Thanksgiving Memories....

ok, so it's a little in the reverse order. but enjoy!! and read below for the whole story.=)
as always....i'm thankful for all of you!!

Oh BOY am I Thankful!!!

Hey all!
first off, i would like to extend a VERY belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I hope everyone was with family or good friends and that you were all able to stuff your faces with good food. =)
now to get down to MY world....seeing as most of you are half a nation away, and the life up there is VASTLY (and that's in a good way) different from down here.
for example.....my thanksgiving was spent in Houston, where the whole weekend it was in the 70's and sunny! we actually spent the night after thanksgiving in the Syversen's hot tub. with wine. and good music, games and friends. and then we roasted marshmallows over a fire. i mean, really.....can you get any better than that? "I submit that it CANNOT!"

but i'm getting ahead of myself. allow me to backtrack.

Wednesday was a crazy day, with us trying to leave right after Sean's class at 6pm. it was also Meghan's birthday(HAPPY 23rd, O old one!) so i sneaked in a cake to take down with us(unbeknownst to her, and which no one really ate once we got there) and we picked up dinner and were on the highway by 7pm. Luckily for us, it was a straight shot down I-45 S, so we didn't get lost. *phew!* so, la-de-da....down the highway we roamed. we had to sidetrack a little to pick up John Fox from the airport, and it was soo good to see him again!! i didn't realize how much i actually missed him!

*a moment for everyone to appreciate John Fox's awesomeness*

anywho, so by the time we got to the Syversens' house it was around midnight. and then we had so much talking to do that we didn't get to bed until around 2:30 or 3am. and God bless them, the Syversens got up to go to 9AM Mass the next day (as was their tradition)....and we all slept in. it was funny because i had every intention of going to Mass with them, but my body quickly smacked some sense into me. i didn't wake up until 11am. which was early compared to everyone else.

Thanksgiving Day: the actual day was amazing. Dagny did most of the cooking because her mom had to take care of a cousin(whatever, long story). so i helped her make pies and mash potatoes and it was SOOOOO nice!!!! we had such a good time, just hanging out and talking over the food. believe me....there is NO better way to catch up.=) anywho, we ended up eating around 4:30/5pm and it was amazing. i wish you could have heard Brigid and Meghan and Sean. they were all so not used to real cooking that they were limitless in their praises. then came Scrabble and dessert. all in all.....a very amazing day!
the rest of the weekend was incredible too....it was one of those awesomely relaxing weekends that just kept getting better instead of slowing down. and on Saturday night after Mass(because we were leaving Sunday morning) Meghan and I went to visit my Aunt Celine and Uncle Mark and the rest of the kids went to the movies. it was by far the BEST weekend down here. (it might've passed even our girl's night!) anywho....my picture uploader is being really stupid so you guys will just have to wait. or check Facebook. whichever you prefer!

So...I've Been Thinking....

i know....quite the shocker, huh? but i have, so here ya go.

1). in spite of all the advances i've made(and we all know they've been "SOOOOO" many [insert sarcastic eye roll here]) i've found that there is still a very DAUNTING amount for me to learn.
2). i've been watching ALOT of movies and tv....i think i need to read more, any suggestions?
3). i never knew i could miss my family so much.
4). i am SO thankful that i'm Catholic and actually have traditions.
5). i wish i had taken more advantage of my dad when i had the chance.
6). good chats with friends are HIGHLY overrated too much and shouldn't be at all.
7). the shame of this Saturday's game is unbearable at times....especially with no kindred spirit to lean on.
8). has it already been 6 MONTHS since i graduated? wow.....tempus really does fugit.
9). go here: http://www.endofworld.net/ . it is a bit crass, but HYSTERICAL.
10). i think i think too much at times. and then not enough at times. *sigh* is there ever a medium that i can agree on with myself?

ok. i'm done. and way too emotional to be awake still. so good night.

