Somehow, it’s already September.

Which means summer is practically over. And my wedding is in 9 days.

What. The. Hell?

So how about I fill you in on my summer, and then you can fill me in on yours. Cause I miss you guys.

So let’s start with the job stuff- I started my new job in June and I really like it. It’s really close to home, and I work mostly daylight. I work a few evening shifts here  & there but I don’t mind usually. I’m pretty lucky too when it comes to weekends. I only work every once in a while on a weekend and usually it’s just one day. Unfortunately this weekend I am working both days. Boo. The only thing that kind of bums me out about my job is I’m considered a stand-by employee. What that means is I’m not full time, or even part time. I don’t get any benefits, and my hours aren’t guaranteed. And while my boss is really awesome about giving me as many hours as possible (36-40 hrs a week), it’s always in the back of my mind that something might happen. So far, so good though and I hope it stays that way.

And then there’s the house stuff-We closed on our first house June 14th, and moved in the following weekend. Being a new homeowner has had several ups and downs and it’s only been a few months. We didn’t have a fridge the first week and a half we lived here because Best Buy proved once again what an incompetent company they are. The other appliances that were installed by our builder were wrong, but were quickly replaced with the right ones the next day. And then that one week when it was really hot? Yeah, our brand new air conditioner broke. And we found out the ventilation system in our second floor was installed backwards. I had a bout of gardening, but the heatwave killed all my plants. We have wild turkeys wandering around, and I’m convinced they’re planning an attack on us. But despite all the issues, having our own space is great. It’s nice having a big townhouse that you only have to share with one other person. Our neighbors are all very nice too. We’re still getting settled in though, so there’s still a few unpacked boxes and unfinished rooms. I’ve been bad about taking pictures, but hopefully after the honeymoon we’ll get everything unpacked and put away.

Speaking of the honeymoon-I still can’t believe in a little over a week I’ll be married. We’re going to Canada (Toronto & Montreal to be exact) for our honeymoon and I can’t wait to just relax. This wedding planning business has really been testing my patience and my sanity. On the other hand, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself once it’s over. I’ve been in wedding planning mode for over a year now, I’ll probably go through wedding withdrawal. Do they have drugs for that?

I did other typical summer things like spending the day at Kennywood, and lounging by my aunt’s pool. And of course reading.. but when do I ever stop reading?

So now that I’ve caught you all up on my summer, fill me in on yours! I’ve been terrible about reading blogs lately, but I’m making an effort to bring it back into my routine. Did I miss anything especially exciting or unusual?

Two years ago today I began dating my wonderful husband-t0-be.

A year and 9 months ago we fled the country together. (Okay, Niagara Falls)

A year and a half ago I move 450 miles from Pittsburgh to Chicago to be with him.

A year and 3(ish) months ago we helped his parents pack up their house and move to Florida.

A year ago he asked me to marry him.

And a week later we went to Florida for vacation

Just a few months ago we had our 15 minutes of fame when the Redeye featured us in an article.

For the third year in a row, I rang in the new year with him. (I still count the first year even if it was over the phone. We counted down in BOTH timezones-it totally counts)

Last week at work he sent me 2 dozen roses and a half a dozen of calla lilies.

And in the past 24 hours he’s treated me to Avatar 3D in IMAX, dinner at the Melting Pot, a night at the Trump Tower, and an afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium.

Tell me I am not the luckiest woman alive.

It’s been a whirlwind 2 years, but it’s been so worth every second.

