On Friday, Karen and I decided to take our two year old daughter (Briana) and our five month old daughter (Bridget) out for dinner. Truth be told, we were both feeling a little lazy on Friday when it came to dinner. So dining out it was.
And thanks to Cody Ross and the Red Sox, we ended up at the 99 Restaurant. For anyone who does not know, kids eat free the day after a Red Sox victory. It was looking pretty bleak for the Red Sox on Thursday night as they trailed in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Cody Ross pulled it off. Unfortunately, I suck at the 99 Restaurant.
Truth be told, it was a nice dinner. I had been craving a burger for some time, so I ordered the Brewhouse Burger. Sadly, the most notable part of dinner involved Briana only because it was the first time she ever threw up solid food. And of course, it had to be at a restaurant.
Briana was good though. I think she just had too much in her mouth at one time and it just went down the wrong way. Consequently, up came a lot of the food she had eaten. She seemed totally unfazed by the entire thing because she started eating the rest of her food as though nothing happened.
And since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) after dinner. Janine and PJ were grilling pizza for dinner. Janine's BFF (Gretchen) was also there with her niece, whom she had been watching for the past few days.
It was an interesting time at Janine's. One of the topics of conversation that came up was the Cookie Monster parody of Carly Rae Jepsen's song. For anyone curious, the following is that particular parody. Sesame Street is so clever.
And to cap off the night, PJ had a mini fireworks display for the kids. It was definitely a nice way to end the night.
Showing posts with label gretchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gretchen. Show all posts
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
I Suck At Brave
Today, Karen and I took my niece (Kaleigh) out for her birthday. It has been one of the few family traditions that I actually enjoy.
Ever since my niece and nephew were young, Karen and I decided that we would do something with them for their respective birthdays until they no longer wanted us to do so. It was a way for us to give a gift of a memory, as opposed to just giving them some secular toy or whatever that would most likely collect dust after a few years and become clutter.
Lucky for us, neither Karen nor I have reached that stage yet for my niece and nephew where we are uncool to hang out with. So today, we ended up taking Kaleigh to see the latest Disney Pixar film: Brave. Now, I suck at Brave.
Without giving anything away, I enjoyed the movie. Plus, we got to see the trailer for another upcoming animated movie with a video game theme that looked pretty funny as well: Wreck-It Ralph. And although I can't say for certain, I think Karen may have shed a tear during one of the more touching mother/daughter scenes of the movie.
My father-in-law also joined us for the movie. He has been wanting to see Brave. Originally, he was planning to take my niece and nephew to the movie, but apparently Karen and I threw a wrench into that plan. Consequently, he came with us to the movie which was somewhat comical because Kaleigh imposed a rule for my father-in-law: no talking during the movie.
And after the movie, we headed to one of Kaleigh's favorite dining spots for lunch: the 99 Restaurant. It was fun to hang out with just Kaleigh. And of course, no birthday celebration would be complete without having the staff of the 99 sing Happy Birthday to Kaleigh, right? Needless to say, the staff was very accommodating.
I probably should mention that Kaleigh's birthday was two months ago. Two months ago, the plan was to do something else entirely. But since my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) never provided us with an available date to take her out back then, we waited... and waited... until the timeframe for celebration became a little absurd.
Incidentally, Janine wanted to do a similar tradition with my two year old daughter (Briana). She had been talking about taking Briana to the zoo. That was almost four months ago and she hasn't gone. So at least our delayed birthday celebration for Kaleigh isn't as bad in comparison.
All in all, I think Kaleigh had a good time watching Brave and having lunch with us, which is what is important. She even got to spend some additional time with us as we watched her and my nephew for a few hours while Janine went to the movies herself with PJ and her BFF (Gretchen).
Ever since my niece and nephew were young, Karen and I decided that we would do something with them for their respective birthdays until they no longer wanted us to do so. It was a way for us to give a gift of a memory, as opposed to just giving them some secular toy or whatever that would most likely collect dust after a few years and become clutter.
Lucky for us, neither Karen nor I have reached that stage yet for my niece and nephew where we are uncool to hang out with. So today, we ended up taking Kaleigh to see the latest Disney Pixar film: Brave. Now, I suck at Brave.
Without giving anything away, I enjoyed the movie. Plus, we got to see the trailer for another upcoming animated movie with a video game theme that looked pretty funny as well: Wreck-It Ralph. And although I can't say for certain, I think Karen may have shed a tear during one of the more touching mother/daughter scenes of the movie.
My father-in-law also joined us for the movie. He has been wanting to see Brave. Originally, he was planning to take my niece and nephew to the movie, but apparently Karen and I threw a wrench into that plan. Consequently, he came with us to the movie which was somewhat comical because Kaleigh imposed a rule for my father-in-law: no talking during the movie.
And after the movie, we headed to one of Kaleigh's favorite dining spots for lunch: the 99 Restaurant. It was fun to hang out with just Kaleigh. And of course, no birthday celebration would be complete without having the staff of the 99 sing Happy Birthday to Kaleigh, right? Needless to say, the staff was very accommodating.
I probably should mention that Kaleigh's birthday was two months ago. Two months ago, the plan was to do something else entirely. But since my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) never provided us with an available date to take her out back then, we waited... and waited... until the timeframe for celebration became a little absurd.
Incidentally, Janine wanted to do a similar tradition with my two year old daughter (Briana). She had been talking about taking Briana to the zoo. That was almost four months ago and she hasn't gone. So at least our delayed birthday celebration for Kaleigh isn't as bad in comparison.
All in all, I think Kaleigh had a good time watching Brave and having lunch with us, which is what is important. She even got to spend some additional time with us as we watched her and my nephew for a few hours while Janine went to the movies herself with PJ and her BFF (Gretchen).
Monday, May 14, 2012
I Suck At First Communion
I'm afraid I'm falling miserably behind with my postings. Seems like raising a two year old and two month old are harder than I thought. Just kidding.
Anyway, last Saturday was my niece's (Kaleigh) first communion. Yes, that is how far behind I am with my postings. I suck at first communion. It's not just because I still have original sin, which I do. I suck at first communion because I actually did not attend the service for Kaleigh. I undertook the parenting duties that Saturday so that Karen could attend.
Regardless, this year was a two-for-one deal. Not only did Kaleigh have a first communion party, she also had a birthday party as well. Luckily for me, I was able to attend the party following the church service.
The party was fun. Not only did I get to see my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family, I got to see my mother-in-law, father-in-law, the Lowell contingent (Aunt Denise, Uncle Paul, Karlene, and Tommy), Karen's grandmother, Karen's Aunt Margie, and PJ's family. There were definitely a lot of people there on Saturday, that's for sure.
I remember thinking on Saturday night that I was going to write entirely about Tommy for this post, despite the whole "Jesus Saves" slogan concocted by PJ for banks to use. Tommy had mentioned how he only reads my blog to see his name. I thought that was kind of comical because I don't even read my blog and I'm in it. So in honor of Tommy, I wanted to put his name in. Here it is: Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.
Kidding aside, the two-fer party was fun. It was good to see everyone, albeit briefly. I think I spent more time watching my two year old daughter (Briana) go up and down the slide an endless number of times than actually socialize, but it was fun.
Anyway, last Saturday was my niece's (Kaleigh) first communion. Yes, that is how far behind I am with my postings. I suck at first communion. It's not just because I still have original sin, which I do. I suck at first communion because I actually did not attend the service for Kaleigh. I undertook the parenting duties that Saturday so that Karen could attend.
Regardless, this year was a two-for-one deal. Not only did Kaleigh have a first communion party, she also had a birthday party as well. Luckily for me, I was able to attend the party following the church service.
The party was fun. Not only did I get to see my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family, I got to see my mother-in-law, father-in-law, the Lowell contingent (Aunt Denise, Uncle Paul, Karlene, and Tommy), Karen's grandmother, Karen's Aunt Margie, and PJ's family. There were definitely a lot of people there on Saturday, that's for sure.
I remember thinking on Saturday night that I was going to write entirely about Tommy for this post, despite the whole "Jesus Saves" slogan concocted by PJ for banks to use. Tommy had mentioned how he only reads my blog to see his name. I thought that was kind of comical because I don't even read my blog and I'm in it. So in honor of Tommy, I wanted to put his name in. Here it is: Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.
Kidding aside, the two-fer party was fun. It was good to see everyone, albeit briefly. I think I spent more time watching my two year old daughter (Briana) go up and down the slide an endless number of times than actually socialize, but it was fun.
Monday, April 9, 2012
I Suck At Easter
Yesterday was the day Jesus Christ became a zombie. Just kidding. Happy Easter everyone! Yes, I suck at Easter.
My Easter morning began with a little egg hunt. As it was a little cold during the morning, we decided to hide some eggs for our two year old daughter (Briana) within the house. For me, it was cute watching Briana searching for eggs. When she found one, she would yell "Egg!" and hold it up in the air for both Karen and I to see. It's those little things that crack me up.
Following the hunt, Karen and I along with our newborn (Bridget) and Briana were invited over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) for brunch. It was good to see the in-laws. There may have been an initial rigamarole with the brunch because Janine lost her list detailing who was bringing what, but in the end it all worked out.
My nephew (PJ) cracked me up. In an effort to make some money (to buy a robot), he was asking everyone if they wanted their cars vacuumed for a paltry $2. "I want my $2." That was a reference to the classic movie, "Better Off Dead". Mental note: make sure to get your car vacuumed first. PJ seems to lose focus after the first vacuuming.
Needless to say, PJ is one step closer to getting that robot. My niece (Kaleigh) also wanted in on the action, but she had yet to figure out what she could do to earn money. I was going to suggest babysitting only because she does a great job playing with Briana. I then thought better of telling my niece that suggestion since then she would probably demand that I pay her whenever she played with Briana.
All in all, it was good to see my in-laws, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) and PJ's relatives. Sadly, I did not get to see my father on Easter. Apparently, my father spent Easter alone after telling me that he had plans for Easter while my mother was away. Turns out, my father's plans were shorter than expected. As a result, he was home alone for the entire day. Thankfully, the neighbors brought him over an Easter dinner. I thought that was very nice of them.
My Easter morning began with a little egg hunt. As it was a little cold during the morning, we decided to hide some eggs for our two year old daughter (Briana) within the house. For me, it was cute watching Briana searching for eggs. When she found one, she would yell "Egg!" and hold it up in the air for both Karen and I to see. It's those little things that crack me up.
Following the hunt, Karen and I along with our newborn (Bridget) and Briana were invited over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) for brunch. It was good to see the in-laws. There may have been an initial rigamarole with the brunch because Janine lost her list detailing who was bringing what, but in the end it all worked out.
My nephew (PJ) cracked me up. In an effort to make some money (to buy a robot), he was asking everyone if they wanted their cars vacuumed for a paltry $2. "I want my $2." That was a reference to the classic movie, "Better Off Dead". Mental note: make sure to get your car vacuumed first. PJ seems to lose focus after the first vacuuming.
Needless to say, PJ is one step closer to getting that robot. My niece (Kaleigh) also wanted in on the action, but she had yet to figure out what she could do to earn money. I was going to suggest babysitting only because she does a great job playing with Briana. I then thought better of telling my niece that suggestion since then she would probably demand that I pay her whenever she played with Briana.
All in all, it was good to see my in-laws, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) and PJ's relatives. Sadly, I did not get to see my father on Easter. Apparently, my father spent Easter alone after telling me that he had plans for Easter while my mother was away. Turns out, my father's plans were shorter than expected. As a result, he was home alone for the entire day. Thankfully, the neighbors brought him over an Easter dinner. I thought that was very nice of them.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I Suck At b.Good
For Karen and I, dining out twice in three days is not the norm. But thanks to my laziness in making dinner, that is precisely what happened Sunday night.
