My #1 Enemy: desserts!!!!!

I will..one day...be the queen of desserts. I will be the Rachael Ray of desserts..the Martha Steward of desserts...the Donald Trump of desserts...BOTTOM LINE: I will be THE BEST there is to be at desserts. BUT...until then, I will have to settle to trying..yet again...the "rulada" receipe I've tried about 4-5 times now. You would think that after making it so many times, you would remember that you need BAKING POWDER....yes boys and girls...baking powder...to bake a cake!! Apparently it makes it rise!!('cause me singing to it...doesn't help!!). So...after forgetting which one of my many receipes I have is the real one..and after getting kicked off FB while talking to my BFFSDGET (yes, that's you Baba!!) and trying to get a good receipe..i decided to just do it by memory..yes, 'cause last time I checked, my memory was my greatest posession....NOT..it's my hair!!!! But anyways...i did it, but yet again, forgot the baking powder, so I doubt this will turn out very good.
If you want a good blog about AWESOME receipes that actually work...go to www.estybaies.blog.com!! If you want a blog about receipes turning bad....come to mine!! I have many many in my history book..and many to come aswell!!!
So..since we last spoke, Prince William and Kate got married (yes, I know it's Catherine..but I'm gonna just call her Kate!!!). That was extremely awesome...i cried..don't ask why..but I did! I wish I had someone to watch it with...my better half found sleep more important on a friday morning!!! Oh well...too bad for him!!! MMMM..that "rulada" smells good...
Anyways...yes...1 wedding..in London...one in Chicago accompanied by some awesome time spent with my bestest of friends in the entire world...and another trip to Chicago this coming weekend....yes...WE DO TRAVEL A LOT...but never without a purpose!! Although..I must say, I miss NYC...so I need to plan me a trip there soon, since it's so close!!
Well...gotta go finish that dessert of mine!! It MIGHT..just might...turn out O.k!!!!

Humidity...

Spring in Massachusetts is definetly creeping up on me. I shouldn't be surprized though....I am used to no official spring weather and just full force leap into summer 80's and high humidity!! So after a weekend of temperatures in the 30's...here we are...high 80's with humidity that gives my hair a product-free perm!! Love it!! NOT!! I mean...if I want curly frizzy hair, I can plan for that myself...don't need humidity to do it!! But I guess I must adhere to this weather and to the severe heat happening in my office. My boss apparently has a thing for sweaty staff...so he doesn't turn on the A/C until it's in the high 90's. Not only am I surrounded by windows...i have a sky light which causes my head to get really hot and I'm sweating all together profusely!! so...i told my boss...if he really wants us to..we'll wear shorts and tank tops...he doesn't have to keep us in an oven all day!!!
My boss is something else...i tell you.....while doing a cancer screening on a patient, he decided to pop some 79 year old woman's zit..and then..show me and her the black head of the zit. REALLY??!!! I didn't know that's part of my job description....
Other than that....I am anxiously waiting the start of the final game between Montreal and Boston and I'm going to wear my Canadian T-shirt and cheer my boys on!!! And then...get ready for an awesome anniversary weekend filled with heat...blooming flowers...maybe a trip to Boston and definetly a Matt Dusk concert!!! I am super psyched!!!!

The Holy Week...

I am sitting here, completely dissapointed that I live in the land that "trusts in God" and today, on Good Friday, I have yet to hear something or someone mention the REAL meaning of Easter. I am so distgusted at the sight of this secular intruder...the bunny...that it's making me sick to my stomach. Although this celebration has caught me off guard for many reasons, the REAL CELEBRATION is no surprize to me. I am humbled and speachless by the abundance of God's love for me that He chose to let His son die for my sins so that I would live eternally...ETERNALLY....with God...and Jesus in His kingdom. Really?! Me?! Have eternal life...ME?? A sinner.....dirtier than the worse garbage dump....ME? Eternal life...it's uncomprehendable but I will embrace my salvation and embrace my Saviour.
I love you Jesus and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifice. Please do not let me ever forget this!
CHRIST IS RISEN!!!!

Perfect mornings...

not that i just had one or anything...I just realized lately that I am in love with mornings. I am in love with the light in the morning, I am in love with the morning quietness (which is very different than the evening quietness), i am in love with the birds singing their heads off, I am in love with breakfast food, coffee..and of course, I am in love with seeing my husband's face first thing in the morning!!! Therefor i will make a point to get up early enough to enjoy about 4 hours of the morning atmosphere, even on days when I don't work!!!

Let's see...since last time I wrote...my hairdryer is working good (not GREAT...but good!). I got all mad at the post office people because they sent me back my letter after I put a 89 cent stamp on it and told me it needed 61...and I made a big deal about it on FB...and now, just between us, it was my fault because I put an 89 cent CANADIAN stamp (thinking that it's a us stamp going to canada...which I thought would be ok...but NOOOOOOO...I brought canadian stamps w/ me and started using them!!)....SOOOO...they were right, but US post office is still messed up big time. ANYWAYS....

