busygirl

so instead we went and bought a car.

Surprise!!

Since moving to Cleveland we've discovered that my beautiful Scion tC was indeed, meant for warmer climates.  As in, it's already gotten stuck twice and it's not even the end of December.  Sport wheels and lake effect snow just don't mix.

So we began the search, weighing the possibility of a new car vs. just getting snow tires for the Scion.  Adam was concerned about my safety with the car being so light and small in the snow.  Even with snow tires.  So we visited a couple dealerships, didn't really see much.  And went back to the plan of getting snow tires to make it through the winter.

Until last night.  When Adam found exactly what we were looking for at another dealership.  And upon hurrying over there (it is the end of the year!) we discovered it was just as perfect in person.  To be honest, when I walked in there, I was just humoring Adam.  He loves looking at cars and I figured this was just another one of those 'the car is great, but it's too much money'.

Intense haggling commenced while I sat there blinking my eyes and wondering why this salesman wasn't wearing an undershirt under his polo.  Apparently I'm very involved in car buying.  I did toss out intelligent phrases such as 'ooh I like the black!' and 'do the heater seats have a timer?'

Blink some more.

See Adam and the Salesguy shake hands.  Clean out Scion.  Get in new car.  And begin to bawl because I just gave up my beloved tC.  Wipe tears.  Proceed to check out new buttons.  Get excited over the new car. 

And then sit there AMAZED when Adam tells me what an AWESOME deal he just scored.  Not only did we get more money for my car than we ever dreamed possible, but he got them to bring down the price of my new car enough that we're actually saving money by buying the car (when you consider the drop in insurance costs as well).

So without further ado, meet my new Nissan Rogue, isn't she (or he) a beaut?

 
I need to determine the gender and pick out a name!  My Scion was a boy, named Skyon.  Adam's Altima is fondly named Jill.  Any ideas?  Do you think it's a boy or girl?  Any name suggestions?  Or are we the only crazy ones that name our cars?

resolution rehash.

Oh 2010.  You're coming to a close and I haven't even scratched the surface of my resolutions.  365 days to complete these?  You must be insane.  I haven't the time or the resources to tackle even one.  But I tried, I really did.

 
1) Simplify.  I did!  By default...so it doesn't really count.  Since in the move up to Cleveland clutter was lost along the way.  That and I just didn't want to pack anymore.  Or unpack.  And our empty closet space thanks us.

2) Fat-arm-syndrome.  I don't know if I lost 5 lbs and gained 3, but my arms looked aaa-okay at our wedding.  I'll consider this one checked off.

3) Get out more and explore.   I'd give myself halfsies on this one.  Joined a volleyball team.  Went to the market.  New restaurants.  Dragon boat races.  But I could give it more effort.

4) Book challenge.  I came.  I saw.  I conquered.  And not a moment too late.  Finished the 100th book last week!

5) Push me over.  Work-in-progress.

6) Go to VEGAS.  No dice.  This year though.  It will happen.  And Em is still tagging along.

So there you go 2010.  Not half bad.  But hopefully I can get my act together a bit more in 2011.

the best of busygirl.

First of all, looking back a year view of blog statistics nearly knocks me over.  All the love.  Too much love.  It can't be all for me.  It must be Ricki, he's the real reason you check in now and then.  Thank you though, it makes my day to see that little hit counter keep rising!  And for those that may have missed a post or two along the way, allow me to quickly spotlight my greatest hits.

Without further ado, the best of series.  Top five blog posts of 2010.  Voted on by all of you.  Based on hit statistics.

1) This one shouldn't come as a surprise...just mariokartin' around.  Apparently my greatest hit is also my greatest humiliation.  If only hidden camera had been there to capture the moment.

2) My superhuman ability to not look as tired as I feel must be found.  So you've been rifling through my makeup bag dump.  Find anything good?

3) My expert opinion on the international sport of curlingis apparently being sought by many.  Including someone in Indonesia who visited the post 6 times!  Hopefully no one was harmed when following my well-researched curling tips.

4) It's no surprise that Ricki has snagged the last two spots, first with his Madonna-esqe Vogue video.  Paul Abdul will be calling any day now regarding a guest spot on her new show.

5) And last but not least, Ricki's show of 'affection' for my nephew.  Tiny humans beware, this pup does not share.

And so that wraps up 2010's Best Of list.  Did I leave out a favorite post of yours?  Did I miss a clumsy moment of mine?  Is more Ricki needed on this blog?  Leave the love below.

2010 recap.

Busy, busy, busy year!  And so ready for everything 2011 will bring.  We've been so blessed this year admist the chaos of relocating and getting married.  I cannot wait to see what our next year holds...hopefully a few surprises and lots of laughter.

If you missed any adventures along the way, I included links to the posts so you can catch up!

January - a trip to Connecticut to celebrate my grandparents' 60TH wedding anniversary!  60 years.  What an amazing feat!  I love every moment spent on our family farm in Connecticut...hours were spent capturing the winter calm over the fields and rifling through old love letters from our ancestors.  Another trip to NYC with my pal Grace and my sister Melissa to see Martha in person (and in 5-inch heels!)  I miss city life, but suburbia has been treating me just fine.

