62. September 4th, 2010 Picture.

Ratty’s birthday is September 5^th and I had been racking my brain, trying to think of a great gift.  I already planned on getting him some shirts at Old Navy (because even though he swears he doesn’t need any, he really does), and a Yankee Candle.  Hi, he needs one.  A beachy inspired one, none the less.  I was still debating on gifts when my mom had a great idea.  The Sunday of Labor Day weekend, which just so happened to be Ratty’s birthday this year, was the day of our huge Downey family Labor Day party.  My mom suggested I look into getting a B&B room in Scituate and going down the day before and enjoying a nice summer weekend.  It was great idea and I jumped at the opportunity.  I was trying to get a room for both Saturday and Sunday nights, so I wouldn’t have to drive home after a long day of partying in the sun, but I guess others had the same idea, because I couldn’t get a room for Sunday night to save my life.  I was hoping with the immanent threat of Earl, people would cancel some long weekend plans, even putting myself on the top of the wait list at Sciutate’s only hotel, with no such luck.  I decided to just book Saturday night at a sweet little B&B nearPeggoty Beach and hope that my Uncle Phil wouldn’t mind some potential overnight guests on Sunday.

I made all the plans and even kept it a secret, I really like surprises, and get excited about keeping things a secret until the very last second.  Since I was going to Ratty’s that Friday night to ride out Hurricane Earl, that never happened, I thought I’d tell him that night, and we could leave bright and early Saturday morning.  I packed 2 bags, one for Ratty’s apartment and one for Scituate, and kept the Scituate one in my car so he wouldn’t suspect a thing.  After drinking some wine and watching ‘Must Love Dogs’, yet another movie starring the amazing Christopher Plummer, I told Ratty my fantastical birthday plans.  He was SO surprised and excited (he immediately updated Facebook AND Twitter) and began packing a bag right away.  Thankfully he had just picked up his laundry that afternoon, so he had plenty of clothes ready and folded, which made packing that much easier.  Not that I helped, I just watched more TV, drank some wine and supervised.

The next morning we got an early start, and made our way down to Scituate.  Obviously, our trip to the South Shorerequired a mid-morning stop at Mary Lou’s, one of my all time favorite coffee establishments.  They are really only on the South Shore, and I became addicted to them when I went to college that had one within walking distance.  My favorite flavor is the Girl Scout Cookie, which is the most perfect mixture of coffee, chocolate and mint.  You’d think it’d be heavy and gross, but it is amazing and I cannot drive past a Mary Lou’s without slamming on my breaks, banging a u-turn and pulling into the parking lot.  This description is actually quite similar to the exact events of that day, because as Ratty and I were driving down Route 3 (at a strip where no Mary Lou’s has ever been), I thought I saw a sign up a head and got all excited.  As we got closer, I realized that it wasn’t a Mary Lou’s sign and continued on my merry way.  Turns out, the sign I was looking at wasn’t a Mary Lou’s sign, but right BELOW that sign, was a real Mary Lou’s one.  I had completely missed the hot pink sign with balloons around it, and the sign on the side of the road that said GRAND OPENING, and the bright pink car parked out front with 2 girls dressed in ALL pink with POM-POMS!  I kid you not, Ratty thought I was joking when I kept going, but I honest to god did not see it.  I literally had to slam on my breaks and cut across traffic to get in the parking lot, but I made it, with Ratty clawing at the door on the verge of tears, almost.

After fully caffieinating ourselves up, we continued on to Scituate and checked in at the B&B.  This place was amazing and I couldn’t get over how awesome our room was.  It made me slightly sad that we weren’t staying longer than one night, but was still excited about the mini-getaway.

