A Letter

To my Margie,

This weekend was a hard one.  Everyone kept telling me to be relieved that you aren't suffering anymore and that you are out of pain, but when I heard that, it made me cry harder.  I'm not upset that you aren't in pain anymore, or that you're in a better place.  Simply put, I miss you.

They told me it'd be closed casket, so you could imagine my shock entering the funeral home and seeing you there.  Gramma said Larry wanted to keep the casket opened because you looked so good.  Margie, you were beautiful.  Gramma picked out a beautiful dress with soft pink roses on it.  Your casket was a pearly pink; I'm pretty sure you would have picked out that exact one if you had the choice.  Besides, who knows style better than Gramma?

I met Larry for the first time.  Well, he told me he met me when I was very little, but I don't remember.  He misses you so much.  I also saw your parents again.  They looked the same as they did on Easter.  I am going to send Larry and your parents letters, because I didn't have any words yesterday.

What am I going to do without you here?

I promise I will do Relay for Life every year for Margie's Angels.  I wish there was a way I could raise enough money to find a cure for cancer. Do you think we'll find a cure in my lifetime?  I hate cancer so much; I think it's the only think I really actually hate in life.

I promise to be less passive in life.  I will really work on speaking up.  Remember when you and Gramma visited me in Utah when we moved into our condo?  And our diningroom table was being delivered?  And the delivery men were going to leave without assembling the chairs, and you gave them an earful, so you and Gramma ironed my shower curtain as you watched them assemble the chairs.  You did the right thing, because I'm pretty sure the three of us wouldn't have been able to put even one of those together.

I promise to be more involved with politics.  I even watched last night's debate.  Did you?  I think Rick Perry is a joke. 

I'll never forget how you always added an "s" onto the end of "Walmart".  I've always secretly thought that was funny.

Does Larry know how much I love you?

When I have children, and they are crazy and run around like I did to you when I was little, I'll think of the stories you'd tell about me as a child. I'd like to officially appologize to you for being a hyper kid.

You were so beautiful, Margie, inside and out.  Part of me wishes I had visited you between Easter and when you passed, but I have great memories of you at Easter.  And that is how I'll always remember you.

I promise to visit you as much as I can.  You're in Enfield now, and that's a little far, but I'll try to visit every time I'm in Connecticut.  And I'll take Aunt Carla with me.  And Gramma, since she doesn't like to drive a lot.  You're burried by some beautiful trees, and it's towards the back of the cemetary, so you won't be bothered by a lot of cars and people walking all over you.

When I cry because I miss you, please hold my hand and comfort me.

I'll see you soon, my dear friend.
Love,
"Katie"

If tears could build a stairway
and thoughts a memory lane,
I'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again.
-author unknown

Everything Since August...

What's happened since I've last posted?

1. Ryan and I both started our new jobs.  He does something for Columbia Management with RFP's and fixed income that I honestly still don't understand.  And I am a teacher at Pembroke Hospital for boys with diagnosed behavior problems.

2. Jed and Jess came to visit back in the beginning of September!  It was so much fun.  It was nice to see that they haven't changed a bit :) There wasn't any awkward "Hey, haven't seen you in over a year... (silence)..." or anything like that.  Now, we are working out a time to go visit Texas next year!  Or... Utah reunion cruise, anyone?

Add caption

3. We redid our bathroom.  Probably not the most exciting news, but I'm glad it happened!  I know I took "before" pictures, but I can't find them!  Anyways, picture a blue shower curtain, blue bath mats and, nothing on the walls, and no wood cabinet next to the toilet.  It was an ugly bathroom before.  Ryan and I installed a new "green" shower head to make our bathroom Eco-friendly :) And we recently installed a curved shower curtain rod... now the inside of our shower is very roomie!  The picture of the shower curtain didn't come out too well, it looks plastic in the picture but it's a shimmery satin.  Very pretty!

4. Ryan and I tried Ethiopian food for the first time.  We loved it!  It's not like Indian food where you have really strong spices.  We found that the food was very rich-tasting and incredibly flavorful.  Nothing like Indian food at all.  Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food too!  But this isn't like Indian food.  And the plates are crepes, and that's what you use to eat the food with!  You use your hands, and I find that really unique :)

5. A HUGE storm hit New England (mostly Connecticut) around Halloween and our parents were without power for a while.  Ryan's parents only lost power for 3 or 4 days, but my parents lost power for a whole week.  Any my grandparents, too!  It was very sad to drive into town the following weekend when we went home to help clean up, and see the devistating scene.  Trees down everywhere.  I can't even imagine what it's like for those families down south where the tornadoes hit.  Here are the before and after photos of my backyard.  The before pictures were taken in the morning, and we worked SO hard and even neighbors and their pastor came to help!  Finally, around 4:00, our yard was ...better.  I don't have pictures of Ryan's parents' yard, but Ryan's mom blogged about it and posted pictures here: Click here.

