Bad Blogger!

Dear Blog Readers,

I have been extremely unfaithful to blog writer over the past few months but I guess I have good reason........extremely busy! So here's an update on what Matt and I have been up to. I'll start with myself, because Matt's life is somewhat boring these days (haha)!

1. On October 24th, we were official homeowners for a year. I can't believe how fast a year can go by. It's slowly becoming home; some rooms have been repainted; the walls for the mostpart are bare without any pictures on display but its home; its our home. Our first big project will take place this spring; we are going to remodel our tiny 5x8 bathroom with a vintage feel of the 1940's; 1x1 black and white hexagon flooring with a classic subway tile backsplash with a brand new bathtub; to save some money, possible upgrade of the vanity to a granite top and reusing the toilet because they both look good. I think we're going to have to get an outdoor toilet for a few days unless we can demo and get plumbing updated in a day...now that would be spectacular! I promise to post some pictures of the bathroom so you can see how ugly it is now.

2. Wrigley has quickly grown to be apart of the family. In late September, she had her surgery to be fixes; something I really did not want to do. I guess my motherly instincts kicked in a bit. She is fully recovered and is back to her rambucious self. Matt walks her about 3 times a day to kill some of her energy. The best part of my day is coming home to her sitting at the front door waiting for me; her tail wangling wiping side to side so quickly, it moves her across the floor. "Wriggs...hugs!" I kneel down infront of her and she puts her paws on my shoulders and gives me kisses. Her strength is incredible; for a 7 month old puppy, she can pretty much keep me pinned to the floor; which Matt finds hysterical.

3. I bought my first car; a 2006 Ford Escape; white with black trim with about 36,000miles on it. Yes, I've had a few cars before this; a rusty old Ford Tempo that was great to me; briefly a Hyundia Elantra that my sister totaled and then my '99 Saturn SL. I needed something with AWD for the winter commutes to work; it has a V6 engine which means I have more pick up than I know what to do with. I get on 95 something and I'm going 75 MPH and don't even realize it. smooth riding!

4. I'm back at school; this time I'm on the other side of the room. I am now an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart 2 nights a week for the first years joint structure and function class. I'm not really teaching per say; I have a small group of 6 students in a tutorial setting; it's part of the problem based learning program that the PT department uses. Tutorial is a class where they students have a casse study to break down and report on each session; they provide a handout, visual aides, etc to teach their topics to the other students. I am there to facilitate discussion and make sure they are learning what they need to be learning. So far, it has been an eye opening experience for me in how much work teachers do and how undpaid they are...more to come on this!

5. Matt; well he's Matt; easy going as always! Underarmour has been good lately; he's had alot more days around the house but in a few weeks, his busy season will kick up again with trips to Vermont, Southern Mass and all over the state of Connecticut. He's playing flag football on Sunday mornings; luckily no major injuries yet but the season is still young. This is why I go to the games; they need someone wiht a medical background there! Other than that, Matt has turned into the ladies man of the neighborhood. He often hangs around with the outher females; walking their dogs togethers or going to the dog park. It's actually quite comical to me!

Other than that, that's life around here in a brief nutshell!

Again, where have we been?

Yeah, life caught up with me again; getting on the computer has not been a priority lately but here it goes with a recap of events:

1. I am officially a Leonhard. It took me over a year but I finally got to Social Security last Wednesday and took the plunge. Now all I have to do is update my PT license and my maiden name will be something of my past. Honestly, its weird and guys don't understand it but I have an attachment to that name! I got made fun of from elementary to high school with that name; people from my hometown identify me with that name. It's really hard to part with. I probably should have made it my middle name but I like Marie too much : )

2. One of my best friends from elementary school, Andria got married to her sweetheart, Steve on August 29th in a beautiful ceremony and reception in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The forever five were reunited and you can get more details from my BFF Kristin's blog (I"ll attach details later in this post along with pictures at some point)

More of my trip back to school when I have five minutes to write...until then...TTFN :)

