It's Madonna Day!

Denny and I have a standing date at the record store whenever a new Madonna CD is released. It's my favorite Denny & Stephanie tradition. I just got home from making our purchases at Tower...and can I just say, I LOVE THE WOMAN. She's just so FABULOUS. Who would have guessed that Boogie Nights would be her next reinvention? Leotards???? I mean, come on!

Go ahead and snicker but I think she's a genius.

Numerical Order

I would like to announce that I am going to steal my online friend Allie's template for journaling and use numbers. I think it looks neat and will help me to organize my thoughts and make blogging easier; therefore it will be more frequent - which is the goal. And Allie doesn't know that we are friends, but I like to think we are because she is so dang cool. :)

1. There exists a "Matt Taylor Fan Club" on MySpace.com. The girls who started said club are now selling buttons that have a picture of my brother with the quote "Matt makes me sexcited" which of course makes me laugh and puke at the same time.

2. My girlfriends from DWLZ came to Richmond on Saturday and we spent 12 straight hours eating and shopping and shopping and eating. Oh yeah, and laughing. A lot. I love those girls and I'm so thankful they are in my life. On Sunday, Toby and I had lunch with my parents and it was lovely! They came to check out the fruits of our labor (newly painted walls in shades NOT white!) After a chinese buffet lunch, we went by Kim's house so that my parents could meet my new niece who is the CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD.




3. I start my new job in 4 business days - and not an HOUR TOO SOON! The level of BS in this department is just unbelievable. I don't know how some of these people fit in their offices with their GINORMOUS egos.

4. I worked out before work this morning.

5. I WORKED OUT BEFORE WORK THIS MORNING. I felt that statement was so monumental, that it deserved 2 numbers. It was nice to get it out of the way and I have had a nice, content, sublime feeling all day - with no guilty pangs. Note to self: No Guilt = Good Feeling!! KEEP IT UP!! I also started a new food journal that makes it easy to count calories. I'm going the calorie route since the WW Points route does not seem to be working as of late. We'll see. I'm going to give it the good ol' college try. AGAIN.

Desperately Seeking Motivation

Now that I know the the e-mail thing works, I'll give it a try from my actual cube. Since I have piles of work to do. And no motivation to do it WHAT.SO.EVER. Oh my gosh. It's 4:01pm and I really have not done much today. I hate to admit that but having ONE day like this is tolerable, right? Especially when I just found out this past Monday that on November 21 I will be STARTING A NEW JOB!!!!

God Bless America! Hallelulah! Amen! Woo hoo! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

I'm very happy incase you couldn't tell. It's a bit of a promotion and it's in a completely different department and on a completely different floor than where I am now - and THAT is what I am most excited about. New people. New energy. No more negativity. New goals. No back-stabbing. The list goes on and on. I know that EVERY work environment has it's own "challenges" but I truly feel that my current place is much more dysfunctional than most - and I'm glad to be getting the heck out!

I am confident that this change will have a domino effect on the rest of my life. When you are unhappy at work (the place where you spend MOST of your life - how sad is that?) it tends to follow you home...and into the rest of your life...and manifest itself in other ways (negative view of self, tired all the time, irritable at innocent bystanders, etc.) and I'm sick of that happening. (And so are my innocent bystanders!!)

Here's to positivity all around!!!!

So, life is good.

Toby and I will be married for 9 months on Saturday. Sometimes that feels like 9 days and sometimes that feels like 9 years. Wow. That was a deep statement. (ha!) What I'm trying to say is - Marriage is hard!!!! But oh-so-rewarding. Anything WORTH A DAMN is going to be hard. It's difficult to CONSTANTLY be working and putting effort into something and at the same time remembering to not take it for granted and appreciate it to the fullest and overcome daily obstacles...Whew!...It's EXHAUSTING. Sometimes I don't think I am strong enough to be all grown-up and married and have such responsibilities. I'm a lazy-ass at heart. But most times, the challenges we have overcome remind me that I am incredibly strong and that I am the best damn wife this side of the Mississippi!! And he is the best damn husband this side of the James River. (haha - little humor for you Richmonders) And we are building a foundation of marriage that will last for eternity.

I have come to realize that is what the first year is all about. BUILDING A FOUNDATION. Every. Single. Day. And anyone who tells you that is easy, is a big fat liar! The goal is to successfully mesh YEARS (in our case, 31 and 28 years) of 2 very different and independent lives into ONE union under the same roof to create a healthy base for a future family. That is HUGE.