6. Ryan's grandmother, Renee, came to visit last weekend with Ryan's parents. It was really nice having them all together here.  We all had a lot of fun!  Thank you Tamara, Neil and Renee for everything!

Oh! And I got my Christmas Eve dress!  I'm not a fan of the lace stockings with the dress on the picture though.  I've been watching this since FOREVER for it to go on sale!  Finally, it did :)

photo

I'm back

I know it's been since August since I've last blogged. Nothing much has happened... No, we aren't pregnant. No, none of our neighbors threatened to kill us again and made us move. And no, we aren't pregnant.

The truth is, I hate my computer. I desperately need a new one, but can't seem to save up the money specifically for a new one when there are so many cute boots to buy and so many Christmas presents to get during this time of the year. But UGHHHH I hate my computer! If only there was some way for me to find out my blood pressure at this very moment and let you know. It keeps freezing, and it's selective in which letters it'll show of the ones I type. Occasionally it'll restart, or it'll say there's no more memory left, and there's this thing? This stupid thing? It pops up every time I open my computer and I have no clue what it means or how to get rid of it. Going to Best Buy for them to look at it is a waste of my time because (did you know this?) Geek Squad charges now! At least at the Best Buy I go to... lame, huh?

I'm going Mac, for sure. I have two Nano's and an iPhone, and that's the extent of my Apple products, but their customer service can't be beat. Right now, I wish there was like some HP store I could bring my computer in to and they'd actually care enough to look at it!

Sorry, this is a rant.

So, what I've typed so far has taken about 43 minutes (quite unnecessary) and caused me to bite two of my nails out of frustration. One day, when I can save up the money for a new computer, I'll blog more.

But for now, this will have to do! :)

Oh, and isn't this nice, I want to highlight everything I've typed just now and change the font size... but my computer isn't letting me highlight.

I hate you, PC.

Bev's Wedding!

This post is incredibly overdue! On July 16th, Beverly Elizabeth Bulkley and Richard Anton Herb became husband and wife, and I couldn't be more happy for the two of them.
BEFORE "THE PROBLEM": The morning started out great. I spent the night in the hotel room with Bev, her sister Maddie, and their mother Willa. We all (Bev, Willa, and all 8 of her bridal party) woke up, grabbed breakfast downstairs, ate on the deck outside on the water, and then went to get our hair done. We then came back to the hotel to get dressed and do our make up. It took 3 of us to get Bev's dress on and button all of the tiny buttons that went up the back of the dress. I can only image the frustration Ricky felt at the start of his wedding night with all those buttons...
"THE PROBLEM": We went out to the docks to take pictures, and then got into our limo. Let me map this out for you first. The hotel was in Scituate, Massachusetts. That is where we all got ready (it's the town over from where they live). The church they got married at was in Providence, Rhode Island (the chapel at Providence College... where they met and went to school). That's an hour and 15 minute drive, depending on traffic. So we leave in the limo from Scituate, on our way to Providence. In the limo was the bride, the mother of the bride, and the 8 members of the bridal party. About 5 minutes into the car ride, we realize the air conditioning isn't working. We shout up to the driver to turn it on (our make up was melting down our faces), and he shortly realizes it's not working. He pulls over in a parking lot and comes back to fiddle around with the controls. When he's done, he goes back up and tries to start the limo. AND IT DOESN'T START! He calls his boss, keeps turning the key, and eventually it starts. Bev finally exhales and we are on our way.

We get to the town over, about another 7 minutes down the road, and we realize the limo is slowing down. The driver pulls over on the side of the road (a very small, busy road) and immediately everyone starts screaming at the driver that, in Maddie's words, "It's a fucking boiler in here!" Bev kicks the door open and piles out of the limo. After her goes Maddie, and then Willa. I am behind Willa, but as she got out of the limo, something fell on the ground. She turned around to pick it up just as I was getting out of the limo, head down, and her nose smashes into the top of my head. There was a large cracking sound, followed by Willa grabbing her nose and screaming! At that moment I swore I broke her nose. That triggered her anger, and she turned to the limo driver and began yelling. We soon found out that one of the limo's two batteries had died.

Picture this on the side of the road: A bride in a giant dress holding her bouquet with a terrified look on her face, holding back the tears to save her Chanel makeup, 8 bridesmaids in navy dresses holding bouquets and calming one another, the mother of the bride screaming at the limo driver, all next to a broken down limo at noon on a hot summer day. It was like something out of a movie.

