62. January 15th, 2011 Picture.

Saturday morning I headed down to Bridgewater to attend my sorority sister Jenn's baby shower.  Is it just me or are there a lot of babies around recently?!  Good thing I love 'em!  You may remember that I attended Jenn's wedding in May, where we had a really fantastic time.  Jenn and Dave wasted no time on starting a family, and her due date was exactly 9 months from her wedding.  Pretty hilarious timing, dontcha think?!


Now I'll admit, I'm getting somewhat burnt out from showers, I've been invited to quite a lot lately it seems, and I'm kind of tired from watching people open gifts, but I never get tired of seeing all my friends!  The shower was at a nice restaurant in Bridgewater, and was a total surprise.  Jenn thought she was getting maternity photos taken, so she showed up completely confused.  I love a good surprise and I really appreciate it when it can be pulled off.  Pull off surprises can be tough, man!


All the Gamma Phi's sat together, and let me tell you, we get pretty competitive when it comes to shower games.  Jenn had bingo at both her showers, that we played while she opened her gifts.  At her wedding shower every single girl at our table won something, where we'd violently scream BINGO! and throw our hands into the air as to not be outdone by someone else.  Maybe we caused a scene, maybe we didn't, I'm not too sure.  But regardless, this time around was no exception, we were in it to win it and we have the swag to prove it.  Both Julie and I won little air freshener things from Bath & Body Works, while everyone else at our table got various other little treats.  My plan was to put my prize in my car, but Julie thought it would be hilarious to wear her's around.  She promised that she'd wear it all day at work on Monday and wait to see how long it would take her coworkers to notice.  It smelled like ocean water, so none of us were sure if anyone would notice, they'd just think she smelled great!  God, I love Julie, she is hilarious.

Here's a shot of all the Gamma Phi's at the shower.  Jenn is the one in the middle.  You can't even TELL she is pregnant!  She looked absolutely amazing and of course we complimented her to no end.  

62. January 14th, 2011 Picture.

My photos for January 14th [which was a Friday] don't really add anything of value to my blog.  I didn't go anyplace swanky, I didn't try a new restaurant and I didn't sample any fancy cocktails.  It was cold and snowy, and I spent the night hanging out with Ratty at his apartment.  I headed there straight after work, as it is much easier to find a parking spot in the North End at 5pm as opposed to 7pm.  I snapped this picture of what looks like 1 million people stuck outside waiting for a bus.  This couldn't have been taken any later than 4:45-5pm, and LOOK HOW DARK IT IS.  Dear lord that is depressing!  I say that because as I write this in the beginning of June, it was light until 8:30pm last night.  Ahh summer.

But, back to winter for now.  Yuck.

Since it was cold, dark and miserable outside, we stayed in all night, drinking wine and watching movies.  We ordered take out from a restaurant around the corner and I ended up with the cheesiest eggplant parm ever.  It was so ridiculous that once I was full it looked as if I barely made a dent.  And since I'm addicted to food pictures, I obviously needed to take a picture of it!  Hope you enjoy it, Shelby!

62. January 13th, 2011 Picture.

This is my brand new Kate Spade bag that my mom got me for Christmas.  Isn’t it awesome?!  I had initially intended it to be a ‘Yay you got a new job’ gift to myself, you know, to go with the ‘fab new job holding girl with the perfect hair and swoon worth shoes’ mental image I had conjured up for myself.  I had picked it out when it was full price, which…was a lot of money.  I patiently waited, hoping the price would go down, or that it would pop up during one of Rue La La’s Kate Spade boutiques.  My patience was well worth it because eventually it went on sale online, almost 70% off, and I scooped it up.  Or rather I scooped it on behalf of my mom, and with her money. 

{I know my twinkly lights don't really do the color justice, but let me just tell you it's the most perfect springy orange.  Very different.}

It’s the perfect size, enough to hold my Kindle, camera, planner, cell phone, make up bag, shoes, lunch and whatever else I decide to throw in it.  It’s called the London Weekender bag and the blurb totally sold me on it.  It painted the picture that with this bag, I can throw in a change of clothes for a swanky party after work, or a few necessities for a quick weekend get away.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to be the girl they describe?!  Gah, I am such an easy sell.

62. January 12th, 2011 Picture.

SNOW DAY!  I love that I still get snow days even though I don’t work at a college anymore – it’s great!  I spent all day drinking coffee and blogging, opting to not watch TV at all until I completed a good chunk of the October blogs that needed to be posted.  Chipping away!  And to date I'm STILL chipping!

