May 2009 – anywhere is….

Month: May 2009

Just Thinking (Pictures, Long)

24 May 2009 / friends, pictures, ronni

2 Mountain Dews + 1 Afternoon Nap + 1 Life Dilemma = Night Owl Ronni In Full Effect.

Although I’ve been doing some thinking, and I’m coming to peace with the life dilemma. Now I just have to wait it out. That part will be hard.

Ordered my mom a Molly American Girl doll. She told me how she always wanted one, and always wanted to get ME one. She doesn’t have to get me one now (although I’d LOVE it if she did), but I did want to get HER one. I ordered it Friday night. Not sure when it will get there because of the holiday and all.

Lilacs are growing in the neighborhood. They smell amazing.

It’s 3am and there are people outside running up and down the street and screaming.

Here’s a few pictures of Jess. These do a bit more justice to her. I wish I was better with a camera, though when it comes to photographing the dolls.

I cleaned today. I mean yesterday. Cleaned my room and the bathroom. Both look much better now.

Crookshanks is sleeping on the other end of the couch. He’s sort of snoring. It’s cute. Today, he managed to get on the cabinet above the stove. Once he got up there, he had this look on his face like “Oh crap. How do I get down?” Adam and I were laughing, and Crookshanks’s expression changed to “What are you laughing at? This is not a laughing matter. How the hell am I supposed to get down?”

He made it down, though.

Jeff and Deborah came over for a cookout. They brought steaks and ribs. Jeff had marinated the ribs and they tasted amazing. I haven’t had ribs in years. Mmmm. Meat.

Seeing those two is always a treat. Deborah is a total sweetheart and we get along so well. I really hope we can all see each other more often this summer. I wish I could see ALL my friends more often. Getting around Chicago can be a pain when all your friends live way north. *sigh* The train takes forever, and driving is a nightmare! But some things are worth the hassle.

Hung out with Becky last weekend. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was good, and the cheesecake was yummy. Becky time is always good.

Thank goodness for this 3-day weekend. I need it. Then next week, Rebecca will be released! I plan to be at the store when it opens, and meeting up with some other AG Collectors. It should be a lot of fun. And the week after that, some friends will be in town and want to do lunch. Then a con. Then Aidan comes. Busy busy. I hope I get time to rest in all that. AND clean Aidan’s room. Because for some reason, even though I NEVER go in there, that room keeps getting very messy. I don’t get it. Adam must be doing stuff in there.

I never did announce my Disney blog. Oops. It’s here. I pretty much only talk about Disney and dolls these days (Aidan if not those two things), so I started the Disney blog to jabber on about my upcoming trip and stuff like that. Maybe I should do something like that with my dolls, too. Just so I won’t bore poor Adam talking about them all the time. He says that he loves seeing me so happy when I play with them or even just look at them, but come on. He’s a typical guy. Typical guys don’t dig dolls. Although he is very supportive of people playing with toys, no matter what their age!

Sarah Dessen posted her tour dates. She and Laurie Halse Anderson will be TOGETHER at Anderson’s Bookshop either July 11 or 12 (I have to confirm with someone, I am seeing differing dates on different websites). I AM SO GOING. I’ve met Laurie before, and she is simply amazing and awesome. I’ve been dreaming of meeting Sarah for a long time, and I HAVE MY CHANCE. !!!!!!!!! So yes, I am definitely going to make it to that event one way or another, I don’t care what it takes. I mean, it’s SARAH DESSEN, you guys. I will probably faint when I see her, or cry, or something else equally embarrassing. I remember when I met Meg Cabot, how nervous I was. But I am so excited. Not only is Anderson’s one of the best indie bookstores EVER, but two of my favorite authors will be there, AT THE SAME TIME. It’s too much!

We went to the Illinois Young Authors Conference with Adam last weekend. It is so awesome to see how the kids respond to Adam. He’s wonderful with them. A good speaker, inspiring, and realistic. Plus, meeting authors, getting out of Chicago for a night is always good for me. Normal, IL reminds me a lot of Columbus, OH.

I was sick last weekend until Tuesday. Monday was the worst of it, though. My sinuses hurt SO bad I could barely keep my eyes open. Once that part broke, though, I was on my way to being normal again. Being sick stinks.

That’s all for now. Shall I think that my eyelids are ACTUALLY starting to grow heavy? Dare I hope? Oh well. Even if they aren’t, I’m signing off for now anyway. Ciao.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Things

17 May 2009 / reflection, ronni

Things I Miss:
– Seeing Aidan every day
– My mommy
– My love of, passion for, and dedication to actually writing stories/books
– The Ohio State Fair
– BBQ Fritos
– Columbus Public Libraries
– Living walking distance from the library
– Whetstone Park of Roses
– Having my own house
– Traveling and taking loads of pictures of new places
– My friends in Columbus
– My friends all over the U.S. who I’ve had the chance to visit or host in my home
– The 97.9 WNCI Morning Zoo
– Cherry pies from McDonald’s
– Marc’s
– Not being nervous about driving
– Not being scared of screwing up and being fired every day
– Certain former friends
– Friday night Scattergories
– Friday nights with “the gang” in 2005
– Going to a chiropractor

