Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in *angelic j*'s Blurty:

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Monday, August 25th, 2008
8:17 pm	Yeah I guess I owe you an entry I said I'd write about the honeymoon. It was really fun. We went on a Royal Caribbean ship to the southern Caribbean islands for seven days. We boarded the ship from San Juan, spent a day at sea, and hit Barbados first. We took a tour of the island in a van. It is a pretty poor island... lots of dilapidated houses. We went to a rainforest and walked through it, always keeping an eye out for monkeys but none were ever spotted. We went to a wildlife reserve where we actually did see monkeys. It was weird and a little scary because it's not like zoos around here where there's a fence that separates you from the animals. Matt and I walked down paths alongside giant tortoises [horny tortoises... they were all mating!! Grosssss]. We looked up at one point and there was a monkey on a branch directly above Matt's head by maybe a foot. We also saw deer and other animals that looked like a mix between a rabbit and a deer, wild birds, and iguanas and snakes. Fun times. The best part though was my first snorkeling experience. We took a small glass bottom boat out on the water and we arrived at a spot where giant sea turtles like to hang out. We actually got in the water with them. Since I'm not a great swimmer and I didn't know how I'd react to giant turtles around me, the boat assistant tied a life jacket around my waist so i wouldn't drown. After a little hesitation, I hopped in the water. No sea turtles. Well none until they started throwing food in the water. I looked down and directly under me, maybe 12 feet, was a huuuuuge turtle. I got scared and swam away from it as my heart nearly beat out of my chest, but I got used to them and it was neat to watch. They didn't come too close and whenever I got scared I just swam over to Matt. Once I got out of the water I was done for the day. Snorkeling was a big feat for me. I should've gone back in though. The driver took us to another spot where there was a sunken ship. Matt snorkeled there but I had had enough excitement and tried to see it from the boat. St. Lucia was our favorite island. We took a great tour. The van was way nicer than the one on Barbados. Our first stop was a banana plantation where they talked about how banana trees grow, and we got to try some . They're smaller and sweeter than the ones we have here. After the plantation, we had breakfast which included fresh mangos, some fruit that had an appley texture, and different fried dishes. We drank rum punch ALL day. It was really good because it had spices in it like cinnamon and nutmeg. The guys were also drinking the local beer, Piton beer. We visited an active volcano at Sulfer Springs... P.U. It lives up to its name. We had lunch from a local bakery- fresh hot bread in the shape of a giant chicken drumstick so it had a handle, and they gave us fresh cheese to put inside, so it was like grilled cheese. We ended at a Hilton resort between the Piton Mountains, where we went swimming. The water was so warm and blue. Very beautiful. We also went to Antigua where we hiked and flew down zip lines. The first zip line was scary because you're above a lot of trees hooked to a cable, and your hand is your brake. If you misjudge when to brake, you're stuck on the cable and have to pull yourself in. The hike was hard because at some points you had to hike down really steep parts of the mountain by side-stepping so as not to slide down on your butt. The end was worth it though because we arrived at a beach to an awaiting catamaran, where we ate lunch and snorkeled. The water was choppy and I got a mouthful of saltwater so I kind of panicked thinking I was going to drown, but I got over it. Plus the people on the boat were saying to avoid the giant sea urchins and that someone would have to pee on you if you got stung so I was nervous because once I got in the water and looked toward the floor, there were sea urchins everywhere. Nothing like the glass bottom boat on the calm blue water in Barbados. On the way back to our ship, the crew had a dance party and a limbo contest so that was fun. On St. Maarten, we went to Orient Beach. It's famous for its nude beach side, but we didn't venture that far. Although.... three or four either fat, ugly, old or all of the above in one case, women walked by topless. Free spirits. I know I wouldn't have the guts, although Matt and I kept daring each other to do it. We stayed on the clothed side and rented some lounge chairs with an umbrella attached for shade. The water was really warm and we swam a lot. Matt decided that it would be fun to rent a jet ski for a half hour. I was nervous but they gave us life jackets. Matt drove that thing like a maniac while I bruised my butt slamming into the waves he was jumping and held onto his life jacket for dear life. It took me about ten minutes to realize that if I life my butt off the seat during the jumps it wouldn't slam into the seat. Rookie mistake. I screamed my lungs out and laughed nervously for a while, and then I got the guts to try driving. It was scary, but a lot of fun. We switched back again to let Matt drive, but I asked him to stop a minute so I could look around. We stopped and we both accidentally leaned to the left a little. Splash! We both landed in the water and capsized the jet ski. I FREAKED out and as Matt said "walked on water" to hastily tip the jet ski upright and climb on again. Matt was laughing and he got back on. After some more wave hopping, we were called back in. About an hour before our taxi came back, we stopped at this great restaurant on the beach for lunch. The people who own it are actually from New York and New Jersey I think. I had the best beer battered sea scallops in the world with a side of onion rings. I think Matt had some kind of buffalo chicken sandwich. Awesome meal. We watched to see what other people ordered and everything looked excellent. All of a sudden this woman pushing 350+ pounds comes walking in TOPLESS with her husband in tow and takes a seat at one of the picnic tables. It was funny to watch the owner interact with her, because I know that I would accidentally look at her boobs if I had to talk to her, but the owner and the customer were sooo laid back about it. They talked like they were old friends. I'm sure she sees boobs every day though. It was a weird experience nonetheless. St. Thomas was boring because we didn't make any excursion plans. We walked through the port to see what there was for shopping, but nothing caught our eyes. We got back on the ship and hung out all day. We probably each gained about ten pounds on the cruise. We were very well fed, and even when meals weren't being served the dining room was open all day so you could constantly grab snacks. It was so much fun, and Matt and I are talking about going back to St. Lucia someday. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, July 4th, 2008
