And I really hope I meet McDreamy while I'm there

This little Goddess is off for a little vacation in Seattle. A few of my favorite friends now live there and I cannot wait to have a fabulous time!!! I love, love, LOVE the laid-back vibe in Seattle. And last time I was there, they were actually filming Grey's Anatomy. I am little less in love with that show now than I was then. But, seriously, my love for Patrick Dempsey will go on forever.

And yes, I am leaving nation's capital during the most patriotic week of the year. Yes, the fireworks on the Mall are amazing. But heat+humidity+one million tourists=cranky Rebecca. So I am escaping.

I will be back next Monday with Seattle tales and Seattle pictures. And I will also be back with lots of entries about the baking and decorating projects that have filled the month of June but I just haven't had time to write about.

So Happy Fourth of July to you!!! Relax and have a fruity beverage (with a festive umbrella) for me!!!

Best. Summer. TV. Ever.

One of the great joys of summer used to be the trashy shows that the networks put on to fill the void of the regular programming being in reruns. It takes me back to the summer before seventh grade when a little show called Melrose Place came into the world. Aw, those were the days... Now summer=awful reality television (I LOATHE reality television...absolutely loathe it.)

But this summer, there appears to be a saving grace.

Is anyone else completely hooked on the show "MVP" on SoapNet? The show centers on the dramatic love lives of a Canadian hockey team. Holy awesome trash-tastic summer television!!!! (And at first, I thought whoa, these actors have really bad, fake Canadian accents. Then I did a little research on IMDB and discovered that the actors are all real Canadians. Oops, I guess I don't know a real Canadian accent when I hear one.)

Seriously, check it out! I think it is on on Thursday nights at 11 p.m. ET but it replays 27 times a week so you can watch it almost every day.

Frostbite in June?

Sometimes the absurdities of my hypochondria astound even me.

Today I was sitting at my desk in my cubicle when I happened to slip off my cute, comfy flats and notice that my two little toes were blackish purple. Immediately (and sadly, I am not exaggerating...at all), my mind leaped to "Oh my God, I have frostbite. My toes are going to fall off! AHHHHHHHHH!"

Never mind that it's June. In uber-humid Washington D.C. And 85 degrees outside. Nope, I was convinced that I had frostbite.

And then I realized my flats were my new black Privos by Clarks (on sale!) and the newness of the shoe had rubbed off on my toes. Thereby giving me "frostbite."

Yes, I realize that I am quite the mess.

I survived Operation Wisdom Teeth extraction

And honestly (and typed while I knock on wood-like laminate surface), it was not that bad.

I am a little swollen on the right side (where the tooth was a little "temperamental") and I am not quite ready for solid food. Or forks. I got through the whole thing using only half of a Vicodin which I only took because everyone said I should. I have a freakishly high pain threshold so I do not know if the lack of pain can be attributed to that or to well, there being no pain.

I went into the procedure with a pool of knowledge because I basically asked everyone I knew for their "wisdom" (ha!) on the procedure. So now I feel as though I must share mine.

• Laughing gas is weird. I really don't know how to describe it. Several Internet websites describe it as similar to being high on drugs. I have no basis for comparison on that one but it definitely felt bizarre. And the pig snout contraption that I got to wear over my noise was so fashionable.


• The procedure went super fast. I had only listened to four songs on my Ipod and it was over.


• Speaking of the Ipod. If you have one and are having any sort of dental procedure (and your dentist allows it), I highly recommend it. I was bopping along to my music and for the most part was kind of oblivious to the whole procedure. I even made a special little playlist for the occasion called "Wisdom Teeth" (very original, huh?). However, my earbuds kept falling out but the surgeon and his techs were so good about putting them back in for me.


• And lastly, I have very straight teeth. And I NEVER had braces. And I am proud of this. In fact, I take every opportunity to brag about it. So it nearly destroyed me as I lay in the chair, gassed up, my mouth wedged open, unable to speak, and forced to listen to the surgeon and the techs debate whether or not I had worn braces because no one's teeth are this naturally straight. OMG, I wanted to rip the thing mouth wedge thing out of my mouth and shout, "No, I never wore braces!!! Those are my naturally perfect teeth!!!!" But I couldn't. GRRRR.

