The Diary of Mrs. S

Friday, March 24, 2006



Isn't this cool! We're walking down the sidewalk and it was love at first sight! OMG, too corny.

Not Your Average Ktichen



If you can't stand the heat, stay out of 'Hell's Kitchen'. I know, I know...I don't know what to do with myself.

This is what we ran into while we were looking for The Museum of Modern Art. Oooops!

Thursday, March 23, 2006


Congratulations for making it to the Elite Eight!!!




I am so not a sports fan, muchless a U of M sports fan (but I am an alumni and current student). It's refreshing for Memphis to be in the headlines for something good!

Memphis In May

I looked at the lineup for Memphis in May. I have NEVER, yes never, gone to the Beale Street Music Festival because I don't like being around huge crowds, muchless drunk, huge crowds. I have never had enough motivation to deal with it. Except lately, I have been feeling the urge to get out more, unless it's after working 10 hours. Bryan Adams, one of my 80's-90's favorites, will be there Friday, May 5th. (and Puddle of Mudd and Train). BUT, so will Three Six Mafia.....ummm, no thank you. Sorry guys, not a fan! So, that sucks. Also, on Sunday, May 7th Chicago will be there!! I.love.Chicago! Sunday might no be so bad. Blues Traveler will be there, too. Hmmm...is this the year to take that leap into Music Fest? I'll think about it. Anyone who has ever gone, is it worth it? Here is the rest of the line up for Music Fest Weekend.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Sphere

Okay, this isn't the picture I took (mine wouldn't load after dozens of attempts) but this is what it looks like.

The sign reads:

For three decades, this sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. Entitled "The Sphere," it was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. It was damaged during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but endures as an icon of hope and indestructible spirit of this country. The Sphere was placed here on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.
This eternal flame was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of all those who were lost. Their spirit and sacrifice will never be forgotten
.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Five Years Too Fast

Dave and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this past Saturday (March 18). I do have to say that it couldn't have been a better five years. We have accomplished and changed so much. I couldn't imagine life any other way. We began as total opposite's but as time has gone by, we have merged into one. We still have our own likes and dislikes (he can't stand my country music and I am too impatient to play golf), but there are so many times that we are thinking the EXACT same thing!! It happens ALOT. My response to that is "See, you can read my mind."
The traditional gift for 5 year anniversary is Wood, umm no thank you. The modern gift is silver. But who goes by that anyway. Wanna know what I got?




THIS!! No, it wasn't a surprise. I got to pick it out.








I have never been a diamond or jewerly person. Lucky for Dave, I guess. Not so fast though. I have gotten the taste and now my list keeps growing of what I want. Uh Oh!

Dave on the other hand did get something that was silver in color.


Now his third set, though the first two were cheapies. I'll never be able to keep him off the golf course now. Blue Angel, I think you and I may have alot of beach time in Florida.



On to another interesting quirk about Dave-O, as my mom calls him. It is officially Spring. Though the temperature today does not reflect that. Anyway, the grass is slowly starting to turn green and trees and flowers are in bloom. Pretty soon, the yardwork will begin. Why is this so important? Well, Dave cherishes his yard. He keeps it well groomed, very green, and has radar for any weeds trying to pollute his yard. He loves to buy fertilizer, etc for the yard. Come check out our garage. I think he secretly wants "Yard of the Month". I read a story this morning and it made me think of Dave. No, he does not want people to walk in his yard. I'm serious. But he would not EVER do this. (I don't think, j/k). Yay, I learned how to insert a link....ok. I digress.

More pictures from NY are soon to come.


View from atop the Empire State Building. It was surreal to say the least!!!

A little blurry cuz I zoomed in from the Empire State Building. Miss Liberty herself. We did get a closer view from Battery Park.

Here she is from Battery Park.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

NYC 2006

Pictures take so long to download and arrange, so I will try to have a new subject of NYC each day!!

















In no way whatsoever do the pictures show the awesomeness (is that a word) of Times Square!


















