NJ Bloggy Meet-Up!!!!

So, a couple of weeks ago we had this whole NJ bloggy meet-up scheduled.
Then Hurricane Sandy came and rained (literally) on our parade.  So we had to cancel.  WOMP.

But guess what, I was chatting with Nikki and Ms. Networking... and we knew we had to re-schedule before the holidays.

So here are the details for the NJ bloggy meet-up!!!!!  We encourage everyone to come!

Place:
The Shannon Rose Irish Pub
98 Kingsland Road
Clifton, NJ 07014
theshannonrose.com

Date and Time:
Tuesday, December 11 at 7:30pm - till whenever we feel the shenanigans get out of control.  :)

We really hope all you NJ bloggers in the area (NYC and Philly peeps too!!!) can come join us!

If you are able to make it, please let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an e-mail.

It's OK....

"It's Ok"

• that I had a bad day yesterday and wrote about it. 
• that today I feel a little better but have the urge to punch someone in the face because of their stupid questions.
• that I take a lot of self portraits
• that Sadie peed on my bed last night, AGAIN.... grrrrr
• that I call myself the queen of making cheddar bay biscuits even though it's the easiest recipe ever.
• that I will potentially DIE when I go to Nikki's combat class she is teaching on Saturday. 
• that I wear leggings as pants.  It's called comfort and cuteness factor. whatevesss
• that I am still waiting for test results and am scared to call and find out. 
• that my laundry that the wonderful lady at the Laundromat place took care of for me is still sitting in our office in the bags nicely folded for the last 2 days.  Um, laundry fairy? Where the heck are you?
• that I am so freaking awesome. 

What are you saying OK to?

Am I all alone?

This post is serious and might stir up some feathers (is that the saying? I am a drawing a total blank right now, but you get what I am trying to say).  

I want to hear YOUR thoughts on the following things. 

• If you are a stay at home mom, what do you believe your responsibilities are in the home?
• My thoughts are: Cook, Clean, Take care of kiddos, do the food shopping, etc.
• What is the deal with people being so dam materialistic these days?!?!?!  Why would you spend $300 on a luxury brand shirt when you can guy the same one for $30????  If that was me, I would rather spend that money on vacations where I can spend some quality time with my family, or I would donate a lot of it to people who have nothing.  It drives me insane that people spend crazy amounts of money on clothing that they wear only once and after the season, it's forgotten about. IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!!! Be grateful that you have clothes to wear. 
• Someone thought it was crazy that the hubs and I usually don't exchange gifts for holidays or special occasions.  ( Disclaimer: Last year we did for xmas.. but small presents and it was a fluke.  And I write this disclaimer because I know some asshat who is reading this is going to call me out on it.  Ha, I did it first).  They say that it is not right.  Um, since when does giving gifts make it right?  I'd rather us spend money on something we can do together than buying each other something   Hence why we go on a lot of vacations.  That's our thing. 
• It kills me when people ask me over and over again about us having kids.  And you are RUDE to ask me why we haven't had kids yet.  Did you ever think that there could be another reason for a couple not having kids.  Did you ever think that they may be trying and are having trouble? Or maybe that they are happy with things being the way they are as is? Did you ever think that there may be a medical reason why a couple doesn't have kids yet and it is something they don't want to share?  Maybe they don't want kids?  It's OK if you ask the couple once, but after a while the same people asking the same question gets to take a toll on you.  Sometimes, I don't want to answer you because it's exhausting to stand there and see you judge me on my answer.  Just because you have kids at a certain age doesn't mean I am following your same path. Just shut it OK?  
• I have come to a point in my life where I hardly want to share anything with my friends because I constantly feel like I am being judged.  We all do it, I get it.  I judge sometimes too. It's OK.  But is it crazy that when certain events happen in my life, I already know who I would want to share the news with first and that the list is very small?  
• I am not a perfect wife. Are you?  I make mistakes all the time. I drive the hubs crazy.  I have made big time mistakes and TRUST ME, I still have the guilt for it.  But I am learning to push through and move on. No one said it was going to be easy to be a wife.  Society makes it even harder to be a wife because they plaster everywhere of what a perfect wife should be... and it's totally NOTHING like it. So, thank you to the hubs... You accept me for who I am, and you have made the decision to be with me and support me through both the good and bad.  I am really trying to make you proud and I know I have failed multiple times, but I continue to get back and try again. I won't stop. Love you.
• I blog because it makes me happy.  Why is it so hard for non-bloggers to see that?
• I think that you should never ever make a friend feel left out.  It hurts... and it hurts bad. 
• I struggle with self confidence everyday.  It's like a freaking disease. Yes, I know I gained weight... TRUST ME I KNOW... but you don't need to remind me.  Yes, I know that I mess things up.  Yes, I know that I lack common sense.  All these things add up to the ball of anxiety that it's in my head. I KNOW... "just handle it Kenya it's not that hard."  Remember, it may be easier to handle certain stuff in your life than it is for me.  
• My heart took a stabbing last week when I was at my docs visit.  My doctor tried to make me feel better and assure me that the test results will most likely come back OK this time.  She tried really hard, but I can tell in her voice that she also was worried.  I tried to stay positive and tell her, " I am positive too"... but I lied. I was freaking out the whole hour and half I was in that office.  And I am still freaking out waiting for results.  But it's OK to freak out right?  It's normal right?  And this whole doctor stuff could be NOTHING.  If the test results come back not favorable, it's not like it's life threatening disease.  Something that they tell me is very common and somewhat "fixable".  But still, I am worried.
• Did I tell you that I freak out A LOT about the LITTLE things? I do. Hubs is a saint for dealing with that part of me.  Sometimes, I make things a lot bigger and more serious than they really are. It's a problem I have. I am working on it.  Some people call this anxiety.  I don't like that word, anxiety.