We dropped our stuff off and headed to the Harbor to do some shopping and grab some food.  Scituate has a lot of cute little beachy stores, plus lots of antique places and galleries.  We popped in and out of stores until Ratty couldn’t handle one more accessory or Vera Bradley bag, then we headed to Mill Wharf for some lunch and beers.  We grabbed a table outside and enjoyed the views of the harbor and ordered a few apps.  I texted my friend Maura, who has a house on Peggoty, and told her that I wished she was there and that I missed her.  Maura has been working in DC and I haven’t seen her since she moved there at the beginning of the summer.  She texted me RIGHT back, saying that she was in town and was on her way to meet us.  She was there in no time and it was so nice to catch up!  Turns out she was supposed to go to Martha’s Vineyard for the long weekend, but because of the Hurricane that never was, she cancelled her plans and decided to stay with her family instead.  She was meeting friends about an hour later, but she sat with us and chatted, and I promised to stop by her cottage on Monday before heading back to Boston.

{View from the deck at Mill Wharf.}

{View from the front yard of our B&B.}

After our beers and apps, Ratty and I headed back to the B&B and sat outside, watching the sun go down.  It was such a nice day and the B&B looked out over the marshes and harbor, I could pretty much do that every day.  After some downtime and TV watching, we headed back into the harbor for his Birthday Dinner.  We went to Riva’s, which I’d heard great things about, and got a table right away.  Since it was almost 9:00pm, the place was quiet, except for an unruly table of couples which made it almost impossible for us to have a conversation.  The dinner was still great, and we had a great time.  Our waitress was hilarious and loved talking to us, telling us about her children and asking us if we had any.  Not laughing right in her face was really hard to do.  We finished our dinner and drinks, splitting Tiramisu for dessert and walked down the street to T.K. O’Malley’s to grab another drink and sit out on their deck.  I’m not too familiar with the ‘night life’ of Sciutate, but since we had already been to 2 of the 4 restaurants in the harbor, T.K.’s was pretty much our only viable option.  Since we’d had a busy day, going to bed late and getting up early, I was pretty exhausted.  We had 2 birthday drinks, waiting until Midnight exactly so we could toast to his REAL birthday, and then headed back to the B&B to get some shut eye before the crazy awesomeness of Labor Day was upon us!

62. September 3rd, 2010 Picture.

I think it is hilarious that I get pieces of mail address to both me and Ratty.  Not the fact that we get mail with both our names on it, but more or less that people refer to him simply as Ratty - he does have a first name, it's Michael.  This is the second piece of mail I've gotten addressed to me and Ratty, followed by a smiley face.

Both were invitations, one to my cousins wedding reception and the other to my best friend Kerrie's husband's 30th birthday party.  Unfortunately we won't be able to go to Kerrie's because my other cousin is getting married that weekend.  So many fun things going on, I hate that I can't do it all.

62. September 2nd, 2010 Picture.

September 2nd was a day where we really thought the world was coming to an end.  Hurricane Earl was barreling towards us and the weather channels were doing nothing to calm the hysteria.  It was a Friday, and I left work early in fear that I was going to be stranded in my office, which was clearly not an option.  I'd rather throw myself out the window then spend 1 second here longer than necessary.  It was the Friday of Labor Day weekend, so this storm concerned me more than others since Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I know it's random, but my family is a Labor Day family, with a huge party every year.  It's infamous.

I was glad that the bad weather was hitting on Friday, which meant that the weather should clear up by Sunday, the day of the party.  They were predicting some pretty horrible weather, so I made plans to spend the night at Ratty's house so we could ride out the storm together.  We bought supplies, like wine and cheese, and hunkered down for a ridiculous hurricane.  The blinds in Ratty's apartment were drawn, so we had no idea what was happening outside, all we knew was that it was supposed to be nasty.  Around 7pm, about the time they anticipated the rain to start, I looked out the window and saw nothing.  According the news, the storm should be rolling in at any minute, so I put the blinds down and went back to sipping my Sauvignon Blanc.  Ratty wanted to go up on the roof and see what the city looked like pre-storm, so I followed suit.  The clouds were so thick that we couldn't see the tops of buildings.  Skyscrapers who had 75 stories were suddenly 'missing' and the entire cityscape was completely out of side.  It was pretty eerie; I'd never seen such non-fog, low clouds before.  The wind was picking up and we could see some bolts of lightening, so we made our way back inside. 

