the pretender...

so long, farewell

2009-12-22T04:38:43Z

tonight = our last night @ 2715 dutton mill rd.
it was a lovely 3 years.
from sharing champagne out of styrofoam cups our fist night here to packing up the boxes today there have been so many memories.

noah asked me to marry him in this house
and then he married me in this house
:)

so long, dear house. you will be missed.

wishes.

2009-12-19T14:25:25Z

I wished with all my heart that it would snow before we up and move to a desert.
:)
perhaps I had also wished for a more convenient time frame for my snow. because instead of playing in it I have to pack so that I can move to a desert.

bummer.

but it's oh so pretty.
:)

maybe if I'm really good, and work hard all day then I can make snow angels later tonight.

:)

loose ends

2009-12-16T17:32:59Z

I booked my first one way plane ticket yesterday. that's kinda scary.
the packers come on monday (thank God someone else is packing up this mess)
the movers come on tuesday
we leave from JFK @ 11PM on January 2nd.
cows of holiness.
we're really moving to dubai.

today I:

donated all the food that we had in the pantry and freezer that was unopened
donated a box of goodies from the kitchen
picked up some dry cleaning
returned some stuff @ the mall
bought christmas cards
mailed a card to a friend
canceled my gym membership
called the church where I was baptized to have them send a baptismal certificate to the church where we're getting married

I/we still need to:

finish sorting
call salvation army for a furniture pick up
go register our marriage license @ city hall
pick up our wedding bands
get passport photos taken
finish my mom's christmas present
get some odds and ends purchased to take to dubai
meet with our priest
fill out customs paperwork
clean our empty house
have christmas

and possibly other things that I have forgotten to put on the list

moving is rough.
moving to another country is ridiculous.
moving to another country a week after christmas is insane.

:)

2009-12-12T20:31:52Z

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza!

chocolate chip
oatmeal raisin
peanut butter
snickerdoodles
chocolate chocolate chip!

dad bought me a christmas tree
:)
I am in the holiday spirit for sure

!

2009-12-05T11:48:21Z

Noah and I got married last night
:)
in our kitchen!

since we will be leaving the country in 23 days and moving to a country that does not allow same sex cohabitation, we decided it was in our best interest to get hitched.

since we already have a big blow out wedding and reception planned for October of next year we decided to get married in a low-key non ceremony in our kitchen by using a "self uniting" marriage license.

last night noah's best friend and his wife came up from maryland and my sister and her boyfriend over from new jersey to witness for us. they are also going to be the best man, and maid of honor in our big wedding in October, so we thought they would be good to stand for us now also. a few signatures on a piece of legally binding paper later - and we are married!

not quite what I had imagined for the whole occasion, but not bad either. noah and I tend to do things differently anyhow.

I still get my big wedding next fall, noah gets his small intimate kitchen wedding. all is well. I'm happily married to the love of my life, that's all that matters, right?

:)

and now I get to go to work. now THAT I should've thought through better. hahaha

update.

2009-11-26T03:07:38Z

We are moving to Dubai in 32 days.

nonsense

2009-11-21T12:30:21Z

Up @ 7:30 on a Saturday morning that I am miraculously OFF. Why, God? WHY?

waiting, watching, wishing, for something fantastic.

2009-11-19T16:22:08Z

I am an incredibly impatient person to start with. The fact that I'm waiting for the verdict on what is probably the most significant change in my life to date doesn't make me any more patient. We were originally supposed to know about Dubai in late October. Since Noah didn't even interview until November 5th we figured that decision might be put off a few weeks. They told him he'd know early last week, and then apologized and said they would get back to him early this week. Uhm, Thursday is officially the END of the week. And still nothing. At this point neither her nor I even care if we go or stay. We'd just like to have some idea where our lives are going. Thanksgiving is a week from toady and we don't even have plans for it! I want to get into the holiday spirit and I just can't seem to do it. It makes me crazy that I don't know where I'll be in a month. Yikes. I am not good at worrying. I swear I'm giving myself an ulcer. Anyway.... back to the waiting.

Squirrel Attack 2009.

