62. June 17th, 2011 Picture.

I babysat Miss Cassie & Miss Abs while Eddie and Christine went on a date, and the girls and I spent the majority of our night painting our nails.  Like, Eddie and Christine went out to dinner, drove around for a little while to kill time, came home and got ready for bed and we were STILL painting nails.  Hey, we have babysitting traditions and painting each others nails in the most ridiculous fashion is one of them.

While I painted Cassie's nails first, Abby acted as paparazzi.  What you don't see here are the 37 photos I deleted, like the ones of the light fixture, my eyeball, the bedspread & Cassie's hair.  I just included the gems.

Where does she GET this from?  Somehow I'm inclined to blame Katy Perry.

Lining them up...

And picking them out.

I love this one.  I love how we're smiling at each other.  Smiling's my favorite.

Again.  Katy Perry.

They're such hams.  They love posing for the camera!

62. June 16th, 2012 Picture.

Since I'm attempting to be the most organized mover ever, I went down to our copy room to stock up on empty Staples boxes.  These ones are totally perfect because they have lids and handles, plus they aren't super big so there is no way I can cram so much inside it's impossible to lift.  It's a win win win, really.  The copy center guys have obviously had this request before because they had a system all set up, they stacked then, taped them all together, then used the tape to create an easy handle for me to carry them.  I might have looked ridiculous walking around with all these boxes strung together, and lots of men offered to carry my empty boxes for me, but it was totally worth it - they're perfect for my big move!

62. June 15th, 2011 Picture.

YES MORE HOCKEY!  Except this time it is a whole bunch of photos of the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup!  Boom.

Ratty & I had plans to go straight from work to Canal Street, where most of the bars around the Garden are.  My mission was to leave work, RACE to the North End, park my car in a visitors spot, and RUN over to The Fours and try and get a seat at the bar.  Since this was obviously one of the most epic games ever, one that was being played AT the Garden, we knew that people would be lining up prettayyy early to get prime viewing seats.  I managed to get a spot in the North End super fast, which shocked even me, and raced over to The Fours.  I texted Ratty to let him know that I was en route, assuming that he'd still be on his way from work, and he texted me back letting me know he was almost there too.  I got to The Fours only to be discouraged to find all the seats at the bar taken.  There were plenty of people standing around, most of whom I assumed were actually going to the game, but I knew that most people with awesome seats would be there for the long haul.  

At that point Ratty texted me back and said he'd gotten a seat at the bar next door, Boston Sports Grille.  I went outside, hopped in line, and waited for the 10 or so people in front of me to head on in.  Boy oh boy was I mistaken, the situation was an absolute nightmare and I spent 45 minutes waiting outside, borderline screaming at bouncers, waiting to be let inside.  Apparently the bar had JUST opened at 4pm, and they'd barely gotten anything set up.  Servers weren't there yet, bartenders were unprepared and the owner was seriously stressing.  I mean, hi, its GAME 7 of the STANLEY CUP!  Why did you think it was a good idea to have your employees show up at 5pm?!  Eventually, after so much annoyance, I finally convinced the bouncer that my boyfriend was, in fact, INSIDE, sitting at a table waiting for me.  I then had to have Ratty come outside, confirm my story and escort me in.  If you think this is the stupidest story ever, you'd be right.

PHEW!  We were FINALLY inside and the pitchers were flowing.  Much better.

We're number 1....?

Ratty was a serious clapping machine.  I had 4 photos in a row of him clapping violently.  I picked this one.

Obviously the highlight of the night was the Bruins WINNING THE STANLEY CUP!  But there was definitely another highlight to our evening.  Here is the back story.  Earlier in the day, Rue La La had posted a picture on Facebook of two employees who were DECKED out in Bruins gear.  They were dubbed superfans and the picture garnered hundreds of comments.  I just happened to see this while I was taking an uber quick break from work during my lunch break.  Mmmmk, who really believes that.  Anyway, I was waiting in line for the bathroom and I saw two girls who were wearing remarkably similar outfits to the Rue La La super fans.  I'd had a few beers, so I had absolutely no issue going 'hey, do you girls work at Rue?' to which they IMMEDIATELY freaked out.  They were so excited that someone had recognized them and I honestly felt like I was meeting a celebrity!

Pay close attention to Amy B., the girl on the right.  We've become good Twitter friends (if that's a real thing, which I happen to think it is), and you might see her pop up in future posts!

More violent clapping.