**I totally snagged this from Jenn, I hope she doesn’t mind!**

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Started planning my wedding. Other than that, 2009 has been a relatively unexciting year. I didn’t move, or change jobs, or go on any awesome vacations. Sadface.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I made a laundry list of resolutions last year, and probably ended up keeping less than a quarter of them. This year I decided to go with the flow. If I don’t make a list, then I can’t be disappointed in myself for not accomplishing them. I have enough on my plate in 2010 with buying a house, finding a new job, and getting married. I really just want the upcoming year to be as happy and stress free as possible.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A lot of acquaintances have, it’s crazy. It seems like everyone spent the better part of 2009 reproducing!! But recently my friend Blagica gave birth to her first child, Liljana, a few weeks earlier than expected.
4. Did anyone close to you die? *knock on wood* my family has been very blessed and lucky this year.
5. What countries did you visit? Sadly, none. I’m hoping to change that in 2010. *cough chris take me to europe for our honeymoon cough*
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A little extra money would be nice. Some vacation time for traveling as well.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory and why? The Nintendo Enthusiast dinner at BlogHer. Such an amazing night.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Paying off most of my debt. Such a relief.
9. What was your biggest failure? Definitely failing to even come close to my weight loss goal.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully I’ve been really healthy.
11. What was the best thing you bought? A TV for our bedroom. Now we don’t have to fight over the TV in the living room!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All of my amazing friends. And of course, my fiancé.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ugh, my grandfather. Old age sucks.
14. Where did most of your money go? Paying off my credit card, books.
15. What did you really, really, really get excited about? BlogHer, planning my wedding, seeing my family at Thanksgiving.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Any Lady Gaga song.
17. Compared to this time last year are you:
Happier? I’d say about the same.
Thinner? Definitely not.
Richer? A little bit.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I spent more time at the gym, saved more money, spent more time with my family.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stress out over things I can’t control.
20. How did you spend Christmas? With my fiancé. Even though he’s so sweet, it still couldn’t make me forget about the fact that I missed being with my family.
21. How will you be spending new years? In my PJs. Like most nights. What of it?
22. Did you fall in love in 2009? No because I was already in love. But not falling out of it is a total win.
23. How many one-night stands? None. Random question?
24. What was your favorite TV program? Bones, Psych and Monk.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? There’s people that I’m no longer friends with, but I wouldn’t say I hate them.
26. What was the best book you read? Oh god, I don’t think I can pick just one, I read so many fantastic books this year. The Thirteenth Tale was a really good one. I’m currently reading The Pillars of the Earth which would definitely get my vote for the best book, but I doubt I’ll finish 500 pages in the next couple of hours.
27. What was your biggest musical discovery? Cobra Starship. I can thank Thomas for introducing me.
28. What did you want and you got? My wedding dress!
29. What did you want and not get? Moving back to Pittsburgh (next year!)
30. What was your favorite film of this year? It’s a tie between The Hangover and (500) Days of Summer
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn? I turned 24 and I spent it traveling to and from The Printed Blog tweet up. God I despise the Blue Line.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being engaged to a wonderful person.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Mostly comfortable, but when I did dress up my style has gotten much more feminine.
34. What kept you sane? My mom, friends, the fiancé, and of course blogging.
35. Which celebrity did you fancy the most? ugh, who cares. Yes some of them are cute, but I’m not 12.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? The bailouts, healthcare reform.
37. Who did you miss? My family.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Gosh, so many amazing people. This year I made some of the most amazing friends. It was a good year for friendship.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: Have a little faith.
40. Quote or Song Lyric that sums up your year: I’m lame; I can’t think of a good one

Image c/o Positively Present.

In addition to planning a wedding, Chris and I decided it would be best for us (and our future family*) to move back to Pittsburgh to be closer to my family. We’re planning on the big move to happen around May when our lease is up, but depending on job opportunities it could happen sooner. If we move back in May, that gives us about 6 months to find (and buy) a house.

Our next trip back to Pittsburgh is for Thanksgiving so we’re planning on looking at some properties while we’re there. One in particular sparked my interest:

(all images snagged from Pittsburgh Moves since I haven’t been there yet to take my own)

It’s a 3 bedroom 2 full bathroom/2 half bathroom townhouse minutes away from my parents and about 12 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will still be for sale by the time we make a trip back to Pittsburgh so we can at least look at it.

I know nothing about purchasing a house, so I’ll have my dad in tow to help me out. The whole process seems overwhelming and scary. It’s not like renting an apartment; it’s a serious investment and you can’t just move out if you decide you don’t like the place anymore or your neighbors suck.

Any advice for a first time buyer? Any tips would be helpful!

*don’t get your panties all bunched up-plans for a family are still a few years off. So relax, I’m not jumping on the pregnancy wagon yet.

