Slow It Down Sister

Remember when I blogged regularly? Me either. 

Here are some highlights.

August 26th and 27th

My lovely cousin and her husband made a quick trip to the Jersey/NYC area! We spent Saturday walking around the city, buying things we didn't need, and taking super short cab rides! Nothing beats quality time with Layna!
We got ourselves cleaned up to hit the town, which started with an AWESOME dinner at Good Restaurant. Seriously, they ain't kiddin with the name. I pretended to hang with the cool kids for the rest of the night. Major fun times!

Adorbs.

Two things that I learned...no matter how cute the new wedges look, do not wear them in NYC! And I'm not 22 anymore. Lordy, I was tired for days and my heel is just now healing.

August 28th

Brother's Birthday (subject of last post)

Timothy Gordon Perry, 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, celebrated a milestone ... 200,000 miles! WHAT?! I'm so proud of him I could pee.

I was very excited! And thankful that this happened at a stoplight.

 

August 29th, 30th, and 31st

Crazy busy days at work, honestly I can't even remember what happened.

September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

TU Played their first football game of the year, and lost. I was not a happy lady.

We made some major progress on our new apartment, seriously it's livable now! WHAT?!

Bought some cheapo furniture at WalMart for the office and nearly killed each other putting it together.

We had grand plans to make our own kitchen island/prep table. After computing the price of the wood we jumped in the car and headed to IKEA for the $99 alternative. It was a decision made 80% by money and 20% by laziness.

Word of advice, do not go to IKEA if you have recently spent $60 on crappy furniture at WalMart, you will become crazy angry.

September 4th

Work and Packing for my business trip to California

September 5th and 6th

I've always wondered what it would be like to have a driver. I believe that it would be an awkward situation. I was picked up by a car service for my flight out of JFK. The gentleman was perfectly nice, not a bad drive either, but he went on a 30 minute rant about how different races of people drive. Um, he wasn't totally wrong in his observations, but I don't know that this is a great convo to have with someone you literally just met.

 



Some fairly awesome looking Mountains during the flight.



I made it to the airport safely, but as I was getting ready to board the plane I learned that my precious Grandma Lou had been taken to the hospital. I only received minimal details before being locked in an aircraft with no WiFi for nearly 6 hours. Painful. When I finally landed I learned that she was doing MUCH better and she has since been released to go home. I love that lady more than words.

I had a quick work meeting during a late dinner and promptly crashed in my super comfortable King sized bed.



Not a bad view from my hotel room, right?

Due to the 3 hour time difference I had a minor panic attack around 6:00am. So, I got up and took my time getting ready. Meetings at 9:30am and 11:00am and we were done! Yes, my flight time was longer than my meeting time. Insanity.

To kill time before our flight we drove around the LA area. I'm not going to pass total judgement on the section of the US, but I think I'll stick to the Midwest and East Coast.


This is famous isn't it? I took this from the car.

 While I was waiting at the airport I couldn't get a hold of my husband, one freak out later we got in contact just has he locked himself out of the apartment...with our dog...without a shirt. He went into full MacGyver mode and somehow got back in, I boarded the plane next to the loudest mouth breather to ever walk planet earth, and I was back in Queens 50 minutes ahead of schedule.


September 7th

I arrived at JFK early and the car service was late. Neato. Since it was rush hour we took the long way...the outside edge of Brooklyn. Just 2 short hours later I was home and so tired I couldn't see straight.

After my awesome nap and shower I began packing for our trip DTS (down the shore!). Kenny took a 1/2 day at work so we could get out of town before everyone else. We packed, loaded up the car, and headed to Petsmart to drop Miss Sophie Jean off a the hotel, she was less than thrilled.

As I walked out of Petsmart the Monte Carlo's engine shut off...and wouldn't start again. We tried a number of things but it was obviously not going to be a quick fix. AAA to the rescue! The car was towed back to our block and we loaded everything into Gordy (1999 Grand Prix) for the drive down.

A wrong turn, a pit stop, and an encounter with the Ocean City PD later - we had arrived!

September 8th and 9th

We spent all day Saturday lounging around, but we weren't able to spend much time on the beach due to the extreme wind! It felt a sand storm. It was a great couple of days just relaxing, walking, playing skee ball, etc. Sunday included a yummy breakfast and shopping on the boardwalk! I highly recomend Ocean City for some good clean family fun! Thanks to the In Law Family for fun times!

TU managed a win on Saturday too, GO TU! 


For some reason this is the only picture I took with my phone - more to come later!

As we neared home I realized that the small bumps on my forehead were probably more than a breakout. *drumroll* Poison SOMETHING! still not sure if it's Ivy, Oak, or that one that starts with an S that I always mispronounce. It's itchy and that's all I know. 


September 10th 

And now...a moment of silence for our fallen friend...2002 Monte Carlo - aka The Count...



I swear he looked better in person, photos aren't the husbands strong suit.


I received a call around 1:00pm, while I was on my way to Urgent Care because the above mentioned Poison Something was spreading, to confirm my worst fears. The car was beyond repair.

We had some options - drop a new engine in for around $4,000, but the Transmission doesn't look too hot and it would need work fairly soon. We could buy a salvaged motor and hope for the best, but that just sounds like a bunch of problems.

So, we opted to bite the bullet and get a new ride. Not exactly how I planned to spend my Monday evening. We picked something reasonable and affordable, with growth possibilities and resale value...

Allow me to introduce you Raymond Alan Vaughn - our NEW (slightly used) 2010 RAV 4!



Isn't he cute?

He weighs in at a light 8,000 miles with a tiny 4 banger. As a girl that has ALWAYS owned GM and they have ALWAYS been a 6 of some sort...this was a bit of a change for me. I am happy to say that he is doing quite well and fitting in nicely.

September 11th

The Beta Epislon Chapter of Kappa Delta turned 75 years old! Amazing! I'm proud to be the 1,029th member of such a wonderful local sisterhood. Nationwide, heck ... Worldwide!... the ladies of KD do great and wonderful things. AOT!

from thishouseishome.net - many great memories inside those walls!

It's amazing to me how this day, like April 19th, always puts things into perspective. Life can change in an instant.

We went for a run in Liberty State Park around 8:00pm. There were a number of people there walking, running, taking photos, or just taking in the views. It was nice. The view going south was lit by Lady Liberty and the return run was illuminated by the glow of two bight blue lights. This picture does it zero justice.



You can barley see the lights, but they were oh so bright.



September 12th and 13th

Things seem to be slowing down a bit for us. *knock on wood* We have a somewhat lazy weekend planned and I can't wait!!


And I apologize for the lack of formatting in this post. I officially hate blogspot. However I didn't feel like retyping this entire thing in hopes that it would hold a consistent justification. Thanks for making things 'easy'. jerkfaces.