At this point, the game was winding down, but the energy was absolutely insane.  The Bruins were gonna win!

Seriously when the whistle blew, the whole building started to shake.  People were standing on tables, jumping up on the bar, screaming and going absolutely bananas.  It was awesome.

We watched the Cup ceremony, paid our tab and prepared ourselves for the chaos that was about to ensue.

Once we got outside we realized that the cops had closed down most the routes towards the Garden, meaning that people had to funnel through the street towards Haymarket.  While the crowds were excited and some people were going crazy [like climbing on the backs of oil trucks or shimmying on traffic lights - yes I saw people do both of these things and yes I think they were certifiably insane] the majority of people were pretty respectful.  People were just really excited and wanted a place to celebrate, crowds gathered at Haymarket with lots of people leading different Bruins/Boston chants, and overall the vibe was excited, not violent.  I've been able to experience a few of these awesome wins for Boston teams in my day, and they've always been relatively peaceful.

Obviously Vancouver was the complete opposite.  At no point did anyone in Boston light anything on fire, flip any cars or do any real damage to anything.  I was pretty proud of us in that respect!

GO BRUINS!

62. June 14th, 2011 Picture & 38. Start Grad School.

So, every few months or so I start thinking about potentially, maybe getting my Masters.  I joke that I have 3 stages to drinking white wine [I promise this is related].  Step 1. I get super chatty.  Like, pause a movie Ratty and I are watching to discuss the pros and cons of me going back to school type chatty.  Then I get weepy, like sobbing about a pair of gloves I lost when I was in high school - they had leopard print cuffs!  Or when my mother is going to live when she decides to stop working.  I'd like to note that I am the ONLY one who worries about these things, it's potentially and probably irrational.  The third phase to drinking too much white wine is falling asleep between hiccuping sobs, much to the relief of Ratty.  I don't like drinking white wine, if you all couldn't have guessed.  And no, champagne is not white wine.

  So anyway, I go through phases where I think going back to school might be a really good idea, looking into different programs, going to open houses and even going as far as organizing my hypothetical schedule before losing steam and pushing the idea of grad school out of my mind.  It's a ton of money, like A TON, and considering that I have no real idea of what I want to be when I grow up, or how that unknown profession would fit in with my masters degree, it doesn't seem to make a whole lotta sense.  I mean, am I right?

When I found out my company would pay a portion of my tuition, I started to look into communication programs again, and attended an information session for Suffolk, re: goal number 38 on my list.  The session was at the Omni Parker House downtown and I basically sat a table with other potential graduate students and asked the Dean questions.  I've attended this session 3 times, so I already knew the answers, but it was a nice refresher.

I left the session still not absolutely convinced I wanted to go back to school.  I love learning new things, but feel as if I do a lot of that by taking classes at the BCAE and sitting in on various meetings and seminars around Boston.  I don't ever want to write a 30 page paper ever again, and unless I have a definitive career path which requires additional education, I just can't rationalize paying all that money.  My job does cover a portion of tuition, but once I did the math I'd be able to take 1 class a semester and have it covered.  That means I'd be going to school for 10 more years.  Pass.

62. June 13th, 2011 Picture.

Okayy, so I warned you!  I said there would be some hockey all up in this blog, and here it is.  This was for game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals and Ratty and I watched the game at McGreevey's in the Back Bay.  We got there RIGHT after work, grabbing 2 spots at the bar, and settled in for a long night of hockey watching.  

This game was totally intense, the Bruins were down 3-2 in the series, meaning we had to win to stay alive.  The bar was on pins and needles, anxious and stressed, hoping that the Bruins season wouldn't end like this.  The Bruins needed to WIN.  And, Boston totally needed bragging rights to have all 4 sports teams win a world championship in 10 years.  NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE!

Well, they came out on absolute fire and scored FOUR goals in the first period.  FOUR!  It was still 4-0 going into the 3rd period and we were feeling pretty confident that there would be a Game 7.  And by pretty confident, I mean we knew we we were gonna win!

The bartender became pretty friendly with the people in our corner of the bar, and started giving out free black and gold shots for each Bruins goal.  I did not sample one, but Ratty did and said they were pretty good.  It was a whole mix of things, including butterscotch, which is something I like on my ice cream but not in my drinks.  I am sure that the bartender thought this was a good idea to start off the night, but after the B's got 5 goals - I am pretty sure he regretted it!