Wow, I wasn't sure where this post was going to go... but I started typing and couldn't stop.  And I am leaving this as it is. No changes.  Me in writing.  Sometimes Life with Giggles has it's downs.  And my focus for my blog is to be true to you all... It's not all skittles and rainbows over here.  Sometimes I have to make myself giggle when I am having a down day. 

But, am I all alone with some of these points?  Do any of you feel like this sometimes today? 

I am OK. I am not OK. What is the definition of being OK?  Oh forget it, I am me.  Let's leave it at that. 

And now I am going to read from my devotional and tell myself "just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

A little announcement.

Hello there my bloggy peeps. I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Ours was great. We ate way too much food and laughed a whole lot.  I say success!
I was lucky to not have to host Thanksgiving so instead I baked.  And once again, I made my fresh homemade pumpkin pie!

Needless to say, it was super yummy.  AND, I carved the turkey. :::proud Kenya here!:::

Hubs and I actually went out at midnight to Target...::gasp:::

I totally didn't want to go. I was so tired and didn't want to deal with crazy people, but our neighbors went and she texted me letting me know that it wasn't that packed.  So off we went. We had fun.
Hubs put this in the cart, which now resides in our bedroom.

So now when the hubs is playing video games or watching something I don't want to, I can go into the bedroom and snuggle with the pups on the bed while we get to watch our girly shows. #winning

We came home to sleep after the Target run, and then headed back out with my mom and friend for more shopping.  We did pretty good.  I didn't buy much.  But I did get the Christmas gifts for my niece and nephew! Success.  We also headed to the movies to watch Skyfall.  Can I just say that Daniel Craig is super duper hot.
Saturday we got to organizing and cleaning the house... a few hours later, our place look fantastic.  Saturday night we hosted game night at our place with some friends. Thanks to Target for having adult board games for 10 bucks!!!  I recommend the games Fact or Crap and Imaginiff.... both were a lot of fun to play.

Sunday we headed back to the stores to get an idea of couches.  Our couches are about 14 years old. When we got married, hubs aunt graciously gave us her leather couches.  Now, they are done. The leather is tearing apart, and of course Sadie chewed a hole on one of the seats. Man, couch shopping is not as fun as I thought it would be. Any advice on best couches to get for a small yorkiepoo dog???  I want it to withstand her nails since she does hang out on the couch with us and jumps up and off of it.

And here we are to Monday.  I actually am enjoying this Monday while everyone else is dreading it.  Why? Because I am alive to live it.  Can't ask for anything better than that.

