end up choosing one in that color but red is soooo much better!
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:57:54 PM): oh, this isn’t going to be a girly, prissy wedding
Jessica  (2/16/2008 8:58:10 PM): all bold, vibrant fall colors
Kara (2/16/2008 8:58:18 PM): So I shouldn’t worry about shaving my pits, then?
Kara (2/16/2008 8:58:24 PM): Great!

Shortly after we were talking about dresses and she was telling me about her friend Lisa and her experiance with the David’s Bridal that’s near where I live…

Jessica  (2/16/2008 9:07:43 PM): well, since this is all new to me - it would be awesome if you could accompany me one day
Kara (2/16/2008 9:08:04 PM): That ought to be good for a laugh!  We’ll have those salespeople in tears.
Jessica  (2/16/2008 9:08:59 PM): with my brutal honesty and indecisive mind, it could be an adventure for them
Kara (2/16/2008 9:09:16 PM): At the very least.

We also talked about locations for the ceremony and reception; she told me about her sister’s reception and Church:

Kara (2/16/2008 7:59:08 PM): My sister had her wedding reception at the King of France Tavern in Annapolis.  It included food and drink for about 60 people (maybe fewer, I’d have to check) for less than $4k. 
Jessica Frye (2/16/2008 7:59:27 PM): where was the ceremony?
Jessica Frye (2/16/2008 7:59:48 PM): ideally, I’d like the reception and ceremony at the same place
Kara (2/16/2008 8:00:05 PM): At St. Mary’s Church.  You can only join if you’re Catholic and live in Annapolis.  They’re snobs.
Kara (2/16/2008 8:00:27 PM): Ideally that would be ideal, wouldn’t it?
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:00:32 PM): lol
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:00:52 PM): well, given that Greg and I already have a baby - we wouldn’t be ‘approved’ of anyway in a Catholic church
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:01:14 PM): even more so if they knew i was still married at the time of conception and birth!
Kara (2/16/2008 8:01:21 PM): They don’t mind.  They just want your money.
Kara (2/16/2008 8:01:36 PM): It’s the Catholic doctrine.  Pay us, we’ll forgive anything.

This is what Kara had to say about her divorce:

Jessica (2/16/2008 8:18:21 PM): is your divorce coming to an end?
Kara (2/16/2008 8:20:03 PM): In the next few months.  B*** got the taxes done finally and we’re going to meet soon and take care of the rest.  Then we can do the paperwork.  I will probably just casually change my name prior to the divorce.  Otherwise I have to pay $70 and place an ad in two newspapers.  Ridiculous!

Kara (2/16/2008 8:20:58 PM): Now the next time I get married, I will have my wedding date on Sep 9 so we will always share an anniversary!
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:21:18 PM): so, aside from returning to the original Kara, what else is coming from the divorce?
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:21:29 PM): Your wedding would be Sept 6
Jessica (2/16/2008 8:21:34 PM): close though
Kara (2/16/2008 8:22:52 PM): I am getting Frequent Flyer Miles and don’t have to pay any of the fines for being late on the 2004, 2005, or 2006 taxes.  I am getting my health care paid until October 2009. 
Kara (2/16/2008 8:23:07 PM): I meant the 6th.  The computer typed it wrong.
Kara (2/16/2008 8:23:56 PM): I am also getting my virginity back.

And somewhere in the conversation Kara offered to make my wedding vail!

It was so awesome to catch-up with Kara. We haven’t seen each other in over a year (she visited me when I was in the hospital last Jan, just before I had Amelia, while sick with pneumonia); we’ve been trying to get together but our schedules conflict too often (she runs her own business and well, I’m just busy).

A little after 9pm we headed our seperate ways; she went to bed and I went to help Greg try to get Amelia to fall asleep. Amelia wasn’t being fussy or anything, she just couldn’t fall asleep. As soon as I got into our bed, Amelia crawled onto my chest and layed her head down and began to suck her thumb. That last about 2 minutes. Amelia didn’t fall asleep until around 10pm! Greg and I are hoping she’ll sleep in tomorrow morning, but just our luck - she’ll be up at 6:30am.

Once Amelia was asleep, I asked Greg to call his Dad and confirm our travel plan ideas and we’re now booked for a flight to Michigan! Here’s the email itinerary:

Reservation Summary

Traveler(s)

GREGORY
JESSICA

Thursday, May 22

Flight: Northwest Airlines

Depart: Baltimore/Washington Balt/Wash Intl, DC (BWI) Thu. May 22 9 AM

Arrive: Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, MI (DTW) Thu. May 22 10 AM

Cabin: Coach

Seats: Seats will be available within 90 days of departure.