The game got a little more intense when the Canucks scored 2 goals in the 3rd period.  I think every Boston sports fan will tell you, no matter how big our lead, we will always panic and think our team is about to choke.  All it takes is one bad game and we're ruined as fans forever.   Luckily the B's scored once more, adding a little padding to their lead and giving us assurance they'd force a Game 7!

I like to write these blogs as if you all have no idea what actually happened.  We all know how this series ends, IT ENDS AWESOME.

62. June 12th, 2011 Picture.

Whaddya Need is a shop in the North End, directly across the street from Ratty's [old] apartment that is pretty much the coolest thing ever.  They basically created a shop that offers services such as snow shoveling, help installing a wireless router, heavy lifting, maid & laundry services, Ikea furniture putting together, installing air conditioners, help moving, etc etc etc.  This place is a god-send for us kids in the city!  It's such a great idea, a catch all for all those icky things us yuppies can't do.  Gentrification at it's finest!  'I don't even OWN a hammer!'

The reason I took this photo, aside from the general awesomeness of the store idea, is because Ratty and I enlisted their services to help us move.  We have quite a complex moving sitch, where we need to move Ratty's things out of a 5th floor walk up, then go to my apartment and move out MY stuff, store the truck overnight at my mom's house, then unload all our stuff at our new place the following day.  If you think this sounds like a nightmare you are 1,000% right.  We needed to move out of our apartments on a Thursday and move into our new place on a Friday, so the availability of friends was seriously lacking.  We called up Whaddya Need and asked if they provide people to help with heavy lifting.  We didn't need a moving van, so traditional movers were out, just 2 people to help for a few hours on each day. They said they get complex requests like this ALL THE TIME [seriously, who knew?] and would have no problem coordinating our move.  I think I'm in love.

62. June 11th, 2011 Picture.

How does one explain the greatest day of their life?  Like, THE GREATEST DAY EVER, mainly because it contained one of the top 3 concerts I've ever seen in my entire life.  I've been to  A LOT of concerts, like a million, the most for one act being 7 and that was *N Sync, but if Lady A would come back around Boston I would be more than willing to break that record.  Anyway!  Greatest day ever!  Jen and I saw NKOTBSB at Fenway.  FENWAY!  FENWAY PARK!

We hadn't initially gotten tickets when they first went on sale, though we'd put forth the effort before balking at the cost.  There had originally been a big group of us wanting to go, but no one wanted to put 10 $100+ tickets on their credit cards, so we just let the sale date pass, never really giving it another thought.  Full disclosure, Jen and I had already seen NKOTB, during their very first reunion tour in 2009 at the Boston Garden, so we weren't totally heartbroken.

As the concert date approached, Jen and I started itching at the idea of going.  We'd both been life long New Kids on the Block fans, hi they were my first concert at the age of FIVE, and the thought of missing out on seeing them at FENWAY PARK seemed unforgivable.  It also didn't help that they were playing at the Garden the week before, so the status updates and pictures of our friends at the concert only fueled our need to go.  Plus I pretty much listened to 'Lights Out' by NKOTBSB on REPEAT for 3 days straight, which was my real breaking point, both mentally and emotionally.  I emailed Jen on Tuesday afternoon, telling her that I needed to go to the concert or else I'd die, and she quickly concurred.  Within minutes we'd scanned various ticket sites and nabbed 2 right behind home plate for about $50 each.  FIFTY BUCKS EACH FOR THE BEST CONCERT EVER!  I would have gladly paid more, but I was secretly relieved I didn't have to.

The weather the day of the concert was a little lackluster, but that didn't stop 1 million people from lining the streets, waiting to get inside.

Yes this is a tour bus.  Yes we took a picture in front of it.  Yes we're 12.

BUT WHAT IF THEY WERE INSIDE?!

Anyone who knows anything about NKOTB knows that they were also famous for the copious amount of swag they had back in the day.  I had the group buttons, the big buttons, the individual guy buttons, the lip gloss, trading cards, jean jacket, laminated posters, yes I said LAMINATED, t-shirts, etc etc etc.  My friends next door had the sleeping bags.  I was totally jealous.  And yes, if you must know I just looked up NKOTB sleeping bags on ebay and am tempted to buy one.  I'll bring it with me when I sleep over my friends houses.  Maybe Erin can get one too and we can zip them together.

Anywho, that whole tangent about NKOTB stuff was the precursor to my brand new oversized button!

