it's a marshmallow world

completers unite!!

2009-03-27T21:40:00.002-05:00

after my eyes cleared up from reading the words over at the RT, i decided to make a little button for all you completers. you did it! and thanks, mike. maybe next year we'll have a bufblopofo reunion at the new digs.

last year

2009-03-26T13:57:00.003-05:00

so this was last year.

Updates:
alex's hair looks just about the same!
dave, mike and michele still like giving the middle finger.
alex still looks good in a guinness hat.
Mike now wears those little boob hats under his shirt.
Irish ketchup is the tastiest.

kim is so pregnant! annie is not!
we still make sarah sit at the far end of the table.
yes, i still have a crush on alex, apparently.
i still love peeps (but only the yellow ones, please, people).
jess and sarah are still smiling :)

maeve has graduated from putting buckets on he head.
john has not! (i don't know what that means.)

double duty

2009-03-25T21:03:00.005-05:00

my best parenting advice:

bottle brushes are AWESOME for washing wine glasses.

can't talk now.

2009-03-24T20:57:00.002-05:00

Watching Lost.

ha!

2009-03-23T22:23:00.002-05:00

Addie is my hero.

best. birthday. EVER.

2009-03-22T21:19:00.003-05:00

hey ya'll. so Joelle over there at A Beautiful Life asked me what's the first thing i'll be doing at our new house. my answer is:

a) your kids are beautiful!
b) i cannot wait to TEAR UP RUGS. people of 1960 - if you had beautiful oak floors, why in God's name did you cover them up with orange shag?? i will never know, but i hope that those nasty rugs at least protected the floors over the years... we'll see. So yeah, tearing up the rugs, we will do on our own. Painting we can do, MINOR handiwork we can do, but anything beyond that, we will definitely have to enlist the help of some trained professionals.

in other news, it's my birthday today, and it has been awesome :)

J as in "Just that Cool"

2009-03-21T20:36:00.002-05:00

I probably met John Kreuzer during college, and it was probably at whatever Bacchus used to be, and I was probably wearing an Eclectic Co. t-shirt at the time. I. was. so. cool. Although I don't remember our actual first meeting, I'm sure it was lovely! John is a very talented improv artist, and from what I hear, has a pretty rockin' band, too. AND he has a wife! And kids! And a great goatee!

Ah well. John, I think you are a pretty cool dude. So my question is: Have your kids ever seen you on stage (improv or band) and if so, what do they think?!

block party

2009-03-20T13:46:00.003-05:00

it's no surprise that i've been a little distracted lately with all this moving nonsense. the girls must realize this, and have been forced to entertain themselves a bit more than usual. yesterday, this spurred a rousing game of "where the blocks go, mama?"

C2

2009-03-19T23:00:00.002-05:00

what, me backdate a post? never.

My freshman year of college I lived at home. My parents lived less than 1o min from campus, so it made a lot of sense. I soon realized, though, that all the cool kids were living on campus. I somehow convinced Mom and Dad to let me move, and thus C2 was born. Annie, The Veltz twins and I were the C2 girls, and although I have probably built up my memories in my head, it was beyond awesome. Our apartment was filled with cheesy posters (like the one of the shirtless man holding a baby... what was that?) and the sound of Broadway musicals. It was this dorky girls' DREAM. We loved having people over, and more than once had RA's hiding in our shower. Siete de Mayo? C'mon people - it doesn't get any better than that. I've called many places home, since then, and as we speak I'm packing again! Hopefully for the last time in a LOOONG time.

bloggity blog blog

2009-03-18T22:14:00.005-05:00

it's 11:29 pm - time for some gratuitous pictures of the girls.

nite nite

erin go brag

2009-03-17T20:49:00.002-05:00

things i am really freakin' good at:

1. tying a bow tie
2. eating cereal
3. framing pictures
4. finding deals at Marshalls and TJmaxx
5. buying strollers
6. laughing
7. making puffy paint t-shirts
8. making rice
9. loading the dishwasher
10. staying current on the quality programming on TLC and Bravo
11. painting stripes on a wall
12. giving babies faux hawks
13. picking out paint (with the exception of my mint-ting-a-ling dining room)
14. making stuffed peppers
15. Raving Rabbids for Wii

more marrow

2009-03-16T21:10:00.003-05:00

hey ya'll! mikey says today we have to teach something! if you have ever read this blog (i won't be offended if you haven't) you probably know that i am an oncology nurse. something i've blogged about it the past , and something i feel insanely strong about, is joining the bone marrow registry. if you've already joined, thank you! if you haven't, allow me to hop up on my little soap box and tell you how to do it.

1. Try to find a free donor drive. In most cities you can find a free drive every few months or so - to find a listing, go here and enter your zip.

2. If you can't find a free drive, you can join online anytime, but when you do it on your own it costs about 50 bucks. Yes. You have to PAY to agree to donate your bone marrow. I know it sounds ridiculous, but the truth is that a donor and recipient are matched on such an intricate level, that it actually costs quite a bit to process your sample. For that reason, please refer to #1, and try to find a drive that will actually cover the cost for you.

3. Pat yourself on the back. You deserve it. And then call me, and I will tell you how awesome you are.

A few FAQ's:

What's required of me to join?
You will have to fill out a short questionnaire about your medical background, and you will have to swab the inside of your cheek with a q-tip. That's it! No blood required.

What happens if I am a match?
One of two things: either you will be asked to donate some blood, and the stem cells from that blood will be transfused into the patient, or you will be asked to donate actual marrow. In that case, it's an outpatient procedure, but it would require a couple days of recovery at home. (Yes, if they need marrow, they will probably take it from your pelvis, using a long needle. I know, I KNOW. It sounds horrific and barbaric and why would anyone ever volunteer to do such a thing? Well, today an 11 year old boy went through it to save his 6 year old brother. So if he could do it, you sure has hell can do it.)

Why should I?
When I say you can save a life, I mean it in the most literal sense possible. I don't mean it as in "If you donate blood you can save a life" or "If you donate to such and such, you can save a life." I mean if you are a match, and the transplant is a success, YOU WILL HAVE 100% SAVED THE LIFE OF A PERSON THAT HAS RUN OUT OF OPTIONS.

In short, this is important to me. If you think it's something you can commit to, that's awesome. If it's not for you, I can respect that, too. Just give it some thought, and let me know if I can answer any questions. http://www.marrow.org/ has a ton of info as well. Thanks :)

Totally blogging.

2009-03-15T21:44:00.002-05:00

HI MY NAME IS LISA AND I LOVE PEEPS. LOOK AT ME! BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Okay, this isn’t actually Lisa, it’s her husband, Garvey. But I totally had you fooled, didn’t I?

The thing is, she works ten hundred thousand hours every day and has passed out next to me. In her defense, she would have posted herself, but I’ve been hogging the laptop to write my nonsense. So I’m giving her a pass on writing today’s post.

(She will actually hit the submit button, I’ll wake her up by saying “Lisa! I have a peep for you!” and then make her publish this post so legally she has blogged for bufblopofo purposes.)

As penance, I’m going to make her pick a topic for Day 4.

i'm blogging!

2009-03-14T20:16:00.002-05:00

i was all set to answer mike's question about my three big things, but then i read katie's blog and she mentioned it was pi day (3-14) and now that's all i can think about. sophomore year of high school at mt. st. mary academy, mrs. ellis, our math teacher, had given us an assignment for this day - it was pretty simple: give a presentation about pi. it could be anything - a poster, a paper, whatever. well, we had partners, and annie and i were working together. for whatever reason, we decided to write a song. and then perform it! complete with handouts for our class so they could follow along! annie, i hope you read this because i am really laughing to myself right now remembering this. this is what i remember:

(sung to the tune of "this is the song that never ends")

pi is the number that never ennnnnnds,
it just goes on and on my friendsssss.
it starts out - 3 point 14159 et-cet-era
and we'll continue singing this forever, just because
pi is the number that never ennnnnds...

HA! funny because it's pathetic. and funny because we probably got an A for something we made up in homeroom.

2008-12-18T17:34:00.006-05:00

Dear Adelaide,
YOU WIN! I didn't post anything on Maeve's first birthday. Or on your Daddy's birthday. But you're the cutest.
Love, Mama

little somethin' on your face, there...

2008-07-19T19:10:00.002-05:00

only bad mommies pre-date their blog posts

2008-07-08T14:04:00.002-05:00

My little Maevey-Moo is two years old. And I know everyone else has already posted her picture, but who doesn't need one more? Ok, well maybe you don't need one more, but I do. Because I don't need to add "you didn't blog for my birthday" to the list of her future therapy topics. And because she just makes me smile so much my face hurts.

no words

2008-06-01T17:06:00.003-05:00

please, if you have a few minutes to waste, watch these.* words escape me.

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno

*probably not suitable for work... or little children... or me, frankly.

Addie, do you see this elephant right here?

2008-05-12T20:17:00.000-05:00

well shux, thanks, AOL

2008-04-22T12:00:00.002-05:00

I'd write a caption...

2008-04-05T18:43:00.004-05:00

but my eyes are too teary to type!

Happy St. PatEasterBirthday!

2008-03-24T12:25:00.009-05:00

Needless to say, all three were awesome. St. Pats was filled with corned beef and popcorn at founding fathers, my birthday was filled with lots of quality time with my family and friends and a nasty lovely waitress, and Easter was filled with ham. Lots and lots of ham. All in all, it was a salty dream. Here are the highlights...

3/17/08

3/22/08

3/23/08

sweet baby maeve

2008-03-20T19:55:00.003-05:00

i'm still reeling after my 14 day stint with BufBloPoFo, but i needed to post this picture because it just makes me laugh every time i think about it. my little maeve has stopped my heart a couple times in the past few days with various spills, tumbles, and ingestion of non- edibles, but thank the heavens above, she is one resilient little girl.

and when you put her down for a nap, you should be mindful of how close she is to an underwear drawer.

i can't stop singing the "we did it!" song from Dora...

2008-03-14T21:40:00.003-05:00

HOLY COW. i have just over 100 posts on this blog, spanning almost three years. 14 of those posts have been in the past two weeks. i know there's an impressive percentage in there somewhere.

exactly one year ago, i was asking people to sign up for the bone marrow registry. ironically, this week my mom may have saved a woman's life by becoming a donor. for five days she received shots that would boost her body's production of stem cells, and then on monday and tuesday, she was hooked up to a machine that took the blood out of one arm, spun it down, and returned it through the other arm. and then her cells were rushed to rochester and infused into a 45 year old woman in an attempt to save her life. how cool is that? how awesome is it that my mom is the closest match to that lady out of the ENTIRE registry (which according to the NMDP is over 10 million), and how freakin' amazing that she may have just SAVED. HER. LIFE. regardless of the outcome, the bottom line is that that 45 year old woman, who probably has a husband and kids and friends and a dog, has no other option. if my mom hadn't joined the registry, she would have no chance of beating her disease. zero. zilch. but now, she has a shot. and that's the coolest thing in the world.

tomorrow i go back to work, and i can't wait to tell everyone that my mom may have saved a life this week. and i can tell my patients, with some certainty now, that there is hope of finding a match.
____________________________

that was a little heavier than i was intending for my last bufblopofo post! thanks, mike, for asking me to post so often... it's been a lot of fun. i'm looking forward to tomorrow, though, when we can spend the evening looking at something other than our respective computer screens... like a movie, maybe? hey, i dvr'd top chef chicago! it's a date!

