surprises.

Michael (brother) & I with the goofy glasses.

Worm rockin' the glasses. Doesn't he look like the Turtle in The Master of Disguise (that random movie starring Dana Carvey)?

The guys doing "The Steve Bergmann". Funny how the real Steve (second from right) isn't doing it!

The guys. L-R: Pete, Worm, Wilfredo, Steve, Richie, Jonathan

A few of the girls, L-R: Kim, me, Jen, Tracey

Richie, the glasses, the pornstache and a beer...what a combo!

Matt & Christy aka the birthday girl & her soon-to-be husband. They are the couple whose wedding I have on the same day I was going to attend the Yankee game. (Hopefully that doesn't sound regretful. Once in a lifetime event trumps the game!)

Us with Matt & Christy :)

Christy being "surprised" haha. Pretty darn sure she knew about it in advance! =P

This past Saturday, a friend of mine, Christy, celebrated her 30th birthday with a bunch of people at her house. It was a great time to be had by all. Even Jonathan, who was sick as a dog (and still is) enjoyed himself immensely. It's not every day everyone gets together like that. You're also probably wondering why everyone (including myself in that first picture) is wearing those glasses. I found them at work last week and completely forgot I had put them into my bag until a few days later. It alters the look of anyone who puts them on so I had fun with it at home with my family. The day of the party I decided to keep it in my bag just for the heck of it because I had a feeling I could have some fun with it at the party. There are more pictures if you want to check them out, on my Flickr.

www.flickr.com/photos/coffeeisgreen

I also dyed my hair drastically as you can see in that first photo. Last Wednesday I went to the hair salon that I've been going to since I was probably 13. For some reason, the blonde I asked for turned out to be some horrible orangey-yellow shade. It was almost comical. I knew that I had two parties coming up on Saturday (Christy's at night and little Ryan's in the afternoon). Thursday night, when no solution seemed to be in sight, I said to God: "I know I've been vain but please have mercy on me. I cannot go out in public like this!"

On Friday morning my mom text messaged me and said her co-worker/friend Justin was willing to fix my hair for me if I came in to the spa where she works that afternoon. Two and a half hours later, I was at the spa where Justin worked his magic. First he bleached it and then he added a beige blonde to my hair. Even though there was some orangey-yellow left, it wasn't too bad. Justin, as I later told him, was my hair hero. Major thanks to my mom for offering to do this for me. Aren't mothers the best?

There is still one more hair appointment tomorrow to correct it again. (Plus lighten my brows a bit.) I really lucked out here. Funny how God answers even the silliest of prayers.

Speaking of which (and by that I mean changing the topic completely, LOL) tonight Corbin Bleu begins his run as Usnavi in In the Heights. Should be a fun night, as Robyn and I will be in attendance.

all vacations come to an end.

myself & Robyn

L-R: Chris, me, Robyn

Retro Week is in full force on Facebook (in which everyone posts pictures of when they were young) so it inspired me to dig up these two photos. I think the first was in 1989 and the second somewhere between '90-'91. Funny how I remember how much I loved that shirt I was wearing in the second one and how sad I was when one of the buttons fell off.

This winter vacation, by the way, has been one of the best. I haven't been anywhere out of the ordinary or on a relaxing cruise, like my parents did, but it really has been so vacation like. I've spent every night since January 1st at the boyfriend's, so it really does feel like I'm on a vacation. How sad I am gonna be once school starts! Well, not too sad. Not gonna lie, I'm happy school is back in session next week. That only means one step closer to graduating! Bar nights, date nights, movie nights, baby days...each day brings something different. A week or so ago, I went out to Manor Oktoberfest for some good ol' German food with Anthony, Gina and Jonathan. Absolutely loved the food. No one can make bratwurst like my Opa but this place came in at a close second.

Today we are celebrating my Oma's 68th birthday. Here's to many more <3

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.