Sunday actually started off with a visit from my friends (Cass and Ellen). They were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by to drop off a little present for my daughter (Briana) who turned two on St. Patty's Day. They got Briana a Hallmark Interactive Storybook with Story Buddy. For anyone curious, the story buddy is Christopher, a pajama wearing stuffed animal. Karen and I actually tried out Christopher last night as I was trying to determine if he needed batteries or not. Turns out, he already had batteries... but Christopher was neat. He says things when you read along one of the storybooks.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter. They are planning on renovating their bathroom and Cass is toying with the idea of tiling the area himself. The problem, however, is that they do not think there is a subfloor to their current bathroom. So he was hesitant in tackling the subfloor project himself. Naturally, I offered my assistance because I love home improvement projects, just not my own. Plus, I have some of the tools already for his project since I put down a subfloor for the bathroom on my first floor. But we'll see if he decides to do it or not.
Shortly after, my parents also stopped by with lunch. My parents were ecstatic to see Cass because they have not seen him since probably my wedding. Needless to say, my mom was pretty happy to see Cass and hold his daughter. Luckily for me, my parents did not stay long because my mom is still getting ready for when she leaves for her vacation to Hong Kong this week. The terrible son that I am, I go bonkers at times when my parents come over because they inevitably ask me to handle a boatload of errands for them. Regardless, it was nice that they stopped by even if it was to see Briana and my other daughter (Bridget).
When it came time for dinner, Karen and I decided to go out. In addition to my laziness for making dinner, we had some errands to run. So naturally, we decided to go out to b.Good located at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. Now, I suck at b.Good. I had the seasonal Rocket with the Drunk Elvis shake. ("Thank you... Thank you very much...") The burger and shake were good. Karen similarly had a burger and mint chocolate shake. Briana of course ate nothing but sweet potato fries. Very healthy, I know.
One of the reasons we went to b.Good, aside from my laziness to make dinner, was to also stop by my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place. After all, Briana had been asking to visit her auntie and uncle (PJ) all week. Luckily for us, Janine and PJ were home as were my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). Joining in on the impromptu powwow was Janine's BFF (Gretchen) who went with Janine for a little weekend getaway.
It was fun seeing everyone. For Gretchen, it was her first time meeting Bridget. So she was pretty excited for that. Among the topics of conversation that came up were Gretchen's license plate, Janine's Coach purchases, her and Gretchen's visit to UNH, and designer sunglasses. For anyone curious, Gretchen's license plate has "EZ1" in it. Naturally, I got a kick out of that... and her feet prerequisite when meeting a man. And for anyone curious, yes Janine did get a good deal on her Coach purchase.
All in all, it was great way to end the night.
Sunday actually started off with a visit from my friends (Cass and Ellen). They were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by to drop off a little present for my daughter (Briana) who turned two on St. Patty's Day. They got Briana a Hallmark Interactive Storybook with Story Buddy. For anyone curious, the story buddy is Christopher, a pajama wearing stuffed animal. Karen and I actually tried out Christopher last night as I was trying to determine if he needed batteries or not. Turns out, he already had batteries... but Christopher was neat. He says things when you read along one of the storybooks.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter. They are planning on renovating their bathroom and Cass is toying with the idea of tiling the area himself. The problem, however, is that they do not think there is a subfloor to their current bathroom. So he was hesitant in tackling the subfloor project himself. Naturally, I offered my assistance because I love home improvement projects, just not my own. Plus, I have some of the tools already for his project since I put down a subfloor for the bathroom on my first floor. But we'll see if he decides to do it or not.
Shortly after, my parents also stopped by with lunch. My parents were ecstatic to see Cass because they have not seen him since probably my wedding. Needless to say, my mom was pretty happy to see Cass and hold his daughter. Luckily for me, my parents did not stay long because my mom is still getting ready for when she leaves for her vacation to Hong Kong this week. The terrible son that I am, I go bonkers at times when my parents come over because they inevitably ask me to handle a boatload of errands for them. Regardless, it was nice that they stopped by even if it was to see Briana and my other daughter (Bridget).
When it came time for dinner, Karen and I decided to go out. In addition to my laziness for making dinner, we had some errands to run. So naturally, we decided to go out to b.Good located at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. Now, I suck at b.Good. I had the seasonal Rocket with the Drunk Elvis shake. ("Thank you... Thank you very much...") The burger and shake were good. Karen similarly had a burger and mint chocolate shake. Briana of course ate nothing but sweet potato fries. Very healthy, I know.
One of the reasons we went to b.Good, aside from my laziness to make dinner, was to also stop by my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place. After all, Briana had been asking to visit her auntie and uncle (PJ) all week. Luckily for us, Janine and PJ were home as were my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). Joining in on the impromptu powwow was Janine's BFF (Gretchen) who went with Janine for a little weekend getaway.
It was fun seeing everyone. For Gretchen, it was her first time meeting Bridget. So she was pretty excited for that. Among the topics of conversation that came up were Gretchen's license plate, Janine's Coach purchases, her and Gretchen's visit to UNH, and designer sunglasses. For anyone curious, Gretchen's license plate has "EZ1" in it. Naturally, I got a kick out of that... and her feet prerequisite when meeting a man. And for anyone curious, yes Janine did get a good deal on her Coach purchase.
All in all, it was great way to end the night.
Friday, February 24, 2012
I Suck At Celebrating My Sister-In-Law's Birthday
Yesterday, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) turned the big 4-0. Happy birthday, Janine! Even though I'm approaching the number myself, 40 just seems... old. To celebrate her birthday, Janine wanted to go to a Japanese steakhouse. Too bad I suck at celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday.
Joining in on the celebration were my in-laws and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). We ended up going to the Aoyama Japanese Steak House located in Marshfield. I've never been to a Japanese steakhouse. I've only seen it on television. It was actually quite entertaining.
Sadly, I think my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) would disagree with me on the entertaining part. Briana was not liking the flames on the grill. She actually started to cry because she was afraid.
Tears aside, the food was actually pretty good. I had the hibachi scallops. The chef was very comical, doing magic tricks for my neice (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). All in all, it was very entertaining even if you include the fact that Gretchen walked into the men's room having already been to the women's room just minutes prior.
Following the Japanese steakhouse, all of us headed back to PJ and Janine's for presents, cupcakes, and more merriments. Hopefully Janine enjoyed her day.
Joining in on the celebration were my in-laws and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). We ended up going to the Aoyama Japanese Steak House located in Marshfield. I've never been to a Japanese steakhouse. I've only seen it on television. It was actually quite entertaining.
Sadly, I think my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) would disagree with me on the entertaining part. Briana was not liking the flames on the grill. She actually started to cry because she was afraid.
Tears aside, the food was actually pretty good. I had the hibachi scallops. The chef was very comical, doing magic tricks for my neice (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). All in all, it was very entertaining even if you include the fact that Gretchen walked into the men's room having already been to the women's room just minutes prior.
Following the Japanese steakhouse, all of us headed back to PJ and Janine's for presents, cupcakes, and more merriments. Hopefully Janine enjoyed her day.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
I Suck At Wahlburgers
Happy New Year!
And what better way to start off the new year than with zombies!
Yes, it has been a slow start to the new year. As Karen and I had no plans for the day, my parents came over for lunch. In reality, I'm sure they actually came over to see their golden grandchild (Briana). Lunch was just a means to see her.
Needless to say, lunch was okay. My parents brought American Chinese food for lunch. It's shocking that they would bring that type of food because my mother always gives me the third degree whenever I dine out at Chinese restaurants. She always says she can cook it better (with less grease) and all of that. Hence, the irony of her bringing chicken wings and teriyaki for lunch. Like I said, I think it was just a ploy to see my twenty one month old daughter, Briana.
As a tangential side note, the term "third degree" comes from our friends, the Masons. There are three degrees of Freemasonry. The third degree, which is when the person becomes a master mason, involves a tough and grueling oral examination (so that Masons know their stuff). Thus, giving a person the "third degree".
Anyway, lunch with my parents was quick. Shortly afterwards, Briana had to take a nap. And once Briana went to nap, my parents left of course. Such is the life of a parent, I guess.
So with my parents gone, Karen decided to take a nap herself. And as I mentioned earlier, what better way to start off the new year than with zombies! By that, I mean I started playing Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. I didn't get too far, but I already love it. (For anyone curious, Resident Evil 4 is still by far my favorite of the series.)
Eventually, I had to stop my zombie-killing ways because Briana and Karen woke up. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Anyway, we decided to start off the new year by dining out at a place we haven't eaten at before: Wahlburgers located in Hingham.
Now, I suck at Wahlburgers. For some time, I have heard buzz about the place, in part because the owners are none other than Hingham's own, Paul Wahlberg and his celebrity brothers, Mark and Donnie. Plus, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) was also the project manager during the construction of the burger joint. PJ also was in charge of the construction of Paul's Alma Nove restaurant located directly across Wahlburgers.
Needless to say, I have heard a lot about Wahlburgers. I think my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) is still beaming that she met Donnie. "N K O T B S B Baby." "Cause just when I think we're through, the memories come flooding back. It's like instantly I love you like that.."
Anyway, I had a good experience at Wahlburgers. At first, it was a little confusing with one side of the place dedicated to being served and the other side for self-service. But after that, things went well. I ordered what was labeled as Mark's pick: the Thanksgiving Burger, with a side of sweet potato tots. The food was good.
Briana seemed to enjoy the place as well. Although she did not eat much of her burger and tots, she spent a great deal of time in awe of everything. She kept jumping up and down on her booster seat, watching everyone order their food. I also believe she may have left her tiny fingerprints all over the glass above where we were seated. Perhaps there was just too much for her to see.
But like I said, the food was good. As well, we happened to see my friend (Jeannette) and her family there when we were there. It was a nice coincidence because I hadn't seen Jeannette since the summer. Jeannette started a new job since then and appears to be loving it. For Jeannette and her family, it was also their first time going to Wahlburgers and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
Needless to say, seeing Jeannette was definitely a nice way to start off the new year. I think one of the things that I always say I want to do every year, in terms of resolutions, is be in touch with more of my friends. I definitely don't do it as much as I'd like to. And seeing Jeannette made me want to do just that. Of course, that then leads to using Facebook as a means to accomplish that end, and I am not sure I want to do that just yet since I'm not a big fan of Facebook. But we'll see.
Following Wahlburgers, we made a brief stop to Janine and PJ's. They were having a few people over, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) being one of them. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see them. Well, it was nice to have Karen see them. I think I spent most of the time watching over Briana, with the occasional horseplay with my favorite niece (Kaleigh). That seems commonplace these days.
As another interesting coincidence, Gretchen and PJ ran into my friend (Andrea) at the supermarket prior to our arrival. I thought that was funny, especially since Janine and PJ thought Andrea was heading to our place. (Andrea wasn't.)
All in all, it was a good start to the new year. I'm definitely looking forward to good things. Happy new year everyone!
And what better way to start off the new year than with zombies!
Yes, it has been a slow start to the new year. As Karen and I had no plans for the day, my parents came over for lunch. In reality, I'm sure they actually came over to see their golden grandchild (Briana). Lunch was just a means to see her.
Needless to say, lunch was okay. My parents brought American Chinese food for lunch. It's shocking that they would bring that type of food because my mother always gives me the third degree whenever I dine out at Chinese restaurants. She always says she can cook it better (with less grease) and all of that. Hence, the irony of her bringing chicken wings and teriyaki for lunch. Like I said, I think it was just a ploy to see my twenty one month old daughter, Briana.
As a tangential side note, the term "third degree" comes from our friends, the Masons. There are three degrees of Freemasonry. The third degree, which is when the person becomes a master mason, involves a tough and grueling oral examination (so that Masons know their stuff). Thus, giving a person the "third degree".
Anyway, lunch with my parents was quick. Shortly afterwards, Briana had to take a nap. And once Briana went to nap, my parents left of course. Such is the life of a parent, I guess.
So with my parents gone, Karen decided to take a nap herself. And as I mentioned earlier, what better way to start off the new year than with zombies! By that, I mean I started playing Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. I didn't get too far, but I already love it. (For anyone curious, Resident Evil 4 is still by far my favorite of the series.)
