Missing St. Mary's today.....

This is where I went to college folks...How beautiful is this picture? I saw it on facebook today. It was posted on the alumni site and it immediately took me back to my freshman year the first time it snowed.....I walked outside of the building that is immediately across from this pond and stood almost exactly where this picture was taken. I think it was actually the first time I had ever seen snow fall and it was really amazing.

I miss this place!

annnnnd I am 5 yrs old again.

(this is me sitting on the sea wall in my parents backyard playing with manatees..cool huh?)

I really do feel like a five year old when it comes to Christmas and going home to see my family. I am pretty much peeing my pants waiting to see my mom, dad, grandmas, sisters, brother, brother in law, niece, aunt, uncle, cousin EVERYBODY! I can't wait to open presents, I cant wait to make delicious appetizers and drink champagne with Chambord, i cant wait to go kayaking, i can't wait to troll up and down the canals looking at Christmas lights in the boat (with hot chocolate), and I can't wait to ride my bike to the beach - every single day.

All of it...it is just so exciting.

And oddly, I have been looking forward to some other things that may or may not actually happen but for some reason I can't stop thinking "this is what we should do at Christmas" For instance, I really want to get a slip n slide for all of us to slide around on. I haven't been on one in years and from what i remember - they are freaking awesome. It is part of our Secret Santa gift exchange this year that we have to come up with some kind of gift for the family that will keep us busy - like a DVD to watch, or a game to play, or a tarp to slide on??? i dunno but i think i am doing it.

I also have been thinking about how much fun it used to be to make up dances with my sisters. Soooo, in my "I'm bored at work lets daydream about Christmas" time I have also thought about how much fun it would be to learn the beyonce single ladies dance and put on a show (yes I am married and I am 26 and this is how i would like to spend my time), but some things you just never get too old for.

Annnnnd I can't leave out the Marty time I look forward to. This year I am daydreaming about "keeping it together" a little better than last Christmas when it comes to trying to "hang" with Mar-tay. Ummm let me explain. Even though I am not the youngest in my family - I get treated like I am. Everybody gangs up on me and teases me like no other, especially Marty....which is fine - as long as you aren't playing drinking games!

Side note: Has anyone ever played moose? its kind of like quarters where you bounce a quarter into an ice tray instead of a cup. Each ice cube section has a point value 1-6.....If your quarter bounces onto the right side you drink for however many seconds the number says in the section. If you bounce your quarter and it goes on the left - you pass out drinks to someone else for the number of seconds that that section says. There is also a big cup of beer that you put next to the end of the tray...if your quarter happens to go in that cup everyone at the table has to yell "moose" and make moose antlers on your head with your hands. The last person to get their hands up and say it has to chug the beer...........

Well we played this game very late at night last last Christmas and guess who was handed out every single "you drink" - no seriously....every last one went to me.....and that didn't really help me speed up with the moose antlers so i had to drink those full beers too(every single time). Marty (and Pat and Lauren and Kristen)thought it was the funniest thing they had ever done. They were all laughing and i was just ummm a little to "moosed out" so i just cried. Yep I cried....on Christmas...playing a drinking game....because everyone ganged up on me and obviously I had too much to drink. Just picture....me way too much to drink, all dressed up sitting at a table with my husband brother and sisters, i am crying, and they are all falling on the ground laughing at me.PATHETIC....but funny nonetheless.

So - yeah, this is a really weird post.

Long story short.... I can't wait for Christmas!!!.....and all the weird stuff i miss doing with the fam.

Buh bye wrinkles.

All of my hope for the future is wrapped up in this little pump jar I just bought.
All of my hope that i will be preserved to look like Sharon Stone or Faith Hill when I am 50+ is getting smeared on my face morning and night.
All hope that an expensive eye cream will lead to better results than the grocery store body lotion I have been using is evident in my latest splurge.

So be prepared Nordstrom sales people.....there will be results or there will be hell to pay at the Dior counter.