"I like them FRESH."- Nov. 4th weekend

haha. i laugh just looking at the title. :-) anywho, you're all probably wondering why. well, i'll tell you and yes, you can consider this "special information". =)
Friday: friday was good. and i mean chillaxin-to-the-max good. probably the best good i've had in TX. (mind you, OK is not TX). anywho, it was all on account of a certain wittle bear who needed to celebrate a certain wonderful special birthday. so we did. oh boy, did we.
i picked up the girls(Meggie and Bwiggy) and we headed to downtown Dallas to the *POSH*(or at least, POSH-by-our-standards) Magnolia Hotel. since we had only gotten one room, megs and brigid went in first while i drove around. once they were settled in they called me and we got valet(!) service. oh man.....the luxury. at any rate....we snuck(or is it sneaked?) me inside and enjoyed our room for a few minutes and then set out to find some food. sidetracked in our search by the AWESOME plaza area, we took a break and shot some photos. gorgeous of course.
i had seen a bar and grill close by, so we walked over to it only to find out it was CLOSED. at 8PM ON A FRIDAY!!! who does that??!?!?!? needless to say....angry, frustrated, cold and annoyed we walked a little further on and discovered a quaint italian place. it was so charming! and the prices were right, so in we walked. i only wish the whole world could experience our waiter, Michael. he was definitely an enigma. as in a completely fascinating and hilarious riddle. he was just too.....him. you'll just have to go there when you come visit me. ;-) anywho, Michael was NOTHING compared to our crazy, Albanian owner guy. please see above. i think he was just VERY Albanian, which might include being intoxicated, or Albanian AND intoxicated. at any rate, he was very nice(poor Brigid, he kept touching her shoulder and crossing all of the brigid-boundaries) and gave her a free dessert. as you can see though.....both girls were a little more than uncomfortable. ;-)
after dinner we walked back to our hotel and then put on our bathrobes---and here i must digress to explain the title. our room was only for two people so to explain the need for 3 robes, Meghan told room service that she needed another one because she "likes them fresh". HAHA. oh my gosh, when i heard that she actually said that to them i just about died laughing. anywho, on to the rest of the story--- and proceeded to the sauna/workout room. now, we were kinda forced to use the sauna because our original plan was to relax in their hot tub. but alas....it closed at the stupid hour of 10pm. i mean, seriously....who does that? but whatever, the exercise room was fun and the sauna can only be explained as below:
Meghan and Brigid: "Mona, come on in!"
Mona: "ummm....guys, i'm a little claustrophobic"
*tries anyways* 30 seconds later....
Mona: *rushes out* "Ok, i can't breathe....i can't breathe." -tries to breathe deeply-
Meghan and Brigid: "oh c'mon....you get used to it if you'd only stay a little longer."
Mona: *big breathe* "ok, i'll try it for a little longer."
Inside the sauna...
Mona: *panting* "ummm...guys? i still can't breathe and i'm really hot and slightly hysterical because i can't see the door." -rushes out-
Mona: "ok.....i'm done."
Meghan and Brigid: -coming out- "ok....we're done too."

i seriously went in and out of that sauna about 4 or 5 times trying to give it a try. *sigh* sometimes people should just listen to me when i say i'm claustrophobic. that's the whole idea of phobias......they are NOT rational by any means, so there's no use trying to reason with someone who has one. nonetheless....the experience was fun overall.

anywho, it was fun and then we went back to our room and watched part of "Sin City".
*note to readers : DO NOT EVER, EVER watch that movie. there is NOTHING good about it and it's really ridiculously gross. and i mean RIDICULOUSLY grotesque. sick, actually. anywho, after we decided that it wasn't indeed EVER going to get better, we turned it off and i was so desperate to rid my mind of those images that i bought a movie from the hotel services and we watched "Step Up".....a much better movie in my opinion. and then we drifted off to sleep. hotel beds are nice. but not nearly as nice when you have disturbing images STILL dancing through your head. i dunno. ccchhh. whatever.
anywho.....the next morning we went down in our pajamas and bathrobes(heck YES we were gonna get ALL the wear outta those things!) and enjoyed our continental breakfast by the fire. *long and deep sigh*.....why doesn't EVERY hotel offer a warm fire? i mean, C'MON! they would probably double their guests in a heartbeat! it was glorious. and i mean glorious in a snuggle-into-your-robe-with-your-hot-coffee-and-muffins-in-front-of-a-fire glorious. alas......all good things must come to an end. and so we went out with a bang! woah....calm down. i didn't mean literally....we had valeted(can that be used in verb form?) our car the night before, so we had to wait in the sitting room or whatever you call it for the valet to drive our car up to the door! it was so.....POSH. i think we all drove away feeling like a million dollars and feeling like we had been there a week! by far one of the best weekends down here.
oh....and P.S. .......: Sorry this is SO overdue!!! Mea Culpa.

A Request; An Answer; Reprimanded?

