The Fabulous Life of Stefanie

It's officially my favorite time of year! I love the Fall in New England - the crisp weather, apple picking, Oktoberfests, breaking out the hearty recipes! It's seriously my favorite, despite the ridiculous influx of students even! Summer was amazing . The best Summer I have had since I went to Europe and Hawaii after graduating from Suffolk, and I got to share everything with my favorite person, which makes it that much more amazing. I didn't go far from home, but that in no way impeded on the incredible sites and sounds and foods I was able to partake in. I got to explore a lot of New England that I have never seen - multiple trips to the Cape, Martha's Vineyard, Maine, and even some bike trails and beaches near the city that I've never been to. Matty and I rode bikes, drank beers, and ate an ocean's full of seafood in every town we visited, further solidifying the already solidified fact that I am absolutely marrying my best friend. We have so much fun toget...

I have created a new word to describe this past weekend: rockstartastic. It was just that fun, and I was just that done by the time I crawled into bed last night, loathing the fact that Monday was undoubtedly going to be way less awesome than the weekend. Beakey, my dear, dear bff-in-law-to-be (another Stefanie created term of the day) turned 30, and requested to do it up in Allston with me and Matty. We started with dinner at the Fat Cat, hands down my favorite place to eat that isn't La Paloma in Quincy, and then headed back to the city limits in time to get a table at Deep Ellum and continue the barrage of drinking. As all good nights in Allston end, so did we at The Model, whiskey soaked and cigar smoking until well past the time our brains actually stopped creating functioning thoughts. Fast forward a few hours when Matty and I woke up on our couch to Billy Mays yelling at us through the tv, with leftover Irish pizza in hand, and 5:30 glaring at us from the clock....mission ...

Matty has a blog. I think this is pretty awesome. Despite the tone of cynicism about his creative writing, he is super talented, and I really hope he posts some of it. When we first started dating he let me read something that was published (!) and it was overwhelmingly good in addition to giving me a priceless insight into his life. So, do yourself a favor and follow it . In other news, it is quarter after seven on a Sunday. I am watching old Tom & Jerry cartoons, which I seriously have not done in years and years. After I became a teenager, I totally stopped watching cartoons (exempt from this are Disney movies, obvs). It's weird because my Mom loves cartoons and always watched them when I was home, but I had no interest and, like most of my childhood, would rather bury my nose in a book. Not this morning though; I am going to pour myself a big bowl of cereal and sit here in my pjs. I have declared today "Stefanie Day" in the continental United States (and parts of...

I fell on the wagon. That's right, I am one floor punch from being straightedge, and I have the 'roid rage to prove it. Before you clear the date for my next birthday party, let me explain. In the few months leading up to my Reno trip and my birthday I had a whole lot of nothing going on - the weather was shitty, people were hibernating, and there wasn't a whole lot to do that was fun besides eat and drink. Lucky for me (or not, as may be explained), I live with one of the best cooks I know, and have an ID that says I can drink at any of the bars I can slowly, fully tummy walk to in less time than it takes for my heart rate to reach that of a three-toed sloth's. People, I will admit it right here, I got a little.... fat . I know, I know what you are all going to say "you look fine", "you've gained your nesting weight" (thanks Mom), "you're a riot grrl - you don't conform to the bullshit societal pressures that the patriarch puts on w...

I decided yesterday that I was going to pretty much** delete my MySpace page. Gasp! I know, now what am I going to do with my free time that isn't spent on facebook , twitter, hotmail , gmail , perezhilton , people, the 12 blogs I follow or...life? I used to be obsessed with MySpace , seriously. I used it to communicate with everyone after I left Reno, stalk people when I drank too much and couldn't be seen in public, and to air all of my dirty laundry when I was going through some very major life changing events. As I deleted comments, I took a trip down memory lane. All of the friends that I used to be really close to; the friends that I wasn't that close with but are now some of my bff's ; pictures of a blond me, a drunk me, a tan me; comments of a life no longer being lived by me. It was a little emotional, but nothing close to the emotion that I felt as I looked through all my old blogs. They started when I was getting ready to finish my undergraduate degree at U...

I have been 27 for almost an entire week now, and I have barely even noticed. In fact the only things that reminds me are the awesome presents I have in my apartment, the fun pictures that keep popping up on Facebook, and the coupons in my email inbox for the free goodies I need to get at Sephora and Borders. I kind of keep forgetting that I am another year older, in fact you could say I am none the wiser to my old age! In the past when I turned another year older I would feel pressure regarding either what I had done to myself in the past 12 months, or what I needed to get done in the next 12. Always a graduation to achieve, a major life goal to reach for, activities or behaviors to swear off - there was always someway, somehow, a sort of negative aspect to my birthdays because it meant another year of school/being single/working at Starbucks/not knowing what or where the hell I would be by my next birthday/etc/etc. But not this year. This year, I just got to kick back and enjoy every...