We love our neighbors

This past week, I haven't slpe much at night and unfortunately, I don't have Matt to blame for it (hehe!). My cold progressed from a sore throat and slight congestion to a nasty cold and horrible congestion at night, to the point that for two nights, I slept for about 2 hours. The bronchial spasms were so bad that Matt slept on the Airobed in the spare bedroom for 2 nights. I really felt horrible about it; Mucinex and Robitussin didn't seem to do much and after another sleepless night on Friday, I decided it was time to go to the Dr. Well, sure enough, I had a low grade fever and a severe case of bronchitis. 4 prescriptions later, I walked out of the office and may my way over to CVS. The pharmacist looked pretty impressed when I handed over the 4 prescriptions; just a slight smile on his face but when I left out a pretty nasty cough, I think he knew it was for real.
The weather was absolutely beautiful Saturday, I took my book outside, a blanket and a big glass of water to stay hydrated along with my sidekick Wrigley. As soon as we got outside, Wrigley spotted her best friend, Amber, across the street. Amber is a 2 year old German Short Haired Pointer or as Wrigley knows her as, her wrestling partner. Lisa brought Amber over and the two ran around the backyard, kicking up dirt and leaving tracks in their path. Lisa and Brian are expecting their first child, a girl, in December. We bought them two very adorable outfits I found in Macys as a thank you gift for watching Wrigly when we went to Chicago; one was purple and yellow poca dots with a cute hate and pretty pink pjs with footies ( I love footies!) To repay us for the outfits, Lisa gave us a kiddie pool for Wrigley since Amber doesn't like the water. It was one of the best gifts Wrigley could have gotten. She was hesitant at first as we filled it with water; I think she thought it was a giant water dish becauase she kept on drinking the water out of the pool. Matt threw some of her toys in, which got her front paws in but it was a little too cold and she bounded away. She creeped closer again, gently touching the water with her paws. And since she seemed to be taking too long to adapt, Matt picked her up and put her in. She was in total shock; she just stood there, starring us down like we were the most evil parents ever. She soon walked a few laps around, jumped out, ran like a crazy, possessed dog around the tree and then dove back into the pool. I really wish I had it on tape because it was such a classic Wrigley move. We played out there for about an hour and she still wasn't tired...to be young again!

Saturday night, Matt and I were invited to a meet and greet of Rivercliff neighbors as well as the neighborhood dogs. The party was co-hosted by Rich and Sandy, who live about 3 houses away as well as Liz and Kent, who live around the block from us. We had the pleasure of meeting about 6-7 other couples, all around our age, that have moved into the neighborhood all within the last year. Some are couples, some engaged and others are newlyweds but none of us are native to Milford. It was great to see that eventually, this neighborhood will be packed with kids riding bikes, running from house to house and alot of gatherings amongst families and maybe eventually, a tradition of Friday night with the ladies of Rivercliff. Liz was my favorite, maybe because she is native to LI so we had alot to chat about. She is extremely outgoing, personal and an excellent cook; we exchaged some recipes last night and I'm super excited to try them! Overall, the evening really made me feel like Matt and I chose the perfect neighborhood to start our roots as a family. I just can't wait until the next party when I can drink!

Mama said there'd be days like this.

Well it wasn't actually a day, more like a week. This past week was the work week from hell. My boss was on vacation, which lead to myself and one of the other therapists responsible for her patient load. Lets just say 100 paitents later, a 50+ hour work week and multiple headache conversations with stupid insurance companies, I was beyond shot! I came home Wednesay night with the start of a sore throat and the stress of the week left my body and mind in complete exhaustion. So basically I've been a bump on a log this weekend, tyring to dewind before another fabulous work week!
I've spent most of my time hanging with little Miss. Wriggs. Wrigley is now 30 lbs, 4 1/2 months old and is developing quite the personality. In the mornings, when I left her out of her crate, she now proceeds to run up the stairs and jump into bed with Matt. She now likes up jump up to put her paws on the counter to see whats up there. Twice this past week, she has eaten half my egg sandwich or gotten some of my fruit salad. It really is messing with my morning routine. She hasn't been doing a very good job with listening to her commands, especially when it comes to calling her name. This week, she lost a tooth while chewing on a treat; I guess in most cases, you never know that the dog lost its tooth because they usually swollow it; though the tooth fairy didn't come and up a present under her pillow, we did go and get her some really tasty treats from Petco : ) I am such a good mom!
She's starting to act like a teenager; but then, there are moments in time, when she snuggles up into your neck, gives you kisses on the cheek and falls asleep on your chest. Those are the moments I love with her.
So as much as I wish this weekend could extend itself by a day, Monday is quickly approaching...

Hallmark says it all...

Last week, I made my usual trip to Stop n Shop for the usual groceries for the week. They are creating a new layout, which completely screwed with my usual aisle routine, but there is a reason for everything. The card aisle is now where I used to restock on my potions and lotions and a card caught my eye...black and white, shot from the end of a bed, with a pair of leg cuddling each other. Inside the card read, "My favorite place in the world is next to you." I laughed and put it in the cart; perfect card for Matt! I guess you can say I'm a sucker for a good card...