Fast forward a few hours and it still hadn't start to rain.  We kept waiting and waiting for the storm to start, but nothing ever happened!  The meteorologists on TV had pinpointed this storm down to the second, and somehow, no one anticipated that it would completely miss us.  It never rained!  How crazy is that?  We completely missed a HURRICANE.  What a waste of mass panic.  

62. September 1st, 2010 Picture.

On Tuesday, September 1st, I got my cousin Kara's wedding invitation in the mail.  She is getting married at the Ocean Edges' resort in Brewster, which is down the cape.  The entire family is packing up for the weekend, and I couldn't be more excited.  I come from a huge family, which has been well documented on this blog, so we obviously love any reason to get together.  The fact that we all booked rooms at the same hotel and are spending the entire weekend together just makes it THAT much more exciting.  I can't wait, it's going to be epic.

24. Try Brunch at 25 New Places.

I have tried brunch at two brand new places, and I have to say, they were both awesome.  Both happened to be in the South End, which is quickly becoming my new favorite neighborhood in Boston.  It is filled with coffee shops, sweet little stores and the most amazing restaurants in the city.  The streets are lined with stunning brownstones laden wrought iron fences, and grassy parks placed smack in the middle.   Just walking down the street with a coffee makes me feel amazing.  I think everyone has little snapshots of their life, or what they want their life to be.  I am always walking down a fab street, carrying a latte in a great coat with fab hair and the perfect bag.  I am starting to think that snapshot takes place in the South End.

Now, on to brunch!  Ratty and I made plans one Saturday to grab brunch, then stop off at the SoWa Open Market to do some shopping.  I already blogged about this day, when it turned out that the Open Market wasn't opened on Saturdays and I spent most of the day melting on the side of the street because it was 95 degrees out.  Well, before I almost passed out from heat exhaustion, I was extremely well fed.

We went to Aquitaine, which is famous for an amazing brunch.  I'd been there for dinner before, but had never had breakfast, so it was the perfect spot to start number 24!  I met Ratty there, and he was already at the bar with a beer, reading the paper.  There was a little wait for a table, so I sipped some water, since the walk from my car almost caused heat stroke.  After a few minutes wait, we were seated at a little table, and immediately ordered coffee.  After perusing the menu, we both decided on Eggs Benedict, which seems to always be my brunch go to, because it's AWESOME!  I don't care for canadian bacon, so I sub it out for regular bacon, which adds a little crunch to the eggs and makes it that much better, in my opinion at least.

{This was before my new camera, so please pardon the blurriness.  If taken right now, it would be perfect.  Alas, I didn't have the camera then, so this will have to do!}

When our plates came, we were blown away.  The food was amazing.  This was hands down the best Eggs Benedict I've ever had, and trust me, I've had a lot.  The english muffin was cooked on the griddle so it was nice and crispy and the hollandaise was to die for.  Simply perfect.  

Just looking at this picture makes me want to go back, right now.  My stomach is growling.  I would eat there every weekend if I could, but I need to try 23 more brunch places.  So until I complete number 24, I'm going to have to refrain from repeats, if I can help it.

1. Purchase Renters Insurance and Document, Take Pictures, of Everything I Own.

So, turns out that you don't need to document everything you own to get renters insurance, they just trust your word, who would have thought?  I had plans to create a spreadsheet with every book, shirt and electronic I owned, which seemed slightly obsessive, but necessary.  It's not.

My friend Joel is a Liberty Mutual Insurance Agent, and after much chasing, finally got me to swap car insurance when I bought my new one last year, and I have to say I could not be happier.  The payments went down $70 a month and I have even BETTER coverage than before, it was a total no brainer.  Since he did a great job hooking me up with stellar insurance for my car, I figured I'd give him a call and see what kind of quote I could get for renters insurance.  For someone who is paranoid about serial killers, shark attacks, break-ins and food poisoning, plus has a crippling fear of bridges, you'd think that I'd at LEAST have insurance to protect my apartment and belongings  I do have nightmares of a fire ripping through my place, which was magnified once I moved into a town house, so it's about time I put at least ONE rational fear to rest.

