3. Always as a Bridesmaid…

This weekend I’m heading to Florida for a few days for my cousin’s wedding. True, I haven’t actually talked to this cousin face-to-face or on the phone, well, in 15 years or so, but his mom is a loyal reader of this blog (Hi Aunt Sandy!) and one of my favorite people so off Darling and I go for a few days of family, fun and sun. A mini family reunion of sorts.

It’s also a rarity that I’m not somehow involved in this wedding in a way other than attending since I’m pretty much a perma-bridesmaid. Or if not a bridesmaid I tend to be the executive bride’s helper as was the case with the last few weddings Irish & I attended.

I thought that just for fun I’d take you through the last few weddings I’ve been in.

My college roommate’s wedding, circa 2005 (worst tan line known to man…):

My childhood friend’s wedding, circa 2007, in St. Thomas (most beautiful setting ever):

My (other) college roommate’s wedding, circa New Year’s Eve 2007 (complete with chipmunk cheeks):

My best friend from high school’s wedding, April 2008 (I’m on the far left, in case you couldn’t tell):

and most recently, my best college friend’s wedding in September 2008* (probably my favorite dress out of all of them and I have seven dresses total as we had two dresses for the one above!):

(I was in my cousin’s wedding in 2000 but that was pre-digital camera and I can’t readily find a photo to post so you’ll have to do without.)

If you know of anyone who needs a professional bridesmaid feel free to pass my name along. It’s been a whole year since I’ve been in a wedding and I’m actually itching to be in one which is rather shocking!

Darling

Todays’ post is all about my mom, Darling. Why? Just because I feel like it and I know that I’m incredibly blessed to have a mom like her. So, here’s the list of why my mom is fabulous:

* She reads Vogue which makes her an excellent person to turn to for fashion advice.

* She introduced me to Sex & The City.

* If it’s your birthday, you get to request your favorite dinner and cake with homemade icing.

* She loves Jack as if he were her own dog.

* She’s the best cheerleader I know.

* We have our own rituals. Like shopping & IHOP the day after Thanksgiving. Hot fudge sundaes once a month, just because.

* She was the one who encouraged me to blog.

* She calls me on my bad moods and bullshit (rare that I’m that way, but it happens and she tells me so).

* We laugh so hard it hurts more often than not.

* She has a pink cell phone.

* She wrote me a children’s book, just because. I have it tucked away for if/when I have kids.

* Darling knows when to hold my hand through certain situations and  when to let me fly (and maybe crash) on my own, but she’s always there to pick up the pieces.

* She’ll gladly get on stage to sing with my dad’s band. She’s also pretty darn good at it too.

* She’s given me a list of nicknames as long as my arm, including things like Beeps. Smoodgie-San. Laser. (And no, I don’t know what they mean specifically.)

* She has a kick-ass blog. No, really. You should read her especially if you like photos, book recommendations, poems and anything else literary.

* She still gets excited about Christmas and repeatedly tells me and my brother NOT to go in my parent’s closet because we’ll run our surprises.

* We share our movie collections with each other (and not surprisingly, love the same kinds of movies).

Who is the most influential woman in your life? Does she read Vogue?

Scarf Swap Photo Shoot

Special thanks to Katie from Loves of Life for organizing the Scarf Swap this year. My Scarf Swap partner is the lovely Ashley from Breakfast at Ashley’s. Though I’m new to her blog, if you aren’t reading her you totally should be. Same goes for Katie.

Part of the rules of the Scarf Swap? Post a picture of yourself wearing the scarf. I had a bit too much fun with this so here are a few of my favorite photos of me in my scarf which I LOVE.  (And if you want to see what other people received, check out Katie’s blog.)

Eek! I'm not great at self-portraits

Hair Crisis

Practicing my Zoolander Face

Bottom line: I’m thrilled with the new addition to my scarf collection and have already worn it three times since the weather has decided to go from Indian Summer to freakin’ cold.

Nora & the Deluxe Box Suite

This past weekend turned out to be one of the best birthday celebration weekends I’ve had in a long time. I didn’t spend it drunk and hungover but instead very in the moment.

My brother came into town to surprise me (one of the best surprises ever!), I made some style changes to my bedroom meaning it’s almsot the way I want it to be, had beer with my favorite three men in the world (Irish, my brother, my dad), received ah-mazing presents from my long distance friends, Irish and my family as well as scoring tickets to a Deluxe Suite at the StL Cardinal’s last game.

Originally I had four tickets to sit in the nosebleeds which is really one of the best ways to see a Cardinals game but then Irish’s dad had tickets to a Deluxe Suite and I had to refrain from screaming “HELL YES!” into the phone.

On Sunday five of us piled into the car to start the adventure that would entail seats behind homeplate, unlimited free food, beer, wine and soda, as well as fantastically comfortable seats, great people watching and one of the best baseball experiences I’ve had to date.

Our view from the box:

With the always handsome Irish:

With the best brother in the world:

And we saw Albert Pujols break an old record/earn a new record:

With regular season out of the way we can now focus on post-season and hopefully make it to the World Series…

The 26th Year

I admit I wasn’t organized enough to find a photo of myself as a young girl for today’s post so a photo of me from my 21st birthday will have to do:

I’m 26 today (and the end to the birthday-blogging theme)! The last year has been one of the best years in my twenties and I’ve enjoyed every moment, new opportunity, my new and old friendships, my fantastic family, my amazing dog (who I’m convinced is a Border Collie mix after much discussion this past weekend), Irish, this blog, my readers, and the many new experiences I enjoyed.

A quick, down n’ dirty list of things I’ve learned over the years:

* You can’t go wrong with hugs.
* Baking is therapeutic.
* Sex & The City relates to my life more than I would have thought (or cared to admit).
* Sleeping in until noon is rejuvenating.
* Love is worth the fall.
* Getting a Blackberry will change your life, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
* After a long day there’s nothing like a hug from your man and smooch from your dog.
* It’s true: if you pluck one white hair, at least three more grow in its place.
* Sweatpants are fabulous.

Birthday request time! If you’re a reader but rarely comment, please, let me know who you are. If you’re a regular reader/commenter please share your words to live by or favorite life advice for me to add to my arsenal.

My Brother & Me

21 years ago today I was about to turn five and my brother was about to enter this world.

I don’t remember much about the anticipation of having a younger brother but I do remember…

…. the day I came home from kindergarten to find out my parents were at the hospital waiting for my brother to enter this world.

…. sobbing uncontrollably when visiting hours were over because I didn’t want to leave my mom at the hospital. My dad bought me a doughnut at Krispy Kreme to try to make me feel better.

…. receiving a button that said “I’m a Big Sister,” which I still have to this day. I sported it on my mini-jean jacket that I had back in the late 80s.

…. getting in trouble for watching my little brother sleep because he just fell asleep.

…. how for two years of my brother’s life he’d greet me at the door after school, drag me to the TV with his bottle hanging out of his mouth, to watch the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan. Everyday, without fail. We wore the tape out.

…. the “scary” faces he would make with my dad when all his front teeth came out.

…. the incessant amoutn of costumes he’d create/find/make out of his toys. Pirate and Ninja were the most common.

…. sticking up for him when my friends didn’t want to be nice to him. I usually unfriended people who weren’t nice to my brother.

…. New Year’s Eves spent baby-sitting him, eating pizza, watching Grease, Guys & Dolls and other musicals.

…. the year he went to Boy Scout camp for the first time. And when he was part of the Order of the Arrow ceremony.

…. his orchestra concerts, plays and Pit Orchestra performances.

…. his high school graduation. Senior Prom. First girlfriend. First break-up.

…. late night chats about how silly girls can be after break-ups, college life, dorm life, and how inconsiderate roommates can be.

….watching him grow up to be a fine, handsome, strong, independent-thinking young man.

…. that even though we have had our fights, days of silence and distance between us, we’ve been there for each other through thick and thin.

Happy Birthday, little brother!

(His goofy graduation face, three years ago)

Lessons Learned…

…over the weeekend:

1* I’m at my happiest when I have little or no obligations, plans or monotonous chores to get done. This also means I laugh a little louder, stay up a little later, and feel genuinely rested.

2* Getting up at 9am and taking an afternoon nap is preferred to sleeping the day away.

3* I thrive in 70-something degree weather.

4* It is possible to finish an entire book from start to finish in one weekend provided the first thing learned is present. What did I read? Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris. I may or may not have purchased the second book on Sunday, though I haven’t started it…yet.

5* It’s also possible to start a new book in the same weekend and become so enthralled by the writing and imagery that you are 50% of the way through it by Sunday night. (The book in question: Chocolat, by Joanne Harris. Yes, I’ve seen the movie but I want to read this book before I move onto the Girl with No Shadow, the sequel to Chocolat by Joanne Harris.)