Eventually, I had to stop my zombie-killing ways because Briana and Karen woke up. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Anyway, we decided to start off the new year by dining out at a place we haven't eaten at before: Wahlburgers located in Hingham.
Now, I suck at Wahlburgers. For some time, I have heard buzz about the place, in part because the owners are none other than Hingham's own, Paul Wahlberg and his celebrity brothers, Mark and Donnie. Plus, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) was also the project manager during the construction of the burger joint. PJ also was in charge of the construction of Paul's Alma Nove restaurant located directly across Wahlburgers.
Needless to say, I have heard a lot about Wahlburgers. I think my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) is still beaming that she met Donnie. "N K O T B S B Baby." "Cause just when I think we're through, the memories come flooding back. It's like instantly I love you like that.."
Anyway, I had a good experience at Wahlburgers. At first, it was a little confusing with one side of the place dedicated to being served and the other side for self-service. But after that, things went well. I ordered what was labeled as Mark's pick: the Thanksgiving Burger, with a side of sweet potato tots. The food was good.
Briana seemed to enjoy the place as well. Although she did not eat much of her burger and tots, she spent a great deal of time in awe of everything. She kept jumping up and down on her booster seat, watching everyone order their food. I also believe she may have left her tiny fingerprints all over the glass above where we were seated. Perhaps there was just too much for her to see.
But like I said, the food was good. As well, we happened to see my friend (Jeannette) and her family there when we were there. It was a nice coincidence because I hadn't seen Jeannette since the summer. Jeannette started a new job since then and appears to be loving it. For Jeannette and her family, it was also their first time going to Wahlburgers and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
Needless to say, seeing Jeannette was definitely a nice way to start off the new year. I think one of the things that I always say I want to do every year, in terms of resolutions, is be in touch with more of my friends. I definitely don't do it as much as I'd like to. And seeing Jeannette made me want to do just that. Of course, that then leads to using Facebook as a means to accomplish that end, and I am not sure I want to do that just yet since I'm not a big fan of Facebook. But we'll see.
Following Wahlburgers, we made a brief stop to Janine and PJ's. They were having a few people over, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) being one of them. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see them. Well, it was nice to have Karen see them. I think I spent most of the time watching over Briana, with the occasional horseplay with my favorite niece (Kaleigh). That seems commonplace these days.
As another interesting coincidence, Gretchen and PJ ran into my friend (Andrea) at the supermarket prior to our arrival. I thought that was funny, especially since Janine and PJ thought Andrea was heading to our place. (Andrea wasn't.)
All in all, it was a good start to the new year. I'm definitely looking forward to good things. Happy new year everyone!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
I Suck At New Year's Eve
Today is the day Karen's cousin (Karlene) from Lowell ruined New Year's Eve. And they claim there is a lot to love about Lowell. I'm just kidding. I like to give Karlene a hard time. Essentially for the past decade or so, a tradition has been created between Karen, Karlene, Karlene's husband (Tommy) and I as we celebrate New Year's Eve.
That tradition was interrupted this year when Karlene made the executive decision to cancel our plans today. In all fairness, Tommy was sick. So it only made sense to cancel plans. Hopefully, Tommy is okay and does not have the virus that Karen has. Karen has been sick for what seems like forever (over three weeks). Get better, Tommy!
With the cancellation in plans this year, Karen and I had nothing to do on New Year's Eve. I guess you can say that I suck at New Year's Eve. My first reaction of course, aside from the "I hope Tommy feels better" thought, was to contact my BFF (Kerry). After all, for what seems like a decade, Kerry and my friend (Jen) have always hinted at wanting to spend New Year's Eve with us. And with the cancellation, today was the chance.
Luckily for me, Kerry happened to be around today. Having spent last night at my friend's (Marc and Kelley), she ended up going to Stars in Hingham for breakfast and Red Robin in Plymouth for lunch with her family. After her family fun, she was able to stop by and hang out.
Needless to say, I had a great time hanging out with Kerry. One thing that I will remember from today is my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) playing with Kerry. Briana, while playing with Kerry, purposely tossed her Winnie the Pooh taggy blanket up, over, and behind our new couch. So when Kerry went reaching over the back of the couch to grab the taggy blanket, Briana immediately started tickling both of Kerry's feet. I found that rather comical.
I'll probably remember that for a while, much like how I will remember the time Briana went to give my friend (Joanna) a hug only to slyly reach in and grab Joanna's iPhone from within her pocket. That little sneaky pickpocket.
Incidentally, Kerry was not the only person to visit us on New Year's Eve. My favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen) also stopped on over. Apparently, they had some time to kill as they waited for their Chinese food order for their New Year's Eve dinner. Sadly, I did not get to hang out with Janine and Gretchen that much. In terms of timing, I was in the process of making dinner for Briana when they came on by. It was probably just as well since I would have been the only guy in the room.
As it turns out, Gretchen will not partake in my dastardly plans to play a practical joke on Kerry the next time Kerry leaves her clothes outside of her mother's place. Gretchen told Kerry that she would not take her clothes. The good news, however, is that she did not mention anything about not letting me into the condo. So theoretically, I could still take the clothes myself. For anyone curious, Gretchen lives in the same condo complex as Kerry's mom, which is where the connection is.
Anyway, it was definitely a fun and interesting day today. It was great hanging out with Kerry. I feel like I don't do that as much as I'd like to. Although if I do see her more next year, it may involve seeing her eat beans. We'll see. And it was good to see Janine and Gretchen too. Janine is usually busy a lot with her own family stuff. So it's nice when I do get to see her.
All in all, it has been fun today. In case anyone is curious, I am DVRing the infamous ball dropping countdown for when we do eventually see Karlene and Tommy. It'll be like we were still having our "tradition"... just days and days later.
Regardless, have a happy new year everyone! May the new year bring good fortune to the new hopes, dreams, and aspirations of everyone.
That tradition was interrupted this year when Karlene made the executive decision to cancel our plans today. In all fairness, Tommy was sick. So it only made sense to cancel plans. Hopefully, Tommy is okay and does not have the virus that Karen has. Karen has been sick for what seems like forever (over three weeks). Get better, Tommy!
With the cancellation in plans this year, Karen and I had nothing to do on New Year's Eve. I guess you can say that I suck at New Year's Eve. My first reaction of course, aside from the "I hope Tommy feels better" thought, was to contact my BFF (Kerry). After all, for what seems like a decade, Kerry and my friend (Jen) have always hinted at wanting to spend New Year's Eve with us. And with the cancellation, today was the chance.
Luckily for me, Kerry happened to be around today. Having spent last night at my friend's (Marc and Kelley), she ended up going to Stars in Hingham for breakfast and Red Robin in Plymouth for lunch with her family. After her family fun, she was able to stop by and hang out.
Needless to say, I had a great time hanging out with Kerry. One thing that I will remember from today is my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) playing with Kerry. Briana, while playing with Kerry, purposely tossed her Winnie the Pooh taggy blanket up, over, and behind our new couch. So when Kerry went reaching over the back of the couch to grab the taggy blanket, Briana immediately started tickling both of Kerry's feet. I found that rather comical.
I'll probably remember that for a while, much like how I will remember the time Briana went to give my friend (Joanna) a hug only to slyly reach in and grab Joanna's iPhone from within her pocket. That little sneaky pickpocket.
Incidentally, Kerry was not the only person to visit us on New Year's Eve. My favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen) also stopped on over. Apparently, they had some time to kill as they waited for their Chinese food order for their New Year's Eve dinner. Sadly, I did not get to hang out with Janine and Gretchen that much. In terms of timing, I was in the process of making dinner for Briana when they came on by. It was probably just as well since I would have been the only guy in the room.
As it turns out, Gretchen will not partake in my dastardly plans to play a practical joke on Kerry the next time Kerry leaves her clothes outside of her mother's place. Gretchen told Kerry that she would not take her clothes. The good news, however, is that she did not mention anything about not letting me into the condo. So theoretically, I could still take the clothes myself. For anyone curious, Gretchen lives in the same condo complex as Kerry's mom, which is where the connection is.
Anyway, it was definitely a fun and interesting day today. It was great hanging out with Kerry. I feel like I don't do that as much as I'd like to. Although if I do see her more next year, it may involve seeing her eat beans. We'll see. And it was good to see Janine and Gretchen too. Janine is usually busy a lot with her own family stuff. So it's nice when I do get to see her.
All in all, it has been fun today. In case anyone is curious, I am DVRing the infamous ball dropping countdown for when we do eventually see Karlene and Tommy. It'll be like we were still having our "tradition"... just days and days later.
Regardless, have a happy new year everyone! May the new year bring good fortune to the new hopes, dreams, and aspirations of everyone.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
I Suck At Stars (Again)
On Christmas Eve, Karen, my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) and I continued an annual tradition and went out for breakfast. The location of that breakfast: Stars, located in Hingham. Now, I suck at Stars (again). After all, I had just eaten at Stars the night before because my friends (Marc and Kelley) organized a little outing. And it was not just any meal. It was dinner. So now I could return for breakfast!
Luckily for me, I was not the only one who had just been at Stars the night before. My BFF (Kerry) was also in attendance. The two of us just couldn't get enough of Stars. Also joining in on the annual tradition was my friend (Jen).
I'm not sure how the tradition started. I think the tradition began with just Karen, Kerry, Jen and my friend (Joanna) a long way back. I was fortunate to be invited the next year, and the rest is history. Sadly, Joanna could not come this year as airline tickets from Oregon, where she currently resides, to Boston are at an astronomical price right now. It's too bad because I definitely enjoy seeing Joanna. She just cracks me up with her stories. Perhaps that is also why I get a kick out of her brother's stories as well.
Anyway, Stars was delicious as usual. I ordered the chef's special pancakes, which were a surprise unless you really wanted to know what the surprise was before ordering. Needless to say, the pancakes were delicious. The surprise consisted of white and dark chocolate morsels with jimmies. Yum! Briana enjoyed them as well.
Speaking of my little minion, Briana, she got her first taste of video games at Stars. She did not actually play a video game. There is an old arcade game at Stars that has all of the old classics. The arcade game is complete with a joystick and a trackball. Essentially, you cycle through the classic games with the joystick and then play whichever game you choose.
Briana, in her infinitely curious nature, wanted to see what the arcade game was all about. So, I sat her on the chair in front of the game and let her cycle through the classic games using the joystick. I'll admit, there were some that I never even heard of. Needless to say, she enjoyed it. Daddy's girl!
Video game aside, that was the only thing I gave into with Briana much to the surprise of both Kerry and Jen. I get the feeling that everyone expects me to be wrapped around my little darling's finger. But nope.
Regardless, I had a fun time at Stars (again). Some of the topics of discussion included smokers and the propensity for the smell of smoke to get into clothes. Kerry, in particular, leaves her clothes outside when visiting her mother to avoid getting the smell of smoke in her clothes. Naturally, that got me thinking that I should play a practical joke on Kerry by asking my friend (Gretchen) to steal her clothes the next time she visits her mother. For anyone curious, Gretchen lives near Kerry's mother.
Anyway, Stars was a great time. The food was delicious and it was good to hang out with just Jen and Kerry.
Luckily for me, I was not the only one who had just been at Stars the night before. My BFF (Kerry) was also in attendance. The two of us just couldn't get enough of Stars. Also joining in on the annual tradition was my friend (Jen).
I'm not sure how the tradition started. I think the tradition began with just Karen, Kerry, Jen and my friend (Joanna) a long way back. I was fortunate to be invited the next year, and the rest is history. Sadly, Joanna could not come this year as airline tickets from Oregon, where she currently resides, to Boston are at an astronomical price right now. It's too bad because I definitely enjoy seeing Joanna. She just cracks me up with her stories. Perhaps that is also why I get a kick out of her brother's stories as well.
Anyway, Stars was delicious as usual. I ordered the chef's special pancakes, which were a surprise unless you really wanted to know what the surprise was before ordering. Needless to say, the pancakes were delicious. The surprise consisted of white and dark chocolate morsels with jimmies. Yum! Briana enjoyed them as well.