I ventured out around 4pm to shovel out my car - the last thing I wanted was for the snow to freeze over.  Living near the ocean means that the second it gets dark, my car will become a thick sheet of impenetrable and extremely annoying ice. There was so much snow on the ground, but it was so pretty.  I walked down the street, snapping photos of the streets and trees, which prompted one smart allicky neighbor to ask if this was my first winter in Boston.  Um, no silly.  I quickly quipped back, ‘Nope, I grew up here, I just like taking pictures, thanks.’  The roads were slushy, but aside from that, the snow was white and fluffy, but heavy!  It took me about an hour to get my car cleaned off and shoveled out.  Here are some before and after pictures.  After I took the one of my car all cleared, the guy shoveling next to me asked if I was selling it.  What is UP with everyone in my photo-taking business?

One hilariously ironic moment that took place during my shoveling extravaganza happened while I was driving my car and inch up and an inch back, trying to gain some mobility, ‘Summertime’ by Kenney Chesney came on the radio.  Nothing like below freezing temperatures, snow covered jackets and soaking wet feet to really make me long for summer.


And if you're wondering, YES the orange cone went straight into my spot as soon as I moved my car.  After all that physical labor, that baby is MINE.

62. January 11th, 2011 Picture.

With an impending snow storm just hours away, I did what any sane, logical person would do, I went to the grocery store.  Sigh.  I knew I was going to have a snow day on Wednesday, so I needed just a few basics to get me through the day, like coffee.  There was no way I was going to leave my apartment during a blizzard that was expected to drop 17+ inches in Boston, so I needed to make sure I was fully caffeinated.  Priorities people!

Well, just to alert you all, if you were planning on using the pay phone at the Star Market on Mount Auburn Street, it’s out of order.  I didn’t even know there was a pay phone there.  In all seriousness though, when I do see a pay phone, once every harvest moon, I just assume it doesn’t work.  I can’t imagine there is a huge market for them anymore.  Watch, now my phone will die and I’ll be in dire need of a pay phone.  Go figure.

62. January 10th, 2011 Picture.

Is anyone else addicted to planners?  I cannot live without mine, and I carry it with me everywhere I go.  My bag is really heavy, by the way.  I can't keep calendars online, or on my Blackberry, or in any other electronic way, I need it on paper, in front of me, where I can write everything down.  I found the perfect planner a few years ago from At-A-Glance and have special ordered refills through Staples every year since.  Hey, once I find something I like, nay LOVE, I am hard pressed to change.  I like to have a full view of the month, a snapshot if you will, plus 4 or so pages per month where I can write notes, directions, to-do lists, shopping lists and all my other lists that I am obsessed with.  My co-worker makes fun of all my lists, saying that the first thing written on my to-do list is always 'make to-do list', so I can easily check it off.  Hm, I mean, what if it is?  At least I'm completing stuff, right?!

62. January 9th, 2011 Picture.

Sunday morning, after our crazy Saturday night out, I was up bright and early to head down to Bridgewater for my sorority sister Kelly's daughter Sophia's christening with Ratty.  Phew that was a mouthful!  I am sure that most readers remember lil Soph and my record baby holding day last summer, so you can imagine how excited I was to get to see her again!

I had wracked my brain, trying to come up with a Christening gift, as you're all aware I love finding the perfect gift for people!  I thought jewelry, a baby blanket, savings bonds [though I am pretty sure they are a dying trend if not dead already].  I finally decided on a snow globe, with a  little girl praying, with the 'Now I lay me down to sleep' poem etched along the bottom.  I am not overly religious, but thought that this was sweet without screaming Catholic in people's faces - I definitely didn't want to do that.  I had the front plate engraved with her name, Sophia Jean, along with a crescent moon, which is Gamma Phi Beta's symbol.  Bringing it full circle here!  

Note: I went shopping for it with Ratty and agonized for at least 20 minutes about how the engraving should be, should it be centered, should the crescent moon go above her name, below her name, to the side of her name?  Ratty thought 'engraving' was all just one option, he had no idea there were so many details that went along with it.  When I told him I was putting the crescent moon with a bundle of stars on the plate in honor of Gamma Phi, he looked at me dumbfounded and was like, if given an unlimited time to think, I would have never, ever in a million years come up with that idea.  I gave myself a little pat on the back for thinking of that one!