I am taking advantage of this eerily uneventful day at work to play a little blog-catch-up, so here goes... Reno was amazing . I seriously could not have had a better time. Matty and I had so much fun together (as usual) and everyone loved him as much as I knew they would - he is kind of irresistible that way. It was awesome to see him bond with my family and friends and allow him to get to know even more about me. I feel like it has made our bond even stronger, and that he gets it, not like he didn't, but now I know for sure that he totally, 100% gets me. My Dad put us up in a beautiful sweet (which would have run us a few grand) for a few days at no cost but his company; we went to San Fran, Tahoe and Virginia City, it was just awesome. I feel a lot better about things with my Mom and am looking forward to going out there for Christmas this year to be with her. I am also trying to convince her to come out to Boston this summer sans-Bob for a little lady time, but we'll see if...

Today is the first day of Lent - also known as Ash Wednesday - which is exciting for two reasons: I am just a little over a month from my baptism, and I am fully participating with the rest of the Catholic community in all things Holy! Today I am fasting - which means I'll eat two small meals not equal to one meal and then one non-meat meal. So far (and it's just past lunch time) this has been a good perspective building practice for me. At anytime that I am hungry - whether legitimate hunger or simply a craving - I can get something to eat, usually whatever it is that I am craving; I can just go, get it, and eat it. No problem. That is not the case for a whole lot of the population - whether here in Boston or across the planet in Africa, and the hunger pangs that I think I am having because my co-worker mentioned pizza are surely nothing in comparison to the immense amount of suffering that is taking place at all times in the world, or when Jesus was hung on the cross. Nails t...

I feel like I swallowed a handful of glass shards and razor blades. Seriously, my throat hurts, my ears are plugged, my sinuses burn and I am beyond tired. I wouldn't be such a whiner if this wasn't the second time in the past month that I have been contaminated with something. There are a million plausible reasons that I can use to explain this - I work in a house with 120 men whose hygiene is very questionable at times, making this a bit of a petri dish; also at work is a radiator that would make Dante's Inferno seem pleasant, and a window that blows cold, Boston air right into my face; add to this a bit of stress, the winter cold, and a raging social life, and you have one unhealthy Stefanie. I am trying to figure out remedies - I am going to start by getting back into my winter Emergen-C routine, or at least getting a vitamin C supplement and getting my lazy ass back into a hardcore gym regimen, since that seems to boost my immune system and keep me from being so tired...

Yep, the love of my life, my best friend, the most handsome man that I have ever laid eyes on asked me to marry him, and of course, I said YES! I could not possibly be any more excited. I am literally bubbling over like a glass of champagne with excitement and love for absolutely everything and everyone. First and foremost, I am so elated that I am going to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life. Growing old will be void of anything dull, boring, or not completely hilarious. We are going to have beautiful babies and live happily ever after - no wicked Stepmothers, turning into vegetables, or singing mice about it - this is my fairy tale ending. Second to that is the love and support that we have been receiving from our family, friends, co-workers, and even complete strangers! Although we have been talking about getting married since we met and began our whirlwind romance, it is so exciting to shout it from the rooftops and celebrate our love with everyone. We have an amazin...

My vision of leading a stress-free life seems to be slipping farther and farther away from me this week. Not that I expected a whole lot of progress, but I feel like I haven't made any, which in turn makes me feel just plain crappy. I thrive off of productivity, sometimes I feel like I amount my own worth to how productive I am, whether it was finishing grad school or finishing a book I am reading, I just like to get things done. I am always the party/event planner in my social life, and I love creating projects at work, for myself and my clients. It creates a sense of accomplishment for me and it makes me feel good. This past week, not so much of that feeling for me. Being sick threw me out of my gym rotation that I was getting back into, and I am trying to get back but I have so much other stuff to catch up on that I put off while I was being sick on the couch. I have to pick up Matty's anniversary present tomorrow night and get to my therapist tonight, and the mornings don...

I am still sick and it sucks! I'm not completely bed-ridden sick, but more the annoying sick where I'm sniffly and stuffy and have an overall icky feeling throughout my body. I can move around and do things, but it takes all my energy just to do the easiest stuff, and I certainly can't do the stuff I really want to do (go to the gym, hunt down Matty's super secret anniversary present, breathe out my nose without sounding like a chainsaw). It sucks - boo! I needed to have a little pity party. On the bright side, I do have to say, I don't get sick nearly as much as I did when I was a smoker, and the sick germs do a much better job of staying above the neck, which is good when you were the kid/teenager/adult with chronic bronchitis. So here I am taking it easy, and hoping to feel even better for my special Mass at church tomorrow morning. Tomorrow at 11:30 I will be admitted to the Order of Catechumens in my Parish, marking my progress from Catechism classes to the nea...