Oh, and I have to give a huge thanks to my Mom who was my awesome caretaker over the weekend. She kept me well fed with oatmeal, mac-n-cheese, bananas, and all other things mushy, watched 27 movies with me to pass the time as I rested on the couch, and even indulged in a little shoe shopping with me when I felt up to going out and about. And she organized my kitchen (more on that later). I was sad to see her leave this afternoon.



And tomorrow, I have to head back to work...and maybe even Pilates class.

Coming Soon: Rebecca...with 100% Less Wisdom

The time has come...to say farewell...to three useless teeth....W-I-S...D-O-M....T-E-E-T-H. Wisdom Teeth! (Adapted from the Mickey Mouse Club Theme, get it? I used to LOVE that show.)

Yep, so usually I am five days behind on everything. With this, I feel like I am about ten years off on this one. Didn't everyone else get this done in high school or at least college? I have a vague recollection of my classmates discussing dry sockets, infections, and such as I shoved my nose in my Calculus book.



And my wisdom teeth never really bothered me until a few months ago and my dentist said that they had to go!!! So this afternoon, go they will. My mom has flown in to take care of me for the weekend. Because I really don't think there is an age limit on wanting your mom to take care of you when you feel crummy.

And she brought me cookies from the Crivitz Bakery II (because Crivitz Bakery I just wasn't enough)!!!! The White Chocolate and Door County Cherry cookies from that place are just about my most favorite thing on the planet. So I am enjoying them in these waning hours of being able to eat solid food.

So wish me luck and I will report back later, swollen and eating applesauce.

Tuesday's Question

To all of you with kids or who know things about kids...

What in the world is the difference between a "onesie" and a "creeper"?

Every time I have to buy a baby gift, I become acutely aware of how absolutely little I know about babies and how to take care of them/dress them/etc.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

I am getting my Happy Father's Day wishes in with just two hours to spare. But I was waiting for the perfect picture to commemorate the day.

I love, love, LOVE old family pictures. Love the stories, love the fashions, love seeing how people/places/things have evolved over time.

My second favorite picture in my family's photo archives (my very favorite family picture will have to wait for a special event in July) is of my dad (center), grandpa (on the left), and great-grandpa (on the right) on my dad's confirmation day. The picture is taken in front of my grandparent's house. (And if I have any of those details wrong, I am certain someone in my family will correct me.)



I will argue that no one can rock the bow tie quite like my dad (and this would be one of maybe five occasions in his life when he has worn a non-military suit.)

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!!! (And enjoy the wonder that is Netflix! :) )

A giggle in my inbox

I woke up this morning to find this email from my sister Debbie in my inbox. It totally made me start my day with a giggle.

I was at Kmart the other day in the garden section. There was a “to do” list for the staff. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn you wrote it.

#3 on the list was “Pluck posthumous petunia petals promptly”. I laughed out loud….

So the secret is out. In my spare time, I write alliteration for retail establishments. LOL

What I did NOT expect to be doing on Thursday night

My typical Thursday night usually involves leaving work around 5 and then heading to the gym for a Pilates Reformer class. I usually don't get home until 8 o'clockish.


Yesterday, however, I took the afternoon off because I had a dentist appointment so I was home much earlier than unusual.


And it appears as though fate was on my side.

I live in a huge high rise that is home to over 2,000 people (By comparison, my hometown has 700 total). For as many people that live here, it is a relatively quiet and uneventful building. But yesterday afternoon, I arrived home and heard water running but I thought maybe my neighbor was taking a shower (our bathrooms share a wall). Shorty thereafter, it turned to a full-out gush. It sounded like Niagara Falls inside the wall and ceiling of my bathroom. I honestly thought my bathroom ceiling was going to cave in. The carpeting in the hallway outside my condo was completely drenched. I took this picture afterward but you can see how far out the water went.




I called my landlord in a panic and then ran down to the building front desk. At the same I was down there, someone in a unit above me called the desk and said their place was flooded.

At this point, my bathroom ceiling was buckling and there was water coming up through my kitchen floor. I put towels down to absorb as much water as I could and set my snowman cereal bowl to catch the dripping water in my bathroom.