Speaking of my little minion, Briana, she got her first taste of video games at Stars. She did not actually play a video game. There is an old arcade game at Stars that has all of the old classics. The arcade game is complete with a joystick and a trackball. Essentially, you cycle through the classic games with the joystick and then play whichever game you choose.
Briana, in her infinitely curious nature, wanted to see what the arcade game was all about. So, I sat her on the chair in front of the game and let her cycle through the classic games using the joystick. I'll admit, there were some that I never even heard of. Needless to say, she enjoyed it. Daddy's girl!
Video game aside, that was the only thing I gave into with Briana much to the surprise of both Kerry and Jen. I get the feeling that everyone expects me to be wrapped around my little darling's finger. But nope.
Regardless, I had a fun time at Stars (again). Some of the topics of discussion included smokers and the propensity for the smell of smoke to get into clothes. Kerry, in particular, leaves her clothes outside when visiting her mother to avoid getting the smell of smoke in her clothes. Naturally, that got me thinking that I should play a practical joke on Kerry by asking my friend (Gretchen) to steal her clothes the next time she visits her mother. For anyone curious, Gretchen lives near Kerry's mother.
Anyway, Stars was a great time. The food was delicious and it was good to hang out with just Jen and Kerry.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
I Suck At Getting New Glasses
A few weeks ago, my eighteen month old ninja daughter (Briana) snatched the glasses off of my face. Within a matter of seconds, she managed to snap the part that goes over your ear off. Unfortunately, I do not have a spare set of eyeglasses. So since that time, I have been wearing those broken glasses, complete with a thick layer of duct tape holding the pieces together. (It's true. Duct tape solves everything.)
I guess you could say that I suck at getting new glasses. After all, the high-flying-ninja-eyeglass-breaking-event was over three weeks ago. All of that changed on Saturday when my new glasses finally arrived. And boy was I excited.
I was particularly excited, not because I wouldn't have to wear duct-taped glasses anymore (although there was some excitement for that), but because I was curious as to how the particular eyeglass would be like since I was ordering them online.
When Briana broke my eyeglasses, I started to think about the ROI involved with purchasing new glasses. For anyone curious, ROI stands for return on investment. ROI is a general financial term that describes the ratio of money gained/lossed to the money invested. And by no means am I a financial person.
Based on my memory (which is spotty at best), the cost of eyeglasses and frames could cost well over $300 at a retail store. So I started to think about what if, after buying a $300 pair of new glasses, my ninja daughter did the same thing again and broke those new glasses. (This is where I add the infamous quote: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.")
Needless to say, it did not make sense to me to spend that much on eyeglasses especially with my curious daughter around. So I did some research into online stores for glasses. I ended up ordering glasses from Goggles4U, which was a reputable place.
And as luck would have it, I still had a copy of my prescription for the glasses that Briana broke. So after browsing through their website, I ordered a pair of glasses on sale for $13.98 ($8.99 plus $4.99 shipping). Sounds sketchy, right? After all, how could glasses be that cheap in comparison to retail stores?
Well, let me tell you... I was pleasantly surprised with the new glasses. I'd definitely order from them again. The new glasses came in a case, complete with a cleaning cloth and a screwdriver key chain. And to boot, the glasses actually looked nice. I was impressed.
Anyway, to celebrate the new glasses, Karen, Briana and I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) to celebrate. Okay, the reason was not to celebrate my glasses. Janine actually invited us over because she was having her BFF (Gretchen) over, as well as my friends (Jen and Bill). It was good seeing everyone. We even joked about fat pictures. It was funny.
I guess you could say that I suck at getting new glasses. After all, the high-flying-ninja-eyeglass-breaking-event was over three weeks ago. All of that changed on Saturday when my new glasses finally arrived. And boy was I excited.
I was particularly excited, not because I wouldn't have to wear duct-taped glasses anymore (although there was some excitement for that), but because I was curious as to how the particular eyeglass would be like since I was ordering them online.
When Briana broke my eyeglasses, I started to think about the ROI involved with purchasing new glasses. For anyone curious, ROI stands for return on investment. ROI is a general financial term that describes the ratio of money gained/lossed to the money invested. And by no means am I a financial person.
Based on my memory (which is spotty at best), the cost of eyeglasses and frames could cost well over $300 at a retail store. So I started to think about what if, after buying a $300 pair of new glasses, my ninja daughter did the same thing again and broke those new glasses. (This is where I add the infamous quote: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.")
Needless to say, it did not make sense to me to spend that much on eyeglasses especially with my curious daughter around. So I did some research into online stores for glasses. I ended up ordering glasses from Goggles4U, which was a reputable place.
And as luck would have it, I still had a copy of my prescription for the glasses that Briana broke. So after browsing through their website, I ordered a pair of glasses on sale for $13.98 ($8.99 plus $4.99 shipping). Sounds sketchy, right? After all, how could glasses be that cheap in comparison to retail stores?
Well, let me tell you... I was pleasantly surprised with the new glasses. I'd definitely order from them again. The new glasses came in a case, complete with a cleaning cloth and a screwdriver key chain. And to boot, the glasses actually looked nice. I was impressed.
Anyway, to celebrate the new glasses, Karen, Briana and I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) to celebrate. Okay, the reason was not to celebrate my glasses. Janine actually invited us over because she was having her BFF (Gretchen) over, as well as my friends (Jen and Bill). It was good seeing everyone. We even joked about fat pictures. It was funny.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
I Suck At Being Single
Last night marked the beginning of my swinging single days. And naturally, how do I kick off being single? Well, what else other than celebrating a birthday for my favorite brother-in-law (PJ).
Yesterday was PJ's birthday. It also wasn't until yesterday that Karen and I were invited to PJ and my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place for the celebration. I guess it was spur of the moment. Either that, or we were "Plan B" guests. Either way, it was good to see everyone before my little fifteen month old daughter (Briana) had a meltdown.
I don't get to see PJ's brother (Michael) that much. So it was good to see him. And I really haven't seen Janine or her BFF (Gretchen) in awhile either. All in all, it was a nice visit.
Karen and I were actually running a little late for the party because we had to make a quick pit stop at the mall. As part of our warranty on our jewelry, we have to get our jewelry inspected every six months or so. Luckily for us, we have this warranty.
It turns out that the diamonds on my wedding band, and also on Karen's wedding band, were loose. Mine was actually worse than Karen's because my stone was chipped. Apparently, my vigorous typing with my ring finger is detrimental to diamonds.
Needless to say, Karen and I had to have our wedding bands shipped to the company for repair. And I must say, it definitely does feel awkward not having that ring around my finger. My thumb keeps going to play with the ring, only to find that the ring is no longer there. It's weird.
So for the time being, I'm single again. Ladies beware! Too bad I suck at being single. At least Karen can still say she's engaged because that ring was okay.
Yesterday was PJ's birthday. It also wasn't until yesterday that Karen and I were invited to PJ and my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place for the celebration. I guess it was spur of the moment. Either that, or we were "Plan B" guests. Either way, it was good to see everyone before my little fifteen month old daughter (Briana) had a meltdown.
I don't get to see PJ's brother (Michael) that much. So it was good to see him. And I really haven't seen Janine or her BFF (Gretchen) in awhile either. All in all, it was a nice visit.
Karen and I were actually running a little late for the party because we had to make a quick pit stop at the mall. As part of our warranty on our jewelry, we have to get our jewelry inspected every six months or so. Luckily for us, we have this warranty.
It turns out that the diamonds on my wedding band, and also on Karen's wedding band, were loose. Mine was actually worse than Karen's because my stone was chipped. Apparently, my vigorous typing with my ring finger is detrimental to diamonds.
Needless to say, Karen and I had to have our wedding bands shipped to the company for repair. And I must say, it definitely does feel awkward not having that ring around my finger. My thumb keeps going to play with the ring, only to find that the ring is no longer there. It's weird.
So for the time being, I'm single again. Ladies beware! Too bad I suck at being single. At least Karen can still say she's engaged because that ring was okay.
Monday, November 22, 2010
I Suck At Hanging Out With My Sister-in-Law
On Saturday, Karen and I took our baby daughter (Briana) out for a little visit with her Auntie (Janine). Now, I suck at hanging out with my sister-in-law. I haven't seen Janine and PJ since their trip to Las Vegas. I think Karen was looking forward to seeing Janine as she hasn't really had the chance to hang out with her in awhile.
Needless to say, it was a good visit. For a while, Briana would cry uncontrollably while at Janine and PJ's. I really do not know why she would burst into tears. I always joked that Briana saw the previous owner of the house (Helen) who has long passed away. It may be the unfamiliarity of the place for Briana. Who knows? But, it was somewhat disheartening (and probably for Janine and PJ as well) to have Briana cry all the time while with members of her family.
Briana, however, seems to have gotten better. She was all smiles particular with her uncle PJ. Of course, her happy state may have been due to the fact that PJ fed her frosting. Nevertheless, she was remarkably happy. No tears. That was a relief. Perhaps Karen's plan to get Briana more familiar with her aunt and uncle is working.
Granted, we did not really stay that long at Janine and PJ's. We stayed long enough for me to do some Tech Support while Janine, PJ, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen) played with Briana. Being the token Asian guy in the family, my duties in the family surround computers. In this case, the computer task was fairly easy: transfer files and update iTunes.
Before leaving for Las Vegas, PJ and Janine asked if I could convert their DVD movies into a file that could be played on their iPod. I had converted all of them. The problem, of course, was transferring the newly created files from my computer to theirs. What ultimately happened was that I had only enough disc space to transfer 3 of the 4 movies before their trip. Thus, on Saturday I transferred the remaining movie from my computer to theirs (after their trip).
Anyway, like I said, it was a good time on Saturday.
Needless to say, it was a good visit. For a while, Briana would cry uncontrollably while at Janine and PJ's. I really do not know why she would burst into tears. I always joked that Briana saw the previous owner of the house (Helen) who has long passed away. It may be the unfamiliarity of the place for Briana. Who knows? But, it was somewhat disheartening (and probably for Janine and PJ as well) to have Briana cry all the time while with members of her family.
Briana, however, seems to have gotten better. She was all smiles particular with her uncle PJ. Of course, her happy state may have been due to the fact that PJ fed her frosting. Nevertheless, she was remarkably happy. No tears. That was a relief. Perhaps Karen's plan to get Briana more familiar with her aunt and uncle is working.
Granted, we did not really stay that long at Janine and PJ's. We stayed long enough for me to do some Tech Support while Janine, PJ, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen) played with Briana. Being the token Asian guy in the family, my duties in the family surround computers. In this case, the computer task was fairly easy: transfer files and update iTunes.
Before leaving for Las Vegas, PJ and Janine asked if I could convert their DVD movies into a file that could be played on their iPod. I had converted all of them. The problem, of course, was transferring the newly created files from my computer to theirs. What ultimately happened was that I had only enough disc space to transfer 3 of the 4 movies before their trip. Thus, on Saturday I transferred the remaining movie from my computer to theirs (after their trip).
Anyway, like I said, it was a good time on Saturday.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
I Suck At Pinkberry
For a day in which neither Karen nor I had any set plans (which is a rarity in itself these days), today turned out to be quite fun. With the nice weather, we decided to do a few projects around the house that involved being outside.
Karen was going to rake some leaves while I was going to cut a few tree branches. Cutting branches may seem like an odd project. The electrical wires, however, that lead from the outside transformer into our house are near a tree. The branches of this tree are intertwined with these electrical wires. For the past winters, Karen and I have always worried that with the accumulation of snow during the winter the branches will break and take down the electrical wires with them.
Sure, it may be paranoia. But since it's better to be safe than sorry, I figured that now is as good a time as any to trim the branches before the winter season started this year. The only problem, of course, was getting the proper tool to cut the branches because I did not own one. For anyone curious, I needed a pole saw. Luckily for me, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) had the tool.
