How weird!

I just read through my complete weekly schedule for my math class this semester...

Does anyone else think it's weird that my midterm is on my birthday (March 3) and our final exam is on my Adoption Day (April 29)?

Strange!

Maybe means good luck? I hope!

Weight is lifted

I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. It's three fifteen in the morning and I am STILL awake and feeling completely awake. I've worked out a budget for Roddy and myself that is going to work perfectly, and I wrote a long e-mail to my parents admitting to them that I had got two credit cards while Roddy was out to sea and I totally learned my lesson and don't intent to hide ANYTHING from them from this day forward.

I feel like I'm growing up even more lately. I am more organized, more energized, more creative, more ambitious, and it feels great! Obviously.

It doesn't feel great is that I still have to pay off these two credit cards, but I definitely deserve this penalty, that's for sure. I know a lot of people make the whole credit card mistake, but still, that doesn't mean it doesn't royally blow big time.

I want NO secrets from here on out, even if it means my parents have to help me and take $2,000 off of my wedding day, haha. I am figuring all this out on my own and I am not even scared about it. I feel like an idiot for what I did, but I definitely learned my lesson.

I also got ahead in my school work while I was sitting up procrastinating on writing the e-mail. I'm two weeks ahead, I think. Now I can sit back and focus on the wedding some more! Hooray!

Guess I better try to get some sleep so I can go to Tidewater tomorrow morning before work, choose my major, become an in-state student (which apparently saves $2,000 right there) and ask them why they haven't yet refunded the money for the class I dropped before the deadline.

Night.

Date night

On Roddy's way home from work tonight, he asked me what I wanted to do for dinner, and I could tell in his voice that he already had an idea. So, I asked him and he suggested he take me on a date.

We haven't gone on a real date in what feels like forever, so I was really excited. We got kinda dressed up and went to Olive Garden and ordered VERY yummy food, and there was all sorts of door-holding and hand-holding, all things that we do all the time but don't seem old when we're on a date.

It was so nice. I told him I appreciated having a man like him because even though we're engaged and he knows he has me forever, he still wants to do nice things for me like this. And of course, he said, "It will always be this way."

Then, we came home and watched "Meet the Robinsons" which Rod has been excited about for a while, haha. It was cute, and kinda hit home to me, not only because of the adoption thing, but because the kid had all these confusions and dreams and nothing in the movie was politics, it was all faith and lessons, which has been new and big for me lately.

All in all a special night. (:

Wedding singers/bands

I'm pretty excited right now. Things are coming along and constantly changing with wedding plans, as I'm sure you all expected... right now I'm thinking the wedding is going to be on Martha's Vineyard, meaning it will be slightly smaller, but who knows?

I've been focusing on bands for the wedding, and e-mailed a few different MV local bands, along with Paula Cole and Carly Simon. In case you were unaware, Paula Cole is the artist who sang the theme song to Dawson's Creek ("I Don't Wanna Wait") along with "Sunny Came Home" and "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone." Carly Simon is James Taylor's ex-wife, and she sings "You're So Vain," "Blackbird," and "Nobody Does It Better." I also e-mailed Carly Simon's son, James Taylor's brother who sings on MV all the time, and the Rembrandts, who sang the theme song to F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

I've recently received responses from the Rembrandts and Paula Cole. If I can make prices come down on all the other parts of the wedding, like if we have the ceremony and reception at the cottage or South Beach, we can definitely afford one of these bands! (:

Heath Ledger

One of my celebrity crushes has died. ):

Heath Ledger

Photo by Bruce Weber for Vanity Fair Magazine.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said.

I adored him in high school that friends gave me a huge poster collage they made of him for my birthday, and I had every line of "10 Things I Hate About You" memorized because of him.

I don't understand... I mean, I'm not altogether surprised he may have done drugs, but I'm surprised that it was THAT bad. The whole story and details aren't out yet, but believe me, I will be updating you all.

