Day 113 - Day 119

December 26, 2009 to December 31, 2009

My remaining days during my Iowa vacation were fantastic! I can not tell you how nice it was to sleep in and not think about anything, except what I was going to do that night. I didn't stress about work, money, nothing! My following blogs are going to put my vacation in a nutshell. Kind of. You know how I love to talk!

I want to start off talking about things I've missed. Number one: cable! I can't believe how behind I am on Keeping Up With The Kardashians! I love that show! I feel like I don't even know a thing about them anymore! Since when did Bruce and Kris get a new house? And Scott? Please. He needs to go! I would have smacked his stupid ass too! She should have Tiger Woods' him! He's too "pretty" for my liking! Who lays out, at your baby mama's, mother's house, when you know they don't like you; all the while, your baby's mama is at work?! Get a job!!!! Okay, and the Jersey Shore?! OMG! The funniest thing I've ever seen! The fist pump is now my favorite dance move! Hahahaha! Those people are something else! The sad/funny thing is...my first date in NYC was with a dude like this! LOL! Go figure, right? Total "Guido" or whatever they call themselves. Beautiful man, dummy for a personality! Remember me telling you about the Greek goddess? It was him! ;)

I miss Nick at Nite! Shows like, The Nanny, Roseanne, Fresh Prince. These are the shows I used to fall asleep too as a teenager/young adult! ;) I also missed radio. Although 107.5 still plays the same ten songs they did four months when I left, it was nice. Okay, so they now play the new Britney and Lady GaGa songs, but they did a segment on the number one song in 2000. C'mon Des Moines! Really?! It's 2010. No time for reminiscing. If people in Iowa only knew about the songs they were missing out on--the songs I hear play at clubs here in the city, you guys would be so mad! KISS needs a serious upgrade and maybe a possible rearranging of who's in charge!

The day after Christmas was spent shopping. I went to Von Maur, my all-time favorite department store ever! They typically have the best sales! However, I was highly disappointed with the selection. The shoe barn didn't disappoint. It never does. Needless to say, I walked out with, I think, five new pairs of shoes. But the clothes weren't that exciting! It's time for spring wardrobe. I need to see some color! I did buy my first Burberry handbag at Von Maur! One of the best days of my life! ;) It was on sale, of course! Do I ever buy anything full price? Heck no! I'm way too cheap for that! It was a ridiculously good deal, plus it's what I need to carry to and from work!

After much sleep, Wii Mario Brothers, and a couple watchings of "The Hangover," Monday finally arrived! Okay, Wii Mario is awesome! If you have a Wii and don't own it...buy it! It's like the old school version, but better! My family was sitting in our family room, yelling at the t.v., yelling at each other, and yelling at ourselves. It was great! You forget how intense you get when playing. My palms were slightly sweaty! And "The Hangover." I don't even have to say anything. It's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen! This brings me to my next point.

So, while home, my brother invites me to Vegas with him and his buddies in May. One condition: I have to bring a friend. Okay. Can do! Have you ever heard the Carrie Underwood song, "Last Name?" Well, when it came out, my mom always told me this is something I would do. Okay, mom. You're probably right. I would do something like this, just because I can get a little crazy sometimes! You're in Vegas, you have to get married! Why wouldn't you?!?! What a great memory! This was my thought: since I'm going with my brother and his friends, I'll marry one of them, then get it annulled the next day! Brilliant! Because if they don't annul the marriage, he'll kill them! It's like it never happened! Hehe! I would prefer to just not sign the marriage papers, but I'm pretty sure they'd make you. So, I already have my husband-to-be and we decided on a "Cops and Robbers" themed wedding. He said he'll marry me under one condition: he gets to be the robber. And my brother said we have to get the ultimate wedding package like in "The Hangover" because he wants a keepsake hat and coffee mug! LOL! Now that I've created this huge story, let's see if I can even afford to go! But if I can...I can already hear wedding bells! ;)

So, throughout the week, I had several dates. My first date was a breakfast date with my long time friend, Greg. We always meet at Hy-Vee in sweatpants, looking like we both got hit by a truck the night before, and eat pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It's tradition! Later that evening, I have a dinner and drink night with Tim; probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He will make some lady very happy one of these days! We went to Brick House; a new restaurant in town, then to Court Avenue Brewery for a drink. I'm always guaranteed a good laugh with both of these guys!