Meet miss Freyja!

A few weeks ago, Chris & I found a lost kitten in our trash room. Well, it turned out to belong to one of our neighbors, who claimed the kitten had gotten loose without them realizing it. Chris and I were sad to see the kitten go, so it set some wheels turning in our heads. I definitely wanted another cat since Chris had basically stolen Cady from me.

About a week or so had passed and after much nagging from me, we decided to head to PAWS to see what our options were. I immediately fell for “Steph”, a 6 month old black kitten. Chris had his heart set on Sparkle, a 10 week old gray tabby. The problem with Sparkle was that she was painfully shy. She had just been brought in to the shelter, but she didn’t want to be held or petted or played with. Steph on the other hand was very outgoing and social. It was too late in the day to start the adoption process, so Chris and I went home to sleep on it. We returned the next day no closer to a decision. We decided to adopt Lara, an all gray long haired kitten who was Sparkle’s sister. We were all but ready to sign the papers and I was having an anxiety attack. Something didn’t feel right. I was literally freaking out in the adoption counseling room. I knew in my heart that Steph was the cat we were supposed to have, and finally Chris gave in. I’m sure the Adoption Counselor thought I was insane. We left with Steph in tow. The second we got her home and took her out of the cat carrier, she started purring.

After 3 days, her name was decided based on a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors (Chris didn’t want to name her Bellatrix Lestrange. Hater). I lost, so we named her Freyja (pronounced Fray-ah). It’s Nordic for “lady”–Perfect for the new little lady!

She is pretty much a purr machine and very snuggly. and TINY! She weighs about 4.5 lbs. My other kitties are tolerating her well. I wouldn’t exactly call them BFFs or anything though. She is crazy though, and loves running across the keyboard. Maybe she aspires to being a blogger too?



** I posted some updates over at the wedding blog, particularly pertaining to the attire of the wedding party. Let me know your thoughts! (I’m apologizing in advance, I have wedding on the brain and the countdown is down to 10 MONTHS)

*** Be on the lookout later in the week/weekend for a giveaway too!!

Dear Blog:

Please don’t feel abandoned, I promise I still love you. To be honest, I’m just tired. I promise to shower you with love and attention the rest of the week.

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Dear Life:

Whoa… Slow down!!! Like really, is summer seriously almost over? Am I really doing my Pre-Cana class on Saturday already? And I just realized I’ll be in Pittsburgh in less than 2 weeks- meeting with the (prospective) photographer, a trip to the family jeweler, and I get to try on my dress for the first time. MY. ACTUAL. DRESS. Let’s just take a weekend and chill in PJ’s. Deal??

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Dear Cat:

Thank you for tearing open the bag of cat food on the counter, FATTY. Also, gorging yourself so much that you throw up all over the bag was a nice touch. You are totally beating me in the sloth department, so congratulations. Good thing I have my awesome fiancé to clean it up for me.

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Dear Fiancé:

Thank you for cleaning up the cat puke, even though you left her food out and you know she can’t contain herself. You pretty much deserved to clean it up. But thanks anyway. And thanks for trying to make breakfast for dinner but burnt the bacon. It’s the thought that counts.

Just because I’m in one of those moods:

• plain M&M’s. I can’t resist their chocolately goodness! and they’re just a simple pleasure by nature.
• kittens. technically any baby animal, but I squeal with delight when I see a kitten. seriously, it’s kind of embarrassing. ask chris.
• a good nap. double points if it’s on a rainy day. triple points if I never have to get out of bed all day.
• a good cry. As a girl, sometimes you just need one.
• Bonfires. Living in the city makes me realize how much I miss them.
• Long pointless car rides with friends. Not really having a destination, just enjoying the journey. Another thing I miss since moving to Chicago.
• Hugs. Seriously-who wants one?
• all of my friends, but especially these two girls.
• the baristas at my Starbucks because they know my drink order by heart.
• The aroma that fills your house when you are cooking/baking something
• Staying in to read a good book in PJ’s instead of going out and doing something.
• the moment I realized things will never go back to the way they were, and realizing I’m finally okay with that.

So…What are you loving? What makes you feel better on those days?