Bark for Life

About a month ago, I received an email at work about Cincinnati's "Bark for Life" event.

Hurrah! For once I had the appropriate plus one to bring along!

So, I marked the day in my planner and signed Ellie and myself up.

I woke up early this morning (meaning 7am...which I do think is early for a Saturday) and drove west to pick up Miss Eleanor May.

She was still sleeping when I walked into my parents' house. And she was not amused.

Please see the below photo for a visual of how angry she felt towards me.

The morning was a total blast though.

We had beautiful weather—the sort of perfect spring day that only comes around every so often.

Ellie mostly behaved herself.

For the first half an hour or so, she was a bit too jumpy and excited, but she eventually wore herself out. Best of all, she was very nice when interacting with the other dogs. It's always a relief to have a pet who gets along well with others!

Ellie even sat patiently in the grass and watched as a police dog gave a stellar demonstration!

Of course, she was also a bit of a diva and demanded to drink from a bottle of water rather than use the communal water bowl.

But I really cannot blame her for that.

It was so neat being able to raise money for the American Cancer Society with Ellie! A very cool experience indeed!

Back to my blogging! Finally.

Oh, dear.

How has it been eight days since I lost blogged?

Eight days lost in time.

All we can assume is that I watched a lot of House of Cards, stayed up painfully late finishing up schoolwork, ate too much chocolate, and had at least one or two nervy-b's/existential crises (generally a result of the second item on this list).

Nothing too exciting, basically.

It is 10:24, and I am writing this from bed since I'm off from work for the day.

I spent the weekend visiting friends in Cleveland and am very happy that I scheduled this buffer day before returning to work.

Cleveland was incredible, as always. I was able to spend time with wonderful friends who I don't get to see very often. I drank wine, explored new areas (excellent adventuring went down in Coventry), eat delicious foods, and just relish that feeling of being away from home and all of life's responsibilities.

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I also managed to avoid any $240 speeding tickets this go-around. 

Today, I plan to run some errands I've been putting off, finally tackle a few chores around the house, and hopefully end my evening with a glass of red wine (or white wine with a few drops of green food coloring) and a good book.

This week is spring break at school, and I feel very grateful for a week of no class.

Free evenings...how extraordinary!

Here is hoping for a lucky day and a lovely week! Happy St. Patrick's Day, bloggers!

Diana: A Celebration

It's been a week since I went to see "Diana: A Celebration" at the Cincinnati Museum Center with my mom and grandma.

I have thought and thought about the perfect blog post to describe the experience, but every time I sit down to write about it, I can't seem to properly put it into words.

Instead, I've come up with a list of highlights from the exhibit.

• The exhibit covered Diana's entire life. Childhood toys, report cards, home movies...all of these things seemed to show just how much joy Diana always had.

  

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• There was an entire room full of Diana's most iconic outfits. They even included photos or videos of her wearing each respective ensemble. I couldn't believe we were actually seeing Diana's stunning garments from Chanel, Catherine Walker, and Jacques Azagury. It was extraordinary.

  

  This was one of the Jacques Azagury dresses on display!

• Every little story and anecdote shared about Diana told what a truly kind and genuine person she was. One of the designers reminisced about a time he asked Diana if she could autograph something for the seamstress who worked on one of her gowns. Diana went so far as to autograph a photo and have it framed for the woman.

  

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• There was an entire room dedicated to Diana's philanthropy, and all I could think about as I saw her hugging AIDS victims (during a time when people thought the virus could be transmitted through contact) or walking through fields that were potentially filled with land mines was how courageous and brave this woman was.

  

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• When we arrived in the wedding room, my breath was literally taken away as they had her actual wedding gown -including the 25 foot train- on display in a glass box. Photos and even video from the wedding day were on all of the surrounding walls, and even my mom (who hardly ever cries) had tears in eyes. It was awing. 

  

  Stunning.

If you have a chance to check out the Princess Diana exhibit before it heads back to England in August (Cincinnati is its last stop- wild!), I totally recommend that you do.

Gosh.

I wonder if my chills will ever properly go away after seeing all of that.

The Dreaded P-- S----

This morning, I had my annual OBGYN appointment.

My mom said NOT to blog about this.

But I must. For women everywhere.

Because something awesome happened there today, and I must share!

Don't worry, Mum (and women everywhere)- I am not going to get all weird and TMI.

Anyway.

I am super vigilant about seeing my OB each spring as I am a crazy anxious individual who fears she is always dying.

These annual visits bring me some solace as I figure my doctor will be able to tell me if I am at least blatantly dying.

The whole appointment though often seems like one miserable event after another.

Let me tell you this- it is never anything like The Mindy Project.

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First, you must arrive fifteen minute early to fill out all of that boring paperwork. No, I'm not having trouble sleeping. Yes, I am abnormally anxious.

Nothing has ever changed.

After you've been waiting for about 20-25 minutes, the door will gently open and a nurse will call, "Insert your name here?"

Dum dum dum.

Your time has come.