Sunday is Palm Sunday...WHERE DID THE TIME GO?? I am not ready for Easter...I miss having an Easter program to get ready for at church. I miss our old church all together...I miss us back then...Marius and I were looking at old pictures from youth back in Kitchener...waaaaaaaay back in the mid to late 90's. Everyone was so young and childish and FUN....people lost their fun on the way...what's up with that?! Those were the days of friday night youth and then hanging out after until the wee hours of the morning....saturday all day practice with band and choir and then soccer after....Sunday all day church and evening soccer at Bechtel park after afteroon service...with Fr. Pasui acting as the main goalie...he was funny..he was actually pretty good!!!! I miss how we all got along so well...there were no competitions.....no kids...no husbands...no JOBS....just school to worry about. But then I remember how we used to talk and say how we cannot wait to get married and move on with life and finish school and get jobs and now....well....we all got married...some have kids...MOST have jobs!! As long as everyone is still close to our Lord and praising Him through their lives....I AM HAPPY!!!

ok...my morning is over, my coffee is cold...and I need to cook!!!!!!! Enjoy my pictures....Marius and I sure did!!!!!

Requiem for not one...but two hair dryers!!

As everyone that reads this blog knows (because the only people that read this blog are people who know me well!!!)...my hair is my treasure. And in order for me to make my treasure look good, I need a good hair dryer. So my whole life (and i mean my life since I discovered my hair as a treasure!!!) I owned 3 hair dryers. My first one...nice and blue, a Conair that worked miracles (that was the blue one!!) When I got married, I left that one at home for my father to use (I know, you WOULD think i would say mom.....but no, DAD!!!!)....and I bought myself another Conair...a black one, with blue buttons......and THAT was my favorite by far!! THEN...I realized that this new one doesn't have a diffuser, and now, I needed one because my husband told me he liked my curly hair!!! SOOOOOOOOO...I got a new one with a diffuser (a Revlon this time! which i cannot find a picture of!!). ANYWAYS...let me get to my point!!

So....my sweet adorable better half, goes to England, I give him my favorite hair dryer (because it's smaller!!) and he comes back....with a fried hair dryer (apparently he was missing a piece of the UK converter that we thought he didn't need!!!!). So...I say good bye to my favorite hair dryer and take it to the garbage (it was hard!). But...thank God, we still had the Revlon w/ the diffuser...so we're good. But wait....a week later, he comes out of the bathroom, with wet hair (which he never does!) and tells me that our newly widowed hair dryer, has also died. PANIC...I mean, you guys know me and you know M...he is just as obsessed about his hair as I am.

Mission on: FIND A NEW FAMILY HAIR DRYER that has all the qualities we are looking for. Mission accomplished!!! When I came home with it...I find out that the reason it looked so familiar is because it's the same hair dryer my dad bought recently (no wonder why it felt good in my hands...because i've used it all of last year!!!). So...we are now the proud owners of another Conair hair dryer with a button you push that retracts the cord...it's awesome!!!!!...and now I have to go wash my hair and make it look like a movie star!!!

Divine Baroque....

M and I always come to the same conclusion...no matter how we turn the subject around: Baroque music is THE BEST!! This past weekend we had the privilege of attending an amazing concert held at Yale University performed by the Bach Collegium of Japan conducted by Masaaki Suzuki. It was an uplifting experience which none of us will forget....and it was amusing at times to watch both M & Eric be so absorbed by the music that I bet if there was a fire alarm and the ensemble continued with their performance and everyone else ran out, they would be the only 2 still in their seats, completely oblivious to the danger around them. The sad part was that this concert was held as a fundraiser for the relief efforts in Japan for the earthquake and tsunami devastation. It was touching to watch the performers and thinking which of them were home during that time, which of them have family or friends affected by either the earthquake, the tsunami or both...or even how many of them lost dear ones in the devastation. You could definetly feel their pain both in their singing and in their playing. Nevertheless, it was amazing to be part of that performance. It was a great way to prepare for Lent/Easter and Bach is for sure the right person for that job!!!
If you ever feel the need for some uplifting music, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cAUSRB-FpY
Wishing you a blessed week ahead!!!

The bond that gets stronger with time...

