Chicago and the Angel

I just returned from Chicago were my mother and I went to visit my cousins Tony, Ann and their new adorable son, Samuel. We had a wonderful visit and got to bond with the new member of the family. I adore my cousin Tony and his family, they are so gracious, cool, funny and down to earth despite their wealth. My new cousin Samuel is an absolute doll! He is laid back, loves to smile and is a joy. He still likes to wake his parents up every couple hours at night but they dont seem to mind much anymore. Its wonderful to see my cousin so happy, you can tell Samuel is the light of his life. I have never seen a more involved, educated father than my cousin. He does as much of the caregiving for Samuel as his wife and I think that is so wonderful. Below are some pictures I took of Samuel, what a beautiful boy!

Metallica

Ah, Seek and Destroy, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Master of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters and much more...what a great show!!! Metallica brought down Joe Louis Arena last night in Detroit and the hubby and I, and some friends and family, were there to see it !!! The opening bands were nothing special, but as usual Metallica delivered a great show for this leg of their Death Magnetic tour.

Fred and I awaiting Metallica in our nosebleed seats lol!

Metallica !!!

Lori and I before the show

Happy Birthday Craig !!!

This past weekend we celebrated my step-father's 39th birthday. My Mom had some friends over and we had a blast! We played games, got silly, drank a little (although I sat that out), and caught up. Good times.

The birthday boy having a slow dance with Denny (the Jenga party prop)

Nicole and I- CHEESE!!!

LOL!! Julie riding Denny (again, the party prop...)

My beautiful Mother and I

Movie Review 1 and 2- Seven Pounds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

After reading the blog of a favorite metro-Detroit photographer of mine, Amanda Williams, I realized movie reviews would be something cool to add to my blog. My husband and I love to go to the movies and lately we've been saving some cash and going to the Twilight shows, from 4pm-6pm- only $4 !!!

I hate, absolutely hate, spending money on a bad movie. Its a lot of money to sit, bored or uninterested for two hours of your life watching some story about some characters you care nothing about. Soooooo, in an attempt to prevent others from suffering the "this movie sucks" blues....

Seven Pounds

This movie stars Will Smith and Rosario Dawson, two of my favorite actors. It is a pseudo-mystery that will leave everyone, and yes I mean EVERYONE, in the audience crying by the end. The best movie I have seen in a very, very long time.

Five out of five stars.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This movie stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, another two actors I like. The movie has an interesting premise and I am not upset that I saw it. Can again be a tear-jerker at times. Raves; good acting, original premise and interesting historical information. Rants; too long, extremely medically inaccurate, the plot becomes somewhat dull at times.
Note to movie goers: DO NOT see Seven Pounds prior to this movie, it will render this movie almost emotionless in comparison. Best to see this movie first, then Seven Pounds.

Four out of five stars.

I love Oprah

"I recognize I was created healthy, strong and vital so making myself healthy is the fulfillment of my creation because health is the foundation for all other good things" ~Oprah

Oprah's entire line up this week is about making yourself healthier mentally, emotionally and physically. She, like myself, has fallen off the weight loss wagon and me and my good ole' girl Oprah have found ourselves 40 and 30 pounds overweight...again. The first show was about being honest with yourself about why your overweight and the things that you have done or not done that contributed to this.
#1-I realize that for myself food equals pleasure. I have gained a minimum of 20 pounds directly after entering into any serious relationship. When I'm 'in love' I want to experience all things pleasureful which includes indulging in my favorite, often fattening foods.
#2- I eat when I am bored, I always seem to lose weight when I am working more, because I am able to control the quantity, type and time I eat- and I just simply don't have as much time to wonder what tasty dish I can pull out of the fridge.
#3- I seriously have an addiction to chocolate. I realize once I have a small piece I often can not control the impulse to have more...much more.
#4- Lastly, I am a binger and I have an all or nothing mentality when it comes to food. I feel like if I take a tiny step off the wagon I might as well have a weekend binge because I've screwed up anyway...why not go all out!