I have learned that while it is incredibly rewarding and exciting in it's own unique way, the first year of marriage is not like in the movies. It's not all fairy tales and bubble baths and champagne.....

The SECOND year is.

RIGHT?!?!?!?!

1.5 Months Later...

If anyone is still out there.....My LOVELY place of employement has now blocked all journal-y type sites as well as any photo album-y type sites. That is just great since most of my time was spent in those 2 places. I guess they want me to WORK or something. But anyway, I'm testing out this "E-mail to Blog" feature to see how this works....

Please say a prayer...

I truly need to update this blog! Lots going on....and I had full intentions of coming here today to add the most recent events in my life....but just before I was to come here, I got an e-mail from my best friend, Cece. And all those "events" I wanted to talk about all of the sudden felt like bullshit.

Cece and I became best friends in Mrs. Atkinson's 5th grade class - at the ages of 10 and 11. (Cece is a year older than me. Nanny nanny boo boo.) But anyway, that was nearly TWENTY YEARS AGO.

I can't believe I just wrote the phrase "twenty years ago" about myself.

Even though we grew up and she moved away to Hollywood to be a funny girl, we are still the best of friends and my greatest memories in LIFE involve her.

Well, since I have known her for 20 years, I have also known her Mom, Carol Bock. (You also can't just call her Carol - we all call her "Carol Bock" - all the time - to her face.)

Carol Bock is THE most amazing woman I have ever known. She's amazing in every way - mentally, spiritually, physically..... I won't even BEGIN to talk about her because I'll never stop.

Carol Bock has been on a roller coaster from hell for the past few years with Cancer.

And Cece's e-mail of 5 minutes ago just told me it is back and it is bad. I saw her a couple weeks ago at her house and she was in so much pain that she couldn't even sit...or stand...or lay down...or do ANYTHING really. It was thought that her pain was caused by an outbreak of Shingles - but it turns out that it was not infact Shingles, it was the Cancer.

She is now going to take Chemo in pill form.

And I just want to ask for some prayers for Carol Bock.....for her husband, John Bock....and for my BFF and sister, Cece.

FREEDOM from PHILIP

I am leaving today and won't be back in this cube again until September 13. That is TWELVE GLORIOUS DAYS that I will NOT be here.

Tomorrow: In the morning I will go to New Kent and hang out with Cece and Carol Bock. Then a catch-up lunch and shopping with Cece! YAY

Saturday: 1. Pack my car full of Pampered Chef stuff to deliver, my cat, and my husband. 2. Pick up rental car. 3. Go to Mom and Dad's for Labor Day pool party

Sunday: Pack up rental car and HIT THE ROAD JACK for Morganton, NC for 2 days. I get to meet my honorary neice, Clara.

Then onto Banner Elk/Sugar Mountain for 3 days for our "honeymoon."

We return home on Thursday at our leisure.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be spent doing whatever the hell I want. Probably working on the house...

See ya when I get back!!

My life in pictures...well, some of it.

Warped Tour
The pictures really tell the story. Awesome experience...The crowds were HUGE!!

My Endocrinologist appt.
Unfortunatly, I do not have pictures of this event. I wish I did. Because then I would blow it up and hang it on the wall and throw flaming darts at it.
Basically, it was a BIG waste of time. He had no solutions and really didn't seem alarmed with the 20 lb weight gain while dieting.... He just said I was healthy and fine. He's said that he wished he could help with people's weight problems but he can't. (???) And he said I'm doing all the right things and that my food journal was "disgustingly healthy," just sometimes THIS IS JUST HOW IT IS. He told me that as far as EVOLUTION goes (Yes, he told me about evolution) I have the BEST metabolism because during "feast and famine" times, I would have been golden. I would have been a lot better off then the thin people and I would have survived.
Yes, I am serious.
Thanks a lot, guy.
So, I guess I just go on as normal and just be fat and miserable and uncomfortable? I truly am disgusted and I can't stand my body. I can't stand my clothes. I'm spending too much money on bigger sizes and nothing looks good....I guess I just need to swallow my pride and start loving myself "as is" and accept that I just may be this size forever no matter what I do. Atleast he said I am very healthy. I'll keep counting WW points and stuff. And watch everyone else have success.