LUCKILY, the photographer had been following our limo "just in case anything were to happen" (thank GOODNESS!). Bev, Willa and Maddie got in the back of her little station wagon and began the drive to Providence. As they pulled away, Bev screamed through the closed window "Katie, you're in charge of Octavia!" I was left with Bev's two cousins, her three college roommates, and Ricky's little cousin Octavia. People were driving by honking at us.. we didn't know if they were congratulating the bride or telling us to get off of the road and stop holding up traffic. The photographer's son and friend were about 30 minutes out and turned around to pick up 3 of us. Those 3 were me, Octavia, and one of Bev's cousins. I still had the three roommates and the other cousin that had to get to Providence. Oh, and Bev had to walk down the isle at 2:00 exactly because there was another wedding at 4:00 and they were doing a whole mass, not just a ceremony.

It was about 1:00 and the limo driver was still working on transportation for us. He arranged for a van to pick up the remaining bridesmaids from the hotel and drive them to Providence. A nice stranger drove the 4 bridesmaids to the hotel to wait for the van, while the 3 of us got into the photographer's son's car and headed to Providence.

Around 1:30, I called one of Bev's roommates to see if they were picked up yet. Still no van, and Bev still wasn't at the chapel yet. Finally, around 1:45, a van arrives to pick up the rest of the bridesmaids. We were all officially on our way to the chapel! Bev got to the chapel around 2:00, and we got there around 2:15. We couldn't wait for the rest of the bridal party, so the service began without them. Once Bev saw Ricky waiting for her at the front of the church, she forgot all about everything that had happened and knew she was about to marry the love of her life.

AFTER "THE PROBLEM": We lined up behind the giant glass doors of the chapel. Out went the ring barer, followed by the flower girls, then Octavia, then Maddie, then me, and then Bev. I cried the entire time I walked down the isle. It was the combination of adrenaline from what had just happened, rushing around, and how beautiful Bev looked.

It was a lovely service. Unfortunately, the roommates and other cousin missed the majority of the service, but got to the chapel and came in the side door just after the vows. After the service, even though we ran way over time, everyone hung out outside for pictures. Then, we all got into limos and headed down to the lighthouse for pictures!

Then it was time to celebrate! They announced us as we entered into the reception room. My "date" for the whole day was Ricky's little brother Danny. Here's us, doing some dance Danny wanted to do together, as they announced us.

It was a fabulous day, and I am so happy for Bev and Ricky!

Ryan's Birthday Weekend

Last weekend, Ryan and I celebrated his birthday by going out to a nice dinner in Cambridge and then going to Cape Cod until Sunday evening. We had so much fun, and it was so nice to get away from everything for an entire weekend. We discovered that we need to spend more quality time together like that.

Friday night, Ryan and I went to a restaurant called Craigie on Main in downtown Cambridge. The food there was unlike anything I've ever tasted before! It was a little on the expensive side, but we were celebrating, and Ryan has wanted to go there for a very long time since it had perfect reviews. I seriously HAVE to share what we ate... it was all amazing and so unique!

My amuse bouche was pickled cucumbers on a radish puree. My first course was grilled octopus... which was by the way the best thing I've ever eaten in my life, hands down. I even let Ryan have more than I usually would share since it was his birthday! My second course was sea bass that came with a few mussels and clams... oh my gosh SO amazing. I also ordered grilled wild mushrooms that were hand picked in New Hampshire by the restaurant's foragers. For dessert, I had sorbet... 3 scoops (cherry, strawberry and mango) of sorbet that they make right there from fresh in-season fruit. Yummy!

Ryan's amuse bouche was duck.. even though it was small, he said it was the best thing he's eaten! His first course was blood sausage and pasta. I was really grossed out to hear they made sausage made of blood, but eh, he said it tasted really good. Ryan's second course was grilled swordfish wrapped in pork, with a side of... wait for it... bone marrow. The waitress said it was unique and something he had to try, and so he did. Since she said it was brought out with toast to spread it on, we thought it'd be presented in a dish or something. But nope... they brought out the whole bone, the size of my forearm, sliced in half with the bone marrow seasoned. It wasn't cooked, just warmed and sprinkled with herbs. Ryan said it tasted like beef flavored butter, and he was glad he got it, but wouldn't get it again. I was thoroughly grossed out.

His dessert was some kind of frozen pie thing. All I remember is that there was bacon in the crust so I couldn't get it. He said it was the single best dessert he has ever had. And this guy has had his share of desserts! For anyone in the area, we would HIGHLY recommend Craigie on Main!

