P.S.

We got 20.9 inches of snow in the past 2 days. AND I LOVE IT!

Saturday Morning at Starbucks

Good Morning!

So I decided to come up to Starbucks this morning to get some work done on the good ol' MacBook here. I'm just sitting by the window, sipping some warm Starbucks Yumminess and watching everyone finagle their way through the snow that is piled up on the sidewalks. And I'm pretty sure this will be the only time I leave my apartment today since I need to do laundry and Netflix is arriving in the mail! (Billy Elliot! Remember that one?? So good.)

Anyway, on my way up my enormous hill, I crossed paths with this little old lady (who was moving very slow since it was quite slushy and slippery!). She was about to cross the street and I happened to step forward to cross at about the same time. I said "I'm sorry, go ahead" and she said, "No, actually, I think it would be better if you went first..." and I said "Ok, I'll try to make a little path for you!" (since the slushy snow was quite high on the side of the road).

Well, after I step through about 2/3 of it, she says "do you think you could give me a hand?" and I turn around and she's just standing on the edge of the sidewalk looking nervous. So I offer my hand to her and she takes it (in these cute little red leather gloves!) and I walk her through the slush and across the street. She, of course, said thank you and told me she could make it the rest of the way on her own. And I continued on my merry way. But as soon as I walked away from her I realized what a cliché that was, but truly, how helpful it is. She could've fallen and broken her hip! In the snow! And that would've been so sad! But like a good little girl scout, I was there to lend a hand. And I have to admit, it felt good.

I know this isn't a big deal. It's not like I'm delivering food to starving children in third world countries or anything, but as usual for me, it's the little things that can make a difference. And that little thing just brightened my Saturday morning.

AAAAAAND it's something I've never done before! So technically, I tried something new!

Tomorrow I am also trying something new. I am going to attempt to make lasagna. From scratch. Now, the noodles are from a box, but I am going to make the sauce myself and shred and mix the cheeses and stuff. I'm very nervous because I hear it's pretty easy to ruin a lasagna. And I'm kind of using a mish-mash of recipes (from foodnetwork.com) because I want to make it as healthy as possible (while still tasting good). I'm using ground turkey, low fat cheeses, etc. I'm quite frightened that I'll end up just having to throw this thing out because it tastes so bad that I won't finish it. So, wish me luck. And if you read this before Sunday afternoon and you have any advice...text me or something. :)

Well, folks, I suppose it's time to get back to work...and then go home and tackle the laundry.

Until next time...

Hugs and kisses!

(And Happy March in 2 days!)

The Hilarious Results of an Attempt at a Christmas Photo

So, this is a little late to post...but I thought it'd be fun to share more puppy photos. I asked my friend Nick to come over and take some pictures of me and the pups for a Christmas Card Photo. He did a lovely job...I had so many great pictures to choose from! But, with so many great pictures came so many...well, not so great...but somewhat amusing pictures! Enjoy!

Scout posing as a Mr. Yuck sticker...

Scout trying to bite my hand

Charley blinked...

Clearly not enjoying the Santa Suit

Neither pup wanted to sit still...

Unexpected Puppy Kisses

More Puppy Kisses!

The Actual Christmas Photo :)

I gotta love those silly puppies... :)

Snow!

It snowed today! It snoooooowed today!! Last I was outside, we had 7 inches! I love snow. I've been waiting for a good coating ever since I got back from Christmas and I got it today. One of my favorite things in the world is to be inside, snuggled on the couch with the pups, watching the snowflakes fall outside my windows.

I did go out in the snow a bit today and took some pictures on my walk home...

This is on my street. I would not attempt to use those stairs today! I already slipped and fell on the subway stairs.

Down my street...

Coolest Tree Ever!!

The Courtyard in my Building!

I love it! It's a winter wonderland!

I'm going home this weekend for some work, but truly, I'm going home to see my family. Couldn't be more excited. And as a bonus, I'm flying Jetblue! I love Jetblue. They are an awesome airline...free drinks, free snacks, and a TV in every seat! I just watch trashy VH1 shows while I travel. I highly recommend it.