10:19 pm	The new Mrs. Waugh Soooo, Matt and I survived all the crazy wedding planning. We were married on June 15th [Father's Day to all you dads out there]. It POURED out in the morning when my sisters, Ash, and the moms went out for hair and makeup. But I didn't freak out or worry. Everyone says that rain on your wedding day is good luck. Somebody probably made that up because brides everywhere were crushed everytime a cloud rolled into their "perfect" day. It helped me feel better I guess. By the time we left the shop, the rain was gone, leaving behind an overcast day. Still ok by me. All of the girls and I drove back to the Sheraton and got ready in the suite I stayed in with my sisters the night before [no one wanted the couch or the floor, so the 4 of us slept lined up like sardines in the king-sized bed hahaha]. My dad and the photographer met us there. The bouquets arrived at the hotel and they were gorgeous... I will post pictures once I have them from the company. After everyone was ready and the photographer took a couple suite shots, we headed outside to a Rolls Royce that my parents and I rode in, and a stretch limo for the girls. It was such a nice ride. I remember feeling nervous, like I forgot something, or that we were going to be late, and I kept feeling like I was going to cry, but everything was ok. Once again the rain was holding off too. I snuck into the church and hid until it was time to walk down the aisle. Matt left a card for me at the back of the church. It was really sweet and I got all choked up, but no bawling. The last guests arrived and by 2 o'clock I was walking down the aisle with a parent in each arm. I gave Mom and Dad a kiss and Dad "gave me away." Matt looked adorable and he had a big smile on his face. I just remember him saying, "You look absolutely stunning." We remembered our vows when it got to be that time, and neither of us dropped the rings. The mass was perfect. We had a receiving line outside of the church while a bagpiper played off to the side, and still the rain held off. The pictures that I got to see came out beautiful because of the overcast sky. Nobody was squinting and the colors of the floral bouquets really stood out. Like you care. Onto the reception. Also GREAT. During coctail hour, the entire bridal party hid out in a private room and ate hors d'oeuvres and drank merrily while pausing for pictures. When it came time to be announced into the reception ballroom, we came out to "Shipping Up To Boston" by the Dropkicks. The bridal party turned it into a runway show, donning sunglasses and ridiculous poses as they made their grand entrances. When Matt and I were announced, our DJ somehow found a way to successfully fade into Nat King Cole's, "When I Fall In Love," our song. We had taken ballroom dancing lessons just long enough to choregraph a dance to go along with this song. It went pretty smoothly, although I felt like I was going to be sick before we started... I was SO afraid of messing up or tripping on my gown. I was fine though. After the song, we sat down and yes, we actually ate some fruit salad before greeting some guests. We then did the cake cutting... no smashing of the cake in faces involved. The greeting and thanking continued until dinner was served, and yes, we went over and ate our dinner too. After dinner, I think it was the father/daughter [Heartland's "I Loved Her First"] dance followed by the mother/son dance [Faith Hill's "There You'll Be"]. After some more greetings and dessert, we did the garter and the bouquet tossing. Ok, stupid guys. They all watched the garter land on the floor and no one went for it. Everyone was like ohhh, come onnnn, and finally my cousin's bf picked it up. THANK GOD. We could've been there all night. Rachel Carnevale, a great family friend from our Wakefield days, caught the bouquet, so that made me happy. After all that, the dancefloor was packed. Mike Berman, a friend who graduated from WSC a couple years before us, did a fabulous job as our DJ. People had a blast. We ended our night by dancing to "100 Years" by Five for Fighting, and ending the whole night with "Sweet Caroline." The drunk ones loved belting it out. Our night was completely perfect. We couldn't have asked for it to go more smoothly. So now I'm Mrs. Waugh! Weird, huh? It's fun getting mail with my new name. :) In the next entry, I'll talk about the honeymoon! It was awesome. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
9:48 pm	2 Bridal Showers in One Weekend! As silly as I felt at my two bridal showers [one in Stoneham on Saturday, one at the Sheraton Sunday] opening presents like a child in front of everyone, it was AWESOME. There is a pile in the basement in which I dwell that is as tall as me and takes up an entire corner of the room. We could decorate and fill a kitchen with utensils and serving ware, and baking ware, and dishes... if only we had a kitchen to put it in. We have lamps, frames, and a beautiful blanket for our future livingroom. We even have an entire bathroom set. I look forward to the months after the wedding when we rebuild our heavily damaged savings account and start house-hunting. Even though it's costing a lot, the wedding will be worth it. I'm starting to look forward to it again, after 2 months of financial dread. We're fine though. Soo, I got all of my thank-yous mailed out on Sunday evening after the second shower. Sarah and Ashleigh wrote down everything I got and who it was from to keep me organized. I'm so relieved that I wrote them right away. I'll definitely say they were short and sweet though. "Thanks for the hand-mixer. I'm excited to use it. See you at the wedding!" is an example of the lameness that went into my thank-yous. Next on the agenda is the bachelorette party... with Sarah and Ash planning it, I'm a little nervous. We'll see what those two come up with when they put their heads together. The only thing is Sarah's 20 and Gretchen's 17, so we can't get into too much trouble I don't think. I think there's 47 more days until the cruise! We're so looking forward to it!!! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
9:43 pm	Let the stress go away I think things will get better. Wishful thinking. I got my midterm over with tonight and I'm still alive and well and surprisingly don't have a migraine so that's awesome. I'll get more wedding shit done with during April vacation. I have two big projects due for my night class in the next two weeks so that cuts into my free time a lot. My fiance has been MIA for the past half a week and I sorta miss him, so if you see him, kindly send him to me. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out and people at school are scaring the hell outta me. Some are like, "Oh wait till you see how much your face swells", and "Oh my God I was laid out for a week," and "I bled all over my pillow." Sweet. I'm thankful I only have two instead of 4 like normal people. That cruise is looking better and better each day. Matt and I both need a vacation from everything and everyone. (Comment on this)
Monday, February 25th, 2008