TV tag

2008-03-13T20:22:00.003-05:00

anyone play that when you were a youngster? good times.

so, television. i love television. and i will freely admit i think a lot of reality television is VERY entertaining. none of this game show nonsense, but the good stuff, like people with 47 children. how could you NOT think this is fascinating?! mostly, my reality TV is found on Bravo(top chef, project runway, etc.) and TLC (baby story, bringing home baby, wedding story, jon and kate plus 8). i will also admit to american idol (but i'll only watch it on DVR so i can fast forward through all the background nonsense and whatever paula has to say) and this season of the biggest loser.

as for the non-reality stuff, i'm mostly looking forward to chuck. it's a great show, and if you haven't gotten into it, watch it on nbc.com. the office, of course, is a favorite as well. i also like how i met your mother, my name is earl, ER and grey's.

ONE POST TO GO!

moi

2008-03-12T20:05:00.002-05:00

first of all, the picture-taking went well, thanks for asking. about 10 minutes after we got there, maeve took a header into a rocking chair and came up with a welt the size of texas on her forehead. good times... despite her tumble, though, we got a few pretty damn good pictures, so i'm happy.

now, some things about me that are of very little consequence:
- i like ice cream melty. the perfect consistency is when you first get it home from the store.
- i don't really like dogs. or cats. or any animals, really.
- i only like wearing small earrings.
- i LOVE baked potatoes.
- i met mandy patinkin and got his autograph and framed it and kept it on my dresser all through college. and i still have a little crush on him.
- i was absolutely INFATUATED with the x-files from about 1998 - 2001.
- i only applied to one college.
- i am not pregnant. ALEX.

blahg blahg blahg

2008-03-11T21:07:00.005-05:00

i really like the james lipton questions, but i don't have time to answer them at this moment. in exactly 12 hours, i will be taking the monkeys to have their picture's taken. this is no small feat, and in fact, it will take an act of God for me to get them there dressed, with hair combed and faces clean. i have faith. but now i have to iron two dresses, make sure the tights don't have holes in them, and cover their hands with mittens so they don't scratch themselves (or each other) before we get there.

wish me luck!

i don't do well without an assigned topic

2008-03-10T19:13:00.002-05:00

so mike told me to write about when we met. well, we met the first week of our freshman year of college. my best friend annie and i were the loser commuters at canisius, but we had befriended these crazy (in a good way) twins who lived in the dorms. one night, annie picked me up in the red VW fox and we headed over to Bosch tower. it was the twin's birthday, so i made cupcakes and brought over my copy of les miserables on VHS. i know. wild, right?

well, the twinnies had left a note on the door of two swingin' guys they had met that week. and when those guys found out there were cupcakes, they came a'runnin. and one of those guys was mike garvey.

and that's really it! i would love to say there were roses and butterflies and that time stood still and our eyes locked and a "that's amore" was piped through the sound system, but really it was more like this:

mike: hey guys
twins: hey mike! guys, this is mike.
me: hi
mike: so... there's cupcakes?
me: yeah, help yourself.
mike: sweet, thanks. who made these?
me: i did. i'm lisa.

how wo- mantic.

six years later, in the magical place called cooperstown, amidst the baseball hall of fame and stolen pumpkins, the man of my dreams took me as his date to a wedding.

the end!

i can't believe katie knew where this was

2008-03-09T22:56:00.004-05:00

alright, i am not sure if this will work, but i'm attempting to post the original broadcast of MLAJK, the radio show i talked about here.

if you're able to hear this, a couple quick things you should know:
-i was about 8 years old, making katie 6 or so. and yes, that's a burp.
-it's about 5 minutes long
-i lost my breath when i listened to this today because i was laughing so hard. it might not be half as funny to you, but i hope it makes you chuckle.
-i was apparently VERY full of myself at age 8. i refer to myself as "brains battaglia."
-tell me what you think. i think i may have missed my calling.

**third time's the charm... maybe. if this doesn't work, check back tonight. dora is about to end so i can't play with it anymore :)

shuffle off to Buffalo

2008-03-09T22:08:00.002-05:00

hi! it's 11pm! this is cutting it awfully close, but hey, we lost an hour today. and also? this guy hasn't blogged yet, but he had a very busy day so i'll cut him some slack. some of my favorite buffalo things:
elmwood - particularly the awesome shops that you can always be sure to find a kick-ass gift in, like spoiled rotten or everything elmwood. also, pavlovs togs is pretty great. plus, it's just a great walk. nothin' like bustin' out the double stroller for a leisurely stroll down elmwood.
hertel - much for the same reason i like elmwood. in particular gino's bakery is a great little place that's been there for.ev.er and is sure to have some great italian sweets. romeo and juliets is always delicious, there are a bunch of great antique shops and an awesome book store that i can't remember the name of, but that doesn't detract from it's awesomeness.
the elmwood arts festival - all the fun of allentown, none of the crafty crap.
the italian festival - it's lost much of it's luster over the years, but it's still an annual tradition.
the erie county fair - this has just become something we have to do every year - pizza, livestock, ice cream and "i got it." ball number one...
the hatch - more specifically, the little ice cream hut next to the hatch. i love going down there on a summer night, getting a big-ass cone and walking along the rocks. does anyone know how they got those GIANT staples in there?!
shea's - it's a gorgeous theatre. and i like theatre.
kleinhans and the BPO - no explanation needed. they're awesome.
summer concerts on Bidwell Parkway - they're free! and really fun!
the Bidwell farmer's market - the saturday mornings during the summer that we go to the market are just perfect. it's just the right amount of crunchy, with a pinch of pretension, and i love it.

that's a good starting point. i know i could go on for days and days because there's not much about the city i don't like. in fact, this may land me a divorce, but i even like some of the radio stations.