Dear "blue view" readers.... *insert princess wave*
Alas. if only it were so. Today finds me more of a Cinderella back at her workplace after the ball, than a Princess. *sigh* life's funny quirks. To stop beating around the bush....here's the scoop: this past wednesday thru sunday were amazing.

no, i'm serious.....AMAZING.

first, on wednesday, my dear friend Marissa Mayo(whom i haven't really hung out with in 2 years!!) flew into Dallas. she arrived around 9pm, which promptly became 4AM before either of us were in bed. totally worth it, btw. anywho, then on thursday night, my darling friend Catherine Graveline(whom i couldn't do without) flew in and we spent yet another late night catching up. AGGHHH!!!! the catastrophe of graduating college and moving on with your life is that there is just SO MUCH to catch up on when you DO actually get to see your friends! you go from telling them all the minute details of your humdrum daily routine to overall big events that have formed your life thus far. not cool.....not cool. but necessary, unfortunately. however, i digress.
The whole reason that both girls flew in was for miss Katherine Bugos, now Fugikawa, 's wedding!!! we drove up early friday morning and picked up Jacob and Mary Blanchard on the way. WHAT A DAY! we arrived in Oklahoma(and yes, the winds really do SWEEP down the plains) at Bugos' house just in time to catch the end of the Greased Hog contest. i have no idea, so don't ask. we stayed there for a little while, while also meeting up with even more Ave people, old and new. or should i say MI and FL? whatever....

anywho, from there we progressed to our hotel where we were all pleasantly surprised that it was ALOT nicer than we were anticipating. and now i can truly boast that i stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. *hehe* then it was time for the bridal party and family to go to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner while us non-bridal guests did whatever we wanted. i think i napped.;-P
Friday evening was the girls-only, "intimate apparel" party. and that's all i'm gonna say about that one. another late night and then it was the BIG DAY!!! the cool thing was that the wedding ceremony wasn't until 7pm, so we had literally all day to chill and get ready in a very relaxed way. i did Katherine's nails and ended up doing 4 of the 6 bridesmaids' hair. which turned out very nicely if i do say so myself. everyone thought i should go into cosmotology....who knows? it might just happen....i really do have so much fun doing hair. alas...i digress yet again.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful and everyone just looked lovely and sooo happy! and i had an amazing new dress which, can make any event more fun!(see facebook.com for pictures) the wedding was small but it didn't seem small because the majority of people there were Ave-ites. just like old times. the DJ was very good, quite possibly one of the best i've seen at weddings. the reception ended at midnight and we then took the party to the hotel conference room(it was more like a small party room) and ended there somewhere around 2:30 or 3am. when all's said and done i had more wine than i've ever had, followed by about 3 mixed drinks and my body was so thoroughly exhausted from dancing and the previous sleep-little nights that i didn't even make it into my bed. our room had a couch where i collapsed and didn't wake up until early the next morning just in time to get my stuff together, say hurried goodbyes, brush my teeth and take off. needless to say, my liver was screaming at me because i had forgotten to drink water before i collapsed. not a good idea. but at any rate....it was amazing. i got to see so many faces that i haven't seen in 2 or 3 years! it was just like a mini my-class reunion....*sigh*..... fantabulous.

anywho, that's not where the story ends. it is, rather, just the beginning....

the real story was when i woke up this morning(Tuesday) and was reprimanded. oh the shame. not that it was my fault in particular....but nonetheless...i was ashamed.
Wednesday day, before Marissa came in, Ruthie(the lady i take care of) wanted to change the dining room tablecloth and put on a nice asian runner for our guests. so we did. well, yesterday morning(monday) Ruthie choked a little on her cereal and ended up spitting it out. all over her runner. which, i was informed today, cost them $1,000 and is pure silk imported from Asia, directly. oops? yeah. i felt so... little. i mean, i couldn't know that she would choke and spit out her food(she's rarely choked that much), but i should have had the sense to move the runner out of her eating area. dyoi! i'm so oblivious. then they have these non-stick pots and pans that can't be stacked upon each other and guess who stacked them without knowing that? yessir....that would be yours truly. so at this point i am feeling VERY humbled and a little worse for the wear...when he stops. *phew!* boy, was i glad to have that over with! i mean, he wasn't blaming me, but he was just letting me know for future reference. i, with my oversensitive guilt complex, just felt really bad. anywho, the request was from Emily Herbel for an Update....the answer is above, and now you have the Reprimand. my time is finished.
in other news.....life is good. although i could always use some prayers. and pray for Megs and Brigid too because this week is their hardest week in their Junior Poets class and they're pretty much going crazy.
and to all of you who have my cell number.....feel free to call!!! i usually have lots of down time and would LOVE to hear what's going on with you! i miss you all dearly and can't wait to see you again! with much love....i'm outtie!