My Tuesday is jam-packed with things to do. I met my friend Emily at McDonald's. I was so happy I only had to pay $2.50 for a coffee AND a cinnamon roll! That's practically free for me! Fantastic! And it never tasted so good! In New York, I pay like $5 for the same thing and it tastes like they just picked it up off the floor! ;) Then, I met my friend Renee and went to Granite City for lunch! I love that place! It's so dang good! Then, I met Maddie at the funeral home for dinner and a movie! We go see "The Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. Amazing movie! I'm not a big movie-goer, but lately, I feel like that's all I've wanted to do is watch movies! If you haven't seen it, you must go! We ate at Ranallo's in Ankeny. Delicious! Again, if you haven't been, go! The service was fun, the atmosphere is nice, and the food is great! Not that pricey either, considering everything you get with it.

I had a wonderful day with my grandma...we got pedicures! It was fantastic! My feet were disgusting and the spa treatment pedicure hit the spot! We go to Pella Nails in Pleasant Hill and the staff there is wonderful! I highly recommend it! Not that expensive either...it's about the same as NYC! After that, we got lunch for mom and Brett at Norwoodville Bar. It's a dive place, but I tell ya' what. They have the best food! Another great food joint, Hilltop! I went there with my friend Kristi on Wednesday! I love their pizza! It's a tradition Kristi and I have. A large onion ring and medium extra cheese pizza! Yum-O! After pizza, we meet a few people at The Lift. What's that you ask? It's only the best martini bar in the country! Two-for-one on Wednesdays! In all honesty, I have yet to find a place in the city with as good of martinis as this hole-in-the-wall place. If anyone can tell me a competitive place, I'm all ears! My favorite is the S&M. But I've come to find that the French Caribbean is quite tasty as well! My friends Holly and Crystal from high school meet us out; my friend, Jennifer; and Tim!

Continue on reading about the rest of my trip!

Day 120 - Day 122

January 1, 2010 to January 3, 2010

Happy New Year!!!!! Can you believe it's the year 2010?? Crazy, right?!? So exciting though! My New Year's resolution: Don't dwell on the past! You can't change it. Right now and the future can only get better! I feel 2010 is going to be a good year for me! I'm ready to take in all of the challenges and excitements that lie ahead of this new and fantastic year! My cousin and his now fiance got engaged on New Year's Eve! So, that's really exciting! Congratulations to them! My cousin had their little baby boy walk the ring over to Sam in a little bag and hand it to her! So cute!

My New Year's Eve was rather interesting. After settling some boyfriend drama--not with me! God, no! This year my New Year's Eve was happily boyfriend/drama free! Nice change of pace! The night proved to be interesting. Belly dancers, cross-dressing singers, and guests in jeans and sweatshirts only intensified mine, Caitlin's, and Dyanna's evening! It was quite comical! It was a party put on by the Des Moines Social Club. Note to self: never got there again. Not my kind of scene.

My last night in Des Moines was spent none other than downtown! We go to Johnny's then hit up Liar's Club. I need a little dancing before I came back. Guess who was there? Dudes who looked like they were from the Jersey Shore! LOL! So, I start intensely fist pumping while shaking my booty! They thought I was being serious and start doing it with me! No, no gentlemen. I'm making fun of your overly tanned body, highly gelled hair, bulging biceps, and Ed Hardy t-shirts. You're in IOWA. None of this is even cool in New York City, let alone in the cornfield state! Some people. I tell ya'.

Leaving Iowa is bittersweet. I'm sad to go, and I obviously cried, because that's what I do, but I'm also excited to get back to New York! Airports just suck anyway, but in Chicago, we were delayed by two and a half hours! Blah! Blah! Blah! For an hour and a half of that, we sat in the "penalty box" on the runway. No fun! I finally get into NYC around midnight. I've never been so happy to see my clean apartment. I just sat and soaked it in for a bit! Relaxation. Finally. Airports take it out of you!

Note to self: during my whole trip back home was this: Don't EVER move back here or to a place where the weather drops below 20 degrees! What is up with the -12 degree temperatures. My whole body hurt and I couldn't breathe, just when I stepped outside. It's completely unnecessary. So, for those of you who wondered why I moved...it's this number one reason right here! I HATE COLD! It's stupid. My kids will never grow up knowing the change of seasons. The only seasons you need to know about are Spring and Summer! Maybe a hint of fall, but only until mid-October. If it gets like this in NYC, I'm not coming out of my apartment until July, after I thaw myself!