Life in the Fast Lane... Part 2

July 2012
~ Mom & Dad Visit: At the beginning of July my parents decided that they were going to come visit me down in West Chester for the first time since we moved there.  I was super excited to have them come visit, but at the same time was a bit nervous for it.  I wanted the house to be perfect and of course that didn't happen, so needless to say I was a little stressed while they were there.  The visit was a lot of fun... we did lots of touristy things which I enjoyed.  Went into Philadelphia where we went to Independence Hall & the Liberty Bell, took my first trip out to Lancaster, PA and went to see a few wineries along the way. All in all it was an awesome visit with them and I was super glad that I was able to show them around where we live.

Clock at Independence Hall

Liberty in Various Languages

Independence Hall

Mom & Dad

Buggy in Lancaster

Winery

Another one of the Wineries

Wine Tasting!

~ KR's Bridal Shower: The week before the dreaded Pennsylvania Bar Exam my old neighbor from NJ had her bridal shower.  KR (KM at the time) is someone I have known her entire life.  We grew up across the street from each other in NJ and she was always like a little sister to me.  I had been cursed, blessed, with a little brother, so if was great having someone close to my little brother's age living across the street so that I could pretend like I had a sister.  The bridal shower was a ton of fun... a great break from all the studying that I had been doing.

DR & KR at the shower

KR with our fabulous toilet paper bride

KR and her sister/MOH MM

~ PA Bar Exam Take #3: I don't really have much to say about this except for I studied my butt off again and still didn't have what it took to pass the exam.  Not really sure what my next move is here....

~ Visiting Lancaster with MD: After another stressful summer, MD and I decided to take a day trip out to Lancaster. I had so much fun when I had gone out there with my parents what MD thought it would be fun if we went together.  There was so much that I didn't get to do with Mom & Dad that I was excited for another chance to go out there and explore.  This time the theme of the trip was "trains" as we visited the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum as well as a trip on the Strasburg Rail Road.  There is still so much more that I would like to do out there, although I have recently become addicted to the show "Amish Mafia" which is set out in Lancaster, so I am not sure if we will be taking a trip out there again any time soon!

Old Engine inside the Museum

MD playing with the trains 

Lovers in the train museum

Our train for the train ride through Lancaster

First Class tickets!  Check out the General Conditions

View from the train

August 2012
~ Party at ML's house: ML loves to throw parties at his house.  He hosts a few parties there every year and they are almost always a good time. More often than not we are all drunken messes and it is an escape from reality for a night (sometimes even 2).  This time was no exception, a great time was had by all... well almost all.  MD & I ended up getting into a HUGE fight over something really stupid and the night ended with me in tears and not speaking to MD for a few days.  Thankfully we eventually talked it all over and things ended up being ok with us, but it was still a terrible end to what was otherwise a really fun night with some amazing friends.

Hanging out in the Kitchen

The Lovely Ladies

Shots for Everyone!

One of my Long Lost Besties, KT, came to play!

~ KD & KD's Wedding: I think when KD and KD got engaged it was one of the happiest days for me ever (well minus my own engagement night)! KD and KD had been dating on and off since we were at Pascack Valley and I always said that I thought the two of them would end up together.  Going to their wedding was exciting because I had seen there love grow so much over the years.  I felt so incredibly blessed that they asked us to be there to share in their special day with them. KD and KD are truly amazing people and I love that I can say that I have been friends with them since our high school days because I feel like many people don't still have some of the same friends from high school til now.

MD & I before the wedding

All smiles watching the bride walk down the aisle

Exchanging vows

Jersey girls

So much love

September 2012
~ LM & RM's Wedding: 11 Years of Friendship, 7 years of dating, and FINALLY MARRIED!!!!!! LM & RM's wedding was a long time coming and it was amazing to be able to share in their special day.  During our time at Bucknell I always assumed that the 2 of them were dating, but according to them they really weren't.  When they finally announced that they were a couple all I remember thinking was "It's about time" and when they finally got engaged I feel like I had a similar reaction.  LM and RM are definitely one of our favorite couples and we were thrilled to be able to share in their special day with them. They had a gorgeous wedding filled with so much love.  Plus we were able to see so many of our favorite Bucknellians all in one place!  It was so special to see the two of them married and we are looking forward to all the milestones their marriage will see!!

Lovers before the wedding

Saying "I Do"

Cutting the cake

Chi O family love

Chi Omegas at LM & RM's wedding!

October 2012
~ KR & DR's Wedding: I have know KR for her entire life and when she and DR got engaged I couldn't have been happier for her.  KR is such a kind and loving person that she deserves true happiness which I am glad that she found with DR.  It was so moving to see her get married and to see the love and happiness in her eyes, her new husband's eyes, as well as her family's eyes.  They were married in our hometown of River Vale and had their reception at The Greycliff (the same place one of my besties is getting married at next year).  Everything was beautiful and a good time was had by all.  Plus I learned that my mother loves to dance which makes me really excited for my own wedding this year because I know that she will be out there on the dance floor with me!

KR & Mr. M walking down the aisle... gorgeous bride!

So much love for each other

Parents dancing

Lovers <3 nbsp="nbsp" td="td">

Neighbors and friends for life

~ Make-A-Wish Foundation Walk for Wishes: The Make-A-Wish Foundation has been an important part of my life ever since joining Chi Omega back in the fall of 2005. Chi Omega is nationally affiliated with the charity and there is nothing more rewarding than being able to help grant the wish of a child who has a life threatening illness. This year I participated in the Walk for Wishes with some of the lovely ladies from the Philadelphia Area Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter.  It was great getting to know these ladies and getting to walk for such a good cause.  The walk was located at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia which proved to be a gorgeous spot for the walk and definitely some place that I would like to go back to visit in the future!

Chi Omegas at the walk

Gorgeous setting for a walk

Having fun after the walk

Playing around post-walk

~ Philly Brewery Tour via Trolley with MD: After the Walk for Wishes, MD and I headed into Philly to go on a Living Social Adventure where we toured three breweries in Philly.  Since as most of you know we love beer, it was an awesome experience for us and I would definitely recommend it to people!  We toured three breweries in Philly and each one was a different experience.  First stop was Triumph Brewing Company.  Triumph was fun although we had already tried some of the beers there when we visited Triumph in Princeton, NJ with my family.  Next stop was Brauhaus Schmidtz which was so cool because the place was decked out for Oktoberfest...not to mention they had fabulous beer.  Last stop was Yards, which was a lot of fun because we have had many of their beers to drink so it was cool to see their brewhouse at work. Overall it was a fun experience and I would definitely like to go back to some of the breweries at a later date!

MD and I on the trolley waiting to take off

German Beers

Triumph Brewing company

Chandelier made of glasses

Yards!

~ Eastern State Penitentiary with the Famous Dave's Crew: Famous Dave's seems to have more of a sense of comradery than many places and I have worked and they quite often do activities together.  This fall we took a group trip to Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary.  A great time was had by all, and for once I found something to be less scary than it actually was because of the fact that some of my (drunk) co-workers were scared beyond belief so I just couldn't stop laughing at them all.

Hanging out with one of the inmates

Famous Love

Staring contest

   

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

As many of you know, MD & I go to millions of weddings, celebrate millions of engagements for our friends, are now starting in baby shower season for those friends of ours who are already married.  I have been super excited for each and EVERY single one of my friends who has been celebrating one of these joyous occasions but at the same time I have also been getting increasingly frustrated and wondering when exactly it was going to be MY time.

Well folks, it has been 6 years of waiting, knowing deep down in my heart that I was with the guy that I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and it FINALLY happened for me!

WE ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!

(cue bells, whistles, cheers, etc.)

On November 15, 2012... 6 years after we started dating MD finally popped the question, and as much as I have been waiting for this day to happen, I was still in shock and didn't believe he was actually asking me to marry him!

Since I have been waiting for this day forever, you all know I had envisioned it happening in a certain way, I had expected that I would feel a certain way, and I was absolutely positively certain that I would cry. That my friends is not at all how it happened, so let me share with you what for me seemed the absolute BEST way that MD could have ever proposed to me.  And if you ask MD, he'll tell you that my reaction to the whole thing (now this is in his words), is that I was "dumbfounded", yes that is right, he thinks I was dumbfounded.

Thursday night I had to work at Friday's like usual.  I decided not to request off for our anniversary because a) I didn't think that MD would, b) it was my week to leave early and c) we were going away for the entire weekend so I figured I should get one last night of work in.  I had a horrible night at work... we weren't busy so we were making no money, PLUS I found out that I had to work the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and I already had plans that night to see a bunch of my friends, get my hair done, etc. because well my schedule is supposed to be Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday at Friday's.  But whatever, I was going to go home and try to relax with MD and salvage the rest of our anniversary.

I go home, immediately change into my candy cane flannel pajamas (I don't care that it isn't Christmas season yet, these pjs are so comfy that I wear them all year round, especially when I am in a bad mood) while Mark heated up dinner.  Dinner was a totally romantic one of leftover chicken marsala (I had made that for dinner on Wednesday night) for MD and Wegman's chicken corn chowder for me.  After we ate we were just kind of chilling on the couch watching TV... Elementary to be exact...and he asked me if I was ever going to give him his presents.  I said sure, I would get them on the next commercial break.  So at the break I go upstairs and get his presents and he opens them.  I got him this really cool Flyers wall art to hang up in the living room (we are in the process of hanging pictures and actually decorating our apartment a bit more... only took a year), plus tickets to go see a Hershey Bears AHL game (someone is depressed that there is no NHL season).

Then he asked me if I wanted my gifts, so in a typical me fashion I told them he could give them to me whenever.  He could give them to me that night, the next day, at the end of our trip, whatever.  I was just excited to be spending time with him and happy that he liked his gifts. At the next commercial break MD ran back upstairs and comes down with his fists out holding something in each hand.  He opens one hand and give gives me a homemade heart ring and says something to the effect of "I know you hate heart rings." Then he opens the other hand and says something to the effect of "Here is a dollar bill diamond ring."  My first reaction to this ring was "Is this why you asked me for a dollar bill the other day?! You were going to give me an anniversary gift made with my own money?!"  MD of course was just kinda like yes that was why I asked, but then I found out that I had my own dollar so I gave you yours back.  Now I'm sure you are thinking, he gave her two fake rings and she had no idea that he was going to propose, how is that possible?!  Well, friends, it is definitely possible because for the past few weeks he has been making engagement ring jokes, so I didn't really think anything of this. I mean this is the guy who when we were at the grocery store told me he was going to buy carrots so he could give me a "Six Carrot" ring.  Plus, I thought my gift was our weekend away, so I didn't think much of it all.

About 5 minutes later I realize he hasn't given me a card... and he ALWAYS gives me a card because let's face it friends, I am obsessed with greeting cards. So I ask him where my card is and he goes and gets the card and a box out of his lunch box... yes my dear friends, he hid my engagement ring in his LUNCHBOX.  I'm reading the card and I get to the end and I am so super confused.  Those of you who know me know that I am a super quick reader, so I must have read the end of the card like 3 or 4 times before I actually looked at MD because I wasn't if what I thought was happening was really happening.  The end of the card reads, "I realize that I threw a big wrench in your master plan for life, but maybe it can get back on track.  Maybe ring one and ring two were too corny, so how about #3? They say that the third time is the charm, and without further ado... I do, do you?" and then he gave me the last ring.  I was seriously so surprised I didn't know what to do.  I kept looking at the card, the ring, and then him... card, ring, him.  Then I think I told him that I loved him... repeated the process of looking at the card, the ring and then him.  Then I asked him if he had talked to my parents and of course he said yes... so then I repeated the process of looking at the card, the ring and then him.  And then finally I asked if we could put the ring on my finger and he said something to the effect of, "I take that as a yes?" and I finally put the ring on!  

For us it was seriously the absolutely PERFECT proposal.  It was intimate in that it was just the two of us... and it really was in a way how I imagined it.  Although in my mind I would have seen in coming, and this totally took me by surprise!  

I then spent most of the rest of the night calling and texting family and friends to let them know our good news.  I was too excited to sleep and just so excited to be sharing my story with everyone.  Finally I was able to go to bed... and it was a good thing because we had a long and fun weekend planned in Williamsburg!  It seriously was so awesome that Mark planned a trip and that we were able to be in an "engagement bubble" for a few days by ourselves before having to deal with reality and wedding planning! 

I am still currently floating on cloud 9 and probably will be for another couple of weeks or so.  I am loving being engaged and loving now being able to share in all of my excitement with my friends and family.

And seriously....

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!!

Life in the Fast Lane... Part 1

I feel like I go through this all the time... explaining why I haven't been blogging for a while.  While this time is no different, life has just been super crazy with not much free time for anything, let alone blogging.  It has been about 6 months since my last post and a lot has gone on.  Over the next couple of weeks I'll try to update you as to what has been going on in life, plus do some other posts in between.  For now here is a recap of April - June....

April 2012
~ VM (previously known as VG's) Bridal Shower & Bachelorette Party: Headed to Wilkes Barre, White Haven and Philadelphia, PA for  VM's bridal shower and bachelorette weekend!  Wilkes Barre on Friday night proved to be interesting and we even got the bride to be up on the bar.  Bridal shower was Saturday afternoon with many of the bride's family members as well as a few friends/sorority sisters.  Saturday night was the big night in Philly complete with a classy steak dinner at Morton's and then a night out a Hunk-O-Mania.

Ladies out in Wilkes Barre for VM's bachelorette part 1

Hanging out in White Haven waiting for the bridal shower to start

All set up and ready for the bridal shower to start

End of the shower

Dollar Dollar Bills

Ladies at Hunk-O-Mania for Val's Bachelorette

~ PAAP Scholarship Luncheon: Every year the Philadelphia Area Alumnae Panhellenic (PAAP) sponsors a scholarship luncheon for a deserving graduate student woman in the Philly area who is furthering her education at  Philly area school.  This year the theme was a garden party and a prize was given for the best hats!  We were also lucky that one of our very own Chi Omegas was chosen to receive one of the scholarships!

JM & I at the luncheon

May 2012
~ Little Brother's gf's Bucknell graduation: Headed out to Bucknell to see SP graduate from college.  Got to meet her entire family as well as spend a day with my family!

Little Bro & his gf after her graduation

~ Nights out with my girls and visits from friends who have moved out of state: Lots of nights out with my girls and visits from friends made this month full of lots of fun times and great memories

MO, SC & I enjoying a night out at the Tavern

Ladies out for KT's return home for the weekend

Oh how I have missed my bestie KT!

June 2012
~ 5 Year Bucknell Reunion: A fun filled weekend of all things Bucknell and spending time with some of my long lost favorites.  The weekend included attending various receptions and events, fireworks, dancing, and just spending time with some people that I haven't gotten to see in a very long time. 'Ray Bucknell!!

All Class Luncheon... posing by the class of 2007 sign

Couldn't resist a picture with the bison statute

Gorgeous Rooke Chapel

Ready for our class dinner

Friends since Freshman Year

Glitter Love

Tent Party... "The World Touches Bucknell. Bucknell Touches the World"

Lovers <3 p="p">

~ LM's Bridal Shower: Headed up to NJ for LM (formally LW)'s bridal shower.  Had an awesome time getting to see some Chi Omegas that I hadn't seen in a very long time. Made me really look forward to the wedding because I knew I would get to see so many of them again!! Also loved how her bridesmaids made her bottles of wine for all their first holidays at a married couple.  

LM with broom bride!

