"You can't take her. She's trained in Krav Maga."

Me at Bunker Hill Monument (Charlestown, MA)









One of the 4 possible views from the top of Bunker Hill (221 feet up/291 steps). It was really really cool.












Dad and Dana at Bunker Hill Monument!












My favorite shot of Bunker Hill Monument. I had never actually been there before so it was great to finally see it up close instead of from the freeway like I normally do. It was very interesting and entertaining to me.
Dad and Dana have been here visiting me this past weekend (and the might be here today if they'll ever turn their phones back on... jk, love you dad :D) and it has been lots of fun! It was different than from when anyone else came to visit (although all were tons of fun for different and equally great reasons) because Dad and I are very similar in the way we see things we've seen before--we actually like to read the signs/boards/plaques/etc. We like to take in the spot we are looking at. Like the Freedom Trail throughout Boston I have walked 2 or 3 times before but the times before I was with ppl who were definitely interested in seeing the places but I never got to spend as much time as I would've liked at the places. This time however, we stayed for as long as the 3 of us wanted too. I got to experience Fanuiel Hall in a way I hadn't before so that was fascinating! (A mini "tour" was going on so I got to hear about the actual place).
Friday and Saturday nights I stayed with D&D at Diane and Lant Pritchett's house and that was a lot of fun because even though my usual weekend nights are spent out and about w/ those visiting me these were spent in playing games and chatting and having good old school fun.
On Saturday we also were able to get an ACTUAL tour of Harvard University INCLUDING the Widner Library which has been a dream of mine for years (no i can't explain why...)!!!! It was awesome because non-Harvard students are NOT allowed into the main school libraries. Lant works there so he gave us an awesome tour of Harvard and I really do mean it made my experience to MA complete. :D Thanks Lant!

and my last brief note is this--i LOVE watching the Academy Awards every year especially for the clips shown of the actors/actresses nominated.
So with that said. I am pleased with who won what award (GO KATE WINSLET!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!) but i am thoroughly disappointed and annoyed that they did the very weird 5 former winner things...it was dumb. stupid stupid stupid. Ask Diane (orme that is) I was majorly unhappy.
grr.
but again--go kate and go SLUMDOG!!! :D

"Here’s an idea – it’s a retirement party, yes? Okay. So what happens after you retire? You die."

Before anyone comments on it--yes. February has not been a good blog month for me. I simply had nothing to say. I am sorry. I will be better I promise. :D
So the point of this one is to just mention a few random things to tide you over until this weekend is over (cuz dad is coming and you KNOW there will be posts about that..)!

An update on my New Year's Resolutions:
#1 -->2 months and going STRONG!!! Not a single one. Not even with the picture below to mock me everytime I open the fridge (which is a ridiculous amount).










Oh. and there are 4 more 12 packs in the garage...but still. NOT A SINGLE ONE! :D

#2 --> not so good. i have only lost 3 (maybe 4) lbs since being back. and that is just what I (may have) put back on. But I started working with a trainer again so i'll do it! I know I will!
#3 --> I suck at this one. I really really do. Luckily I knew before hand that it was unrealistic. But actually, what this one actually ended up becoming is that I basically stop living in an unrealistic world about the things I overanalyze about. I am now able to take those situations and see the reality of them and adjust my emotions (for the most part) accordingly.

Next, "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935 version) is an amazing amazing movie. I was quite impressed with how much I liked it.

Anatomy is gross and hard but I am confident I'm gonna rock it!

And last (for now) Dad and Dana are coming to visit! They leave Baton Rouge today and will get here LATE so I'll see them tomorrow. I hope. ;) just kidding. I have no clue what we'll be doing, but it will be just fine. We will have fun I know it! hopefully we can go to my favorite place--SALEM! :D

Okay I'm done. Happy now M and A? you know who you are... ;-)
Comments please! Love you!!

"You take your car to the dealer? They so rip you off there! "

So today was CRAZY!!!
Long story short-ish:

mini-van got a hole in one of the tires and so the Gorski's arranged to have the toyota dealership fix it today but once there they told me it was unsafe to drive it the way it is because the tread on all tires were low enough that only changing the hole-y tire would cause the car to drive funny with potential weird spinning on the other three tires.
Not only that but the car's battery was only running at 50-75% power--aka not good.
So what was supposed to be a 1.5 hr stop--max--turned into (what would've been) a 3-4 hour wait. With 2 kids who were getting tired, hungry, and therefore annoying (i love them, i really do!), that was just NOT possible. So here I was with these 3 options: 1) taking a car that is unsafe to drive back home and deal with it on a different day, 2) leaving the car there and waiting 3-4 hours with two hungry/tired kids and no way to feed them, or 3) getting the OK from Jonathan or Lori (my bosses) to get a rental car for the day and leaving the car there to get fixed.
We ended up going with option number 3. Awesome. Rental cars are kinda fun right? In general, yes. Today? No. The dealership is paying for it--great! BUT I wouldn't be allowed to take the rental unless I had a matching credit card and drivers license--aka MY credit card and MY driver's license. Yay. So Enterprise had to put a $300 hold (i'm guessing that means deposit) on my American Express card AND there was an underage driver (under 25 apparently...) fee. IF I am charged anything for some reason, the Gorski's will reimburse me, but still. Yikes.
and to top it all of--it is company policy for both Toyota dealership and Enterprise to NOT help me put car seats SAFELY into the rental car. So I had to it. With two hungry tired and now cold kids waiting. The rental car lady held drew while I put his seat in first but GRRRR!
Okay. I'm DONE! :(
and okay. I'm really okay now. It is just CRAZY!