 
February - was spent watching the Olympics.  So much in fact, that I was thoroughly convinced I should quite my day job and begin a career as a professional curler.  No?  Ricki got to experience a soup bone for the first time ever.  It snowed.  A LOT.  And I got the best Valentine's Day present ever...a SISTER-IN-LAW!  My brother proposed to this lovely lady, who I simply adore.  To the moon.  And back.

 
March - Life changed.  A lot.  I left my job for a new one and moved 160 miles north to Cleveland.  Back home.  Near both of our families.  It was a rough month.  I felt like I couldn't breathe between moving and job switching and wedding planning.  But it was worth it.  Plus it snowed a lot so we got some great (and hilarious) snowboarding in that month.  Also, I slipped on a banana peel and exploded wine all over my kitchen.  For realzies.

 
April - left behind the snow for a quick trip to sunny California to visit my grandma!  And took Adam to Disneyland for the first time ever...four big kids in Disney?  Stellar.  Back home Adam and I moved into a new apartment and struggled to unpack for weeks, coming up with some creative solutions to hold us over.  I joined and played on a volleyball team for the first time ever...and managed to return the ball over the net without injuring myself or anyone else.

 
May - my beautiful bridesmaids threw Adam and me a fabulous wedding shower!  Ricki turned 9 years young.  And the weddingmares began as wedding planning was kicked into high gear.

 
June - Down to the wire with planning.  Begin hyperventilating.  Drink margaritas with my FSILs.  And life is back to fabulous.  I discovered that Johnny Depp doesn't exist in the land of spellcheck.  We made a ridiculous amount of salsa.  I had an FABULOUS night with my favorite girls downtown for my bachelorette party!  And the World Cup was on, so Adam was deliriously happy.  And he got to golf.  Go him.

 
July - um, we got MARRIED!  Obviously.  And it was perfectly wonderful.  The dog ate watermelon for the first time ever.  My nephew was cuddly and perfect.  We spent hours cooking and entertaining, with some kitchen mishaps.  I couldn't believe all the free time we had after the wedding was over.  Summer was in full bloom.

 
August - We enjoyed every moment of summer.  Spent hours out on the boat and discovering new adventures downtown.  Our dog learned to Vogue. Adam's golf club became famous.  In Cleveland.  The dog decided he didn't like our nephew.

 
September - I stopped blogging so much because I just needed life to slow down.  My friend Wren moved back to Cleveland!  And I discovered that Windex will get a stuck ring off your finger.  Who knew. 

  
October - Adam turned 26.  My phone busted.  And we tried starfruit for the first time ever.  Adam dressed up as Sheldon for Halloween.  Finally.  I had to bribe him to wear a costume.  We said goodbye to the official end of summer as the cold air rushed in.

 
November - Life became crazy once again.  My grandma was coming for Christmas so Adam/Chris hurried to create a bedroom for her.  An election came and went.  Christmas Ale arrived along with the cheers of every Clevelander.  I spent a lot of quality time with my camera, enjoying the rare warm days in November.  And we officially booked our honeymoon for the next month.  My dog really loves Thanksgiving.  And we really love spending days at the waterpark!

 

December - What did we even do?  The dog was in a mood due to lack of attention.  My iPod suffered a horrible death.  We jetted off to Mexico for our honeymoon.  And returned home in time to celebrate Christmas.

 

Whew.  Busy year.  How was yours?

happy christmas eve!

We're crazy busy this morning.  Well I am...let's be honest here.  Adam's off playing some football in the snow with his buddies and Ricki is doing what he does best.  Snoozing away in front of the tree.  I'm throwing together our overnight bags and wrapping a few last gifts before all three of us pile in the car and head to my mom's for the night!

Whew, all this work for a day of relaxation tomorrow!  Enjoy your time with your families and friends...I can't wait for hot cocoa and cookies!

if jesus had facebook...

One of the best videos I've seen in a while...

 

honeymoon recap!

Ah a week spent in sunny, beautiful, warm Mexico and now back to being knee-deep in snow.  Oh Ohio, your weather just bites.

But we did have a FANTASTIC TIME!  Since we got married in July, one of the few warm months here in Cleveland, we decided to postpone our honeymoon until the snowstorms hit.  Thought we'd appreciate the trip a bit more.  Boy, did we ever.

So we jetted off for eight fabulous days in the sand'n'sun in Riviera Maya, Mexico, which is about 30 miles south of Cancun and directly west of Cozumel.  Our all-inclusive resort was the Riu Palace Riviera Maya, which was stunning.  Between the food, drinks, immaculately clean grounds and friendly staff, we were thrilled.  I would definitely go back there again without a second thought.

Our room was huge (king size bed! With no dog to share it with!) and the cleaning crew left us adorable little towels animals every day.  Our first day there the towel animal was a puppy...how did they know??  We were also visited by a dinosaur, elephant and a peacock!  Our room came with a living room area and our own bar.  They restocked it daily with beer and liquor...got to love all-inclusive resorts!