Let me just admit that I do not handle crisis well. At all. Give me a high-stress situation at work and I am fine. But give me a potential flood and I lose it. My landlord was in constant contact with me, mainly trying to calm me down. He had dropped everything after the first call, got in his car, and made record time through rush hour traffic to make it to my building (He's a rockstar landlord.) He arrived with towels, paper toweling, and offered to go get me ice cream if it would calm me down. LOL

It took the maintenance staff a while to figure out the source of the water. It actually felt like forever as I sat there listening to the rush of water. I busied myself emptying out my bathroom and the adjoining closet (yes, I was very worried about my clothes.)

But ultimately they discovered that a toilet was overflowing in the unit comparable to mine several floors up. The residents weren't home and I cannot even imagine what that place looks like. Once they located the source, they finally stopped it but at that point, places were getting water damage all the way down to the first floor.

So my place is pretty wet and the kitchen floor and bathroom ceiling are going to have to be replaced. The insurance people should be by later today. The staff have been extremely helpful and supportive through the whole event. The head of the whole condo management board came by and was wet-vaccing my kitchen in a suit and tie. Um, you just don't see that every day. They left a huge industrial strength fan with me to help dry the floors up.

So it's one. big. mess. My kitchen is covered in towels; the entire contents of my bathroom is currently in the middle of my living room floor.


But it could have been so much worse. That most of the water went into the hallway wall and not through my bathroom ceiling saved me a lot of mess that most people are dealing with. I was looking forward to a thoroughly relaxing Friday but I just don't think that is in the cards.

As a public service announcement, please make sure your toliet is NOT running when you leave the house. Thank you.

Step 1...We can have lots of fun

Question: What has two thumbs and tickets to the New Kids on the Block reunion tour???


Answer: This Girl!!!


Yep, on October 2nd, I will be rockin' out to a little Hangin' Tough, Step By Step, and my personal favorite, the underrated Tonight...seriously, ask my college roommates. I made them listen to that song far more than is humanly healthy.




I am SO excited! I never went to a NKOTB concert when they were super popular. The nearest concert was in this exotic locale called Milwaukee. And we only went there for Zoo trips. Also, I was ten years old. And I totally would not let a ten-year old go to a concert.


Now you'll have to excuse me while I put on my giant New Kids on the Block buttons, snuggle up in my New Kids on the Block sleeping bag, and debate which of the guys will be my boyfriend this week. Jon was always SO dreamy (I think he's a real estate agent now).

Hot Race in the City

I have this weird thing where the minute I commit to some event, I nearly instantly dread having done it. I think it's just a general social anxiety. Which is weird because the minute I arrive, I am generally completely comfortable. Thus, there are very few events so important to me that I block them off my calendar a year in advance. Race for the Cure is one of those events. I have done the National Race for the past three years and the Raleigh-Durham Race for the two years prior to that and every year, the sea of survivors in their pink shirts never fails to choke me up.

So today, I laced up my sneakers, slathered on some sunscreen, and met my friend Mel for the Race.

Let me just say that I use the word "Race" very loosely. Over 50,000 people swarm the National Mall.

So it becomes more of a Walk Slowly for the Cure. Added to that, the sultry summer heat (95 degrees-ish) has arrived in D.C. Which makes for great weather for sitting on the stoop of Baskin-Robbins, eating an mint-chocolate chip ice cream cone and people watching. But for walking in a mass of 50,000 of your closet friends, whew, it's a steamy event. But the cause is bigger than the heat. :)

And you get tons of free stuff! I always leave the Race feeling like a celeb at the Oscars before the IRS made them start claiming the gift bags on their taxes. Today, I came back with Energizer Bunny Pink nail polish (Energizer Batteries), Warrior head scarf (Ford) , Picture Frame Magnet (Self Magazine), magnets, key chains, and a pink pom pom (I am the cure), a super cute sneaker pin because I was wearing New Balance shoes (New Balance). And Yoplait was there giving out yogurt. St. Ives was giving out lotion. And I am sure there were others.

I will go out on a limb and say that the National Race offers the most scenic route. Looping around the Washington Monument, with views of the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, it just never gets old. Every time I think about moving out of D.C., I just wonder if the Space Needle or the Sear Tower could ever substitute for the D.C. landmarks.

It was super hazy when the race started. That's the base of the Washington Monument.