Things I Do Not Miss:
– Crazy neighbor from across the hall
– Drama
– That I-270 merge
– Worrying about money
– Not seeing Adam every day

Things I Like About My Life:
– Being married to Adam
– Work (on good days)
– Proofreading for Loyola for the 2nd year
– Walking around downtown on a nice spring or summer day
– My American Girl dolls
– Living a 15 minute bus ride from American Girl Place Chicago
– Getting to do cool things like play on the RENT set or hang out and watch a movie being filmed
– Riding the El
– Randomly seeing celebrities or on-the-verge celebrities
– Living close to Millennium Park
– My friends
– Spaghetti
– Looking forward to another Disney World trip
– Christmas in Chicago

Things I Could Do Without In My Life
– The water hammering in the pipes that happens almost every time someone takes a shower
– Feeling like if I don’t make it here, I’m a failure and won’t make it anywhere
– 10.25% sales tax (13.25% on pop). Need I say more?
– The weight I’ve gained since moving here
– Being worried that Helena is going to pee in a naughty place

That’s all for now. I am sleepy. Good night!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Hopped Up! (Pictures)

14 May 2009 / aidan, pictures

I don’t know why I have the urge to update now that I’ve been hopped up on cold medicine and should be trying to sleep. My body is tired and the drugs are telling me to go to bed, but my mind is kind of moving, so yeah.

If this entry doesn’t make sense, blame it on CVS brand nighttime sleep medicine.

– So, I’ve become obsessed with American Girl dolls. It’s so weird because my mom and I agree that I definitely was not deprived of dolls when I was a little girl–I had plenty and I still have most of my Barbie dolls, actually–so what is it about THESE dolls that’s making me go crazy?

I suppose it’s because I’ve wanted one for years and now that I am in a position to get one (or more), I’m doing so. It helps that Adam is pretty supportive of me (although he did tell me I needed to slow down!), and he likes that I’m so happy with them. Sometimes, I just look at them and smile. And yes, I do play with them. Mostly I comb their hair and change their clothes. And photograph them. OH yes. I enjoy taking pictures of them.

I just got Jess, who is the 2006 Girl of the Year.

(I will take a better picture very soon; this one doesn’t do her justice)

I plan to get Rebecca, the new historical who is coming out on May 31st. THEN I should try to stop buying dolls (except the one I plan to get my mommy) because I want to enjoy the ones I have. Not that I don’t, because I do, but you know what I mean. I think. *shifty eyes*

– Aidan came up for Mother’s Day. I had a great time with him. He has lost his first tooth, and a second one is loose. But here is the kicker. There are already two permanent teeth growing in! There’s no room yet!

Friday, he arrived. I had to get up really early, so I was pretty dead at work that day. Saturday, it was raining and icky, so I declared it Pajama Day, and we stayed in our pajamas and watched DVDs, played games, and played with the dolls. We also took a nice nap together. It was a good day. Sunday, we went downtown. I love taking him to FAO Schwartz.

And of course, we went to the American Girl store. I didn’t buy a doll, but Aidan and I had a great time looking at the displays and things. I love that he plays dolls with me. I know one day he probably won’t. He is truly amazing.

And such a good artist!!! Here is his drawing of all my dolls:

He is prolific, too. Adam took down the “Corner of Mystery” and changed it to “Aidan’s Art Museum.” We have tons of drawings by him up. He’s really good, and he’ll draw for hours. He’s always been pretty good. I’ll have to scan and post more pictures of his work.

The first time he left to get on the plane, there were tears from both of us and almost Adam, too. But this time, he was as cheerful as could be. When he doesn’t cry, I am less likely to cry. He’ll be back in 37 days, and this time it’ll be for the summer!

– Only 94 days until Disney World.

– I’m happy with the winner of America’s Next Top Model. I would have been happy with either of them this season, to be honest.

– I have discovered Feist. And she is good.

– Work is OK. Today I was on my own for most of the day and it was cool. I was pleasantly busy, which I like. Not overwhelmed, but not bored. Looks like I might be in this weekend. I escaped working last weekend which was great because I got to be with Aidan. But I may not be so lucky this weekend.

Which is kind of a bummer because I caught Aidan’s cold. So I’m feeling kind of under the weather, but at least it’s not terrible or anything. Nothing rest and fluids shouldn’t be able to take care of. This is the first time I’ve been sick in months.

This is how I knew I was under the weather. Usually at work, I am FREEZING. I wear layers and layers and I just shiver. Well, the past two days, I’ve been hot. I attributed that to the fact that I was wearing a sweater, but I’ve had on sweaters in the past and still froze my butt off. I was actually working in a tank top and bare feet at one point today I was so hot (after hours, of course). This is quite abnormal for me, and a clear indication that something is off. But again, everything’s fairly mild except for the mysterious being hot all of a sudden (which is a welcome change from being cold all the time, let me tell you), and my nose CONSTANTLY running!

