Kacey stole my post title

So all day, I had "Tis the season" in my head. Not very creative, but honest to the day.

Then my own Caboose used that in a post she published on her blog today! Great minds, I guess.

So instead, I'll just say, what an amazing day.

In short:
We decorated for Christmas. (We still have to put the ornaments on the tree, though) We re-arranged the living room and it's just so cozy now, we both absolutely love it. Scott's been wandering around the rooms just saying, "I love our house" over and over today.

My friend Ashley and her boyfriend Tyler came out to our neck of the woods and then the four of us went out for lunch and some exploring of a nearby quaint town. Such good company!

Then, our friends Ryan, Ruby and Ruby's 4-year-old Jayda came out to the house. I had a lot of fun getting eskimo kisses from Jayda and planning New Year's Eve adventures with Ruby.

Scott and I are wrapping up our day with some cuddles on the couch before bed.

Tomorrow, we decorate the tree and have two couples over for dinner. Can't wait!

Tis the season. :-)

Eye-high kicks

I saw the Rockettes this weekend with my friend Emily and it was absolutely fantastic.

For 90 minutes, I was a little girl again, watching tall, beautiful dancers swirl in circles and kick their legs up to the sky.
(Appearances by Santa and a soundtrack that included not only Christmas tunes but an entire segment dedicated to the Nutcracker didn't hurt, either.)

I loved the different scenes so much -- acting out the 12 Days of Christmas with graceful moves, tapping their way through at least one number, portraying dozens -- and then hundreds! -- of Santas and of course the Toy Soldier routine that is so amazing.

I had a fantastic time with Emily, even at dinner and along our drive to the arena. She's quickly becoming a wonderful and treasured friend and I look forward to many more outings together while we leave our non-arts-loving significant others behind. :-)

Here are a few photos from the show. Hope you don't mind the giant piece of wiring hanging down in the middle of my view. I couldn't be too angry about it because I figured it was probably keeping some giant prop from falling on my head or was somehow assisting the dancers in those eye-high kicks.

Ho, ho, ho!!!

Charlamos

My dear, dear friend Nicole (mi gemela and my Maid of Honor) and I started Monday night phone chats about a month or so ago.

Mondays are perfect -- Scott is away for a few hours bowling and we are both usually free to chat for a while... (only 50 minutes tonight, hehehe).

In our chats we share our weekends and fun, our work and dilemmas. Then there are the secret stories that only we know. The belly laughs at precisely the right moment. The simple understanding of so many subjects without either of us saying a word. It's magical.

And all from a girl that I've seen in person on only 10 separate occasions.
Or, to steal a line from Nicole's infinite words of wisdom tonight, "Most people don't have to cross the equator to find their best friend..." (We met in Argentina during a study abroad in 2005)

It's still amazing to me.

I love our Monday night chats. I hope they continue for decades and decades... or at least til Nicole moves next door so we can do this in person over tea... or wine, perhaps. :-)

Where crossroads began

I'm going back to Selinsgrove, PA, this weekend for Susquehanna University's homecoming festivities, but more so for a fun, private reunion with half of the original Crazy Train, Ms. Kacey "Caboose", aka my sanity for three years, the most fun girl to be around and one of the most important people in my life.






We met during Cross Country pre-season camp our first year at SU. I had just transferred from Syracuse and she had just arrived as a freshman. We bonded almost immediately, perhaps at first because we were having such a tough time with the runs and with nagging injuries.

We were collectively called the "caboose" at first because,well, yeah, we were pretty darn slow. Soon, I was given an undeserving new nickname, "Coal Car." We became pretty inseparable. Runs every afternoon and some weekends, parties Friday and Saturday nights and some of your typical fights between semi-sisters.






I don't even remember what the fights were about specifically, but I know two things. One, they were almost all my fault. I was in such a bad place for most of my college years and, well, they say you hurt the ones you love the most. And secondly, every time we had a fight, it hurt me so much to even think about the possibility of losing my friend.

Kacey is so fantastically special.
Like I said, she is SO.MUCH.FUN. I never laugh like I do when I am with her. I miss not having her around as often anymore, but we really make up for it when we do get together.
I've also seen her grow in so many ways. She's become a bit more confident and even a bit willing to put herself out there, to experience things maybe she was afraid to take a risk for earlier in life. And she is in such a happy place now! She definitely deserves it.