The Christening was at the same church in Bridgewater where Kelly and Tom were married.  It was a full mass, followed by a reception at a nearby golf course.  It was most definitely the largest christening I've ever been too, but it was really great that Kelly and Tom invited their families and friends to spend the day together.  Obviously, since I was wrestling with so many people, I barely got any time with Miss Sophie!  

I mean just LOOK at those cheeks!  That girl is just so adorable and we matched!  It was totally unplanned but oh so cute regardless!  No wonder I had such a hard time grabbing some quality time with her, how can anyone part with that face?!

62. January 8th, 2010 Picture.

January 8th was a day that was on my calendar for weeks, nay months!  Shelby [a perpetual commenter on my blog] was coming into town with her cousins, so we made plans with a few other friends, Erin, Lana and Jill, to all go out.


We started off by having a few beers at my apartment, where everyone was staying, and by 'few beers' I mean we did a power hour.  Hey, sometimes you just can't shake the sorority girl mentality.  We played all our favorite songs from our undergrad days and prepped before heading to The Grand Canal.  You may remember this bar from the ridiculousness that was my 27th birthday party.  Initially we were going to try Johnny's on the Side, but there was a ridiculous line and a $10 cover.  10 BUCKS!  That's insane.  Why am I going to pay $10 just to get inside a place, and then have you charge me $6 for a Bud Light bottle.  No way Jose.  


I personally really like The Grand Canal, mainly because we don't go very often and my friends have yet to get sick of it.  The music is always good, there is a dancefloor and cheap beers - a recipe for an awesome time.  Which is exactly what we had!

{Erin, Jill and Lana.}

{Jill, Shelby's cousins Jess & Catherine, and Lana.}

{I have no idea why I'm trying to strangle Erin in this picture.  I just LOVE HER SO MUCH!}

{Cousins.  I'm pretty sure we were all having a great time at this point!}

{I put my hands up in the air sometimes...}

{Aw, cuteness!}

{No idea what is going on here, but it pretty much sums up the night perfectly.  Jess is getting down, Shelby is taking pictures of herself and Erin is doing her 'I think I look great but I'm probably drunk' face.}

These are obviously the photos that could make it on the blog.  There were lots that just need to be deleted from the face of the earth and will never ever see the light of day.  I think it has something to do with the fact that it was mid-January and I was so pale. well am so pale, that I created a white aura around us, ruining all our pictures.  I promise I get a tan and can handle flash photography, I just need a good beach day!

We left before last call, mostly because we'd had our fill of dancing and headed back to my apartment to hang out a bit more.  Everyone was sleeping over so we pretty much brought the party back to my place, where we could sit on the couch in our warm PJs and slippers.  There is something seriously awesome about that.  It was a great night out, one that doesn't happen all that often anymore since we all live so far away, and not to mention the fact that Shelby has 2 little girls.  It's tough for her to get a night out, but it is always fun when she does!

62. January 7th, 2011 Picture.

Since I am constantly over Ratty's apartment in the North End, and constantly driving to his apartment in the North End, that means, via the transitive property, or something or other, I am always looking for parking spots in the most congested neighborhood in Boston.  There are rumors, which have scarily become 'facts' to some out there, that there are only 5 visitor spots in the North End. This is FALSE, I know of at least 30.


Thankfully, I am like Magellan when it comes to finding a parking spot, for real, I am.  Erin was the one who gave me this nickname a few years ago.  I always find a parking spot, always!  I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I never, ever give up looking, ever.  I will circle for an hour until I find a parking spot.  Some might find this excessive or stubborn, but I think it's perfectly normal.  Once I set my mind to something, I am not going to give up easily, or at all.  Since I refuse to give up, I know where all the visitor spots are in the North End, and I have carefully crafted routes, the streets where I've had luck with finding parking, followed by the streets that I've never found a spot on.


That being said, on January 7th, 2011, I finally got the elusive spot!  And yes, I call it the elusive spot in conversation.  I drive by this same little 3 spot strip every time I'm on the hunt, but I've never seen a spot free.  Each and every time I pass it, I make sure that I remind Ratty that they're never open, and he always humors me and pretends to be hearing the story for the very first time.  Well, NO MORE my friends!  I finally got the elusive spot.  Yay!  [Golf claps]

{I mean, the photo isn't really all that exciting.  It is after all, just a parking spot.}

62. January 6th, 2011 Picture.

In true Ratty fashion, he got screening tickets to see the movie 'Country Strong' a day or two before it hit theaters.  He knows how much I love country music, so he knew I wanted to see it.  I mean, free movie tickets, how could I possibly pass that up?