Saturday morning, we headed off to Cape Cod. We went to West Dennis Beach, which was absolutely beautiful and quiet (compared to the Rhode Island beaches we are used to going to). After the day at the beach, we checked into our hotel, showered and got ready, and then went to dinner. We went to a little place on Main Street in Hyannis. It's your typical Cape Cod shopping street... little seashell themed shops, ice cream parlors, salt water taffy stores, and cigar shops. Oh, and before this weekend, Ryan thought Cape Cod was an actual town. Kind of like how he thought Disney World was one park. It's really cute how he thinks :)

Saturday night, we went up the Cape to Rock Harbor in Orleans, MA. It's right above where the Cape bends upwards, and is one of the few places on the East Coast that you can see the sunset over the ocean (since the sun sets in the West... Rob and Jen in L.A. must see the sun set a lot!). This was rated one of the top sunset locations in New England, so we HAD to check it out! It was beautiful... we took so many pictures, and the pictures can't even capture the beautiful colors of the sky. It's right on the Harbor, so boats were coming in while the sun was setting. In the pictures you can kinda see some of the trees in the water that were planted as guides for the boats to come into the harbor.

Sunday was a beach day too, but it was so hot that we decided to leave early. Okay, this is how hot it was. Ryan had burnt one of his shoulders on Saturday, so he wore his shirt for a little while before we left on Sunday. The tag on his shirt he was wearing was the kind that was printed on the fabric. The tag from his shirt MELTED onto his skin!

It was such a great weekend! We live SO close to the Cape that we plan to go a lot from now on. In the fall, the rates go down a ton, so we want to go a lot then. The Cape is beautiful when the leaves are changing colors and the weather isn't really hot... I love where I live :)

Working for the weekend

It's Ryan's birthday this Saturday, and I have a fabulous weekend planned! He knows about it, so I can say all this :)

Friday night we are going into Cambridge for dinner at Craigie on Main, a restaurant that Ryan has wanted to go to for a long time.

Then, Saturday morning we are heading over to Cape Cod since we live so close! We will spend the day at the beach and then stay overnight and come home Sunday evening after another beach day!

We are definitely looking forward to getting away together, even if it's just for a night. We have been so crazy busy lately with wedding stuff and family stuff that we haven't had a weekend to ourselves in such a long time! AND Ryan's never been to Cape Cod before... GASP! I went every year growing up and it's a place I am very excited to show Ryan. I will be sure to post pictures and give details when we get back!

All gone and SO happy!

Our flies are all gone :) Just thought I'd share!

We found out they were living in our garbage disposal, and no matter how much we bleached and cleaned it, they kept coming out! So we kept the disposal covered and eventually they went away!

Here's some pictures I took before that I forgot to upload, since I know you're all just soooo looking forward to seeing pictures of fruit flies haha

Ask.com told me to put out a glass of sweet wine so they would fly into it and drown. It didn't work... don't try it. You can actually see a fly on the paper towels behind the wine haha

I also read online to put out a bowl of soapy water. This DID work!!!
This is disgusting... They were attracted to our pitcher for some reason, so I moved it into the sink. I even ran it through the dishwasher and they liked it after that too! This was only a small portion of the number of fruit flies we had... sign. I'm so glad they're gone!

Unwanted guests

We have an infestation of fruit flies in/around our kitchen sink and kitchen window. They have also moved into our bathroom (we have never had fruit in there...).

It says online that fruit flies come from rotting fruit on the counter, wet sponges, and flowers. We had all of those at the same time a week ago, around when these flies "moved in". We had strawberry tops in the garbage disposal that may not have gotten chopped up all the way, yes my sponge gets wet sometimes, and I had a vase of lilies (my fav flower) by the sink!

I have tried it all over the past week... cups of vinegar and wine with hole-poked saran wrap on the cups, glasses of white wine, bowls of soapy water, etc. I have seriously become like a jungle woman, where I see a fruit fly and I can catch it in my fist!

I'm really a clean person! Since our new roommates have arrived, I have bleached everything in my kitchen, including my garbage disposal. The average life span of a fruit fly is ten days, but these things are multiplying like crazy! I will go to bed having smashed all of them, and then when I wake up there are 10+ more fruit flies in the sink.

We went to the management of our apartment, but they just sent up this foreign man who didn't know English, and we killed the flies together with fly swatters for 45 minutes and bonded over non-verbal violence.

... Any advice? :(

Biggest Fear

During the car ride home from Connecticut today...

Ryan: What's your biggest fear about the future?
Me: (Thinking)... Financially?
Ryan: No, just anything.
Me: (Thinking some more)... Having someone close to me die.
Ryan: Can I be honest?
Me: Ya..
Ryan: That's going to happen.
Me: Ya, it sucks having a biggest fear that's inevitable.

Welcome to our home!

Here are just a few pictures of where we now are living...

Views from our apartment:

Our bedroom:

Our guest bedroom: