Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, today is my birthday. Hallmark just forgot to put in on the holiday list of cards : ) As you can tell, I love my birthdays and birthdays in general. Today is an extra special birthday. I am up @ 5 Am getting ready to be @ work for 7; now usually I'd be leaving @ 3 but today, I get to work from 7 am - 7 pm; later to do paperwork. So basically my birthday will be spent with all my patients. Seems rather appropriate since I love most of them. Matt knew I would be DEAD when I got home tonight so I got early birthday presents last night and he did very well!
First, I got a mushy card, which I always love because no one says it better than Hallmark. In the card was a fake gift certificate for Ulta 3 to get a facial! Just what I wanted and really all I wanted. But as usual, Matt goes beyond the call of duty and gets something else. So out comes a super cute bag filled awkwardly with tissue paper (he's not really good with packaging items) In the bag was my first set of gardening tools and a pair of blue paisley gardening gloves! Now I can start to work in the garden, which isn't much right now but with some TLC, it will be beautiful if the steriod-using squirrels don't kill it first.
Now as a side note, Matt tells me he went to Macys to look at jewerly. Now I'm not a huge jewerly girl but a few weeks ago, we walked past the my birthday and I fell in love with this ring. It was breathtaking. Anyway, Matt went and looked at it this week....$700! Maybe my anniversary in 10 years : )
So please wish me a happy birthday and that my bosses patients and my patients are extra nice to me today so I can actually walk out of work in one piece tonight!

Matty and Coll's Domestic Bliss Getaway

Thank you Dustin for the title of this blog...

On Saturday, Matt and I had a gathering of friends at our house of a housewarming/Colleen's Birthday party! As usual, there were lots of familiar faces, drinks and food! I have to pat myself on the back for the menu: mozzarella, artichokes, red peppers and basil on a toothpick (so good!), marinated chicken, beef and shrimp on skewers with dipping sauces consisting of honey mustard, peanut sauce and a soy sauce mixture (again...delicious!) and some staples of mexican dip ( thanks to Sue and Erik) chips and pretzels. Everyone loved the food; Mike just wasn't thrilled with the honey mustard dip. I also made a huge pitcher of sangria which I thought was absolutely amazing! Matt got to use his grill and wears his Cubs apron while I got to use alot of dishes I haven't been able ot use. I also had a chance to see Dustin and Mike; two close friends of ours that live in NYC and Boston respectively and as usual, they are the life of the party. My girls from home, Kristin and Meghan, along with Brian (Meg's BF) came for a while. As usual, when I decide to do something, Kristin gets sick with an ear infection and stomach virus. She was a trooper and came with me to Stop n Shop to pick up the rest of the essentials including lemons, limes and tea to ease her stomach pain (which might I add worked very very well...YogiTea stomach ease works wonders...trust me!) Anyway, the night was everything I could hope for! Matt and I are getting a handle on this whole entertaining business and we are so excited to be able to get together our friends like this!

Next Party...the Pearsall/Costigan house in Forrest Hills for Mexican Night!
Next Party we host...Easter Saturday!

PS...pictures to follow : ) or please visit Dustin Ledda on FaceBook and view his pictures: )

The WAM effect

I had a patient recentlybring me in an article from the New Year Times in regards to the "WAM" effect, aka, What About Me effect. The article reflected on comments that were being sent into the paper in regards to the economic crisis, the bailout of bad mortgages and changes in the tax credit to first time homebuyers.

Now I have to say...I have every right to rant about this stuff. I was taught from an early age to be responsible with EVERYTHING...money, your life, your car, your friends, your family. Yes, the money thing again as usual! But over the course of the last 5 years, people bought houses they could not afford. Period. The end. There adjustable rate mortgage kicked in and they were crying that they couldn't make the payments. Cry me a river. Didn't you have all these details laid out to you? Didn't you get that piece of paper at your closing that broke down your monthly payments? Ok maybe you did, but maybe you didn't understand the paperwork. Or maybe you just decided not to have a lawyer at your closing to explain the details because you thought you could save yourself some cash. BAD IDEA! I know some of this stuff is out there but its been in articles that I've read and it really gets to me!

To go off this rant a little bit...I am a responsible person. I bought a house that Matt and I could afford, even if one of use lost our jobs. I pay my taxes every year. I pay my student loans, credit card bills, utilities and mortgage payments on time. I don't have a huge amount od credit card debt. I put a decent amount of money to the side to save. And if you do all these things, what do you get from the government? NOTHING! Why aren't good citizens rewarded for doing things the responsible way? To me, its like always doing something for the bad kid or not rewarding good work in school.

So Mr. President, if you want to make some other changes in policies, think about the people who are making positive contributions to society and give us a reward for doing something good!

Lets Talk About Sex!