The 5 year old in me needed it. Plus I collect buttons, or rather my mom collects my buttons, so I knew I needed to commemorate this awesome concert with a $10 button.  Totally worth it!

OMG, you guyssssss, Marky Mark came out and introduced the New Kids, and let me just tell you, every single girl in that stadium lost their minds.  Straight up lost their minds.  He was looking yummyyyy.  Wait, what was I talking about?  Oh right, the concert!

All 9 of the guys, 5 from NKOTB and 4 from BSB, had custom Red Sox jerseys on and were announced as part of the 'starting line -up' by the guy who announces Red Sox games - it seriously made us all lose our minds.  Seeing the guys from NKOTB, who grew up in Dorchester, getting announced as part of the Red Sox starting line up was just ridiculous.  As someone who loves Boston and Boston sports, I could totally appreciate what an honor this was for the hometown guys.  You could tell that they were just so blown away and almost starstruck by this opportunity, it made us all giddy like school girls.  

Let's be honest, Jen and I were there for New Kids, I could have done without BSB, but they were there, they were great, but the true stars of the show were the hometown guys.  Though I will admit that Jen and I were the youngest old people at the concert.  NKOTB were at the height of their popularity when I was 5, so we are pretty much the youngest 80's fans they have, meaning that we were the youngest NKOTB fans at Fenway.  BUT on the other end of the spectrum, we were the oldest BSB fans in the joint.  The girls sitting next to me were there only to see the Backstreet Boys, claiming to not really know anything about NKOTB, and they were 22.  Meaning their weren't even ALIVE when I went to the NKOTB concert at the Worcester Centrum.  That was totally weird to me.  I'm guessing this is how people feel when I say I was born in 1983 and they're like OMG you don't even KNOW what you missed.  You're right, I don't.

After being introduced, each guy would run through the dugout, through this fog tunnel, high five the other guys who'd already lined up, and take their place at the end of the line.  Once everyone was announced, they ran AROUND the warning track and up onto the stage.  Seriously, it was so amazing.  You can tell that they went above and beyond with this concert. Though I've never seen anyone else perform at Fenway, I can't imagine that everyone get's this kind of access.  Only guys who grew up here would be able to pull it off - IT WAS AWESOME.  Have I said that already?  I can't remember.  Anyway, it rocked.

NKOTBSB banner [written in official Red Sox font] hanging over the Green Monster.

Our attempt of getting a shot with the stage.  Not the best.

So many people!  Obviously, all screaming at the highest pitch deafening tones that girls are famous for.

Even though we were pretty far away from the stage, the seats were still great.  We could see everything happening on stage, plus they had two giant screens on either side of the stage.  It was a total bonus that our seats faced out into center field - not that we were seated for very long.  Or at all really.  So good!

Jen is clearly excited.  I think I can hear her heart going pitter patter from here.

Then it started to rain,  Like RAIN RAIN.  Hardcore rain that probably bordered on monsoon conditions.  That didn't stop any of us.  The guys danced harder, pretending the cat walk in the middle of the stage was a slip and slide, running around the field to home plate, kicking up water and sliding into home.  They were so grateful that 30,000 people were sticking out the weather that they put on the most incredible show I've ever seen.  I get chills just thinking about it.  Their energy and excitement was papable.  I had the biggest, stupidest grin across my face for 3 hours and I was soaked to the bone.  Like, there was not one dry spot on my jeans type soaked, but I didn't care.  They were singing 'Step By Step' and 'Tonight Tonight' without fear of being electrocuted or falling off stage and breaking their neck, so the LEAST I could do was enjoy this insanely awesome show.  INSANELY AWESOME SHOW.

This is Joey running around the bases, jumping in puddles and thanking the crowd for standing out in the pouring rain.

I mean, I'd gladly stand in the rain to watch this concert a million times over.

PHEW!  I seriously could go on forever about how great this concert was, but I am pretty sure you get my drift.  I've also run out of positive adjectives.  It was perfect, amazing and easily one of the Top 3 concerts I've ever seen in my entire life.  Not 100% sure what the other two concerts would be, this is something I should probably think about before I throw around terms like that, but whatever.  I'm thinking that one of my *N Sync concerts is in there, maybe the one that I saw at OLD Foxboro stadium the day before my high school graduation that was filmed and aired as a Pay-Per-View special, yes I'm sure that's in there somewhere.

Happy New Year!

