Decided to start saving for a house.

David and I have been living together in our small arrangement for a little over a month now. Our space is small and cramped yet we are managing. It has been a huge adjustment for me from having my own large space.

There are several reasons on why we moved in with David’s parents. One reason for moving in was so that we want to be able to save for a house of our own. A lower rent payment is going to help us achieve our goal of being homeowners.

On this day we finally decided to get serious and open our first joint savings account! Yikes! Such a huge step in our relationship!!

Our plan is simple and aggressive. We need to save $15,000 (5% of $300,000) by May 2012. Seems like a hard to reach goal since we opened the account with just $10. But we are determined to make this dream a reality for us.

I have shared my goals out loud with family, friends and coworkers. All seem to have same reaction. Happy, yet ask when the wedding is. Apparently you need to be married in order to have a house or start a family. I didn’t think this was 1950 anymore.

Owning a house will mean so much for us. It will mean privacy, owning equity, a big step in our relationship and lastly starting a family.

Let’s hope that by next year we will be house hunting!

My first REAL Patriots game!

My amazing boyfriend bought us Patriots tickets for this year! I was so excited because this was my first Patriots game (besides the preseason game which doesn't really count). I love football and couldn't wait to watch the Pats play right in Gillette Stadium.
Here is our ticket. Going to a Patriots game is not a cheap event. Its $117.00 PER ticket!! The Pats were playing against the Baltimore Ravens. I guess I love to watch my teams play Baltimore.
Gillette Stadium is a nightmare to drive to so we decided to take the train in to see the game. The problem is there is only 1 train that goes there and back. So if we missed this train we would have been screwed and would have had to drive down. Blah!
This is us at about 15 minutes on the train. Love how blue David's eyes look in this picture!

This is what we looked like an hour into the train ride. I swear the train was only going about 10mph and we still had another 15-20 minutes on that train. We finally got there! It was such a beautiful day to see a game. Couldn't ask for better weather.The view from our seats. Another view from our seats. Look at how many people are here. Totally packed. Here comes the Pats! If you notice the cheerleaders are wearing pink. Some of the football players were wearing pink today too. This was to support Breast Cancer awareness month!

Here they are!The beer cost $7.50 per bottle at the game. Some people were buying three or four of these during the game. That is just crazy! I only could afford the one.

The game was amazing! It was a close game and there were so many penalties called against the Pats.Half time! We were only behind by 3 points!!

The Pats cheerleaders. They were doing some kind of dance here. But there were not as good as...this guy right here. He had the best dance moves I have ever seen. :)The game went into overtime. This is the best shot I could get of Tom Brady. Notice how tiny he is compared to the rest of the team.


With the score tied and into overtime, the Pats where in field goal range. The win depended on this kick to be good. Did the Pats pull it off???

Duh!!!!

Everybody gets hugs at the end of a game! aww <3>

One of the best games I have ever been too! So glad I got a chance to go!

Ran a mile non-stop!

I finally jogged a mile non-stop for the first time in my life. I am so proud of myself. I love this training program (the Couch-2-5K program)! Not that jogging 20 minutes straight wasn't hard!

First I forgot my ipod and Nike+ at my apartment. So instead of going straight to the gym after work I had to go home to get them. It wasn't so bad though because I changed for the gym at home and used my nice clean bathroom before I went. Driving to the gym I had a knot in my belly. It felt like the knot that I had when I was driving to get a tattoo. Would I be able to run this mile? Would I quit like I always did? I will be so p-off at myself if I can't push myself.

When I finally got to the gym I was happy to find that it wasn't as crowded. I was able to find a decent parking spot and get a treadmill in the back. When I did my warm-up walk, I tried to pump myself up. I wanted to clear my head and think only of this 20 min jog. I stretched and then it began. I kept my pace at 3.8mph to avoid burnout.

About 3 minutes into the run, I felt like quiting. 3 MINUTES!! But my legs were tired and felt heavy. I just ignored it and hoped it would go away. I jogged 8 mins on Tuesday and I wanted to quit at just 3. Not going to happen. But the idea of doing this for another 17 mins made me want to slow down to a walk. This is what happened when I jogged a mile in sports. I would always see the entire mile I had to do instead of the step that I was doing. Then I would stop and walk until my coach yelled at me to keep jogging.