Monday, May 26

Flight: Northwest Airlines

Depart: Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, MI (DTW) Mon. May 26 3 PM

Arrive: Baltimore/Washington Balt/Wash Intl, DC (BWI) Mon. May 26 4

Cabin: Coach

Seats: Seats will be available within 90 days of departure.

In response to your e-mail confirming your trip and buying tickets we would like to note a few concerns that came to our attention yesterday while talking to your Dad.

We learned that you have not taken the steps in getting married and since this was our understanding that you were getting engaged Christmas and marriage would follow shortly.  Now that this has not occurred it really puts a great deal of difficulties into you coming.  We maintain moral ideals that pre-marital sex and living together outside of marriage is morally wrong.  It is most difficult for us to understand how you can go nine months of pregnancy and a year with a child without getting your moral life back in order.

If you are truly wanting to come, then take the next step and get your life back in order with a civil marriage at the courthouse and then take the next step in getting your moral life back in order by going to a priest and having your marriage blessed.  You really need to think about what is best for Amelia, our great-grandchild and your own spiritual lives.  Greg, with what you have been through the last number of years, your spiritual life should be a major concern.

The above is an email Greg received from his granddad on Feb. 4. There was much more in the body, but I omitted that stuff.

A lot of time has passed since the email was received; Greg and I are pretty much, if not completely, over the initial shock we were in.

Thankfully, Greg and I are on the same page about how we feel about the email - we’re not going to change our plans just for his granddad. We feel that if his granddad wants to see his eldest grandson and first great-granddaughter enough as he’s previously expressed, then he is willing to look pass Greg’s supposed “lack of morals”.

Isn’t there a saying “judge not yest be judged”? or something along those lines? Some food for thought…

If you notice, I’ve been referring to only Greg’s granddad since it’s his feelings regarding our visit; the rest of Greg’s family, as far as we know, don’t have any issues about our life choices.

That Monday, when the email arrived, I contacted Denise for some… confirmation I guess… if this is how Greg’s granddad, or grand parents, really are and what should I expect if  we visit in May.

Denise confirmed what I thought the case would be; basically, I have a pretty solid expectation that if we visit in May there will be some serious negative undertones from his granddad. Not that he would not like me and or Amelia, but not support the choices that Greg and I have made in our life together.

It’s as if his granddad is completely ignoring the fact that Greg is the happiest he’s ever been (relationship and life); Greg has taken full responsibility of being a Father and has been incredibly supportive (on all levels) of me and Amelia. Greg didn’t run away from parenthood; he didn’t run away, period (he didn’t leave me to do this all alone); Greg is a very active parent (has attend all but one of Amelia’s appointments, takes care of Amelia when I am unable to, and is all around ‘hands on’ with the daily routine and life of Amelia). Don’t get me wrong, Greg and I had some serious conversations about our sudden situation (when I found out I was pregnant and 30 weeks along), such as putting Amelia up for adoption and in the end we decided that having Amelia was going to be the most amazing thing in our life (at the moment) and we couldn’t imagine life without her; she’s given us a purpose, goals that we never thought about, and a completely different outlook for the future.

“If you are truly wanting to come, then take the next step and get your life back in order with a civil marriage at the courthouse and then take the next step in getting your moral life back in order… “

I pretty much took that sentience to mean, in so many words,: You must be legally married, even if by a civil ceremony, to be welcomed for a visit

A few minutes after Greg sent the email he called me at work. I was literally speechless and told him. Then I asked if he wants to have a civil ceremony just to appease his granddad and move on with the plans for a May visit. Initially, Greg didn’t want to talk about thisbecause work was insane on that day and he wanted to just come home and assemble my dresser (more about that on another post *also includes why we had to make TWO Ikea trips this past Sunday*). So, I left it alone.

On Wednesday Greg’s dad calls and wants to speak with me. He explains the conversation that he and his dad (Greg’s dad and granddad) had that sparked the email. Greg’s granddad was mistaken and assumed that Greg and I would marry ASAP after our engagement (only because Amelia is in our lives - not because we actually love each other) and when Greg’s dad was talking to his dad (Greg’s granddad) and was asked about our wedding plans (reading: have we wed yet) and Greg’s dad told his dad that he didn’t know - thus came the email. Greg’s Dad and I talked at length (about 45 minutes) about the email, his parents and their beliefs, what Greg and I are planning for our wedding, his visit to MD (possible). It was a very nice conversation and the longest he and I have spoken to each other; which he even commented (since his visit last year was mostly focused on his boys and Amelia).

