Happy New Year!

Wow! 2008 went by so fast. I can't believe that I graduated from college this year. It seems like yesterday that I entered as a freshman. So much has happened in the last year, and I can't even imagine what 2009 is going to bring.

What kind of resolutions are you making this year?

Christmas Surprise

So now that everyone has their Christmas presents from me, I can finally talk about it. I decided that I would make a Christmas CD for my family, and give it to them as my present. I used Audacity, and some karaoke tracks to make it, and it took just under 2 weeks to do. It's not the best quality and the most perfect CD, but it came out pretty well since I was recording in my apartment with a built-in microphone on my laptop, and a do-it-yourself free audio mixing program. I'm happy with it since it's just for my family, but I wouldn't go out and sell/give them to my friends. I'll post some pictures of the CD booklet I made, and the track listing so you can see.

1. Carol of the Bells (3 part vocal a cappella)
2. Thankful (In the style of Josh Groban)
3. Christmastime is Here (In the style of Josh Groban)
4. Silent Night
5. The Christmas Song (In the style of Josh Groban)
6. Breath of Heaven (In the style of Amy Grant)
7. Believe (In the style of Josh Groban)
8. O Holy Night (In the style of Josh Groban)
9. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (In the style of Michael Buble)
10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (In the style of Judy Garland)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Is it really Christmas? I'm walking around in a t-shirt and flip-flops, and we're planning on going to the beach later! Since my parents just moved into the house, and my mom has only had 3 weeks to get settled in, she decided that putting out all of the Christmas decorations would be too much of a hassle, so we had a wreathe, and that's it. No houses, no tree, no ornaments, and no presents. I actually liked it like that too. It was much less stressful, and no one had to worry about what to get so-and-so, etc.

We also decided to have Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas this year since we celebrated Thanksgiving with Dylan's parents this year and missed out of celebrating with my parents. Plus, we had our regular Christmas dinner when my grandparents were up on Monday. So, that's another reason why it doesn't feel like Christmas.

Hope all of you are enjoying the holiday!

Merry Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, and aside from smelling my favorite traditional Christmas Eve meal, I wouldn't have even known that it was December 24th. It's 80 degrees outside, record temperatures, and the palm trees are blowing gently in the breeze. But the thing that proves to me that it's Christmas Eve is the smell of Beef Stew. Dad makes the beef stew every Christmas Eve, all from scratch. It's so delicious, I wish I could make it as good as him. Every year we have a "competition" of who can get one of the 3 bay leafs he puts into the stew. There is no prize though, which is why it's a "competition."

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday. Get to sleep early so Santa can come!

Georgian Family Holiday

We celebrated Christmas a few days early while we were in Georgia. My dad's parents drove up from their winter home in Florida on Monday, and stayed the night in a hotel nearby. We had our Christmas dinner with them on Monday, and it was delicious. We had a nice spiral sliced ham, my favorite, and some delicious sides to go with it. It was so nice to see them.

My grandparents live in RI from May-October each year, and then fly down to Florida to live there during the winter. They live on the same street corner as two of my grandfather's sisters, so they enjoy getting to see them when they live down there. Although they live in the same town we lived in, we didn't get to see them very often because my sister and I always had some sort o activity in high school, and then once I went to college, I came home less often.

We exchanged presents with them, and helped my grandfather set up his new iPod mini, in orange, of course (can you tell who I take after?). It was great to see them, and also give them a chance to see the new house finished. They had seen it when it was being built in July when they drove with my dad, sister, and cousin to the family reunion in Atlanta.

I wish I could get to see them more often, but with us not knowing where we could be living next year, I'm not sure how that's going to happen.

My Mom, the Interior Decorator

She may not have a degree in it, but she is gooood! The house looks incredible! I wanted to cry when I walked in the door the first time because the pictures I have seen don't even do justice for how amazing everything looks.

See for yourself!

Expired License

So I went to my grandmothers this weekend to help her pack for our trip to Georgia next week. She broke her neck about 2 years ago, and since then she hasn't driven because she can't turn her neck all the way to the right. So, I got her car after she stopped driving, and she's been taking advantage of the free transportation services at her assisted living/retirement home. So, for some reason, I asked my grandmother if I could see her license while we were there because I had this hunch that it was expired. And, turns out, it was. So here we are, one week before we fly to Georgia, and my grandmother's only form of picture ID is her expired license. Great. Just what we needed.

So I got home that night, and researched the TSA's policies for valid forms of identification. And there is nothing on their website about expired licenses. So I give them a call. Basically, the information that I get from TSA is that expired licenses are not valid, and she will need to have her social security card and her birth certificate along with her expired license when we get to the security checkpoint at the airport.

So I called my mom after I got off the phone with her, and she says, "Shit, I have your grandmother's social security card." Turns out, that my grandmother used to carry it around with her in her purse (not a smart idea at all because of identity theft), and so my mom took it and put it in her checkbook. Great, so now we're one form of ID short. My dad gets on the phone and calls TSA, and long story short, we can use her voters registration card in place of the social security card.

