anywhere is…. – Page 94 – my scramblings & ramblings

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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Whut Up! (Pictures, Long)

19 April 2009 / aidan, living in chicago, pictures

Spring has (sorta) sprung in Chicago!

It was AWESOME having Aidan here for his Spring Break! He is such an awesome, cute kid. I love cuddling him and playing with him and talking with him and making him giggle. Easter morning was adorable. He was up at SEVEN THIRTY in the morning! He walked past his Easter stuff three times before I finally heard him gasp and ask “He came??” Adam brought him to have lunch with me at work almost every day Aidan was in town, and Aidan was a hit with my co-workers. The ice cream was a hit with Aidan.

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in Chicago, so he and I made a day of it downtown.

Aidan in the neighborhood before we headed downtown.

We went to Macy’s on State Street, which used to be Marshall Fields. Lovely Karen at the Philosophy counter told us to head to FAO Schwartz. I was originally taking Aidan to see the giant stuffed animals, but instead, they were having all sorts of fun activities, including balloon animals, live insects to play with (I held a millipede. They are so cool!), and paper flowers.

After we hung out on State Street, Aidan and I hopped on the Red Line, got off at Chicago, had “linner” at McDonald’s, and then walked to the American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue. He actually had a lot of fun in the store! He pretended to share his Push Pop with all the dolls and he LOVED the Itty Bitty Babies. He’s going to be a great daddy someday.

Anyway, someone came home with us from AGP yesterday:

Aidan made a tiny heart for Molly’s locket, and now she wears it all the time. She and the other girls got along very well. Molly couldn’t wait to join Ruthie and Riley for a slumber party:

I adore Ruthie’s hairstyle.

Usually, when I buy something that’s expensive, I experience buyer’s remorse. But I haven’t felt it at all with my new girls. I guess wanting them for 15-20 years erases the remorse in advance.

Speaking of things that are not cheap, telling Aidan about Disney was entertaining. There was a letter from Mickey addressed to Aidan that said:

Dear Aidan,
I have heard that you have been a very good boy. You’ve been cleaning your room, doing well in school, and sharing your toys with your friends.

Your mommy wants to do something very special for you because you are a very special little boy.

Guess where you’re going this summer!!!!!

See you real soon!
Mickey Mouse

Aidan read the letter aloud, stumbling over a few of the bigger words. Then, this conversation ensued:

Aidan: I’m going to Florida?
Me: Yup. And what’s in Florida? Where does Mickey Mouse live?
Aidan: DISNEY WORLD!
Me: Yes! I’m taking you to Disney World this summer!”
*cat wanders by*
Aidan (distractedly): Disney World….
*cat sits*
Aidan: Can I pet the cat?
Me: … well, that was anti-climactic.

However, the more we talk about it, the more excited he gets. He says a YES for It’s A Small World, the carousel and Dumbo for sure, a strong MAYBE for Big Thunder Mountain, and a resounding NO on Tower of Terror.

Hmm, what else did I have to report? I’ve been on the lookout for a new messenger bag. My favorite one–I left a thing of McDonald’s BBQ sauce in the side pocket and of course it exploded. I wonder if I could take it the cleaners? It was time to switch to a spring bag anyway, but I’m having a hard time finding the perfect messenger bag. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe I’ll check eBags. I’d like a pink one (or one with a funky pattern) that’s not too big, but has many compartments.

I guess that’s all for now. Will try to update more often, but you’ll understand why blogging was the least of my concerns the past ten days. Aidan’s back in Columbus until May 8th, when he’ll spend Mother’s Day weekend with me. When an Unaccompanied Minor flies, the parent has to wait at the gate until the plane is in the air. After doing that, then dealing with the CTA on the way home, Aidan was in Columbus before Adam and I had made it back to our apartment. Tell me that’s not crazy! I got out of the train station (was underground so no signal until I re-emerged) and there was a bunch of texts from Chris and a voice mail from Aidan: “I wanded. Daddy has me. Bye-byeee!”

