Creative Juices

See You In My Dreams

Dreams really do come true, folks. I am living proof.
Today, as part of my MOH duties (which I take very very seriously), I got to taste test cake at Mad Hatters. Now, we already know how much I love Mad Hatters. They have the most scrumptious cakes and cookies. No doubt. But to taste all the different flavors and fillings... for free? Dream. Come. True.
I was so excited, though, that I forgot to take pictures of it all. Sorry.
The head baker, Jason (I think), was a very cool guy. And he knew his stuff (as well as his preferences). He pretty much told us he could do anything. And I believe him. Angela and JJ got a steal on the price of the cake, which is awesome.
Then he brought the plate of cake. Mmmm. White cake, chocolate cake, whipped icing, buttercream icing, chocolate buttercream icing, cream cheese icing, strawberry and raspberry fillings, chocolate moose. And it was all so very very good. Heavenly.
They decided on the cake... 4 tiers, each one being a different flavor. And I will be having one of each. You betcha. Cause I'm the MOH.
I got to take a slice of cake home too... my favorite Mad Hatter Cake. Have a look. And then drool... lust... tell me you hate me. I have cake and you do not. Mmmm cake.

Meet Me At The Bleachers

One of my favorite things to do is read the "Missed Connections" ads in The Independent Weekly (a local paper). The ad I read this morning surpasses all others.
"FUNGAL DIVA - Talked to you at Durham Bar. Your conversations about dental hygiene and eye fungus were fascinating and knowledgable. Take your antibiotics, and call me when you heal."
Priceless.

Look Me In The Eye And Tell Me You Don't Find Me Attractive

I finally "bought" my three free iTunes songs.
You should buy them too.
1. "Where Does the Good Go?" by Tegan & Sara
2. "You Are My Joy" by Reindeer Section
3. "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani

The first two songs were heard on "Grey's Anatomy," which is a great new show I'm enjoying.
And, well, we all know Gwen. I wasnt a big fan of her first two singles, but I greatly enjoy this song (probably because good old Pharrell helped her out).
Yay for new songs.

My Darling

Gotta love surveys. Here's one I stole from Christin.

15 years ago, I...
1. Was adjusting to living in Florida. (okay, I never really did adjust).
2. Watched my parents get divorced.
3. Tried out for The Mickey Mouse Club.
4. Rode my bike to school for the first time.
5. Had a baby box turtle named Raboine (after the teacher that gave it to me).

10 years ago, I...
1. Was in The King and I.
2. Had a huuuuge crush on Dusty West. And Randy Rosen. And I'm sure there were more.
3. Was subpoenaed for the first time.
4. Attended my first summer at Duke Young Writers Camp.
5. Started attending Calvary Baptist Church youth group.

5 years ago, I...
1. Got kicked out of the RA Program at Liberty.
2. Eloped.
3. Rented my first apartment.
4. Bought my first cat, Keeley.
5. Started my senior year at Liberty.

2 years ago, I...
1. Became a Creative Memories Consultant.
2. Got seriously involved at newhope church.
3. Cant think of anything else...

1 year ago, I...
1. Bought a house!
2. Took my cat, Cooper, to the vet for swallowing 6 feet of string on Christmas Eve.
3. Met Curtis, Rachel and The Girls.
4. Hosted a Murder Mystery Party.
5. Was the MOH in Slava's wedding.

This year, I...
1. Watched The Girls for an entire weekend.
2. Went to Creative Memories Regional Convention in Charlotte.
3. Will be the MOH in Angela's wedding.
4. Lost my Uncle Jimmy.
5. Joined a gym (with the intention of working out regularly).

Yesterday, I...
1. Woke up early for a 7am Fitness Consultation.
2. Got a parking ticket.
3. Had lunch with Baby Chase, Marissa and Marissa's mom.
4. Ordered flowers for my officemate, Beth Ann, who's beloved dog, Tallulah, passed away.
5. Went Krogering at 9:58pm.

Today, I...
1. Thank God it's Friday.
2. Did not have a bagel.
3. Am currently suffereing Friday Bagel Day withdrawals.
4. Understand that's not as bad as Beth Ann's nicotine withdrawals (with the death of her dog, she's decided to give up smoking... grief apparently makes breaking an addiction easier...)
5. Am having an Art Party tonight.