I told Greg that I would be fine with having a civil ceremony if he wanted to and continue with our plans for a reception, but I wouldn’t celebrate that date (of the civil ceremony) as our wedding anniversary - our wedding date, to me, would be the date we host our wedding reception and ‘ceremony’. I told this to Greg’s Dad as well and he said he understood me.

This, all of the above, was part of that ’soap opera’ for a life feeling I had last week.

Fast Forward to today…

There have been no changes. No other forms of communication from Greg’s granddad. Greg just got off the phone with his Dad about us coming out in May (to make sure it fits in with his school schedule). So, at the moment, it looks like we won’t be going to Mobile, AL. And, I’m fine with that. It’s their (or his, the granddad) choice to put our life style before the opportunity to visit with family before morals that they (or he) believe - basically, it’s their loss; we can wait - can they?

After the conversation Greg had with his Dad, I feel safe to assume that we will be going to Michigan in May. Greg was even looking at the baseball game schedule so we can ‘mark one off’ the list of stadiums to visit; it’s Greg’s goal to visit all the baseball stadiums in his lifetime.

Even though I am looking forward to this trip, I feel a little sad that Greg’s granddad is being so stubborn and selfish (slightly) about our life style (I can only imagine the email that would come from his granddad if he found out one of his children or grandchildren were gay). Really, how sad is it that someone is, more or less, refusing to see their own family members and the new ones because they aren’t living a morally approved life?

Meh. There’s nothing I, nor Greg, can do or say to change their mind. There old, stubborn, Southern people.

C’est la vie.

I am still recovering from the busy, but oh so much fun, weekend!

Saturday, my day of birth (at 1:47am), was jam packed with everything. Greg and I left the house a little before 11am and didn’t return until a little after 10pm.

The drive down to Waldorf was uneventful; Amelia slept the entire way. Van beat us to the restaurant and Mom arrived a few minutes after us. Here are some pictures from lunch:

Once lunch was over, Greg transferred the car-seat from my car to Moms. While Greg was doing that, Mom and I chatted and I told Mom how much Greg and I are thankful and appreciative of all the help (financially, emotionally, etc) she and Van have given us over the past year. Greg and I talked about helping Mom out (she doesn’t really need it) and gave Mom a check to kind of repay her and Van. Mom was taken back by the gesture (it wasn’t a huge check or anything) and refused to accept it but I enforced it and told her “if anything, you can put this away for Amelia or towards our wedding”. She accepted the check. Eventually the car-seat was installed and Amelia was sitting forward for the first time. It was a little odd seeing her sitting like this. It was so hard to leave Amelia; Greg and I delayed the departure as much as possible…

By 2pm we were on our way home. The drive was uneventful (no lights or traffic) and were ‘home’ a little after 3pm, earlier than we thought we would be. So, since the weather was so nice outside I decided to visit the Airport Park (also known as Friendship Park):

We stayed for about a half hour and decide to head to the mall. The plan was to kill time at Dave and Busters but they were so freaking crowded we ended up spending over an hour at Books-a-million. Around 5:30 we leave the bookstore (I bought another wedding magazine and chatted with the cashier as she was planning her wedding as well) and stopped at the food court to get something to drink and kill a little more time.

We were a little early at arriving to Medieval Times but we also had a good spot in the front of the line. I took a few pictures while waiting…

About 15 minutes later a procession of people came out and announced the show…

After the announcement, we checked in and had our photo taken (which I took to work and didn’t get a picture of our picture). Greg and I walked around and looked at all the decorations and gift shop items…

After Greg and I were done with the picture taking of all the decorations, Greg asks me if I am girly enough for a tiara. ?!??!! I asked him to explain and he asked how I feel about having a tiara. I asked him where this question came from and he was being all coy about it and questioned why I was questioning him and I explained that that question he asked me was out of character! He wouldn’t tell me what it meant. I gave up and told Greg that I wanted a picture with the King. Greg kept telling me that it wouldn’t be possible because the King was having his picture taken with all the guests that paid the extra $10 to have the Royal treatment. I rebuttal and tried to play the ‘it’s my birthday, I can do what I want’ card (sorta) and i wasn’t winning. About 15 minutes later the Chancellor (my MR DREAMY) called everyone around because there was going to be a knighting ceremony.  Little did I know…

Greg secretly met with the ‘Scroll Mistress’ and put my name on the list to recognize my 29th Birthday! That is why he was asking if I considered myself girly enough for a tiara!