The rental car:
2009 Dodge Avenger
It is a little scary to drive a brand new car...

"Well, our president said exercise and I am very patriotic. "

I think that it is high time for a new post from me.
I have many many things to say although not many people but me will care about most of them but that is okay.
So here is an update (a long over due update) of my AFI Top 100 movies:
-Duck Soup= HILARIOUS
-Rocky=Better than I expected
-The Jazz Singer=very funny
-American Graffiti=not what I expected but I enjoyed it.
-Platoon=I liked it a lot but it was sad...
I now have 17 movies left on MY list. I realize that AFI updates their list and has since I started this endeavor. My plan now is to finish those 17 movies, get the new list and just watch the "new" additions. :D
Next, there is sickness and tears in the Gorski household (for those who don't know, the family I work for). Both Connor and Drew have pneumonia. Poor boys. It is so sad but at the same time it is so so challenging because I really don't know how to handle it. I want to comfort them but I don't want to get sick and Drew has it in both lungs so he is miserable and borderline inconsolable. it makes me sad all the time but what can ya do? So far, I'm fine. Not sick at all. Knock on wood....
Third, today is the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I really don't know what else to say except Wow and I am happy to be a small part of it. I am thrilled to know that I am for the first time CONSCIOUSLY witnessing history. It is a big day for (as Connor says) President Obarack Obama.
Lastly, I am extremely proud of myself for how far I've come emotionally and physically. I really don't want to explain that so I won't. Just know that I just went through something that actually tested how far I've come. And I aced that test.

Okay. I'm done. :D

"Take a look at the coffee pot tomorrow before I clean it. That's New Haven."

Okay everybody. I need some SERIOUS help...
I am officially out of fun ideas to keep Connor (the 3--almost 4--year old that I watch, for those who don't know) entertained.
so here is what i've done (they still work but i'm getting bored of my own games/activities):
-cooking (cookies, play dough, brownies, other random things)
-forts/tents in the living room
-plaster hand prints (oh yeah. i did this...)
-hide and seek
-coloring computer print outs
-just coloring on paper

and i'm sure a few other random things but basically I am out of ideas. I honestly don't know what else to do. He is at that age where he loses his interest in something 2 minutes into it and I'm going nuts. I don't know what to do with the kid...and I don't really like asking for help because I do pride myself in being awesome w/ entertaining kids, but damn it everyday is HARD! so ANY idea/activity/game/craft/etc will be much appreciated!!!
**this is specifically aimed at mothers but ANYONE's ideas will be helpful!
THANKS!!!

okay. I'm done.
:D

"It was so un-feng-shui'ed before, it was ridiculous!"

So. basically. I've decided to follow suit and tell my 3 (yes only 3) New Year's Resolutions. :D
Hold on tight. They're biggies. haha

1) RE-QUIT soda. Seriously. I've done it before just for the hell of it, I can do it again damn it!
2) Lose those last 25 lbs by April (or at least by the time I leave MA)
3)**now this is the common unrealistic resolush**: Stop OVER obsessing about things that don't matter in the long run.

But to be perfectly honest, I'm so freakin' happy with the majority of my life that I honestly think that I can keep #3 to a pretty decent degree. I mean, I'm a girl-I over analyze; it's what we do but I think that I can reign in my crazy and take life and situations as they come because look at all the other things i've accomplished ppl! :D
okay. I'm done!!

"What is a danish without coffee? Sad danish. Lonely danish. Step-danish."

I am back in MA and it has been a flawless-ish transition back.
Being back home was so great and so much fun! It was so fantastic to everybody at home. I am so happy to finally have met my new nephew! He is so adorable!! Every minute of being home was great and I saw everyone I wanted to see and saw almost all the movies I wanted to see. Overall it was a perfect trip home and just long enough--except maybe I could've been there one day longer. I was ready to come back here and get back to my current reality and get back to life.
There isn't much more to say except I'm ready for my 2 classes to start next week and I'm ready to really get back into school next fall full time.
I don't really know what else to say...
Things are still awesome and I'm still quite happy...
:D
Okay. I'm done.