2009 recap

Official on February 27, 2009

Baby Johnny -- born February 2, 2009

Grandma Esther -- went home to God May 3, 2009

December has gone by so fast, I cannot believe that it is already the 31st. The end of a decade. 2000-2009 marked some huge changes. Not just for me, but for the world. New York City (a place I have called home my whole life) suffered a devastating blow in 2001. In 2003, I graduated from high school. In 2006, I started working at my current job. In 2008, I met Jonathan. In 2009, we became official. In 2000, the Yankees won the World Series. And they did it again in '09.

We lost countless of well known celebrities and entertainers. We lost people dear to us.

We gained a new president. Or two.

In February of 2009, we welcomed new life.

But in May, we lost someone we love.

My hope for 2010 is that change is for the better. We will meet new people and lose others, but we those we lose we will see again in eternal life.

In 2010, I will finally get my associates. Will I finally finish THE novel? I hope so!!

Tomorrow night, I will be ringing in the New Year at the Whiskey Tavern downtown. Jonathan, myself, Kim, Vinnie, their friends, I think a few of our own mutual friends, Tiffany, Ashley and hopefully my sister will all be there. Originally J.D, Ash & myself were going to go to his sister's but that did not pan out. Johnny turns 11 months on Saturday so hopefully we get to see everyone then.

Christmas this year was amazing. I spent Eve with Jonathan's family but slept at my parents' that night. On Day, I was with my family but in the evening, Robyn and I went over to Jonathan's and spent the rest of the evening and night there. It's never a dull moment in a house filled with Italians! Also, "Santa" was really good to me this year. I mean really good to me.

Overall, I have no complaints with this year. 2009 treated me well. I returned to Disney World over the summer for the first time since 2001. I really fell in love with that place. Then later in the summer, I went to Hershey Park for the first time. Lots of firsts this year. Forgot to mention...all the weddings I went to! Actually, since meeting Jonathan I think I've been to....three. It feels like more though. And then next year we have more coming up. Boy oh boy. I'm running out of dresses, haha.

Hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve! God bless.

not a creature was stirring...

Real update with pictures & such to come soon! Just wanted to check in before Christmas approaches (which is coming up at a rapid pace).

Tomorrow is my last final and I could not be more thankful that this semester is over with. Two more to go and that diploma is mine!!

My psychology professor promised to pass me "no matter what." I don't know what he meant by "no matter what" but I'm guessing I....passed? =P

Speaking of Christmas, I have always loved the holiday. This time of the year is magical. Yes....magical. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy it!! There's a certain feeling in the air that you can't imitate any other time of the year. If Jesus hadn't come into this world for us, we would have been missing out majorly. So, I think we can all stop and thank Him for a brief moment ;-)

Not to knock St. Nick. That guy knew what he was doing.

Jonathan and I watched more than half of Elf last night before deciding it was bed time. I forgot how much I loved that movie. And how pretty of a voice Zooey Deschanel has. But the real winner is Will Ferrell. I'm not a huge fan but he cracks me up! I love the character of Buddy So gullible & innocent. That scene where Buddy tries to ask out Jovie but says something along the lines of "Want to go get food?" makes me laugh every time.

I've done most of my Christmas shopping, thankfully. The real tough one was Tiffany's. Not because I didn't know what to get but because they said it wouldn't get here until after the new year! Fortunately I got an e-mail saying it was shipped last week. So. Crisis averted.

I'm also excited for Christmas this year because it's Johnny's 1st Christmas and being born into his mommy's family, well, he has no idea what's coming! Because (like I've said a million times so far) his uncle J.D must have been Santa or an elf in his past life. :-)

Things have been good on all fronts. I may even be doing extra work in the new year. Lots of things to be thankful for. 2010 is shaping up to be a fantastic one.

many thanks...

Thanksgiving has come and gone but my thanks have not. I thought I'd take the time out now (even though it's 2AM and I should be already fast asleep!!) to give thanks to a number of things. It's so important to stop and think about what we have in our lives because it's easy to get caught up in the day to day stuff and forget the big picture. Sometimes I catch myself dwelling only on the negative. Thanksgiving is that one day everyone really stops to think of what they're grateful for. That plus tons of delicious food make for a very satisfying holiday.