Yes, Jess, Hairspray is a musical

2008-03-08T13:57:00.006-05:00

the buffblo guru wants to know what music i'm listening to lately. well, he already knows, and chances are so do you, but here's the skinny.

my car has a pretty standard rotation lately:

hairspray, the musical - lately i've been listening to the movie version, but the broadway version is great, as well. i dig the movie version because of queen latifah, mostly, and because there are a couple neat songs that didn't appear in the stage version.

legally blond, the musical - i know i know... sue me (pun intended). say what you will, but it is honestly really good. now if you don't like musicals to begin with, chances are you would hate it. but if you appreciate the musicals that are purely for fun, you will love it.

the last five years - you guessed it. but this one was off broadway. unlike the previous two, the draw to this one is actually a really incredible story, in addition to a wonderful score. the entire show is sung by two people, a man and a women. they are in a relationship (for 5 years), and the man is telling the story from the beginning, while the woman is telling it from the end. they meet briefly in the middle, but for the most part don't even share the stage. it's a very cool concept, in my opinion.

sara bareilles - look! not a musical! i first got hooked on her single "love song," and the rest of the CD turned out to be pretty great.

wicked - this one is actually not in my car, but in the kitchen. again, it's just. good. the actual show is quite a specticle, and the story is great. the music is outstanding on it's own, but it's hard to top the broadway cast. both female leads are broadway regulars, and each have a few solo CD's. Idina Menzel was in Rent - another member of my car's rotation - and i first heard Kristin Chenoweth in a little off-broadway musical callend A New Brain (which, incidentally, i had forgotten about, but will make it's way back to my car because it's great).

since this has just turned into a broadway post, some of my less-listened-to favorites include Side Show, Guys and Dolls, Godspell, Into the Woods and Songs for a New World.

don't think i love ALL musicals. i'll be the first to admit there are some pretty shitty musicals out there: Titanic, 1776 (sorry Louie), Brooklyn... hell, i don't even like Jesus Christ Superstar. and Phantom? i fell asleep. the best musicals, in my mind, have a great score - first and foremost. if the score is good, i'm willing to forgive any shortcomings in the script (and c'mon... of course there are shortcomings... the break into song every 3 minutes). nevertheless, they're just so me.

germ-away

2008-03-07T20:40:00.002-05:00

contained in my purse is the biggest package of "wet-ones" that you have ever seen. and, i'm embarassed to say, i use them all the freakin' time. when i began working at a hospital, i became a bit of a nut about germs. people who know me well know that i keep a container of anti-bacterial wipes by the front door in case of sick visitors. it's nuts, i know. add two kids into the mix who are, by definition, germ magnets, and you've got yourself a recipe for germ-a-phobe psychosis.

what else... the thing i probably use the least is the stack of tiny little coupons that i keep in my wallet from one of the entertainment books. i never remember they're there, until i have inevitably visited the place that the coupon is good for. ah well, good thing i'm made of money. germy, germy money.

toys

2008-03-06T21:39:00.005-05:00

i am having a really hard time thinking about what i liked to play with when i was little. all i can think of is this random smattering of things that really are a little...well, bizarre. but hey, it's bufblopofo, yo. full disclosure.

1. my cabbage patch kid, felice marlene. the resemblance was uncanny.
2. a box of old clothes, costumes, hats, glasses, etc. this one really doesn't sound that strange, but i wish i had a picture to share. in fact, hold that thought. i'll find one and post it soon.
3. some kind of little pocket knife. i was really into this little knife for a little while, and i distinctly remember taking fallen branches out onto the front porch to, in my words, "whiddle." what. the. hell.
4. a she-ra princess of power action figure. i don't really remember even liking she-ra, but i think someone gave it to me as a birthday present. i remember she had a hole in her hand meant for a sword, but i would tie a string across the room and use the hole to create a little zip line for she-ra. that one's really not weird... in fact, i think it was pretty clever.
5. a tape recorder with microphone. this. was. awesome. at least, i thought it was. my friends and i would spend HOURS meticulously taping our radio show, "MLAJK" (Michele, Lisa, Amy, Jeff, Katie). yep. we even let katie in on the fun of this one. i distinctly remember that much of our material came from the subscriptions of Redbook and Ladies Home Journal that my mom subscribed too. i also remember interviewing my friend Jeff about his love for Spuds Mackenzie, and thinking he was beyond awesome. and also? katie's "on-air" personality was "kooky katie." this is not nearly as funny as it would be if you could have heard her say it, trust me.
6. the flinstones. nothing goofy, i just liked the flinstones.
7. my bike. my bike's name was dusty rose (it came with that, i didn't name it myself). she was white with beautiful mauve trim, dusty rose, if you will. i remember i would wash it like you would wash a car, and then marvel in how good it looked. i distinctly remember going up to my neighbors fence and saying "how old do you think this bike is?!" they must have been on to me because they would inevitably say, "oh, it must be brand new!" and then i would grin and say, "nope! it's over two years old!" i was such a card.

am i forgetting anything, katie? mom?

so did these things shape me into the adult i've become? well... i guess. looking at this list, it appears my interests were pretty diverse. i'm trying to come up with some witty correlations, but really i think i was just a weird kid. a wonderfully weird, creative and goofy kid.

this is an easy one

2008-03-05T13:31:00.001-05:00

pedestrians: a green arrow is NOT your signal to cross the street.

really, that's it.

casting call

2008-03-04T21:53:00.003-05:00

first of all, that mike, he's a charmer. maggie gyllenhaal?!! i am HOT. for my movie fantasy, if we're not basing the picks on look-alikes, i would have to say mike and i would be played by gillian anderson and mike would be david duchovney. i mean honestly, is there a more romantic TV couple out there?! if looks are an issue, though i have to say mike would be russell crowe. i mean, c'mon. it's obvious.

right?!

a good day in the making

2008-03-03T10:02:00.002-05:00

what went right today? well, for starters, little miss adelaide decided to sleep from 11pm when we put her down to 5am this morning! and THEN, mike got up to feed the little nugget, allowing me to sleep in until 8am when she was ready to eat again. 8am! people! do you know what that means! i haven't stayed in bed until 8 more than 5 times in the past two years, and today was one.

then, maeve ate her WHOLE breakfast. for a little person who has adopted a much more discerning palate over the past few weeks, this is big news. (it could have something to do with the chunks she blew last night, leaving her belly completely empty. whatever. i'll take it.).