2009-11-11T03:45:37Z

Yes. We've had a squirrel attack @ 2715 Dutton Mill Rd.
This morning whilst Noah and I were snuggling up in bed we heard a large CRASH! from downstairs.
When we went downstairs to see what may have fallen on the floor we were greeted by a large grey squirrel scampering about. Now, I enjoy a cute little squirrel just as much as anyone, but I DO NOT enjoy the idea of sharing a living space with one. So I grabbed my broom and cornered it in our basement which thankfully has a door that leads to the outside world. After about 10 minutes our furry friend was able to make his way back to nature. Hurrah.

He made sure to leave his mark though. The little fucker took a crap on my kitchen table. If I ever see him again I'm going to follow him home and take a poo in his tree. Jerk.

holyshit.

2009-11-06T01:26:36Z

today is noah's birthday. I made him dinner. home made gnocchi with italian sausage, spinach, and parmesan. we had wine, and crusty bread. it was lovely. there's a maple pumpkin pie cooling for later.

today was also his final interview in the dubai shenanigans. it went well. they told him he was in their top 3 candidates. they're sending 2 people. basically I should pack my bags, I'm guessing.

I want to throw up.

:)

2009-11-03T04:30:53Z

Dear God,

I always knew you were a Phillies Phan. :)

<3 Kristen

P.S.

I'm Keepin' The PHAITH :)

pillowfool @ 2009-10-28T11:48:00

2009-10-28T15:52:30Z

I just completed day 4 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I'm sweaty and gross but feeling pretty good about myself. I've been pretty lethargic my whole life and decided it was time I changed that. Better late than never, right?

You're probably supposed to do it for 30 days in a row. I'm not that tough. But I've only taken two rest days. The first one because I could hardly move (this shit is HARD for me) and the second because yesterday I had a 16 hour work day with only 3 hours of sleep. I'm still pretty proud of myself. I'm trying to stick with it for the whole 30 days. In addition to being lethargic and lazy I tend to be a quitter too... hah. let's hope I'm changing a bunch of habits with this.

the devil made me do it!

2009-10-27T04:00:47Z

I should be sleeping. I have to be to work @ 6AM. alas, I am not sleepy.
I am frustrated. work was rough today. too much to do. not enough time. all that typical bs.

anyway. we are listening to a This American Life podcast about people who have had that instance where they felt the devil was speaking to them to encourage them to do things that were incredibly inappropriate.

has this ever happened to any of you? I am pondering this situation and can come up with NO times when I have had such impulses. at least none that I acted upon. you?

pillowfool @ 2009-10-23T14:02:00

2009-10-23T18:10:30Z

last night was our final Pre - Cana class. The Catholic Church will now marry us.
Hurrah
last night's class topic was "Sexuality and Intimacy" - the presenters were absolutely our best yet. They were the only two people who seemed comfortable public speaking. Even Noah said they were good. Although, when they reached the point in their discussion where they had to inform us about Natural Family Planning things could have turned south. They discussed birth control only briefly. All they told us was that when they first started doing BC trials the men's testicles shrank and 3 women died. Then they abruptly ended their lecture. I shrugged it off. I take birth control, I have no intention of stopping. Whatever. Noah was pissed though. On his evaluation sheet he said "Great talk. But it is irresponsible of you to suggest that birth control could be potentially fatal". I suppose he's right. But I'm pretty sure he was the only one who took it so seriously. I'm just thankful that he didn't raise his hand to make such a comment.

we watched Year One last night. it was pretty stupid but there were a few laughter points. if only I hadn't rented it on Sunday! Now I'm paying for it as if I got it at blockbuster and not at the red box. Oh well.

we slept until 11 today and it was WONDERFUL. I think I really needed it since I've been fighting off a cold.

now I should get some chores done. I do not feel like it though. I did manage to get the kitchen clean and put dinner in the crockpot. Isn't that good enough?

anywhooo. hope you have a great day!

pillowfool @ 2009-10-21T23:26:00

2009-10-22T03:35:35Z

the toilet in our downstairs bathroom runs about 4/5 times it is used.
because of this I will actually go upstairs to pee. such an inconvenience.

next week is going to blow goats. we're doing a new floor set @ work and I have to do a back to back that ends @ 11PM and then the next day starts @ 6AM. eeeeffff. plus I don't have a day off until next friday. I <3 retail.