But, here's the next catch. My grandmother's birth certificate is so old, that it does not have a city/state seal on it. So now we have to take a trip to the city hall to get her a new birth certificate. When we get there, they can't find her in their database. Why? Because the name originally written on her birth certificate was Joanne, not Suzanne. Wonderful. Now we have to prove that she really is Suzanne, so Grammie tells the records office the story of how when she was born, the doctor put the wrong name on her birth certificate. So when her mother was registering her for Kindergarten, the name was wrong and had to have it changed. Guess how they changed it. Guess. They crossed out the name Joanne and wrote in Suzanne, WITH PENCIL!

We eventually got it changed, and everything is fine now. I hope nothing else happens between now and when we leave.

Move Part 5

My parents arrived in Georgia on Saturday night, after spending the last few hours of the drive in a major rainstorm. This was the first time my mom had seen the house finished, and she was so happy with it. Since they had some furniture there from my dad's apartment, they just called it a night and got some sleep.

On Sunday, the Navy Sailors came by the house and gave my parents a hand with unpacking the truck. They got it done really fast too, even though it was raining all day.

Since my dad is getting to work from home now, they are going to be able to get a lot of things done in the next few weeks. I can't wait to get down there to see everything.

(add 1, total=15)

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are heading to CT to Dylan's parents house for the Holiday. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. It's been a while since we've been able to see everyone, so I'm glad that we can all get together, even if it is to celebrate a holiday. Sometimes that's the only way we can see family, so at least we have holidays to look forward to.

Hope everyone enjoys the big feast, and don't eat too much turkey!

Move Part 4

Well, everyone is back in RI now, and it's time to pack up the house. My Mom and Dad are leaving on Friday to drive everything down to the new house in Georgia. Mom's car is going to have just her and the dogs in it, and Dad will be driving the moving truck. He took his car down the last time he was in town, that way he would be able to drive the truck down.

We went over on Tuesday to help them pack everything up. Mom has been working hard over the last few months to get everything into boxes, so that part was already done. The part that they needed help with was the bigger furniture. By the time we left at 10pm, the truck was just under half packed, and all the big furniture was done. It was sad and weird to see everything packed in the house.

It was a sad day though, because that was when I had to say bye to my doggies and my parents. My sister was going to be staying at our apartment that following weekend, so I would still see her again. It was very hard for me to do, but luckily I will get to see them at Christmas time.

(add 1, total=14)

Move Part 3

With help from the Navy Sailors in Georgia, my Dad and my sister moving into the new house. The lease on their apartment ends on November 30th, and because everyone is coming back to RI for Thanksgiving, they need to move out of the apartment, and into the house. My mom isn't too happy about this, because she was hoping that everyone could move into the new house together, but it has to be done, and she understands that.

(add 2 moves, total=13)

Flights Booked!

So we decided to go to my parents new house in Georgia for Christmas. I got the time off from work, and Dylan is on break, so it worked out well for the both of us. My Grandmother is coming with us, because we can't leave her here alone during the holiday. She has no other family except my mom, plus she will be moving down there soon, so this will give her an opportunity to see the town and the assisted living place she will be moving to.

So our flight itinerary is departing Providence on December 21st and returning on December 27th. At that point, they will have been in the house for just over 3 weeks, so I'm very excited to see what it looks like all decorated.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy 50th Birthday, Dad!

Dad is in Georgia for work, and will be home in a few weeks, but since I couldn't make fun of him in person for turning 50, I played a great joke on him over the phone. I called him, but used *67 to block my cell phone number so he didn't know who I was. But, he didn't pick up his cell phone, so I used a fake voice, and pretended I was "Julie" from AARP:
"Hi Gary, My name is Julie, and I am calling to represent AARP. Since today is your 50th birthday, we are offering you a great deal on your AARP membership if you sign up with us today. Please give me a call back at 401-123-4567, and we can talk about what your membership would include. Thank you, and have a great day."
So, he listened to the voicemail, and totally fell for it! The funny part is that the number that I gave him was my actual cell phone number, and he didn't even notice! He says now that he knew something was familiar about it, but couldn't put his finger on it. Meanwhile, my sister was walking in the room when he was listening to it, right at the part when I was giving him the phone number. Emily immediately recognized it, and starting laughing, asking what that was. So dad told her, and then she said "But that's Amanda's number." So the two of them listened to the message again, and were laughing hysterically!
They called me right after that, and Emily told me that that was the funniest thing she had ever heard, and that dad really thought I was "Julie."

Greatest birthday gift/prank ever!

It's Done!

The house is done! It's finished! Built!

My parents could not be happier that it is finally done. They hit a few speed bumps along the way, but they cannot wait to move in.

Here are some finished pictures:

Election Day!