Matt deserves alot more than a card these days; he has truly become the domestic man of the house. Work has been a little overwhelming lately; walking in the door @ 9:30 is a late and yes, I don't start until 11 on those days but 20 patients in a day; yeah its a little crazy. Paperwork takes up most the hour or so I'm there later at night. On those nights, he makes dinner; most nights, waiting for me to get home to eat. Our conversation is typical...the how was your day, how was Wrigley, did she destroy anything...etc. Most of the time, he'll do the dishes, sweep up the floor and tuck Wrigley in while I get myself ready for the next day. Wednesday night, he surprised me with ice cream from Walnut Beach Creamery; a local stand with the most delicious homemade ice cream EVER! My favorite flavor is there Vanilla ice cream with cinnamon, vanilla and honey; Matt loves the Mud Pie. Thursday night, I arrived home with a bunch of paperwork still leftover. He massaged my low back as I laid with the laptop on the bed; seriously, you have no idea how good it feels when someones pampers you for 5 minutes when you work on patients all day...it is really a treat! TGIF brought a night of cleaning the house from top to bottom, with Matt doing most of the labor. Without him this past week, I would have been a more angry, stressed mess.

I truly do appreciate all the little things he does for me; a hug and kiss when I walk in the door; dinner on the table with the occasional glass of wine; assisting the the house chores and allowing me to vent. I don't need presents, a vacation, a new bag...I just need him.

This weekend, we were able to be around the house. Saturday morning into the afteroon, we did alot of yard work and created a spot in the yard for Wrigley to "do her business" so we can start to grow some green grass again! Saturday afternoon, we took Wrigley to her favorite dog park in Southbury and met up with Andy, Kelly and Jack. Kelly and I met in PT school; Matt and Andy hit it off because Andy is a football coach, Matt is the UA rep so they have formed a great relationship. Jack is their almost 2 year old son; the most adorable little kid on earth! He is a spitting image of Andy but a mama's boy at heart. Jack absolutely loves animal crackers so while I picked up the necessary ingredients for dessert, I picked up a box of the Barnum Animal crackers; you know the classic animal cracker box with the string to carry! Well, I walked in the door with those and we were instant friends. Jack showed me how to get into a football stance, snap the ball and run for a touchdown; he throw a baseball like his favorite Yankee and splashed in his liitle pool in his favorite Elmo bathing suit. We played airplane, draw lots of pictures and played with blocks. Jack even rubbed some lotion on my sunburn; he is a true lady's man!

Sunday Funday included a trip to Stop n Shop, Costco, Macys and Target; I actually found a Macys gift card with a $100 on it this morning at home so we bought some new picture frames, a new cookbook (for me!) and a hair trimmer for Matt. We also bought our neighbors, Lisa and Brian, some new baby clothes; before we left for Chicago, we found out that Lisa is 18 weeks pregnant and expecting a girl. To thank them for watching Wrigley, we bought the cutest bigs and outfits I could find! We also bought Amber some delicious treats from Petco to thank her for letting Wrigley wrestle her.

So here's to another weekend that went to fast and a work week that will last way too long!

Where Have We Been?

Wine Tasting

Andria's Bachlorette Party

Chicago Summer 2009

I have been a very bad blogger but I am updating you all of life over the last two months:

Matt celebrated his 27th birthday on June 9th. I went to Home Depot, with the help of my dad, and bought him a table saw! Sweet! I got the biggest kiss EVER! We celebrated with friends @ Buffalo Wild Wings while we watched UFC 99, which was an awesome card and had great fights!

July 3, we celebrated our first anniversary. I woke up to a beautiful day at my parent's house, very similar to the day we got married. As the day went by, I watched the clock and recalled the events by hour: leaving my house @ 8:30; 9:00-12:30: having a blast at Ulta getting our hair and make up done, being as calm and giddy as could be; 1:00: lunch @ the Attards; 1:30-3:00: putting on my dress; pictures with the best bridal party, my family and that bus ride over to the church, singing, Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married" while drinking sparkling champagne; 4:00: walking down the aisle as if I was walking on air: 4:45: "I Do", 7 pm: cocktail hour; 8 pm-12:00: danced our butts off. Our wedding day is one of the most amazing days of our lives; we are so blessed to have spent it with our closest family and friends.

