Waiting is No Fun!

Especially when it's for a grade on a test! My statistics exam went better than I expected (or so I think) but I'm still waiting on the official grade to be posted. I've been obsessively checking it every hour on the hour today and it's stiiiiiilll not up =(

I'm shooting for a B =)

I've got meetings the rest of the afternoon then I'm going to head home and get a quick bite to eat before BodyAttack then it's Real Housewives of NYC time! Ohhhh Kelly, you better watch it! And I can't believe the countess is getting a divorce, oh the drama!

Tomorrow will be pretty busy too. 5:30am workout. Then our VP is coming in and I get to give a presentation to him with some co-workers. Then we're having dinner at Crabby's later that night. Crabby's is soooooo good, I can't wait to have the salmon salad! MMMMMmm...Grilled Salmon & Asparagus Salad: Grilled Salmon Fillet, Field Greens, Toasted Almonds, Roasted Red Peppers, Grilled Asparagus and Balsamic Vinaigrette YUM YUM YUM, for reals.

Then Thursday I'm going to BodyCombat then I have a dinner date with Tara, yay!

OH, I almost forgot! I ordered P90X! I can't waaaaait, I've heard so many good things about these DVD's! I'm starting them as soon as I get them so that I'll be BUFF for Italy =) I also start my big diet again in about 4 weeks. Almost time to get focused!

10 Weeks Till Italy!

**Cue jumping up and down and squealing!**

I am officially starting (or transferring from my brain to paper) my shopping, packing, and planning lists! Yes, I'm a planner =)

I need:

A cute backpack big enough to hold all of my STUFF!...

A hanging cosmetic bag, I figure this will come in handy on the trains...
Adapters for hair appliances and charging my iPod!...

A passport cover, I found this cute cheap one on organize.com...

A lens with more ZOOM! for my camera!

Lots of comfortable, cute, wrinkle-free-'ish dresses...

Comfortable shoes (sandals & 1 pair of running shoes)

A couple of casual shorts outfits...

A couple of bathing suits...
A dressy dress...

One pair of pretty yet uncomfortable shoes?...

I'll also need one pair of workout clothes and maybe some long sleeved shirts and comfy pants for night-time if it gets cold.

So much to do!!

On a less fun note, I have my first Statistics test tonight and I am scared to death! Mostly because I don't know what format to expect yet since it is the first one. Wish me luck!

Triple Birthday Par-Tay!

Despite the fact that it SNOWED all day and night yesterday, the party still went really well! We had so much fun catching up with each other and it was nice to get out of the house during the icky weather.

Today is bright and sunny and starting to warm up thank goodness. Too bad I'll be stuck inside studying most of the day =( I'm going to try to get a run or trip to the gym in this afternoon though. I hope you're having a great weekend, it's almost over!

Here are pictures of the night as promised! =)

Good Date Night and Busy Weekend Ahead

Bolt is such a good movie! It's really funny and cute. And I cried during one part but it ended happily thank goodness =) Bolt looks just like my old dog Paris that got lost about 5 years ago, she was a white Shiba Inu.

I was going to go to the gym early this morning but I woke up and my back was killing me so I slept in another hour. I'll go to BodyCombat tonight and maaayyybe PiYo if I have enough time. Jeff wants me to go to Louie's tonight to watch basketball but I reeeeally want to see the new Grey's Anatomy! I missed last weeks so I'm not going to know what's going on. See this is why I don't like having Date Nights on Thursdays, I miss my good tv!

Oh! Speaking of tv shows....after watching Tuesday's episode of the Real Housewives of NYC, I am NOT liking Kelly anymore. I kind of didn't know what to think of her at first and she seemed cool but after the last episode I think she's a self-centered, hoity toity, I'm-Better-Than-Everybody not nice girl! Hehe. That was so sad that she didn't want to take any part of any charity work because she would have to "lend her name to it"...what?!

And what's up with "Oh hey Kelly, this is Ally, she's a teenager suffering from arthritis and she is the whole reason we're doing this benefit", and Kelly responds "that's cute". Seriously?! I thought Bethenny responded in a very well spoken way by saying "Usually when you come to a charity, you come from a place of Yes, and then you decide if you might not have time to do little bits and pieces of it." Then Kelly huffed and puffed saying she just came to "see what it was all about, then decide" and started talking about how busy she was (after arriving 30 minutes late) and how she was going to have to leave in 15 minutes. She just rubbed me the wrong way. Her and Luann are perfect together.

I'm really enjoying Bethenny's book "Naturally Thin". She writes about how she learned to eat when she went to Italy so now I'm even more excited to go! She talks about they take their time when eating, and enjoy really GOOD food, and have very good portion control and things like that. It will be really interesting to go there this summer and take all of that in, I hope I learn from them!

I have my first Statistics exam in 5 days (including today) and I've still got so much to do! The work in this class is never ending but I'm learning so much. I'll be a busy little bee again this weekend, wish me luck!

Also this weekend, we have our triple birthday party at the Wine Cellar for 3 of my girlfriends! I can't wait, I've been so busy lately that I really haven't had much girl time this month so it will be really nice to see everyone and catch up. The sucky thing is that there is a chance of SNOW that night...yeah...sooo not cool. Oh well, I promise to take lots of pictures anyway! =)

Storm's a Brewin'!

I had a pretty productive day today and an AWESOME workout at the gym. I went early and ran, did some pylometric box jumps, ran again, then went to BodyPump for an hour. Oh and I accidentally set my stuff up under a ceiling fan that wasn't working. So yeah, I was sweating like Patrick Ewing the whole time. Good workout though!

Tonight is Date Night and I'm about to put a big pork loin in the oven and cook some vegetables. Jeff rented us "Bolt" to watch too, I'm so excited, it looks really cute! I'll tell you all how it is tomorrow.

Well, it looks like MORE rain is headed our way. March and April showers bring May flowers right? Riiiiiight. I hope you had a great day!

Strangest clouds I've ever seen...

Do you see the face in this one too?

100 Truths (Minus some because they were stupid)

These Facebook survey's are getting out of hand! But they're still fun =)


1. Last beverage→ Espresso

2. Last phone call→ My daddy =)
3. Last text message→ My boyfriend

4. Last song you listened to→ Hmmm, some rock song on The X (104.9)

5. Last time you cried→ Last week watching Oprah, she gets me every time!


HAVE YOU EVER :
6. Dated someone twice → Not that I can think of

7. Been cheated on? →Yes, unfortunately

8. Kissed someone & regretted it? → Nope don't think so

9. Lost someone special?→ Yes

10. Been depressed-> Yes, but I am very much healed =)


LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS :
12. Red

13. Yellow

14. Coral


THIS YEAR, HAVE YOU :
15. Made new friends → Yes!

16. Fallen out of love → No way, I've fallen MORE in if that is possible!

17. Laughed until you cried → This happens pretty much on a daily basis for me.


18. Met someone who changed you→ Yes, I like to hope that everyone who comes into my life makes me a better person in some way shape or form.

19. Found out who your true friends were→ This DEFINITELY happened this year.

20. Found out someone was talking about you→ Of course, I think everybody talks about everybody! I guess people don't have anything better to do.

21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list→ Ha! Probably but not intentionally

23. How many kids do you want to have→ 2, 1 boy and 1 girl! I have one boy and one girl right now with my pets so maybe that will continue!

24. Do you have any pet’s → Yes! My baby's names are Vincent (dog) and Millie (cat)



25. Do you want to change your name→ Nope, I love my name. I will want to change it when I get married though =) Traditional like that

26. What did you do for your last birthday→ Dinner with Mom, Dad, and Jeff one night, then Dinner with Jeff on my actual birthday, then a weekend at the horse races in Hot Springs with 22 friends that weekend.

28. What were you doing at midnight last night→ Telling Vincent to quit whining at the back door.

29. Name something you CAN’T wait for →Going to ITALY in June!!!!

30. Last time you saw your father→ A few weeks ago

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life →Nothing right now, I'm actually very happy with my life at the moment =)

32. What are you listening to right now → People talking and typing, it's lunch time but nobody wants to leave because it's storming (including me)

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Hmmm..I've talked to my Uncle Tom!


34. What's getting on your nerves right now? → Too much homework and the economy and everything that goes with it.

36. What’s your real name → NATALIE!

37. Relationship Status → Single but in a loving relationship with Jeffrey =)

39. Male or female→ Ummm...Female

40. Elementary→ I liked elementary school but kids were very mean at that age. I got made fun of a lot.

41. Middle School → Junior High was so much fun! I went to a catholic junior high and we got away with murder on a daily basis, I definitely spent a little too much time in detention with my friends, but it was always for something stupid like taking off my shoes in class or dancing during mass..hehehe

42. High school → High School was fun, I met a lot of people that I am still friends with today and I'm really excited for our first reunion!


43. Hair color → Brown with lowlights and highlights

44. Long or short → It's kind of medium length right now but I'm growing it back out.

45. Height → 5'3ish

46. Do you have a crush on someone? → my boyfriend of course! and I have girl crushes on Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio

47. What do you like about yourself? → I like to be silly

48. Piercings → Ears, just 1 hole in each because I'm scared of needles!

49. Tattoos -> No way, not my style =)

50. Righty or lefty → Righty


FIRSTS :
51. First surgery → That would be the surgery to remove a poisonous ocean catfish fin from my foot, yeah...It hurt BAAAAD and I was only in the 2nd grade. I just held my teddy bear till it was over then screamed "YES!" when they told me they were done and everybody in the room laughed.