I didn’t get a tiara, nor did I buy the thing I’m wearing in the picture. I didn’t see the need to buy either (and nor did Greg). But, I did get a picture of me and the King (as he ‘knighted’ me), which is also at work. After the ceremony we waited what felt like an eternity to go in. While waiting Greg snagged a picture of MR DREAMY for me (it was pretty obvious I was attracted to the guy)…

oohh baby! I so wanted a picture with him but each time I was going to approach him someone else would and eventually I gave up because I thought the last thing he needs is another interruption from a guest.

Finally at 7:30 the doors were opened and we were called in by color; Greg and I were on the Red and Yellow team.

and then the show finally began!! Here are some of my favorite pictures; you can see EVERYTHING here…

At the end of the show all birthday’s were announced and mine was the second one!! And what stood out was that the announcement and parchment all had my maiden name!! It was so neat to hear.

When Greg and I made it home we were so exhausted. We walked the entire mall (a little over a mile) one and a half times and just trying to relax after the busy day. I uploaded the pictures and putted around the computer and around 12am headed to bed. During those two hours (10pm - 12am) I went to check on Amelia twice only to realize that she wasn’t in her room. I was missing her!

On Sunday Greg and I were up for good by 8:30am. We couldn’t sleep in; Greg woke up at 7am worried about Amelia (because she wasn’t up yet) only to remember she wasn’t here. Yeah, we’re really missing Amelia.

Greg did something I didn’t expect him to do. He shaved off his beard/mustache thing!! I honestly didn’t expect him to do it. We were talking about it one night last week and he said he’s been curious and decided to do it Sunday morning!

I think Greg looks years younger (cute baby face)! He’s told me not to get used to it as he’s going to let it grow back. His excuse as to not keep his face hair free is because it requires too much work (meaning frequent shaving) and he’s too lazy.

Around 1pm Greg and I head over to Sean and Aaron’s place to take them to Ikea with us. Well, Sean didn’t tell Aaron and Sean was still in Baltimore where he spent the night at a hotel with some friends. It took forever to get the boys ready and out the door! So, to kill time I took pictures…

Finally, around 2pm we were on our way! Since I was driving (my car is cleaner than Greg’s therefore we can fit whatever we’re buying into the car) Greg took a load of pictures on the way up…

and finally…

we make it to Ikea!!

We immediately have lunch when we arrive (food porn can be seen on Flickr - I wonder how many site hits I’ll have now for writing ‘porn’..)

After lunch Greg and I pretty much loose Sean and Aaron. Greg and I already knew what we wanted so we headed over to that section to check the dressers out. The dresser I wanted was out of stock so I ended up choosing the dresser that Greg wanted, so we bought two - one for each of us and we chose the colors we wanted (I chose the birch veneer and Greg chose the oak veneer). Greg really wanted a nightstand but I didn’t feel there was enough of a selection for my taste. Greg found the one he liked and I passed - for now. We talked about dining room tables and chairs and a computer desk. Currently, our dining room table is really a waste of space - it fits but it’s more than we need. So we were looking at something a little smaller with room to grow (as our family grows) and would give a little more space to rearrange our current furniture settings to include a desk out in the living/dining rooms. We found a table that we liked and added it to our ‘wish list’ for later this year.

Once we jotted down the item numbers and isle location of the dressers and night stand we headed down stairs to the kitchen, textiles, and all the other goodies. Greg wanted to get some things that I felt we don’t need right now but would be great for the wedding registry (considering Ikea, along with Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, and JCPenny - sounds like a lot but I feel it gives people a lot of choices). We picked up some new glasses and wine glasses for the kitchen. Then, it was to the bedding section (which I love). There was an awesome sale going on and I bought this quilt, a king size, for only $12.50!! I am seriously considering going back to Ikea to buy more for Christmas presents this year!! In order to get the additional 50% off the ticketed price, you had to ask a floor assistant for a coupon - which I did. And got extras!! But the promotion expires on the 10th so I need to hurry up and make up my mind. Anyway, since we bought the quilt so cheap I had to buy a new duvet and I chose this one. I have wanted an Ikea quilt and duvet cover so long long (I love how fluffy and comfortable the look in the tv commercials and catalogs) and I was so excited to finallyhave one!! I couldn’t wait to get home and put the duvet on the quilt and make the bed! After bedding we wandered into the lighting section (another part of Ikea that I love) and argued (not really) over changing the light fixture in the dining area; Greg feels we would need to hire an electrical contractor to change the fixture. I kept telling him he’s over exaggerating something so simple to do and that my brother could do it (as he’s done it before). Greg doesn’t want to change the fixture. Boo on him. But we did get a new lamp to include in the living room (high ceilings make the room difficult to light - when there are no lights from the ceilings). I can’t believe the lamp was only $14.99(which cost about $38 at Target for a very similar lamp)! Greg and I really did some good shopping at Ikea.