And onto the little announcement....
I REALLY REALLY wished the secret boards on Pinterest were available BEFORE I created a Baby board.  So, my little announcement??? I am NOT pregnant (Nikki... lol).  I just was seeing so many cute things and ideas for babies since most of you bloggy friends are pregnant and wanted to pin the stuff for FUTURE.  Apparently, I have been confusing people and making some of them question me when all of a sudden, 20 baby pins show up in their feed from me. :)
So, yeah, no baby here yet... but don't worry... something may be in the works.  You will just have to wait and see!

I confess

This is my first time linking up with Mrs. Bear over at Think Happy Thoughts for her Confessions link-up!

Here it goes....

I confess....
Not all babies are cute. Some are ugly. It's OK to think to YOURSELF that they are ugly. But always be kind to the parent. I am sure they know their baby is ugly and are suffering.

I confess....
That I started listening to Christmas music today

I confess....
That I am perfectly happy NOT cooking Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner for the whole family to judge me. Our moms take those roles. I bake.  Plus, nobody wants dinner to be ruined so I leave it to the pros.

I confess....
That for Thanksgiving, I wouldn't mind it all if it was just the hubs, pups and I at home snuggled on the couch with a thanksgiving dinner that I cooked that probably isn't as good as moms.

I confess....
That I am VERY awesome.

What do you confess?  Come link-up! 

Music is in my blood

I am your music geek... well, at least in high school I was a full blown out music geek.  Now I'm just a regular music geek.

My passion is playing the piano.  I have played since I was small and LOVE it.  I also love to sing.  And I also played the clarinet through middle school and high school.

I just recently realized that I used playing the piano as a stress reliever.  It makes me happy to sit in front of the piano and play my heart out. I put ALL of my emotions into it.  There were many of times that when I was playing at home by myself, I would end up crying.  That's my love for it.  With music, I can let out all my emotions with full force.  That's the best way to play music.  Everyone use to tell me how much they loved seeing me play piano because they can feel the music. They can feel the emotion. I guess that's the gift I had. I am not trying to toot my own horn here, I am just saying how it is.

I don't play often anymore because my piano is at my mother's house and it's not an easy piece of furniture to move, especially when you live in an apartment.

Last night, I got to go back to my old high school.  We were there for a resolution ceremony for the choir director of many many years who retired in 2006.  He is very very ill now. He was not able to make it last night.  But alumni did. They were people there who graduated in 1979!!!  It was AMAZING.  Tears were had. Funny moments were had. But, we also got to do something special. It is tradition in my town that at every winter concert, the choir always sings Handel Messiah's Hallelujah Chorus.  The best part is that any choral alumni can go up on stage and sing.  I haven't had a chance to do this since I haven't been to the winter concert, but last night, I got the chance. Let me tell you, it felt so great to sing up there in the choir.  I belted that shit out.  The song lyrics and musical parts came flooding back into bloodstream and I remembered every single note. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

Last night made me realize how much I miss music.  As in how much I miss playing music.  How much I miss singing.  It's in my blood and it is what God made me for. To rejoice in music.

My mission = find a full size keyboard that I can put in my apartment.  DONATIONS greatly accepted!!!!
But seriously, with the amount of stress I have in my life now, I KNOW for a fact that me playing again will get rid of it.  It worked all the time. Why did I stop? Because life happened.  Which is OK.  But you know what? I want to teach my kids one day how to play the piano and share with them the love I have for music.

So, who wants to donate money for my full size keyboard that I NEED????  Hint hint to hubs, friends, family members... if you all chip in, you can buy it for me for Christmas!!!

Some of you reading this might think it's silly that playing piano is a stress reliever.  Some of you might think that I'm stupid for crying while playing... but you may just simply not understand if you aren't a musician. When you become a musician, you know that there are two ways to play.
1. Just for fun to get by and look cool
2. Taking into consideration everything you learned from music theory to technique and most importantly  opening up your heart so beautiful music becomes your end result.

So, are you a music geek?  ;)

Happy New Year Now!

Two posts in one day... at that, a freaking Monday... dam I am being so productive today.

Anywho...
Get a load of this link up....