After a phone conversation with Joel, I found out renters insurance was pretty cheap, about $21 a month.  It covers up to $25,000 worth belongings, with a $500 deductible.  It doesn't just cover items in my apartment, but all of my things.  If my car got broken into and my ipod was stolen, that would be something I could claim.  If my bag is stolen and there is more than $500 worth of things in there, I can file a report and get a check to replace my things (I did look into this when my bag was stolen, but I only lost my digital camera, which wasn't valued anywhere near $500, so it wasn't worth it).  Even if I lost an expensive watch, Joel told me that Liberty Mutual would take care of replacing it.  How amazing is that?!  Granted, I would still have to pay the $500 deductible, but if it something worth a few thousand dollars, it'll be worth it!

It has definitely given me peace of mind, and it is totally worth the $21 a month.  It comes straight out of my checking and I never even know it's gone.  It was uber easy to get and I recommend it for anyone who rents.  You can never be too careful.  Look who you're talking to.  Hi.

62. August 31st, 2010 Picture.

Mondays are never fun, especially summer Mondays when you had great, action packed weekends.  I came home from work to see this drawn outside my front door.  It definitely cheered me up!

62. August 30th, 2010 Picture.

When I was shopping in Bed, Bath & Beyond, looking for birthday gifts for Ratty, I saw the cutest shower curtain.  What made it 1,000 times better was that the brand is called 'amy' and the label is green.  It's like I created this brand because it has my personality stamped all over it.  Unfortch, it's not my brand, and I didn't buy the curtain because it was super expensive.  Plus, it doesn't match my London themed bathroom.  That's right, I have a shower curtain with the London cityscape on it, plus black & white photos of Big Ben and Parliament hanging on the walls.  Before my obsession with Nantucket, I was even MORE obsessed with London.  I still am, but right now Nantucket is more of a realistic place to visit.  

For the record, while at BB&B, I got Ratty a Drift Away Yankee Candle.  Yum.

47. Buy 5 'I Saw This and Thought of You' Gifts.

While on Nantucket in July, Ratty and I popped into an adorable little store that had lots of adorable things.  Totally weird that a cute place would exist on Nantucket, right?  They had an entire shelf dedicated to this brand that printed pictures and sweet little sayings on various every day items.  I bought myself a laptop decal, that goes right on the top of the laptop that says 'Life is far too short not to have a little umbrella in your drink.'  I absolutely loved all the little sayings and decided to pick up a few gifts.  While on Nantucket I was missing my friend Erin's birthday party, so I bought her a little book of pink tipped matches that said 'On the day you were born the world had to make room for a little more fancy.'  I thought it was so sweet and Erin, of course, LOVED it.

Since that gift was for a particular reason, it doesn't fall into the randomness of this goal, but I did buy my mom a book of matches as well.  When I saw it, I knew she had to have it.  The store wrapped it up for me and I waited for the perfect moment to give it to her.  The following Friday, my mom offered to come and meet me at work for lunch, so I brought along my gift and gave it to her over our bowls of clam chowder at Legals.

{The cute packaging.  It doesn't take much to be sweet.}

It may be hard to see, but it says 'The truth is, even if she weren't my Mom, I would go out of my way to be friends with her.'  It's true, I love my mom more than anything in the world and I think she is the greatest person I've ever met.  Everyone I know loves her, and I am just so lucky to have her as my mom.  Even if she weren't my mom, I would most definitely want to be friends with her, but thankfully, she IS my mom, and we are bestest friends.  

She loved the gift and put it on display on her hutch in the dining room.  It pretty much garners the same reaction every time someone reads it, 'Oh my god that is the sweetest thing ever!'  I am totally okay with that reaction, in fact, I encourage it.

One down, four to go!

10. Buy a Complete Outfit From a Thrift Store.

For my birthday, my brother Eddie and his wife Christine got me a gift card to the Garment District in Cambridge.  The Garment District is famous for having in the most interesting and eclectic selection of second hand clothing pretty much anywhere.  They have one floor that is completely chocked to the brim with interesting things.  There is a whole room for halloween and various other costumes, a formal section, shoe corner plus the entire back room is just filled with pants.  They have a definite 70s vibe and this would be my go-to place if I wanted to find tie-dye bell-bottoms and clear platform boots with fishies in the heels. I'm not joking, it is that assorted a selection.  They have 'normal' clothes there too, so it's definitely a great place to spend an afternoon picking through the racks and trying things on.