Tuesday, March 14, 2006

There's No Place Like Home

I will never forget my trip to NYC with Chrissy. This trip was awesome to the degree that words cannot describe. The morning we left for New York, I woke up with a knot in my stomach. I was so nervous about flying. I have only flown one other time and that was in 8th grade for the Washington, D.C trip. I was completely fearless then. As I have gotten older, the more fears I have. Our plane left as scheduled from Memphis International Airport, which I was actually impressed with. We landed at LaGuardia Airport as scheduled, after the security breach had been cleared up from earlier in the day, which we learned about upon landing. We got our luggage and proceeded to the Taxi line to get a taxi. The guy in front of us turned around and said "What part of the South are you from?" We had just gotten there and already had been pegged as Southerners.
OMFG!!!! This taxi ride was horrifying. They drive like maniacs! But, we safely made it to the hotel. We put our bags in our room and headed out. It was probably 7:30 or 8:00 pm by then. We walk a few blocks and what is up ahead....Times Square, all lit up and spectacular! Out came the cameras, and we were officially tourists. We walked around amidst the crowds and popped in any and just about everything that was open. We ate at Ray's Pizza that night to have some real New York Pizza. It was pretty good, but honestly I like good ol' Bartlett's New York Pizza Cafe better. We head back to the room late and hit the sheets, except I couldn't sleep. It was after 5 am when I finally fell asleep. (the alarm was set for 7:30 am) I was in a strange place with noise outside and still had anxiety about the flight because I knew I had to get back home the same way.
Day 2: First things first. Starbucks!! We decided to just walk through the city with plans on stopping at the Empire State building, the Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero. Well, we ran into the Empire State Building and saw the city from the 86th floor observatory......amazing!!! We kept walking south from there to get to SoHo to do some shopping. By then we had walked about 3 miles and determined we couldn't make it for another mile and hopped on the subway, which BTW was fun! We thought we had gotten on the wrong one and when we got to 53rd St. decided to get off (Our hotel was at 55th and 7th, so we thought we were going uptown instead of lower Manhatten). Okay, we get off the subway, start walking, noticed the Hispanic and Asian population and thought something wasn't right. Chrissy: "Um, I don't see any tall buildings." Damn! We.were.in.Brooklyn. We hightailed it back to the same subway station and finally made it to Battery Park where you can see the Statue. (We had gotten off the subway too early, not realizing there was a 53rd street in Brooklyn also. The subway had just not circled back to lower Manhatten yet). We are quick learners though. We figured out the subway system and rode it several more times after that. In Battery Park we looked at the Statue of Liberty, took a few pictures and headed off to the WTC site, but not without buying our fake kate spade and Coach purses. We saw the memorial that was dedicated to the victims of 9/11 (the sphere that was in one of the towers). We saw the WTC site. It was very powerful to me to see that. In the subway station below, there were paintings done by children of the victims of the WTC. It will bring the coldest of hearts to tears! We walked up Wall St. also that day. That night, we ate at Hard Rock Cafe. Food wasn't anything to write home about, but Chrissy and I had Appletini's, which were delicious. We crashed when we got back to the hotel. Up and at 'em early the next morning, we decide to walk 5th Avenue.
Day 3: WOW! Barney's, Bloomingdale's, Rolex, Gucci, Versaci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, Trump Tower......It blew my mind. I wanted to buy something in Barney's just because, but I thought it to be outrageous for a pair of socks to cost $38. There were 7 or 8 floors in both Barney's and Bloomingdale's. Of course, Chrissy was dying to buy something at Tiffany's, but I'll let her tell you about that. We walked through part of Central Park and saw the famous fountain from Friends. We finally found FAO Schwartz and saw the big piano. That night, Chrissy's mom told us to have dinner on her so we went to The View, the revolving restaurant in the Marriot at Times Square. Dinner was very nice and a relaxing change from the hustle and bustle of New York. Cool thing is, we had gotten dressed for dinner and was walking there when this lady asked if we were from there. Did we really look that confident?! A compliment, yes, but I am actually glad I don't live there.
Day 4: We got up and crammed our suitcases full of souvenirs and other clothes and headed for China Town. What an experience. Once we figured out the system, it was fun. The Coach, Gucci, etc purses and wallets are kept in a secret place in these shops. We would go into the small rooms to look. One lady actually locked the door behind her (they go in there with you). Haggling over prices was fun too. I just bought a fake Tiffany's necklace. Chrissy got another Coach bag and a Rolex for her hubby at $35 each. Hey, she talked them down from $45. We ate lunch at a cafe in Little Italy. Then, our trip was coming to an end. We took the subway back to the hotel to get our bags and a taxi. To Laguardia we went. This time, the taxi driver was very nice and drove a lot better. He actually talked to us and showed us things! Our flight, again, was on time. We landed back in Memphis at 6:20 pm, actually 9 minutes early! Though we didn't want to leave NYC, it was good to be home. Home where if you want to, you can walk down the sidewalk without fear of getting run over by a taxi, or without half the city walking with you. The streets seemed so empty here, and the lack of activity was welcoming. New York really is 'the city that never sleeps.'
The trip was so much more than I could ever write about. I had an amazing time. The feeling I got seeing the Statue of Liberty from the plane is indescribable. The co-existence of so many cultures and backgrounds was astounding. It didn't matter who you were or where you were from, you were just another person. Seeing the WTC was humbling. The experiences of getting lost and ending up in Brooklyn and also Hell's Kitchen (we were looking for the Museum of Modern Art) are unforgettable. I would love to go back, but I really don't like flying!