6* There is wine named after me! Nora wine! How cool is that?

7* Impromptu picnics complete with wine, cheese, crusty bread, blanket + pillows, as well as a few books and my fabulous man are my new favorite thing. Bonus for finding some amazing cheese at a local smokehouse.

8* Quentin Tarantino is seriously disturbed but has an amazing cinematic eye just the same. Go see Inglorious Basterds. It’s worth the 150 minutes of your time.

9* It’s okay to make a meal out of appetizers while watching True Blood with my boyfriend.

10* Jack is more of a cuddle whore than ever. He is now attempting to cuddle with me while holding his new toy (a stuffed goose) in his mouth.

11* Irish & I have a book buying problem. We’ve made a pact to not set foot into nor buy another book until my birthday which is in one month and five days.

12* Watching Six Feet Under before you go to bed is a bad, bad idea. Cue insane nightmares and waking up gasping for air.

13* Staying in on a Friday night is totally acceptable.

14* There are never enough hours in the weekend but a perfectly unscripted weekend is much needed at least once a month.

NOLA: Recapped

Alright, so it’s been almost a month since I returned from NOLA, but better late than never.

Highlights of the trip:

* A 12 hour road trip with Darling & Irish. Thank goodness for recently won Nintendo DSi’s (thanks, Rebekah!), crossword puzzles, Junior Mints & XM Radio.

* Surviving a night in Batesville, MS. I mean survive in the sense that we were creeped out by the huge caskset factory and the constant reminder of Bates Motel, as in Alfred Hitchock.

* A lovely three bedroom house that we rented in the Magazine District for the week in NOLA. With really kick-ass air conditioning, which is a must in the humid, hot, stickyness that is the NOLA air.

* Cats! No, not the musical. The animal. I fell in love with the outdoor cats that lived under our house. There was a huge bowl of food and water that was magically filled each morning, by the neighbor I assume, and apart from a literal cat fight at one point, they were incredibly sweet.

* Cooter Brown’s. Irish had a hankering for oysters and since he was kind enough to use a week’s worth of his vacation to join me and the fam in NOLA, I had to make sure we got him what he wanted. Double bonus: this restaurant boasted over 400 kinds of beer from around the world. He and my dad tried a few different kinds. Triple bonus: Big, flat screen TVs on which to watch the first pitch of the MLB All-Star Game.

* A Haunted History Tour. Terrifying. Exhilarting. Intriguing. Goosebump-causing. Check out Darling’s post she wrote about the tour, complete with pictures of yours truly hiding behind the fans they gave us.

* Hurricane’s at Pat O’Brien’s. I’ve had ‘em before, but it’s a must when you’re planning on a) spooking the shit out of yourself and b) when it’s 100 degrees with the sun down. This is what happens you down one HUGE hurricane in less than 20 minutes:

* Really great conferences. I know, why would I want to do work when I was in NOLA? Well, I had no choice since that was the whole point of the trip and trust me, my dad and I worked our tails off. We had networking breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings. Afternoon planning sessions. Sidebar conversations during keynotes. As always, I learned a lot about the business (IT), myself and where my job will be headed. One of the boutique stores picked up on who was in town:

* The French Quarter. If you can ignore or tolerate the stench of pee and sweat, you’ll find some lovely things like the French Market, antique stores of all kinds, tiny little bookshops, bars on every corner, absinthe and more.

* Sharks. We did take a little bit o’ time off while we were there to head to the Aquarium. My favorites: Sharks. Jelly Fish. The huge turtle that was much bigger than the shark. Considering Irish loves sharks this was a must-do on the list.

* Inside Jokes. It’s been awhile since I’ve traveled with most of the family (my brother chose to stay in StL so he could go to the All-Star Game, I don’t blame him) and it’s amazing how many new jokes arise from the trip. We still giggle over some of the sayings and things we came up with while there, including the time I fell in the French Quarter. Uneven old bricks + flip-flops do not a steady Nora make.

My only wish is that we had a tad more time to explore the city via a plantation tour or swamp tour. If I ever go back, those will be high on my list since I’ve traipsed all around the French Quarter & Bourbon street already.

While it was had doing triple-duty while I was there (work/girlfriend/daughter duties), it was one of the better work trips I’ve been on, most likely because I had most of my loved ones around me.

