#1 Fan

DH plays softball on Fridays.  Every Friday.  This Friday just so happened to be the annual Brew at the Zoo, best charity fundraiser- ever. 

As much as I absolutely love BATZ, it just wouldn't be the same without him, so I offered to go to his game. 

There is something super sexy that I see in him every time I watch him play sports (with the exception of beer pong.  Ok maybe even sometimes beer pong).  I don't know if it's the whole muscle thing or the competitive attitude he gets.  Whatever it is, I love it and I love being his #1 fan! 

Not your average "Tupperware" party

So... a few weeks ago, one of my best friends, Allison, asked me to go to a sex toy party with her.  I balked.  "I'm not really into that sort of thing" picturing a bunch of girls sitting in a circle passing around fake ding dongs while a hooker-esque lady talks about yucky stuff.  Mature, I know.

She said there would be wine, so I caved and went, joking with my hubby that I was just going to a "tupperware" party.  I was still a little leary of the whole thing, but it was nothing like I imagined and I had a hilariously good time.  I can't believe at 28, I had never been to one of these "naughty" parties.  It was actually very refreshing to sit around with a group of women, mostly married, and talk openly about sex.  What works, what feels good, all the silly stuff that our men do.  I joke about it all the time... but really talk about it... pretty much never.

Last night, Allison hosted her own party.  So, of course, I went... and had a blast.  We played silly games, tested some products, had some yummy apps and awesome wine slushies.  Quality girl bonding time.

I have decided to host my own party next week.  It is going to be a CNY Knottie/Pure Romance party... I can't wait to see how everything turns out. 

Next up, I plan to post reviews on some of the products I purchased.  My fav so far... Body Dew!!!

OOTD

I've been really into flowy tops and bat-sleeves lately... oh and my super killer deal white pants.  I am going to be very sad to retire them after Labor Day.  Maybe I will make it my mission to re-write that silly fashion rule.  Anyway... ta-daaaa! 
Please excuse the sloppy hair... just got out of the shower.

Top:  Dark purple bat-sleeve shirt from TJ Maxx
Pants:  White linen from Banana Republic  **bought these Black Friday shopping for $2.99... how awesome is that?
Shoes:  Chunky brown wedges from Target

Top 10

A fellow CNY Knottie, acmj11/, posted a hilarious "Top 10" list yesterday and I wanted to share... keep in mind she has been planning her wedding for about 18 months and is just 10 days away.  For anyone who is in the planning stages or recently married, this will probably ring a bell.  Enjoy.

"Top 10 Reasons to Elope

10.  Writing out the invitations by hand.  I did EVERY SINGLE ONE by myself.  It really sucked.  A lot.

9.  Figuring out the rehearsal dinner.  OMG!  Formal vs. casual, inside vs. outside.  I lost this one, and you know what?  It wasn't even worth it. This was more stressful than I ever thought it would be.  Good thing we're getting married on a Friday.  Because our rehearsal is on a Thursday, we were able to book it last minute.

8.  The expense.  Grrrr...I originally wanted something untraditional, lowkey, etc.  Somehow everything spiraled out of control.  Our guest list got up to 260 and it turned into this big formal production.  I come from a BIG Italian family...I guess I should have seen it coming.

7.  Oh, so you're RSVPing for 2?  That's interesting because I didn't invite your plus one.

6.  This seating chart is driving me insane.  Sit where I put you and like it

5.  Fighting the Bridezilla urge.  Now I really think I've been a reasonable and easy going bride.  All I asked for was a black patent leather shoe.  I don't care what height, whether its strappy, or a pump, or open-toed.  Why are you fighting me on this?  Don't make me remind you that the specific pair I was forced to wear for your wedding is sitting in my closet and I will never wear them again.

4.  This one kind of goes hand in hand with number 7.  When the seamstress pinned my sister's dress at the knee to be hemmed, she remarked, "Are you sure that's wear you want it?  One of the other bridesmaids got hers a lot shorter."  Seriously????  I'm going to take deep breaths and hope for the best on this one.

3.   Just because you asked me to be in your wedding, does not mean I owe it to you to be in mine.  Just because I don't ask you doesn't mean we're not friends.  Get a grip and be thankful that you get to come without shelling out the extra cash you would have if you were in the wedding party.

2.  Grrrr.... weddings and blended families do NOT mix.  I don't think I have to elaborate on this one.

1.  I can't wait until things go back to normal with my family.  My dad can't handle anything and I don't really feel like I should be talking to my stepmom about everything.  For crying out loud, dad, it's YOUR daughter's wedding!!" 

Athena has inspired me to create my own "Top 10" list, which I will work on this week... for now... back to the grind.

OOTD

So...  I have never done an OOTD post, but I was feeling pretty snazzy today in my new stretchy shimmery navy blue pants that I swiped off the clearance rack at Target.  Love Target.

White tank and 1/2 sleeve cardigan also from Target.  Hard to see them, but Nude patent pumps from Steve Madden.
Lucy wanted to enjoy a moment in the spotlight too while I was trying to get a better pic of the shoes.

Recipe: Red, White and Blue Nachos

Red:  Homemade Salsa
          - 3 Medium Plum Tomatoes
          - 1 Large Red Pepper
          - 1/2 Large Red/Purple Onion
          - 2 Small Serrano Chili Peppers
          - Small Bunch of Cilantro
     Dice all (I use a Slap Chop... so easy) and mix together.

White:  Queso Cheese and Chicken
          - 1 Brick of Pepper Jack Cheese, melted
          - 1lb Chicken, season with Salt, Pepper and Cayenne   Pepper (my hubby likes it HOT!)
          - 2 Small Serrano Chili Peppers, diced
      Grill chicken, dice and stir into melted queso

Blue:  Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

Serve layered, super yummy!

Meet the family

So... since I am on a roll with introducing myself, I thought I should also introduce my lovely family.

My wonderful husband, Kevin, and I met through the Marine Corps on our way to Djibouti, Africa.  Yes, that's a real place.  I actually lol'd when I found out I was being sent there for a deployment.  I thought it was a joke.  I got a gruff "you might want to look at a map, Sergeant" and felt like an uneducated moron. 

Anyway, Kevin is the sweetest guy ever and I am so truly blessed to call him my husband!  Lucky girl!

Next up... our darling little one... Lucy!!  (XP from "Meet Lucy Page)

We new for a long time that we wanted to add a little one to our family... we waited for a house, then we waited til the wedding madness was over and we returned from our honeymoon.

We are so blessed to welcome Lucy to our family!
She is an Olde English Bulldog and we love love LOVE her!!!

Having a puppy is very much like having a baby.  Since bringing her home, our lives have changed drastically.  We can no longer simply run errands on the way home from work or take off on a weekend trip on a whim.  In short, our lives now revolve around her.  We  wouldn't have it any other way... lost sleep, extra loads of laundry and all.

So... that's it... for now... just Kevin, Lucy and I.  One happy little fam-damily!!