I was so happy that she was one of my bridesmaids and a huge beam of support during my wedding preparations. (If it weren't for my false eyelashes, she totally would have upstaged me on my own wedding day, too -- she was just gorgeous with a huge smile on every time I saw her that day!)

Due to a stressful relationship I was in during my years at Susquehanna and its unraveling during my senior year, I seem to have almost blocked out a lot of my time there. I guess you find ways to deal with things, and apparently this was how I "survived."

I have some really special memories of SU, though, and wouldn't you know, just about every single one involves Kacey.

There are the runs we were sent on by ourselves that may or may not have been a trick to sort of get rid of us... I mean, they had names like "prison" and "challenge" (think mental institution, people!).

The training room. AKA Temporary Injury Repair Exercise Shop, or TIRES, where we entertained ourselves with educational routines such as F***, Marry or Throw off a cliff. The nicknames we came up with...

There were the times where we put the "crazy" in Crazy Train... log rolling down hills, peeing on church property, getting lost, "My house is back there," drinking kerosene, "I'm from Jersey," theres-porn-in-the-bathtub, "Are these your sandals? I found them on the street," and many, many more.

There were also the times I may never have made it through without Kacey. I spent one weekend at a complete standstill, unable to move past a break-up of something I fought for and sacrificed for. I sat on the bedroom floor of my apartment, counting socks to see how long the person I loved would be gone, realizing there were too few socks to save a relationship, when Kacey just, without words, sat down behind me and held me and rubbed my back. She just knew.

That's the amazing thing about our friendship, we just know.


I can't wait to see her tonight. I'm excited to add to our list of adventures this weekend and to add to our stack of photographs and memories.

SU, Here we come!!!

To a new friend

Dear Jess --
Thanks for a fun dinner tonight!
Life is far too short to not accept new friends into your life when opportunities -- no matter how random they seem or how late it seems in the grand scheme of things -- present themselves.
I hope this is the beginning of a long friendship with football watching, double-dating and many more get-togethers.
'Til next time... :-)

ME

Time for the Day Off song

A day off! A day off! A day off!

We all know by now that a day off song means working a weekend, though. So let's take a minute and ponder all of the things Wendy could be doing if she wasn't spending 8 hours google-ing in a cold office 45 minutes away from home until she's so tired she can barely make the drive across back roads and deer-passing zones. Sigh.

OK.

Now let's think happy thoughts and focus on the positive.

There is the lack of an alarm this morning that I thoroughly enjoyed.
And the freedom to facebook stalk for a few minutes -- during normal work hours!

If I get my rear end in gear... like, by stopping things like blogging, silly girl... I will get ready (and by 'get ready' I mean put on jeans and a comfy shirt/jacket and *maybe* do my hair in a way that resembles a style).

Then I am meeting with my mom-in-law for some lunch and chatting. Well, she'll likely do most of the chatting. I'll enjoy the local cafe's huge sandwiches and good soup.

Then I am continuing the process of changing my name. My goal today is the bank and Social Security.

I hope to get home in time to make Scott a loaf of homemade bread to enjoy this evening.

And then? I'm really not sure.

At some point this weekend I am meeting up with my friend Emily while I'm in 'the big city,' so it will be really nice to catch up with her.
I might see my friend Ashley, who just returned from a trip to Florida to see a special guy. I miss my friends! Darned wedding preparations and thank-you cards!

My goal today is to not really do a heck of a lot. I feel like I've been semi-sick for the past few days and despite getting LOTS of sleep last night, I am still exhausted. I don't like being lazy very often, but maybe I need it today.
But I guarantee my day off on Monday will be even lazier.

My only plans for Monday are to meet up (for the first time, which is so weird!) with Jessica (and maybe her hubby) for some good Mexican and catching up in person officially. I'm really looking forward to it! We worked with each other back when I first started at this paper, but it wasn't until the lovely couple was ACROSS AN OCEAN in Germany that we started e-mailing and reading each other's blogs. They are back in the states and, after just celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary, are ready to be friends with a crazy girl like me. :-)

Time to go enjoy...
A DAY OFF!
A DAY OFF!
A DAY OFF! WHOOOOO! (I think it could even be a good drinking song.)

I'm so proud of her.

My friend Ashley is such an inspiration. She's lost a lot of weight while still maintaining/improving upon her strength, style and flair.

As part of her weight-loss process, she started running. Seriously running. To the point where she inspired this former runner to start running again.

And today, I watched her run her first 5K race EVER. Ever, ever, EVER!!! She had a great time and even finished with a thumbs-up and a big smile. She made me so proud and I've had that image of her in the last quarter-mile stuck in my head all day long.

I'm so glad I was there. 
Especially since through ESP, we both wound up with the same hairdo!
But really, I was SOOOOOO... happy to be there.

Congrats, Ashley! Keep up the good work (including a race on my wedding day next weekend!!!)!

 

 

 

Psh, because we're all cowards on the starting line. :-)

Julie got the all-clear!

Good news from Julie's doctor today!

NO cancer!!!

Hooray! She'll be walking and back to normal within two weeks. Well, as normal as that girl can get -- muhahaha.

Thank you for your happy thoughts. :-)

We need happy thoughts all up in this grill

My friend and lovely bridesmaid Julie got some scary news last week.

She went to the doctor last Monday and he found malignant melanoma on her leg. By Friday, she had had surgery to remove a chunk out of her right calf and the surgeon seemed optimistic that they had gotten it all.
She finds that out for sure on Thursday.

I need all of the spare positive thoughts you can muster to head her way. She and her husband Mike are amazing people, wonderful friends, and such good parents to their baby girl, Olivia.

Today, she told me this and I wanted to speed the 40 miles over to her and hold her...
"Going from thinking I was completely healthy to cancer in 3 days was a bit much."


I love her.
My friends mean so much to me. When they ache, I ache. When they're joyful, my spirits are great.

I don't care about wedding RSVPs that are still unanswered, seating charts that need created or favors that need done... I just want Thursday to be here so we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm baaaaaaack!

I realize that it seems to all my faithful readers (I love both of you, haha) that I have fallen off the face of the earth.

Yes and no.

I went to Jersey and back, had a bachelorette weekend of shenanigans (Hunk-o-Mania in the ghetto anyone?), my first of two bridal showers (second one is this weekend!) and on top of that am making the first of many, many, MANY last-minute wedding plans (dress fittings, ceremony planning and hair-dos, oh my!) while caught in the midst of my coverage area's scandals, increased taxes and a fatal car crash.

Sigh.
In between the 12-hour work days and 45 thank-you cards, I am also trying to maintain a healthy, loving relationship with my soulmate.

And keep my sanity.

And fight off the cold/sickness that has given me a Man Voice for the past two days. I don't know how long until I wave my white flag at the NyQuil bottle. I just hope I make it through Saturday.

Oh, and did I mention my stepmother, sister, 9-year-old niece and 4-year-old nephew are visiting next week?

At the core of it all, however, I am so happy. I am blissfully content with all of the opportunities I have, the good health I've GIVEN MYSELF and the dozens of loved ones who make me feel like a princess.

I missed my blogging and promise to be back regularly very, very soon (with scandalous photos, perhaps?!)

For now, enjoy me and 4 out of 5 of my bridesmaids in Wildwood, NJ, and then us with my niece/junior bridesmaid at the shower. Oh, and a beach shot of me and my flat boobs with my favorite hat of all time in one of my most relaxed moments EVER.

Just about time to celebrate being a bachelorette -- Part Two

OK, now for the fun stuff.
What? I couldn't be all sappy and then completely scandalous all in one blog post. That's so unethical. :-)

I'm so excited for this weekend!
I leave tonight with Debbie, my future mother-in-law. The two of us will meet Nicole, my maid-of-honor and friend from my Argentina study abroad program, at my dad and Janet's house.
Then, Friday, me and Nicole... and I don't know if anyone else... will drive ... to our destination. (I told you, a LOT of secrets and surprises in this.) We will be joined by friends and bridesmaids Jeannine, Kacey and Allison... and I don't know who else, if anyone. (SO many secrets!)

(Bridesmaid Julie can't make the trip on account of her little baby but she might have something up her sleeves locally for next month.)

I can ONLY imagine what will happen Friday and Saturday. I'm sure my photos next week will speak for themselves.

Then on Sunday, I have my bridal shower. The only thing I know about that is that it's at Dad and Janet's. They have a great backyard/deck area that should be really cozy.

And then I come back home on Monday.

I make it sound really simple and not so exciting, but in fact, I know it will likely be one of the best times of my life. My girls have never all been in the same room together, so that will be the first major highlight for me.

They each bring something to the table -- laughter, compassion, being fun-loving -- and they've all been amazing friends throughout different periods of my life.

Allison, now living in Jacksonville, FL., is my oldest friend of the bunch -- we went to elementary school together and were in the same Brownies troop.

I met Jeannine in high school and, even after a brief interruption in our friendship during college, we've completely reconnected and talk almost every day. She's in grad school in Philly.

Kacey is my college friend who saw me during some of my darkest times, drunkest times and funniest times. She's a teacher just outside of Philadelphia.

Julie is the local friend who keeps me sane and offers the best advice for what I'm going through and what's to come.

And Nicole, in Massachusetts, is my 'gemela,' my twin who changed my life in a mere eight or nine times that I've ever EVER seen her.

I love them all.

Even if they make me wear penis necklaces.
(But I hope they don't! hahaha)

Take a hike!

On Sunday, Scott and I joined our buddy Ben for some hiking at a local state park near an incredible lake area.

We, of course, chose the most difficult, longest trail, which at various times disappeared altogether, leaving us to wander through knee-high ferns and traverse across fallen logs and through some nasty thorns.

What fun, though!
I needed the fresh air and the exercise and the mindless adventure.
I can't wait for the next trail-hopping experience!

Here are some photos...





































(Totally, absolutely, horrifingly lost at this point ---> )



















I love this place.
It's so magical and lovely.
Ahhhhh.












This is what love and happiness looks like.

I can't rule out strippers.

So my bridesmaids are planning something super, sneaky and super-sneaky for my bachelorette party shenanigans. I don't know what's in store, only that the excitement takes place July 31-Aug. 3. (I get my own weekend -- how cool is that???)

Here's a snippet of an e-mail convo with Jeannine today:

J: ...I mean, if I can invite her to Wendy's bachelorette carnival of fun, that is...
W: I love that you call it the carnival of fun. I'm also slightly frightened. Should I bring bail money???
J: Hell no, we're just gonna flash the po-po. What do you think this is, amateur hour or something?

Although most bachelorette parties become one of those "had-so-much-fun-I-don't-remember-it" occasions, I think this might be an exception. I have a feeling I won't be able to forget this.

I get the "gold friends" bit now.

When I was young, my best friend at the time had a framed saying in the downstairs hallway of her house that I just loved.

"Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold."

I loved it and would sing-song say it out loud every time my friend and I went bouncing through the hallway on our way to some adventure. Unfortunately, as time has gone on and the years have gone by, my friend and I have parted ways.

I guess you could say we are no longer the gold-type of friends. That distance sort of made it hard for me to believe in that silly Girl Scout rhyme. Maybe they just don't exist.

But I have it now. I'm surrounded by beautiful "gold" friends.

My bridal party, for instance, is amazing.
I know, I know... you get asked to be in someone's wedding and it's common sense that it's not just a pretty (...or not-so-pretty) dress and a walk down the aisle before the bride-to-be. But it's tough work, especially when you try to put five or so people together who have never met and don't know each other and make them work together through work schedules, family life, and hundreds or even thousands of miles.

My maid of honor lives in Massachusetts. Two girls live near Philly. One is a local friend here in central PA. My fifth gal lives in Florida.

Two are married. One just had a baby (and yes, got measured for a bridesmaid dress at six months pregnant). Two are teachers. One was recently unemployed. One is in a foreign country until next week. One's husband is in Panama for six months.

Yet, with every ounce of my being, I know that they have gone and are going far beyond the call of duty of a bridesmaid. They are sneaky and sometimes it drives me crazy not to know what's going on, but I can't even try to find out because I know how hard they are working and how special they are making this entire experience for me.

(I wonder if there are penis necklaces involved in the beginning of August, and if so, does that make them gold or does it pull them down to silver?)

Whatever.
I mean, they have to deal with Scott's mom, my aunt AND the evil stepmother. Over and over and over again.
Phew.

I love these ladies.
I understand why it felt right for each one of them to be with me on the most important day (so far) of my life.

I can't even choose the order of our line-up at the ceremony, because, quite frankly, I'd prefer them to be in a circle around me and Scott rather than a few of them being feet away.

I have other amazing friends who are becoming quite golden, and who have really come out of nowhere, when I was losing all faith in an identity for myself out here in the quiet Cove.

Ashley and Kassia, who despite weeks and sometimes months apart, still give me a good belly laugh when I need it most.

Sarah, a new friend for whom I gained a TON of respect while out to lunch together today. She's my new-found partner-in-crime, too. It helps that she's dating Scott's best man and that she has an adorable baby girl.

Emily, found through a favor I did for my bridesmaid Julie. She lives nearby, has a boyfriend who has lived in the area all his life (like my fiance) and doesn't have many local friends (just like moi). We get along great and I love our new Monday night tradition.

And Jessica, who I've gotten to know through her blog and e-mails over the past few weeks. Despite never really getting to know each other when we worked for the same newspaper, we seem to be making up for it now that she's on a different continent.

I'm also just trying harder.
Or maybe it's just trying hard.
I'm definitely trying.

And I'm loving these friends and hoping they know how much I treasure each and every one of them.

As if they were gold.

*

"A circle is round,
it has no end.
That's how long,
I will be your friend.

A fire burns bright,
it warms the heart.
We've been friends,
from the very start.

You have one hand,
I have the other.
Put them together,
We have each other.

Silver is precious,
Gold is too.
I am precious,
and so are you.

You help me,
and I'll help you
and together
we will see it through.

The sky is blue
The Earth is green
I can help
to keep it clean

Across the land
Across the sea
Friends forever
We will always be"

I only took wedding and reception photos until about 7 p.m.

Because after that, I was too drunkified.
Or too busy dancing? Catching bouquets ? Doing the YMCA? Making nice with the bartender? Embarrassing my fiance?

All of the above?





The soon-to-be couple, Nick and Erin.

T-minus 18 or so hours at this point.


















Scott testing out his groomsmen gift.
Engraved with his initials, too.
















Nick's really thoughtful, sweet note to Scott.
(I loved the part about how awesome I am!)














Bill's girlfriend, Sarah, enjoys a dirty martini with me after the rehearsal dinner.














Self-portrait of a lady in red.



















Isn't he handsome???




















Almost husband and wife!


















Bubbles outside the church.
I definitely have a crush on the one groomsmen.



















3.5 months to go!
I really, really can't wait.










Congrats to Nick and Erin!
Hooray for love!!!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit...

...that I caught the bouquet.
Half-drunk.

And, my quiet, meek self practically gave black eyes to the other dozen single girls in contention.
No, really.

But, fear not, for my handsome fiance caught the garter (er, was "given" the garter) and performed a saucy dance toward me with "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background.
Complete with fist pumps towards one another.

Just because we're engaged doesn't mean we cheated.

But I am keeping the bouquet and garter forever. Or, at least until September...
Let's just say, if tradition rings true, the bride and groom will have a lot of children... or a lot of years together. Whatever. We gave them a LOT. Of something.

Whoa, fun.
Photos tomorrow.

SSWS by the MoH

My uber-sneaky Maid of Honor Nicole began work on "Super-Secret Wedding Stuff" today. I know this because I was on the phone with her while she was purchasing something at some store for the bridal shower and/or bachelorette party later this summer.

But she wouldn't tell me ANYTHING.
This is what I know:
- That it makes it much easier on her that I'm going 50 and below as opposed to 51 and over.
- It/They was/were heavy.
- She bought them at the same place she purchased cute baby clothes for another friend of hers.

I love/hate surprises. I love to give them, hate to get them. Well, not exactly hate. But I'm such an impatient, curious person by nature that it just kills me to not know plans -- especially fun ones with my favorite ladies.

All I know is a weekend -- and I'm pretty sure that's because I had to take off of work. Otherwise, I would feel as though a team dressed in all black could come barreling in from the roof, repelling down ropes, grabbing hold of me and whisking me away.

Wait. Maybe THAT's what she was buying today.

I know it will be fun. And I know that I have a great, organized, hard-working Maid of Honor and really supportive and loving friends who are going to make and have already made this experience so incredible.

I'm so lucky.
And excited. I can't wait for a bridal shower, my bachelorette party, the wedding weekend and our beautiful honeymoon.

The sweetest little photos on earth

Here are some photos from this past weekend and our trip to Hershey and Indian Echo Caverns, hanging out with Kacey, Ben, Ryan, his girlfriend and her daughter.


*ENJOY!*





Phew!
Kacey was big enough to ride the Hershey's Kisses-size rides. (I was a little worried she wouldn't make it...) :-)


















Caboose... in front of a caboose!!!















She's a little bit cocoooooooa; I'm a little bit chocolate...




















Although she's kidding around in this photo, that's about the same face that was captured on camera on every.single.ride.