There is another floor to the Garment District that is called Dollar a Pound, which is downstairs. That's right, you go in and fill a garbage bag with clothes and things, and it only costs a dollar a pound.  When Eddie was younger, there was no upstairs to the Garment District, so everything was uber cheap.  Now, they've gotten smarter, and pick through donations and take the best things for the upstairs portion.  While you can still nab some great deals in the DAP section, most things worth buying are upstairs.

Christine told me that she went on my blog and wanted to give me a gift that would help me accomplish one of my goals, how thoughtful is that?!  She thought the Garment District would be a great place for me to purchase my 'complete outfit' and I could not agree with her more.  I did ask, however, if she thought that shoes needed to be a part of my outfit, she said no.  I also agree with her on that one and am happy I don't need to squeeze my foot into a pre-warn pump.  That sounds icky.

I haven't had a chance to go shopping yet, so this is just the beginning of my hunt for an entire thrift store outfit.  It's a great start though I can't wait to plan a little trip to my favorite city, Cambridge and do one of my other favorite things, SHOP!  Also, it's even better because it'll be FREE, yay!  I don't think it could get any better than that - Thanks Eddie and Christine!

58. Accumulate 30 Books for My Personal Book Collection.

I realized that I have been so caught up in updating my daily photos, that I haven't written about anything I've actually accomplished on my 101 list.  I need to get going and update everyone on all the things I've been doing.

For example, I bought 3 books at an antique store in Gloucester when Ratty and I went over Memorial Day weekend (I wasn't joking when I said I hadn't written about my tasks in FOREVER!).  In this particular antique store, The White Elephant, where Ratty had suddenly handed me his books and zipped out because he felt sick (anyone remember that post?), all the books in one particular room were ONE DOLLAR.  Most books were ones I wasn't totally interested in, ones I wouldn't read and others I'd never even heard of, but there were 3 that caught my eye, and so now they sit on my bookshelf!

The first book is 'Thunderstruck' by Erik Larson, who has written 'Devil in the White City' and 'Isaac's Storm'.  I've read both of those, and even started Thunderstruck before buying it, but it was slow moving at the beginning and before I knew it, it was time for me to return it to the library.  It is supposed to be very good, about the invention of trans-Atlantic communication interwoven with a story about a doctors murder.  Erik Larson picks these fantastic moments in history and researches them until he is able to weave together them most interesting and historical factual stories.  'Devil in the White City' is easily one of the best books I've read, so I am excited to read another book by the same author.

The second is a book called 'What Should I Do With My Life' and I bought it because A) I ask myself that question on a daily basis, and B) it was signed by the author.  It helps break down ideas and thoughts, and is supposed to help you realize what you love doing and how that can be transferred to a career and happy life.  Should be good!

The last book I bought is titled 'Great Waters' and it is all about the evolution of the ocean.  How storms and time can change the floors of the sea, and how that affects the eco-system and subsequently change how animals and fish survive.  I assume this book will be a lot about science, shocker, but I am excited to learn more about the ocean, instead of my limited knowledge like, I know I like to lay next to it in the summer.

62. August 29th, 2010 Picture.

My cousin Kara is getting married over Columbus Day weekend (which just happens to be next weekend) and on August 29th my mom and I went to her shower.  Her shower was at the Dennis Yacht Club down the cape and it was a perfect day for it, minus the blazing heat.  We were seated outside on a really cute deck, at tables with umbrellas.  Because it was in the middle of the day, the sun was constantly moving and no one could manage to stay in the shade for long, except me, I got the perfect seat, obviously!

