Online Garage Sale

Here are my latest items for sale. Contact me with any questions.


Red formal dress - size 4, Bill Pesci Couture Collection, strapless, a-line - $25
Pale blue formal dress - size 12, tea length, strapless, tie around the waist - $20
Amanda Smith skirt suit - size 4, 5-button jacket and black skirt - $25

Black Banana Republic dress, simple shape with knot at bust - size XS - $10

Everything I Needed to Know About Relationships, I Learned From My Dog

When Guy and I brought a dog into our lives, we knew she would bring joy, frustration, and lots of laughter. What we didn't know is that she would actually teach us things about our marriage and the ways we relate to each other. Aside from serving as excellent birth control, getting a dog has been a great teaching tool. For instance, I am always telling Guy how I would like him to show his affection more. Yes, he says he loves me, but why can't he show it? A hug or kiss when I walk through the door, or even a smile that shows me he's happy to see me would be much appreciated. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I voiced my opinion, it never seemed to sink in...until I related it to the way Lily greets Guy each time he arrives home. When she hears the garage door open, Lily bolts down the stairs and paces back and forth, wagging her tail until Daddy comes up the steps and she can smother him in kisses. There is no doubt in his mind that Lily loves him and is happy that he's home. When I paralleled this situation to my need for physical affection from him, I think Guy finally got it. Though he doesn't have a tail to wag, he's been doing much better at expressing his love the way I'd like him to.

On my side of the teaching opportunities, I was humbled by a witty remark Guy made over dinner the other night. Since I typically spend the afternoons home with the dog, she tends to hover around me and whine and bark until I give her what she needs. In fact, she is prancing around me with a needy air as I type this post. I expressed to Guy that I wish Lily could find ways to entertain herself that didn't involve me. He simply said, "I know how that feels." I had to laugh because it is so true. I've given Guy a lot of slack in the past because I'm always bored and looking for his companionship to keep me occupied. I've taken offense when he would rather do his own thing than sit around and do nothing with me. But now I realize, from the way I feel about Lily, that it's not that he doesn't love me. I love that dog as much as my own family members. But sometimes you just don't want to spend your time finding ways to entertain someone else. I get it now.

So, as I sit here and Lily pulls paper out of my garbage can and proceeds to shred it to pieces, I am thankful for her in ways she can never understand. She is more than a pet to me. She is my friend, and I can only hope she continues to teach me new perspectives on life.

Strike a Pose

I sold my wedding dress a few months ago to an aspiring model. I was really interested to see what she would do with it, so I have been internet-stalking her, and I finally found some posted pictures of it! I think it looks pretty darn sweet, but I wish she would have steamed it before the photo shoot. Overall, though, I'm proud of my sale. At least someone can put it to good use now, rather than saving it for a daughter who most likely won't want to wear it.

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Anniversary Poetry

Go ahead, gag now, but I'm posting the anniversary poem that was given to me by my lovely (and verbally gifted) husband. It's not necessarily romantic, and you may not get all the references, but I thought it was worthy of public viewing just for the sheer length and rhyme scheme of it. Here she blows:

Three years ago on this very day
Both of our lives changed in a big way.
We kissed at the altar, you refueled our stretch,
We danced our first dance and we got our first sketch.
Our trip south was rainy, but we sure did eat great,
Then back to reality in our newlywed state.
We share a bed with a dark red theme
Where I learned that you grind* and you talk in your dreams.
Lois and Ed and the AC from heck,
We got tired of renting so online we did check.
After some looking we chose to obtain
Our current abode here on Old Village Lane.
With hair in the drawers and the walls a pale blue
We knew that there was so much work to do!
So we cleaned and we painted and we made it our own,
Then we brought in a dog to destroy our new home.
With a woof and a wag and a jump and a bark
That goofy-assed bitch ran away with our hearts.
So it's Mommy and Daddy and little girl Lily,
The first two have jobs while the last just acts silly.
I work in IT for Fairmont Supply,
Striving to be #1 Help Desk Guy.
You're waiting tables and serving up suds,
And mostly enjoy it if your shifts are not duds.
So what's next for us, and where will we dwell?
Our townhouse is lame and we're looking to sell.
Who will be fourth in our new family?
A kid with brown hair or a friend for Lily?
There's really no way to know for sure,
But I've told you before, and I'll tell you some more:
It doesn't matter where we work or we stay,
I love you as much as I did on that day
That I wore a tux and you a white dress,
And I'd do it again because you are the best!

*Get your mind out of the gutter. He means I grind my teeth.

You Know You're From Pittsburgh When...