My time in NYC with Donnie and Hughes Sanders
HOW FUN WAS THIS!?!?! I landed at Laguardia around 1pm on Saturday the 13th. I took a cab to Donnie's apartment and we stores my GIANT suitcase under the staircase in his building (I wasn't carrying that honking thing up six floors! So what if everything I owned got stolen!) and we walked a few blocks to a quaint little restaurant where we ordered some brunch foods and chatted away. Might I also mention that it was 400 degrees in the city that day. NYC is like a giant grill. But it was nice and cool inside while we drank coffee and ate hash browns. And then my favorite person on earth strolls in, Donnie's brother, Hughes. I had not seen Hughes since LMC graduation in 1999! We were extrememly close the summer before my senior year in college. He lived in the Sanders Family vacation house in Banner Elk and worked. Donnie went to London and to NYC that summer for his intership with William Ivey Long so Hughes lived in the Banner Elk house and hung out with me and Denny. We three were inseperable and that may have been the most fun summer of my life. Then Hughes went away to his college, Warren Wilson, and moved on and now is going to GRADUATE school at NYU. I feel old. But it was SO WONDERFUL to see him again and he hasn't changed a bit. The way he talks, the way he listens, his sense of humour, his caring nature - all that. And it was totally refreshing and reminded me that I need to see him way more often than once every 6 years!
So, Hughes joined us for brunch and then we went back to Donnie's apartment and braved the 6 story walk-up this time. Donnie will be moving to a new place at the end of September that is on the 3rd floor - thank God!! We rode by the new place and looked at the outside and took pictures. There is a beautiful park at the end of his street where he can walk and look at trees and breathe in oxygen if he feels the need. :) Can't wait to visit again once he is there. Then we met my boss Steve, his girlfriend Jennifer, Donnie's boyfriend Scott for a very hot (air conditioner was broken!) dinner at a nice restaurant next to the theater. We fanned ourselves with our menus as we ate. After dinner, the boys left us while me, Steve, and Jennifer attended the broadway production of the Producers which was FABULOUS!! What a great show. And there is NOTHING like a broadway set. Incredible. After the show, the boys met us outside to give me back my giant suitcase and I rode back to Connecticut with Steve and Jennifer to the Marriott Hotel in Stamford where my next adventure began...

My conference in Connecticut
This conference was for FBI National Academy Grads and their families. There were classes and workshops offered for the grads; and outings for the families during the days. At nights, there were sponsored dinners and receptions. And a 24 hour hospitality suite for attendees that WE sponsored (complete with a jagermeister machine and a frozen margarita machine. I steered clear of that place!) We sponsored a large part of this conference (AKA gave them money to buy stuff) and in return we had a trade booth in the dining area for 3 days and we also conducted a workshop to teach the attendees about counterfeit and contraband and how to recognize and deal with them. It was very successful, I thought. It's not glamourous sitting at a trade booth from 7:30 am - 5pm and then attending LONG ASS company dinners where people WILL NOT SHUT UP about work....but all in all, this was the best conference I had attended. Partially because it was in Steve's hometown and he showed me all around and I got to meet his daughters and their families. And it was only an hour away from NYC....so on Wednesday of that week, Steve let me skip my trade booth duties and I hopped the train back into NYC to see my brother on the Conan O'Brien show!!!