Anyway, I was able to borrow the pole saw. As I was picking up the saw, my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) BFF (Gretchen) asked if Karen wanted to go for a walk with her, my niece (Kaleigh) and my nephew (PJ). It being a beautiful day out, Karen opted to go for the walk instead.
So while Karen and our baby daughter (Briana) were out for their walk, I worked on removing the tree branches near our electrical wires. Sadly, my pruning skills may need a little work. When all was said and done, the tree looked a little oddly shaped with a bunch of missing branches.
As I was still feeling productive, I figured I would tackle another project while Karen and Briana were out. That project: going through more crap that my mother brought over. Recently, my mother has been cleaning her attic. As my brother and I had load of junk stored in her attic, my mother started delivering my crap every time she visited.
Today, I went through my fourth box. Contained within this box were more of my college notes. In particular, the box had notes and items leading to my final year of college. As usual, it was quite interesting traveling down memory lane. I almost forgot some of the things I did.
Among the things I forgot was the fact that I took an anthropology class about nutrition. Speaking of anthropology, there were notes from my favorite anthropology course: forensic osteology. Being able to piece together information about a person from their bones was cool. My friends (Marc and Kelley) at one time thought I should have worked in forensics.
Anyway, there were other random classes that brought back memories. There was a course on women in Greek literature, a group dynamics psychology course, a philosophy course about law. I thought the range of courses was definitely varied. And after looking at my graded assignments, to say that I threw off the class curve is an understatement.
But I think without a doubt, the most fun I ever had in a class was my screenwriting course. It was fun simply because it involved something I enjoy: writing. Truth be told, were it not for my enjoyment of writing, I probably would not have kept up with this blog. At one time, this blog served as an outlet while I dealt with the passing of my son (Braden). And now with time being so limited while raising Briana, I considered stopping my blog altogether. Yet for some reason, I still feel compelled to post this blog simply because I enjoy writing.
So you can only imagine how much enjoyment I get from writing screenplays which also involve my personal addiction: movies. Needless to say, it was great looking at the scripts I wrote for the class. Typical of what I write, I had based some assignments on friends. Had I time now, I would write a script involving my friends and zombies.
Regardless, I had a great time reviewing the scripts. I think what also made the screenwriting class so enjoyable was that the course was taught by local comedian, Steve Sweeney (of Back to School and There's Something About Mary fame).
Anyway, I had a lot of fun going through the box. There was also a picture taken at my commencement that featured Karen, my friends (Cass and Aimee) and I. All of us looked so young. Apparently, I even had a yearbook from my college. I totally forgot about that. And if anyone is curious, I did look to find my friend (Andrea) who apparently graduated the same year as I did, which was fact that I did not realize until many years later. For anyone curious, she graduated from the College of Management.
As I was recycling most, if not all, of the junk from the box, Karen contacted me about meeting them at Pinkberry at the Derby Shoppes. Now, I suck at Pinkberry. For anyone curious, Pinkberry is a frozen dessert restaurant. I have never actually been to Pinkberry... until today.
After today's visit, I would have to say that Pinkberry is very delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I loved it. I ordered the fruit parfait. It was so good that I would eat another if I could.
Karen thought it was funny that my parfait had a plethora of fruit, while she was told that she could only have three types of fruit. With the server being Asian, I attributed to our genetic solidarity. After all, Pinkberry was started by two Korean Americans: Shelly Hwang and Young Lee. I actually did not know there was a three fruit limit. I simply inquired if I could have all of the fruits in the parfait and the server did her best to accommodate the request. Plus, I gave her a wink wink too. I'm just kidding.
Anyway, Pinkberry was very delicious. I enjoyed the dessert a lot. Following Pinkberry, Karen, Briana, and I headed over to our friends' (Cass and Ellen) place. The get together was actually quite spontaneous. With my friend (Kelley) flying off to San Diego for a conference, I inquired if my friend (Marc) wanted to do something. As he had no plans for the night, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go out. So, I contacted Cass and eventually all of us ended up over at his place.
And as usual, it was good to hang out with everyone. For dinner, we actually grabbed some fast food which was something Karen and I have not done in a long while because we don't generally eat fast food. We actually hit McDonald's and Wendy's because some where interested in the infamous McRib, while others were interested in Frosties. For anyone curious, Karen and I ordered from Wendy's. I must say, however, that the McDonald's location in Quincy has changed a lot since I was last there, which was definitely ages ago. The place actually looks great.
Needless to say, the night was very entertaining. We simply hung out and watched some of the Celtics game. Briana, of course, highlighted the night by pooping all over her clothes. It was fun.
Karen was going to rake some leaves while I was going to cut a few tree branches. Cutting branches may seem like an odd project. The electrical wires, however, that lead from the outside transformer into our house are near a tree. The branches of this tree are intertwined with these electrical wires. For the past winters, Karen and I have always worried that with the accumulation of snow during the winter the branches will break and take down the electrical wires with them.
Sure, it may be paranoia. But since it's better to be safe than sorry, I figured that now is as good a time as any to trim the branches before the winter season started this year. The only problem, of course, was getting the proper tool to cut the branches because I did not own one. For anyone curious, I needed a pole saw. Luckily for me, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) had the tool.
Anyway, I was able to borrow the pole saw. As I was picking up the saw, my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) BFF (Gretchen) asked if Karen wanted to go for a walk with her, my niece (Kaleigh) and my nephew (PJ). It being a beautiful day out, Karen opted to go for the walk instead.
So while Karen and our baby daughter (Briana) were out for their walk, I worked on removing the tree branches near our electrical wires. Sadly, my pruning skills may need a little work. When all was said and done, the tree looked a little oddly shaped with a bunch of missing branches.
As I was still feeling productive, I figured I would tackle another project while Karen and Briana were out. That project: going through more crap that my mother brought over. Recently, my mother has been cleaning her attic. As my brother and I had load of junk stored in her attic, my mother started delivering my crap every time she visited.
Today, I went through my fourth box. Contained within this box were more of my college notes. In particular, the box had notes and items leading to my final year of college. As usual, it was quite interesting traveling down memory lane. I almost forgot some of the things I did.
Among the things I forgot was the fact that I took an anthropology class about nutrition. Speaking of anthropology, there were notes from my favorite anthropology course: forensic osteology. Being able to piece together information about a person from their bones was cool. My friends (Marc and Kelley) at one time thought I should have worked in forensics.
Anyway, there were other random classes that brought back memories. There was a course on women in Greek literature, a group dynamics psychology course, a philosophy course about law. I thought the range of courses was definitely varied. And after looking at my graded assignments, to say that I threw off the class curve is an understatement.
But I think without a doubt, the most fun I ever had in a class was my screenwriting course. It was fun simply because it involved something I enjoy: writing. Truth be told, were it not for my enjoyment of writing, I probably would not have kept up with this blog. At one time, this blog served as an outlet while I dealt with the passing of my son (Braden). And now with time being so limited while raising Briana, I considered stopping my blog altogether. Yet for some reason, I still feel compelled to post this blog simply because I enjoy writing.
So you can only imagine how much enjoyment I get from writing screenplays which also involve my personal addiction: movies. Needless to say, it was great looking at the scripts I wrote for the class. Typical of what I write, I had based some assignments on friends. Had I time now, I would write a script involving my friends and zombies.
Regardless, I had a great time reviewing the scripts. I think what also made the screenwriting class so enjoyable was that the course was taught by local comedian, Steve Sweeney (of Back to School and There's Something About Mary fame).
Anyway, I had a lot of fun going through the box. There was also a picture taken at my commencement that featured Karen, my friends (Cass and Aimee) and I. All of us looked so young. Apparently, I even had a yearbook from my college. I totally forgot about that. And if anyone is curious, I did look to find my friend (Andrea) who apparently graduated the same year as I did, which was fact that I did not realize until many years later. For anyone curious, she graduated from the College of Management.
As I was recycling most, if not all, of the junk from the box, Karen contacted me about meeting them at Pinkberry at the Derby Shoppes. Now, I suck at Pinkberry. For anyone curious, Pinkberry is a frozen dessert restaurant. I have never actually been to Pinkberry... until today.
After today's visit, I would have to say that Pinkberry is very delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I loved it. I ordered the fruit parfait. It was so good that I would eat another if I could.
Karen thought it was funny that my parfait had a plethora of fruit, while she was told that she could only have three types of fruit. With the server being Asian, I attributed to our genetic solidarity. After all, Pinkberry was started by two Korean Americans: Shelly Hwang and Young Lee. I actually did not know there was a three fruit limit. I simply inquired if I could have all of the fruits in the parfait and the server did her best to accommodate the request. Plus, I gave her a wink wink too. I'm just kidding.
Anyway, Pinkberry was very delicious. I enjoyed the dessert a lot. Following Pinkberry, Karen, Briana, and I headed over to our friends' (Cass and Ellen) place. The get together was actually quite spontaneous. With my friend (Kelley) flying off to San Diego for a conference, I inquired if my friend (Marc) wanted to do something. As he had no plans for the night, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go out. So, I contacted Cass and eventually all of us ended up over at his place.
And as usual, it was good to hang out with everyone. For dinner, we actually grabbed some fast food which was something Karen and I have not done in a long while because we don't generally eat fast food. We actually hit McDonald's and Wendy's because some where interested in the infamous McRib, while others were interested in Frosties. For anyone curious, Karen and I ordered from Wendy's. I must say, however, that the McDonald's location in Quincy has changed a lot since I was last there, which was definitely ages ago. The place actually looks great.
Needless to say, the night was very entertaining. We simply hung out and watched some of the Celtics game. Briana, of course, highlighted the night by pooping all over her clothes. It was fun.
Monday, October 11, 2010
I Suck At Birthday Parties
Yesterday, Karen, our baby daughter (Briana), and I were invited to a birthday party by my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). Now, I suck at birthday parties. Luckily, this party was for my nephew (PJ) who turned the ripe old age of 9. It's amazing how time flies. I can't believe PJ is 9 already.
The theme for PJ's birthday party was brunch. So, it was basically a brunch party complete with boil-in-the-bag omelettes. (For anyone curious, omelettes were to be made by placing two eggs and its ingredients into a plastic bag, shaken, and then placed in boiling water for 13 minutes.) When I first heard of this omelette making idea proposed by Janine, I thought it was very peculiar. After awhile, I started to think that essentially it's like poaching an egg.
Needless to say, I was curious as to how the omelettes would come out. And truth be told, the omelettes were actually pretty good. Everyone else seemed to have liked the omelettes as well.
Anyway, the birthday party was nice. PJ seemed to have a great time, enjoying all of his presents. Following the party, Karen and I decided to watch a chick flick. That chick flick: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
(The video below is a trailer for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.)
The film is basically A Christmas Carol with the romantic comedy twist starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Matthew McConaughey is the main character who must change his womanizing ways or be visited by the ghosts. Personally, I thought Emma Stone was the funniest part of the movie as the Ghost of Girlfriends Past in her 1980s hair and attire.
Truth be told, the movie was actually entertaining and I'm not a big Matthew McConaughey fan, primarily because he always seems dirty. But the movie, which was filmed in Ipswich Massachusetts, was enjoyable.
And shortly after Karen and Briana went to bed, I decided to make yesterday a double feature by following up Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with yet another movie. That movie: Diary of the Dead. The movie was definitely not a chick flick, but it continued the "dead" theme for the double feature night.
(The video below is a trailer for Diary of the Dead.)
Diary of the Dead is the fifth film in George Romero's dead series of zombie movies. The plot centers around a group of college students who are making a movie themselves as the zombie outbreak happens. One student, in particular, then makes it his mission to film the zombie outbreak like a documentary. Hence, the Diary of the Dead.
Despite the student who films the outbreak, the movie was entertaining. Granted, I'm always a sucker for zombie movies... and zombie video games. And really, what's not to enjoy when zombies get blasted in the head?
The theme for PJ's birthday party was brunch. So, it was basically a brunch party complete with boil-in-the-bag omelettes. (For anyone curious, omelettes were to be made by placing two eggs and its ingredients into a plastic bag, shaken, and then placed in boiling water for 13 minutes.) When I first heard of this omelette making idea proposed by Janine, I thought it was very peculiar. After awhile, I started to think that essentially it's like poaching an egg.