tomorrow I only work until 2 which is swell. I think I'll bake some cookies.

we canceled our cable and thus have no television. in all honesty I only miss it when noah isn't home and when I should be watching sports. the phillies game on my radio is just not the saaaaame.

that is all for now.

catching up with myself

2009-10-21T01:13:31Z

I don't know quite why I feel like posting in my journal again (and often, even).
I'm not feeling really well today. I'm trying really hard to convince my body that it doesn't want to be sick.
noah's making me chicken soup and it smells really, really good.

this week is supposed to be a bit warmer so it feels more like october and not december. I don't mind the cold so much, and I like to bundle up. I didn't even mind all the rain. I secretly love rainy days but try to pretend like I don't since everyone else around me seems to hate them. what a silly thing to pretend.

I have to work a 13 hour shift tomorrow because one of the other supervisors is on vaca. I'm pretty unexcited about this. On the bright side, it makes many of my shifts this week shorter. which is nice.

for some reason noah purchased ample amounts of steak from the grocery store as of late. I'm not crazy about steak but my iron count should be pretty decent.

I don't really seem to have much to say, do I? There's actually a lot on my mind but instead of talk about it, I prefer to obsess privately...

or something?

who knows.

daily musing.

2009-10-17T00:49:49Z

today was pretty okay. I had a feeling it was going to be a great day when I heard Kings of Leon right before going into work. and then it was free breakfast friday @ chick-fil-a. work went by fast and now I'm sitting on the couch eating a tasty dinner of pasta with brie, walnuts, arugula, walnuts, mushrooms, and prosciutto (that I made). plus I'm watching the wedding crashers. although it may be cheesy, I <3 this movie.

rule #76 - no excuses play like a champion. :)

random musings.

2009-10-14T14:13:08Z

when I was little I thought Alaska was an island just because it was always pictured with Hawaii on maps.

I always say "bless you" when someone sneezes and it sometimes irritates me that Noah does not say anything when I sneeze.

I can't typically can't sleep with socks on and yet have done so for the last two nights. I wonder if there are other things I can do now that I haven't been able to do in the past.

I'm not afraid of the dark, but sometimes when I'm home alone I sleep with some lights on - you know, just in case.

these are things you most likely didn't need or want to know. but hey! now you do. so there.

quiet morning

2009-10-03T15:11:12Z

I haven't posted in 7 months.
I suppose a lot has happened in that time.
it just doesn't seem as though it is worth documenting. none of it has really had great enough significance in my life, I suppose.
which is funny... because in college I posted EVERY day. sometimes multiple times daily. and I'm fairly certain that almost none of the things that happened in college still hold much importance in my life today.

at any rate. the spring and summer have past and it's time for fall.

I may have mentioned this before, but I <3 the fall. really love the fall. every aspect of it makes me happy.

I love wearing sweaters and scarves
I love football
I love apple cider
I love the changing leaves
I love that I can hear the high school marching band from my house.
I love the slow buzz and growing anticipation of the holiday season.
it just all makes me very very happy..

the end.

quiet night.

2009-03-19T00:17:33Z

I am boring.
very boring.

and so it goes.

2009-02-16T00:42:45Z

I got fired from Nectar today.
I was working there part time as a bartender.
it was a love hate kinda thing... as in I love bartending but I hated Nectar.
do not get me wrong. the restaurant is phenomenal, the service is very good, it's a great place.
but it was never "me".
I guess that's why it didn't work out.
they told me that my "attention to detail" was not up to their "standards"
but my gut tells me that I just didn't fit in.
I hope that's it.
because if I'm just not good enough...
well, I just can't stand that thought.

anyway.

I'm going to go drink a bottle of Cabernet and watch sex and the city.

:)

2009-01-02T03:20:14Z

kristen + noah = getting married!

::::enormous smile::::

he asked me to marry him last night while we were sitting in our pj's watching carson daly about to count down the last 5 minutes of 2008. he told me he didn't want 2009 to start before he asked me to marry him.

:)

yay!

pillowfool @ 2008-12-30T10:39:00

2008-12-30T16:15:10Z

1. Where did you begin 2008? At home with my bestest friends and Noah drinking and playing rock band. Then lounging on the couch in our pj's watching hours upon hours of law and order.

2. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? bought a car. oh my!

3. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember making any last year. But I am bound and determined to keep the one I made for 2009. It's time to streamline and simplify my life.

4. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don't think so? A few of my friends that I don't ever see did. But no one in my inner circle.

5. Did anyone close to you die? no, thank God.

6. Did you know anybody who got married? I feel like I do, but I can't think of who right now.

7. Did you move anywhere? nope.

8. Where did you go on holiday? holiday? no where? well, we went to New York City the first weekend in December to see Wicked and have lunch with my aunt, cousin, and cousin's girlfriend. But I really think that was it.

9. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A job that pays enough that I only need to have ONE. This way I will give have enough TIME to spend with the people I love.

10. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? December 10th = car crash numero tres. go me.

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year? being able to survive it. I know, it sounds lame. But it's been a rough year for me both physically and emotionally. I'm just proud that I got through it in one piece.

12. What was your biggest failure? letting my rejection from drexel completely halt my motivation to get back into school and get my life going in some sort of direction.

13. Did you suffer illness or injury? just my second annual christmas cold. ooooh! and in march a dog bit my face.

14. What was the best thing you bought? best, or biggest? I bought a 2008 Jeep Commander and I'm pretty excited about it.

15. Whose behavior merited celebration? my mom's. after being with merril lynch for 10 years she left in december for a new job that has taken up an enormous amount of energy and time. I'm just really proud of what she's been able to accomplish and handle.

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? boss at brandywine it still amazes me that there is anyone so unbelievable and nasty in this world.

17. Where did most of your money go? rent, cable, water, gas, car, etc. (being a grownup BLOWS) also, into beer to drink away my woes.

18. What concerts/shows did you go to? counting crowes, maroon five, and sara bareillis ; sara bareillis, jackson browne (x2), jimmy buffet.

19. What did you get really, really, really excited about? is it sad that I can't remember being really excited about much of anything?

20. What song will always remind you of 2008? something off of the sara bareillis album I guess?

21. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? I don't want to say sadder, but I do feel more stressed and a bit lonely.
ii. thinner or fatter? a little thinner, but not much.
iii. richer or poorer? probably about the same... still living pay check to pay check. oh joy.

22. What do you wish you'd done more? relaxed. spent more time having fun with the people I love.

23. What do you wish you'd done less of? WORK. It's nearly all I did for the whole year.

24. How did you spend Christmas? I worked the opening shift at borders (6am) on christmas eve, then noah and I drove down to south jersey just in time for christmas eve mass. after mass was the annual christmas party at the crowe's house and some much needed sleep. christmas day was nice and relaxing with lots of mimosas and present opening. then the crowe's came over for dinner and after dinner kate's boyfriend ken joined us for a little christmas beer pong. all in all it was a great two days.

25. Did you fall in love in 2008? of course! Noah is the most amazing person ever.

26. How many one-night stands? zero

27. What was your favorite TV program? top chef!

28. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't have enough energy to hate people.

29. What was the best book you read? probably girl with no shadow.

30. Did you have any encounters with the police? twice when I accidentally set off the store alarm when opening in the morning, and once when I crashed my car. oh yay.

31. What was your greatest musical discovery? I don't think I really have one. bummer.

32. What did you want and get? a bartending job (funny, now I don't want it anymore)

33. What was your favorite film of this year? dark knight is the only one I've seen that I really remember.

34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I rang in year 2-5 by working two jobs for a total of 16 hours! yay! but then we went to gullifty's and had beer and cupcakes. :)

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? more relaxation.

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Lots of black. (uniform for both the cafe and the bar). and super casual. (BEST thing about working in a bookstore = jeans!)

37. What kept you sane? Noah.

38. Which public figure did you admire the most? Our new president-elect.

39. Favorite night out? No Mo Cancer, Christmas Eve, Jackson Browne in DC, and Labor Day on the boat with Jess and John (before the melt down). I have a feeling new years eve will be fun too. hurray for tapas!

40. What political issue stirred you the most? The election. (duh).

41. Were you in school (anytime this year)? no :( I'm too stupid to get into gradschool.

42. Who did you miss? sean, etc.

43. Who was the best new person you met? all of my family at borders are amazing. and Kara my only friend from nectar who I absolutely adore.