We sipped on champagne cocktails and ate mini lobster rolls while enjoying the view and watching Kara open her presents.  She got a lot of beautiful things and I will flat out admit I was jealous - I told her as much.  I gasped when she opened a Chrome Kitchenaid Mixer, because obviously that's all I want in life, except in Buttercream Yellow.  Someday when I have my perfect white kitchen with subway tile back splash and either granite, polished concrete or marble countertops, my Kitchenaid mixer will be brilliantly displayed, next to the decorative bowl of lemons to tie my whole yellow theme together.  Until that time comes, I will just live vicariously through other peoples gifts.

{The stunning view from my perfectly placed seat.}

{View of Kara opening all her amazing gifts!  Since she lives on the cape, everything was ocean themed.  I'd like to just duplicate all her gifts and receive the exact same ones when I get married.  Mental note people.}

62. August 28th, Picture, 2010.

August 28th was a Saturday night, and I had plans to head to the North End and go to St. Anthony's Feast with Ratty.  The plan was to head over earlier in the afternoon, grab some drinks and head out to eat our faces off.  The North End is crazy popular, all the time, so parking always ends up being a challenge.  Like most neighborhoods in Boston, you need to have a Residents sticker to park in most spaces, but there are a few Visitor spots peppered throughout the streets.  I pretty much know where every single visitor spot is, and I have my little route that I take every time I'm trying to find parking.  This time around, I circled for legit over an hour.  I exhausted every single option and idea, but I just was getting frustrated because I could not find a spot.  This is normally about the time that I become irrational.  Why am I always coming to Ratty?  I waste more time trying to park, this is an hour of my life I'll never get back.  I should make HIM park my car.  I really think I'm the only one trying here.  Then I normally calm down and go back to my normal sane self.


I was just about to give up on parking and drive home (to possibly take a cab or T), when it dawned on me, there are two near by neighborhoods, Charlestown and Beacon Hill.  Since they are both within walking distance, I figured they were viable options, rather than throwing myself into traffic, which is what I actually felt like doing.  I ended up nabbing a spot right in Beacon Hill, on the first street I tried, and Ratty started walking towards me and we met half way.


We ended up getting sucked into multiple episodes of 'House' and multiple glasses of wine, so by the time we made our way to the feast I was starving; like eat my hand starving.  Our first stop was for rice balls, meat and veggies, rolled in rice and then deep fried and covered with sauce.  YUM!  The moment we grabbed our food, we bumped into my friend Cicie, who is featured in the pictures of Consuelo's wedding.  I am always bumping into C in random spots, like at the W Hotel bar before seeing Chelsea Handler, and now, St. Anthony's feast.  We chatted for a minute, took bets on how many high school classmates we'd see, and then each went on our ways to see the rest of the feast.

The feast weaves in and around the streets of the North End, which are pretty narrow to begin with. Once you add stands and booths, plus thousands of people all trying to move in different directions, some sort of organized chaos inevitably follows.  I get nervous in large groups like that, because I immediately begin to worry something might happen.  What if (and this is a legitimate thought I actually shared with Ratty that night.  I may regret it because he currently thinks I'm off my rocker.) a gunman decided to open fire, or shoot people from a roof top, mass panic would occur and people would get trampled.  I did not want to get trampled.  I don't like when people are touching me or breathing on me or standing too close to me, so this was probably not the best idea, in hindsight.

My one and only goal of the night was to get zeppoles.  They are the most amazing little things on the planet and whenever I get them I cannot stop shoveling them in my face. They are basically the best part of fried dough, covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon.

{How good do they look?!  I wish I had some right now.}

{Asked for 6, but got 7.  I JUST noticed this.  I was too busying inhaling them, apparently.}

{Ratty asked if I wanted him to win me a prize.  Obviously, I said yes.  Unfortch, he didn't win.  I always think carnival games are rigged.}

After walking through the entire feast and eating our faces off and not getting attacked by sharp shooters, we went back to his apartment to finish off the wine and watch a movie.  After MUCH deliberating and pleading on my part, we watched 'Must Love Dogs' mainly because Christopher Plummer is in it and I need to keep watching his movies if I'm going to complete number 15 on my list!  Ratty hated it and I realized that I don't really like it either.  Oh well, I promise to never make him watch that particular rom-com again.  I cannot speak for other, better, romantic comedies, like 'Love Actually', 'Serendipity', 'Center Stage', and 'Definitely, Maybe'.  Those will never been banned.