You are then forced to step on a scale and will cringe as the nurse moves that pesky little bar farther and farther to capture just how plump you've grown.

If she's super sadistic, she will feel the need to say the number out loud.

This face? Exactly.

The nurse will then take your blood pressure and chat about your medical history as you contemplate never eating another Rolo or morsel of food for the next three months, that number from the scale still haunting your thoughts.

And here we arrive at the second worst part of the appointment. The dreaded paper gown.

Have fun sitting on a cold, examination table in a paper gown for the next fifteen minutes. If you're especially lucky, there will be a nearby mirror so you can admire how glamorous you look at this exact moment.

Okay. I'm done being snarky.

Back to present day appointment.

My least favorite part is THE important part of the appointment...the dreaded...

I'm so immature. I cannot even type it on my blog.

Can we just call it the PS?

Thanks.

I am a baby, and I think the PS hurts.

As I was tensing up and preparing myself for what was ahead this morning, my doctor smiled, "ACOG* passed new guidelines this past fall. Women in your age group now only need to get p-- s------ every three years so since you just had a perfectly healthy one last year, you won't need one today."

I gasped, "What? Really? That's FANTASTIC!"

Because it really and truly is fantastic news for any women out there who dread the annual PS as much as I do.

So...Mom, I am very sorry for blogging about this today, but I just had to pass along the good news.

Three years! Hurrah!

*The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Roger — My Trusty Chauffeur

In typical Cincinnati fashion, we began the month of March (decidedly a springtime month in my mind) with ice and snow.

As pretty as it all looked from my bedroom window, I was growing increasingly anxious last night at the thought of driving to work in it. 

Lucky for me, my trusty chauffeur (AKA my father) was there to save the day!

The only downside was that I had to be ready for pick-up by 7am (which I knew would actually be 6:45 since my parents are painfully punctual).

I am usually still sleeping at that hour, if you were curious. 

It was fun having my dad drive me to work, though.

I felt as though I was in grade school again when my dad would drop my little brother and me off on his way to work. He has always been such a morning person. He would jabber away happily and try making us play quiz games during the fifteen minute commute.

We stonily played along, groggy and grumpy.

Often, we would just moan, "Leave us alone."

I must admit, now I could get quite used to the idea of being chauffeured around. 

Maybe it's time I invest in a proper driver and Town Car?

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Thank you for driving me to and from work today, Dad!

I so appreciate it!

I am sure every other driver out there appreciated it, as well! ;)

Every Woman

Let's pretend I am super wise and know more than an ounce about womanhood for the duration of this post.

Sound good?

Let us proceed!

Every woman should...

Own the complete series of Sex and the City. No matter what you're muddling your way through, there is a SATC episode that covers it. Please be aware though that you may fall prey to Mr. Big Syndrome. Most Mr. Big characters out there will always be jerks. Stick with the Aidans of the world instead.

Isn't it beautiful?

Keep a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator. You never know when there will be something to celebrate (surviving Monday...perfecting the ever problematic smoky eye...getting in a good workout...these are all occasions worth celebrating)!

Read at least one Jane Austen novel.

I dare you not to love these books.

Take more bubble baths. Preferably with a good book in hand.

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Have a celebrity crush. Mine is Hugh Jackman (just incase I hadn't made that clear in 1230981230913 posts prior to this).

Moisturize. My personal favorite is Olay Quench Body Lotion. It even has tiny bits of SHIMMER in it so your skin literally sparkles! 

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Watch The Mindy Project and Girls.

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Treat herself to the occasional extravagant gift.* Have your eye on a pair of L.K. Bennett heels? Lusting after that David Yurman ring? Go for it. 

*Be careful not to overdo this one and become Becky Bloomwood. Or me. 

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Order a Starbucks drink without anything light (at least every now and then). Don't even hold the whipped cream!

Buy herself flowers. I try to keep a vase of fresh flowers on my nightstand all of the time. Tulips bring me the most happiness.

Have friends that love her and accept her for exactly who she is.  

And, as Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

Beginning March...sick.

12:04am- happy March to me!

My season two House of Cards marathon night had been cut short as apparently, I had fallen asleep after guzzling down cold medicine (two tablespoons worth anyway) and orange juice. 

At least I know what happens in episode 1- ohmyGOD. 

I mean, I heard that it would blow my mind, but...whoa.

"There is always tomorrow," I sighed, as I took another dose of medicine, brushed my teeth, and went back to bed.

Have you ever been hit with one of those mega colds?

At work Thursday and Friday, my head felt so full and congested I could hardly think straight. I was sneezing and blowing my nose every 90 seconds, and I'm sure my coworkers were all silently loathing me and praying I didn't infect them all. 

I stopped at Kroger on the way home and loaded up on all of the essentials.

I do feel marginally better this morning following a whopping thirteen hours of sleep (seriously).

My mom, grandma, and I are going to see the Princess Diana exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center this afternoon, and I'm hoping DayQuil keeps me going.

I've been looking forward to this for months now!

So mega cold, you had better behave yourself. Don't bother me again until after the exhibit, please.