pink or blue...

From start to finish, minus an incident at Starbucks, yesterday was a great day. Late in the afternoon, Jonathan and I picked up my mom from work for a mall trip out to Roosevelt Field. We had to stop at Best Buy and Target first which resulted in never actually making it to Roosevelt Field Mall. However, we got the stuff we needed (both my mom and Jonathan had to get season 6 of Lost, LOL) and I picked up Sister Act 1 & 2. Been meaning to get that for a good long while. Especially in the mood to watch it as of late. Got through half of it last night, laughing my ass off at parts I completely forgot about (remember Whoopi's prayer at her first meal with the sisters? ROFL moment!) but ended up falling asleep because we put the movie on late. Looking forward to watching the rest today!

But the best news of all yesterday? I stopped by my parents' after the mall trip since Jonathan was dropping my mom off and I had to head to work shortly after. Alex came upstairs when we got in to say hello. Been awhile since I had seen her! (She is the one who got married in April). I stepped out of the living room for a minute but when I came back, she was showing my mom a small photo album. I saw a glimpse of what the pictures were....a SONOGRAM! I said "No way!" and my mom and I started yelling and carrying on, LOL. My dad came in shortly after, wanting to know what all the commotion was about. My mom, who was holding the photo album at the time, showed my dad the picture. Upon putting on his reading glasses, he looked from the picture to me and my mother, his eyes wide and face frozen. I was near hysterics at that point. He thought it was from one of us! I quickly said, "No dad, Alex!" and pointed to her. I've never seen my dad so relieved in his life LOL!!!!! We asked a million and then some questions. She's due March 10th. To say we are excited is a huge understatement!

2011 is already shaping up to be a huge year, event wise. Three (with a possible four) weddings are taking place. Two baby arrivals...and some other news on my part is, for the first time ever, I will be a bridesmaid! Remember I mentioned Anthony & Gina, two good friends of mine are getting married next year? They've asked me to be a bridesmaid and of course, I was all for it. I've been to a dozen weddings but was never IN one. Minus the time I was a flower girl at my uncle's wedding...at the age of 20...and it was a last minute thing, LOL. This will take place on October 30, 2011. Something to look forward to all year! :-)

Amanda's Baby Shower

Back in April, we found out my cousin Amanda was expecting a baby girl. She was already a few months along by the time her parents (my mom's first cousin is Amanda's dad) found out. The thing is, I didn't believe it at first. Not just because she's young (22) but because we found out on April Fool's Day! LOL...so of course I spent the next few weeks still thinking it was a joke until she confirmed it herself. A new addition to the family is always welcomed and Kaeleigh Elizabeth should be making her appearance into the world on July 16.

Last weekend on the 13th, we had a baby shower for her upstate where she lives. It was a pleasant afternoon.

First stop is at my Tante Heide's house (Amanda's Oma).

My Tante Sieglinde made this in a matter of days!

My mom can't handle the cuteness of this bootie.

It looks like Tante Heide is about to clock Alex in the head with the...clock.

Scenes from a baby shower...

Amanda & her sister Morgan

Haha...Chelsea is a good helper.

Guest of honor: Fergie

cute overload

How precious is this kid? We taught Johnny how to "smell the flowers" on Sunday and ever since, he wants to go up to every flower and plant to sniff it. It's SO cute!

I predict many cute photos this summer, now that he's walking around.

Have I mentioned how cute this kid is?

hello, 2010!

pre-bar dinner, just the two of us. the food at Nick's Bistro (on Metro) was fantastic. Great service & atmosphere too.

Mom, Keiko, and Robyn @ The Whiskey Tavern, where we rang in the new year. My dad was home, asleep! Haha. Robyn (my sister) and Keiko have been friends since Kindergarten.

Me & Tiff. We met in the 6th grade and became closer in the 8th. One of those friends you know will be around forever :-D

Me & Mom :-)

Me & my brother, Chris. Very glad he came out as well. Also this photo is rare...because he hardly ever poses!

My mom wanted to get a round of shots for everyone so I suggested lemon drops. She was hooked! They are great, light shots to do. The sugar + lemon makes it even sweeter.

Kim, Vinnie (her boyfriend) and Mike...not sure what Mike is doing but it makes for a great photo!

Kim, Sara (she recently became engaged!) & myself.