7:47 pm	I'm supposed to be typing a paper... but I'M A SLACKER. Just like I did as an undergrad, I put off my work until the very last minute before it's due. I have a night class tomorrow and I'm supposed to have a jounal article review or summary or something done [I'll have to check out my silly-bus] for tomorrow... along with probably over 100 pages of reading and a typed reading response journal. Yet I'm not flinching as I type this. I'm still on February vacation in my head. It flew by. Let me tell you some of the exciting things I did: -FOOD TASTING for the wedding.... was AWESOME. We're doing a split menu, so our guests will have a choice of a chicken or a steak dish. There's the Chicken Saltimbocca, which is a chicken breast basking in a lovely pool of merlot demi-glaze with a crisp slice of prosciutto and sage cheese to top it off. La tee da. Or if you're in the mood for a little steak, there is the red pepper gorgonzola stuffed tenderloin. A little too rare for me, but they can cook it for people, like me, who don't want their steak mooing on the plate. We're still choosing side dishes I think but it looks like the seasoned asparagus and delmonico potatoes are winning by a long shot. I'd be excited to go to someone's wedding and eat it. Also making an appearance at the food tasting was our cake vendor, Konditor Meister. You haven't had decent cake until you've tried theirs. I am NOT a cake person.... and Matt's dad and I ate about six pieces of the cake between us... after eating all of the aforementioned entrees. I WAS SO SICK TO MY STOMACH LATER. BUT IT WAS SOOO WORTH IT. I'd do it again in an instant. Our wedding cake is called the strawberry grand-marnier. It's moist DELICIOUS yellow cake, layered with fresh sliced strawberries and a white chocolate mousse [and it tastes nothing like disgusting white chocolate... instead it tastes like the most delicious whipped cream mousse mixture that you can imagine], topped with a buttercream frosting. But not like, your mom's buttercream frosting [no offense, Mom]. It's so smooth that it, too, is like eating whipped cream. Soooo good. My mouth is watering. -What else. Ahh, the flowers. We already met with the flower vendor who's contracted through the Sheraton for our centerpieces earlier. We're doing small square clear glass vases, with bright pink and light yellow roses, and some green berries but I forget what they're called. Since our wedding is citrus themed, I asked, kinda begged a little, to let us put lime slices in the vase. I told her I'd cut them up and drop a big bag of them off at the shop the day before the wedding if she'd put them in water. Deal. It's going to look pretty. -Matt's parents got us a gift certificate to a flower shop in Holliston before they knew we were tied into one florist for the reception. So we went to this shop over vacation to pick out the ceremony flowers. I didn't know what the hell I wanted... and I couldn't find any pictures that shouted, "that's me." So I winged it. Not the best idea but we got through it with some lovely choices. My bouquet is going to be pink and white roses and amaryllis [those cute little white star-shaped flowers that need to be pinned to the bouquet because of their short stems... they'll have little pearl pins sticking out of their centers. Matt's boutineer will be a white rose... I think it starts with an A. My bridesmaids will have pink sophie roses, skyline yellow roses and bright green hydrangeas to add some pizzaz to the bouquets. The groomsmen will have skyline yellow rose boutineers. It will be cute and summery. At one of our last meetings with the priest, we found out we can't have our flower girl drop petals down the aisle... stupid rule. But they don't want to clean up after us. So we got her a flower wreath, which will have white baby's breath, and a mixture of pink roses and daisys, with ribbons streaming down the back. It will look adorable in her curly long brown hair. I decided since she can't throw petals and I already decorated a basket for her, that I'll go to AC Moore and make a fake arrangement to put in the basket that she can carry with her. Good enough. -Next step, invitations. I am not paying upwards of $400 for a couple of pieces of paper and an envelope, so I have opted to do them myself. A.C. Moore sells blank ones that you can do on the computer yourself. It's like $25 for 50 invitations, which also include envelopes and response cards. I can always dress them up with a cute colorful font and a little ribbon and send them off. No biggie. It's now 8:30. I think I can have that study read and summarized or whatever I need to do before 10:30 and still get a little reading in too. Then it's off to bed! (Comment on this)
Friday, February 1st, 2008
4:34 pm	TGIF Oh I've got a whole buncha stuff to say. First of all, I'm turning 25 tomorrow. That would be one quarter of a century. Sweet. More like bittersweet, I guess. I am happy where I am right now: engaged to Matt, teaching in my own classroom. But I also feel like I haven't done enough with my life yet either. I don't know... The second thing is sad. Last Saturday my family pet of 10 years, Smokey, passed away. He was an enormous black lab full of love and happiness. You'd walk by him, and even if he was lying down on the floor half-asleep, he'd wag his tail because he loved being with his family. He always looked happy, always smiling. Well, Smokey had testicular cancer. He had one undescended ball and that's probably where it all started. The tumor grew to the size of a kidney- human or canine I do not know. We didn't even know this though until my mom took him to the vet. She took him to the vet because about a week prior to his death, he fell down an entire flight of stairs along with Lola, the family pekingese. They probably tripped each other and Smokey's arthritic as it is. Well he slowly got up from his fall, but that really weakened him even more than he was before. He stopped eating and drinking, even when my mom got food that a healthy Smokey would have literally inhaled under normal circumstances. The day my mom took him to the vet, he could barely lift his head off the floor to greet you, and wagged his tail very weakly. Mom and Gretchen had to carry him out to the van because his arthritis, along with the cancer and soreness from the fall, prohibited him from getting up. He had an accident in the van on the way there. Mom asked the vet people to put him on IV fluids because he hadn't been drinking and then check him out. They found the cancer and told my mom it was going to cost $3,600 to put him into surgery the next day. My whole family loves him so much that she said she'd do it. After 3 hours at the vet with Smokey, mom left him there for the night in the crate the vets put him in. She said he looked like he was in another world. Well, about an hour later, my mom got a call from the vet saying that they were prepping Smokey for the next day's surgery and they gave him a chest x-ray, only to find out he had pneumonia too. So they sucked a ton of fluid out of his lungs. Shortly after that, the vet called to say that Smokey was coughing up blood and then his heart stopped. They were doing CPR on the poor thing for 10-15 minutes before they got a very weak pulse. My mom said to stop putting him through it all and just let him go. So they euthanized [sp?] him. My mom still feels bad about it. He was more than just a dog to us. He was family, so it was a difficult loss for everyone. This entry just made me cry, but at least I know he's not in pain anymore so I'm relieved in a sense. On a brighter note, I survived my first month of teaching 5th grade. I'm still hanging in there. It's a lot of grading and a lot of photocopying, but it's fun and I have a great group of students. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, January 4th, 2008
10:59 pm	I made it. I survived my first week teaching middle schoolers. :) All of the kids=AWESOME. Matt took me to Bertucci's tonight because he was proud of me. I obliged because I am obsessed with brick oven pizza and a hot date. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 23rd, 2007
5:23 pm	Wa wa wee wa I have some exciting news. I finally got a teaching job! I was hired on November 9th to be a permanent fifth grade teacher at the Medway middle school!! It starts January 2nd. It's wouldn't be my first choice for an age group, since most of my teaching experience was from 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms, but it'll be an experience, and once I get the hang of it, I'll be a pro and I'll love it. Since 5th grade's at the middle school, they do team teaching. I'm the team's math teacher, so I will have my homeroom and two other classrooms in my team for math. I'll teach language arts to my homeroom kids and they'll go to science and social studies with the other two teachers in the team. It took me a while to decide to go forward and apply, but I figured since I was a Title I math teacher for both third and fourth graders this year, I'm pretty familiar with the MA math frameworks. And since my Master of Ed. will be with a concentration in literacy and language it goes perfectly with the fact that I'm teaching English. I already learned a lot from this class I'm currently taking at Framingham State. I'll be able to try word study games to improve vocab and spelling, and I got to dabble in some poetry, which I had been previously terrified of. It'll be so great to try all this out. So technically even though the concepts may be a little harder to teach the kids, it'll be easier than teaching the lower grades because I would've had my students all day for every subject. Now I'm only responsible for two classes and they walk themselves to their specials, like computer and P.E. It's so weird. I'm used to bringing kids everywhere, tying sneakers, and hugging upset little ones. These new kids are going to be pretty self-sufficient. I'll still be that teacher that doesn't scream or yell and probably has a secret stash of candy hidden for good effort. I feel like my life is finally coming together. I feel like a true adult. I now have the job of my dreams, and very soon a husband of my dreams. :) On a side note because this just popped into my head... Matt and I went to Coffee Sensations today and we saw the guy who worked at Subway at WSC. We talked to him for a while and he recognized Matt. Just a weird moment. He looks like Charlie from Lost, except he has brown hair. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
9:16 pm	My once-every-two-month-update Updates on stuff. The wedding planning's really coming along. We bought all the favor boxes and ribbon for the guests. Matt booked a southern Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon along with flights so that's a huge check off the list of things to do. We also booked our photographer, videographer, and DJ last Thursday night. We actually went to college with the guy we asked to be our DJ! Although he's not a close friend, he's friends with some of the guys that I used to love to hang out with my first couple years of college. It made me miss them a lot. We also signed up for dance lessons... eep. I suck at the waltz and it's probably the easiest of all the dances. It's all that damn pivoting [quarter box turns]... I get all disoriented and my feet screw up. I couldn't wait for that hour to be up last week. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Beside all that stuff, we still have to set up cake tastings and I need to get to the florist eventually. It's actually pretty stress-free. I give Matt a lot of credit though. He's been booking a lot of the stuff, driving us places, and contacting people. I'm really lucky considering most guys wouldn't want anything to do with the wedding besides show up. School's fun. I have like 70 something kids on my Title I services list. I'm teaching/supporting 3rd and 4th grade children in math. Report cards come out in two weeks so I'm going to have some fun after school next week getting all those progress reports done. I'm also running the Math=Fun club after school for third graders haha. I love our club name. We play math board games, do fun math activities, and the kids made their own board games this week. They came out pretty cool too... lots of Halloween themes. I can't believe I'm looking at the clock and saying it's time for bed. 9:52. (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 19th, 2007
8:02 pm	Updates It's funny... the day after I posted that last entry I bought my wedding dress. I can't describe it here b/c Matt reads my journal sometimes. I really love it though and definitely felt like it was the one. If you want to see it, let me know and I'll email you a pic. I sent a bunch out already. I also bought the shoes, veil, and tiara. I'm nervous that the dress won't fit when it comes in. They only had it in a size 8 and it was way too big on top, so I ordered a 6. But I have this weird feeling that the 6 will be too small. I'm crossing my fingers that everything will be ok. It will be in on Sept. 24th, so I'll try it on then, and I'll have the shoes to put on with it. I actually found some pretty low shoes... only like an inch high or so. I'm 5'9" barefoot, so I have to be careful not to tower over Matt or have my dress come up off the floor. My mom also came out to Natick with my sister Sarah and she purchased all of the bridesmaid dresses and a gown for herself. It's exciting. Things are really happening. The next thing I want to do is meet with the florist and find out what our budget is, and see if she can do the lime slices in the vases. I've also been researching different sites that have square vases. Maybe if we buy them elsewhere it will help with the budget and allow us to really make the centerpieces beautiful. The other thing I'm having trouble with is finding favor boxes. Think of a blue Tiffany's box with the cover and everything. I want that style for my favor boxes. The thing is, the going rate is about a dollar per box. Total ripoff. Plus I want to do customized colors, not Tiffany blue or plain old white. If it came down to it though, I could do white and wrap the box with colorful ribbon. I even have instructions on how to make a rose out of streamer paper [thanks Martha Stewart] so that could be a touch of creativity on the box too. I want to think about a lot of this stuff now, because when the school year starts I'm not going to have any free time. I'll be at the elementary school all day and taking night classes after school. That's all for now... Kody wants some attention. You'd think this dog was abandoned all day... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, August 10th, 2007
6:34 pm	Wedding Planning Planning a wedding is fun, but a little bit scary. Matt and I put down the deposit today for the Sheraton. The event coordinator is awesome. She always calls and checks in with us, and she's getting a lot of extra stuff set up for us. For example, she decided to have a food tasting anddd a cake tasting from the 2 cake vendors all in one evening, free of charge of course. All of the available meals will be cooked and we can sample everything in order to choose our own personalized menu. Plus, Matt's parents and my mom are allowed to come too. She said at least one other couple will be doing the same thing that night, but she's shooting for 5 couples total. That won't happen until the end of February, but I'm looking forward to it! Beside reception stuff, I've been to David's Bridal twice to go dress shopping. The first time I went I thought I found THE dress, buuuut now I'm having second thoughts. I tried on like six more the second time I went, and found some I liked but didn't love. It might be b/c of my size. I'm a six in regular clothes, but dresses run smaller so I have to wear an 8. My chest seems to be fitting a size 6 and my hips an 8. So I try on 8s and I have to hold it up so I don't flash the store. Next time I go, I think I'm going to ask for a 6 just to see if I can get my tush in it. Ash and my sisters have also been trying on bridesmaids dresses lately. We're doing a summer citrus theme of lemon and lime, so we're doing green dresses for the girls. I liked the clover green but now I'm thinking it's a little too St. Patty's parade-ish. Plus, I'm thinking of going back to redhead... that's just too much Irish pride. I do like the softer green, the sages, etc. I think the color at David's Bridal that I like is called Peridot. I kind of wish I was better with color palettes, more artistic. I'd be willing to do different shades of green on the girls if it worked. I'm already letting them do different dress styles that work with their individual body types- no clones at this wedding. Liz and Gretchen found some very flattering gowns. I'm still stuck on the colors though. I'm also trying to think of a way to have Sarah stand out in an elegant way as the maid of honor. Other than those two big things, Matt and I have ideas for favors, and we bought cake knives, the guestbook, an aisle runner, and a whole bunch of ribbon. We also bought Save-the-Dates. I'm trying to buy the little things slowly over time so it's not one huge shopping trip 3 months before the wedding. We're doing ok... lots of ideas, just a matter of narrowing things down and pulling it all together in an elegant way. That's all for now! (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
11:28 pm	My past couple of weeks... the good, the bad, and the ugly. I've had a crazy couple of weeks. School got out on June 18th. I already miss the kindergartners. They were so funny- it was such a blast. The week before school got out, my Grampy wasn't eating or drinking much so my Grammy said let's go to the emergency room, and he said ok. The doctors did a cat scan and found a mass in his bowel somewhere and it turned out to be a tumor the size of a baseball- colon cancer. They put him into surgery the next afternoon, and it was successful. Well, I didn't come home to visit because I was finishing up with school and everyone said he was looking great. The day after school got out, the Tuesday before last, my mom called and said Grampy's condition went from good to poor. He had pneumonia as a complication and took a turn for the worst. I had class that night at Framingham State, so I was kind of torn whether I should come right home or get my work from class and then go home. I decided on going to part of class first. About five minutes before I left for class, my sister Liz called my cell and said to please come now because Grampy wasn't doing well, and she sounded like she was crying, which is a rarity. So I called my teacher and started bawling on the phone that I had to get right to the hospital. She was very understanding and I got the ok to go. I pulled out of the driveway and got a text message from my sister Sarah saying come now. So I cried all the way to Wellesley. I'm driving down a main road, when suddenly a guy in a van pulls out from a side street without looking and hits the rear quarter panel of my car, knocking me into the middle of the road. I pull over and my tire's completely flat and there's other damage. That added an hour onto the time it was going to take me to get to the hospital to visit Grampy. I had to deal with the police and wait for Matt and his dad to come and rescue me. Matt was awesome. He had to go into work at midnight and hadn't gotten much sleep since his last shift, yet he drove me in traffic to get to my grandfather, and he stayed with me and the family for a couple hours before heading home again. That meant so much to me. When we got to the hospital, I walked into what I never thought I'd see. I originally pictured Grampy laying peacefully in the bed sleeping. What I really saw was a shrunken down version of my Grampy, without his dentures in, making him look even more sunken in, with a mask on his face giving him 100% oxygen. I immediately lost it, broke down and tried to say, "Hi Grampy, it's Jeannette. I love you." I kissed him on the temple, and then I had to leave the room b/c I was so hysterical crying in front of my grandmother and assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom calmed me down in the hall. About a half-hour after that, the stress from the missed class, the accident, and seeing Grampy in his state got to me, and the migraine I was getting came to the nausea part. I took an Imitrex too late and ended up throwing up in the bathroom. My mom had to drive me home I was so sick. The next day at the hospital they put Grampy on a morphine drip, rather than having the injections every couple of hours. It helped immensely. He wasn't as restless as he was before and seemed to sleep a little better. A little while before we left, my mom, my sisters and I walked into the room and we stood around the bed looking at him and he suddenly opened his eyes [the first time I saw them open], lifted his head off his pillow, and said, "Wow." Then he lifted his hand and started counting the number of people in the room. He couldn't believe the amount of family surrounding him. There were always about 10-15 people in the room [the door said limit 2 visitors-- big family :)]. Grammy was so happy to see him perk up a little. She was exhausted but said, "Oh Phil, I was about to leave, but look at you. You're awake. I think I'll stay a while" and she gave him a kiss. I hope I always remember that. That night my sisters and I signed up for the 10pm-12am shift of staying with him at the hospital. He was so peaceful and we had the best conversation with my cousin Phil, reminiscing about Grampy's life and the funny things he said. We'd say his brother Austin's name and his friend Tom O'Connell's name in conversation [both of whom had passed away] and he moved his head a little upon hearing their names. He knew we were there but he couldn't talk to us. We stayed until 1am, and came home feeling less stressed than the day before. He was taken off the IV that gave him lipids and nourishment, and they took him off his heart monitor so we knew the end was near. It was ok though, because he didn't look like he was in pain like the day before when he was getting agitated, trying to pull his mask off and moving his legs around a lot, saying "Hail Marys" and telling God that he was a hard worker and a good man. This time he was sleeping. We monitored the number of breaths he was taking per minute and had an emergency phone list in case anything changed. My aunt called us just before 7am that morning to say that Grampy passed away. My cousin Alecia had been with him at the time of his passing. I called her later that day and she said, "Jeannette, the neatest thing happened. About a minute before he died, as he was taking his last breaths, he opened those big, bright, beautiful blue eyes of his and gazed past me across the room. It was like he was looking right at God, as if to say, 'I'm ready.'" And that's how he died, eyes gazing, very peaceful. Over 700 people came to the wake. He was well-liked and knew a LOT of people. Plus our family's gigantic. It made me so proud of him. I'll be lucky if 10 people come to mine. He left a lasting impression on people. He was caring, generous, and funny as hell. We all miss him so much. He left behind his wife, 8 kids, and 21 grandchildren. We'll see him again someday though. :) I got through all that, came home Monday afternoon after the funeral party, took a test on Tuesday, and Matt took me out to dinner afterward. He was so sweet to me. He told me he was proud of me for handling all this stress so well and still finding time to study for a test [I'll find out how I did on Tuesday], and then told me that he wants to give me a wedding. We were between doing a big wedding, or getting married on a cruise. He said you deserve a special day with all your family there to see. He said, "How's June 15, 2008? It's a Sunday..." That's our five year anniversary of being together. It's absolutely perfect. But now I'm already having a coronary about all the things I need to do to plan, and work, and take Master's classes all at the same time. I know we can do it though. We'll make it work and it'll be beautiful. That boy still has a romantic side after four years. I'm blessed to get to spend my life with Matt. Grampy's Obituary: http://obit.gatelyfh.com/obit_display.cgi?id=430755&listing=Current ... or search for Philip P. Cargill on the site. He lived an amazing life. R.I.P. 6/21/07 (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
8:06 pm	People told me I should update. Hmm... Well, over February vacation, Matt took me to the Glynn House Inn in Ashland, NH. We stayed for two nights in a suite with a fireplace, jacuzzi, and livingroom all to ourselves. He surprised me with a private sleigh ride on a nearby farm. The horses were beautiful... they looked like Clydesdales but they were different. We had hot cocoa, hopped in the sleigh and bundled up in the blankets they provided. It was our first sleigh ride. It went all through the woods and around the guy's property, but we both wished it had lasted longer. We also did a lot of shopping up there. We hit the Tanger Outlets on the way back... I did really well at Liz Claiborne. ;) The first week back to school was good and bad. Working in a small town definitely has its positives and negatives. I got through it though and I feel like next week's going to be really good. :) Matt and I visited two very nice possible wedding reception locations. We really haven't set a date yet because every location has its own characteristics that make it suitable for certain seasons. Once we choose a location, we will be able to set a definitive date. We visited the Sherborn Inn and Primavera today. I fell in love with Primavera immediately. It would be perfect for a large wedding that you'd want everyone to be at. Matt pointed out that with its pretty gazebo and manicured lawns, it would be better for a late spring/early summer wedding and I agree. We ALMOST put a deposit down on it today, but it's still kind of pricey. I don't know if we'd have enough saved in time to afford to have a reception there in just over a year. It really depends on where I am this upcoming fall too jobwise. I finally bit the bullet and signed up for the GRE test too. Now that the clock is ticking for me to get my Master's degree, I decided that I couldn't be afraid of it anymore and that I should just try it. I figure that I know what I know and I'm not going to suddenly raise my IQ or test-taking ability by stressing over a prep program, so I'm just going to take it without any preparation. That may sound stupid to a lot of people reading this, but I get a lot of anxiety over stuff like this. I don't want to make it worse. I went to my cousin Tara's baby shower yesterday. It makes me want to have a baby so badly. She looked beautiful. She's petite and very slender, and ALL BABY. Not an ounce of weight gained anywhere else, just a big belly. I hope my body is as nice to me someday. Wouldn't it be nice to just hit the Mass Millions? It's up to like $340 million now. I could have a wedding, a house, a baby, and I could help all my family and friends too. Wishful thinking! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
2:33 pm	EVEN MORE NEW AND EXCITING THINGS!!!! If you're my friend on Myspace, this is the same post as my blog entry. If you're not on Myspace, boyyy have I got some news for you!!! I'm ENGAGED!!!! <3 [And still in shock, and completely thrilled and excited!!!!] Matty proposed on 1/19/07. Here's how it all went down: On Friday, we [Matt's parents, sister, grandparents, aunt, and my mom and my sister Sarah] went to Matt's police academy graduation yesterday. He looked so handsome and professional. The audience watched as each squad, which consisted of about 10-12 guys, got their diplomas and had family members or chiefs pin their badges on them. Matt was in the fourth squad, the last group to go. He said that he wanted his father, a Sherborn cop, to pin him, and that my job was to give him a kiss and take his diploma back to his seat. I didn't think anything of it, because that's what most of the other guys did. So I walked up to him all cheery and said, "How ya doin', handsome?" And I told him I was proud and gave him a kiss and a hug. His dad finished pinning him and I said bye and started walking away. As I turned away, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward him. All I could think was, hmm I gave him a kiss goodbye... what am I forgetting? He got down on one knee in front of EVERYONE, and said, "Will you marry me?" and slipped a diamond ring on my finger. [I'm crying right now thinking about this... probably for the fourth time today]. I immediately started to bawl my eyes out and shake uncontrollably and ask him over and over again, "Are you serious? Are you serious, Matt?!" until I realized that I should probably say YES! And I did. I grabbed onto him and kissed him and hugged him, and the audience started 'awwwing' and clapping for us. He had a big grin on his face, and I had to leave him to walk back to my seat until the end of the ceremony. When I got to my seat, I was sobbing to the point where it was hard to breathe. My mom and Sarah were laughing and said that they had known since a little before Christmas when Matt called my mom to ask for her permission (Yes! He's a gentleman too!). Sneaky, sneaky people. Apparently my mom's entire side of the family knew, Matt's nana had the ring stored at her house so I wouldn't accidentally stumble upon it, and Matt's family all knew. I'm so surprised no one let it slip... and that I was so completely in the dark about it. I honestly thought it would be another year, when we had time to put a little money away. He got me good!! Anyway, that's my story. I hope to soon have the video of the proposal up on myspace. Matt's aunt and our friend Zay both have clips of it. I have one on my camera that my sister took but it's really shaky and you mostly just hear the audience cheering. So I won't post it until I have something better. Also, the pics didn't come out that great from the ceremony. We're hoping to get some better ones posted soon. I hope you enjoyed. I'm so happy!! I love Matt soo much and I get all choked up thinking about our future together and being his wife. Holy emotional rollercoaster of a weekend!!! Two great celebrations- Matt being an official Holliston cop and us being engaged!!! <3 Here are some pics to accompany the post: My handsome man marching in: Part of the graduating class: Right after I said YES!! Look at his grin <3 Crying my EYES OUT back at my seat!! [Happy tears :)] The happy couple the next day at Matt's party: Again: Anddd again: Absolutely smitten: The ring [I'm having trouble getting a clear pic with the digital cam... it's too sparkly to catch it right, but it's a 3-stone princess cut on a platinum band]: Hope you enjoyed!! I'm sooooo happy!!! :) Current Mood: excited (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 6th, 2007
9:22 pm	New and Exciting Things! First off, I can't contain myself any longer. In my last post I mentioned that I'd be applying for a leave of absence position in the Kindergarten. Well, Thursday afternoon over the intercom, the secretary announced that everyone should wear their Patriots jerseys or red, white, and blue to support the Patriots making it to the playoffs for Friday. Sooo Friday morning I stroll into school wearing my Tom Brady jersey, jeans, sneakers, and messy hair. I stop into the office to check my mail, and there is a note from the principal asking if I was available for a job interview immediately after school. I took one look at myself and laughed out loud. Not exactly interview attire. Well, I told her that I was available and at 2:40, I was sitting in the office with both principals talking about the job opening. It wasn't a bad interview at all, and by ten past three I left the school with a job!! This is the even cooler part. Matt and I will both be starting our new jobs [him as a Holliston cop and me as a Kindergarten teacher] on the same day, January 22nd!! I'm so happy... I've been dying for a classroom to call my own! And even though it's not mine forever, this classroom job will give me new background and experience for when I interview for next fall's jobs. I still have to meet with the superintendent to talk about salary, etc., but I'll be making a little more than I am now. :) It's going to be crazy leading up to our new jobs though. Matt's graduation is the 19th and the academy party is that night. Then there's his family party on Saturday, which hopefully we won't be hungover for. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 30th, 2006
9:42 am	Some good news and some bad news To start off with some good news, I had a very nice, and very busy, Christmas with family and friends. On Christmas Eve, Matt and I headed over to the Damigellas' house for a little party and lots of good food. They're just family friends of his and they got me a $50 gift card to Old Navy. It was really nice of them to do, but I feel bad that I didn't have anything for them but a platter of peanut butter blossoms. After their party we left around 9:30 for Stoneham. When we got home around 10:15, Santa had already arrived and filled the stockings and piled the gifts under the tree. I got a really nice bag for school from my mom, some jewelry, and a bunch of clothes and stuff. Matt and I went to bed there around 2:15 exhausted, and set the alarm clock for 7:30. Christmas morning we woke up and drove back to Holliston to have breakfast and open presents with Matt's family. They also got me a ton of stuff. A few hours later, we headed to Matt's nana's house for an early Christmas dinner and then watched them open gifts. From there, I headed back to Matt's and packed for a couple days in Stoneham by myself. I drove to Stoneham, dropped my stuff off at my house and then drove to Melrose for my grandmother's Christmas party. By the end of the night, I was exhausted. The next evening, my sisters and I drove to Lowell to visit my dad and his gf Diane. It wasn't bad. I think I'd visit more if they didn't smoke. Growing up around it just made me detest the smell and it's hard to breathe it in again when you haven't had to smell if for a few years. Dad and Diane took us out for Chinese food, and we exchanged gifts at the house. It was a nice few hour visit. The only thing that ticked me off a little was when he said, "It's been a year and two days since you were last at my house. Let's not make it so long next time. It's just as easy for you to come see me as it is for me to see you." My sisters and I just looked at each other and knew without saying a word that we were all thinking the same thing. If it's so easy for you to visit us why don't you come to the house in Stoneham? Mom wouldn't mind if it was just him coming to visit his kids. When they separated, he PROMISED us he'd be over once a week for dinner. I think it's been well over a year since he's made any effort to see us. At least we go to the fire station to see him. It's always us going to him. He gets upset and thinks that we love him less or something because we don't call that much or go to Lowell. How does he think we feel on the other end. No calls, no visits, no effort. It's like a huge weight of responsibility has been lifted off his shoulders now that he's doing his own thing. Don't get me wrong. The visit was nice. I'm glad I went. I love him. I just think we need to work some stuff out. That ends my Christmas adventures. In school-related news, AIC pulled out on me. Not enough seats filled at Newton South H.S. for them to hold night classes there. The other locations are too far away for me to venture out to. So now I'm back in the same old boat, putting off the GREs because I'm scared of failing or not getting a high enough entrance score for grad programs near me. I hate standardized tests... I thought I was done with them. So I guess I'll have to look into Framingham State and think about starting classes this summer. Bridgewater's kind of a hike from here. 45 min. to an hour, depending on traffic. Before vacation, the two principals I work with asked me to stop by the office after school. They had a "bribe" to make. Well, they told me more about a teacher I worked with sometimes last year and about how her husband just got diagnosed with cancer. She has a long-term sub in the class right now who's been there since I want to say October when all of the trouble started. Well things are looking worse now and she's extending her leave of absence to the end of March. The sub is starting her own student teaching in third grade in mid-January so she can't keep the class anymore. That's where I come in. They had to post it internally in the system to make it fair and anyone can apply. They know I'm licensed though and that I could take over and do a good job. I haven't definitely gotten the job yet, but if I study my interview questions, etc. I think I'll have a better paying job by the end of January. I'm still guaranteed my old job if/when she comes back, and my 1:1 will get another teacher until I come back. I think he can handle it now that we're so far into the year. He likes to be independent and he knows his school routine now. I'm nervous but excited!! Off to Bestbuy... sorry to cut it 'short.' (Comment on this)