Normally previews are pretty packed, where you have to wait in line and even then it's not a guarantee that you'll actually get a seat.  While there was a line for this one, the theater wasn't completely full.  Ratty and I chalked it up to the fact that the movie was coming out the next day, and there must have been sneak previews all week long.


I'm just gonna say it, I didn't love it.  The music was great, I'm totally going to buy the soundtrack, or illegally download it at least,  and I was really impressed that everyone did their own singing.  Gwyneth Paltrow has a great voice and she did a pretty believable job as a celebrity/recovering addict - I mean that in the nicest way possible.  I just didn't love the story.  The commercials made it look like a semi-entertaining, uplifting movie, sprinkled with country music, hi what's not to love about THAT, but it was a lot darker than I thought it would be.  Like, really dark, like overdoses, miscarriages, extramarital affairs,  and suicide attempts dark.  Yeaaaa.  I wanted to like it, I really did, but I just couldn't get behind it.  There was a baby bird in it at one point and I was more concerned about what was going to happen to the baby bird than Gwyneth's recovery.  Hm, that's probably not what the director was going for, huh?

62. January 5th, 2011 Picture.

While at the Yankee Candle Flagship Store, I picked up a scented calendar, that's right, a SCENTED calendar.  It's cool, be jealous.  Every month is a new seasonal scent, with a pretty picture on top and a scratch and sniff square at the bottom.  Isn't that totally cool?  The scent doesn't really reach all that far, I had fears of my office being filled with Balsam & Cedar and annoying my cube mates, so it's perfectly okay that the scents aren't that strong.  The best part was that the calendar was $10, but inside there was a $10 coupon - so it was totally free! I love free things!  I held on to it through November and December and brought it to hang in my cube starting in January.  It's already gotten at least 1 million compliments!

62. January 4th, 2011 Picture.

January 4th was a Tuesday and I spent the evening with one of my oldest friends, Maura.  Maura and I met on September 17th [yes we have an anniversary], during our freshman year of high school at Arlington Catholic.  I accosted her that afternoon, because aside from it becoming the day we met, it was also the day I was getting my braces off.  I stormed the library, determined to tell anyone that would listen about how excited I was.  Ah, the mind of a 14 year old is a funny thing.

Maura lives in DC, now the web editor of two military publications.  I have no idea what magazines she works for, gah I am a horrible friend, but in all honesty, military magazines aren't really my niche.  Plus, she JUST got the job, because as of our dinner in January, she was working as a freelance writer in DC, debating every month whether or not to move back home.  So, looks like I'm not that horrible of a friend after all!

Moving on.  Maura was home for the Christmas/New Years holiday, she was heading back to DC the next morning, so we hit up our old haunt for some drinks and catching up.  Myself, Maura and our friend Kerrie used to frequent Davis Square when we all lived at home right after college, so it seemed only fitting that we head back there and check out a new restaurant, Foundry on Elm.

I had taken a picture of our food, but I realized, thanks to Shelby's helpful comments, I am always posting pictures of food!  I am going to try and take more meaningful photos, like, I would have loved to post a picture of me and Maura right now, but unfortunately, I didn't take one.  It's so easy to snap a picture of food, or a drink, or the inside of a restaurant, but I definitely need to step it up and take pictures with actual people in it!

Maura and I spent the night sipping on drinks, munching on appetizer pizzas and chatting all about our lives.  We reminisced about the time Shelby and I traveled to London to visit Maura while she was abroad, our 9 hour walking tour of Paris, spending countless hours on the beach of Maura's summer cottage in Scituate and attending no less than SEVEN 'N Sync concerts during their heyday.  It is always so much fun to catch up with Maura, and even though we don't get to see or talk to each other as often as we'd like, when we do finally get together, it seems as if no time has passed whatsoever.  Isn't that a sign of a good friendship?  We're never at a loss for something to talk about!

62. January 3rd, 2011 Picture.

So to keep my awesome Kindle safe and sound while I lug it anywhere and everywhere, I bought this adorable, padded case off Etsy.  It is thick and plush, with a closure at the top, making sure that my little Kindle isn't going anywhere.  I scoured various shops at Etsy, trying to find the perfect fabric sleeve, before I settled on this.


It's from an adorable boutique called Bertie's Closet, where everything is handmade and oh so sweet.  I ordered it right away, and it was at my door TWO days later.  There is nothing better than instant gratification!