5 People I Like to Be Around (in no particular order)...
1. I feel obligated to say The Steve (but he's well aware that some days... I do not like to be around him).
2. The Girls
3. I love to be around all my friends from newhope... I cant just pick one.
4. My brother
5. Slava

5 TV Shows I Like (just five?!)
1. The OC
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Lost
4. Alias
5. Gilmore Girls, Everwood, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Office, Desperate Housewives, Jake in Progress, ER, Joan of Arcadia, The Daily Show, Ellen. (there, I knew I could do just five!)

5 Places I've Lived
1. Brooklyn, NY
2. Melbourne, FL
3. Satellite Beach, FL
4. Lynchburg, VA
5. Durham, NC

My Love Don't Cost A Thing

Today, I had lunch with this Cutie Pie.

How super cute is he? I had lunch with his mom and grandma too... and no offense to them, but he was definitely the cutest one there.

I Give My World To You

This morning, I had a major moral dilemma. (Hmm, I've never tried to spell dilemma before. It's kinda fun. Dilemma. Dilemmmmma. Dilemmmmaaaaaaaaaaah). Okay, I'm done.
So, yesterday, I told my boss (my very nice boss) that I had to go to the computer lab in the morning to install the google toolbar on all the computers. I figured I'd get that done, and then leave straight from the labs to my doctor's appointment. My appointment is at 11am, but it's allll the way in Cary, so I figured I'd be leaving around 10:15 for that. Basically I was just letting her know she wouldnt see me till after lunch. She was fine with that.
I already fudged a little. I decided to sleep in a bit, get ready at my leisure, do a few things around the house, and I got to the computer lab at 8:45am. (I'm normally in at 8(ish)). That wasnt that big of a deal. When I got the labs, there was a class about to start at 9. Silly Sabrina forgot to check the schedule. However, the teacher, was kind enough to let me spend 15 minutes before the class doing was I needed to do. And, since installing the google toolbar is super easy, I got all the computers done by 9.
Now, here is where the real dilemma took place. My boss knows I wont be in till after lunch. Yet I have an hour and 15 minutes before I need to leave for my appointment. Do I A) Go back to work and spend that time doing nothing at my desk or B) Go to Target and buy a bridal shower present for the shower I'll be attending on Saturday. Target would definitely be better time spent, especially considering that I'm completely booked until Saturday and dont know when else I'll fit in some shopping time.
Yet, here I am, at my desk, blogging. Not at Target.
I did compromise a little... rewarding myself for making the "right" decision. I stopped by Mad Hatters on the way to my office and picked up a scrumptious black and white cookie and a cute purple flower cookie.
Btw, check it out, my flip flops match my shirt today. How awesome is that? Thank you Old Navy.

You Don't Own Me

I've been working hard (kinda) on purplesabrina.com
I just want it to be perfect.
When it does launch, I want to be ready for the masses. I'm talking press junkets, talk show spots (especially Ellen), the works. Most importantly, my own t-shirt. So, I've taken the time to design a few, and you, my faithful audience, get to vote. I'm a simple gal, and when it comes to advertising, I prefer short, sweet and to the point.


Option 1


Option 2


Option 3

There they are. What do you think?

I Can't Say Each Motive Is Holiness

Friday night, I went to a party for Curtis, my worship pastor at newhope church. The reason for the party was because Curtis is nominated for three Shai awards in Canada (where he moved from, just a year ago). The Shai awards are pretty much the equivalent of the American Dove Awards. He's nominated for Best Male Artist of the Year, Best Inspirational Album and Best Worship Album. You can check him out at curtismulder.com
He rocks, thats for sure.
And because he's almost famous, his wife, my great friend Rachel, thought he should have a party. I got there pretty late, so I missed most of the fun. But I did get my picture taken with the Curtis Cardboard Cutout. Rachel, through wonderful newhope connections, got a life sized cardboard cutout made of Curtis as a surprise. It was awesome.
Here we are.