52. First piercing → Ears - I think I was 14, it took me forever to get over the fear (or just get past it) of the GUN!

53. First tattoo→ Uh, hasnt happened and will most likely never happen!

54. First best friend → Aubrie, all our baby pictures are together!

55. First sport you joined →Gymnastics, dance and cheerleading and I LOVED IT!

56. First pet → Mindy the scottie dog!

57. First vacation→ Hmmm, Disney World or Florida is the first big one I can remember but I'm sure we went somewhere before that cuz it was the 2nd grade!

58. First concert → Wait for it, wait for it.....Color Me Badd!! OH YEAH! HAHAHAHAHA!


59. First crush → Probably some snot nosed kid in kindergarten


60. First alcohol drink→ Beer, and I hated it, still do


RIGHT NOW :
62. Drinking → Water

63. I'm about to → Get some homework done

64. Listening to → Co-workers talking about politics

65. Waiting for → The end of the work day and 6:30pm BodyAttack!


YOUR FUTURE :
66. Want kids? → Yes

67. Want to get married? →Definitely
68. Careers in mind? → Not sure, maybe something in Sales


HAVE YOU EVER :
79. Kissed a stranger → Gross, no

80. Drank hard liquor → Yurp

81. Lost glasses/contacts → Don't have them so I can't lose them...I've lost a lot of sunglasses in the lake though, does that count?

82. Broken someone's heart → Sadly yes (they always told me I would be a heart breaker when I was a little girl!)

83. Had your own heart broken → Yes

84. Bailed someone out of jail → Yes, thank goodness it wasn't with my money.

85. Been arrested? → Nopey, I would still be grounded if I was


86. Turned someone down → Yup


87. Cried when someone died → Uh, duh

88. Liked a friend that is a girl? → Yes, In a girlfriend platonic way!


DO YOU BELIEVE IN :
89. Yourself → YES I CAN! haha

90. Miracles → yes

91. Love at first sight → I guess it could happen


92. Heaven → yes

93. Santa Claus → I heart Santa, he treats me well!

94. Kissing on the first date? → No cuz then you could become a doormat! I read it in a book, lol

95. Angel’s → Yes



ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
96. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Si

97. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → No

98. Do you believe it’s possible to remain faithful forever?→ Yes


99. What's the one thing you cannot live without?→ Um, Air?


100. Posting this as 100 Truths? → I don't get it?

11 Weeks Till Italy!!

I turned in all the stuff for my passport today and I'm soooo excited! It feels real now =) Spending $120 on a little book with your picture in it will do that for ya. I think we've finally got our trip planned out destination-wise, now we just have to plan the actual things we want to go see and do while we're there. We decided on Florence for 5 days, then Cinque Terre, Italy for 1 day, Rome, Italy for 2 days, a big pretty train ride up through Switzerland (Jeff told me it's gorgeous), then 2 days in Munich, Germany. I am SO PUMPED! If any of you have been to any of those places please fill me in on any "must-see's".

We're staying at a GORGEOUS house in Florence I talked about before so there will be plenty of cool things to do there. Including outlet shopping...think not so much The Gap and Banana Republic...this is more Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Versace, etc. Yeah, can you tell that's going to be one of the biggest highlights of the whole trip for me!? I'm already planning on shipping a huge box back to the States before we go backpacking through the rest of our trip. Around our little villa we can go hiking, horseback riding, wine tasting (it's on a vineyard), swimming, bike riding and all kinds of other fun outdoor things.

Here is where we'll be swimming!

Here is where we'll be watching the sunsets...
Here is where we'll be enjoying yummy breakfasts!

I also found an Italian cooking class and wine tasting night online that I thought would be cool. Lots of sightseeing as well, I'm so glad we have 5 days to fit all of this in. We've had several friends tell us that when they went to Europe, Florence was their favorite.

When we're in Cinque Terre, we'll probably just do a lot of relaxing and a little bit of sightseeing since it's pretty small.

In Rome I definitely want to go to Vatican City. I love historical things so I'm sure I'll love all the museums and landmarks.

I'm going to order a better zoom lens for my camera next month especially for this trip! And especially for the train ride through Switzerland. The lens I'm getting has a stabilization feature on it and it zooms in way farther than the lens that came with my camera.

Munich, Germany was one of Jeff's highlights of the last time he went to Europe so we wanted to designate 2 days there. We're going to be spending a LOT of time at the Hauf Brau Haus!! He said there are a TON of Americans that hang out there and it's really fun to find people. I also want to see a lot of landmarks while we're there like some Holocaust stuff (I told you I'm a history buff, depressing or not). Oh and we're going to do the Mike's Bike Tour!!

Sooo excited, 11 weeks can't get here soon enough!