I think I can officially talk about sex now without being out of context or shy about it, especially with this blog. I am an almost 27 years old married woman and yes, against the almight Catholic church, Matt and I had sex a long time before I had a ring on my finger or exchanged vows. So now that we've cleared the air with that, I can now discuss my current situation...

Last Wednesday, I had the "stomach bug." I was throwing up a majority of the early morning and passed out on the floor of the bathroom. I took a sick day and laided around a majority of the day, in my bed. I went to work for the rest of the week, still not feeling right. I felt nausous the rest of the week and really didn't have an appetite. So one of my patients called me on Friday and she asked me, "Colleen, I know you were on that tropical island the first week in January and we all know what happened. And you have felt sick for the last three days. Are you sure you're not pregnant.?" Though I didn't want to admit it, it was in the back of my mind.

I do take birth control, one to regluate my period and two, to reduce my chances of getting pregnant. On my trip to Queens last week, Kristin and I were talking about inconsistent the two of us are with taking it. Example #1: Matt found my pills on a Wednesday; packed was filled...he comes in the room and asked "Do you know what today is?" "Wednesday," I said. "According to your pills, its Sunday"...Big opps! So my inconsistency with the pill and not feeling too hot for a few days was making me nervous.

So this past weekend I was on Long Island for my grandparents 59th anniversary lunch at my house. I was in the bathroom and finally, my prayers above were answered. Aunt Flow had come to town! I let out a big Yes. I came out of the bathroom and my mom just stared at me;
" Is everything ok?"
"Matt and I thought we could have been expecting a little one but I just got my period," I said.
"I guess we should be celebrating."
"Yes, I would think so."

Please don't misinterrupt this excitement with the fact that we don't want kids. I really do want kids; 2 boys about 3 years apart and possibly with my first by the time I'm 29. These are dreams but not really realities. Kids take money and money isn't something we don't have on the side right now. 2006-2008 was dedicated to the wedding and then we bought the house so our savings has been minimal. Alot of people tell me you will never be financially ready to have children but for me, I feel the need to have some money on the side not just for the security of our kids but for security of Matt and I as well. I was always taught to put money on the side...save, save, save...pay yourself first. My father should be credited for drilling that into my head.

But to be completely honest, I am completely freaked, scared, terrified, horrified out about having children. I don't really have a reason for it; I've been searching for answers but they don't seem to come. I love kids; holding little babies and making funny noises, speaking in high pitched voices and playing peek-a-boo. Maybe someday I'll get over this fear. Maybe when there is a human life inside me my motherly instinct will kick in and the thought of being a parent will be settling, exciting and a whole journey of laugh, tears, achievements and being a kid again....

Until then, I will be sure to take my pill everyday : )

It's March!!!

In the Northeast today, we got hit with approximately a foot of snow; it was the biggest snow storm of the season. Right now, I'm so sick of snow but the best part...I got a snowday! Bad news...12 hour day @ work tomorrow (booooo!)

This unexpected day off gave me an opportunity to continue my painting. Since Saturday, I have been painting. Saturday night was the Bayport girls night down @ Kristin's in Forrest Hills. I got there early and helped paint her dining room. I did cause a slight mess when I dropped a gallon of paint on the floor. The color was a lovely shade of cranberry red and it was allllllll over her hardwoods. Thank god those are getting replaced. Sunday, I spent the day repainting the living room and hallway and now today, I was able to do all my cutting and trimming of moldings. So all and all, I think I put in about 13 hours of painting the last 3 days. As I was doing all this today, Matt was "working" aka sititng on his laptop on the couch, legs up with the Dog Whisperer in the background. The worst part...I kept bothering him! At least that's what he said. I will give him credit; he did get outside today to shovel and clean off the cars. I HATE cold weather so it's the one thing I really will not do! And the weather is frigid here today. Not the day to be outside.

But the absolute worst part of the snow is this...it's March. For those of you who don't know, March is my birthday month. And this does not fit into my birthday wishes. This year, I actually do have a list of things that I would like. Here's the small list:
1. A fabulous summer hat I saw @ the J. Crew outlet. I need something to keep my Irish skin covered when I start working in the garden or I go to the beach.
2. Bare Minerals make up. I never buy myself make up and I'm getting low.
3. Ugg boots. Matt doesn't like them, but I would realy like a pair.
4. Tools. I figured if I get some, Matt and I can start building some stuff in the house

That's about it right now. I know I'm going to be 27 years old, but birthdays are always my favorite. Special dinner, dessert and having friends and family around...it's the best! And now we are having a party on March 21st to bring our friends together again. Unfortunately, I can't have another wedding because that cost too much but to have everyone at my house...I LOVE IT! I'll keep you posted on my food choices as I make them!

Ok, I've been lazy...