{Ratty and I at The Esplanade Associations 10th Anniversary Gala at the beginning of December.  I really like this picture!}

Happy 2012!  I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be the best year yet, but I might be totally partial to my wedding and all the awesome things that accompany it.  Like parties, for me.  And presents, for me.  All my family and friends coming together, for me.  Er, us.  US!  Yes, us! Me and Ratty!  2012 will be good to US.

With a new year comes a new list of ways I want to better myself AND my life.  I don't know why people only do this once a year, I feel like we should always be thinking of things like this, but....we don't.  I think people tend to make resolutions because we all get to start the new year on a positive note, leaving negative things in the past and getting a jump on an awesome year.  So, without further adieu, here's my list! 

Resolutions:

1.  BLOG MORE!  I know, I know.  I've been slacking.  I used to post at least twice a day, making up ground and inching closer to the present day.  Then the holidays came and I got swamped, in both work and life.  Things got super busy and I just didn't have the time or energy to sit down and bang out a few posts almost daily.  When I did have a few minutes to relax, I wanted to zone out to mindless TV or read a book.  YES!  READING!  I became obsessed with the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series, like, abnormally obsessed, and spent the past 2 months consuming lots of books.  

Blogging is a balance, balancing all the things in my life and making a concious effort to carve out time write.  It used to make me happy, excited and productive.  Around the holidays it started to feel like a chore.  My pictures of the day suffered [you'll see eventually] and I just couldn't get motivated.  I think I really need to push myself to write a post a day, and then I'll get back into the groove.  It's like working out, once you do it for a while you feel like you NEED to do it.  At least that's what people tell me.

I need to write more, plain and simple.  I loved checking my blog, reading comments from readers, engaging and reading other blogs - I need to get back there.  I need to write and have fun!  My readers NEED me!  And I need them, I like the attention.

2.  Decorate our apartment.  We've been here for 6 months and we still have boxes to unpack!  I really want to make our house homey, cozy, personal.  There are bare spots on our wall, bags and boxes in a corner, and kitchen cabinets completely unorganized.  For someone who loves reading decorating magazines, watching HGTV and pinning things on Pinterest, you'd think I'd be better at decorating!  I have great ideas in my head, but am discouraged at the money that it takes to do what I'd like.  With Thanksgiving, Christmas and saving for our wedding, money makes me anxious, and I have trouble spending it - at least right now.  I don't normally have any difficulty blowing through funds, but I am trying to be a little smarter about it.  Which means, more boring, at least to me.  

My favorite store is West Elm, and Ratty and I have decided to ask for West Elm gift cards [in addition to our 2 registry lists at Crate and Barrel and Macy's] for our shower and wedding, so I am hoping that once those babies start rolling in I'll be able to go absolutely insane like I want to.  It'll be like the home edition of Super Market Sweep.  I'll take 18 multicolor pillows please!  Yes, and that porcelain owl too.  Wrap it up!  Chop chop!

3.  Declutter.  We've talked about this.  I am an emotional hoarder.  Like, oh my niece wrote the address on this otherwise useless used envelope!  I MUST KEEP IT FOREVER!  Look!  My mom put a really adorable snowman sticker on this post-it, I must put it in a really great, safe place!  I don't need this stuff and it's really starting to drive Ratty insane, so I need to be better about throwing things away.  I need to sort through my various junk drawers, organize them and keep them that way [let's be real, that's the hardest part!].  This will make room for things that actually BELONG in drawers and not on every surface of our bedroom.  Up until 2 days ago all my work pants might have been stacked on our windowsill.  MAYBE.  But I cleaned out a shelf in my closet for them.  SO EASY yet it took 6 months to do it.  I have a lot of stuff, and it's probably stuff that I don't necessarily need.  Now that I live in an apartment with Ratty, and we have one, albeit kinda big closet, I have to learn to keep only things I need and to keep them in their designated space, otherwise we are going to drown in piles of Gap cardigans.

4.  Cook more.  When we first moved into the apartment, it was the height of the summer, which meant the farmers market outside our door was awesome.  Every week I would stock up on yummy veggies and cook with them all week long.  I started stocking up on cook books, receiving them as gifts and buying them on my own.  Ratty gave me two spectacular ones for my birthday, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and The Soup Factory Cookbook, but I've yet to make anything from them!  I love looking through cookbooks, thinking of all the awesome things I could make, and now that I have my very own kitchen [which was always my excuse when I lived with roommates], I should really do it more.  I tend to make the same tried and true recipes, and I really need to start trying new and different things.  I should really sit down at the beginning of the week, plan out our meals, make a shopping list AND clip coupons, but let's take it one step at a time, shall we?

