a sandwich story

while i was home for Easter, my brother, mike, and i went out to a small italian pastry shop for lunch. i enjoyed a canolli and an incredible caramel latte. i watched my brother devour a grilled prosciutto, tomato, and fresh mozzarella sandwich on focaccia bread. by the end of the meal, i HAD to order a sandwich to go for later in the evening.

i ate half of the sandwich later that night and left the rest wrapped up in the fridge in a brown paper bag. i spent most of the next day with sara and her family. i got home pretty late and opened the fridge looking for the sandwich. it was GONE!

i was disappointed, but i figured that my brother may have gotten hungry. not a big deal.

i woke up the next morning and asked mike about it. he raised up his hands and said "it wasn't me." he had come home the day before and my mom was in the middle of eating it. she turned to him and asked, "is this yours?" he says no. then she asks, "do you think she'll mind?" mike just walked away.

so i wait until the sign of peace in the middle of Easter mass to quietly ask my mom, "so, was the sandwich good?" and her first reaction was to wave and point toward both her and my father. not only did she eat my sandwich without asking, she also throws my dad under the bus without a second thought. it was a classic mom moment.

if i could have laughed out loud in church, then i would have laughed until i cried. i love my mom. if you have met her, this story will mean more. but if you haven't met her, you should.

the culprits

letting go and letting God

i spent part of my morning on the beach just taking photos of random things. i grew up at the beach. honestly, i took it for granted. i used to go down there when i needed to find myself and to connect with God. the easter season has always brought me closer to God in the past. i loved lent and appreciated the importance of sacrifice during that time. for the last couple of years, easter has come and gone without that closeness. i still am struggling with it. however, i am glad that the struggle exists. i haven't given up on finding the strong connection that i know i can have with God. this easter has been different. i know i'm on the road to finding the strength that i've lost. i know i'm not alone on the journey. i am working on letting go and letting God. i've not very good at it, but i'm trying.

happy easter!

say hello to lennon adel

my friends, joy and cain, welcomed their little girl, lennon adel, into the world on march 19th.
how cute is she?!!

cupcakes & birthdays

i got the chance to hang out with my friend Virginia yesterday after work. even though the outing was a WAY belated celebration of her birthday, she brought ME a present. i think my obsession with pandas is becoming very obvious to all. most of my friends seem to remember what i like since i am so very vocal about it. this panda is very cute. we had a good time devouring cupcakes from cake love. it was very good to see her.

today is my friend, anjalee's birthday. we met a relatively short time ago, but we have become good friends pretty quickly. she is currently stuck with me as her boss, and she makes her daily mission to make me feel VERY OLD. she's been through quite a bit in her life, and we have a lot in common (though unlike me, she's a complete badass...piercings and all). happy birthday, anj! (she's the one in the middle)

on an unrelated note, sara and i are moving to yet another city (same state) no one recognizes by its name. however, when i told one person, they responded, "isn't there a prison there?" we are in the process of packing up all of our earthly belongings and getting rid of stuff that has been deemed "unnecessary." i'm not a huge fan of change, but i am able to adapt pretty quickly. we're renting a townhouse. for the first time ever, we will have a basement, and i have claimed decorating rights. :) i'm thinking a movie/music theme. we'll see. i'm nervous and excited. no more waking up to the sounds of "squeak squeak squeak" from the neighbors above. no more fighting for a washer or dryer. no more having to park a block and a half away and bring groceries up the stairs. good times.

who will be first in line?

you know who. i mean, seriously?

leap year celebration: happy birthday, molly!

this photo of molly is a very small example of how much joy she gets out of life. molly was born on february 29th and this is the first year that i've been able to celebrate her birthday with her. molly and sara have been friends since high school and i'm very glad that i've gotten to know her. she's an elementary school teacher and i would have loved to have had her as a teacher. she's a ton of fun and who else could come up with a nickname like "anntastic?" molly is incredible and truly in a class by herself.

we started off at build-a-bear workshop, where they awarded her a free bear for her "bearthday." connie, our lovely bear assistant, allowed molly to put 7 hearts in her bear (one for each of us in attendance plus one for her birthday). it was fun to watch the process. then, we headed to clyde's restaurant for a very nice dinner. and ended the evening with a rising game of drunken balderdash. it was a fun way to celebrate the leap year. happy 7th birthday, molly!