July 4th: Wine Tasting on the North Fork on LI with my Bayport ladies

July 11th: Poll Dancing for Andria's Bachelorette Party

So we come to the present. This past weekend, Matt, myself and his mom traveled out to Chicago, Ill for a midsummer Leonhard reunion. It's the first time we've seen his dad's family since the wedding a year ago. For me, it was a much needed dose of relaxation and familiy time. Aunt Laurie and Uncle Mark played host; I think she finished the basement just for us so we would visit more often :) Saturday morning was breakfast at the Junction, trip to Schnucks, an awesome grocery store because they sell wine and liquor in it and a drive to Chrissy's for the famuly gathering at the local park. I kicked Matt's butt in baggo, played softball in flipflops, watched Matt strike out against a 10 year old pitcher ( I swear its true)and played on the playground with my new best friend, Clara.
If you never realized how long its been since you've seen family, look at the little ones! They have grown up so much since the last time I saw them; Parker running around and actually holding my hand as we crossed the street; Clara telling me she was so happy that Matt married me and Jack, Gordy, Will and Spencer playing baseball...it was a blast. I really miss having little cousins around because you can play little kid games again that adults really aren't suppose to.
Matt has always been the "favorite nephew" of the family, even before his father's passing from what they tell me. His father meant so much to all of them and his loss was tragic and sudden. Matt's cousin Erik and I had spoken a few months back about a scrapbook Anita had made him during the holidays. Eric has always been compared to Bill; his wacky personality for the most part and he was always very fond of him; which is why he named one of his son's Will. Matt and I don't have any pictures of him at the house so Erik rounded up the Aunties and gave us 2 books of pictures of Bill with various members of the famuly. Aunt Anita had an extra surprise; 3 yearbooks from when his father was in HS. It was something very sentimental; something I know we will appreciate forever. The more pictures I see of Bill and the more I get to know him, I think he'd be very proud of how his son turned out....
Sunday was all about the Cubs. Matt and I were on the road @ 8 am to travel from the Suburbs into the city to watch his favorite baseball team ever. I can see a twinkle in his eyes as we drove in; the excitement in his smile and overwhelming desire to just get there as he bobbed around in his seat. We hit a minor snag in the trip; when we got to the airport to get the train, we realized we let the camera at the hotel. No way we were making this trip without a camera; cabbed it back to the hotel, got the camera and we were on our way...Wrigley Field here we come...

Outside the stadium as we came out of the subway was electrifying; people were covered from head to toe in Cubbies red, white and blue. The streets were packed with fans of all ages, with dad's carryign their son's and daughters on their shoulders to the local bars packed with roudy college kids. Seats for the bleachers section wrapped around two blocks, two and a half hours before game time. As the gates opened, they run for the best seats in the house. Wrigleyville itself is an amazing place, with townhouses bought by corportation with bleachers on the rooftops, restaurants and bars inside with black and white pictures remembering the good old days. Wrigley field, a historic landmark of Chicago, was breathtaking. Walking up the ramp, behind home plate, you saw the old school scoreboard area with the empty bleachers, looking like the Alter of Wrigley field; the bright green ivy covering the walls reflected perfectly off the bright blue sky. It gave me goosebumps and it was the perfect day for baseball.
We sat in on the third baseline; section 7, row 7, seats 4-5; right behind the pitcher's dugout of the Cubbies. I've never been so close to a baseball diamond like this in my life. The players were within arm reach; handing out autograph balls to the little kids with their oversized jerseys and painted faces. Their faces were in awe of the players; probably similar to mine.
As the Cubs beat Cinncinati, I stood with Matt singing "Go Cubs Go" as they raised the white flag with a "W", a tradition that was starting when the stadium first open so that fans who did not attend the game, knew the final outcome. I was sad to leave such a beautiful place but it was the best way to spend it...just with Matt.

This vacation was shortlived but we'll be back in Chicago for Christmas this year; something that we are extremely excited about. Matt has never spent Christmas with his dad's side of the family; I think his dad would be happy to see us all together as a family, the way he always wanted it to be....

A Growing Puppy and Memorial Day Weekend.

Wrigley is growing into quite the neighborhood attraction. My parents, Matt's mom and friend Cheryl as well as friends from near and far have come to play and meet her. Her personality seems to grow daily. Here are a few updates on her growing personality:
1. Wrigley is no longer afraid of the hardwood floors so she follows us everywhere. 2. She is able to walk to the back door and use the steps without us carrying her into the backyard.
3. She loves to bite toes and chases after your feet when playing tag
4. She absolutely loves her dog bed. She often falls asleep, goes into convulsions from dreams and rolls off the bed fast asleep. She will abruptly wake up and move back onto the couch and fall fast asleep again.
5. Wrigley does not understand the word "No"; she is starting to understand sit and stay when given treats.
6. She loves to sun her belly in the afternoon sun and chew on her toe
7. She inconsistently sleeps through the night but her morning wake up call is around 5 AM; Matt does not like this at all.
8. Fireworks don't scare her
9. She loves to give kisses
10. She loves to chew on sticks, plants and dried leaves; she is also learning how ti dig...there goes my gardens!
11. Wrigley's little body fits through the picket fence; she loves to visit the neighbors