after her bottle, addie fell asleep in her swing, allowing me to: 1. read 23 blogs, and 2. cuddle with maeve for an episode of little einsteins (which we decided, by the way, is possibly the most pretentious cartoon on television, and I LOVE IT).

also? the sun is shining as i write this, and when i stepped out on the porch, it was WARM! so i think a nice walk is in our future.

and last but not least, the sinus/cough/chest congestion thing i've got goin' on has left me with my sexy raspy voice. yay!

warning: this post contains graphic material

2008-03-02T20:53:00.003-05:00

yay, bufblopofo! my husband has created a monster! SO! MANY! BLOGS! TO! READ!

so, today, i am to write about the best gift i've ever received. i've been writing this post all day in my head. it was going to be wonderfully sentimental, something i'm not really known for, but i was really looking forward to sharing this. in my mind, a great gift has two components: it has to be thoughtful, and it has to be unexpected. in other words, i think the best gifts are total surprises that are thoughtfully picked. while i've received many gifts that meet these standards, one really stood out.

i know what you're thinking. "obviously, lisa, you must be thinking about your engagement ring." well, yes, i was. i was, that is, before this evening. this evening when my precious daughter gave me the most unexpected gift a daughter can give her mother. vomit. yes, cascading fountains of emesis, raining down over both of us. the volume was more than i could have dreamed her GI tract could contain.

so thank you. thank you, mike, for the perfect gift that i've been thinking about all day, crafting the perfect "thank you" to you. that post will come at another time. today, i thank maeve, for bringing it all full circle.

it's the BUFBLOPOFO, mo fo

2008-03-01T13:08:00.003-05:00

and i haven't forgotten! so mike asked, "why did you start this blog?" well, dear readers, it was for a couple reasons. one is that before having a blog, i was merely a blog stalker. i would keep up on everyone's comings and goings through their blogs, but never share anything myself. by starting a blog - whether i wrote on it or not - i was somehhow more entitled to read the blogs of others.

secondly, my fiance at the time (yes, the same fiance that i married) LOVED to blog, and i think he'll be the first to tell you i was WICKED jealous of his blog. "don't blog! look at me! tell me i'm pretty!" i really didn't think i could get into it, but every time i told him a story he would say "you need a blog." so, one day i sucked it up and started one.

now, why haven't i been very successful at it, you may ask? i've come up with a few reasons.

#1. i don't like to write. in case you don't know this, blogging = writing.

#2. if i have a good story, i want to tell it to you using my voice. and very often, my stories need to be acted out, and that does not translate to the blog format very well. if i want to tell you the story about the lady in TJ Maxx whose three girls had the middle names Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Caramel, you bet your bippy i need to tell you that in person.

#3. once maeve came into this world, forget it. ever since, this has become nothing but a "look-at-my-girls-arent-they-so-cute-oh-and-look-at-what-funny-thing-they-did-today-and-have-you-seen-addie-smile-and-how-funny-is-it-that-maeve-likes-to-use-the-swiffer" blog. which is fine, but even i get bored with it.

so, with the commencement of buffblopofo, i am hoping to give this blog some spunk. i'm sure mike has come up with some great topics for me to ponder, but hey, if all else fails, you'll just get more of this:

the best is yet to come

2008-02-27T12:59:00.002-05:00

see?

2008-02-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

i told you it would work.

oh phoebe

2008-02-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

...but the sausage is tasty.

it was a good day

2008-01-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

lazy saturday

2008-01-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

Adelaide

2008-01-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

i don't have too much to say, other than she's awesome. and maeve kissed(!) her today. and i love being home with both of my girls.

this blog shall hence be known as the "Birthdays and Babies Blog"

2007-12-16T17:30:00.001-05:00

and

just because

2007-12-09T21:08:00.001-05:00

just because this is one of my favorite pictures, and just because nothing says Christmas like someone's bum in a pole meant for a salvation army collection bucket.

awooka's a'comin'

2007-12-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

in 10 DAYS OR LESS.

in no more than 240 hours, this smooshy little face will be in my arms.

and just like that, we'll be a family of four.

oh, if laughing could induce labor...

2007-11-16T07:46:00.000-05:00

...awooka would have been born on wednesday night.

the aunt that always has treats

2007-10-30T15:21:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mary!!

KATIE!

2007-10-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

dear katie,

no one takes credit for a sand castle they didn't build quite like you do.

happy birthday!!

still funny

2007-10-17T08:39:00.000-05:00

2007-10-08T13:48:00.000-05:00

This site has made me laugh. all. day.

thank goodness we took the pacifier away

2007-09-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

i will admit that the duck is the tastiest of the puzzle pieces.

welcome back, me

2007-09-18T07:44:00.000-05:00

hi! it's been a few short months since i last checked in (unless you count all the times i've talked to ya'll for real, like in person or on the phone or in e-mail or on myspace or facebook or in a text message...).

here's what we missed:
happy easter, maeve dipped her toes in the ocean, mother's day, father's day, mike passed all his exams, i got pregnant, we welcomed a new nephew, friends came to visit, julia turned two, maeve turned one, katie moved home (!), mike started school again, i found some fun new blogs, and i wound up 6 months pregnant.

now that we're up to speed, i'll see you in 5 months. or tomorrow.

found

2007-04-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

this is neat.

you've gotta teach 'em young

2007-04-17T19:24:00.000-05:00

my birthday's coming up...