These are the reasons I am overweight. It is not because of lack of exercise or I am trying to eat my feelings, anyone who knows me knows I let my feelings out rather freely. I simply have an addictive personality and my drug of choice has been food. It might sound cliche or silly, but its true.
This year I have made the decision to put myself first. I am putting my health above all else, I am making time for myself to exercise- even if it means turning down time with friends and family. I am guarding my heart and sticking up for myself, I will work to reduce the amount of negative energy I am taking in and giving out. Third, I will work to obtain my career goals if at all possible.
I want to be of the mindset this year that I am worthy. I am worthy of a healthy body, mind and soul. I am worthy of being treated kindly, with respect and with consideration. I am worthy and capable of achieving success- and success that is not measured by wealth and material goods but by being significant.
I really need to believe this year will be better than last, and I am going to do what I can to make sure it is.

The Curse Continues...

For Christ Sake!!! I have so had it with the fucking health problems! I do every damn thing I am supposed to do 95% of the time!!!
I have been having throbbing, soreness, tenderness and swelling in both of my legs recently. So I go to the Vascular Surgeon to get a Doppler done to rule out a DVT, while there the doctor tells me, "Good news is we see no new clots, bad news is your experiencing Venous Reflux- a common side effect among those who have suffered a DVT." Great. Perfect. Fan-fucking-tastic.

So, here I am laid up in bed, again. Here I am not getting to go out and enjoy my weekend because of my legs, again. Sure I could go out anyway, dope myself on pain meds and then risk being in so much pain I have to call into work on Monday morning, again.
But I'm not going to do that.
Bed Rest. Get in bed, and stay there. Sounds like it might be relaxing, huh? Try it. You'll see its not as glamorous as it sounds, its boring, its uncomfortable, its watching other people do things while your stuck there. Best Rest. Get in bed, and stay there.

I know my partying, high heels and dancing on NYE are probably partially to blame for the pain, and with as much alcohol and IB profen I had in me at the time I hardly noticed my legs, until I awoke the next morning, limping....but ya know I just wanted to be young and have fun and forget my legs for a night.
Sometimes I get really fucking angry about the whole deal. Sometimes I wanna scream at healthy people who don't appreciate it, "Do you even know how fucking lucky you are?!?!"
Sometimes I want to blame my father, sometimes I want to wallow in it and most of the time I just want to forget about it all. But, it reminds me with a tinge of pain and throb that its there and it always will be. My genetic gift to carry around for the rest of my life.

In addition I just had to take my father back into the ER this morning for Acute Would Healing Failure in his right leg. The poor man has been through so much! When is enough ever enough! Is there some reason for all of it? Why do some people have to experience so much anguish in their lives? I look at him and I am so sad for him, I want to make everything OK for him. He may be a pain in the ass but he's the only father I have and I love him, I hate to see him suffer.

And deep down inside of me, in that selfish part we all can have, I look at him in horror and wonder if one day that will be me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR- 2009 !!!

I am so glad 2008 is over- it was seriously the worst year I've had yet! Sure, there were some highlights, namely the new additions to the family and friends and engagements to celebrate but as far as my personal well-being goes...2008 blew!
I am looking forward to 2009 bringing better health, luck and financial stability.
We were very happy to bring in the New Year with some wonderful friends. Brittani and Raymond had us over to their beautiful new home in the historical district of Boston Edison in Detroit. They're home was originally built for the Segals, a famous textile family from early in the 19th century. There home is amazing ! Built in 1915 and 7,500 square feet their home is a nostalgic and historical dream! Everywhere you look are remnants of the 1920's; ceramic ceiling decor, foot high crown moldings, 12 foot ceilings and marble fireplaces. It was truly the perfect setting for a New Years party!
The front of the home

The huge Christmas tree in the parlor in the front of the home

The festivities began with a Mexican Fiesta dinner; fajitas, enchiladas, nachos, Mexican rice, margaritas and more...everything was delish ! Brittani and Raymond took great care in making sure I had gluten-free options available, which I greatly appreciated! Then Raymond took us all on a tour of the home, the home is pretty large so this took awhile...but learning all about how "the rich" lived back in the early 1900's was fascinating. Then of course, Brandon broke out the guitar hero and Lori showed us her skills. The night continued with champagne, festive shots, dancing in the foyer and some card games. A wonderful and memorable New Years!

The girls and I having a laugh before the ball drops...and before the drinking continues....
(Brittani, Me and Lori)