So for those of you NOT in the know, my birthday is Saturday.   I'm turning 28 years old.  How sad sad sad.  This is the first year, since I turned 21, that I really feel like I'm getting old. 
TWENTY-EIGHT!
I remember being 16 like it was yesterday.  Although back then, my friend Al used to always talk about how she was "older than me".  Her birthday is in April, mine is in August.  HA!  She seriously would talk about her being older.  I wonder if she realizes now how ridiculous that was   I didn't have the heart to tell her back then.

In other news, Jennifer Hudson had her baby, a boy.  I'm happy for her!  Not only did she have to go through a terrible tragedy, but she also (obviously) came from the ghetto, but now is living the high life!  Sometimes she looks stunning,

And sometimes not so much...

But I'm going to contribute the "not so much" times to her being secretly pregnant.  Congrats Jennifer!

10. Titanic (shameful, I know)
9. National Treasure
8. The Mummy
7. Bewitched
6. Sense and Sensibility
5. The Devil Wears Prada
4. White Chicks
3. Little Women
2. Center Stage
1. Pride and Prejudice (Keira's version)

Honorable mention: Hitch

What are yours?

I'm so happy!  Today my husband built me beautiful shoe racks to hold alllll of my shoes!  It took him a few hours, and my dad also contributed.  He had been promising me custom made shoes racks since we moved into this condo (so almost 2 years) and it was well worth the wait! 
The shoes are organized according to color, which also coordinates with the location of the clothes in my closet.  It's a masterpiece!

So far I've only organized my summer shoes (my winter shoes are in storage and a b*tch to get out).   But pretty soon, I will have the best non-celebrity closet in the world! 

And before anyone starts lecturing me, the title of this post is a quote from SATC.  So chill out!  Yes, I have over 100 pairs, but have not spent closet to 40K (at least I don't think so).

So Britney's back.  I think.  I'm not sure.  I guess she's performing like she was, touring like she was, and looking like she was... kinda.

Remember pre-K-Fed/baby/mental breakdown Britney?

You have to admit, that b*tch was hot!  She looked fresh and young, and all into herself. 

But now
 

Don't get me wrong, she's still cute.  But there's something dark in her eyes.  Am I right?  She looks like damaged goods.

In my (almost) 28 years of existence, I have not learned much about men.  I wish I could say differently, but I can't!  In movies and television shows, there's a stereotype that men just can't understand women and what they want.  I feel the same way about men:
-Why do you pee with the seat up?  It's not necessary and it makes a mess.
-Why do you like to sleep so much?
-Beer is gross, why do you like it?
-Why do you say you'll call when you won't? 
-What's the fascination with boobs?

All of these things, I'm pretty sure, will always be a mystery to me.  But there's one thing I have learned, mostly from hanging out with my husband with his friends:  MEN GOSSIP!
In fact, they gossip almost as much as women.  It's amazing.  And when I wasn't dating men seriously, I would have never guessed it.  But when they get together in groups, they gossip just like us girls.  They may be more low key about it, but they love rumors, and to spread news. 
When Bri gets on the phone with someone from his hometown, he immediately starts dishing the latest on who's hooking up with who, who's impregnated someone, who got into a fight with someone else, etc. 
So from now one, I'm not going to feel the slightest bit guilty when I get a juicy piece of gossip.  Because now I know, everyone does it!  And I'll be more than happy to share it with my husband.

My sister has a really annoying habit of voicing off her opinion ALL THE TIME. I don't think she can help it. If she sees something she disagrees with, she just comes right out with it. I'm not saying she's insensitive, but her inner filter just doesn't work the same as most people's.

I've gotten pretty used to it, and I ignore it most of the time. But one thing she does that totally annoys me is when she voices her opinion and then it affects MY opinion. I know it shouldn't work that way, and most of the time it doesn't. But sometimes after she says something, and I go back and think about it for awhile, I slowly start to agree with her. And sometimes it's just sad cause I start disliking things I once loved. For example:

Microwaved Hot Dogs - I still love hot dogs.  They're one of my favorite foods.  I love them on the grill, boiled, (can't quite do the "raw" thing, I know they're pre-cooked but eating them cold is just nasty), and I USED to be able to microwave them.  But then my sister made the off hand comment once "ew, once you microwave them, they taste funny."  I didn't think much of it, until one day at lunch I microwaved a nice hebrew National frank for myself, and thought "hmm, this taste kind of funny".   So I threw it out, and opened a new package and nuked another.  And it tasted the same... WEIRD!  It's all her fault!  She ruined one of the few cheap foods I will actually eat   Probably forever

Soft Batch Cookies - You know those choclate chip cookes that come in the red package and they're soft like fresh baked cookies?  Well those used to be one of the FEW store bought cookies I would gladly eat.  One time when I was hanging out with my sister, and offered her some and she said "ew, no, how can you eat that?  Doesn't it taste like straight preservatives?"  I responded "no, I like them".  But then I put one in my mouth, and it was gross!  All I tasted was this weird after taste for like an hour after I swallowed the thing.  I haven't had a "soft baked cookie" in about 6 years now.

Manicures - Remember when "25 Things" on Facebook was all the rage?  This is a direct quote from my sister's: 
15. I love getting pedicures, but I hate getting manicures. Something about a person messing with my hands and fingernails for such a long time skeeves me out.

WTF!  Now when I get a manicure it skeeves me out too!  But I still get them because I like pink nails.

Betty Crocker Warm Delights - I was obsessed with these about four years ago.  I ate like 1 a day.  I told my sister about them, she became obsessed with them and so did her baby.  Then I forgot about them.  About a year ago I said:  "oooooo, remember warm delights?  They were sooooo good!"
Big Sis - "Yuck!  Those things are nasty!"
Moi - "How come?!  We loved them back in the day!"
Big Sis - "I know, but now they're nasty"

I bought one just to see, and guess what?  NASTY!

Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs - "Ew, have you ever noticed that weird chemical taste?" Haven't had any since my sophomore year of college (8 years ago)

So sad, the only positive thing is that most of these things are horrible for me.  So I really shouldn't have been doing them anyway.  But that doesn't mean I don't miss the joy they would bring me!

Growing up, there was a show on for one season called "The Torkelsons"  I LOVED that show.  Correction:  I LOVE that show.  I am so happy because I found episodes of it on YouTube.  It's about a single mother raising her 5 children in a small town called Pyramid Corners Oklahoma.  The show follows the highly dramatic and romantic teenage daughter, Dorothy-Jane, and her aspirations to find love for both herself and her mother.

There's one episode in particular I loved when Dorothy-Jane, is getting ready to go to her high school's fall cotillion (something I imagine would be like a Homecoming dance) and is hoping the handsome, too-old-for-her boy next door will ask her as his date. Of course he doesn't, but she ends up slightly happy anyway because her mother finds her a designer gown at the Salvation Army that she's able to wear to the cotillion. But alas, she is humiliated when the rich girl there points out the the dress Dorothy-Jane is wearing USED to be her dress, but she gave it to the Salvation Army. But the boy next door saves the day when he swoops in, and asks Dorothy-Jane to dance. Ahhh, memories!!! Check out the beginning of the episode below:

This may come as a surprise to some, (especially my husband) but I'm a cuddler.  I always have been.  When I was younger, I used to LOVE sleeping with stuffed animals, but unfortunately when I would wake up, I would usually find them precariously hanging from my bookshelf, having been flung there in the middle of the night by my wild sleeping habits. 

In any case, my instinct is cuddle.  And so was the case this evening when I saw my baby nephew with his new haircut.  He looked like a little marshmallow with soft brown curls.  The cutest little boy that ever lived!  Actually, I suppose he's tied for that title with his big brother.

On a seperate note, tomorrow if the first day of the rest of my life.  My goal is to lose a bunch of weight and FINALLY be comfortable in my own skin.  Shouldn't be too hard right?  I just need to find the right inspiration.  It used to be Tara from "The Biggest Loser". 

So I friended her on Facebook, and became like one of her biggest fans.  But then I started receiving all of her "updates" on my homepage. 
For example:
"Going on a 10 mile run this morning.  The only thing to fear is fear itself!"
or
"Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."
or
"I love running in the rain, but went longer than expected...nice 12 miles!"

Seriously?  That's not inspiring anymore.  It's annoying.  So I need to fine someone new to emulate.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Ok, so by now we all know how obsessed with appearances I am.  In the last month and a half I have "made-over" my handbag collection.  I sold about 12 bags on Craigslist, and gave away the ones I couldn't sell.  And in return, I have bought 3 Marc Jacobs (all on sale!!!), and 1 Burberry.  Don't even ask how much it's cost me! 
And although I LOVE LOVE the bags, I wonder, WHY do I love the  bags?  WHY do I feel the need to purchase them?
The other night I made Bri watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic" with me.  (I really enjoyed the movie, and so did Brian, but my mom and sister gave it a thumbs down...)  Near the end of the movie, when she's in complete misery because everyone found out she's a fraud and in serious debt, her father offers to sell his RV and give her the money.  She refuses and says "No Dad, I won't let you, that camper completely defines you!"  And her father responds, "Nothing defines me!  Except you and your mother!" 
That really got me thinking.  What defines me??  Here's a list:
- my car
- my new bags
- my home (the decorating)

How sad is that?  There's not a single meaningful thing on there.  Does my husband define me?  I don't feel like he does.  It's no offense to him, he just doesn't. 
So anyway, sometimes I wish I was a "deeper" person.  I wish I didn't constantly think about what's on sale at Neiman's.  But if I didn't, then what would I have to look forward to?  I'm not sure I would have anything.

7. Sometimes I still miss Heath Ledger, and I honestly was never even a huge fan when he was here. Don't get me wrong, I thought he was a talented actor, but I guess I took him for granted.

6. The recent rash of celebrity deaths has totally got me freaked out! When I go to do the simplest things, I find myself thinking about "what if I got run over by a truck on my way to the dumpster while taking out the garbage?"

5. I'm equally freaked out about someone close to me suddenly dying.

4. I've got the dress picked out that I want to wear in my casket, if I do die anytime soon.

3. I'm scared to die.

2. I really hope there's a heaven.

1. I also hope I get to go there someday.