You must link up with Nikki and Tara!!!!  Here are the details about this super fun kick our asses project.

So, I'm starting small.. because let's face... the goals you write down have to be realistic and reachable so you don't get discouraged.  I will for sure be adding to this list. Here we go...

1. Try new recipes to cook healthier
2. Start to work out and get healthy
3. Clean my house like no ones business.. it's bad.
4. Learn how to organize to get rid of clutter that is driving us crazy
5. Stop caring what other people think of me
6. Continue being ME and only ME
7. Blog about the good or bad
8. Be a better wife to my deserving husband
9. Get a new wardrobe, and reach out to friends for help on said wardrobe
10. Help people in whatever way I can... Give more.

There you have it, I KNOW I will be adding to this list. 

NOW, LET'S GET MOVING! 

Things that make me go hmmmm...

This past weekend was insane busy.. except for yesterday.
So, here are some things that made me go "hmmmmm" this weekend.

• People who post advice on FB/Twitter, but fail to take their own advice. Um NO. Listen to your own advice before telling other people.  Especialy when it's something that you are known for. FAIL.
• P.F. Changs takes online reservations.  This was super duper helpful when hubs and I couldn't figure out where to go eat for dinner on Friday night for our anniversary. 
• We used a gift card at P.F. Changs that I received in April of 2010 as part of a blog giveaway. It still worked. WINNING... it was $50 too! 
• My whole plans on Saturday got royally screwed starting at 9am.  And the thing that messed it up most was the one thing I should have said NO to. FAIL. 
• We were suppose to be in two places at once on Saturday.  Ended up not happening, first  becuase it's not possible, secondly, plans got so behind as in hours that it just wasn't worth it. 
• Saturday worked out the way it was suppose to and I still had a blast.  Must remember, first invite in that we are confirmed to wins.  Last minute invites - which KILL me, don't work out all the time. I need to be OK with this. 
• I put up our little Christmas tree and put our centerpiece that I my mom helped me get crafty with! 
• 
• 
• I did NOTHING on Sunday. Stayed in my pj's all day. BEST. DAY. EVER.

How was your weekend???

Happy 4 year wedding anniversary to us!

Four years ago today, I married the best man ever.

Ending to a perfect night

I LOVED our cake topper

Right before I walk down the aisle

My bridesmaids are awesome

Attack of the veil

To my husband, I love you every day more and more. I am so glad that we took this journey together. We have had our ups and downs, but in the end, we are together growing stronger every day.

I love you and am so grateful that I get to call you my husband.

Happy Anniversary!

Things I love

Oh hello there my bloggy peeps!!
I hope you are all having a fantastic day.  Things are crazy at work today but I will make it through the end of the day.
Anywho, if you are still undecided about what to do for dinner tonight, you should go over and check out Nikki's blog, My Life My Way.  I guest posted about my famous empanada recipe and pumpkin pie recipe that is to die for. TRUTH.

You're welcome.
Also, I wanted to do a quick post about things I love:

My wedding rings

The only "criteria" I told my husband about what ring I would want was that it needed to be pear shape. And he did a dam good job on that. Also, for my wedding band, I love the color blue and wanted to be different than everyone else... that's how those beauty of sapphires got in there. LOVE. 

My pups Sadie

She is just the best purchase ever. Seriously. I love her... even when she smushes herself into the bed that I refused to buy her, but that the hubs INSISTED on buying her. Kenya - 0; Hubs/Sadie - 1.

My cowboy hat

I legit bought this in Texas. And I LOVE it. 

Us

We. Are. Awesome.

This day

Because it led to a celebration.. one that we will honor tomorrow as being 4 years a married couple.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post where you get to take a sneak peak into my wedding that took place 4 years ago. 

Best day of my life so far. 

Influenster product faves!

Let's talk Influenster.  If you don't know about it, then you MUST get on it. It's just plain awesome.

I was lucky to be a receipient for the Beauty Bloggers Voxbox!!!!
Le'ts talk about the goodies.



Awesomeness in a box. Seriously y'all!

