"I will never be the woman with the perfect hair, who can wear white and not spill on it." Carrie, Sex and The City

But I can try damn hard :)
This week seemed longer than the rest and I cant explain exactly why. It was one of those weeks wrought with emotion, difficult decisions, unnecessary turmoil and late nights.

As I continue to enjoy and learn at my new position in my career, I struggle to be the best I can be in the workplace....
As I enjoy being married to the love of my life, I work hard at not making the same mistakes twice and being the best wife I can be...
As I love and laugh with good friends and family, I try to hold it together for them in times of hardship but sometimes....just sometimes...you have to let it all out.

And this was certainly a week of letting it all out! But from that comes good conversations, reference points, and a renewed look at things. I sit here, at the end of the week and think about how lucky I am...I have a wonderful loving husband who makes me laugh and I truly truly enjoy spending time with, I have a caring & supportive family and multitude of good friends who are my extended family. We have a home, two oh so cute dogs, great careers, and all that "good stuff" that comes with being content.

Why the reflection? :) Because as Eric and I continue our home renovations and continue to strive for the best at work and manage our personal lives - you sometimes realize it can all be overwhelming. So, yesterday - our two month and one day anniversary - we really looked at how great things are....Just great. And so, for those of you coming over next Saturday for our bbq - if there's a pile of mail on the table and I dont care about it - it's because I'm just happy to be surrounded by family and friends.

But no one said we'd stop trying to have it all ;)

He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Early Thursday morning the world lost an amazing man. Laz Pappas, father of my dear Stephanie Pappas-Kenyon and her brothers Mark and Paul, passed away this week.

I suppose I could write something flowery about life... but something is stopping me - I'll just say this -

Laz was a wonderful, vibrant and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was that truly good person that you recognize as being soulful the moment you meet him. His passing is a surprise to all of us....

The pain I feel for this loss is tempered by the joyful memories I have of Laz from January 7, 2006....the day his little girl married a wonderful man. Remembering his exuberance and absolute happiness on that day brings a smile to my face. And that is the picture that I will keep in my memory.

I think she knows, but I'll say it again, I'm here for you - for the things you need and the things you dont need (yes, that means chicken fingers and fries) - for love, support, and laughter. I am always here for you - good times and bad. Much love.

It's been HOW LONG?

Well we figured it out - my dear Carol Jacob and I hadnt seen each other in almost two years.

She moved to Washington D.C. and though we spoke - we hadnt actually spent good quality time together. I was in our capitol for a convention and an event I was hosting and took Sunday evening to get a mani-pedi that I desperately needed and to see miss Carol J.

She lives in the cutest neighborhood and has a great apartment - the view of which reminded me of Cook Campus, which for the RU students is a lil sanctuary in New Brunswick NJ. And things between us were just as they had been...no time lost...no need for pleasantries. Within moments we were gabbing, laughing, and sharing as if we lived next door to each other and hadnt seen each other for a week.

That is what true friendship is about.

I brought her our wedding photos so she could feel as though she was there (and after loading all 800 photos onto her MAC I think she's pretty close) and then we decided that we would need to schedule a girl's weekend. Being that two of our closest friends turn 30 this year ...its definately a time to celebrate 12 years of friendship....more for some less for others but the times we have shared in the past 10-12 years could fill a lifetime.

I love you girls!

What's a summer without Bar-A? :-)

Every year my alma mater throws a Young Alumni party at Bar-A in Belmar (now it's called Lake Como but to me it's still Belmar) and I know that the day will come when I'm no longer allowed to be a 'young alumna' and so I take advantage of it! :)

Not to mention that Keri is Executive Director of the RAA and one of my closest friends - so it gives me a good excuse to see her and Steph and Jen as well!

I also caught up with a long long long lost friend - Lauren F. and I hope that we keep in touch. I'll be emailing you Lauren (if you're reading this) and hope to see you soon!

Another Cheeseburger please!

Saturday, 6/30 was a great day for a bbq so we headed over to Mike and Steph's - they really know how to throw a party! Aside from the fact that I hadnt seen them since the wedding and we consider them our family - we were super excited for Mike's burgers (he's great on the grill)

There's no better way to spend a beautiful Saturday in the summer - we were surrounded by our close friends and their children... some tinier than others and I got to meet baby Kat for the first time! We ate, laughed, played beer pong (it was hilarious) and all around reveled in how blessed we all are to be able to enjoy each other's company.