Shower and Bachelorette Party
Last weekend was my shower and bachelorette party. My mom and sister came out from California!
We had the shower in one of the function rooms at Donahue’s in Watertown. It was definitely a great place to have the shower. I would have a function there again. We had our own private bar and there was so much food. I’ve been craving their toasted ravioli ever since. De-lish!!!
That’s me with my sister and my mom. I had to wear silly stuff. :-)
We played a few silly bridal shower games which were quite fun.
We played Jeopardy!
Teams made wedding gowns out of toilet paper!
Afterwards we went to Made By Me and painted pottery. It was a fun place for a bachelorette party. I’m not a go-out-and-get-wasted type of gal, so this was certainly more my speed! We brought our own wine, cheese, and cookies!!
The next day, we took a day trip to Gloucester.
Matt at Mystery Train Records.
It was kind of overcast, but we still waded in the water.
That’s my god daughter Kaitlyn, one of my bridesmaids, Debbie, my mom, and myself.
Matt and I.
It was a lovely weekend. I was sad when it ended…but there is plenty to look forward to! Three weeks from tomorrow is my wedding!
Filed under Greater Boston (General), My Life, Photos, family, marriage | Comment (0)Carbin at Hobofest
Earlier this month, Matt’s band Carbin had their first out of state gig in Connecticut. And now, they will be having their first festival gig on September 8! It’s a festival called Hobofest in Saratoga Springs, NY. There aren’t any huge names, but it should be fun and great exposure.
The timing isn’t the best (two weeks before our wedding), but it should be a good time. We haven’t been to a festival since we went to Gathering of the Vibes two years ago and we haven’t been camping in over a year.
So, go Carbin, for scoring a festival gig. Networking for them on MySpace is paying off. :-)
OH! New Kids on the Block
I really liked the New Kids on the Block when I was a kid. All of the kids in my school used to take their little mini-boom boxes everywhere. We’d take them outside during recess, listen to NKOTB, and do the “running man” and “The Roger Rabbit.”
Someone once gave me a NKOTB poster, and my mom hung it on the wall, but I took it down because I thought they were ugly. So, you see, I was purely into New Kids on the Block for their musical talent.
Lately, I was thinking about 3 of their biggest hits: “Hangin’ Tough”, “The Right Stuff”, and “Cover Girl.” And then I realized that the most commonly used word in their lyrics is the word “OH.”
“Hangin’ Tough” goes like this:
“Ohhhh ohhhh ohhhh ohhhhh ohhhhh…hangin’ tough.”
“The Right Stuff” goes like this:
“Oh oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh. The right stuff.”
“Cover Girl” goes like this:
“Oh oh oh, she’s my cover gi-ir-irl. Oh oh oh. Oh oh oh.”
Those are just the worst lyrics ever, even for bubblegum teeny-bopper pop circa 1989.
Filed under Music, nostalgia | Comment (0)Irving’s Toy and Card Shop
Today after a lovely lunch at Zaftigs and checking out The JFK Birthplace with my “broad” friend, I went to Irving’s Toy and Card Shop in Brookline. I had passed by it a billion times, but never had the opportunity to stop in…until today!
What a little gem. I felt like I stepped into a time capsule. Candy, gum, games, cards…some of the toys were like the cheap plastic toys that at we’d get at the general store when camping, like little plastic farm animals or activity pads that come with those magic markers. The woman who works there, Ethel, is a sweetheart. She wears a button that says, “I love my customers.” I asked her who Irving is and she said, “My first husband. Died in ‘60.”
I bought a pack of bubble gum and a little figurine of McDonald’s Birdie.
Filed under Greater Boston (General), Things to do in the Boston Area, nostalgia | Comments (2)Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge
Now’s the perfect time
The season is just right
You can play all day and dance into the night
All you have to bring
Is your love of everyt-thiiing
BEAUTIFUL MOUNT AIRY LODGE!!!!!
OK, anyone who lived in the NYC Metro area in the 70s-90s remembers the commercials and ads for BEAUTIFUL MOUNT AIRY LODGE. They were on constantly. I always thought it looked like such a fun place to go. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to “play all day and dance into the night”…in fact, it sounded like my version of paradise! Maybe one day I’d be a grown up with a husband and get to go to BEAUTIFUL MOUNT AIRY LODGE. All I had to bring was my love of everything? I could do that.