Everywhere I Go

Last night, I talked on the phone with my brother. I try not to lecture him... talk down to him or anything. But, I dont hold back any words of wisdom either.
He was talking about Amp... a lovely energy beverage made by Moutain Dew. He drinks this beverage as often as he can get his hands on one. Not for any real reason but the buzz he gets from drinking it. Not cause he needs to stay up late studying for a test, that's for sure. Just cause. (Just cause we're outlaws, yeah).
He hasn't had one in a week or so... and he's very very tyerd. Of course, I insist that maybe if he got a regular amount of sleep, on a regular basis, he wouldnt be so tyerd. But what do I know? He just needs an Amp. Maybe two.
Then we got on the subject of addictions. The conversation went like this.
"You shouldn't be addicted to anything, though."
"Well, it could be worse. I could be on drugs."
"Right, yeah. Drugs are bad. We know that. But really, it doesnt matter what you're addicted to. All addictions are bad for you."
"What if I was addicted to school work?" (Smart ass. I must have taught him that).
"Ha! Highly unlikely. Buuut, even that, if you really truly are addicted to it... not so good. Cause an addiction means that something takes control of you. And no matter what it is, you should always be in control. That's all I'm saying."
"Why do you have to be so smart about things?"
"I just am."

All I Need Is Your Monthly Bonus For A Wooden Walrus

Last night, The Steve and I hung out with JJ & Angela. JJ & Angela are getting married July 9th. I'm Angela's MOH. By default, apparently. But whatever, I'm still honored.
Angela made yummy steak and potatoes and after that we spent some time looking at wedding cakes. Soon I'll get to join them for cake tasting. Mmmmm cake. They are getting their cake from one of my very favorite bakeries Mad Hatter's Mmmm cake.
After browsing cake pictures (which Angela seemed to have much less patience for than me)... they had their first dance lesson. That's right, The Steve (a fabulous dancer) was recruited to help JJ and Angela get the hang of dancing to their wedding song. All I Need, by Sara Groves (though at the reception, it'll be sung by the oh so talented Curtis and Rachel). JJ started off a little rocky, but I think he made excellent progress. He'll certainly need to be practicing for the next 86 days, till he can dance like Fred Astaire in his sleep. But, for a first lesson, I think he did mighty well. We didnt concentrate so much on Angela's dancing skills... this lesson was more about how to be a good leader.
And here are some pictures for your entertainment. Angela was forbidden... but JJ has no such control over me. Muh ha ha.

The Feet of JJ & Angela. By this point, they had gotten past stepping on each others toes.


The Steve teaching JJ how to "ball change." Which for both of us, wasnt easy to teach, since we learned it when we were three.


Me and JJ dancing.


The Steve spinning Angela.


JJ and Angela dancing. (can you see how much JJ is concentrating on the count?)

It was a fun night... I greatly enjoy being twirled around by my sweet husband.

We Rarely Practice Discern

I wanted to post these pictures yesterday, but Blogger was down when I tried.
I feel like my cats havent been getting enough blog time lately. Time to make up for that. Forgive me Cooper, and stop eating my hair at 4am. Forgive me Belle, and start using the litterbox like a normal cat.

If My Memory Serves Me Right

I got a chain letter.
Well, not a typical chain letter. Not the "Send this letter to ten people or bad bad things will happen."
It's a Recipe Tree. You send your letter to six people, those six people send their letter out to six people, and those 36 people send you a recipe.
Years ago I got one like that, only it was for underwear. I wasnt keen on receiving underwear from strangers. Dont know why.
I have three spots available. If you'd like to be part of my recipe tree, let me know. As long as you promise to send yours out to six responsible friends that will send me yummy recipes. (preferably for cake).

I Only Want To Be Where You Are

Just thought I'd let you inside Sabrina's brain for a minute. My thought yesterday went like this: "I should go to the gym Saturday morning before I meet up with Rachel... yeah... Oooooo! If I go to the gym then I can stop off at Mad Hatter's for a super yummy piece of cake! Mmmm cake."
Yep.

To The Ballgame

Update:
One thing I left out about Uncle Jimmy was his love for the Yankees. Which was always fun growing up, cause my dad was a Mets fan.
So, next month, we're going to Yankee Stadium to celebrate Uncle Jimmy. I've never been to Yankee Stadium, so that alone is exciting. But I cant think of a better place to pay tribute to Uncle Jimmy.