Till next time!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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What a Week! (Pictures, Long)

4 April 2009 / aidan, disney world, friends, life, living in chicago, pictures

Lots have gone on since I’ve last updated. I’ll try to make it simple for simplicity’s sake. This post is long!

· Riley has a friend! I went online looking at AG dolls just to see what was out there, and to decide which one I would eventually purchase. Well, last Sunday, I was Googling QVC and American Girl and came up with a random lucky link. Ruthie, one of the dolls I was considering, was being sold with her accessories, a book, a hair brush, and an extra pair of pajamas for $76. Whoa? The doll and paperback book is $95 when purchased through regular channels. All that extra stuff with the doll? You’re looking at about $160 right there. Factoring in shipping and tax, she came to $86. I couldn’t pass her up. (I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to stumble upon this link–it is not searchable at QVC.com.)

She arrived yesterday (4 days before she was scheduled to!) and she and Riley took to each other right away!

· This morning, my friend Kari, who I’ve known online for years now, flew into Chicago to visit with some old college chums. This morning, we all met up for brunch at Le Peep. I had the Belgian Waffle Combo like I always do when I go.

Of course, Kari and I took some pix!

· Earlier this week, Joey and Rory were at my work singing for us and chatting with us. Joey’s voice is so amazing and unbelievably beautiful. She makes it sound easy and effortless. They’re both very nice and I wish them the best tomorrow at the ACM Awards!!

· Today, I got to see RENT!!! They’re in Chicago until April 12, and Adam and I popped into a matinee. We were in the orchestra seats, row W, which was pretty good. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal were amazing as Mark and Roger, and Justin Johnson was absolutely STUNNING as Angel. Lexi Lawson was amazing as Mimi. Actually, they all did a wonderful job and this production was OFF THE HOOK. I was smiling and clapping while tears were streaming down my cheeks.

Afterward, Adam and I met up with one of the stage hands and we waited in line while a few of the cast members came out. I got my picture with John Watson, who plays Mr. Jefferson and other roles, and Adam Haplin, who plays Gordon other little roles.

After all of THAT excitement, I got to pretend I was Mimi when the theatre was almost empty:

What a rush, let me tell you! I’m no Lexi Lawson or Rosario Dawson or Daphne Rubin-Vega, but it was fun anyway.

· I booked another Disney trip!!! Disney is offering Free Dining starting in August, and it took me about 20 minutes to decide to think about SERIOUSLY taking Aidan. He’s at the perfect age and I really want to do this for him. I got a quote from Mouse Fan Travel instead of going directly through the Disney site this time. Why have I never done this before? My agent, Suzy, is awesome. This place allowed me to hold a spot for three days while I waited to hear back about getting the time off work. Then once I put down the deposit, she told me the day my ADR window will open, and said she’ll make them for me! If a special deal comes up, this agency will apply the savings proactively. No fees, so hidden little leprechauns to catch me by unpleasant surprise. So, Aidan, Adam and I are going in August for a few days. We’re staying at Pop Century. I like the theming at the place. So cool. It won’t be a terribly long trip, and it’ll be crowded and hot, but the food will be free and we’ll make the best of it. We’ll be at DISNEY WORLD!

Naturally I am very excited. Aidan doesn’t know yet. I’d been debating on how and when to tell him. Some people tell me to wait until just a few weeks or days before. Others tell me not to tell him until we get there–but Aidan is way too bright to fall for that one. Someone else asked me why not tell him when he’s here in a few days? That way he can help me plan! We’ll do some sort of countdown, some activities, and just get ourselves totally worked up. So, I think I’ll tell him when he is here… but I’m not sure how yet. He’s really into guessing games lately, so I think I’m going to go that route. Should be awesome.

OK, I think that’s all from this week. My first week of April has been crazy! But crazy in an amazing, I am very grateful and extremely blessed way. ♥ I am truly happy, and so excited for Thursday evening!!!!

Until next time!

—————-
Now playing: Perry Farrell – Going All the Way (Into the Twilight)
via FoxyTunes

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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