When we were checking out we were trying to figure out our total. Greg was estimating $600 and I was guessing mid $400. Our total was $473. Not bad for two dressers, a night stand, lamp and lamp bulbs, glasses, quilt and duvet, and a few smaller items (cookies, kitchen brushes, etc). Sean and Aaron met us at the check out and helped Greg and I bring everything up stairs (the dressers alone weighed 138lbs a piece) and to show our gratitude we took them out to dinner of their choice and they wanted to go to Old Country Buffet.

Greg assembled the first, his, dresser once we were home from dinner. Neither of us watched the super bowl. I talked to my Mom I believe for the 6th time that day and around midnight, again, we went to bed.

That is my birthday weekend in a nutshell.

Today, Monday, Greg sent me a very… hhmmm… I don’t know how to describe this… email from his Grandfather. We may not be going to Alabama after all…

to be continued…

This has been an amazing day; the best day (aside from Amelia’s First birthday) of 2008, thus far!!

Work was a little challenging but around 11:30am there was a delivery for me:

It’s a Edible Arrangement complete with chocolate dipping sauce (and serving dish in the shape of a strawberry)!! The strawberries (or ‘roses’) were so freaking good! And the chocolate covered banana’s were delicious (though a little weird for me). Oh my god was the pineapple (’dasies’) … just so freaking amazing (I love pineapple!!). I walked around the office sharing the basket with everyone (I didn’t want the fruit to go to waste) and that thing weighed about 10+ pounds! And this was all from Greg!

Wonder what held the fruit together?

a head of lettuce - not even pulled apart! I was thinking Styrofoam but I guess this think is completely edible!

Around 11:50 I receive a text message from my girlfriend, Michele, and she’s telling me that she’s in town (was at Arundel Mills Mall killing some time) and said she was going to stop by the office before heading home!

Michele had a few birthday gifts for me and Amelia!! She bought Amelia a new outfit - for next year! - and a toy and Michele bought me a bag of Poppycock and beautiful necklace and an amazing card:

The rest of the work day was a nightmare! Too many people took the day off (don’t know why the supervisors allowed this…) and the rest of us were just overwhelmed. Then, around 3:30pm the remote server crashed and we weren’t able to access any of our NY or NJ customer accounts, and guess which customers were calling in. Yeah. The server wasn’t restored by 6pm!! We were telling customers to call back or to give us their information and that we would call them once service was back up. It was fun, like totally.

Greg calls me on my way to getting Amelia and tells me that we’re going out to dinner! Nothing special, just Bennigan’s. But, it was fun nonetheless! Amelia was being adorable and showed us her new ‘trick’ - she will shake her head to make her hair swoosh all over the place, and if I mimic her she will crack up! I caught it on tape:

Dinner was nice; I wasn’t really all that hungry so I only ordered some chicken tenders and shared them with Amelia.

Once we were home, Greg showed me what we’re doing for dinner tomorrow night:

We have tickets to the Medieval Times restaurant!! I’ve been wanting to go here since the place opened a few years ago! I am so freaking excited about the show!!

I checked the mail and guess what was in there!!!

No, not the W-2 I’ve been waiting for but…

My divorce is final!!! It’s all done!!! I am ‘free’!!! FINALLY!!!!

Oh my god has this day been amazing!! Like a really amazing day!

Yesterday

I volunteered to leave early since the phones were still down around 2. I came home and started a load of laundry and then ran out to get my eyebrows waxed

 

yeah, it was a much needed waxing.

After my torture session (i hate the tweezing) I ran over to the AT&T store to talk about my phone; I was having issues with it already. It locked up twice the other day!!