The Conan O'Brien Show
So I go to the train station in Stamford on the morning of Wednesday, Aug 17 and I manage to find the right place to buy a ticket and I get on the right train with no help. Amazing! In less than an hour, I got off at Grand Central Station in the heart of NYC. That place is like a maze!! I made it out to the street where I quickly hailed a cab. I got in and said "Rockafeller Center, please." and the cabbie said "You should get out and walk. It's right there!" HAHA! I had no idea! So I got out and walked 6 blocks or so to Rockafeller where I immediately recognized Dean and Deluca from watching the Today Show every morning for the last 20 years. There was still a crowd left over from the Today Show since by this time it was only 10 am. Hughes and I had arranged to meet at Rockafeller around 10:30 am and he was SUPPOSED to have gotten there at 9:30 am to try and get audience tickets to see the Conan Show. Well, I didn't even need to call him - I literally ran into him on the street at I was rounding a corner. You don't BUMP INTO anyone in a city of 600 million, but we did! We laughed about that and then Hughes told me he had JUST gotten there - no Conan tickets for him! We walked around some and sat and talked some and then decided to get in a cab and go to Chinatown/Canal Street to look for counterfeit purses. And we saw alot of them! I didn't buy one though. I think it's kind of silly to buy something just for the name - I'd rather pick a bag I like at Wal-Mart that has all the compartments and features that I want and need! So, I bought a necklace and a watch....for $20 total....and then we headed back to Rockafeller Center for lunch before I needed to be at the NBC Studios. We ate lunch in a cafe and I had delicious Lobster Quiche (it was the special. I am NOT rich.) and Hughes had a salad. Good boy. We laughed and talked and then said good-bye as I headed to the studios and he headed home. I love you, Hughesy!
I wander into the Studios and talk to a guard who gives me my backstage pass and told me which elevator to get on. I go on up and wander around and find the green room where MCS is chilling before rehearsal. They are all trying to be mellow, but you could feel the electricity in the air. The green room had lots of food and drinks available and a television to watch the show. The cutest kid walked in the room and said hi to the boys and I was wondering who the heck he was...and come to find out, it was Max Weinberg's son, Jay. Max is the band leader/drummer for the Conan Show and he's a drum legend. Jay is 14 and was SO super sweet. He's a big fan of the band and hung out with us all day. He took me, Matt, and Tony up a couple flights to the SNL set and then to the NBC Cafeteria. And told us stories of celebrities and musicians he had met in his 14 years. He was very humble and hospitable to us. If I was 14, I'd have a big crush!
So I got to sit in the empty audience area for the rehearsals but had to watch the actual performance from the green room; which was such an experience. Talk about surreal. I was a nervous wreck by the end and actually busted into tears during the double chorus at the end of the song. It was so emotional seeing little Matt up on that screen!!
I was back on the streets of NYC at 7:30 pm, trying to find my way back to Grand Central Station. I HAD to stop in a few stores along the way, of course. I found my train with no problems and was safely back in Stamford by 8:30. I watched the airing of Conan at 12:30 am from my lonely hotel room and thanked God for one of the most amazing days of my life!
My flight left Laguardia the next day at noon and I was back in Richmond by 2pm. Back to reality.

My pampered chef party
On Sunday I had a Pampered Chef party. My friend Leslie is a relatively new consultant and she does an AWESOME job. I invited a lot of the women in my life and it was so much fun! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I got some really get PC kitchen stuff. Maybe my new toys will inspire me to cook more! Toby hopes so. :)

My 29th Birthday
On Tuesday, I worked until noon and then I was OUT OF HERE. I decided to take 1/2 day vacation because my bosses were all out and I deserved it. I went to a new nail salon and got a manicure and pedicure...complete with a little flower on my big toe. It's so cute! I went by my 2nd home, Kohl's, and got a few things on sale. Toby and I headed out to meet my family for dinner. We ended up at Julian's and got a big table and all squeezed in. It was me, Toby, Mom, Dad, Matt, Kristen, Denny, Morgen, David, and Steve. David and Steve were last-minute attendees and I am SO GLAD they came! I enjoyed everyone's company so much and there was so much laughter. After dinner, a few of us went to see Kristen's new CUTE AS HECK apartment in the Fan and had some cake. It was a lovely birthday.
My husband got me the DVD of the first season of the Gilmore Girls (YAY YAY YAY) and a $50 certificate to Michaels for scrapbook stuff! That'll be gone this weekend. :)


Sooooooo....... Lots going on. All wonderful things. But even though they were wonderful, my routine got out of whack and we all know what happens when Stephanie's routine gets out of whack: CHAOS. I have become behind in ALOT of things; most of which is communication with my friends and updating my blog!!

My Sister-in-law's baby shower is this Saturday and on Sunday I am going to an all-day scrapbooking get-together. THis is where I hope to get SIL's present (a scrapbook! Imagine that!) completed.

After this weekend, life calms down until September 5 when Toby and I hit the road to Banner Elk for our LONG-AWAITED HONEYMOON VACATION.

Life really is good.

Pisser of an update

I'm SORRY! I'm sorry. I am a poor excuse for a blogger.

Things have been NUTS. (see previous entry) and I owe this site a BIG ASS update to include:

Warped Tour
My Endocrinologist appt
My conference in Connecticut
My time in NYC with Donnie and Hughes Sanders
The Conan O'Brien Show
My pampered chef party
My birthday (today!)
Kim's Baby Shower preparations
Upcoming honeymoon trip

Right now I am heading out to get a mani/pedi because I DESERVE IT. Tomorrow, BLOGGING. Promise.