Here’s an older version of the commercial:
My wedding to Matt is rapidly approaching, and due to a large family trip to China, our honeymoon is going to be put on the backburner. But, I thought in the meantime we could do a little mini-trip somewhere. (We’ll probably end up going to The Woodstock Inn in NH…we love that place.) But then I had a thought: what about BEAUTIFUL MOUNT AIRY LODGE?
We could drive out to the Poconos and play all day and dance into the night! Cheesy enough to be fun, I’d say!
And then I Googled “Mt. Airy Lodge.”
Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge has ceased to exist. I haven’t lived in New Jersey for ten years and what happens? Mt. Airy Lodge disappears. But before it disappeared, the once grand resort sat abandoned. You can view pictures of the vacant shell of Mt. Airy Lodge here and here.
Upon seeing the sad story, I felt like a piece of my childhood had died. It’s bad enough that Crazy Eddie went out of business (in spite of his prices being IN-SAAANE) and that Elmo has hijacked “Sesame Street”…now I find this out?!
Matt has asked me to stop singing “Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge.” :-(
Filed under New Jersey, New York, nostalgia, videos | Comments (3)Because who doesn’t love hearing stereotypes of their own ethnicity?
I can’t take credit for this, but I sure can relate to it!
You know you’re Italian when….
Your grandparents are Nonno and Nonna.
You eat Sunday dinner at 2:00.
On Christmas Eve you eat only fish (and usually of the stinkiest kind!)
“Fuhggettaboutit”
The Godfather is your role model
You love Nutella…anytime…
Your nonna’s meatballs are the best
You always dress to impress
Favorite movies: Godfather, Goodfellas, Bronx Tale, The Last Don… and you live by them.
Guys gotta respect their women…or else!
You’ve been hit with a wooden spoon or had a shoe thrown at you by either your mother or your nonna.
Pasta, pasta, pasta everyday.
Your father owns 5 houses, has $300,000 in the bank, but still drives a 76 Monte Carlo.
There’s a mechanic, plumber, electrician, accountant and travel agent in your family.
A high school diploma and 1 year of Nassau Community College has earned you the title of “professor” among your aunts.
You are on a first name basis with at least 8 banquet hall owners.
Nobody in your family grows beyond 5′11.
There were more than 28 people in your bridal party.
You netted more than $50,000 on your first communion.
30 years after immigrating, your parents still say “Pronto” when answering the phone.
At least one of your relatives has a bathtub Madonna.
Your house is made of brick, brick, and wrought iron.
Half the women in your high school class went to Beauty School.
You talk with your hands.
Most of your relatives are named Joe or Mary.
Your grandfather had a fig tree.
You prefer red wine over white.
Your family is LOUD.
Your father or nonno always wore an undershirt around the house.
You feel strangely comfortable when you sit on plastic-covered furniture
You know all the words to “That’s Amore”
You are offended when the wedding you attend serves less than 9 courses despite the fact that you don’t eat half of it.
You think having a concrete backyard is nice.
You think having swans in a big fountain in the front yard next to the veggie patch is tasteful.
At family functions, you are swarmed by elderly relatives you don’t know kissing your cheeks.
You actually believe everyone eats those sugared almonds in the bonboniere at your wedding.
You always have a friend who ‘owes you a favor’.
Pannetone or biscotti makes a healthy breakfast.
You’re proud to be Italian - and you pass these jokes on to all your Italian friends!
Filed under Humor, Uncategorized | Comments (3)Cool Dreams
I’ve been taking Valerian Root at night to help me sleep. It’s helping me sleep, and helping me relax in general…but the best part is that I get really entertaining dreams. Last night I had a dream that was so much fun that I didn’t want to wake up! I was hanging out in Mr. Roger’s Land of Make Believe!
I got to hang out with the Speedy Delivery guy, and Cornflake S. Pecially. I couldn’t remember his name, but this is him:
I think he made rocking chairs.
Anyway, in the dream I was also looking for Daniel Striped Tiger, who lives in a clock.
Maybe the dream will continue tonight and I will get to hang out with X the Owl.
Filed under nostalgia | Comments (2)