And A Cross Of Gold

My Uncle Jimmy passed away yesterday. He had been in the hospital for almost three weeks, suffering from a really bad infection that his body just couldnt fight. Maybe two years ago he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver from a lifetime (certainly my whole life) of being an alcoholic. It was because of the bad condition of his liver that he couldnt fight a silly infection. He was 45 years old, I think. The youngest sibling on my dad's side. He was my godfather. He was my dad'd best man at his wedding(s).
Almost everyone has asked me if we were close. It's proven to be a tough question to answer. I always struggle with what "closeness" means when it comes to my family. I feel like they don't know me at all. Heck, the people who read my blog know me better than my family does. I'm sure it's partly my fault... I feel like they wouldnt understand me, get me, like me. That I wouldnt measure up to their expectations. Whatever, not the point right now.
No, we werent close. But he was a big part of my life. He was always there. He was at every family function (drunk, of course). He and my dad lived together for most of my teenage years, so when my dad got me for the weekend, Uncle Jimmy got me too. He used to save up all his change and give it to me to roll. And after I would roll it, and tell him how much money was there, he'd let me keep it. He bought me a cameo necklace from the Home Shopping Network because I mentioned it was pretty. He wanted to name his dog DeeOhGee. He played chess with my husband. He had a Lucky Irish tattoo, and for most of his life thought he wasnt Irish.
In thinking about his life, I can only speculate how he felt at the end of it. Seems to me that for the majority of his life, he probably felt lonely and meaningless. He didnt have any major accomplishments to speak of, he didnt have any sucessful love stories, he wasnt leaving behind a legacy. So, I pray that his death will accomplish great things. Let his death bring my family closer together (like really closer), closer to God too. Let his death teach my brother that alcoholism, though it provides temporary relief from life, makes life end brutally and a lot sooner than it should.
Here are a couple of pictures I found of my Uncle Jimmy.

When I was young, our whole family would spend the night at our house on Christmas Eve. Here's Uncle Jimmy sleeping on the couch. There's his Lucky Irish tattoo.


Here's me and Uncle Jimmy at my high school graduation.


That's my family. I was probably 15 in that picture. Bottom row: Aunt Debbie, Uncle Jimmy, Cousin Jen, Cousin Allison and Me. Second row: Cousin Chris, Aunt Alice, Aunt Judy. Hiding in the back: Aunt Patty, Tom (Aunt Patty's boyfriend) and my Dad.


This is how I remember Uncle Jimmy the most. A happy smile, popping into pictures and annoying people by being funny when they were trying to be serious.


The best man in the burgundy tux is Uncle Jimmy. He's really young there, huh? The bride and groom are my parents. :) The maid of honor is Aunt Debbie. 1977, baby.

Sorry this entry is sad, and long. But it's my blog and I can write whatever I want. Thanks for listening.

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

I dont know why I took this silly quiz... other than it helped in procrastinating whatever it is I should be doing.


Take the quiz at dicepool.com
You are a good old-fashioned six-sided cube, otherwise known as a d6. Others know you to be plain, predictable, conservative, average, ordinary, and downright boring. You prefer to describe yourself as dependable, honest, practical and trustworthy. People usually know what to expect from you, since you rarely hold any surprises. You hate to make decisions, and if forced to decide, you'll always fall back on how it was done in the past. You always order the same thing at your favorite restaurant, and your jokes, while funny, are never too offensive. It seems that you are well liked, but maybe that's simply because there's nothing to hate.
Interesting.