Needless to say, I was curious as to how the omelettes would come out. And truth be told, the omelettes were actually pretty good. Everyone else seemed to have liked the omelettes as well.
Anyway, the birthday party was nice. PJ seemed to have a great time, enjoying all of his presents. Following the party, Karen and I decided to watch a chick flick. That chick flick: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
(The video below is a trailer for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.)
The film is basically A Christmas Carol with the romantic comedy twist starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Matthew McConaughey is the main character who must change his womanizing ways or be visited by the ghosts. Personally, I thought Emma Stone was the funniest part of the movie as the Ghost of Girlfriends Past in her 1980s hair and attire.
Truth be told, the movie was actually entertaining and I'm not a big Matthew McConaughey fan, primarily because he always seems dirty. But the movie, which was filmed in Ipswich Massachusetts, was enjoyable.
And shortly after Karen and Briana went to bed, I decided to make yesterday a double feature by following up Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with yet another movie. That movie: Diary of the Dead. The movie was definitely not a chick flick, but it continued the "dead" theme for the double feature night.
(The video below is a trailer for Diary of the Dead.)
Diary of the Dead is the fifth film in George Romero's dead series of zombie movies. The plot centers around a group of college students who are making a movie themselves as the zombie outbreak happens. One student, in particular, then makes it his mission to film the zombie outbreak like a documentary. Hence, the Diary of the Dead.
Despite the student who films the outbreak, the movie was entertaining. Granted, I'm always a sucker for zombie movies... and zombie video games. And really, what's not to enjoy when zombies get blasted in the head?
Sunday, September 5, 2010
I Suck At Hanging Out With My Sister-In-Law
With very little plans going on Thursday, Karen and I decided to visit my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family. Now, I suck at hanging out with my sister-in-law. As luck would have it, however, Janine and her family and her BFF (Gretchen) were home on Thursday.
Thus, Karen and I stopped on by in an effort to get our baby daughter (Briana) used to seeing them. After all, Briana has recently developed the case of separation anxiety whereby she will only be good for Karen and I. Anyone else who holds her is met with tears and cries... loud eardrum shattering cries.
Consequently, our line of thinking was that if we expose Briana to Janine and her family often enough, Briana will be okay when she is being taken care of by people other than Karen and I. And truth be told, our efforts may be working. Briana actually lasted longer than previous visits to their house. Granted, she still burst out in tears, but it was not as quickly as before.
Of course, I like to joke and say that the reason why Briana uncontrollably cries whenever she is at Janine's is that she sees dead people. In particular, I joke that Briana sees the former owner of the house (Helen) whenever she is in the living room because that is where the owner died. (For anyone curious, I do not know where Helen passed away.) I make this joke because the former owner of Janine's house was a relative to Karen and Janine. When my nephew (PJ) was younger, he used to stare off in the distant too... to which I joked that he was staring at Helen.
Anyway, like I said earlier, Briana did last longer at Janine's before she began to cry. Perhaps Karen and my efforts to expose Briana to other people are working. Of course, it could be just wishful thinking on my part.
Thus, Karen and I stopped on by in an effort to get our baby daughter (Briana) used to seeing them. After all, Briana has recently developed the case of separation anxiety whereby she will only be good for Karen and I. Anyone else who holds her is met with tears and cries... loud eardrum shattering cries.
Consequently, our line of thinking was that if we expose Briana to Janine and her family often enough, Briana will be okay when she is being taken care of by people other than Karen and I. And truth be told, our efforts may be working. Briana actually lasted longer than previous visits to their house. Granted, she still burst out in tears, but it was not as quickly as before.
Of course, I like to joke and say that the reason why Briana uncontrollably cries whenever she is at Janine's is that she sees dead people. In particular, I joke that Briana sees the former owner of the house (Helen) whenever she is in the living room because that is where the owner died. (For anyone curious, I do not know where Helen passed away.) I make this joke because the former owner of Janine's house was a relative to Karen and Janine. When my nephew (PJ) was younger, he used to stare off in the distant too... to which I joked that he was staring at Helen.
Anyway, like I said earlier, Briana did last longer at Janine's before she began to cry. Perhaps Karen and my efforts to expose Briana to other people are working. Of course, it could be just wishful thinking on my part.
Monday, August 9, 2010
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
On Saturday, Karen and I celebrated my friend's (Andrea) birthday. Happy belated birthday Andrea! Andrea's birthday (and for anyone curious... Dustin Hoffman's) was not until Sunday (8/8). In celebration, Andrea wanted to have dinner at the Union Brew House located in Weymouth.
Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Before dinner, Karen and I dropped off our baby daughter (Briana) with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Incidentally, PJ's cousin is dating a frequent patron of the Union Brew House who is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Weymouth. If I can't get my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy, I should at least try to get him to proclaim that he is the mayor... much like PJ's cousin's significant other.
Anyway, it has been a while since anyone has babysat our daughter. The reason is not because we don't trust anyone or anything like that. Heck, I'd probably let anyone watch our daughter. Karen and I simply haven't gone out alone. Briana is cramping our style. Just kidding.
Thinking that everything would be fine, we left Briana with Janine, PJ, their kids, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). So off we went to celebrate at the Union Brew House. Karen and I were the first to arrive. For anyone curious, the Union Brew House is a tiny hole in the wall. I would say that the Brew House's "thing" is that is has 99 different types of beer available. 99 may have been one too many for this particular guy who was trying to pick up some women at a nearby table when Karen and I first arrived. For me, it was a little comical watching this guy. He was simply awful. He had no idea that the husband of one of the women had been sitting at the table. Yes, he was quite the catch.
Eventually everyone else showed up. Partaking in the festivities for the night were Andrea (the birthday girl of course), and my friends (Marc, Kelley, Kerry, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiancee (Mark). It was good to see everyone. I don't think I have seen Hot Amy and Mark in quite some time. I believe they have been a little preoccupied with wedding plans. Apparently, Hot Amy has finally picked out a wedding dress. Whether true or not, Mark mentioned using the Mortal Kombat theme as the song to enter the reception area with. If Hot Amy and Mark use that song, I will be very impressed.
As a side note, the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer does look pretty exciting.
(The video below is a trailer for the Mortal Kombat rebirth.)
Kelley had shared the above with me some time ago. And for a movie based on a video game, I would have to say that the trailer does in fact make the movie look pretty exciting. (Historically, movies based on video games are never good.)
Regardless, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. I think Andrea had a good time, which is really all that mattered for the night. Andrea, Marc, and Kelley were thinking of other movies for movie night. The 80s theme had progressed into a 90s theme. And although I don't think the movie made the cut, the movie "Threesome" was mentioned. (For anyone curious, "Threesome was made in 1994 and starred Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.)
Unfortunately, Karen and I had to leave the festivities early. Remember... I do suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Apparently, things weren't going too well at Janine's with Briana. Briana was crying non-stop. She cried. Janine cried. Her kids cried. I felt pretty bad for Janine and them.
I am thinking that Briana is having attachment issues, which does not bode well for our upcoming babysitting gig later this week. Anyway, I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. Again happy belated birthday, Andrea!
Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Before dinner, Karen and I dropped off our baby daughter (Briana) with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Incidentally, PJ's cousin is dating a frequent patron of the Union Brew House who is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Weymouth. If I can't get my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy, I should at least try to get him to proclaim that he is the mayor... much like PJ's cousin's significant other.
Anyway, it has been a while since anyone has babysat our daughter. The reason is not because we don't trust anyone or anything like that. Heck, I'd probably let anyone watch our daughter. Karen and I simply haven't gone out alone. Briana is cramping our style. Just kidding.
Thinking that everything would be fine, we left Briana with Janine, PJ, their kids, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). So off we went to celebrate at the Union Brew House. Karen and I were the first to arrive. For anyone curious, the Union Brew House is a tiny hole in the wall. I would say that the Brew House's "thing" is that is has 99 different types of beer available. 99 may have been one too many for this particular guy who was trying to pick up some women at a nearby table when Karen and I first arrived. For me, it was a little comical watching this guy. He was simply awful. He had no idea that the husband of one of the women had been sitting at the table. Yes, he was quite the catch.
Eventually everyone else showed up. Partaking in the festivities for the night were Andrea (the birthday girl of course), and my friends (Marc, Kelley, Kerry, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiancee (Mark). It was good to see everyone. I don't think I have seen Hot Amy and Mark in quite some time. I believe they have been a little preoccupied with wedding plans. Apparently, Hot Amy has finally picked out a wedding dress. Whether true or not, Mark mentioned using the Mortal Kombat theme as the song to enter the reception area with. If Hot Amy and Mark use that song, I will be very impressed.
As a side note, the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer does look pretty exciting.
(The video below is a trailer for the Mortal Kombat rebirth.)
Kelley had shared the above with me some time ago. And for a movie based on a video game, I would have to say that the trailer does in fact make the movie look pretty exciting. (Historically, movies based on video games are never good.)
Regardless, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. I think Andrea had a good time, which is really all that mattered for the night. Andrea, Marc, and Kelley were thinking of other movies for movie night. The 80s theme had progressed into a 90s theme. And although I don't think the movie made the cut, the movie "Threesome" was mentioned. (For anyone curious, "Threesome was made in 1994 and starred Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.)
Unfortunately, Karen and I had to leave the festivities early. Remember... I do suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Apparently, things weren't going too well at Janine's with Briana. Briana was crying non-stop. She cried. Janine cried. Her kids cried. I felt pretty bad for Janine and them.
I am thinking that Briana is having attachment issues, which does not bode well for our upcoming babysitting gig later this week. Anyway, I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. Again happy belated birthday, Andrea!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I Suck At Target
Tonight, Karen and I went to the local Target. Unfortunately, I suck at Target. Our shopping excursion, however, was actually quite exciting if saving money is your thing. I find Target offers rather good savings in general. Like my BFF (Kerry) has said in the past, you just cannot go to a Target and not spend $50. The savings are that enticingly. Needless to say, both Karen and I were quite surprised by the amount of savings from tonight.
Awhile back before our baby daughter (Briana) was born, Karen purchased a breast pump at Target. For anyone curious, breast pumps are fairly expensive items. Luckily, we had purchased the item during a sale and had an additional coupon thanks to our registering at Target for Briana's shower. Naturally at the time, Karen verified with the sales associate that we could return the item so long as we had a receipt. Sure enough, the sales associate said yes.
Briana was born prematurely on St. Patrick's Day. And with most premature births, our health insurance covered the cost of the hospital grade breast pump that was provided to us while Briana was in the neonatal intensive care unit and the special care nursery. Interestingly enough, our health insurance is covering the cost of the hospital breast pump for nine months.
Needless to say, Karen has been using the hospital grade breast pump because it is more efficient. With her maternity leave over, she returned to work thinking that she would instead use the pump that was purchased at Target. After all, that pump was designed to be portable. (Hospital breast pumps are a pain to lug around if you are commuting.)
As it turned out, Karen's employer actually has different hospital grade breast pumps at work, which actually work with the tubing that she already has from the other hospital grade pump. Thus, she discovered that she did not need the breast pump that she purchased from Target.
Long story short, Karen decided to return the breast pump to Target. We had gone to Target a couple of days ago and were surprised to find out that we actually could not simply return the unused/unopened breast pump because the receipt was too old. Instead, we could do an exchange of products.
As breast pumps are fairly expensive, we were a little perplexed with what we could exchange the pump for. My first initial reaction was an Xbox, but Karen wasn't going to go for that. Truthfully, I would not get an Xbox anyway... with my unfavorable stance on all things Microsoft. And for the record, the Xbox would not have been for Briana because like I have told many people... Briana is not getting anything. Nothing!
So Karen and I took a couple of days to think about what we could get at Target that would add up to a price comparable to a breast pump. Dropping off Briana with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), Karen and I headed to Target to make our exchange. We actually ended up borrowing Janine's minivan for transporting purposes.