More wedding plans

So now we're thinking we'd like to have big engagement parties in Virginia Beach and Connecticut, and then a super small ceremony in Martha's Vineyard at either Lambert's Cove or South Beach, across the West Tisbury Great Pond where our family has a cottage. Either that, or a ceremony in Maine at Southwest Harbor where our family has another cottage, on the rocks in front of the house.

Both places are BEAUTIFUL and mean a lot to both of us. Roddy would wear a very nice button-down white shirt and very nice khaki pants with his Birkenstocks, and I would wear a nice (but beachy) wedding dress and white flip flops. (: We'd still have a wedding cake and a photographer and florist and all that... but no big ceremony or reception fees, unless we decided to have a big reception at a restaurant or an inn or something.

WHO KNOWS?! These are just new ideas, though. Thought you might all be interested. xo

I want out of this city!

We just got home from Connecticut. We had a tiring weekend... getting there yesterday at three o'clock in the morning (dropping Isabella off at my parents' house to catch a plane back to Austria because she did come stay with us for a few days - it was so nice and fun to see her!), waking up a few hours later to get ready for the memorial service for Rod's Grammie, going to different ceremonies and spending time with family, having appointments with and checking out wedding locations, then passing out and getting up this morning to drive back here since I have to work tomorrow.

To top it all off, about fifty miles before we got to the apartment, Roddy had to pee REALLY, REALLY BADLY... but refused to stop because he figured he could hold it in for an hour... and of course, we ended up stopping two streets away from Runaway Bay because of what looked like an accident up ahead. Turned out to be a road block with several police officers checking licenses and registration. Apparently, they were looking for someone... checking EVERYONE going down Virginia Beach Blvd.

Drives me crazy.

Not only that, but as soon as we got off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, we saw lights from ambulances and police cars and fire trucks because there was something going on at some gas station off of Independence Blvd. Geez... I can't wait to move back to New England!

But I'm happy to be here with people I love and a job I am SO thrilled about, and can definitely make the best of it for the next year and a half. Or at least, try. (:

The job is at our State Farm agent's office as a part-time secretary. I feel very comfortable there, so it will be good.

Our 2 Year Anniversary (and Isabella)

First of all, today is Rod's and my two year anniversary. (: Feels like ten years, but in a good way. It's been the best two years of my life, no lie. And I've had a pretty good life. ♥

Secondly, Isabella may be coming to stay with us for a little. She's a friend of mine, from Austria. When I was little, I had this thing about pen pals and finding as many interesting people from as many interesting places to write back and forth to.

Isabella and I are a day apart in age, and we're a lot alike, except from completely different cultures. She came to visit my family and me in 2005, and this year she got an internship in Miami. She recently got there and HATES it. She asked my parents if she could stay with them and look for another job and if she couldn't, she'd go back to Austria after a week or so. My parents called me and I suggested she stay here because there are MANY more options here than there are up in Connecticut, and also I don't work until Wednesday and I'm closer to her right now than CT is.

We'll see what happens. I feel really bad for that poor girl, she's probably miserable and homesick. ):

Anyway, I'm going to go do the dishes and then have a romantic anniversary night before Rod goes to sleep. Talk to y'all later. xo

Sleep talking, episodes 1 and 2

I want this blog post to be about Roddy's sleep-talking. That's right. He falls asleep between 9:30 and 10:00 every "school night." I used to lie in bed with him for about an hour and a half and then if I wasn't tired, I'd go back out to the living room for a couple hours. Well, lately I've been bringing my computer in the bedroom and getting on it in bed after Rod falls asleep. The other night, while I was messaging Heidi, he started mumbling something in his sleep. This happens often, and I rarely remember to write down what he says, so that's why I want to do it now. And here, to share it with all of you! (:

Most of the time, the mumbling starts with him jolting or turning over and saying something, probably because he slowly starts to wake up just a tiny bit as he moves or something.

Now, the other night, he jolted slightly and said, "Should I go?"

I said, "Go where?"