 My friend, Lisa (the one that works with me), was at this store when a robbery occurred! She and the other customers and employees were locked into a storage closet! And the robbers took all their cellphones so no one would call for help. I don’t remember how they got out but since then there as been a cop assigned to the store.

I decided that I am not going to just deal with the phone issues (moving forward) and if I am still within my 30 day return policy - I’m going for it. So, I ended up buying the newer Blackjack model.

The new phone is awesome! The layout is much nicer for me (has a wheelie thing in the center instead of the dial thingy on the side) since I use my left hand for just about everything phone related. Also, it comes in red - my favorite color!

Saturday:

Tomorrow we’re meeting my Mom down in Waldorf for my birthday lunch and Amelia is going home with her until the 10th. We’re going to miss Amelia so much; greg and I were talking about how we’re going to miss her during dinner tonight. It’s going to be so weird to not have her around; hearing her giggles and squeals of delight when she hears the bath tub water turn on. After lunch, we’re going to head to Arundel Mills Mall and kill some time at Dave and Busters (we have free play cards from Greg’s holiday party) and then head over to Medieval Times for the show!

Our plan for Sunday, so far, is to go up to Ikea and get the dresser and night stands we’ve been oogling for the last 6 months.

Sounds like a busy weekend but oh so much fun!

… I don’t mean that in the physical sense…

… nor numerical sense…

but in the sense that when you are thinking/expecting one thing and you let your guard down; your expectations up - it would figure something would go wrong…

Greg and I had one of those moments tonight. But, through this moment one of us realized we were thinking in the wrong sense…

Greg has literally spoiled me these past someodd weeks; he has given me every thing I’ve been wanting - in the materialistic way - for years in just a span of 6 weeks. At the same time, he’s given me something I’ve never had before - an experience that I’ve never felt - and this something has no physical-ness or material identity, and that something is being in-love.

With the combination of the two, I have quickly adapted to a form of attention (so to speak) and let my guard down and allowed expectations to creep in. Generally, I don’t set expectations for myself or others. I would rather not feel let down or disappointed in something that I have no control over; and with this outlook I have probably missed out on a lot of opportunities in life.

I have a point to this, I promise.

I had let my emotional guard down (yes, I still keep some level of a guard up - old habits are hard to break) in regards to my expectations of Greg and our first anniversary (of being in a committed relationship together (which has been very emotionally trying, at times, for me)).

Last night Greg and I talked about our plans for this weekend and next weekend. It was decided, from my understanding, that we would celebrate my birthday more low key rather than what he was originally planning. I had no problems with this because we had agreed to celebrate my 30th birthday by going on a cruise together - which in my mind it didn’t make sense to go overboard (ha ha - pun intended) two birthdays in a row - and that we would focus more of our planning for our first anniversary. With that being said last night, my expectations of this anniversary and everything it means went up a couple of notches; and I let my protective guard (the one that prevents me from setting expectations) down.

Tonight Greg tells me that he’s having second thoughts about his plans for our anniversary; feeling that the amount of money that would be spent doesn’t justify the means. In so many words.

That started the emotional roller coast.

It upset me; it even hurt. I told him, after explaining that it’s not the amount of money spent, but what memories I am going to have about this event in our life (granted, not as big as our wedding but at this present moment in time - right here, right now - this is a big moment in my life with him) that it felt like he was placing a monetary value (as in what’s costing too much) on something that’s suppose to be memorable by the emotions we feel for each other and how we celebrate this milestone.

We talked, at length, about how we interpret milestones in life (birthdays, anniversaries, etc). To Greg, achieving those milestones, year after year, have none, if very little, significant value to him - he’s just happy to hear a ‘happy birthday’ on his birthday. Maybe this perspective is just a guy thing, I don’t know.  And, in all honesty, I usually feel the same to somedegree. I don’t expect a lot of attention or recognition on my birthday, or something I’ve achieved; i don’t expect to be treated like a princess or queen for a day or anything to that degree. But, when it comes to an anniversary - something very significant as the first anniversary, then yes - I do have a higher level of expectations; after the first anniversary my expectations revert back to the levels of a birthday (a card at least).

Greg did some serious thinking about my feelings of our relationship and why this anniversary means so much to me and realized what he’s been doing and how he sees things.

Greg’s epiphany, so to speak, was that he’s always thinking in the sense of ’seeing’ when it comes to the emotions and meaning of a gift - meaning he relates the emotional gratitude of the gift by what the person physically has but not by the emotional memory/meaning of the gift; he relates a value by money rather than by memory. He’s ’seeing’ things with the wrong perspective.