Summer? What summer?

I don't really differentiate between summer and "the rest of the year" anymore since I am not in school and I do not have school age children and I have to keep working like normal and don't get any time off and never get to take week-long vacations like the rest of the world...The only reason I know it's summer is because it's hot as hell...but anyway, I digress.

My summer is flying by. My schedule for August is NUTS. Please indulge me for just a moment:

Aug 6 - Attend a Wedding
Aug 9 - Vacation from work. Warped Tour in VA Beach to see MCS
Aug 10 - Vacation from work. Warped Tour in NoVA to see MCS
Aug 11 - WAS going to take vacation day but don't think I can now. Too much work. BUDGET IS DUE.
Aug 12 - Long awaited Endrocrinologist appt. YAY! And work.
Aug 13 - Leave in the AM for NYC, Attend Broadway Show, go to Connecticut that night after the show.
Aug 14 - 18 - FBI Conference in Connecticut.
Aug 17 - MY BROTHER WILL BE ON CONAN O'BRIEN AND I'LL BE IN THE AUDIENCE
Aug 20 - Father-in-law's birthday and a Scrapbook Workshop (2 separate events, of course)
Aug 21 - Pampered chef Party
Aug 23 - My 29th Birthday!!
Aug 27 - Sister-in-law's baby shower that I am basically hosting
Aug 28 - Parents' anniversary

Quite a calendar!! I'm excited about all of these things but also anxious that there is so much. It'll be fine. It's THINKING about all the stuff that gets me in a tizzy - I actually enjoy DOING them.

Ramblings...

I am sooooooooo procrastinating. I need to organize all of my boss's files. I don't want to. He is highly unorganized and I don't think it's fair that he let all this go to sh*t for 4 years and I have to come in and try and sort HIS paperwork - that I can't do alone - unless I ask him about every single freakin sheet of paper.

Do you need this anymore?
Will you need to reference this soon?
What is this?
Where do you want it?

Why am I doing this if I CAN'T do it without asking him a million questions? He should do it himself, that's what I think.

Please excuse me. I am PMS ing AND I am so over being an "assistant" I could die.

Moving right along.................

So, my neice will be here in 8 weeks! I'm so excited. I really am. I met the baby's father for the first time on Sunday (LONG STORY) and I really liked him and I am praying hard that the whole family will come together to support my sister-in-law and to support this innocent child - who by the way is a GIRL and her name is KENDALL. Loving it......... I've been picking up a few little girly outfits when I'm out...I might spoil this child to pieces. Actually, there is no MIGHT about it. I'm going to. And I'm really proud of Kim for being so strong, taking such good care of herself, and for overcoming adversity from her own family - the ones who should be the MOST supportive.

Toby and I almost looked at a house this past weekend. My Equinox dreams were put on hold for a few days...but they might be back on now. Don't know. We're really evaluating our money and our priorities and starting to thing seriously about our OWN family and what we need to do. Move? Get a new car? Sell my car?Paint? Get off our butts and fix our current house up? All of the above? Yes.

My brother called yesterday and we chatted - he sounds great. We'll see him next week at 2 Warped Tour dates. On the 13th, I leave for NYC for work...and it just so happens to be the same time that MCS will be performing on Conan O'Brien at the Ed Sullivan Theater! So I am 98% sure I get to attend the taping!!! So be sure to watch Conan on August 17. After the Conan show, Matt will get to come home for almost a week and then he's off to Australia. That lucky bastard. I love him.

Denny moved to a new apartment this week. I'm kind of sad since I no longer get to go see him at Allison Street - the apartment where we began our Richmond lives together. Change is good though! I've certainly done my fair share of that in the past few years. It's his turn now. :) I know he'll enjoy his new place and I'm very excited to see how he and Troy decorate. They are so talented. I need them to come decorate my house. Don't think that would fly with Toby though.

This month is busy. Lots of exciting and fun things....but I'm kind of dreading it at the same time. I'm such a quiet, homebody anymore. All of this excitment and traveling and event attending...I'm scared!! I know that sounds ridiculous and I'll be FINE - I'm just a little anxious. WHAT'S NEW, huh??