5.  Check more things for my 101 list.  Let's face it, I hit a funk.  I stopped blogging and really stopped feeling all that interesting.  I am going to blame it on the fact that it gets dark at 2:15pm and that by the time I get out of work the darkness immediately zaps my energy and I am exiled to the couch to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.  In sweatpants.  I KNOW!  I hang my head in shame.  In the summer time I feel like I am flitting from one awesome thing to another, basking in the sunshine and instantly feeling more alive and determined.  I go go go every night of the week, overbooking myself with plans and loving every second of it.  Every weekend is spent doing something outdoors, feeding into my awesome tan and therefore increasing my confidence and self worth [hi, I look 1000x better with a tan, everyone knows it].  Then the cold comes and it takes all my energy just to take the bus home and make it into my apartment without collapsing from sheer boredom/exhaustion.  I barely had the will to put a pair of socks in my drawer yesterday.  A PAIR OF SOCKS.  JUST ONE!  God Amy, get it together!

So yea, when that happens it's really hard for me to stay focused on anything but the TV.  I've already explained how I've slightly lost my way with my blog, but it's a new year which means that I can forget my past slacker mentality and really break myself out of this mild seasonal depression I'm facing.  Maybe it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be, but I will admit that the thought of stopping at the grocery store the other night after work had me literally almost in tears.  I DON'T NEED MILK!  Wait, yes I really do.

I am happiest when I am over-scheduled and super busy.  I thrive on having too much to do and not enough time to do it.  When faced with a small task and a limitless deadline, you better believe I am going to wait until I am on my death bed to complete it.  It's just how I am, I thrive under pressure and completely give up when given space.  I mean, that's why I picked a challenge with an end date.  A definitive amount of time to check everything off my list, 1001 days!  Honestly, I knew that I'd get like this someplace in the middle, but I am right now, right HERE AND NOW getting back on track.  You watch, it's gonna be awesome.

6.  Work out more.  Be healthy.  I talk A LOT about food.  I'm along the mindset that we are slowly killing ourselves with all the nasty and disgusting, yet probably really yummy, things that we all eat.  I stopped drinking soda and Chrystal Light because of Aspartame, though I'll be the first to admit, every once in a while I just really need a diet coke or ginger ale.  I've taken classes on detoxing and nutritional health and watched the documentary 'Forks Over Knives' which made me immediately run out and buy almond milk and vegetable bouillon and throw all the meat away in my fridge.  I check labels to make sure that the dairy I eat doesn't come from cow's fed hormones and quit eating Kashi when I read that all their soy is treated with gross pesticides.  So yea, I am one of those.  

BUT I still eat mozzarella sticks, nachos and fries, I mean HI THEY ARE AWESOME, but also not totally healthy.  I need to get with the program, eat like I preach and really attempt to do more yoga and pilates.  Plus maybe Zumba, I did it once and it was a TON of fun.  My class was filled with these awesome gays and I just spent the entire hour watching them perform like they were back up dancers for Lady Gaga.  So fab.

7.  Save! I need a budget.  I need to clip coupons.  I need to stop spending so much money on non-necessities.  We have a wedding coming up and well, that thing is not going to pay for itself, though I really wish it would.  I've been buying scratch tickets in hopes of hitting the lottery, which probably goes against this whole SAVE! thing, but THEY'RE NECESSITIES!  Momma needs fruitwood chivari chairs!

8.  Try to dress cuter.  This one is totally narcissistic but I'm cool with it if you are.  I tend to wear the same things all the time, pairing my Gap navy pants with every Gap cardigan I own, sometimes mixed with a scarf and sometimes just cinched with a belt.  I am better than this.  My clothes are better than this.  I need to take a cue from all the adorable outfits pinned on Pinterest and step up my game.  I need to live my life according to this quote [also found on Pinterest] Always Dress Like You're Going To Meet Your Worst Enemy.  There is no greater revenge then looking awesome.  You can quote me on that.

I am thinking of trying a 30 day challenge where I can't repeat outfits.  I know, it seems intense and maybe even a little drastic, but this is what I need!  I need a hardcore challenge.  Seriously Amy?  It sounds like you just committed to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or quitting your job it go build schools in Honduras.  But no, you're talking about clothes, the epitome of a first world problem.  Whatever.  Back to clothes.  Yes, I am going to do this.  I am going to look adorable ALL THE TIME.  

So, there you have it, the 8 things that I feel like I need to work on and improve in the new year.  I'm actually really looking forward to doing/accomplishing all these things.  Sometimes it just takes thinking them through and writing them down to get your butt in gear

62. June 10th, 2011 Picture.

So, like I've said a million times over, I really like my job.  Like, really like it, and I liked it even more on the Friday afternoon in June that I got to leave at 11:30am and go play kickball for charity.  You read that right, K-I-C-K-B-A-L-L.  I love kickball.  LOVE.  Ever since I won MVP in my grammar school's 5th grade & 6th grade kickball tournament, I've loved it.  Don't shun my elementary school tourney, it was a big deal back then.  For the last week of school we got to stay outside for the entire afternoon, playing the most epic game of kickball ever.  One of the 5th grade teachers was the ref and a 6th was the pitcher.  All the other grades would sit on jungle gyms, bleachers or on the ground watching us for hours.  It was a BIG DEAL and apparently has had a profound impact on my life - 16 years later I'm still talking about it.  Anywho, I still have my medal, it was a soccer medal, but in 1995 I'm sure it was the best they could do.

So yes, kickball.  I got to spend another summer afternoon playing instead of sitting at my desk.  Except this time we got Panera for lunch and they had beers at home plate at every one of the 8 fields.  Um hi, this is adult kickball, I should have clarified.  

The kickball tourney was for Playworks, a non-profit organization that encourages physical activity and playing sports in schools.  Since my company has been a donor and supporter of Playworks, we got to have a team in the tournament.  I was asked my my friends over in Community Relations if I wanted to play, to which I said OF COURSE!  Like, no duh!  And I began to recruit other players from my department.  I was told after I agreed to it that the event was being sponsored by Sam Adams. BEST DECISION EVER.

My team!  Don't we look so threatening?  So cohesive?  Like, so amazing and the best kickball team ever?  Yea, I thought so too.

Unfortunately, even though we LOOK super awesome in our matching shirts, we just weren't that good at kickball, sighhhh.  I'm apparently a little rusty.  And maybe out of shape.  And maybe a little tipsy.  There is nothing worse than chugging a Sam Summer in the June heat and then having to sprint for any reason whatsoever.  By the time I got to second base I had to sit down.  And ask for Tums.  

There were 20+ teams on 8 fields and we all played super fast 20 minute games, meaning that by the time we actually caught our stride, the game was over.  We went 1-3 for our games and didn't make it to the finals.  BUT!  We had a great time cheering on Children's Hospital who won the entire tournament.  They were pretty awesome. 

It was a pretty awesome day and we had a great time hanging out with each other, playing kickball and participating in this awesome event for a really great and deserving charity.  I was told that this is an annual thing, so I am already excited for next year!  I better start working on my wind sprints...

62. June 9th, 2011 Picture.

The idea of moving is absolutely overwhelming, probably to everyone, so in order to avoid a massive hysterical breakdown, which is what happens to me when I get overwhelmed, I decided to tackle and pack up a small section of my room.  My mentality is that if I can target a little bit here and there, then the entire moving process won't make me want to collapse into a puddle, sobbing, while asking my mom to help me.  That's the WORST.  Having moved to 5 apartments in 5 years, it's happened.  More than I'd like.  More than anyone around me would like.

I started with the small alcove behind my bathroom door, a place where I would stack things in a bookshelf, then conveniently leave the door open ALL THE TIME, so I'd never have to look at the mass of stuff I had.  This area gave me anxiety.  Since I'd already cleaned out my closets on that fateful night my shelving decided to stop working, I knew that the rest of my bedroom was somewhat under control, I just needed to wrangle this teensy little corner.

I started packing up a few things and throwing away a few things, moving at a slow but steady pace.  I am a serial keeper, which is VERY different from hoarding, I just want to clarify.  I am not a hoarder.  I tend to keep things just in case I might need them, tucking them away in a really great place, a great place that I will never go to ever, ever again.  So, yea, I keep stuff.  Thankfully, once I've held onto things long enough, it's pretty easy for me to just chuck it all.  Since most of that stuff hadn't been touched since I moved in, I was perfectly fine throwing it away, because I'll obviously never need it again - right?!

Yes!  One stress inducing section is done!  Hopefully this move won't kill me.  Next time I am definitely hiring professionals.