A few weeks ago I got the chance to spend a whole week with my lovely mother. While Marius was away doing HIS thing in the land of Royalty, I spent a lovely week keeping my mom company (and having her keep me company too!!). I always loved spending time with my parents...so every time I get a chance to be with them, I definetly take full advantage of it (especially now with the distance between us). The more time I spend with her, the more I pray to God that he give me a quarter of her faith and of her dedication to her family. She's always been there for me and Marius...she's always been there for my dad...and she's always been there for their friends. Everyone calls her to ask her to pray for their needs...as if they all know that when she does it, she does it with all her heart...and it's as if everyone thinks that God will really listen to her (which I see more and more each day that He sure does!). I am so blessed to have her in my life and I am so blessed to know that in every single prayer, my name is being spoken to God by her...and that gives me peace and assurance. The week was not free of crazy mother/daughter arguments...but I guess that's the way we communicate....she still thinks I'm the crazy 5 year old with curly curly hair and a contagious laugh...and I always make it a point to tell her that I'm a married woman with a household now...HAHAHAHAHA...I can only imagine what goes on in her head when I say that...because she knows me and she knows that I haven't matured one bit!!! But a mother's love is unconditional...and I feel that more and more each day.
Besides that, things in MA are "blooming".....SPRING is here and as we celebrate the beauty of it, we are also hit at times with an unexpected snow storms...but I guess that's the same in life; we sometimes get all excited about renewal in our lives, but at times have to put up a few "storms"...but those too shall pass!!!
I hope everyone is having a great time...enjoying life to the fullest...and give your mamas a call and tell them you love them!!!!!

My monthly update...

...it seems that's what my blog has turned into!! Unfortunately, I've always been the kind of person who would rather listen to other people's life stories then discuss my own. Even in conversations with people, I always find myself listening to their lives and always just answering "just fine" when asked how I'm doing. I always wondered why that was...
Anways...February has been a rollercoaster and March is turning out to be worse...but I keep going forth, I keep loving, I keep trusting, I keep the faith, I keep my sanity....It's not easy, even though I keep telling myself each day that it is, but in days like these I find myself asking if I'm lying to myself, or if really...I am "just fine".
The days are getting longer....the sun is setting now and it's really blinding me, but I find myself rejuvenated by that...as if the rays are embracing me, telling me that it's going to BE fine. I always wonder how people with no faith go through dark times in their lives...how do you go on when things don't really go the way you would like them to, even somewhere deep inside you don't believe that God has EVERYTHING in control, including your pathetic problems which in the bigger scheme of things, really....are peanuts. Whenever I get gloomy with the state of my life (paraphrasing from one of my favorite movies), I find myself turning on the news and realizing how blessed I really am, even in the midst of my pain...others are suffering even more...and I find myself being grateful for my life. And so...I pick my chin up, I play w/ my newly purple hair, I write a blog that my friends will read and realize that I am very blessed to be a child of God!!!

You know you haven't blogged in a while when...

....totally forgot my log in!!! Really?! Come on...my life IS interesting enough to write every day if need be. So why the procrastination?! I mean...really...I know ONE person reads them because she just reminded me that she is sick of seeing the same blog about New England snow...and since I do not want to lose my clientele...or readers...or followers..or whatever they're called...I had to keep my promise and update this lonely blog of mine.
So...maybe I do have an excuse. This weekend was supposed to be my catch-up time for this...but friday I was immobile. Woke up (literally on the wrong side of the bed) with a huge muscle spasm (no comments please...). So all day, I learned the movements that use a certain back muscle (a certains serratus posterior or Latissimus dorsi...ok ok...I HAD to google those!!). But literally...you do not realize how many movements you make in a day (ie. grab a coffee mug and mix your coffee) depend on THAT one particular muscle. But by the end of the evening and after many ibuprofens...I started feeling better...but still not good enough to go bowling (as our friends suggested...I mean...I cannot go bowling when I am NOT at my best!!).
So...now as I sit and watch the worse show ever...THE BACHELOR...but I am addicted. As per my agreement w/ my BFFAM, I have to count how many times the word "journey" is mentioned on this show...literally...waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many times.
So...today is Valentine's day. No excitement yet...I still have to see my husband today and it's almost 9pm. But I already had my dose of chocolate for the entire year....got a surprize card from my BFFAM (thanks...really...you totally surprized me!!) and now I am starving and waiting for the groceries that my husband bought today and took them to school with him ('cause yeah...that's where they belong!!!). Anyways...I'll just stick with Feta Cheese and juice...hahahahahahahahaha...
Happy Valentine's day my lovely followers...and spring is coming...weather in New England today...mild, in the upper 40's..so no snow...FOR NOW!!

New England snow...