But something happened. At about 5 mins in I got my power. My legs felt lighter and I just jogged. I was even able to bring the speed up to 4.0mph. When I looked at the time again I saw the time tick away. I can do this! I focused on the song on my ipod and that fact that I could not quit.

When I was almost a mile in (about 13 minutes) my friend Mike came over to talk to me. Not now I thought! I was able to hold a brief conversation with him and lucky for me he didn't linger. I wanted to catch my mile on my camera video. I wanted to enjoy my first mile. To savor it and relish in pride.

When I hit the mile I tried to film it, but ended up not saving it. I did the mile in about 17 minutes. It was a slow mile, but I jogged the whole time. Once I hit that mile my mind went completely blank. Nothing went through my head at all. I finally finished my 20 minutes and did a cool down walk.

I felt really strange leaving the gym. I wasn't thinking of any thing. No work. No ex husband. No family stress. No money problems. Nothing. It was the strangest thing. It was like I was in shock. I felt like I couldn't possible be the one who ran 20 mins straight. I am not a runner...

I really thought when I hit that mile at the gym that I would cry and be super emotional. But the one thing that I thought was 'That wasn't so bad'. Why couldn't I do this in high school during field hockey?

All those times in field hockey when I had to be benched because my coach felt I was to out-of-shape to play. I remember when the coach pulled me aside and told me that I made the team but would not play in every game because I stopped and walked the mile we had to do everyday. I then tried to argue with the coach, saying that I even though I walked some of the mile I still did it faster then this other girl on my team. She was always the last to finish the mile. My coach said that because she jogged the entire time was the reason she would be playing more then me. Didn't seem fair to me at the time. I felt that I was a much better player but because I couldn't jog one friggen mile I was being punished.

But now I can finally say to myself that I ran a mile. I did it and will do it again. I love this running program!

This post is dedicated to Coach McGivney, for making me feel like crap all these years for not jogging a mile non-stop.

Went to Universal Studios Florida

I finally got to go to Universal Studios in Florida! Ever since I first saw shows from Nickelodeon, I wanted to go down there to be a part of it. Despite being very excited about going, there was a few issues:

1) It was extremely cold. It was cloudy and there was no sun to keep us warm. It was the coldest that FL has been in a long time.

2) I went with 2 other couples and was the odd person in the group. I felt awkward and alone 60% of the day.

But besides that, I had a pretty good time.


We went to see the new Simpson's attraction that took over the Back to the Future ride (boo). This ride was in 3D and was pretty cute. If you are a Simpson's Fan, I would highly recommend it. If you are not a Simpson's fan, you probably will not get or like this ride at all.

Because we went the first week of the year, the Christmas lights were still up! It was beautiful to see all the decorations!
If it wasn't so gosh darn cold, I would have loved to walk around Seuss Landing more. There was alot of cute little shops.

I got to see a sneak peak of the Harry Potter park. Here is the Hogwarts castle!! It was beautiful and so life-like. I can't wait to go there when its all done!

The Jurassic Park section was closed due to the cold, but I still managed to run into a dinosaur there. I should win an Oscar for my performance! I made it seem real! And yes....I really am that pale.

We did alot of great rides at Universal, but the Hulk roller coaster was my FAVORITE!! We waited almost 2 hours in line. But the worst part was that there was a cheerleaders convention going on, and there was a group of cheerleaders CHEERING in line. So let me do the math here...

Being freezing cold + waiting in line for 2 hours + twenty 16 year old cheerleaders cheering on the top of their lungs = My own personal Hell

But was the ride worth all that?? Absolutely! It had so many twists and turns going on. I loved it!
Besides all the rides and attractions there is a TON of places to shop! We had dinner at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville! It was really awesome there. If you can get past the cheesy Jimmy Buffet songs then its worth the trip. Best drinks I have ever had. I recommend the Pink Cadillac drink if you ever go there. It was like drinking Koolaid!

Details

Universal Studios: Bigger roller coasters and better 3d attractions then Disney has, but lacks the Disney magic and customer service skills. I would defiantly love to go back here! But next time I am going with a boyfriend.