I am really trying to express my thoughts into something more accurate and easier to understand than what I’ve written. It’s frustrating, slightly, that I am unable to write what I feel. I am seriously considering a writing class so I can learn to express my thoughts in writing better.

When he realized all this, he realized why I was upset by what he said earlier. He realized that it isn’t the amount of money spent on the anniversary but the memories I (we) am going to have from our time together - the whole package of us celebrating this milestone.

How does this figure out?  Greg is going to try to think outside of the money box and more into what the meaning. This doesn’t mean we’re going to go balls out on things in the future - but he’s seeing the meaning of certain milestones in life rather than the cost to create those memories.

****   ****   ****   ****   ****

Greg and I are very similar in thinking when it comes to money; if there is extra money, we’ll treat is as something to hoard. It’s very hard for us to spend money on things that are unnecessary, such as a hotel 15 miles up the road, even though Greg and I are financially stable at this time - it’s still hard for us to let go of the money (and this extra money isn’t including the amount in our savings account - which is for the purpose of an emergency) - even though we acknowledge that we are not putting ourselves in jeopardy by spending this money; we’re not delaying any payments to anyone; we’re not depriving ourselves of something we need over something we want. This extra money is available for us to have fun - enjoy this once in a life time moment of being ‘free’ from financial stresses. All of this we know is safe to do, but we’re having such a hard time doing it.

Thinking like this has its benefits and downfalls. I feel that Greg and I have our financial priorities straight and we know when we can’t afford something. Yet, at the same time, we don’t allow ourselves to enjoy the moments when we have the ability to treat ourselves.

It’s a vicious circle, money that is.

Boy! were Greg and I (mainly me) productive today! And to think I never even got dressed!

The day started with Amelia getting up at 6AM!! and she didn’t go back to sleep. Greg, being the awesome Dad that he is, took care of Amelia and let me sleep until 8:30am. By 9am I was putting in the first (of many) load of laundry in.

the day was very uneventful. I stayed home and did about 7 loads of laundry. Why so many? First of all, our washer/dryer is itty bitty so I don’t have room to do large loads; secondly, i was uber lazy with laundry this past week and had a lot of catching up to do; and finally, i went through a box of clothes that was given to me when Amelia was 6 weeks old from a third cousin of mine. all the clothes were 12 mos (perfect!) and i had to wash those (which was about 2 loads worth).

in addition to the laundry, we cleaned out closets and dressers. I took all of Amelia’s clothes that were 9 mos or smaller and put them in 2 large bags to donate; i went through my underwear and socks drawer and threw away all that were too big or just plain old and Greg did the same with his socks and underwear drawer; those items were thrown out. Once we were done in the bedroom, we moved our cleaning spree to the kitchen and dining/living area. Greg even vacuumed!

but, before we got into the cleaning of the dining/living area, I took this clip of Amelia (i was trying to get her to do the ‘la la la’ thing):

if you watched, you’ll notice that I wasn’t successful.

Greg and I would take pauses during our cleaning spree and watch TV. Our viewing pleasure of the day was the Travel Channel and they were showing a boat load (ha ha) of shows about cruises (Samantha Brown’s show)! While we were watching the show (a Royal Caribbean Cruise to the Caribbean) and started to reallywant to go on a cruise - before our honeymoon! And Greg was like, “we can do that”. I was like, “we can, why didn’t you tell me this before?”. Greg said something along the lines about our financial standings are better… bla bla bla - i was focused on the idea of planning a cruise - TODAY! and then it was decided that we will celebrate my 30th birthday on a Norwegian Cruise to the Caribbean!! I got all giddy inside thinking about this time next year.

Unfortunately, my day dreaming of the cruise was cut short so we could get back to the cleaning. I am surprised we accomplished all that we did today; especially being distracted by putting in a movie (Aladdin - which is one of three favorite Disney movies - i have ‘issues’ about Disney and their movies - maybe I’ll talk about that some other time (even though I’ve mentioned some of it already)).