Oh, and pictures are soon to come!

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Oh What A Feeling, Chapter 2

My sister called to tell me that she saw the two pink lines on the stick that she had been hoping for. Yes, my older sis is pregnat. I really hope things go well for her. She has wanted this for so long. She is 29. It got me thinking about my hopes for 2006. I can strike one thing off my list, although I am a little apprehensive about getting ahead of myself on this one. She still has a long way to go. Another thing on my list was to pass Organic Chem. II this semester. Well, good news, I have a B in that class so far and it's halfway over. I have a different teacher, and I am actually 'getting' it! So, I am pretty sure I will be able to scratch that off my list as well. In just over a week, Dave and I will be celebrating five wonderful years of matrimony, check that off my list. I have ordered some new fixtures for the horribly pink master bath, so that is under way. So far, Gavin, Domenic, and baby girl are healthy! And I actually have started not worrying so much, check. I think I am off to a good start. That is half of my list already. The other half is a little more difficult.

I'm probably done until Blue Angel and I get back from New York. Be prepared for the posts and pictures!!!!

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Don't Work For My Husband IF....

-you are lazy
-you like to call in sick at least once a week
-you are habitually late
-you have two jobs, neither of which you can commit fully
-you don't want to be held accountable
-you think you can "get injured" sliding envelopes
-you can't stand up
-you think you can pull the wool over his eyes

I learned tonight that my husband has been coined "The Silent Killer" because people go into the conference area and never return to the work area. Don't get me wrong, my husband is not a hard ass, he just expects you to work while at work. A concept some people have had a difficult time processing. Dave has been a manager just over two years now and he has had a lot of employees come and go. Some he has fired and some he convinced to resign, my guess would be about 3o people. Boy, do I hear some stories! I admit, Dave could outdebate the president of the debate club. Now, he does make exceptions under unusual circumstances,etc, but he is consistent in running his operation. And guess what? Now, he doesn't write people up nearly as much because they know what he expects from them. His employees are very happy with him (as they reported to Dave's senior manager). He runs a tight ship, but he is good at what he does! He has been there going on 12 years, worked his way up from the very bottom tossing boxes. A prime example of hard work and dedication paying off (and without a lick of college). Needless to say, I am very proud of Dave.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I am loving this warm weather. Please winter, do not come back!!!! I absolutely despise being cold. I have been driving with my windows down and my old school BonJovi rockin'. And thank you Mr. Rogers for singing that song!

Thoughtless Thoughts

Oh, Spring Break, I am looking forward to you... Actually, school this semester hasn't been so terrible. I am doing very well in my classes, including the dreadful Organic Chemistry. But what spring break does mean is that I am that much closer to painting The Big Apple red!! Yea, yea, knee slapper.

So far, 2006 has been good to me and the prospect of it getting better is looking good! Starting with the small things, the other day I got up to speed with technology and finally broke down and bought a camera phone with internet access. I don't really need internet access, but why not indulge myself, right? I can't mention this enough, on March 10, Blue Angel and I are flying to New York to pretend we are in Sex and The City (without the sex of course, our hubbies will be at home). The following weekend I will be celebrating my five year wedding anniversary to the greatest husband ever, in which my present will be a diamond band. I ain't waitin' no 10 years for that! I think five years is a pretty darn good start! Then I get to rest for a couple of months. In July, Blue Angel and I are going to relax in Destin for a week, with our hubbies in tow this time. Beach, it's been too long. See, last year with all the hurricanes, we didn't make it to Florida for our annual trip. Hmmm....I don't have anything planned for the rest of the year. Heck, it won't be too much longer until the holidays are here again. Or maybe I'll spend the rest of the year trying to make a baby.