Margaritaville: Very campy and cute. The food was great and the drinks were awesome. Our waitress was fantastic!

Got inked!

I finally did it!

After years of wanted one, I finally got the guts to walk into a tattoo place and get my body inked. I have spent many years looking online on trying to find exactly the right thing to put on my body. I wanted something meaningful and beautiful.

I met with Steve, the guy who would be stabbing me with needles, and showed him what I wanted. I decided that I wanted a baby blue bird on my lower back and one star on the back of my neck. I brought in my pictures and made an appointment for the day after thanksgiving.

Here is the guy that was going to cause me pain for the next few hours. He was great! He explained everything to me and my tattoos came out great.

The big day arrived and I was so nervous. Steve was running late and I really wanted to get up and leave. I wanted this so bad but the idea of pain was scary! Steve was actually shocked to see me because he thought I was going to bail out! Geez! Give me some credit!

He started with the back of my neck. I was shaking, sweating and just couldn't believe I was doing this to myself. I thought he would yell at me for acting like such a big baby. But he was patient with me and kept me aware of what he was doing. The anticipation was the worst for me. He shaved my neck (ewww), then cleaned it with alcohol and then placed the stencil on. I watched him put together the tattoo needle. It was HUGE!

Then he asked if I was ready and he turned on the needle. The sound was horrible! He brought the tattoo needle closer to my neck and I thought I was going to scream. Was I going to jump when that needle hit my skin? All those youtube.com videos I watch of girls in tears and screaming in agony to me. Would that be me? Am I going to leave this place with just a line on the back of my neck?

Finally the needle hit my skin. This is how I reacted:

Me: Is that it?

Steve: That's all.

Me: Wow, I was a baby over nothing.

My very first tattoo. Its so simple and cute. It didn't hurt at all! I am thinking of eventually getting it filled.

It honestly didn't hurt at all. It felt like someone scratching the back of my neck. It was a great feeling but it didn't cause tears or screaming from me. The tattoo took a total of 5 minutes. I looked at the mirror at my new tattoo and was so proud of myself! I finally did it. Now it was time for my second tattoo. The more painful and detailed one.

This time the prep was so bad. I knew what to expect and he still went very slow at the very beginning. Not going to lie, this tattoo hurt! There were some parts that I couldn't even hold a conversation because it hurt. It wasn't enough to make me tear up or scream out loud, but enough for me to close my eyes tight, wrinkle my nose and grit my teeth. It felt like someone was scratching me where I have a really bad sunburn. But having had a really bad sunburn this year, this was really nothing.

I chose doing a baby bird on my lower back. Baby birds are thrown out of their nest into the real world after a while. They either have to fly or they fall and die. Baby birds need to fly all on their own. This is how I felt with life lately. I either got to fly and survive this crazy world or I will end up crashing to the ground.

After about an hour, the tattoo was done! I left that place feeling like I could do anything! I felt incredible. I felt like a bad ass. I felt like I could accomplish anything. I felt awesome. All the way home I had a huge grin on my face. I couldn't believe I did it!

The worst part for me has been the aftercare. The next day I woke up and the tattoo on my lower back really hurt. It felt like a bad burn. I was told to clean it and apply Aveeno lotion 3 to 4 times a day. Nervous people (like myself) should not get tattoos because while it is healing, funky things started to happen. Mine did some weird things and I couldn't find too many websites that helped settle my fears.

Here is my pictures of the healing process:

The day after I got my tattoo. It was very hot when I touched it and felt dry. I kept putting lotion and washing it 3 to 4 times a day. I was pretty upset that the colors looked faded

Also that day, I woke up and noticed this on my bed sheets. I inked the bed.

My tattoo looked like it was cracking. It felt alittle tight and I made sure to keep applying lotion that day. It was puffy and felt like leather. It looked so gross and was discolored. The light blue parts turned to a greenish yellow.
This was the worst day for me. I took this picture and my tattoo was started to peel. I know this was normal, but look at his wing!! It looked like the tattoo broke! Nothing online helped me feel better about this. I really thought I ruin my tattoo.