 
I don't really have much to tell in terms of what we did.  Other than laying on beach, playing in the clear, blue ocean and thinking of how lucky we were to not be in Cleveland, we didn't do much.  Except eat and drink to our heart stomach's content.  The food was amazing, especially the breakfast and dinner options.  Lunch was a typically buffet - I could take it or leave it.  But the view from our lunch table was to die for.

We tried several of the resort's restaurants and spent a good amount of time in the lobby bar people-watching.  Since we went in the off-season, our resort was only half-filled which resulted in spectacular service from every staff member.

 

The grounds were immaculate.  Seriously, I walked out one morning to see them scrubbing the SIDEWALK.  And then felt bad walking on it later...I'm sure my flip flops left footprints!

 
 

Most of our time was spent swimming in the ocean, the water was almost 80 degrees and clear!  You had to be careful though - the bottom was a bit rocky in some parts.  But once you got out to the sandbars, it was smooth and easy on your feet.  The waves weren't that big, so floating around became my favorite activity.

  
[this picture cracks me up.  it's of a wave hitting us]

The rest of the time - we just laid in the sun...right here to be exact.

Oh, and partook in some fruity cocktails.  Because what's a beach without fruity drinks?

 [drinking the most amazing mango-orange-rum drink]

We actually brought those large cups.  Good tip from TripAdvisor.  All-inclusive resorts will fill whatever cup you give them, but they serve drinks in tiny cups.  So to save a few trips to the bar, we just brought our own large plastic cups!

Adam managed to convince me to take a scuba diving class with him.  Thankfully, it was just in our hotel pool.  I wasn't a fan.  Once the instructer placed the googles on me, I felt very claustophobic and couldn't get a hang of the breathing regiment.  It's much harder than it looks!  Adam had a ball though...he was really good at keeping calm with his breathing and even managed to do a few laps around the pool completely underwater.

 
[all suited up]

 

[adam exploring the pool]

We had such fantastic time...and as much as I'm not thrilled to be back in the snow, I guess it's not too bad.  Especially since Christmas is just days away now.  I'm definitely trying to convince Adam to make this a yearly trip, even if we don't go back to this resort.  A week of sunshine in the middle of winter does wonders!

 

all i want for christmas is...

...not much really.  Sleep would be nice.  Maybe a steaming mug of hot cocoa.  And a Christmas movie marathon.  Since we were gone for most of December I haven't had to chance to indulge myself in my childhood traditions.  Seems like Christmas is coming too fast now.  Can we slow the next few days down a bit? 

I want to drink in all the joy.

I did some brainstorming and although my list was pitifully small, it's not fluffed with things I just like.  I would LOOOOVE to see any of these show up beneath my tree (hint hint hint)!  Here's what's topping the list:

 

A Jo Totes camera bag for when I'm out playing tourist in my own town.  Exactly like purse but contains padded compartments inside for my DSLR!  No more lugging my photobackpack that houses all my supplies.  And I have my eye on a new lens as well :)

I took a whiff of the Coach Poppy perfume and was hooked.  I'm dying to get some.  A subscription to InStyle would significantly reduce my magazine spending.  Try explaining to your husband why you need to spend $5 on a magazine with pictures.

I've been coveting those gloves from Tarjay.  Mustardy yellow warmth.

And let's just toss all of Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters on there for good measure.  Just put a bow on the door of the store.  I won't mind.

What's on your list?  

wordless wednesday: my view last week.

the big reveal.

Remember those gorgeous, modern designs that I was coveting from Shutterfly?  Forget them.  I went out on a limb this year.  Since our cards were *free* I decided that I'd let Adam pick them.  I know.  What a nice wife.  And then I crossed my fingers and prayed.

Luckily, the one he selected is cute, although not quite what I would have gone for.  Especially since the 'theme' required a photo of me on a day when I had snow in my hair and wasn't wearing an inch of makeup.  Sigh.  But the dog looks good!

And for some reason the 'sleighs away!' phrase really makes me chuckle.

So without futher ado, our 2010 holiday card!  If you signed up to get one - check your mailboxes, they were mailed out yesterday!

It thoroughly annoys me that the dog photo is offcenter and of only half his body.  But you try getting a dog who has a vivid fear of anything cold, wet and uncomfortable to pose longer than 3 seconds outside.  And in an 'outfit' no less.

On that note, contrary to popular belief (ahem adam), he is not in an 'outfit', but a navy blue hoodie that I assure you is quite manly for a 12lb fluff-ball to be sporting for the two minutes he actually lasts outside.

And so ends the tale of our 2010 holiday card.  To recap...Nicole - embarassed by lack of makeup and awkward squat due to still having her snowboard attached in the photo.  Adam - quite pleased with his selection of card and considers it a major contribution to modern day society.  And Ricki - refusing to pee outdoors either because it is a) cold, b) wet, c) a disruption to his strict napping schedule, or d) a feat which requires him to don his hoodie which according to him, greatly decreases his chances with the lady pup who lives next door (never mind the fact that she's four times the size of him).  Life is tough as a pup!