And...do I have anything else to say? Oh, THE TUDORS...I love watching it. I've just finished Season 3. They have some rockin' actors. Actually inspiring to watch at times. Not to mention the magnificent eye candy. ;)

Oh...and check out my hilarious dog:


Don't ask me why, but she always sleeps like this after a long walk or an hour at the dog park...anything where she totally wears herself out...this apparently is the most comfortable way to sleep it off! I don't get it. But I laugh.

That's all for today. Perhaps I will update this just a little more often in the future.

Until next time.

BOYS

Boys are so selfish and so manipulative! And it dates back to the beginning of time. They are greedy to the point of stupidity with no care of the consequences. And it makes me so MAD. Can't they LEARN that women don't appreciate it? Don't they see what it does to their lives and the people around them? STUPID BOYS.

And I swear this is not directed at anyone in particular. And it's not brought on by any particular event. But I see evidence of it EVERYWHERE.

Boys...can't live with 'em; can't live without 'em. Though I'm obviously attempting it.

Walkies!

I'm lazy. I'm just a lazy person. I like to sit on the couch and watch movies. That's what I like to do. I don't like walking. And when you live in New York, you do a lot of walking. And I don't like it.

But today, after running some errands (and walking a lot), I felt the urge to take the puppies out for a walk. Now, if you've met my dogs, you know the excitement of going outside almost causes puppy heart attacks. And they were so happy to go outside. And it made me happy to make them happy. And so we walked and walked and Scout just ran and ran and Charley mostly sat in my arms since he can hardly walk. But I could tell that they were just so grateful to get outside and sniff and run and play.

Ahh, the simple joys of puppy life.

Walkies made my day today.

Ouch.

I burned the palm of my hand today. Like an idiot.

Have you ever seen that episode of Grey's Anatomy where the chick burns her hand on a soup pot? Yeah. I did that. Except mine didn't blister and crap cause I immediately let go, where as the girl on Grey's held on because she was doing it on purpose.

But really...it hurt. Bad. And I had to keep ice and cold water running on it for about 4 hours before it finally calmed down.

This is when I hate living by myself. Because there was nobody around to ask if I was ok. And that stinks.

And so, I ask myself... "Lauren, are you ok?"

Yeah, yeah...I'm ok.

Trying To Stay Calm

I'm slowly going insane. Honestly. I think I'm slowly going insane.

I do not like all this alone time I have to think. To think about things that seem so far away and that I cannot grasp. And I'm going insane with all the dwelling and all the worrying and all the fear and all the frustration. And...yeah.

On the bright side, I think I'm doing OK with my weight loss-y-ness. I still have a ways to go...and I need to be more pro-active about it. But I'm making a few rules for myself and trying my best to abide by them! I just need to prepare for when my Mom comes to town and I want to indulge. I need to be a good girl.

So...I don't know, maybe I can try focusing more on the weight loss instead of on all the insane-ness. But...the insane-ness just never leaves my head.

I need a new head. And a new body.

I need new stuff.

Buh-bye Chubs!

I can't even tell you how many times I have tried to lose those stubborn 10ish pounds that I carry around with me. And I can't ever seem to follow through with it and just DO it.

So...I've decided I'm gonna make myself follow through with it. That's something new for me. Ha.

Hopefully, I can have these...I'm going to say 12 pounds off by...the middle of March! That's going to be my goal. March 15.

So, you are my witness. And if you see me around, make sure I'm not eating anything but like...fruits and veggies. And lean proteins.

:)

Inspired by a shoebox...

My birthday was last month. A family friend of mine wrapped my giftcard in a shoebox he had lying around. Inside the box was a sheet with these wise words printed on it:

Stand for something.

Don't fit in.

Don't scream out.

Walk that line between classic and modern, cool and comfortable.

Make the rules work for you...or make your own set of rules.

Don't settle.

This is the age of the individual.

...and it said some other stuff about shoes...but that's not the point...these little things...you could apply them to buying shoes, sure. Or...you could just live by them.

I want to live by these things. I want to be an individual.