2007-03-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

hey! so, esther got to this before i could, but i've been meaning to post this for a while. my birthday is coming up (march 22nd), and i would be elated if anyone available could join the bone marrow registry. how, you may ask? excellent question! it generally costs about 50 bucks to join (yes, you have to pay to donate...), but on March 24th there will be a free drive at St. Andrew's in Kenmore. all it takes to join the registry is a swab of the inside of your cheek. from that, they can run some tests and see if you are a "match." for so many people that have leukemia and lymphoma, this is there ONLY shot. and if it works, it can be a cure- an honest to God cure for their cancer. the likelihood that a patient will find a perfect match is pretty rare, so many times patients will settle for a mismatch. in these cases, the patient still has a chance, but the likelihood of it working is significantly less.

i see these patients every day. the day they find out there's a match for them is one of the happiest days of their lives. it gives them hope, because for now, this is their best, and sometimes only, chance of survival.

if you are found to be a match, the donation process goes one of two ways. either you will be asked to donate some blood, and the stem cells from that blood will be transfused into the patient, or you will be asked to donate actual marrow. in that case, it is a small surgical procedure you would have done at the hospital. you would not be in the hospital more than one day, but it would require a couple days of recovery at home. because this is an option, please make your decision to become a donor carefully - i've never seen disappointment like that of a patient when they find out their donor has backed out.

so! if you can become a donor, happy birthday to me! if not, you can buy me a beer. or peeps.

here's the nitty gritty:

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2007

ST. ANDREW'S PARISH in McNULTY HALL

1525 SHERIDAN DR, KENMORE, NEW YORK 14217

11:00 AM-2:00PM

also, there's more info here.

also, here's a picture of my baby and her daddy.

seriously, mom? with the bow?

2007-02-11T10:27:00.000-05:00

i'm over you, blogger.

2007-02-02T10:56:00.000-05:00

hi! i'm not blogging for a while. big shock, right? i have pictures to frame and cheeks to smoosh. so you'll just have to call me, mom, if you want to know what's going on. ta!

my new camera?

2007-01-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

i LURVE it.

random

2006-12-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

it amazes me how often i see people carrying bright yellow "Fays" bags. seriously. those are some old bags.

i did, however, just use a "Freddy's" chip clip to close my bag of pretzels.

that's all.

mmmmm, Christmas.

2006-12-25T10:45:00.000-05:00

after some thorough taste-testing, Maeve approves of all gifts this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

maeve's daddy is 29!

2006-12-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

dear daddy,

i love you more than squash. and you know how much i love squash.

love, maeve

ps - my superpower would be flight. duh.

2 of 2

2006-11-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

oh, those crazy fish.

yeah, so she spends a lot of time in the swing. you would, too, if they made one in your size.

1 of 2

2006-11-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

maeve has found her voice, and it appears to be feline.

weddings, weddings everywhere

2006-11-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

so last weekend was kim and roman's wedding (yay)! because of that, katie was home (yay)! then, on sunday, katie had to leave (boo). the wedding was a blast - aunt janet had the maevester for the night, so i was free to get my drink on. surprisingly, MUCH harder to catch a buzz than i remember... maybe it's that mommy gene again. irregardless (in case you don't know me, yes, i know it's not a word) we had a stellar time. kim was breathtaking, roman was devastatingly handsome, and despite the sabres' loss, the night couldn't have been better.

after the ceremony, i was waiting outside the chapel, camera ready, awaiting the couple's grand exit from church. it was a windy day, so as they came out kim reached up and used her finger to get the hair out of her face. as luck would have it, that's when i snapped the picture.

this picture.

if you didn't want me at your wedding, kim, you could have just told me.

i'm going to blog... seriously.

2006-11-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

i went back to work this week (yay!) so that means i've been away from my little pickle for four whole days (boo!). today is my day off, so i'll be spending it mushing this chubby face. later today, when i decide to put her down, i'm going to upload pictures of kim and roman's wedding. GOOD. TIMES. oh, and i have a video of maeve laughing at katie making elephant noises.

and the monkeys like you!

2006-10-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

everything was going so well...

2006-10-11T19:22:00.000-05:00

frieken' communists...

i'd be naked without my camera phone

2006-10-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

seriously.

working girl

2006-10-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

i will officially return to work on october 30th (happy birthday, mary!) some things i'd like to accomplish before going back:
- write thank-you notes. if you haven't gotten one from me, please don't feel bad... no one has.
- replace the moldy shower curtain liners
- figure out why my hair is falling out
- sort though maeve's wardrobe
- get drunk at kim's wedding
- go to the zoo
- shop main street in east aurora
- blog about something interesting

i'm obsessed with her hair

2006-10-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

and this is what it looks like when i can't stop brushing it.

the mommy gene

2006-09-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

being a mom changes your life in countless ways... the dramatic changes are obvious - i am no longer living for just myself, i've created a life, mike and i are responsible for this tiny person, i like to dress her up, etc.

the subtle changes, however, are what have caught me by surprise...
- i now know what wegmans looks like before 8:00 am
- i can make myself look like i've showered
- i'm borderline obsessed with her bodily functions
- jodi johnston is actually growing on me, despite her obnoxious perkiness at 5:00 am
- the fridge always has fruit in it (why? the baby can't eat it. yet it's just there)
- i realized i know remarkably fewer songs than i thought i did
- i eat kashi

hi there.

2006-09-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

i'm back! i have decided to resume my once-weekly posting schedule... maybe more if the spirit moves me. i have a few things to write about - mostly having to do with the smooshy lovable lump i call Maeve. sorry, i know mikey keeps everyone up to date on the babe, but i'm the mama, it's my job. so, to get the ball rolling, here is a little pic i snapped on my camera phone (yes, the phone i swore i didn't need because why on earth would i need a camera in my phone that i will NEVER use).
maeve and i like to play dress-up. and by that i mean i like to play dress-up. maeve usually indulges me through two or three outfits, and then lets me know she's had enough. this picture was probably number three, as evidenced by the protruding lower lip that is saying to me "mom, i really can’t take another costume change, PLEASE stop dressing me! i really mean it! just look at my lip!” but c'mon. a baby in a hoodie? what's cuter than that? not much, i say. not much.

sweet baby maeve

2006-07-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

hi all. i don't mean to shock anyone, but i went and had myself a baby. not just any baby, but a perfect baby. and because this perfect little person will only be little for about a minute and a half, i'm taking a break from my shotty-at-best blogging career. i know daddy will keep you up on all the best baby news...

