Two Months

It's been TWO MONTHS since I last posted.

Yikes.

So, what have I been up to?

A lot. I've been busy.

Really busy.

Some good stuff, some bad.

First of all, I've been working (still a nanny to these two gorgeous kiddos!) 45+ hours per week.

I've been attending Grad School twice a week in the evenings...and I've been dominating! Can you say 98% on my first paper AND my first exam?!

I've been doing lots of fun social stuff. Hanging with friends, going to new bars and restaurants, going to Orioles baseball games (remember how I love my Baltimore Orioles?) We weren't able to make Opening Day at Camden Yards this year (work work work), but we went the next day...close enough.

Things with the man are going wonderfully. His mom met my parents for the first time last weekend, and they all got along great! Huge sigh of relief...I may or may not have taken a shot of vodka before that dinner...haha.

A few not-so-pleasant things have been going on as well. A girl I knew since middle school died in a plane crash in Afghanistan on March 11 while on deployment. She was an Army Helicopter Pilot, and she just got married in November. The viewing/wake was pretty rough. She was 27 and was excited to start her family. I was pretty torn up about it for awhile, and it still makes me cry when I think about it. Especially because I have a brother the same age who is also a military pilot...I just can't imagine losing him, and I can't imagine the pain her husband must be going through.

A few other personal things have been going on that have been difficult emotionally, but I don't want to bring negativity onto my blog by discussing it here (and I'd rather protect my own privacy and the privacy of all those involved).

However, I will say that things with my boyfriend are INCREDIBLE, so it's not that. And everyone in my immediate family is happy and healthy. In fact, my sister-in-law is expecting a second little girl--now I will have TWO NIECES to spoil!

Gah...I am so excited. I already have visions of two little flower girls at my future wedding!

Ok, time to go...I'm nannying and the baby is about to wake up...

How has your April been?

To My Blog Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Honestly, I've never been a huge Valentine's Day fan, whether I was single or in a relationship. Even when I had a serious boyfriend all through college, we never really did anything too crazy for Valentine's Day...it always just seemed like an excuse for stores to rake in more money. 

However, I'm certainly no Valentine's Day Scrooge, either. I always wear red or pink, love giving out (and receiving) candy hearts and heart-shaped chocolates, and love to send cards and e-cards to my family and friends each year.

So, imagine my surprise when I woke up to quite a festive sight this morning:

Inside the card was a simple, heartfelt note, and a Livingsocial deal for a Pub Crawl! Yesss. What made this whole setup extra special was that Sean and I go to bed at the same time, and I wake up before him...which means he snuck out in the middle of the night to set this up. I love that man.

So, the rest of my day has been spent with my mini-Valentine:

Being a nanny is still going really well. Other things going on lately?

Grad school. I am loving it so far, but it is (of course) very hard work. I am still trying to get into the groove and find my rhythm with paper-writing, textbook-reading, and studying--all while working 40+ hours per week (I work a lot of weekend hours, too). So...sorry for the lack of blogging.

Other things I've enjoyed include crock pot meals:

(with a side of wine, of course)

Football games:

(This was taken before the Super Bowl, when my RAVENS won!!! That hasn't happened since I was a kid, so needless to say I was PUMPED)

And random trips to visit friends in interesting, fairly-nearby places:

(Philadelphia, PA)

I just wanted to post a quick little update to let you know what I've been up to lately. Off to do some reading for school and have some chocolates! 

Have a day filled with love and sweetness!

Where the hello have I been?!

Ok, ok, so I doubt very many people keep up with my blog anymore since it has been so sporadic and  inconsistent for the past year or so.

I always prooomise that I am going to post X amount of times per week, and I even make a "blogging schedule" for myself...and then life gets in the way.

So, I wanted to at least pop in to say that I haven't been blogging much because I've been going through a LOT of changes in my personal and professional life.

Such as...

-Moving into a new apartment in a new town (but with the same guy, of course--he's here for the long haul)

-Quitting my job (That post was written when I first got the position...but it started to really wear on my emotionally and I was downright unhappy towards the end. I have no ill will for any of my coworkers or supervisors--they were all incredible!--and I learned so much there. However, it was time to move on).

-Instead, I am now a full-time nanny. Wait...what? How is this a "professional" career change, you ask? Well, quite frankly...it's sort of not. But the right position with a fantastic family fell into my lap, in a gorgeous area and decent pay, and I went for it. Why am I doing this, you ask? Because...

-I applied and have been accepted into Graduate School! Beginning in the Spring 2013 semester, I will be studying at Towson University for my Master of Science in Human Resources Development. I am really excited about it. I will be taking two night classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the great thing about my new nanny job is the flexibility with my hours (generally work 8-4 M-F) which allows me enough time to make it to evening classes, and also allows me to study during the day (while the babies are napping).

That is pretty much the big stuff. I've had a lot of family visits, including to visit my grandparents who are old and sick, and I've been more concerned with real life than with the blog.

However, I really am going to try to blog more...even if no one is reading but myself! Haha. I won't make any promises or force myself to stick to a "schedule", but I will try (at first) to blog once a week. Right now it is naptime for the kids, so I am thinking it will be easier to blog during the afternoon than at my previous job.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! I'll be back soon with a couple of recipes to share--some cookies and some crock pot wonders!

And I'll leave you with a photo of Sean and I when we visited the lights on 34th street in Hampden this past Saturday:

What's your favorite holiday?

The Nanny

No, not that nanny!

This one:

(that's me in August with T and F, the cutest boys ever!)

Last night was my first night working at my new nannying job. I am watching three kids--twins (a boy & a girl) who are 5, and their little brother, who is 3. Last night, I just had to watch them for a few hours after dinner. But starting in January, I'll be nannying pretty consistently 3 or 4 days per week. The money is good, and it's a good interim position while I seek full-time employment.

After all, I am a college graduate now.

(Sorry. I just like saying that! :-P)

Anyway, the kids were pretty good. Bedtime is always a bit of a struggle, and the fact that the two boys share a bedroom adds an extra hassle, but I think I did a pretty swell job on my first day.

Case in point:

Other than that, my family is just gearing up for the holidays! My brother is home, which is awesome--I hadn't seen him since May! Tomorrow, his fiancee flies in--can't wait!

The next week is a whirlwind of family parties, catching up with friends, baking up a storm, and hopefully having a chance to just RELAX.

Do you get stressed around the holidays?

I find that it's often easy to get caught up in the preparations and the gift-wrapping and baking and making everything perfect, and I find myself forgetting the real reason for Christmas. I'm not super religious, but I do find myself to be a spiritual person, and I often have to force myself to stop and thank God, or whatever higher power is up there, for all of the wonderful blessings in my life. Christmas is not just about gifts and food and parties. It is about truly being present (pun sort of intended), and about savoring each and every moment with our loved ones.