Don't Give Up On Me

First. Go HERE. Watch the cute little lemurs. But take specific note of the most important part... the second picture and its caption. Eeeeeeeeeeee. Sabrina the Baby Aye Aye!!! How friggin cool is that? You can bet your ass I'll be visiting the Primate Center soon. Feel free to join me. That place rocks.
Second. I have some questions to answer. Angela interviewed me. Here it goes.
1. You and The Steve have known each other your whole lives. Was there a pivotal turning point where you went "Ooooooh I wanna marry HIM!"? If yes, what was it, if no, then how'd it happen?
Well, we didnt start dating till we were seniors in high school. A couple of months into our relationship, we were at the mall. We had just come out of a pet store where we were both playing with the cage full of kittens and completely ignoring the dogs. After spending time with the kittens, and expressing our love for cats, The Steve said something like "Well, good, we'll have a cat." That was it. But with that, I knew he was thinking about our future, and in that future, we'd have a cat.
2. As a kid what did you wanna be when you grew up? If you're not what you wanted to be, do you see yourself being what you wanted to be when you grew up?
There were two occupations I focused on as a child. I was either going to be a prima ballerina or a novelist. I dropped the ballerina idea when I was about 10. I stuck with the novelist idea all the way through college. Once I got married, I stopped writing. (I hope the two arent related, thats just when it happened). I still dream of being a novelist, I'm just stuck with a reaaally long writer's block.
3.What's your favorite TV show EVER - including past and present (and I know you're a TV connesieur so if you have to you can pick 2) and why?
My favorite TV show EVER is "Mad About You." It makes me laugh. No matter how many times I watch an episode. That show definitely helped me prepare for marriage in not taking everything so seriously.
4. What's been your favorite thing about your new house and why?
Hmmmm. It's a toss up between my kitchen and being able to paint rooms. I've been wanting to paint forever, and its been so nice to see my ideas come alive. My kitchen is just the most fabulous place ever. I love the stripes, the countertops, the cabinets, the fridge.... I love that its big enough for friends to hang out around the island.
5. What do you consider your greatest quality? Greatest weakness?
My senior year in high school, my yearbook advisor gave me an award. I know he made it up. It was the "Eye of the Hurricane" award. Mostly because in the high stress world of High School, where I was managing editor of both the Yearbook and Newspaper, I was always Cool, Calm and Collected. I rarely ever stress out, I'm most always rational, and I get the job done. I have lots of weaknesses. Today I'll say its that I have a terrible time making decisions for myself. Decisions for other people, no problem! My own decisions? Well, I've had three free iTunes caps for a month now, and I cant decide what songs to get.
That's it for the questions. Thanks Angela!

Worn Me Down Like The Road

I'm alive!! I made it through! People at work thought I had Whooping Cough, because my boss confused that with Croup while telling everyone how sick I was. Crazy boss. Really, I had Parainfluenza. A lovely flu that seemed to manifest itself in EVERY possible symptom. Really, you name it, I had it. Luckily not at the same time, otherwise I would have been dead. But every other day, I had a new symptom and the other one was gone. Odd. You'd think, after being so ill, I'd be signing up for next years flu shot. But no. No freakin way.
But I know you missed me. How could you not?
This morning, one of my coworkers, the lovely British Anne, brought me a book she found while going through some boxes in her attic. It's titled "Sabrina." No joke. She owned the book before she even knew me. Freeeaky. Not really.
But I'd like to read you this book. It's a little kids book. It was published in 1971.
So, gather round. Sabrina's gonna read you a story.
"Sabrina.
It was the first day of school, and Sabrina was very excited! As the teacher called the names of the children, each one answered, 'Here.'
When she called Sabrina's name,
everyone turned to look at her. (Uh oh)
Two girls were whispering, and she heard them say her name. (Bitches)
She couldn't wait for school to be over. She wasn't having any fun after all.
Her name was not like the others. There were three Michaels and two Lisas and two Susans, a David and an Amy. But no one had a strange name like Sabrina. (hmmm)
She was so unhappy she wanted to cry.
I'll never come back, she thought. I hate this school and everyone in it. (whoa, overreact much?)
I'll change my name to Susan or Lisa and go to another school.
And when I have my birthday party, I'll only invite my new friends. (birthdays are important).
Sabrina waited until nap time when everyone was asleep (including the teacher, apparently)."
(Then we have a few pages without any writing. It shows Sabrina leaving the school, she's walking down the sidewalk, passing a man and woman on a motorcycle, a guy in a funny looking car, a truck with a horse, pig and some other animal, maybe a donkey? None of these things seem to satisfy her, cause on the next page she's heading back to the school. She stands outside the door, using the bottom of her dress to whipe her tears. A little boy inside the classroom spots her.
"'Oh Sabrina, we have been looking everywhere for you! What's the matter?' 'Miss Potter, I don't want my name to be Sabrina anymore. I want to be called Susan.'
'Then I want to be Sabrina.' 'Me too.' (This is said by two girls, apparently twins since they look exactly the same).
'No, Susan, I said it first.'
'Listen, Amy, she chose my name, so I should get hers.'
'I want that princess name!' 'No, I want it!'
'Now, girls, why don't we let Sabrina settle this?' (Since she started it, and all)
'Well...'
'If you give me your name, you can play with my doll.' 'If you let me have it, you can ride my new bike.'
'Who said I wanted to give my name away?' (uh, you did?)
'Besides, who would be dumb enough to give away a beautiful name like Sabrina!'
The End."
Yep. That's the story of Sabrina. Now you know.