Hmm, what else? See, I thought I had a lot to say and I really don’t. Oh, I rode to work in a school bus this morning. Really. This isn’t the cold medicine talking.

But I should go lie down anyway. I leave you with this picture of me waiting for the bus one Sunday morning before work.

Good night.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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Mayday! MAYDAY! (Picture)

1 May 2009 / aidan, life, pictures, work

Holy banana, it’s May! The first part of April went so slowly, until Aidan got here. Then it sped by. Now, it’s already MAY. Which means only one week until Aidan’s here for Mother’s Day weekend! He lost his first tooth last week, and another is loose.

Chicago weather doesn’t seem to know which direction it wants to go. Some days, it’s nice, in the low 70s, but then it goes to the 40s or 50s and hovers around there. One day last week, there was a 30 degree temperature drop within an hour’s time. Insane!

Work hasn’t been too crazy, but things are supposed to ramp up like mad next week. I did end up working last Sunday and will have to work this coming Sunday as well. This past week, I just have not really been feeling myself. Burned out and tired is how I’ve been feeling. Kind of listless and blah. But tomorrow, I will go and get my hair done and even a manicure (the salon said they had a special because I booked over the phone–$15 manicures!), and hopefully feel relaxed and pampered enough to go into another… well, it’ll be at least a six-day work week. (I really need a 90 minute full body massage, but I don’t know when I’ll have time for such things, with my unpredictable work schedule.)

Aidan flies in on Friday morning to spend Mother’s Day weekend with me. That’s a YAY. I’m excited to see him. The BOO is that he’ll probably be spending a lot of next weekend with me at my office. We had a really crazy pitch in March, and the one coming up this week is supposed to be about three times the size. So… that means I’m going to be exhausted for a couple weeks there. Should have nice paychecks, though.

Which is always a good thing, right?

So, I haven’t posted for a few weeks. In those few weeks, I got a new messenger bag. It’s pretty big, but it’s pink and grey and it’s not canvas which is good because it’s definitely rainy season around here. I got two more American Girl dolls (and I promise, this is it for new dolls for a while!) and some clothes for them. This brings my total to five, which is a nice round number. I doubt I get any more. That’s not to say that same for little adorable doll outfits and clothes. I also got Riley’s ears pierced, and the piercing came with a box of 6 pairs of earrings for her to wear. Adam thought I’d want to get all the other dolls’ ears pierced too, but I don’t think so.

Some people buy old dolls that need a lot of help and customize them. I think that would be a lot of fun. I’d make a Hannah Montana one. Haha. Anyway, here are ALL my girls:

Riley, Marisol, Molly, Kit, Ruthie
(None of them are in their original outfits, or what is known in the AG community as their “Meet” outfits.)

Today, I got to help a bit on the set of At Last, Okemah. I had a small part in the movie, but I had to drop out because of work being so crazy and unpredictable. Today was my first visit to one of the filming locations. I worked the clapboard. That means I had to hold it up in front of the camera and say “Scene 14, Shot 35, Series” or things of that sort. It was cool, but it made me nervous! I was told I did a good job, though.

I’m sitting here listening to music on my computer and singing along with some of the songs. Every time I start singing, Crookshanks, who is curled up against me, looks up at me and starts purring. I guess he doesn’t think my voice is all that terrible.

I’ve read two books recently. SUCKS TO BE ME by Kimberly Pauley, and PURE by Terra Elan McVoy. Getting ready to start on SLEEPAWAY GIRLS by Jen Calonita, which I got for free from a tweet from Book Divas! YAY for free books, right? I also picked up some books at Borders last weekend. There were a bunch of $3.99 ones all over the place. I grabbed a couple that sounded interesting: THE TEN BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE and THE SLEEPING BEAUTY PROPOSAL. They’re *gasp* adult books! But back into familiar territory, I need to get hold of Elizabeth Scott’s newest one because I love her writing.

Today, I got out of work early, and Adam picked me up. On our way back to the apartment, the car ran over a BAD pothole/railroad track. This nasty knocking sound came. We pulled over and couldn’t see anything. Fortunately, our car fixer-upper was really close, so we drove there and walked home. After an hour, Adam walked over. The tracks or something had knocked some stuff out of alignment and flattened the tires and bent some rims–it was not pretty. The guy told Adam a fix up like that would normally be $500, but since we live in the neighborhood, it was only $40. Now, I’m pretty sure it really wasn’t a $500 fix up, but it’s cool that it was only $40. And apparently, if we whine enough to the city, they’ll reimburse us for the costs. Not sure if Adam will pursue that, though.

Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be 62? and sunny, so my outing should be really nice. It’s also likely to be the last day I get to enjoy any warm spring weather for a while! But there are pros to working some of those late nights:

– They buy dinner.
– I don’t have to take the bus home; the company springs for a cab.
– I can wear my slippers and track suits or running pants.
– The money!!!!!!

And that, my friends, is about all. My brain is now fried. Good night.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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