And in case anyone is curious, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) got a big kick out of my backing Janine's minivan out of the garage. In an effort to avoid hitting Gretchen's car which was somewhat blocking the garage, I accidentally took out a few folding chairs and a mop in the garage. Oops! Sorry Janine!
Anyway, the reason why we had borrowed Janine's car was because we were going to pick up a convertible crib (with changing table) for Briana. As far as dimensions go, the box for the convertible crib (with changing table) would not fit in either Karen's car or my car. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Because the convertible crib (with changing table) was marked down, we had to add a bunch of other items to get the price close to that of the breast pump.
Eventually, we ended up exchanging five curtain rods, a big can of baby formula, a big box of baby wipes, a Bumbo baby sitter seat, a couple of bibs, and the convertible crib (with changing table) for the breast pump. And the funny thing is... monetarily, the sum of all of those items exceeded what Karen had originally paid for the breast pump. After all, Karen bought the pump when it was on sale and had used a coupon.
I believe Karen had calculated that we received over $60 worth of what is essentially free stuff. I thought that was wild. Had Target just refunded the amount of the original purchase like we had first requested, the company would have saved money. Instead, due to their store policy, we had to exchange the pump not for what we originally paid for the breast pump, but for what the price of the pump currently is in their system as. Luckily for us, that price was fairly high and much higher ($60 higher) than what Karen originally paid.
Needless to say, it was a good way to end the night. I debated about assembling the convertible crib (with changing table) tonight, but opted instead to just veg out and unwind.
Awhile back before our baby daughter (Briana) was born, Karen purchased a breast pump at Target. For anyone curious, breast pumps are fairly expensive items. Luckily, we had purchased the item during a sale and had an additional coupon thanks to our registering at Target for Briana's shower. Naturally at the time, Karen verified with the sales associate that we could return the item so long as we had a receipt. Sure enough, the sales associate said yes.
Briana was born prematurely on St. Patrick's Day. And with most premature births, our health insurance covered the cost of the hospital grade breast pump that was provided to us while Briana was in the neonatal intensive care unit and the special care nursery. Interestingly enough, our health insurance is covering the cost of the hospital breast pump for nine months.
Needless to say, Karen has been using the hospital grade breast pump because it is more efficient. With her maternity leave over, she returned to work thinking that she would instead use the pump that was purchased at Target. After all, that pump was designed to be portable. (Hospital breast pumps are a pain to lug around if you are commuting.)
As it turned out, Karen's employer actually has different hospital grade breast pumps at work, which actually work with the tubing that she already has from the other hospital grade pump. Thus, she discovered that she did not need the breast pump that she purchased from Target.
Long story short, Karen decided to return the breast pump to Target. We had gone to Target a couple of days ago and were surprised to find out that we actually could not simply return the unused/unopened breast pump because the receipt was too old. Instead, we could do an exchange of products.
As breast pumps are fairly expensive, we were a little perplexed with what we could exchange the pump for. My first initial reaction was an Xbox, but Karen wasn't going to go for that. Truthfully, I would not get an Xbox anyway... with my unfavorable stance on all things Microsoft. And for the record, the Xbox would not have been for Briana because like I have told many people... Briana is not getting anything. Nothing!
So Karen and I took a couple of days to think about what we could get at Target that would add up to a price comparable to a breast pump. Dropping off Briana with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), Karen and I headed to Target to make our exchange. We actually ended up borrowing Janine's minivan for transporting purposes.
And in case anyone is curious, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) got a big kick out of my backing Janine's minivan out of the garage. In an effort to avoid hitting Gretchen's car which was somewhat blocking the garage, I accidentally took out a few folding chairs and a mop in the garage. Oops! Sorry Janine!
Anyway, the reason why we had borrowed Janine's car was because we were going to pick up a convertible crib (with changing table) for Briana. As far as dimensions go, the box for the convertible crib (with changing table) would not fit in either Karen's car or my car. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Because the convertible crib (with changing table) was marked down, we had to add a bunch of other items to get the price close to that of the breast pump.
Eventually, we ended up exchanging five curtain rods, a big can of baby formula, a big box of baby wipes, a Bumbo baby sitter seat, a couple of bibs, and the convertible crib (with changing table) for the breast pump. And the funny thing is... monetarily, the sum of all of those items exceeded what Karen had originally paid for the breast pump. After all, Karen bought the pump when it was on sale and had used a coupon.
I believe Karen had calculated that we received over $60 worth of what is essentially free stuff. I thought that was wild. Had Target just refunded the amount of the original purchase like we had first requested, the company would have saved money. Instead, due to their store policy, we had to exchange the pump not for what we originally paid for the breast pump, but for what the price of the pump currently is in their system as. Luckily for us, that price was fairly high and much higher ($60 higher) than what Karen originally paid.
Needless to say, it was a good way to end the night. I debated about assembling the convertible crib (with changing table) tonight, but opted instead to just veg out and unwind.
Monday, June 14, 2010
I Suck At Wedding Anniversary Celebrations
Saturday kicked off the in-law weekend. In addition to the in-laws, Saturday also happened to be the Gay Pride parade and Quincy's Flag Day parade. Given the three choices: in-laws, the gay pride parade, or Quincy's flag day parade, I would say that the gay pride parade seemed the most exciting. And really, what is not exciting about shirtless ripped men parading around in stiletto heels and lesbians on their custom motorcycles? Unfortunately, that event was not on the scheduled agenda for the day.
Instead, the day began with a wedding anniversary. Too bad I suck at wedding anniversary celebrations. Karen's cousin (also named Karen) organized a surprise wedding anniversary party for her parents. To clarify, the party was not for my Karen's parents, but Karen's cousin's parents... which are actually Karen's great aunt and uncle (Frieda and Charlie). Frieda and Charlie have been married for an extraordinary length of time: 50 years. As far as older couples go, they are one of those cute older couples that you couldn't be more happier for. I can only hope that I can reach the 50 year milestone with Karen.
Needless to say, Karen's cousin Karen did an amazing job. Frieda and Charlie were absolutely stunned and surprised by the party. For anyone curious, the party was held at the Neighborhood Club in Quincy. Relatives from all over came up for the wedding anniversary. Truth be told, it was a great party. Of course, the numerous whiskey sours may have also helped numbed the pain. Just kidding.
Following the party, Karen and I picked up our baby daughter (Briana) from my mother for the after party. And by "after party", I mean the gathering at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine). With her cousin (SJ) from Georgia and her other cousin (Billy) from Iowa up for the anniversary celebration, Janine wanted to have them over to hang out and catch up on things. Plus, apparently the cousins wanted to meet our Karen and my latest addition to the family: Briana. So Janine had a bunch of people back at her house. In addition to Karen, Brian, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) and I, those people included her Lowell cousin (Karlene), Karlene's husband (Tommy), SJ, Billy, Billy's new fiancee (Kathy), the youngest cousin from Quincy (Laura), Laura's significant other (Derek), and Janine's BFF (Gretchen).
It was definitely an interesting time at Janine's. I don't know which is more comical: the fact that everyone (except for me of course because I'm heartless and cruel) was practically in tears at one point, or the fact that Janine was on a 10 second delay or something. Laura had started reminiscing about her grandfather and Nana's house and just started tearing. Naturally, since my in-laws cry at the drop of a pin... that led to everyone else crying. Moments later when someone brought up the fact that they were all crying, Janine was surprised because she had no idea.
The incident almost reminded me of my friend (Kelley), who likewise has been known to have moments of "Wouldn't it be cool if... Oh my god!" Basically, the moment refers to having prior knowledge of something... only to be surprised to learn about that something (even though there was prior knowledge of it). It's almost like having short term memory.
Needless to say, I got a chuckle when Janine was surprised because I could have sworn she was sitting right smack dab in the same room where all the crying was taking place... albeit she may have been holding Briana.
Anyway, it was a fun time at Janine's. For Kathy, it was her first time meeting all of us, so it was a quick glance into what her future relatives will be like. She must be thrilled.
Instead, the day began with a wedding anniversary. Too bad I suck at wedding anniversary celebrations. Karen's cousin (also named Karen) organized a surprise wedding anniversary party for her parents. To clarify, the party was not for my Karen's parents, but Karen's cousin's parents... which are actually Karen's great aunt and uncle (Frieda and Charlie). Frieda and Charlie have been married for an extraordinary length of time: 50 years. As far as older couples go, they are one of those cute older couples that you couldn't be more happier for. I can only hope that I can reach the 50 year milestone with Karen.
Needless to say, Karen's cousin Karen did an amazing job. Frieda and Charlie were absolutely stunned and surprised by the party. For anyone curious, the party was held at the Neighborhood Club in Quincy. Relatives from all over came up for the wedding anniversary. Truth be told, it was a great party. Of course, the numerous whiskey sours may have also helped numbed the pain. Just kidding.
Following the party, Karen and I picked up our baby daughter (Briana) from my mother for the after party. And by "after party", I mean the gathering at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine). With her cousin (SJ) from Georgia and her other cousin (Billy) from Iowa up for the anniversary celebration, Janine wanted to have them over to hang out and catch up on things. Plus, apparently the cousins wanted to meet our Karen and my latest addition to the family: Briana. So Janine had a bunch of people back at her house. In addition to Karen, Brian, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) and I, those people included her Lowell cousin (Karlene), Karlene's husband (Tommy), SJ, Billy, Billy's new fiancee (Kathy), the youngest cousin from Quincy (Laura), Laura's significant other (Derek), and Janine's BFF (Gretchen).
It was definitely an interesting time at Janine's. I don't know which is more comical: the fact that everyone (except for me of course because I'm heartless and cruel) was practically in tears at one point, or the fact that Janine was on a 10 second delay or something. Laura had started reminiscing about her grandfather and Nana's house and just started tearing. Naturally, since my in-laws cry at the drop of a pin... that led to everyone else crying. Moments later when someone brought up the fact that they were all crying, Janine was surprised because she had no idea.
The incident almost reminded me of my friend (Kelley), who likewise has been known to have moments of "Wouldn't it be cool if... Oh my god!" Basically, the moment refers to having prior knowledge of something... only to be surprised to learn about that something (even though there was prior knowledge of it). It's almost like having short term memory.
Needless to say, I got a chuckle when Janine was surprised because I could have sworn she was sitting right smack dab in the same room where all the crying was taking place... albeit she may have been holding Briana.
Anyway, it was a fun time at Janine's. For Kathy, it was her first time meeting all of us, so it was a quick glance into what her future relatives will be like. She must be thrilled.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I Suck At Visiting Nana
Yesterday, Karen and I took our newborn daughter on her longest road trip to date. That road trip was from Norwell to the mean streets of South Boston. So what is in South Boston besides a history of prejudice (thanks to South Boston's opposition to desegregation)? Karen's grandmother... also known as Nana.
Now I suck at visiting Nana. For Karen and I, it has been some time since we last visited Nana. Nana currently resides in the nursing home known as Marion Manor, which is located in South Boston. It's not that we did not want to visit Nana. Karen and I used to visit Nana a lot. Unfortunately, time management has been a little more difficult these days with a newborn daughter (Briana).
Karen has been itching to bring Briana in to see Nana. As it turns out, the visit made Nana's day. Nana was all smiles and as happy as could be when Karen, Briana and I arrived.
Interestingly enough, the hospital staff cautioned us against bringing Briana out during the first 4-6 weeks. Particularly, they were concerned about supermarkets because the elderly apparently love to swarm and touch babies at supermarkets. You may think I was kidding, but it was true. We were warned about supermarkets/elderly because the staff was afraid of Briana contracting germs and disease due to her underdeveloped health. (For anyone curious, Briana was born 7 weeks premature.)
Naturally, for those 4-6 weeks, I thought of the elderly like... well... zombies... which is something to avoid altogether. Instead of walking slowly and wanting to eat brains, the elderly walked around slowly and wanted to touch Briana. It was an easy association to make for someone as warped as myself who has played way too many Resident Evil video games. Regardless, the association worked. We avoided going to the supermarkets... and elderly nursing homes... with Briana until now.