I know, I know...I've been a very bad blogger and haven't posted ANYTHING in about 2 weeks! So what have the Leonhards been up to...here's a rundown of life:

1. We finally decided on a paint color for the master bedroom! After 6 sample paint colors on the wall, we finally came to the decision on Water's Lake Blue from Benjamin Moore. It has completely transformed our bedroom from cold to coastal! I love it so much!! And if I ever had to recommend paint to anyone, I would highly recommend Aura paint from Benjamin Moore! It dries very quickly, is low VOC and you don't need to prime! I like shortcuts, especially when it comes to painting.

We are now at the stage of trying to create the rest of the room...some moldings need to be repaired (we had to take the toe kick off off and discovered about 4 layers of paint on it...yuck!), we would like to put up some crown molding to finish the room; a desperate search for furniture as well as trying to create a headboard. Basically we will be recruiting my parents to come with tools; my dad with the big boy tools and my mom with her handy sewing machine. I actually have some plans to make a headboard from scratch thanks to my inspiration station, HGTV!

2. Lots of work! Matt and I have both been extremely busy with work. Matt has had a few overnight trips; one to Vermont, one to Mass. and an overnight this past week to Baltimore. My job has been pretty busy too; I've had about 13-14 patients in the last 2 weeks. So basically, my life has been sleep, gym, food, work and repeat. Yes, I have finally gotten back to the gym which is such a stress relief for me!

3. We have been planning my birthday party/housewarming party for friends for March 21st. So I have a large list of things I want to get done but most likely won't get there! If I can at least get the interior of the house painted, I will be happy. We really need to get the kitchen painted since the white patchwork on the wall from the leak looks bad.

We are very excited to have a party at the house with all our friends! We are reserving a family party for something a little more low key! But basically, I'm just excited that my birthday is coming. I love birthdays because its a special day for you. I think the love of my birthday developed in college. My 19th birthday was the craziest birthday that I will never forget!

4. Matt and I have FINALLY ordered our video from the wedding. We should have it for our viewing pleasure within the next month! The video will be about 2 hours long but we do get an unedited version which I think I will watch first.

Well folks, I hope you enjoyed the update. I think my family out in Illinois will be happy to see this!! Love you Aunt Lorr Lorr

25 Random Facts

Once you've been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Matt got hit with this on his facebook, so I figured I'd give it a shot! By the way, this is mostly about me, not Matt...

1. I'm not a fan of spending money. It takes a lot for me to depart with my paycheck on unnecessary stuff.
2. I love my career...not my job.
3. Ultimate Dream Job...Sideliner reports for Fox Sports or ESPN.
4. Feet don't bother me. I work on people's feet all the time. Going for a pedicure is awesome, but I don't do it often.
5. I still sleep with the blanket I slept with as a baby. Yes it will soon for 27 years but its my ultimate comfort. If I don't have it, I sleep horribly. No, I didn't take it on my honeymoon.
6. I wish I was a better shopper. Buying clothes and putting an outfit together is one of the biggest stresses for me.
7. I liked to kiss boys on the bus during kindergarden. After that, I lost my touch. I think I've only kissed 6 guys before I met Matt.
8. I am ALWAYS cold! I walk around @ work with a huge mug of tea everywhere I go.
9. I love to sing and chair dance when I drive.
10. Matt's car puts me to sleep when I'm the passenger. We could be driving a half hour away, and I'm usually asleep within 15 minutes
11. I read my horoscope everyday
12. Birthdays are my favorite holiday because it's about you for that one day!
13. I hate getting dressed on the weekend. I love to wear all my UA gear with a hat and run errands. I think one day I'll be on that show "What Not to Wear" because of my appearance.
14. I've always wanted to cut my hair really short but I'm afraid I'll look like a boy.
15. I have this freakish natural body alarm clock that wakes me everyday before my alarm goes off.
16. For dessert, I love eating Dole frozen mangos straight out of the bag.
17. I miss Friday nights. Friday nights were a tradition that started with my mom and friends of ours from the neighborhood. The ladies would get together for lots of drinks and the kids would eat fish sticks or macaroni and cheese. When I was in HS, sometimes, we would pregame with our parents before we jumped the fences and went to keg parties. I don't have anyone here to have Friday nights with except Matt.
18. Biggest Loser makes me cry every week
19. Even though I'm from New York, I know more about the Cubs now than I do the Mets.
20. I get excited every month when my period comes...one more month without being pregnant!
21. I love having my hair washed. It's the best part of getting my hair done every 3 months
22. I think Valentine's Day and New Years Eve are the most overrated holidays; St. Pattys Day, Cinco De Mayo and Thanksgiving Eve are the best hoildays EVER.
23. If I ever have the money, I would love to have a house overlooking the water.
24. I want to start a tradition of going camping with friends at the beach for a weekend every year.
25. When Matt and I decide to have kids, I want to name my first born Payton or Peyton.