Alright...
FAVORITES:

• Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream.
• This is the BOMB. I have REALLY curly hair and a lot of it. This cream was perfect. No frizz and talk about defined curls. (see picture below).  I need to order about a dozen of these. No joke. If you have curly/wavy hair, you NEED this in your life. Put it on your Christmas list. Oh, and my friend LOVED the smell. It does smell pretty darn good.
• NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact
• I love me some NYC because I can hoard makeup without breaking my bank account. And their makeup is awesome. This compact is even more awesome. It has everything you need to create that model fashion look. Even PRIMER!!! I never used primer before but man oh man, I was an idiot for not using.  I always have makeup on.  I always love doing up my eyes. This make it so easy.  I just have to carry this compact that has all the colors perfectly matched for you. This is a must purchase as well.
• Vitabath Frangrance Mist
• Love it. I received the Green Apple & White Lily. It's perfect for the fall season. I currently have it in my bag. Yep, it goes where I go.
• Bath & Body Works Mini Candle
• This smells like fall which makes me happy.  I have the Cider Lane. Let's just say that during the hurricane, this candle came in WAY handy. It may have been cold and dark, but at least our apartment smelled good. 

SO-SO:

• Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit
• OK, I'm retarded when it comes to putting lashes on.  I tried and failed. But these lashes do look amazing on... when they are not crooked.  Thankfully they have tutorials on their site to show people like me. It really is easy, I just don't have a steady hand and freak out when things are near my eyes.  But when those babies are on, VAVAVOOM. Watch out world. 
• Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin
• I have thick curly hair.. this is just a bit difficult to put in unless my hair has been straightened out. So, when my hair is straight or not as curly, then it works. Besides that, talk about tangle mania in curly hair.

BLAH:

• EBOOST
• This did not taste good in my opinion.  It's a vitamin effervescent powder. Think something along the lines of Airborne.  I was not a fan of the after taste.  I had the orange flavor one. 

So, there you have it.  Now I have some shopping to do for my fave products!

One of my husbands was called People's mag sexiest man alive!

So yesterday I shared with you all a bit of information about my six husbands.

Well, how ironic that today, one of them was called People Magazines Sexiest Man Alive.

 

***PROUD WIFE***

Meet my six hubands

Happy Tuesday my bloggy peeps. I am here to talk to you about my six husbands.  How fitting right before I celebrate my 4 year anniversary right???  I think so.

Moving on.

Yep, you read that right. I have six husbands. No joke. Well, I have one piece of paper that says I legally only have ONE husband, but a girl can dream right? Right. See, that's why I like you already. So, let's talk about these husbands of mine.

Husband #1

Michael Buble
This husband is my musical husband. He LOVES to serenade me in the house. He knows how much I love that smooth jazzy voice of his. The picture above we took when we were vacationing in Spain. Isn't he cute as well? I know, I am one lucky gal.

Husband #2

Matt Bomer
This husband is my swag husband. He is just so dam fine. You might recognize him from the show White Collar. He loves to wear suits. He always has me running to Brooks Brothers to pick up his suits. You may have heard in the media that he announced he was gay, but no worries, he is just covering up our marriage so the paparazzi doesn't swarm me everywhere I go.

Husband #3

John Cena
This husband is my hustle husband. He hustles as a WWE wrestler to give fans what they want. He is very active and LOVES all things having to do with cars. We can be seen at car shows around the world.

Husband #4

Channing Tatum
This husband is my dancer husband. He LOVES to dance his cute little booty off. He is an actor as well. Make sure you all watch his latest movie that has been out Magic Mike.  He had me measure him here for a suit for the movie premiere.

Husband #5

The Rock
This husband is just plain awesome. He is hot. He is strong. He has faith. He is hot. Oh, I mentioned that already? Sorry about that, I just get so carried away. The Rock does movies and wrestles. We had a blast when we were in Miami this year for Wrestlemania.

Husband #6 - the REAL one.  The ONLY one who has my heart.

Mr. Hubs
This husband is the one who is my love. He is my partner for life. My life wouldn't be complete without him by my side. He laughs at my corny jokes, and tells me when I am just plain corny. He videotapes me when I get the giggles and shows all of our friends (um... embarrassing!). He loves me and I love him. This is the husband who I was meant to be with. I thank God for that every day.

So, how many husbands do you all have???  Don't be shy!