as for me, well, all i can say is it doesn't get any better than this.

contractions

2006-07-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

the buffalo news published an article that explained blog was short for web blog.

i wonder if they think brunch is short for breakfast brunch.

pass the pickles

2006-07-03T10:22:00.000-05:00

hi! i'm over the anger of the last post, so i would like to share the most wonderful thing to come from ice cream creators for some time: the Edy's Slow Churned. simply put, it's heavenly. now, i've grown partial to the caramel delight, however i see on the web site that there are over 30 flavors... but my local grocer only carries a handful. help a girl out, danny wegman!

envy

2006-06-30T15:32:00.000-05:00

To my dear neighbors across the street, Mr. and Mrs. Asshat,

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kind note you left on my windshield this morning, complementing me on my fine parking. Unfortunately, I never got to see it, because my sweet husband took it off my car, thinking it may put a damper on my otherwise glorious day off. But then, oh THEN, you were thoughtful enough to call the F***ING police and have them leave me a little note of their own, wrapped in a bright orange wrapper.

Just a few queries: Were you afraid that the 18 inches of driveway I covered would impede your soccer mobile from exiting your 15 foot driveway? Or were you trying to set a good example for the three shrieking terrors that occupy the back seat of said soccer mobile? Perhaps my bumper was blocking the view of your wolf-dog that scares the ever-loving crap out of all passerby's? Did you call 911, or did you actually take the time to look up the phone number of the local precinct? Did you happen to catch my 38-week-pregnant-ass waddling from the car to my house at midnight last night, after parking in the last possible spot on the street, and that somehow made you determined to make me pay?

Well, Mr. and Mrs. Asshat, I envy you. I envy that you have nothing better to do with your ever-loving time than make it your business to be the street parking patrol. I'd love to help you out, but I have to get down to city court. Why? Because I would rather spend 12 hours in the courthouse than pay that ticket, you dick heads.

Sincerely,

Me

i'm sick of the belly...

2006-06-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

on the blog, not on me! i lurve the belly. mike and i finished the painting in the baby's room today, and hot damn, i think it looks awesome. if the baby wasn't going to be so damn cute, i'd want the room for my own.

i've graduated to hospital scrubs for work. what that means is that i've outgrown the ones that i bought, so i went down to the ICU and "borrowed" a fer pair of hospital-issue scrubs. they're not nearly as fun as the hot pink ones i own, but they'll do the trick for the next couple weeks. yes, that's right. WEEKS. if this baby cooks for the reccommended time, it will be out just shy of SIX WEEKS. oy.

pregnancy is supposed to induce a long luxurious mane, so i'm trying to grow my hair. it's growing, and i'm on the expressway to mullet-ville, so i'm getting a trim today.

my new favorite thing to do is sit out on the front porch. mike plays his DS, and i read some magazine (and sometimes there's ice cream involved) and we just sit and talk and watch the world go by... it's heavenly.

view from the top

2006-05-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

priorities

2006-05-16T23:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. President,

I understand the need for you to be on television from time to time. I can even come to grips with the fact that sometimes it's necessary for you to be on during prime time. But Sir, please, PLEASE, the next time you are going to pre-empt my favorite sit-com, would you please do me the courtesy of alerting me ahead of time. My DVR did not recognize your little speech, and thus cut off the final 20 minutes of my show... and it was the season finale, thank you very much.

Thanks for nuthin',

Lisa

the baby NEEDS this

2006-05-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

blah blah blah BABY blah blah blah PREGNANT...

hope you don't mind that this blog has recently become all about being prego, but that's pretty much what i have goin' on lately.

so i went to weggies today. going hungry is never a good idea. going hungry and 7 months pregnant is nothing short of ludacris.

things that found their way into my cart:

pudding cups
dark chocolate covered raisins*
snapple*
tortilla chips
salami
cinnamon toast crunch
alfredo sauce
deli cheese*
extra large lady fingers (the cookies, not an actual fat lady’s fingers)
chocolate ice cream
bologna*

*things i actually consumed before i left the store

checking out at the register with empty packages? not as embarrassing as you may think.

barefoot and pregnant

2006-05-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

here's a little pic that mike snapped last night (while giggling at the fact that his wife actually was barefoot and pregnant). the belly has definitely made a name for itself... baby G is due to emerge in exactly 10 weeks. 10 WEEKS, people. luckily, we've recently acquired a basinett, so the baby won't be sleeping in a drawer for the first weeks of life. and we have some diapers. and a LOT of really cute baby clothes, most of them with monkeys on them, so we're all set.

at work, there is an adorable little Italian man that i've been taking care of, and his family is a cast of thousands. according to them, no one is allowed to mention any particular kind of food in front of me, because by doing so, the baby may develop a birth defect. seriously. these people are incredibly sweet, and i humor them by staying tight-lipped about what i may be craving at that particular moment, but they really believe this to be the case. and Italians out there? is this common knowledge and i've just never heard of it?

regardless, i'm starving.

--Updated!

2006-04-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

I've wanted to post for a while, now. Yes, I want to share my random innermost thoughts, and sure I have some great things going on that I could talk about, but mostly, I just want to see "--Updated!" next to Marshmallow World on Mikey's blog.

So... in the 20 days since I last posted, my belly has grown significantly. I've gone from wearing clothes that kind of show that I maybe might have a little pot belly possibly protruding over my waistband, to THIS IS SUCH A BABY UP IN THIS BELLY AND I AM WEARING THIS OUTFIT SO YOU WILL DEFINITELY KNOW THAT I AM PREGNANT AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK ME WHEN I'M DUE, AND HERE, I'LL RUB MY BELLY A LITTLE FOR ADDED EFFECT SO YOU'LL KNOW IT'S NOT JUST A BEER GUT. so yeah, I'm enjoying the belly.