And he said, "The group."

I asked, "What group?"

And he responded with, "The DSS group..." or something like that, followed by muttering I couldn't make out.

I said, "What's that?"

And he said, "The group!!!"

I said, "What does it do?"

And he said, "We jump in and..." then a bunch of things I didn't hear.

And I said, "Am I there?"

And he goes, "Of course, that's what I'm going for."

I said, "For me? Why?"

And he said, "Because you don't have a map or anything."

At this point, I was really amused, but didn't know if he knew it was me or if my voice was becoming someone else's in his dream, so I asked, "What's my name?"

And he said, "What? Annie. What the hell's the matter with you?"

It was great. A few seconds later, he rolls over and says, "Why'd you ask me that?" and I said, "Because you were talking in your sleep." He denied it. "No I was not." He seemed to be waking up for the most part. I asked what the DSS Group was, and he said he had no idea.

THEN, a few minutes ago, he mumbled something I couldn't understand, so I asked him, "What?"

He responded with, "Finally, a picture with them."

I said, "Of who?"

And he said, "The soldiers."

I asked, "What soldiers?"

And he said, "The ones stealing our Christmas decorations."

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

I love this boy... SO much. He's hilarious, even while unconscious.

My dreams are just as weird, but it's great to hear someone else's through their own words while they're actually occurring. (:

Virginia Beach driving

First of all, I want to say that I am in NO WAY dissing people who have lived here their whole lives, or anything like that. I love my friends here, and people in general have nothing to do with what I'm about to say. Human nature is human nature, and this would happen anywhere else that has these same traffic problems.

I've never understood or agreed with people when they say that drivers in a certain area are bad, because you can't categorize like that. It's not like the water in Virginia Beach holds some kind of chemical that makes people bad drivers... it just so happens that driving in a certain place is more difficult than other places because of the roads, the traffic, the population vs. road setup, etc.

Virginia Beach is one of these places. In my opinion.

I was driving home today and getting off the Rosemont exit. I was at the stop light at the bottom of the off-ramp at the end of a LONG line of cars going straight onto Bonney Road. As many of you may know, this light turns green only for a short period of time because of how many different roads turn into this intersection, and drivers going toward Virginia Beach Blvd. on Rosemont have a VERY weird setup that makes it extremely hectic.

Anyway, people were in such frustration and in such hurries that they were driving into the middle of the intersection and not bothering to keep room open for people driving perpendicular to them in case their light changed before traffic moved to create an opening.

Selfish? Yes.

Not everyone does this, but because of a situation like this intersection, especially during rush hour, people are more aggravated and less likely to be considered to others. Drives me nuts!

I really feel that Virginia Beach needs to do something about its lanes and intersections. This is ridiculous. There are way too many people in this city.

Oh how I love him..

Randomly, from across the room, he says.....

"Babe, you should get paid...to look as pretty as you do."

♥ ♥ ♥

Bumping the wedding up cont'd

I received many e-mails about bumping the wedding up. For those who think six or seven months is short notice... I don't understand. I know it takes MUCH more time than I can imagine to plan and finalize and schedule... along with a lot of stress... but, truthfully, I'd rather do it in a shorter (half a year) amount of time than a drawn-out year and a half, which is almost the amount of time Rod and I have been living together.

I don't know. I'm getting the feeling that it's not a horrible idea because although I've been broadcasting the idea of two summers from now, I haven't sent out invitations or even a "save the date" magnet!

Haha.

We all, especially me, know how much I change my mind, so prepare for A LOT of it in this particular occasion, because I don't know about a lot of other people in the world, but I only plan to be a bride once. I want to warn you all that if you're not prepared for changes and excitement and stress, then let me know you don't want to be involved.

Otherwise, get ready because no matter how much I change my mind, the truth is that I will be doing more work myself than most brides usually do, and I will make this as fun and relaxing as possible for all those who are happy to be a part of this with me.