44. What's something you learned about yourself? I am capable of working two jobs totaling 6/7 days a week. GO ME!

45. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: laugh every day. trust me, it does wonders.

46. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

slow down everyone, you're going too fast"

bah humbug

2008-12-24T08:49:51Z

christmas is my favorite time of the year
I love the way it smells, and I love the music. I love the excited little kids, and I can even get on board with the hustle and bustle of last minute holiday shopping.
I have a million things to be thankful for.

and yet, this year I'm just not in the proper holiday spirit.
I'm far too stressed, and exhausted to enjoy anything at this point.
between working two jobs, car hunting, and preparing for the holiday, I have little time to slow down and enjoy it all.

and now I'm sick.

ugh.

I know it'll be a lovely time. I know I shouldn't complain. I'm just so flippin' exhausted and I've been awake for the last hour which I really should've used for sleeping.

is it bad that I just want to sleep through christmas since its my only time off til mid january?

:::sigh:::

ugh.

2008-12-11T12:45:17Z

so, yesterday I took my car in for an oil change and to have it looked at because my "service engine soon" light had been blinking. I explained to the guy at the repair shop that I didn't know why - but it constantly felt as though the car was going to stall. So, it turns out that I needed new fuel injector(s)and that the cost of that repair would be around $1400. Right. So I kindly told him that there's no way on God's green earth that I could afford that, I confirmed that my car would not blow up if I continued to drive it, and I paid him the $100 it cost to have the diagnostic test run, plus I had my windshield wiper blades changed, a right tail light repaired, got my fluids filled, and had my originally planed oil change. all this totaling $207. great.

then I started talking to a few people (my boss' brother in law is a mechanic) about the pros and cons of putting even more money into a 10 year old car. (this project would be putting me over $3000 in the last 6 months). I was leaning towards getting a new car, but I was going to check with my mom's mechanic (who has been doing repairs on my car since I learned how to drive) and get his opinion first.

awesome. move on. I decided to go to the Christiana Mall in Newark DE to do a little Christmas shopping - since I only live about 5 minutes from the DE border I thought it would be cool to check out a new mall. Of course it was raining, and dark, and I didn't know where I was going (other than looking up which exit it was off 95) but I figured I could find it. And find it I did! Unfortunately when I made my way off of the highway onto the exit ramp for the mall I saw an abandoned car on the right hand side of the road/shoulder and I swerved a bit to avoid hitting it thus sending my car in sliding through a sheet of water directly into the concrete median. After hitting the median it proceeded to spin in circles and end up T-Boning the car that I had originally swerved to avoid hitting in the first place. SUPER. how's that for ironic.

immediate assessment of the problem: I am not hurt - a few burns from the airbag deployment but those are minor and on my hands. I do feel like I've been hit by a bus, but I'm sure that it's nothing some advil and many hot showers can not fix. the other driver was fine. he was actually not still in the drivers side because he had spun out and hit the same median an hour before. he was just waiting for the police to arrive. (his somewhat heavy Indian accent had deterred them from being able to find the location of his crash which we now tell the police caused my crash). as we were waiting for the police I called my mom (noah was on an airplane at the time of the incident, perfect) and she tells me not to fret! Now I get the new car I was contemplating anyway! also while we were waiting for the police about 7 other drivers almost hit us, or the median, or both. I'm guessing (from the looks of the median) that we are NOT the first people to meet an unhappy end due to it's positioning. Then another driver DOES hit my car which has hit the first car. EXCELLENT 3 car accident. totally awesome. I told the other guy that he couldn't possibly have done any more damage to my car and that if his car was ok he should just go. He stayed and we chatted about our days. When the police showed up he helped us move the cars out of the road (by making sure we didn't get killed) and took our statements. AAA came and towed me and my broke ass car home, and all is well.

now: to wrap up this longwinded story that I so rudely didn't put behind a cut: anyone have any ideas about what car I should start researching? I'm thinking SUV. I'm madly in love with my maxima (may she rest in car heaven), but really? I'm thinking I want an SUV. any thoughts, comments, suggestions are very welcome.

hope your day is better than my night was!