After a super fun and productive day of volunteering I went to the Roadhouse and had an awesome dinner with Nina, Amy and Vanessa. Girl talk, life talk and amazing pulled pork, mac and cheese, collard greens, Allagash White and jalapeno and cheddar cornbread. Did I mention the awesome company? Then I came home, and discovered I was famous . Awesome day! And I get to lay my head down tonight knowing the 8 year nightmare is over! More about the inspiring experience at the Boy's and Girl's Club after my head de-swells from all the excitement. XoXo

And what a monumental one it is. Watching TV at the gym today I couldn't help but to be filled with sense of excitement and hope as Mr. Obama gets ready to take over the office of the President. I do not envy him, whatsoever, as he has one deep, deep hole to dig this country out of, but the impact of his election has already become obvious to me. Young people were much more active in this election than any other, and the notion that we all have a voice rang true as young and old, liberal and conservative lined up for hours to put their vote in. As the Inauguration celebrations from around the country are broadcast I see a lot of the same, and I am as excited and proud as ever to be an American today. In honor of Dr. King's dream, today is a National Day of Service , a day to unite communities and work towards a common purpose of peace and unity. I will be at the Somerville Boy's and Girl's Club hanging out with the local kids making pet toys to donate to the MSPCA. The...

The weather has officially taken its toll on me, and I am legitimately, certifiably, just a bit over a wee bit grumpy. It is cold ! I know that I live in New England, and I know that it is January, but goodness gracious - it's in the single digits and dropping!! When the weather starts to affect both my daily routine and my leisure time, it's officially war. I don't mind bundling up for my morning commute, or having to leave early to make it across the ice in my TUggs (read: Target brand Uggs), but when I don't even get to do the things that I want to do, it's officially bullshit. Last night I tried to go to the Shambala Center as I had planned, but after getting a bit lost and running a bit late I spontaneously bailed out and hopped on the 66 bus homeward as soon as it rolled up near me. I just couldn't deal with being outside with all my layers and bags and things on my hands and over my mouth for even one second longer! I am well aware of my hypochondriasis,...

2009 really is going to be a good year, not that I had my doubts, but things have been going really well and I am feeling super happy and excited about things. This weekend was relaxing, but super fun and productive...and I barely spent a dime. Friday I went out with people from work and had a lovely time, and actually cancelled on the ladies so I could schmooze up my boss, which I think actually worked in getting myself on her radar. It was weird to cancel a lady date for work stuff, but it made me realize that this is one of many things that are bound to change in the near future, and it is all apart of growing up. Of course everyone was totally understanding, and I was asleep with Matty at 10:30 that night, which made it easy to get up at 5:30 on Saturday morning so that I could have a nice, full day off. Definitely a sign that I am getting old, or I'm just plain crazy. I got everything done before 11am - grocery shopping, cleaning the house, and my first (of what will be many...

I am in a lovely mood today. Despite the yucky weather and the late night I worked, I woke up today with a fresh outlook. I have the unfortunate habit of stressing myself sick, I will think about one thing that is bothering me and let it absolutely consume me and my thoughts, and 9 times out of 10 I will make myself physically ill. It has long been one of my goals to change this habit and to find different and healthier ways of dealing with my worries. It hasn't been easy, as this has been a life-long pattern of behavior for me, that was reinforced (and continues to be) by my parents. My Dad has been losing his job daily for at least the past 15 years, and my Mom...here's an example of my daily interactions with my Mom over the phone, this was Sunday night: Me: Hello? Mom: Oh, I am so glad you answered! Is everyone okay? Me: (sitting on my couch with Matty and Louis, in my pajamas, watching Good Will Hunting) What do you mean? We're fine, why, what did you hear? Mom: I saw ...

As I was looking through some old writing of mine, I was thinking about how I use Boston as a character in writing so much of what I do and how I feel, and I was trying to figure out how I feel about this quirk of mine. It can be kind of cheesy I guess, and it can seem a bit dramatic, but for myself and anyone who is close to me, it just really makes sense. It seems that every time something big happens in my life, or anytime I put some deep thought into my experiences in life thus far, there's Boston - someway, somehow - whether it's the city itself, the people in it, or the future I think that it holds. Being someone that is not from Boston, and is therefore not a true Bostonian, I can get a little self conscious about this, and I sometimes fear that true Bostonians will take offense to my love affair with their city. I get nervous that they won't see my relationship for what it really is, and what Boston really means to me; I am not a fair weather fan, in any aspect, and...