People get super creative with their shirts, signs, etc. There were more than a few "Boobs Rock" signs. And these two guys were part of a massive group of guys who were wearing the most popular shirts of the day. I would venture that the Race is probably the one (only?) event that they can get away with wearing them.



Mel and I finished the Race in one hour. By the end of the race, the haze had gone away, the sun was out, and it was HOT. I really cannot describe how hot it was.



So we immediately headed for the water and banana table. (I would like to point out that due to my immense fear of porta potties, I skipped my morning coffee. I did not go into caffeine withdrawal. Panera was, however, my first stop on my way home where the staff immediately said, "Whoa, you're late today." I LOVE being a regular.)

Please consider doing your local Race. I always leave the event feeling completely in awe of the strength of the human spirit!

Girl Night Out!

After a physically and emotionally exhausting week, nothing sounded more appealing than curling up on the couch in my weekend uniform (Black yoga pants? Check! Hello Kitty t-shirt? Check! UGG slippers? Check, Check!) and watching mindless television.

But instead I put on my cutest sundresses, slipped on my new sparkly gold flats, and did what every girl needs to do every once in a while: I took myself on a date. And I took myself to what could be considered, at least for this weekend, the capital of girliness: the Sex and the City movie.

Before the movie even started, it was like a watching a fashion show in the theatre. Instead of a runway, the models (my fellow moviegoers) worked the stairs looking for empty seats in a packed theatre. The clothes, while not couture, were fabulous. Never has my neighborhood theatre played host to so many pairs of stilettos. So much fun!!!

And the movie itself is quite fun. If you loved the television show as much as I do--I still watch the TBS reruns every day, then you will love the four lovely ladies on the big screen. I can honestly say that I laughed, I cried, I cringed, and I sighed. (For those of you who are like me are still five years old and still giggle at poop and fart humor, there's even a bit of this in what I think was the funniest scene in the movie.) The movie is surprisingly thought-provoking as well.

What I have always loved about Sex and the City is that at its core, it is about the importance friendship and the strength of those bonds.

So if you are one of the five people who didn't see this movie over the weekend, grab your friends and go. Or treat yourself to your own personal date night. It'll be fabulous.

Updated Friday, June 6, 6:30 a.m. My mom sent me this very cute article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal about a group of men going to see the Sex and the City movie together. I love that the author actually put thought into his outfit before going. For the record, the guy sitting next to me when I saw the movie was wearing man-pris. But he was a chic European type, so it worked on him.

In Honor of Mr. Pringle Can Man

Something that I have been pondering all day that is equal parts morbid, fun, and thought provoking.

The inventor of the Pringles can died in early May. Let's take a moment to honor the memory of the man who created the vessel by which the deliciousness of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles are delivered. I love Pringles. My organizational-freak self loves how Pringle stack so nicely. It's very organized. It is as though The Container Store created a potato chip.




Anyway, the part of the Mr. Pringle Can (aka Dr. Fredric J. Baur) story that caught my eye is that part of his remains were buried in a Pringles can. HA! Which got me thinking, which snack food container would I like to live in for infinity and beyond! Okay, I was having a slow brain day. I was grasping at straws to get focused. My guidelines for selection were a snack food that I love so much that I can and would eat every day if I could but don't always let myself.

I came up with two contenders. First, a jar of Peter Pan Chunky Peanut Butter. I freaking love peanut butter. I cannot be trusted around peanut butter. I cannot even keep it in my kitchen. I have no sense of self-control when it comes to this gooey good stuff. After a careful taste-testing analysis a few years ago I discovered that the Peter Pan brand was far superior to the Jif and Skippy brands. In reality, when I do buy peanut butter these days, I usually buy the all-natural, organic brand. But when I pass through the pearly gates, bring on the preservative-laden, sugary Peter Pan good stuff.

And second, a bag of Cheetos. I have a rather salacious history with Cheetos. At the hotel the evening before my senior year state forensics meet in Madison, I shoved a Cheeto up my nose (I cannot recall why I did this...at all). A photo was taken. I live in fear that one day when I am famous, US Weekly will publish a grainy reproduction of that photo with the title "Rebecca's Darkest, Cheese Powdery Hour." But God, I LOVE Cheetos.

Which snack food would you choose?!?