These red velvet cupcakes were so good. I am not too big on frosting but the base itself was yummy.

The funny part is, the similar expressions we all have were not planned at all. I had a good laugh when I looked at this!

I spent 4 years in Times Square on New Year's Eve and let me tell you, I was SO glad to be inside a warm, toasty bar with people I love as opposed to freezing my ass off for hours outside. I recommend doing it at least once in your lifetime. But 4 times...is a bit too much.

Needless to say, that was a great start to the New Year. Upon reflecting on the past year, especially in the last entry, I feel like I focused too much on my relationship with Jonathan. But then I had to remind myself, while I had an amazing year otherwise, he was a huge part of last year that changed my life significantly. I met a lot of people (in '08) through him and that didn't change last year either. Between our trip to Disney World and other mini adventures, something was always happening. Hopefully that continues this year.

Also, I highly recommend checking out Audrey Kawasaki's gallery downtown in Manhattan. She will be at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery until the 9th. So if you are in NYC any time before then, it's worth a look. Tiff and I went on her opening and got to meet her. She is as sweet as can be. Plus, her artwork is stunning. You can find the gallery here.

Must be the changing of the seasons...

My little brother turned 18 yesterday! 18?! I remember the day he was born! Actually Michael's birthday is a very interesting story. And this being a blog and all, I might as well tell it!

*I should note I am telling the story from what I remember. I'm sure my mom could tell it so much better!

When my mom became pregnant with her last child (Michael) there was a lot of complications. Mom spent most of the summer of '91 in the hospital. The doctors told my parents that they would have to abort the baby or else my mom would die. My dad was devastated but abortion was not an option for either of them. So my dad did what anything Catholic would do in times like this: turn to God. He prayed the Rosary every day that both would survive. The reason why the pregnancy was so high risk was because the sac burst and obviously a baby cannot survive without that protective layer in the womb.

Michael was born on September 16, 1991. His due date was December 3rd. That's the day he came home! It truly was a miracle that Michael wasn't born severely handicapped or mentally retarded. That is why he is named after St. Michael -- he is a saint who, without a doubt, listened to my parents prayers and had a hand in God's miracle. He is special needs though. I don't know quite how to explain what exactly makes him special needs, besides him learning at a much slower pace than other 18 year olds. Michael is also deaf. He can speak because we are a speaking family but he is fluent in ASL and goes to a school where they sign, even though it's mixed with a regular highschool. My family does sign at random though, picking up some phrases was inevitable. Mikey doesn't like to sign at home though; he gets embarassed. I LOVE it though! I can never get him to teach me, except for the time it took him a half hour to get him to teach me 'dancing with the stars'. (Can you tell I like the show?)

Michael started a job today! The school places the students in various jobs once they're old enough. He really wanted to work at the store in his school but they reserve that for the more severely handicapped kids. Instead they have him working at a senior center for 1 hour every day. He'll be making about $150 a week. I am so happy for him! Not gonna lie, I was so nervous at first. And so was he!! But he liked it and so that's a good sign.

I don't think Michael will ever live on his own. My dad has told me in the past they accepted that a long time ago. I think it takes special kind of people to accept and even embrace that. God forbid anything happens to my parents. I am pretty much (being the oldest) next in line to take care of him. Wow! What a thought. I made a deal with God a long time ago. Don't take my parents before Michael. If they gotta go, we all go together LOL.

On a more serious note, as crazy as our lives have been because of michael, we wouldn't have it ANY other way. My life is better because of my him, I have so much more patience because of him and I've learned to appreciate the small things in life because of him.

He is also one of the funniest people you will ever meet! I've had some people tell me that they've burst out laughing at the things he's said. He can be very shy socially (it definitely comes with his disability) but he is a part of Facebook so my friends can see the things he says there.

I am curious to see what the future brings for us and what God's plan is for Michael. All I know is, this is one adventure I am ready for!

smell the coffee...

I am so happy it's Saturday. Once in a blue moon,  a Saturday will come along that requires no work from me (in the form that produces a paycheck that is -- this doesn't include housework and other responsibilities!) and today is one of those days. I slept in 'til 9:30 and now I am waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. Ahhh. Have I mentioned I got the place to myself? :-D

Yesterday, I was thinking of relationships with siblings and how fragile they can be. Think about it. You're born into the same family so at a young age, you're forced to bond. Of course, a 2 or 3 year old doesn't look at it as forcing. But really what choice do we have? We don't know any better! Then when we get older and a little wiser, we really see what kind of people our siblings are. I love each one of my siblings very much. Each relationship (I have 3 of them) is very different. And as glad as I am I know them, I wonder, if we weren't related, would we be friends? 