As my 3-year wedding anniversary is approaching, I have been thinking back to our wedding -- the things I loved, and the things I would do differently. I have to say that there isn't a whole lot I would change about June 18, 2005. I think Guy and I really personalized the wedding "format" and made it our own. From the caricature artist to the candy buffet to walking down the aisle to the theme from "The Princess Bride," I'm proud of the affair we put on! One thing, though, that I really loved was the way we used table names instead of numbers, and how we created a "You Know You're From Pittsburgh When" saying for each of the table cards. No, we didn't look these sayings up and copy them. We actually made them up! (**Toots own horn**).
So, in honor of my walk down memory lane, I now present to you...our table cards.

You know you're from Pittsburgh when...

-You have a collection of pickle pins (Heinz 57 table)
-Every time you see a Campbell's Soup can, you think of Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol table)
-You've ridden the Incline at least twice, even though it's the most boring ride of your life (The Incline table)
-You go to the deli and order a pound of chipped-chopped ham (Isaly's table)
-You've spit off the top deck of The Majestic (The Gateway Clipper Fleet table)
-You know which two rivers form the mighty Ohio (Three Rivers table)
-You've eaten at Buca di Beppo, danced at the Matrix, or laughed at the Funny Bone (Station Square table)
-Your sports stadiums are named after banks (PNC Park & Mellon Arena table)
-You've hung out at the fountain where three rivers meet (The Point table)
-"Double Yoi" can accurately describe how you're feeling (Myron Cope table)
-You know where your school field trip will be before you get the permission slips, and you've already saved your $3 to buy astronaut ice cream for the bus ride home (Carnegie Science Center table)
-You've taken prom pictures at the overlooks (Mt. Washington table)
-Fries and coleslaw come on the sandwich, not on the side (Primanti Brothers table)
-Mr. Rogers really is your neighbor (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood table)

Might As Well Face It

I'm addicted to junk. Food, that is. More specifically, anything sugary, chocolaty, or prone to causing cavities. I have known about this addiction for quite a long time, but it never seemed to be a problem until I graduated from college. Desk job + maintaining unhealthy eating habits = 30 pounds gained. The worst part is, I am starting to forget what it was like to be my former, skinnier self. Being this weight feels normal to me because I've been it for so long, but I don't want to let myself be complacent because then I'm only bound for higher numbers on the scale.

So, to combat my growing waistline, I made a commitment to give up any and every item of edible junk in my life for the entire month of April. I am not one who can stock up on fudgesicles and 100-calorie packs to treat myself once in a while, because "once in a while" turns out to be "after every meal," and 100-calorie packs are not as thrifty when you eat three in one sitting. Despite the many cravings and temptations I encountered along the way, I made it through the whole month without having even a bite of dessert, except the one time near the end of the month where I partook in my last cake day at work. But even then, I ate the cake and felt like it really wasn't worth it. Had my addiction been broken?

Unfortunately, that brings us to today, a day in which I have consumed too many jellybeans and nonpareils to count. I wasn't intending on hitting May 1st and beginning the binge again, but I had a gift certificate to a candy store that I cashed in on yesterday, and I've been grabbing handfuls of the stuff every time I pass by the bags. Pride and lust were never really my thing, but I just might end up in the eternal rain of the underworld with Cerberus by my side if I'm not careful. Thankfully, the nonpareils are nothing but memories, and the jellybeans are not far behind them. When I have polished off the last of them, I am recommitting to my self-deprivation once again, because, as they say, self-deprivation for a worthy cause is really just self-preservation.*

*I don't know if anyone's ever said that.

Ch-ch-changes!

Every time I write a new post nowadays, I feel like I'm writing to no one, since I doubt I have much of an audience anymore, but I guess that just means I can make this a bit more introspective and more like a journal...for one entry, at least!

There are going to be some big changes occurring within the next month of my life. No, I'm not pregnant. I kind of just decided to quit my job, mostly on a whim, though it had been building up for a long time (is that contradictory?). The point is that I didn't have a totally rational plan when I decided to hit the road. I just woke up one morning and decided I was tired of waiting for something else to come along. So, I sent out some resumes and actually got two job offers in one day. I turned down working as a preschool teacher and accepted a job as a server at a new restaurant that's opening up in Peters Twp. I won't say which one, just for the sake of keeping some anonymity, but if you want to know, just ask me. If you are anything like my grandma, you are thinking one of a few things, including: "why would you quit a stable job for something unpredictable?" and "why would you waste your college degree in a job that doesn't require one?" The truth is, I really don't know. I know that I was unhappy where I was, and the time came to do something about it. Maybe I'll be happier at this new job. Maybe I won't. The main thing is that at least I'm taking a chance. I am sad to leave my friends at my old job, and I'm feeling kind of routine-sick, simply because I've been doing the same thing for 40 hours a week for the past three years, but I hope to make new friends (and keep the old) and form new routines.

So, that's where I'm at right now. If anyone has any advice on how to be a super-great server and get super-great tips, or if you have any opinions you want to share about what you like/don't like that servers do, feel free to share. I need all the help I can get!