I read somewhere most people's weddings occur in about six to nine months after their engagements. Either way, the decision is ultimately Rod's, mine and our parents' as they will be helping a lot, I'm sure, and I will let you know what we decide! I do honestly appreciate your input, though, too!

PLEASE watch this

In honor of all of the brave men who participate, here is your award...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=13790532

Seriously... you have got to watch it! ♥

Bumping the wedding up

We're undergoing a bit of a dilemma right now. We may want to move the wedding up... a year... I'd LOVE to get married on Friday, August 8, 2008... it'd be 08/08/08. Stupid reason to want to get married on a certain day, but oh well. Also, that would give us two days of transition between our wedding and our honeymoon, and I wouldn't have to wait so long for the big day to come.

The only problem I can see is taking time off of work. I will only be at my job for six months at that time, and Roddy will only be four months into his job (after the Academy). I'm sure people would understand us taking off a couple weeks for our wedding and honeymoon, but who knows?

Would we move in July after our lease was up? Or would we go back to Virginia Beach and stay until a year after Rod graduates? I want to move soon. I can't stand being here. That's a lie. I can stand it because I love my friends, but I just don't like Virginia Beach anymore. The traffic, the crowds, the craziness and the crime... the only good thing is the beach, and we don't even go there much anymore now that we live on the other side of the city.

Anyway, we decided we'd each think about it for the next few days and then talk and make a decision by next week. If we do decide to bump the wedding up to this summer, I'm going to have the bridesmaids fitted and the dresses ordered in the next couple of months (alternations will be made two weeks before the wedding, so don't worry girls!).

I'm just so darn excited. I know a year and a half would allow plenty of time for planning and money-saving, but at the same time, isn't seven months enough, anyway? (:

Wedding Update

Today I went to a bridal shop that had Alfred Angelo dresses, and I narrowed down my choices A LOT. It's so weird, if you've ever gone and actually seen bridal gowns up close and personal, they're SO different than when you look at them in pictures. The fabric is THICK and huge, it's ridiculous.

I've decided to stick with something simple and thin, long, and nothing with spaghetti straps... either strapless or halters are the way to go for me, I think. Tomorrow Steph and I are going to go to some more stores and look at more gowns. I've pretty much decided on the colors for the bridesmaids, but only have one definite dress picked out (and that will probably change).

For now, Roddy's refusing to turn on the heat (even though it SNOWED slightly today, can you believe it?) so I'm sitting on the couch with two sweatshirts, my heaviest sweatpants, slippers, and a blanket. I tried to start a fire today, but since I'd never done so before, I neglected to open the damper and nearly smoked myself out of the apartment. Not good. Roddy tried to start a fire when he got home, but the wood we got from a guy at his school is still too wet and won't catch on fire yet.

Oh well.

I just wish Rod wouldn't worry so much about a few extra dollars for heat one night. I woke up this morning and he'd turned on EVERY LIGHT in the apartment so that maybe it would warm up a little that way... haha... I love him, I can't help it. (:

Now he's making dinner (steak Dan brought us from his restaurant at Christmastime) with mashed potatoes and green beans, and Heidi's coming over to enjoy it with us and watch some TV or a movie.

New Year

Happy New Year!

Unfortunately, this New Year was a sad one for us. Roddy's grandmother, Mary, passed away a few days ago. She had been sick for only a few days and when they brought her to the emergency room that night, she died with her husband and daughters holding her hands. Dan read her the rosary right before; I think she knew and they all knew at that point.

We just wish we had been there.

The whole family is devastated; when Rod and I heard, we cried for a day straight, and have intermittently since then. Roddy had to go out for a run a few minutes after the initially got off the phone with Pop, because his emotions were raging. It just came so unexpectedly.

Now we're all remembering wonderful times with her and getting through it with support from each other. The memorial service isn't going to be for another few weeks, I guess, as there are many family members from all over who Pop wants to be able to get down to Essex to the church for the service.

Rest in peace, Grammie. We love you, miss you, and will always think of you.