The day is finally here, Election Day. Dylan was up very early to drive to Newport to finish up the work on Sen. Paiva Weed's campaign. He has been working with her since September to prepare her for re-election. He already filled out and sent in his absentee ballott since he is from CT, so he only has to focus on Sen. Paiva Weed's campaign for the day.

We've been busy all morning at work trying to allow people to see the election results rolling in, but majority of them won't be in until polls close tonight. I am going to meet my mom at our polling place tonight, to vote for my first time (Go Obama!) and then eat dinner with her back at the house. When Dylan is done in Newport, he's going to pick me up and then we're going to the democratic election party at the Biltmore. It's going to be a long night, that's for sure.

Watch for an update tomorrow of how everything goes election-wise!

GO VOTE!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Dylan and I went down to my parents house tonight to hand out candy with my Mom. My Dad and my sister are in Georgia, so we went down to keep my mom company. Plus, we don't get any trick or treaters at our apartment, so it was nice to see some kids in costume.

I love anything chocolate, so this holiday was a valid excuse for me to eat as much chocolate as I wanted. :) What kind of candy did you get or give?

Move Part 1 & 2

In the last 4 years, we have moved someone in our family a total of 9 times. And after all of this stuff happens with my parents moving to Georgia, it will be around 13 times. Ridiculous. We've had to move me to and from school 2 times (that's 4 moves), and then into and out of apartments 1.5 times (3 moves), and we moved my Grandmother out of one apartment and into a new one (2 moves). How many more, well here are two more to tack on the list.

My Dad moved down to Georgia in May, two days after my college graduation. It was tough to see him go down there, but at the same time, I knew he was going to be back often to see my Mom and for work, so I was ok with it. He is renting an apartment in the town they are building the house in, and he has been working really hard with the builders and contractors about the house. I am so happy that they finally get to have their dream of living in the south, and building their own home. (add 1 move, total = 10)

After living there for a few months, my sister, Emily, moved down with him. She got a job as a hair stylist at a hip salon in the town they are building in, so she went down in September to start working. They took the cat (Rataxes) with them, so it would be easier for my mom to keep the house clean while it's being shown. Apparently he was great on the way down. He just chilled in the back of the car with his food, water, and a litter box set up. If that were my cat (Everrett), he would have ended up under the seats and pedals...he's such a pain sometimes. (add 1 move, total=11)

When will all the moving end?!

Look Out Georgia

So my family decided back in December that they were going to move to Georgia. My dad was looking for a new job because his company was screwing him over. So, he got in contact with his former boss, who is working in Pensacola, FL, and they were able to get him a position in the company. So my dad accepted, and is now the Southeastern Project Manager, and will be based out of Georgia. My family has wanted to move there since before I went to college, so I am glad that they are finally able to do this. The best part about this is that they are building their own house down there. They took a few short vacations down there to look at land and meet with builders, and finally decided on a plot and contractor, and broke ground in April. The builders have been going in record time, and it's been amazing to see the process.

The worst part is that I'm not going with them. As tough as a decision as it may seem to have been, it really wasn't for me. Dylan is in his last year at school, and since we live together, I'm going to stay up here with him. After he graduates, we may be relocating for grad school, but that could end up on hold for a while. My mom, of course, was upset, but she understood, because she knows how important Dylan is to me.

So my parents, have been trying to sell the house since April, which is when they were finally able to put it on the market. It's been really weird lately going to my parents house, and seeing things set up differently, walls painted different colors, and personal items being boxed up. They're really trying to get me to take as much of my stuff as possible because they don't have room for it in their house anymore, but at the same time, my 950 sq. ft. apartment can only fit so much too!

I'm going to try to post some pictures of the house up to now in the process. The builders are saying that it's only going to take 3 more weeks and then it will be done.

A new beginning...

Well, here's to a new start. I originally made this blog three years ago, and looking back at my previous posts made me realize how immature I was. So, since I have been absent for so long, and I am a new, more mature person, I am saving myself from the embarrassment of my previous posts and have deleted them.

I have been inspired by others to become dedicated and enjoy having a blog. I've been reading blogs about weddings, cooking, life, babies, and health issues, and although I don't have one specific category to blog about, I figured I would cover as much as I could about my life in general.

Since this will be my "first post" I figured I would introduce myself:

My name is Amanda, and I live in RI. I've lived here my whole life, and can't imagine living anywhere else. I was very involved in school, playing field hockey until my sophomore year in college, taking part in web design, and enjoying music. I graduated from Providence College in 2008, with a degree in Music Education, and now I'm working at a private school doing tech support and networking, and volunteering with the upper school chorus. I've been dating my boyfriend, Dylan, for 3 years, and we adopted a kitten last year and named him Everrett. I can't wait to get married and start a family, but I am trying not to rush into my future.

So, enjoy reading, and I look forward to reading comments and following your blogs!