On a side note, any gigantic, fast-moving contraption WITHOUT a place to keep your feet safe is just ridiculous.
What was I thinking???















Of course we had to get a little Jersey lovin'!












Scott and Ben, gettin' all gangsta-like for that crazyness in the background. Yes, friends, we rode that and YES, friends, that is a completely vertical lift... followed by a beyond-vertical drop at a gajillion miles an hour.










Little Jayda, the smartest 3-year-old I've ever met.

While waiting for our caverns tour to start, she took her brochure and followed the pictures, in order, calling it her map.

She found the first structure in the first photo, went up to it, found the guy behind the counter and told him, "I found you. What's next?"

Cutie-patootie!







The guys.
Ryan, Scott and Ben.













Our last of about a dozen self-portrait shots taken over the weekend.
(Apparent by the camera-shaped shadow on Kacey's shoulder)



So.much.fun.

Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you got to do is call

You've got a friend.
Wait, I've got a friend. Er, great FRIENDS. Plural, people. I can't believe just DAYS ago I felt lonely and semi-friend-less.

What a great couple of days.

This weekend was AMAZING. (Photos to follow, I promise)
I was a brave lil trooper and went on all the rollercoasters with daredevils Kacey, Scott and Ben. My favorite ride remains the log flume, however. I think I'm far too old for vertical horsepower and corkscrews, twists and flips.

We had fun with Ryan and his girlfriend and her daughter. That little girl is by far the smartest 3-year-old I've ever met. The sentences she put together and all of the funny connections she made just amazed me. And I seriously enjoyed frolicking through the 'dinosaur cave' with her on my hip -- although said hip still doesn't agree it was worth the smiles and hair-holding.

The highlight was just being with Kacey, my beloved Caboose from college. As she was getting ready to leave, she told me how glad she was that it always feels like not a day has gone by between our get-togethers. This coming from someone I've probably only seen four or five times since college, where we were together almost 24-7, means a heck of a lot. And we've both come a long, looooooong way, too. She's an amazing person, really and truly.

Part Two: A new friend :-)

A few months ago, I helped friend/bridesmaid Julie out with a career fair the private schools nearby were taking part in. Basically, I stood around and tried to bite my tongue from screaming, "GO INTO ANY FIELD IN THE ENTIRE WORLD OTHER THAN JOURNALISM. MY JOB IS NOT SECURE AND THERE IS NO NO NO NOOOO WAY I'M GOING TO GIVE ANY CHANCE I HAVE TO A PIPSQUEAK LIKE YOU!"

However, a high point of that day was meeting with Julie's friend, Emily, also a counselor for the schools, who was helping with the career fair. At the end, I gave her my business card and mentioned us getting together.

So much time went by without hearing from her that I sort of forgot the exchange even took place. A week ago, however, an e-mail, glowing with friend love appeared in my inbox -- from Emily (!) asking if I was still interested in getting together.

I practically drooled.

Well, we met up for dinner tonight and it was GREAT! We got along so well and are so similiar it's almost frightening. She just might be my long-lost twin, albeit slightly older twin, but whatever with the technicalities.

She's originally from out-of-state as well, is here for work and her significant other and has few female friends to be with, very similiar to yours truly.

We closed the Panera down. To the point where one worker screams to the other one, "OH, thank GOD they're leaving. Quick, lock the door!" Hahaha so much for being discreet.

Emily and I have made plans for next Monday... and probably a few more Mondays after that. Hopefully every single one.

I called Scott up on my way home, saying "I made a friend! I made a friend" in a really sing-songy voice.

I'm so happy.

In 12 hours: "Weeeeeeeeeee!"

I'm so excited! So excited!

Tomorrow, me, Scott and our friend Ben are driving out to Hershey, PA to meet up with my college friend and world-famous Cabooooooose, Kacey! We're going to hit up the park for a fun day of rides and chocolate before hanging out with and crashing at the home of Scott's friend Ryan.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

24 e-mails, 3 weeks of planning and endless "yay"s and "I can't wait"s later, it's finally here.

This time tomorrow, equipped with a change of clothes, a fully-charged camera and my trusty kids' SPF 50+ sunscreen, the fun will begin with my favorite partner in crime.

You wouldn't believe the shenanigans we pulled off at good ole Susqu U. Phew!

[Photo circa March 2006, taken in not-so-sunny southern CA on our spring break in college -- and if I could find those glasses, I would DEFINITELY be wearing them tomorrow.]