62. January 2nd, 2011 Picture.

Sunday afternoon myself, Ratty and my cousin Susan went to Shenanigan's in Southie to watch the football games [RIP Football Season, I'll miss you.  I wear my Patriots hat everywhere as a sign of my love and devotion].  Since we were in the throws of the season, the bar was packed.  We had a few beers, some lunch and watched the Pats completely crush the Dolphins.  Ratty had bet that the Dolphins were going to win, mainly because the Pats had already clinched the AFC division title, so he thought that most of the first string players would sit this game out.  I thought to myself, there is NO WAY Belichick is going to just lay down and let someone else win the game because it didn't matter.  It's all about pride with the Pats, and I'm pretty sure winning is high up on their list of priorities.  Shockingly, I was right and he was wrong and boy we did not let him forget it.


We wanted to stick around and watch the Colts game too, but the bar turned off the sound and put music on instead.  I really don't understand the whole concept of playing music instead of the game, I mean, a game is MUCH more interesting than any song they could ever play.  I don't want to listen to a random selection of muzak but maybe that's just me.  We decided to pack it in and headed down the street to The Stadium instead - we knew they'd have the sound on.


This story really has nothing to do with my photo of the day, I just wanted to share it.


I took a picture of a sign in The Stadium that said 'Provisions'.  Isn't that a cool word?  There is a little sandwich shop on Nantucket called Provisions and they make some pretty amazing sandwiches, maybe I'm projecting my love of sandwiches and Nantucket on the word, but I'm okay with that and you should be too.  I love old words, and I definitely think provisions is just that, an old word that doesn't get used all that much anymore.  I imagine people in the 40s, heading to the store and saying they were going to buy provisions - and it just sounds so nice!  I love the image it conjures up in my mind, even though I can't fully explain it.  Am I the only person out there with favorite words?  Provisions is high on the list, but my all-time favorite is apothecary.  Again, an old word that is rarely used.  I'm going to try and bring it back.

62. January 1st, 2011 Picture.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I knew we'd get here someday!  Finally in the present year, ahhh it feels good, doesn't it?!


So, New Years Day.  What did I do, what ever did I do?  Ah yes, we had a party!  Since Ratty spent Christmas with his family, obviously, my mom had him over so he could celebrate with us.  Plus, since Eddie and Christine spent Christmas day with her family, they didn't get to see Ron, Sybil, Cam or Chloe, so it was the perfect opportunity to have a little party and celebrate Christmas again AND ring in 2011!  Cousin Sue came over, along with a few neighbors and we had a really great time!  We really like spending time together, huh?

{Here we have little Miss Abby dressing Ratty up in a pretty pink bow.  It totally matches his eyes, doesn't it?  I mean, if they were open.  But let's turn the attention back to Abby, she is seriously the cutest.  Notice that she's wearing my Christmas gift.  I can't even handle it, I love her so much!}

{Here we have Abby loving their gift, and Cassie carefully inspecting it.}

After opening some gifts, we had dinner, champagne and a delicious trifle my mom made.  It was layers of lady fingers, crunched up Heath bars, chocolate pudding and whipped cream.  It is seriously so good, we all ate about 10 plates full.

And that would explain the naps we all needed to take and why the kids were so quiet.  My mom soaks the lady fingers in Kahlua, which I've never even noticed before, but this time around it tasted pretty strong.  I'm almost positive we accidentally drugged the children.  And Ratty.

So while the adults laughed, ate trifle and drank champagne [we should honestly have stock in a Vineyard for all the champagne we drink!], all the kids collapsed in the den for some much needed zoning out time.  When all the cousins get together they're crazy, like 'let's play hide and seek and suddenly I'm in the bathtub' crazy, so it's no wonder everyone needed a time out.  I thought it was just so adorable that Abby was using Ratty as a pillow, aren't they all just so cute?!

Ratty eventually emerged from the den, blurry eyed and sleepy.  Too much trifle.  We kept the festivities going, well past midnight, in true Deveau fashion.  The last few standing were myself, Ratty, my mom, my cousin Sue and some neighbors and we were having a great time.  Between Christmas Eve, Christmas, the 'Downey Family Christmas Party' party, the snowy after party at my Uncle Paul's, Jess' New Years Eve/30th Birthday Party AND this New Years Day party, I was pretty partied out, I am sure you can understand why!

{We'll close this out with the cutest picture of the cousins in matching fleeces, a gift from Aunt Sybil and Uncle Ron.  Chloe was beside herself with excitement over the fact that her, Cassie and Abigail all had the same fleece.  Honestly, could they be any cuter?!  The answer is no obviously!}