I want to write on my blog more often...sorry for the delay...to...anyone...who may actually read this. G'night, all.

Vacation!

So, for Thanksgiving, my mother took my brother and I to Aruba! And it was a fabulous trip, let me tell you! I had a few firsts while I was there, which frankly, was surprising because I mostly just sat on my tush all day on the beach!

Now, this is more a "technical" first, because I have gone wakeboarding before...but this was the first time that I ever wakeboarded on the ocean! I think that counts! And hot dang, it was HARD! Those waves make it much more difficult than doing it on a lake...I was so sore the next day, I could hardly move! But I was very proud of myself because I got up out of the water on my second try (after not having wakeboarded in about 6 or 7 years!).

Also, this will be the first time I've posted a picture of myself in a bathing suit on my blog. That is a little scary...I mean, yeah, it's from kind of far away, but still, I'm a little self-conscious!

Now, this is a BIG first! This trip was the first time I EVER gambled! And let me tell you, I SUCK at gambling! I was too afraid to do anything too tough, so I stuck to the slots...and when I would run out of money or decide to cash out (cause I didn't WANT to run out of money!), I'd go help my mom by pulling the little lever on her machine.

And while we were gambling together, we hit the jackpot! Like for real!! We made $300 on a 25 cent machine! So I guess it was not only my first time gambling, but my first time winning the jackpot! WOO! Trying new things actually paid off this time! ;)

See those "WILD"s across the board?? We are awesome!

On our last night, we stayed in our room a little while longer before dinner and watched the sunset. Now, this may sound crazy...but I have never just sat and watched a sunset. And WOW. I have about 25 pictures of it because it was so incredibly beautiful! And once it gets close, it happens so fast! Very cool. And a great way to say goodbye to Aruba.

Now I'm back...and my fabulous tan is fading...which is just so sad! But, this does mean that Christmas is coming! AND before Christmas, my birthday! YAY! 20 days til Christmas! 16 until the "First Day of Winter"! And 12 until my birthday!!

Until next time... I'll be listening to holiday songs pretty much 24/7! I have a collection of approximately 215 songs. What about you? :)

The Thing I Said I'd Never Do, But I Did

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am going to warn you now: this post talks about things underneath a swimsuit. If you are at all uncomfortable with that, stop reading now. Cause I don't want you mad at me!

I'm getting ready to go on vacation to Aruba...and as I was thinking about preparations for my trip I thought, "This would be an ideal time to try something new". So I decided, after much thought, to try something I said I'd never do.

I said I would NEVER do it! And as I learned more about them in recent years, I was absolutely SURE I would never do it. But I did it.

My weekly challenge? A BIKINI WAX.

Yes, folks. I waxed a very sensitive area. Well, to be precise, I had it waxed. I didn't do it myself.

I started by researching it on the website of the place I've gotten my eyebrows done before... It's an all-waxing salon on the UWS. Great place, by the way. If you're looking for a good waxing place, ask me about it! I highly recommend it.

Well, let me tell you, I went in knowing next to nothing about different kinds, prices, etc. And I could not stop giggling at the names/descriptions of these things!

The Goody-Tw0-Shoes (your standard bikini line)

The Deep Bikini (....they leave some...their examples, a landing strip or triangle! think they do custom? initials, perhaps?)

The Playboy (this one goes a little farther than a bikini line, if you get my drift)

The Sphinx (doesn't leave a thing)

I'm not saying which one I got...but I will say... Wow. That hurt. My legs started shaking about half-way through. Fortunately, the pain subsides fairly quickly. Plus, it's awkward to have someone down there purely for...cosmetic purposes. ...I'm just saying...

But, so far, it is worth it! I will look fabulous in my bikini! Well, at least, my bikini line will! Thanksgiving may not make me look quite as good.

So yes, perhaps this is TMI (too much information!). But as someone who had no idea what a bikini wax was like, I would've loved to read a blog post about it. So here it is for all you curious people!

Ok, now stop thinking about my bikini line and go do something else.

Until next time... Happy Thanksgiving!