Interestingly enough, there weren't that many elderly people who swarmed around Briana when we brought her in. Lucky for us, Karen's mother and father were already there and had brought Nana down from the general populace. So it essentially was just Karen, Karen's mother, Karen's father, Nana, Briana, and me... and some occasional stragglers in the lobby area.
Anyway, like I mentioned earlier, Nana was all smiles. I think we made her day, which is a nice feeling. As for Briana, she pooped like there was no tomorrow. Amazingly, the poop was contained entirely in the diaper.
Following the nursing home visit, we made a brief pit stop to see my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Janine's BFF (Gretchen) was also over helping out as PJ was getting ready for his mini-bachelor party for his younger brother.
As usual, it was great to see Janine, PJ, my favorite niece (Kaleigh), my favorite nephew (PJ), and Gretchen. We stayed as long as we could... or as long as I still had fine motor skills because I was on the brink of starvation. Neither Karen nor I had eaten dinner by that point and it was getting rather late. But thanks to our favorite restaurant (Not Your Average Joe's), I was fine. We ordered takeout from there, hurried home, and I immediately devoured my meal. And in case anyone is curious, Not Your Average Joe's does give you bread on your takeout order. I was pretty excited about that. Of course, I was just excited to eat at that point... which is another case that time management is so hard these days with a newborn baby.
Anyway, Not Your Average Joe's was a great way to end the day. The burger was delicious. The burger to me was like what brains are for zombies... or for the elderly.
Now I suck at visiting Nana. For Karen and I, it has been some time since we last visited Nana. Nana currently resides in the nursing home known as Marion Manor, which is located in South Boston. It's not that we did not want to visit Nana. Karen and I used to visit Nana a lot. Unfortunately, time management has been a little more difficult these days with a newborn daughter (Briana).
Karen has been itching to bring Briana in to see Nana. As it turns out, the visit made Nana's day. Nana was all smiles and as happy as could be when Karen, Briana and I arrived.
Interestingly enough, the hospital staff cautioned us against bringing Briana out during the first 4-6 weeks. Particularly, they were concerned about supermarkets because the elderly apparently love to swarm and touch babies at supermarkets. You may think I was kidding, but it was true. We were warned about supermarkets/elderly because the staff was afraid of Briana contracting germs and disease due to her underdeveloped health. (For anyone curious, Briana was born 7 weeks premature.)
Naturally, for those 4-6 weeks, I thought of the elderly like... well... zombies... which is something to avoid altogether. Instead of walking slowly and wanting to eat brains, the elderly walked around slowly and wanted to touch Briana. It was an easy association to make for someone as warped as myself who has played way too many Resident Evil video games. Regardless, the association worked. We avoided going to the supermarkets... and elderly nursing homes... with Briana until now.
Interestingly enough, there weren't that many elderly people who swarmed around Briana when we brought her in. Lucky for us, Karen's mother and father were already there and had brought Nana down from the general populace. So it essentially was just Karen, Karen's mother, Karen's father, Nana, Briana, and me... and some occasional stragglers in the lobby area.
Anyway, like I mentioned earlier, Nana was all smiles. I think we made her day, which is a nice feeling. As for Briana, she pooped like there was no tomorrow. Amazingly, the poop was contained entirely in the diaper.
Following the nursing home visit, we made a brief pit stop to see my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Janine's BFF (Gretchen) was also over helping out as PJ was getting ready for his mini-bachelor party for his younger brother.
As usual, it was great to see Janine, PJ, my favorite niece (Kaleigh), my favorite nephew (PJ), and Gretchen. We stayed as long as we could... or as long as I still had fine motor skills because I was on the brink of starvation. Neither Karen nor I had eaten dinner by that point and it was getting rather late. But thanks to our favorite restaurant (Not Your Average Joe's), I was fine. We ordered takeout from there, hurried home, and I immediately devoured my meal. And in case anyone is curious, Not Your Average Joe's does give you bread on your takeout order. I was pretty excited about that. Of course, I was just excited to eat at that point... which is another case that time management is so hard these days with a newborn baby.
Anyway, Not Your Average Joe's was a great way to end the day. The burger was delicious. The burger to me was like what brains are for zombies... or for the elderly.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
I Suck At First Communion
Saturday was a day of firsts. For my nephew (PJ), it was his first communion. Luckily, I suck at first communion. After all, I still have original sin in the eyes of God. (For anyone curious, I have never been baptized. Hence, the original sin.)
So it only makes sense then that I have never been a fan of religion. My point of view in terms of religion is from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in. Had my parents been deeply pious, my view on religion may have been different. (I doubt my point of view would be any different because there is still a lot of hypocrisy in organized religion and I am not a big fan of hypocrisy.) Many of my friends who were raised with religion aren't religious. In fact, many people in the United States today who were raised within a religion aren't religious. If anything, most of them are pseudo-religious, attending church services (if ever only) on days like Christmas and Easter. Where are they during the other Sundays? Probably not thinking about religion.
Thus, religion has always appeared to me to be... well, a religion of convenience. Can't eat meat on Fridays during Lent? Well, if St. Patrick's Day falls on Friday... meat is allowed on Fridays. Unless the Almighty were Irish and loved corned beef, why would God say that situation is okay? It makes no sense. Hence, the religion of convenience.
Nevertheless, religion is one of those touchy subjects that seem to get people all up in arms. After all, wars were started over religion. Sad but true. So I pretty much leave well enough alone. Eventually, I will have to deal with religion at some point while raising my daughter (Briana). Were it solely my decision, I would wait to introduce the whole concept of organized religion into Briana's life when she is capable of making her own decisions. Ideally, I would like to introduce her to the various religions. That way, she can choose to follow whatever religious beliefs she wants, or even not follow any of them at all. As long as it's her decision (and not a tainted decision), I'm okay with it. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that my way of doing things would be frowned upon by other influencing factors in Briana's life.
Of course, all of this has nothing to do with PJ's first communion. PJ's first communion, however, provided me with some quality father-daughter bonding time on Saturday. Karen attended PJ's service. So I got to spend a couple of hours with just Briana.
So what does one do during quality bonding time? Well, it turns out that on Saturday, I took Briana on her first trip to the library. Thrilling, I know. Apparently, several of the librarians had previously requested to see Briana. (You know you go to the library too much when librarians ask to see your newborn daughter.) And that's what I did.
Needless to say, the librarians loved seeing Briana. I think Briana enjoyed it too. And what's not to enjoy? Having everyone giving you their undivided attention... Briana, it turns out, just stared at my favorite librarian (Vicki). She kept watching her.
Following the library, I took Briana to the bank as well. Interestingly enough, there were requests from the bank employees to bring her in as well so that they could meet her. (You know you go to the bank too much when...) Unfortunately on Saturday, many of the bank employees who had requested to see Briana were not there. So it was just a simple bank transaction day.
Apparently, I had one of the bank employees laughing in stitches. The bank has a bowl of lollipops by the teller window. Jokingly, I asked Briana if she wanted a lollipop. Well, the bank teller (who looked like he was twelve), thought I was crazy offering a lollipop to a newborn daughter. It wasn't until I said "Just kidding" seconds later that the bank teller broke out in laughter because he thought I was serious in offering Briana a lollipop.
Anyway, by the time I was done with the library and the bank, quality father-daughter bonding time was over. I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place for the first communion party. And as usual, it was a good party.
Of course, when I first arrived, there were no other cars in Janine's driveway. Naturally, I began to worry if the party were somewhere else other than her place because I was out and about for some time. (It wouldn't be the first time that I got the plans mixed up.) I thought that there would be a lot of cars in her driveway by the time I arrived. It turns out that the first communion mass just happened to be extremely long. (Yet another reason not to be religious.) It was not until Janine's BFF (Gretchen) opened the door that I breathed a sigh of relief.
But yeah, the first communion party was good. As usual, a lot of people got to hold Briana during the party. She must have been passed to everyone: Karen's grandparents, my favorite brother-in-law's (PJ) brother (Mark), Mark's fiancee (Emily), PJ and Mark's mother, Karen's aunt (Denise), Gretchen, Janine, and Karen's mother (possibly a few times). And I'm sure Briana loved every minute of being held.
So it only makes sense then that I have never been a fan of religion. My point of view in terms of religion is from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in. Had my parents been deeply pious, my view on religion may have been different. (I doubt my point of view would be any different because there is still a lot of hypocrisy in organized religion and I am not a big fan of hypocrisy.) Many of my friends who were raised with religion aren't religious. In fact, many people in the United States today who were raised within a religion aren't religious. If anything, most of them are pseudo-religious, attending church services (if ever only) on days like Christmas and Easter. Where are they during the other Sundays? Probably not thinking about religion.
Thus, religion has always appeared to me to be... well, a religion of convenience. Can't eat meat on Fridays during Lent? Well, if St. Patrick's Day falls on Friday... meat is allowed on Fridays. Unless the Almighty were Irish and loved corned beef, why would God say that situation is okay? It makes no sense. Hence, the religion of convenience.
Nevertheless, religion is one of those touchy subjects that seem to get people all up in arms. After all, wars were started over religion. Sad but true. So I pretty much leave well enough alone. Eventually, I will have to deal with religion at some point while raising my daughter (Briana). Were it solely my decision, I would wait to introduce the whole concept of organized religion into Briana's life when she is capable of making her own decisions. Ideally, I would like to introduce her to the various religions. That way, she can choose to follow whatever religious beliefs she wants, or even not follow any of them at all. As long as it's her decision (and not a tainted decision), I'm okay with it. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that my way of doing things would be frowned upon by other influencing factors in Briana's life.
Of course, all of this has nothing to do with PJ's first communion. PJ's first communion, however, provided me with some quality father-daughter bonding time on Saturday. Karen attended PJ's service. So I got to spend a couple of hours with just Briana.
So what does one do during quality bonding time? Well, it turns out that on Saturday, I took Briana on her first trip to the library. Thrilling, I know. Apparently, several of the librarians had previously requested to see Briana. (You know you go to the library too much when librarians ask to see your newborn daughter.) And that's what I did.
Needless to say, the librarians loved seeing Briana. I think Briana enjoyed it too. And what's not to enjoy? Having everyone giving you their undivided attention... Briana, it turns out, just stared at my favorite librarian (Vicki). She kept watching her.
Following the library, I took Briana to the bank as well. Interestingly enough, there were requests from the bank employees to bring her in as well so that they could meet her. (You know you go to the bank too much when...) Unfortunately on Saturday, many of the bank employees who had requested to see Briana were not there. So it was just a simple bank transaction day.
Apparently, I had one of the bank employees laughing in stitches. The bank has a bowl of lollipops by the teller window. Jokingly, I asked Briana if she wanted a lollipop. Well, the bank teller (who looked like he was twelve), thought I was crazy offering a lollipop to a newborn daughter. It wasn't until I said "Just kidding" seconds later that the bank teller broke out in laughter because he thought I was serious in offering Briana a lollipop.
Anyway, by the time I was done with the library and the bank, quality father-daughter bonding time was over. I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place for the first communion party. And as usual, it was a good party.
Of course, when I first arrived, there were no other cars in Janine's driveway. Naturally, I began to worry if the party were somewhere else other than her place because I was out and about for some time. (It wouldn't be the first time that I got the plans mixed up.) I thought that there would be a lot of cars in her driveway by the time I arrived. It turns out that the first communion mass just happened to be extremely long. (Yet another reason not to be religious.) It was not until Janine's BFF (Gretchen) opened the door that I breathed a sigh of relief.
But yeah, the first communion party was good. As usual, a lot of people got to hold Briana during the party. She must have been passed to everyone: Karen's grandparents, my favorite brother-in-law's (PJ) brother (Mark), Mark's fiancee (Emily), PJ and Mark's mother, Karen's aunt (Denise), Gretchen, Janine, and Karen's mother (possibly a few times). And I'm sure Briana loved every minute of being held.
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