The scar came off and everything looks good! The best thing was the wing wasn't shifted, it must have been how the scar was peeling off. The only problem I see if a small white spot on the birdies body. But everything looks fine! Whew!! In a few more weeks it will be 100% it won't look so shiny. I love my little birdie! Isn't he so cute! All I wanted to do throughout the process was scrub my scab off in the shower. This is a big no-no.I think

Would I do this again? Absolutely!! I love having a piece of art on my body. It gave me such an adrenaline rush that I can't even explain. If you can survive a sunburn you can survive a tattoo.

Details

Where: The Painted Bird- Very clean and everyone was super nice to me! I would def recommend Steve and hope he can do my next tattoo.

Aftercare: Aveeno and Dial antibacterial soap- Worked great and the lotion made my skin so soft! I will now have to use it for the rest of my body!

Got my first apartment ALL BY MYSELF!!!!!

The divorce hit me pretty hard. Not only did I lose my husband and best friend, but I also lost the place I called home for 2 years. The apartment that I painted and decorated every single room perfectly to fit our personalities. The place I planned to hold Thanksgiving in and held my first dinner party with a few friends.

When my ex decided that he didn’t want to be married anymore, he took more from me then he knew. I was sent to live back with my parents who had no rooms available for me. I slept on a couch in the living room and had only a laptop to escape the world. I lost my privacy and a small piece of me when I moved back in with my parents.

My friend, Becca, told me the best words of advice that anyone could give me.

Becca: “You need to move out of your parent’s house and get a place of your own.”
Me: “What if I can’t afford it, then I will feel like a failure again. I think I will save up more money and then go from there.”
Becca: “You need to get out there and struggle in a small roach infested apartment. You need to live off Roman noodles and not be taken care of.”

With her kind words of advice I had the courage to go forward and start looking for an apartment. I figured out what I could afford and knew I wanted to live close to my parents. After looking at just 1 other apartment, I found the perfect one.

Yes it was a little bit more then I wanted to spend, but it was a mansion to me. Being only 5 minutes away from the house where I grew up in. I knew the area and I the apartment was HUGE! I put in an application and held my breath for news. Then I got a call that changed my life!

I GOT THE APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had no furniture and no idea what I was doing. But I went in the and just laid on the floor on my new place soaking it all in. I could not believe I was doing this!

I quickly furnished my apartment with furniture that I liked and decorated it to fit MY personality. This place has helped me heal more then anything. I am so proud of myself for taking this next step in my life. I take pride in the fact that I have moved out in a fresh new place and my ex is sitting in an apartment that has echoes of me all through it. My new furniture has no memory of our relationship. Just the memory that I am a strong woman who can get through anything thrown at me.

Just so you know. I am not living in a roach infested apartment eating Roman noodles. But I am starting to see how hard it is to live on my own and appreciate what has been giving to me. Even though I plan to only stay here a few years, I will always remember my first time living all on my own.

Moved into my first apartment!

Today I became a strong, independent woman.

Today I signed the lease of my very own apartment!!

That’s right, kids. No parents, no man in my life and no roommates. It is just going to be me, myself and I living in this great big space.

I knew the second I saw the apartment online that I loved it. It was open, clean and only about 5 minutes away from my family. So if I had any problems I was never far from home. I knew the neighborhood and the area was very friendly. Plus it is safe part of town. A perfect place where I didn’t need to worry about walking to my car at night or making sure the door was triple locked.

The first day I had my apartment, I had no furniture to go in it. I just laid out the carpet I bought and just took it all in. My first real place! I am so proud of myself!

Let me take you on a tour.

Here is the door to my first apartment!!! #11

See how open it is as soon as you open the door?

My dinning room which I actually don’t use at all. It’s more for a place to put trash ready to go out.

The shelf that divides the 2 rooms is perfect for keep all my pictures.
My fantastic kitchen!!! I love this kitchen and all the appliances are brand new!

My bathroom. It is nice and spacious. Not crazy over the color but I am not going to be here forever.

My LARGE bedroom!! Not very decorated but I got to choose the bed and covers. Nobody else had a say, just me!

My enormous closet. A large part of why I wanted this place. So much room I can’t even fill it…. wait I am sure I can.

The community backyard with a public pool!!

Thank you for visiting. I am sure I am going to have some great memories here.