DMB # 9

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile it’s probably not a surprise to you that I am in love with the sounds of Dave Matthews Band.

I know there are a lot of haters out there and before I go any further, let me just say this: I was one of you.

Yes, I too, at one point, didn’t get what the big deal was about Dave Matthews Band and his music. Until my sophomore year in high school when my friend K asked me to go with her since her sister had extra tickets. And so I did.

And I fell in love. I fell in love with the sounds of the band and how they can just play for ten minutes with no particular end-point in mind. I fell in love with the witty banter Dave throws around on stage. I fell in love with the sounds, the words, the music.

I went out and bought three of his CDs the next day. And I’ve bought every one since.

I know a lot of his original followers don’t care for his new music saying it is too different from the “old Dave.” My question is this:  How is a musician supposed to sound the same all the time? That would be a bore not to mention unfair to the singer/songwriter/band. Music is about evolution, about expressing yourself at a particular place in time. It only makes sense that sound of DMB would change over the years. I’ve noticed with each CD a change, always slightly related to his personal life. His marriage to his wife, Grace. The birth of their twins. The death of LeRoi.

Perhaps it is because I grew up around music of all kinds and a musician family but I respect the music process, the musician, the freedom to change over time.

And as a result of my profound respect and understanding for the music, I have been to a whopping nine concerts. All of them except for one in StL. I have only been diasppointed once and that was because I didn’t know any of the songs but right as rain I bought the new CD the following day.

Last night’s concert was amazing on for many reasons:

* Irish was with me. I’ve never been to a DMB concert with a boyfriend before

* We carpooled, tailgated and “sat” with Liz and her husband. (I say “sit,” because anyone who has been to a concert at our venue knows that very little sitting takes place on the lawn.)

* Irish spoiled me by buying me two shirts and a very cool bio-friendly DMB bag. (They are my anniversary presents.)

* Irish admitted to “appreciating,”Dave’s music. It should be noted that prior to this concert, Irish was a DMB “hater.”

* Liz’s husband is now a self-proclaimed DMB Fan! (Side note: Our missions have been accomplished. Our men now like DMB!)

* There was a slight drizzle during the second half of the show which took the edge off the insane heat and humidity that settled upon us

* People watching was spectacular, as always

* DMB played for nearly three hours straight! No opening band, just pure DMB.

* I managed to thoroughly ignore all my stresses, worries and problems during the show which is a huge accomplishment for me

(Photos courtesy of Liz’s iPhone and please note the lovely floofy hair I’m sporting courtesy of the humidity. Sigh.)

After seeing the many concert-goers last night, most of whom were likely under the age of 20, I wonder if I’ll still go see him when I’m 30? I have a feeling the answer is yes, though maybe by then I’ll splurge and spend $80 on a seat instead.

The Story of Jack & His Dog Bed

A few months into my relationship with Irish, he suggested we (I) get Jack a dog bed.

I was nervous as to how Jack would take to the bed considering I had spoiled him as a pup: comfy blankets and towels in his crates; sleeping next to me on my bed starting at age two until, well about a year ago. 

Knowing Jack’s propensity to tear apart things that are fluffy I thought surely I’d come home one day to see a massacred dog bed in my living room.

Maybe it’s because I took Jack with me to PetSmart to choose his own bed.
Or maybe it’s because I coaxed him into the first night with a few treats.
But ever since I brought that bed home about nine months ago, Jack and the bed have been rather inseparable.

Sure, during the day Jack will jump on the couch and the bed but fortunately lint rollers and vacuuming take care of the dog-hair-disaster that he leaves behind.

But at night? He gets all unsettled if his bed’s not in the same room as us. Or if he can’t find it. Or get to it.

Last night, after schlepping my Vegas suitcase, my “regular,” suitcase, school work and all of Jack’s necessities to Irish’s place, we left the dog bed (accidentally) on top of one of Irish’s chairs. Suddenly we noticed that Jack wasn’t in the room and instead looked like a Dog King, lying in a bed atop a very comfortable reading chair:

When I clean, I move the dog bed which receives a look of disapproval from Jack, not to mention he follows the bed from room to room, making sure a) I’m not throwing it away and b) that we aren’t leaving on a road trip.

If we do go on a “road trip,” either to my parents’ or Irish’s house, Jack stays close to his bed:

 

<all photos taken by Blackberry camera so please excuse the Demon Dog eyes & bad lighting. Photo Credits: Irish (bed on chair) and Nora (bed in car)>