Around 3:30 Amelia was becoming cramky, irritable, and all around … difficult. So, we took her into our bedroom to lay down and try to get her to fall asleep. Didn’t happen. Instead I took another video:

Greg left for work a little after 4pm and it was just me and fussy Amelia. We didn’t do anything special; i got her to walk across the room, that was about it. Eventually, she fell asleep around 5:15pm.  I woke her up around 6:20 and she went back to sleep in my arms until 6:50. Around 7:15 i start the sides for dinner (rice pilaf for the pork roast) and then i sit down on the floor and take this video :

Greg makes it home around 7:30 and we have dinner together; Mom calls and she and I chat on the phone while Greg gives Amelia her bath. Mom and I talk about next weekends plans and ideas. Mom thought about having a girls day (mom, daughter, and grandbaby) and get our hair and nails done; do some girly shopping and lunch. Greg is more than welcome to join us but Mom doesn’t think he’ll have much fun. I told her that I would really enjoy that kind of day, but I don’t know what Greg has planned for me to celebrate my birthday; so I didn’t want to commit to anything with her and ruin what Greg may have planned already. At least I still have some time to figure something out.

Once Amelia was in bed, I went to NCL’s website and did a preliminary price check and such for a booking and got so freaking excited!! Greg and I could totally afford this cruise! We were so tempted to pay the deposit (only $200) right then and there but we didn’t. We want to look into passports as we have a few questions/concerns. Once we have our passports filed - we’re going to book and that is looking to be around mid February!! Oh, and the trip is from Feb 1-6!! I will be somewhere exotic on my 30th birthday!! We’re going to book a balcony room, which looks like this:

greg and I picked our room location on the ship (towards the end). Oh my gawd, I am so freaking excited about this!! I want to contact NCL and see what kind of special things I can do for Greg.

**This Just In**

I’ve been chatting with my good friend, Ed, and we were talking about concerts and how I want to get tickets to the Blue Man Group. I was having some difficulty is picking the section of tickets I want to buy on TicketMaster. So, I went to StubHub and the prices were outrageous! Then Ed sends the following to me:

Jessica : going to work your concert magic?
Jessica : 2/15/08 is the date
i_**_***_******_****: ok… just talked with my brother in law… his mother used to work for the city and a friend of hers gets tix
i_**_***_******_****: he has 4 tix for the show
i_**_***_******_****: he thinks it’s section 106
i_**_***_******_****: he will find out for sure and i’ll get back to ya
Jessica : about what
i_**_***_******_****: tix
Jessica : selling them to me?
i_**_***_******_****: yeah… face value

!!!! isn’t that freakin awesome!! I hope I can hold in my excitment and try  to surprise Greg with the news if I get the tickets; after all, theres a little more than 2 weeks until the concert - can I do it - maybe I’ll bargin with myself and surprise him with the news on our anniversary. yeah, i think that’ll work.

anyway, it’s late and i should be going to bed. I’ll post about the wedding dresses tomorrow (after my trip to the jewelry store to get my ring - i hope).

yeah, nothing really comes to mind for a proper title as I plan on writing about whatever is on my mind. also, i am going to try to use pictures and referring links (i think it’s neat to see what other people are talking about via links to their local places) for this entry. We’ll start the entry around 12:30…

the first item on our list for this weekend was to take Greg’s car to NTB for new tires and an alignment ($300 spent). i followed Greg in my car so we could do our other tasks while the car was being worked on. so, once the car was dropped off we headed to lunch

i’ve lived in the glen burnie area for about four years and never ate at this little pizzeria until today. I remember when I first moved to this area with Adam that I wanted to try the place out but we never did.

amelia liked the pizza…

greg liked the pizza. but not me, so much. it wasn’t fresh nor hot enough for my liking. the cheesecake on the other hand was delicious! it’s been a long time since i’ve had a slice of cheesecake and i now believe that cheesecake is my favorite dessert (the real cheesecake) and i prefer my cheesecake plain (no sauce and no fruit, unless it’s fresh fruit without sauce). amelia LOVED the cheesecake!

she literally took the fork from me, stabbed a chunk of cheesecake, brought the chunk to her, took the chunk off the fork and shoved the chunk in her mouth! and i let her do it! she was being too cute to stop. after she took a few bites she decided to squish the cheesecake chunk in her hand and then rubbed the mess on my face, which you can sort of see in this picture:

but i find the expression on the lady’s face behind me more entertaining. the lady was nice and very chatty.

Once we were done with lunch we headed to the grocery store to do some much needed shopping (as it’s been a little over two weeks since we did any real shopping). yeesh, we spent $200 on groceries! i picked out a lot of meat (chicken, pork and beef) and have plenty of dinner ideas (a couple roasts for the crock-pot, chili, and plenty of chicken to experiment with)