This year was no exception. We had a feast around 1:30PM (we always eat early) then gathered in the living room upstairs to check out the new Wii Fit. That thing is amazing. It changes your Mii to look like the weight/shape you are after doing the Wii Fit test. Even though my balance is terrible (which I already knew haha) it said my Wii Fit age was 25. Score! The games were the best part -- skiing, skateboarding, balance tests, hula hoops, soccer (I hold an undefeated record!), etc.

It was so much fun that day; I was sad to have to leave. That leads me to the start of my list...

What I'm Thankful For

...that God put me here on this earth. He could have easily decided not to let me born. Instead, he sent me to be the head of the Corrigan siblings. It is a blessing in disguise being the oldest. You worry about everyone. But they look up to you. Their love is unconditional. I am grateful for them. Each one of them (there's 4 of us) teach me something, through their words and actions. We may have grown up in the same household but they're all unique. I admire them.

... my parents unconditional love. No matter how much I mess up or how well I do, their love is the same. They'd walk barefoot for hundreds of miles for us, take a bullet, starve all day, if it meant helping us in some way. They were young parents that sacrificed a lot and continue to do so to this day. I've learned everything about life from these two. They deserve my utmost respect.

...being with someone who shows kindness and respect to everyone. Jonathan is one of the most genuine souls I've ever met. He is real -- he doesn't pretend to be someone he is not. He loves tradition. He's like a kid at heart. You can trust him with your secrets. He may not like coffee but hey, not everyone is perfect! ;-) We became friends so quickly because we are very alike but even though I was stubborn at first, I came around and gave him a chance and it was probably the smartest choice I made all year!

...friends who are there to lend an ear.

...Kimmie's sister Jen getting a second chance at life. Thank you "Fred."

...my sister's love & support. We live together so that automatically earns her brownie points. It's not always easy sharing a dwelling but we make the best of it. We support each other. We listen to each other's problems when we don't want bother anyone else with them. We are a team. Anyone that puts up with my frequent FarmVille use gets an A+ in my book =P

...the roof over my head. No matter how many times I complain about the apartment we live in, it's better than on the streets.

...the food on my plate. I always have somewhere to eat, even though I can't cook to save my life.

...my job. Even with it's crazy hours and even though it's not exactly what I need to create security in my life, it's a good job and without it, I don't know where I'd be!

....Jonathan's family. They have been so warm and welcoming, it's amazing.

...coffee. How would I get through the mornings without you?

...my faith. Without it, I would drown in despair.

...God Himself. He is who I live for and although I would love to be on this earth for a long time, cannot wait to be Home with Him and His Son.

'tis the season

This past Friday I went to Atlas Park with the Graffeo gang and J.D, in what felt like the first Christmasy day of the season (and yes, I know it's not Thanksgiving yet). We ate dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (I'm still day dreaming about that pizza...SO good) followed by a movie. Jim Carrey's version of this beloved tale was much more sinister than I expected and even though I struggled to stay awake at points (not the movies fault, I was seriously sleep deprived that day) I really enjoyed it. Andrea Bocelli's "God Bless Us Everyone" closed the movie and the next day I downloaded it -- beautiful song.

Atlas Park was done up Christmas style so that plus the movie really helped make feel like the holidays are getting closer and closer. Very exciting stuff. This time of the year never gets old, no matter how old I get. This Christmas might be a little different because I'm not sure what the plans are (we usually spend Eve in Long Island with cousins and Day at home). Alex not being here then sucks. But, nevertheless, looking forward to it. Here's all of us in front of the Christmas Bear after the movie let out.

Left to right: Sal, Daniela, Christina, AnnaMarie, Rita, Mike, myself & J.D

By the way, Amazon never fails me! I scored a Yankee DVD (Fall Classics from 1996-2001) for $34 when in the Yankee Clubhouse it was marked at $80! Sweet giblets! Can't wait for this to arrive.