Now...I am sitting here trying to understand why everyone says Canadians live in the land where it always snows and the sun never shines and we never get to wear shorts and tank tops and flip flops and go to the beach?! Why?! Have they never visited New England?! I mean...it's only the 3rd week in Jan and we already had 6 snow days....SIX people....that's more snow days than I HAVE EVER HAD IN CANADA. So I know we're close to the north pole...but the amount of snow this area gets is beyond ridiculous...we're already 30 inches above Massachusett's record...30 inches...and winter only greeted us recently and it's looking like it wants to stick around for a while.
Beside the snow and all the snow days I've been having (which have been super awesome if only for the fact that I didn't have to drive to work 2 hours each day!!)...life is pretty amazing. I am on the road to new beginnings (and no..I am not pregnant!!)....God is blessing us beyond anything we would have ever thought possible. I feel so humbled every time I look at all the blessings God brings to my life. And to think that He blesses us and expects NOTHING in return...NOTHING...and yet so many people do not accept that.
As I sit here...half past 1 in the morning...waiting for the Nadal match to start in Australia, I realize how far Australia really is...I mean...when is this game starting?! 4AM??!!!! Oh well...maybe if I moved to California I could watch the Australian open w/out having to OD on coffee at 9pm!!!
I gotta go work on my british accent...DON'T ASK!!!

Watch the pills your husband gives you....

So...yesterday I felt like the guys in the Hangover!! Let's recap starting at 9:30 pm the night of the storm. After watching the snow fall for over 17 hours straight...we had the opportunity to go outside and clean my car. Here is the attack plan for that:
1) While in your PJ, place boots on and tuck your pants in; place hat, gloves and scarf on and then your biggest and warmest jacket.
2) Go outside and realize you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too overdressed because it really is warm outside.
3) Locate the car that needs to be cleaned...
4) Go around the entire parking lot in order to access a somewhat clean path to get to your car...
5) Wet the bottom of your PJ's by getting snow in your boots
6) Start cleaning the snow off your car...using both hands due to the amount of snow there
7) Give up half way through due to lack of accessability to the front of the car.
And that was our failed attempt to clean off my car prior to the next morning when I knew I didn't want to wake up at 6am and clean it.
Forward to next morning...M had to dig my car out of the pile of snow that was there PLUS the snow that the plow threw on the back of my car (don't you guys love them for ALWAYS doing that!!). So...without a shovel, my sweet husband used a dust pan to clean around my car. And he managed...and I was so grateful for him doing that for me.
Forward again to that afternoon, when, once I get home, I feel really sick and asked him to give me two Advil's. So, the sweetheart that he is, he gave me the 2 Advil's, made me a tea and tucked me in on the couch. Later than night, a few friends came over and we were watching DEAL or NO DEAL...and I couldn't keep my eyes open and fell asleep on the couch (embaressing!!...it wasn't even 10:30). So I excused myself, went to bed and don't even remember how I got myself in my PJ and in bed. The next day, I woke up and took 2 more Advil's and I realized that the pills I'm taking are different than the ones M gave me. So...I start investigating what pills he gave me. So I find that he actually gave me the Advil Cold and Sinus PLUS....which (again...like the Benadryl) has a warning about causing drowsiness. THANKS HONEY...if you wanted to get rid of me and hang out w/ your friends alone, you could have just said so w/out giving me pills to put me to sleep.

TIME TO GET BACK ON...

I get so mad at myself for procrastinating. I mean...I am pretty dedicated to everything I do, but this blog, just seems to get the best of my procrastination...actuAlly...ALL OF IT!!! So..I have been inspired by my BSFAM (if anyone gets that...thums up!!) who with two adorable kids makes time to write on her blog and put a smile on my face every single time I read it. And if not for anything else...I will update this for her (and me!!!!).
So let's re-cap my first week in January: Jan. 1st started with a rash on my neck (probably from some food I ate at the New Year's Eve party!!)/Jan 2nd is a bit of a blur due to the Benadryl I was on (I guess "do not operated heavy machinery while on these meds" really does apply!!)...but I think most of the day Marius just drove us back home from Canada/Jan 3rd...oh..Jan 3rd...1st day of work...1st day of a CRAAAAAAAZY work week/..let's just jump to Jan 7, 8 and 9....THE WEEKEND!! Well..considering that sometimes on Jan 4th my rash moved from my neck to other body parts (not to be mentioned here!!)...my weekend was again spent on Benadryl, but this time I did not snooze the entire time. College sports are amazing...M and I attended a hockey game and a b-ball game at UMass...AWESOME!! Church was AMAZING!!! I love our little church on camus!! Ok..that takes me to...I have to check my schedule...Jan. 10...that was ok...Jan 11th: yay...they're announcing a big snow storm, everyone is freaking out and cancelling their appts....therefor and in conclusion....SNOW DAY tomorrow!!! So...as of right now, my better half and I are planning on a day of "clatite", coffee and just hanging!!!! Probably a movie or two..or three...or maybe four knowing us!!!
So...since it seems EVERYONE is having a snow day tomrrow...i hope you all have a peaceful relaxing day......enjoy some catching up w/ your families!!!!

PS: enjoy a picture of us during the Holiday season....just being ourselves...me posing and Marius complaining mom is taking more pictures!!!!