The baby is a rock star, by the way. It seriously moves so much that it freaks me out, but then when I say to someone "ooh! come feel the baby kicking!" it stops. The little monkey is mocking me before it's even born. Well done, monkey.

I'm posting this now, and hoping for some instant gratification when I switch over to the Royal Toybox... if it's as exciting as I think it will be, I will be forced to post again. Ta!

10 opinions (and a few facts) for Friday

2006-04-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

1. feeling a baby move inside your belly is amazing - freaky deaky weirder than weird - but amazing

2. i just saw a commercial that said kids need a booster seat in the car until they are 4'9''. wow. i just make the cut.

3. pants with a panel? you need some.

4. the armchair in our livingroom is covered with white socks. i'm ok with that.

5. i'm making mashed potatoes out of a box tonight. i'm ok with that, too.

6. my in-laws are flying across the pond this afternoon to Ireland. i hope they see sarah!

7. my favorite wife on Big Love is Jeanne Tripplehorn.

8. mike and i bought paint for Baby G's room today!

9. i laughed out loud yesterday when mike and i drove by a place called Le Nails and mike told me it was a french hardware store.

10. it's peep season!

all growns up

2006-04-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

yes, i'm 28 years old.
yes, i'm married.
yes, i'm going to be a mother.
yes, i did go to church this morning.
no, i did not set my clocks ahead last night.

yes, people did snicker as we walked in an hour late.

St. Patrick's Day was 12 days ago, but...

2006-03-28T19:02:00.000-05:00

this was still worth posting. to sum up:

little hats are fun

mike can, and will, make friends with anyone

being the sober sister actually was a lot of fun... and it was a lot more fun because of this

don't see it? how about in this shot

so. much. laughing.

can't smile without you

2006-03-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

for the last few years, mike and i have spent st. patrick's day in destination cities...

first in new york:

and then in chicago:

this year, we stayed in the good 'ol Lo of Buff, and despite my lack of alcohol consumption, the event was no less memorable. my favorite things?

(see next post! my picture limit was hit...)

seriously.

2006-03-20T14:17:00.000-05:00

i will update this blog, honestly i will.

right now, though, i have to get to mcdonalds for one last shamrock shake.

too much garlic?

2006-03-08T00:34:00.000-05:00

nursing is an extremely rewarding profession... that goes without saying. on top of that, however, patients and their families will often give small gifts to their nurses - symbols, if you will, of their appreciation for the care you have given their loved one. in the past, i've received cards, cookies, letters, pens (the really neat kind that you get from drug reps), etc.

last week, after caring for a patient for a few days, her brother gave me a token of his appreciation...

i can take a hint.

2006-03-02T00:56:00.000-05:00

Toys in here, Towels in here, and Lisa in here.

honk

2006-02-22T21:23:00.001-05:00

my sister tackled a goose yesterday. literally, she leapt at it and took it down. she said it sounded like you would expect a bagpipe to sound if you tackled it: "MAERRRRAAAAAAGH"

funny!

in other news, i'm wearing denim overalls that i bought as a halloween costume because they're the only remotely comfortable "can wear out and get away with it" pants that i have left. pants with a panel, here i come!

baby love

2006-02-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

Want to meet my baby?

what. the. hell.

2006-02-12T21:57:00.000-05:00

this makes me sad. very, very sad.

freaked my freak

2006-02-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

this story gave me the shivers when i first heard it.

yesterday's super bowl party was a rousing success... the game between the "yellows" and the "teals" was even moderately entertaining. waaaaayyyy too much food was consumed, but by God it was good. best friends were made, drivers were designated, and mike won thirty bucks in the football pool.

my favorite commercials? ameriquest's "don't judge too quickly."

anyone want to return bottles with me?

breaking the silence

2006-02-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

alright already. even i'm sick of looking at the special baby (which, by the way, is 16 weeks old!)

my first order of business: Love Monkey.

it. is. awesome.

first of all, it's title couldn't be better. i have no idea what it means, but like bean dog, it's just good.

secondly, jason priestly is in it. i don't care if you weren't a big 90210 fan - it's nice to see an older, slightly chubbier Brandon Walsh.

third and lastly, the music. in the second episode, there is a great little cameo by ben folds, one of mike's all time fave's. shortly there after, Tom has lunch with the female love interest, Julia, during which she lists her top 5 songs of all time. she had great picks - U2, the cure, etc. etc... and her number one pick? we built this city by STARSHIP. yes. that's right. very few people know this, but that may quite possibly be my favorite song of all time. it's so bad, and yet i love it. needless to say, i'm sold on Love Monkey.

now, if you didn't love Ed, you won't like this show. basically, tom cavanagh lifted his character from Ed, and plopped him into this show. personally, i love his bumbling wit, so i'm in heaven.

watch it!

special baby

2005-12-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

helloooooooooooooooooooo!! mike and i had a sonogram appointment this morning...

it was moving around like crazy... gonna be a dancer, just like daddy.

pea in the pod

2005-11-29T00:25:00.000-05:00

i know i'm the last to post this, but...

crazy, huh?!

i'll definitely post some emerging belly pics. i'll leave all the good narratives to daddy.

tee hee. daddy.

brilliant

2005-11-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

if you haven't heard the jingle for this company yet, you really must. it's good for a giggle.

excuse me.

Wedding announcement in the only publications that really matter:

2005-11-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

After traveling to Ireland to buy presents for all their friends, Steve and his bride, Aly, will make their home somewhere on planet earth, so long as it allows little yappy dogs. Steve will make his millions as a manager in some high falootin’ bank or something and Aly is to become the first person ever to pass the bar in all 50 states and whatever the equivalent is in Canadia. They are to be married next week amongst loving friends and family and then will drink like it is their job and dance like they’re good at it. The second most important decision they made (after his FINALLY proposing to begin with) was to include Michael Garvey as a groomsman because, let’s face it, he looks damn good in a tux. The bridegroom is a graduate of college (both “clown” and “barber”) and the bride has obtained a degree from the school of hard knocks.