She is doing alot better with the crate training and house training. She only has accidents when she gets nervous or Matt and I are not paying attention to her. I just have to remember she is only 8 1/2 weeks old. I was determined to keep her off the couch but as you can see, its hard not to snuggle up with her on the couch. She really is growing by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to take her back to the vet this week to see how much she's grown. I wish I could keep her in this puppy stage forever, kinda like a baby.

We left her overnight for the first time on Friday with my Aunt Sally and cousins, Kelly and Shannon. My cousin Michael was getting married on Saturday so instead of overwhelming my ailing family dog, Nike, we decided babysitters would be a better option. Leaving her was quite difficult since I've gotten used to holding and carrying her around the house (is this a sign of motherly instinct?) It was a little disturbing going to sleep on Friday night without hearing any type of whining or crying or telling Wrigley; go nite nites...yes, I speak baby now too!

However, before going to sleep on Friday night I was able to FINALLY catch up with Kristin to see her new rock and officially congratulate her on her upcoming nupitals in April 2009. My parents came along to Kristin's parents house, which turned into a few glasses of pinot, a brownie and alot of laughs! Before we knew it, it was after midnight and definitely way past my bed time!

Kristin's father is extremely excited and obsessed that Matt and I got a German Short Haired Pointer; he grew up with one and when Kristin and her brother Robby were young, they had one. He was not happy that she didn't make her first trip to LI, but we now know we have a permanent babysitter when needed if "Grandma and Grandpa" are busy! Awesome!

Saturday morning, my cousin Michael married his girlfriend Joana in Northport with the reception @ the Riverview in Oakdale. The wedding was bittersweet; Joana is applying for dual citizenship for the US and the Philipinees and arrived in American about 2 weeks ago. The visa she was issued with a fiance visa which meant she had to be married within 90 days of being in the country. Her visa was approved; however her parents were denied on 3 separate occasions. Her sister, who lives in China, was her maid of honor and she is fortunate to have family that lives in Valley Stream there; her aunt and uncle walked her down the aisle. If my parents were alive and not in this country for my wedding, I have no idea how I could keep a smile on my face all day but she did. She was a trooper!

And so was Table #1. That was our assigned seats, along with my parents, Sarah (my sister) her friend Lisa and my Aunt Phyllis. Needless to say, Table #1 rocked the wedding. We were basically the only people on the dance floor for the short time the DJ played music. I really hate being at weddings were you sit the entire time and neither can my mother or sister. So we stared to party. It didn't turn into a crowded dance floor but we definitely kept ourselves entertained. The video will show it.

We drove back to CT following the reception to find Wrigley upstairs in our room crying. My aunt and cousins had left her blocked into the kitchen after she had fallen asleep. We assume her woke up to no one in the house, got herself very scared, scaled the baby gate, ran upstairs looking for us (by the way, she has never go up our stairs) and was too afraid to go down so she went into her crate. I felt horrible! She was shaking and had accidents all over the hallway and 2nd bedroom. We had no idea how long she had been up there but I think she found some shelter in her crate. Thank god she didn't get into the closet or I'd have no clothes today.

Sunday, we hosted a mid afternoon BBQ with some friends from SHU. I cooked up some BBQ chicken, a lovely green salad and a chickpea mandarian orange salad (new recipe), which was awesome! Always a good time and lots of laughs. Sue and Erik, friends from SHU and also newly engaged as well as neighbors, hung out until about midnight. I have to say, its soooooo nice to lounge outside with a drink in sweats. I just need a firepit for the backyard and I'm set!

Today, "Grandma" and "Grandpa" aka, my parents, came to visit. My mom was in St. Martin last week when my dad came (don't cry for her...she's tan) Again, I was an excellent host with grilling up some lemon rosemary chicken, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and some leftover salads as well as angel food cake with strawberries and cool whip! YUMMY!!!!! Wrigley did alot of running around, showing us how much she loves to chew leaves and plants. She actually hit full stride at one point, which was amazing to see.

Now I'm finally getting a little bit of R & R, watching the Cubbies and snuggling with my little girl!

PS...I think Matt is getting jealous : )