For many moons, Lobster has been lusting after a bigger t.v. Naturally, I had no idea what was wrong with the size of his already very large flat screen t.v., but he clearly NEEDED a Big Ass T.V. for the living room. He would dream about it, speak lovingly about it, and sometimes start gazing starry-eyed in the distance and I knew he was in his happy place of Big Ass TV-Land.

So, for the past week or so, due to the holiday sale frenzy, he has been finding many good deals on Big Ass TV's. And in the evenings we would inevitably discuss the pros and cons of buying a Big Ass TV now or after Christmas. I didn't even attempt to talk him out of buying the Big Ass TV for fear of losing my fiance for good or, at the very least, for fear of watching him mope around the house for the next several months. But yesterday, Lobster texted me that he had found THE t.v. And it was a good price. And it would go back up in price after Christmas because they were trying to move sales. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

And so, last night after work, we went to Best Buy and bought Lobster his Big Ass TV. This is the image similar to things I'd like to see on the pretty plasma screen (cue angels singing and birds chirping):


Alas, this is the image that will inevitably be projecting from the contraption for the REST OF MY LIFE (cue grunting, the sounds of large bodies colliding, whistles blowing, and men shouting):

The things I do for love.

BLACKBERRY EMAILS ARE DOWN! OH MY GOD! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? AAAAAH, THE HORROR!

What? I can check my emails on my computer? Seriously? Neat.

Nevermind, all is well. Carry on.

(Image courtesy of Crackberry.com...the gathering place for unashamed Blackberry addicts.)

Hi there. It's me. Yes, I know it's been a while. No, I don't have very good reasons for being away. I'm just busy. And tired. I feel like I'm drowning in busy and tired. I need a vacation from life. How have you been?

Here's a brief overview of why I'm drowning in busy and tired:

Work--this is by far my biggest stressor right now. I am not very happy with it at the moment. I've made a couple of stupid mistakes in the past year (which is NORMAL for a green attorney) and yet I feel like I'm being "talked to" over and over again about them. I get it. I screwed up. I will probably screw up again, although I'm trying not to. I'm learning. I will continue to learn. Please let it go.

Christmas--oy vey. In years past, I am a stellar Christmas shopper. I get it done early, have the presents wrapped and under the tree in record time and relax and enjoy the season for the remainder of the month. This year, I seem to have lost my mind. I have yet to buy one gift. I have yet to even figure out what to get people. I have no money, which leads one to try to get creative so as not to give a gift that sucks, but creativity takes time and energy and brain cells, none of which I have right now. I love Christmas, but this year I think it's trying to kill me.

Wedding planning--this is also a stressor but I consider this a blessing too. I am blessed that I am given the opportunity to plan a wedding, but I am stressed because I'm trying to plan an affordable wedding. I am mostly stressed about finding a venue. I would like to start looking at places but Lobster and I are out of town pretty much every weekend until the middle of January. And some places only give tours during the weekday. To those places, I have one question: are you NUTS? Who (besides the independently wealthy, which I've previously established I am not) can afford to take several days off of work just to go look at a possible venue for their wedding? And then you want me to pay you how much? Uh-huh. You are nuts. NUTS.

Money--um, yeah. I don't have any. 'Nuff said.

Needless to say, I'm feeling a little beat down. Lobster is wonderful for me, though, because I get to come home to him every night and he hugs me and all my stress just melts away. I guess that's what Lobster's are for.

Are you feeling stressed too this holiday season?

This is what I'm calling the craziness that's going on in my head right now. It really should be classified as a legitimate disease that is spread through placing shiny rings on the third finger of the left hand. Because all I do these days is think about planning a wedding.

I know. I'm driving myself crazy, too!

But what's difficult about it is that I'm trying to plan an affordable wedding. I would not be having issues if I were planning an extravagant bash at any location my little heart desired (a chapel in the Highlands of Scotland). That, my friends, would be easy. But planning an elegant, refined affair on a beer and nachos budget is FLIPPING FRUSTRATING!

My main complaint: venue. If I could just find an affordable (but not cheesy) (or ghetto) (or circa 1975) location that did not force me to use a sub-par (expensive) (tasteless) (limited choices) caterer, I'll be golden. Until that time, I have Bride Brain, and I apologize that I cannot think of other things more interesting to blog about right now. I promise I'll get better soon.

(Maybe.)

(Here's hoping.)

(Oh, and not to mention that alcohol is uber-expensive, too, but that's an entirely different post...)

The alarm sounds at exactly 7:15 a.m. Groggily, I stumble out from under my warm duvet and turn off the Christmas music blasting through the speakers. I love Christmas music, but not necessarily at 7:15 in the morning.

I kiss Lobster and make my way to the bathroom. Still half asleep, I manage to brush my teeth and wash my face and then shuffle my way into the kitchen to start making breakfast. The coffee maker has just begun its daily drip and the smell of Godiva coffee (chocolate truffle flavor this morning) wafts deliciously through the chilly house. Perking up slightly, I shuffle into the living room and turn on the Today show. Just as I'm powering up the t.v. (and all the weird, manly contraptions that Lobster has set up so we can hear the t.v. three blocks away), I glance out the window and nearly fall over.

It's snowing! SNOW! Big, fat, juicy flakes of snow are falling heavily from a gray sky.

I giggle with glee. SNOW! I love snow!

And then it occurs to me that I have to drive to work. Suddenly, I'm not quite so fond of the snow.

The 30-second weather update suddenly begins on the television and the meteorologist informs me that it is indeed snowing (thank you, Captain Obvious) but it is not sticking to the ground and the streets are nothing but wet.

All at once I feel relief (no icy roads!) and dismay (nuts, I have to go to work).

Sighing, I continue my morning routine. I'd rather stay home and play in the unexpected winter wonderland, but I can't complain. The gift of snow always makes me cheery, no matter whether its at home or at work.

Have a cheery day!

When I came home from boot camp last night I found the bathroom spotless, the bed made, the boxes that were in the living room magically gone and the carpet vacuumed. Amazed and in awe, I walked into the kitchen where amazing aromas surrounded me and I found Lobster slaving away over a hot stove. He had made me dinner.

And not just any dinner, but a DELICIOUS dinner: pan-seared chicken with mustard sauce, spaghetti carbonara and herbed sweet potatoes with feta cheese.

He even had the Cabernet ready in the decanter and handed me a glass within minutes of my walking in the door.

He is more than I deserve, but you better believe I'm not throwing him back!

I am thankful...

...to have the love of my life finally in my life.
...for my wonderful, fun, loving, amazing family.
...for my warm and welcoming future in-laws (whoa, that's the first time I've used that term and it was kinda surreal.)
...for my fantastic, funny, and downright phenomenal friends.
...for good health.
...that I have a job, even though it sometimes wears me down.
...for beautiful days and crisp fall weather.
...for holidays.
...for pumpkin cheesecake (crap, now I'm drooling.)
...for kitchens bursting at the seams with delicious aromas and lively conversation.
...for fat pants (you know I'll be wearing them all day tomorrow!)

and last but certainly not least...
...for YOU, my bloggie friends, because even though I don't know most of you personally, your thoughts and comments always brighten my day!

Happy Thanksgiving!