Friday, December 8th, 2006
7:59 pm	In on a Friday night... Not like that's completely unusual, lol. So my high school reunion was the other day. Oops. "Forgot" to RSVP. I guess I missed out on some high school drama though. A girl flipped out and smashed a beer bottle over another girl's head and got arrested for assault and battery. Gotta love SHS... we're 23 and having bar fights... cute. Not a big loss missing that. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is on. I officially have no life. Hmm... what else. Oh so I get a call from the special ed. office today at work asking if I wanna take on another tutoring job. Sure... extra money. Well. While I was on the phone, I asked about the other boy I currently tutor. He broke his femur and missed a lot of school so I caught him up. Well since then I've been just doing homework help and making sure he gets all his work done. The secretary was like NOOOOO, you're just his SCIENCE tutor. I'm like uhh since when? He fucking got a 5% on his last quiz because he circled every choice on the multiple choice and got the completion section half-right. Then he took a test and got a 64. So I told the secretary that and the fact that I don't know when his tests are and what his hw is b/c he's not coming home with an assignment book like he's supposed to, and when he does... science is never on it. So I'm like greeaaat, THIS won't reflect on me... biiig miscommunication. So I told his mom, and she was like whaaaaaaaaaaaat?? Even she thought we were doing what we were supposed to. So now she's mad at them and is going to call the director about getting help in other subjects. In the meantime, I called his science teacher and finagled an extra credit project... thank GOD. I've been at his house for upto 2.5 hrs. doing homework with this kid, when I wasn't supposed to. Jeesh. We've got some major GPA remodeling to do. I'm like, you are going to KICK SCIENCE'S BUTT. This kid's gonna start pulling 100s like never before. This term though... he'll be lucky if he gets a C. Matt's helping a guy teach a gun training course tonight and he's not going to be back until 10 so I'm reallllly bored. I think he's doing it tomorrow too. Gonna be a fun-filled weekend lemmetellya. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 26th, 2006
12:52 pm	Thanksgiving was nice. It was good to see the family and get out of Holliston for a little while. I missed my mom and my sisters. Matt surprised me and showed up after having dinner with his family, and we all headed over to my uncle's house for after dinner desserts and catching up. I swear if my Aunt Joan were 60 years younger, she'd have Matt's babies. She is IN LOVE with him lol. So after that lovely outing, Matt stayed the night in Stoneham, but had to get up VERY early the next morning, 4am I think, to head to the academy in Boylston. Sucked for him. I on the other hand, went back to sleep for a few hours after I helped him scoot out the door, and then Christmas shopped with my mom and Gretchen. I'm usually so against that, but not having anything on my agenda that I NEEDED to buy, the outing was pretty stress-free. We went to the Square One Mall, and then to Marshall's. I actually got some really cute gifts at Marshall's for my godparents and my dad. For my dad, I'm making a basket with coffee and different flavored hot cocoas and goodies in it, and maybe getting him a t-shirt or something. My godparents are supposedly visiting soon, so I have them out of the way in case of a sneak attack. I'm almost done shopping, and I've even got most of the wrapping out of the way. Not too shabby. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
6:00 pm	i heart half-days. I woke up this morning and didn't want to go to school. It was sooo nice realizing as I was going out the door that it is a parent-teacher conference day. That just set my day off on the right foot. I decided to run to Dunk's this morning, and as I was waiting in the drive-thru lane, I thought about how lucky I am and how thankful I am for the way things in my life have turned out. Matt kissed me goodbye this morning while I lay in bed half comatosed and told me that the police station passed. So I was thinking about how long Matt's been waiting for the job he wanted so badly, and how good it is to see him happy about finally acheiving his goal. He's almost halfway through the academy and by the end of January he'll be working for the town. The fact that Holliston passed a new police station yesterday during town voting just makes it even better. He's finally where he wants to be and better things are finally coming together for him and me. I then started thinking about my life and career goals. I just finished my formal application to AIC and I decided that I really want to do this. In two years I'll have my Masters degree. The fact that I'm finally getting started puts me in better postion for a teaching job next year. Matt and I will [hopefully] both be doing exactly what we've dreamed of for years, and we'll be getting through it all together. I love him so much and he is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm so happy to get to started on our lives and futures together... and I can finally say I'm starting to feel more like a grown up and less like a kid. It's such a great feeling to acheive a goal, but when it's with someone you love it makes it even better. We've been through a lot together and I wouldn't change a thing. I'm the happiest I've ever been, and I'll always be happy knowing that my best friend is right beside me. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 28th, 2006
10:05 am	Raiiiiiiiiiiin So it's really crappy out and I was thinking that maybe I should start my Christmas shopping with Matty. The malls are gonna be packed though... weekend+rain... so we'll see. I have a lot of people to shop for, and I'd like to get people things they can use and appreciate. I did a little bit of online shopping at American Eagle for two of my sisters, but that's hardly a start. I like to get all my stuff done before everyone gets into the holiday rush... because when people are running around last-minute, Christmas shopping just isn't enjoyable. Plus it's my favorite time of year so I want to enjoy it. :) I got a flier in my mailbox at school about an accelerated Master's program throuigh AIC (American International College). They have classes taking place in or around Medway for one evening a week. So I wouldn't have to commute anywhere, and one class per week will let me have time to work a job and get homework and studying done. Each class is eight weeks long. It's a little pricey but I'll have my Master's in two years or less. I'm going to an informational meeting next week, and the first class is January 9th. I will be majoring in Special Education. I think this will also help me get a classroom job faster. I can still get paid for having a Bachelor's but they'll see that I have my Master's in progress toward dual certification and that's what people want nowadays... applicants who have some sort of special ed. training. I'm excited that I'm finally getting this started!! :) Showertime, then I'll decide whether or not to venture out into this monsoon. Toodles! (Comment on this)