Some of the bottles of wine for the various holidays

Glitter Family Love 

~ VM & WM's Wedding Weekend: Before I knew it VM & WM's wedding weekend was here.  The weekend started off with the Rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner at Tedd's on the Hill.  Tedd's on the Hill brought back many memories of Bucknell and formals.  The next day it was wedding time!  Spent the morning getting ready for a memorable wedding.  It was so incredible to be standing up there watching on of my best friends tie the knot.  Was hard to hold back the tears, but somehow I managed.  After the wedding we had a night full of fun, friends and of course lots of dancing.

Rehearsal dinner cake

Twins at VM's rehearsal dinner

Longtime friends at the rehearsal dinner
MM, MK, ML & MD

Me with some of our longtime friends

Blushing bride in the limo

Bridesmaid dresses

Here comes the bride

Mrs. & Mr. W M

Lovers at the reception

Dancing

Sammy Boys

Twins

Chi Omega Love

~ AP & CC's Engagement Party: One of my besties from high school got engaged and I am honored to have been asked to be her Honor Attendant in her wedding.  We have been friends since right before freshman year and I can't imagine my life without her.  In the end of June we were fortunate enough to be able to head back to NJ for her engagement party.

AP & CC getting practice for when they actually cut their cake at their wedding

Significant Portion of the Wedding Party

Jersey Besties

So that is a quick recap of April - June of this year.  As you can see we have been super busy!  Stay tuned for a recap of the rest of the months!  But I promise, I'll have a little of some normal blogging in between!

Girlfriends

I have never really been a girl to have a ton of girlfriends (which I'm sure you wouldn't guess from some of my previous posts).  Sure I have a bunch of friends who are girls, but I've never been one to have a ton of really close girlfriends.  Then I joined a sorority when I was in college (see this post for a little bit about what my sorority means to me) and I realized that it was possible to have a bunch of good girlfriends.  As I continue through what has become a rocky point in my life, I have started to think that I need to reevaluate some of my friendships with some of my so-called girlfiends and "best friends".

The reason I never had a lot of close girlfriends was because I realized at a fairly young age (or rather in middle school) how cruel girls can be.  When I was younger I had what I thought were 3 really amazing best friends, but then at the drop of a hat 2 (notice I say just 2, because I am actually still super close with 1 of the 3... like over 20 years later) of them just turned on me.  Like turned on my to the point that they asked for the part of the best friends necklace we had together back from me, and when I said that it was wrong of them to do that I found theirs on my locker the next morning.  I'm pretty sure that scarred me for a long time and was the reason that I never wanted to form too many close bonds with the girls in my life.

Fast forward to high school, where once again I had a bunch of friends who were girls, but I never really seemed to let my guard down enough to form a bond to have a bunch of true girlfriends.  In high school I felt like I didn't really fit in with any group of girls either because well a) I was a cheerleader and b) I was in all honors/AP classes... the combination of the two makes it really hard for a teen to figure out who they are and where they belong because I didn't think I fit in with either group really well.  Although, not gonna lie, I definitely did fit in better with the kids in the honors/AP classes...but it was still strange.

Then I went to college and decided to rush a sorority.  For the first time in a long time I realized that not all women are cruel, not all women are out to get you, and that it was possible to have a few really good girlfriends.  Surprisingly enough, joining a sorority also helped me to cultivate a few friendships with girls that I was close with in high school, but had never really let into my life (cultivated so much so that I am invited to both of their weddings, and am even in one of them!)

Which brings me to the point of this post... although I have managed to find a bunch of really great girlfriends, I feel like I am growing apart from some of them... I feel like I don't know them anymore and like I don't understand why they are doing what they are doing.  I feel like we don't make an effort to talk like we used to... ok, scratch that, I feel like I am still trying to make an effort to talk to them, but that they don't return the effort.  I don't know if this is just a bump in our friendship, or if this is life's way of saying that it was good while it lasted, but that we aren't meant to be bffs for life. I don't know if I am feeling like this because I am super stressed out or if there is really something going on.

Am I overreacting?  I would say I would try to talk to some of these "friends", but let's face it, I've tried and have gotten no where.  What is a girl to do?