Picture Fest

My Mom andBrothers....
The divas...
my goofy niece...
tooo much '80s i'd say....
it's called the princess wave, people.

WOTD: Propaedeutic

hello all!
the Word Of The Day: propaedeutic • \proh-pih-DOO-tik\ • noun : preparatory study or instruction.
i thought this was SO suitable seeing as my job is a propaedeutic to marriage and raising kids. "How?" one might ask....well, i spend my days catering to the whims(and they most often are whims) of a woman. don't get me wrong....i absolutely LOVE my job and what i do. it's just that i was thinking about it and, because of circumstances being what they are, Ruthie has become alot more childlike in her needs, thus putting me as her caregiver into role of mother.
Not that i mind.
However, it has given me so much more respect and admiration for the role of mothers. Readers: you need to call your mother right after you read this and thank her for all that she has done. i mean, just think about it good and hard.....what exactly has your mother given up, gone out of her way for you?
this past week has been a doozie. it never rains, but pours.
how true.
On Monday, Charles messed up his knee(or rather, his knee is messed up from something that happened 40 years ago in the military). at any rate, it started acting up again. On Tuesday, it was Charles' and Ruth's 36th wedding anniversary(WHOOHOOO!!) and Charles' knee was worse. which ended up making me the chauffeur for the evening. and it's not that it was awkward or anything....i had just woken up that morning with a sore throat and just frankly didn't want to go out to dinner with them. now, here comes the mother part: i did anyways because they needed me to, and i knew how much Ruthie wanted to go. and let me tell you.....sacrifice is HARD, dang it! but it ended up being fun and they really appreciated it, so i guess it was worth it. well, Wednesday my sore throat had turned into a full-fledged cold, and today, Thursday, Charles went and had an MRI done on his knee and my regular cold turned into a head cold. and so i leave you with one question:
If you HAD to pick one or the other....which would you choose: runny or stuffy nose?

my AMAZINGLY ADORABLE neice...Evelyn.

my ridiculously goodlooking neice, Evelyn, and nephew, Josh. what more can i say? good genes must run in the family. :-)





enough said? i think so. she's a keeper, i think. :-) that last one is quite possibly my absolute FAVORITE.

"You Were Bought With A Price..."

So.....thanks to Brigid who is hot and awesome, i now recieve the daily reading, psalm, and gospel by email. it's called The Daily Gospel and it's awesome!!! you should all get it. i highly recommend it. anywho, it also has a commentary by a saint on either the readings or the gospel and today's commentary was by St. Thomas Aquinas. (apparently he actually said something worthwhile) :-) anywho....it struck me alot so i'm now passing it on to you! Enjoy:

- Saint Paul said: “May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Gal 6:14) See, says Saint Augustine, where the wise according to the world believed he had found shame, the apostle Paul discovered a treasure; what to the other seemed folly, for him became wisdom (1 Cor 1:17f.) and a title of glory.
For each person draws glory from what makes him great in his own eyes. If he believes that he is a great person because he is wealthy, he glories in his goods. The person who sees greatness for himself only in Jesus Christ, places his glory in Jesus alone. That is the case for the apostle Paul: “The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me.” (Gal 2:20) Also, he glories only in Christ, and above all in the cross of Christ. That is because all the motives for glory that a person might have are gathered together in the cross.
There are people who glory in the friendship of the great and powerful. Paul needed only the cross of Christ to discover there the most obvious sign of God’s friendship. “It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) No, there is nothing that shows better God’s love for us than the death of Christ. Saint Gregory exclaimed: “Oh inestimable testimony of love! In order to redeem the slave, you handed over the Son.”

WOW, huh? talk about food for thought.

She did it!!!

ok everyone.....BIG NEWS: Ruthie got into her bed by herself!!! i know to many that doesn't seem like a big deal, but when your whole right half of your body doesn't work....than it takes ALOT to heave it into bed. we've only been going to therapy at this new place for about a month now, so this is HUGE. i am SO geeked. it's such a good feeling to know that one's hard work is really paying off. and she got so excited!!! it was adorable. by the way.....Ruthie is the lady i take care of, down here in Texas(just in case you forgot and were wondering who the heck i was talking about). ok, that's all for now.......i'll post more later today i promise!!! ciao!