What a thought! I like knowing I have these three different people in my life for eternity (I'm counting the afterlife too). How can you ever be lonely?

By the way, Johnny turned 7 months three days ago. Wow! How time does fly. And it doesn't stop there! Michael turns 18 in 11 days, my dad's birthday is on the 30th, Natali's is on the 8th, I turn 24 in 2 months, my grandma has a birthday in the beginning of October....*grabs ahold of time and stops it* ;-)

glucklich freitag!

There has been a lot of debate over the iPhone versus the BlackBerry but in the past I was always content with my sidekick. Well not really. The track wheel was always a pain in the arse. Now though, after the battery wouldn't last more than 2 hours without dying on me (no exaggeration either) it was time for an upgrade. I wasn't happy about T-Mobile's service either. Not the customer service part -- they've always been helpful to me. But the actual reception. AT&T gives me service even when I'm underground! That is extremely useful, as I seemingly underground constantly LOL.

So I got the iPhone :-) I worked with a very helpful guy over at the AT&T store at the Rockefeller Center Plaza. Ask for Edgar Diaz. He really seems to care about his customers! I got a pretty good deal too, I like to think. So this is love at first sight for me and this phone. The touch screen can be a bitch for texting but it's easy to get over that.

In other non-technology news, my neighbor gave birth two weeks ago! Deirdre is 3 years older than me and we lived three houses down from each other our whole lives. (Well, I moved 2 years ago but my parents still live there. And sometimes, I feel like I still do too!) It's nostalgic almost when someone achieves such a milestone as becoming a parent because you remember what they were like way back when. Deirdre also attended the same high school as me and was in the same year as my good friends, Anthony and Kenn. Small world right? Anyway, I've yet to see the little guy but most of my family has. They say he looks just like her. Ah, gotta love how excited babies get everyone. I also give Deirdre credit for keeping the gender a surprise (from herself, too) for 9 months! Turned out to be a boy -- Braden. I give her a lot of credit. I don't think I could wait! Actually I know I wouldn't....haha.

School is back in swing here. I've taken to riding the LIRR to class and slumming it home because I always had a problem arriving early to school for morning classes since I work nights. And the LIRR really saves my ass. But even with my disability card, I noticed yesterday it's taking a toll on my wallet LOL. So, I'm gonna slum it today by train and bus since my history class isn't until 1pm. I also have to give Ben in the disability office credit for really helping me this semester with accommodations. He got me permission to not do the oral exams in my German class. Meaning when she asks us a question in German and we have to answer, she will have to write it and then I'll answer. Not sure if my professor is going to actually follow through -- I have a feeling she'll just keep repeating until I understand what she's saying because she's determined like that. That is not a knock on her; I actually think it's a great thing. She really seems to care that we learn German and actually be good at it!

By the way, the title is supposed to mean "happy friday!" but I have a feeling I may have done something wrong in translating it LOL.

B is for Baptism.

On Sunday, John Jr. had his Christening in Brooklyn. It was very much an all day affair but no complaints here! He is such a sweet baby. At almost 4-months old, he is growing so nicely. And he is so damn cute! No really, I have never seen a bad photo of him. So photogenic. Okay, I'm going to stop gushing about him; I make it seem like he's my own haha.

Baby John invites you into this photo post...

In his car seat, ready to get baptized.

We had 3 hours to kill between the house and the reception so we went back to the house.

Later at the reception...

How can you resist that face?!

Haha, his expression here is classic. Like a deer caught in headlights.

Myself, Ashley (cousin) and Erica (mama)

Lauren & Ryan make an appearance! (Erica is Ryan's Godmother. Lauren is the BFF)

The cake. Too pretty to eat. (But I did anyway...of course)

The Godparents! Jonathan & Lisa (uncle & aunt)

This is Sammy, perhaps one of the cutest 3 year olds ever.


Future contestants on Dancing with the Stars?

The end. I wanted to post more photos but then I would never stop and the scrolling on this entry would be of ridiculous levels, LOL.