I am NOT 44.

a day in the life of a "gazzoo"

I specifically remember being called a "long legged gazzoo" quite often by my mother when I was younger. Not surprisingly - I still have long legs. Which most of the time are awesome, but some times they prove to be problematic.

Case and point: the above picture.

I got the tights from Ann Taylor Loft. They were actually a gift, given in the appropriate size and according to the label they had all the hope in the world for fitting someone up to 6 feet tall.

Well, if you can make sense of the above picture you can see that that is not the case. I had to laugh and take a picture while getting ready for work this morning because, as you can see these tights, pulled to there max are only covering to just past my knee. You can see at the top of the picture where they end. I almost fell when i put my other leg into them and i looked like a conjoined twin with this super long torso for two that started at my knees.

I think these tights were made for elves.

I mean seriously - They would fit no one. There was a 22 inch inseam. oh well, funny nonetheless.

"Black Friday" for a whole new reason.

So most people think of Black Friday as this wonderful awesome shopping bonanza.

I used to agree, but everything has changed.

Black Friday will forever be remembered as the day that the bitch at Nordstrom "guessed" that I graduated high school in 1983.

High School in 1983? Are you kidding me? I was breast feeding in diapers barely out of the womb in 1983!

I can't believe this. I realize that most people would not mistake me for being almost twice my actual age - but the fact that one hooker beyotch did - well obviously some changes need to be made.

I might throw my glasses (which i was wearing at the time) out the window of my car to be lost forever.

I plan to stop eating because i think my fat face is making me look old too.

I will not go out in public when i have a cold anymore....apparently the puffy eyes and runny nose could be mistaken for an extra 18 yrs.

I might have to change my email address because that is actually how the whole fiasco started.....

beyotch:"Mrs O'Brien can i have your email address?"
me: "sure: katieobrien83@hotmail.com
beyotch: " Ohhhh I bet I know what that is?"
Me: What? (i genuinely had no clue what she was referring to)
Beyotch: "That's the year you graduated right? I always do stuff like that with my email har har har."
Me: no words....death stare.

I mean, again are you kidding me? I think i might contact customer service. Do you think they give free clothes for EXTREME pain and suffering caused by idiot sales people?

ouch guys...not sure i can recover from that one.
44? that hurts.

If you are wondering what to get me for Christmas, a healthy dose of self esteem and some plastic surgery might do the trick.

whatta bitch.

An imaginary conversation with my niece....

Hi there Aunt Katie,

I was just sitting here looking all cute wondering if you were planning on joining us for Thanksgiving?

You aren't!?!?!?!?!?! What the heck?

It might be kind of scary without you here....I mean, I really like when you tickle my cheeks and hold me up so I can wiggle dance....

Good thing I will still be hanging out with these people. I suppose they can provide the same entertainment.

I'll make sure my gorgeous mommy knows that that is what i want to do on Thanksgiving. Usually if I cuddle her like this she will do anything I say...

Total bummer you can't hang out though....How bout Christmas?

Love,

Amory

Okay so she can't really talk being 11ish weeks old and all, but obvi...thats what she wanted to say in all those pictures :)

perfectly delish pasta dish

very rarely do i get a request for a repeat performance of a specific meal....but last night Pat asked for the same pasta I made last week - and let me tell you it was just as good the second time around. This isn't really a recipe, becasue I don't know exact amounts but it is close enough so try it on your own....oh yeah and this makes a large portion (we are all about the leftovers) so don't freak out about the amount of butter :)...or actually maybe you/I should.

In a large pan combine:

3/4 of a stick of Butter (i know so Paula Dean of me)

fresh garlic - then let it melt

Add:

chopped mushrooms

chopped sundried tomatoes

quartered artichoke hearts

sliced black olives

parmesan cheese

white wine (probably about a cup - i just poured though)

then let it simmer so all the flavors mesh together

Grill up some chicken with crushed black pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.

Boil up some bow tie pasta

throw it all into the pan....toss it around until the pasta is coated

and Enjoy!