62. August 27th, 2010 Picture.

Rue La La is a members only shopping community that flat out rocks.  You need to be invited by a member of Rue La La before you can see their deals or do any shopping.  I joined a few years ago at a shopping event in Boston and have been hooked ever since.  Every day they have different boutiques that vary from designer brands to vacation packages.  Literally, they have everything, I've been tempted more than once to scoop up my dream Kitchenaid Mixer in Buttercream Yellow, but each time have thought for the better, like, where would I put it?  I've bought massages and classes at Exhale Spa, plus adorable discounted shirts and dresses from BCBG and Michael Kors.


August 27th was probably the most exciting day for me to be a Rue La La member, as they offered a boutique on Nantucket hotel packages.  They do this about twice a year, usually in the fall and spring, for the White Elephant hotel.  I always peruse the sales, but usually the dates and rates don't work for me.  This time around, I checked out dates for November, particularly the weekend of Thanksgiving, Friday to Sunday, and the rate was $200, total, for the entire weekend.  This included two $25 gift certificates to the White Elephant Spa, 2 passes to the Whaling Museum, plus 15% off breakfast or lunch at the Brant Point Grille.  Isn't that the most AMAZING deal ever?!  The second I saw it, I called Ratty and asked if he wanted to go.  Because he isn't as much of a valued customer of Rue La La, he gets the daily emails about a half hour after me, so he has absolutely not idea what I was talking about.  I had to patiently spell out the deal for him and ask if he wanted to go.  Once we were both on the same page, he immediately said yes, and I booked the trip!  I LOVE Nantucket and I love that we got this fantastic deal.  I've never been to Nantucket in the fall, borderline winter, and I am excited to see how the feel of the island changes.  I imagine that it will be cooler, but not cold, and the pace will be calm with much less people.  I cannot wait.


Ratty and I are pretty much being uber thrifty when it comes to this trip.  We got the B & B at a discount, and we are on the hunt for similar deals.  Sites like Groupon and Living Social have tailored daily deals, and sometimes they'll have 2 for 1 Steamship Authority tickets to the islands.  I am waiting for that day to come so we can get to Nantucket for a deal too.  There is also a site for Nantucket that just popped up, Townpool, where they offer almost daily deals for different restaurants, shops and amenities.    I got $50 to my favorite store, Belongings, for $25 and actually won $40 to the boutique Nalu for answering a picture trivia question correctly on Townpool's Facebook page.  We are racking up our deals, and fingers crossed, will show up to Nantucket and not really spend any money - everything will be 'free'.

In honor of this great deal, I bought a Nantucket Nectars at lunch and got a new cap!  'The teen classic movie 'One Crazy Summer' takes place on Nantucket.'  Did you know that?!

62. August 26th, 2010 Picture.

I nabbed a screen shot of my favoritest show on summer TV, Big Brother.  I pretty much love this show, along with all my friends, and I love that it's on 3 nights a week in the summer, when the rest of the summer line up is shaky at best.  I have been a fan for years now, my dearest Erin Rowe got me addicted, and now I have passed that addiction onto my mom and Ratty.  I have been watching for years now, and completely speak a different language to my friends about it.  Backdooring, HoH, POV, Pandora's Box, ChenBot, these only make sense if you are a die hard fan like myself.  


I have to say that I am happy I passed my love of Big Brother onto two others, pay it forward, right?  Just as my mom caught up on how the game worked, the season ended.  She asked when it started back up again and I was like, 'um June?'.  I hate the big gaps between seasons, but I have plenty of television to keep me entertained until then.  Truthfully, I don't think my DVR can handle any more shows, it's on the verge of combustion as is, I don't want to push it.

Can we also acknowledge how creepy this picture is?  I didn't intend for it to haunt your dreams, but the opening sequence is short and I only had one shot to get it.  I apologize in advance if you have nightmares.