CCFA

Today was a wonderful day. There were 12 of us, Bossman and his parents, Sissy, BIL, Big Neph, Bil's parents, some friends and I all attended the 21st Annual Book of Hope Luncheon to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. There was a silent auction, with many,many gifts to bid on. Weekends away, sports lessons, jewelry, restaurant gift cards, fun baskets filled with perfume, books, wines, coffees, teas and so much more! It was so much fun! After the auction there was a wonderful lunch, a fashion show, raffle ticket winners were drawn, (not me) and a guest speaker, Donny Deutsch. The honorees of this wonderful afternoon were Bonnie and Gary Scharf. Gary is Bossman's best friend. So not only was it a beautiful afternoon, it was to celebrate, or recognize the efforts of two very terrific people. What a day. After the speeches, there was a silent appeal. The money raised today would go to Camp Oasis, a co-ed residential camp for kids with Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The 2011 session will be held at Camp Will-A-Way in Winder, GA. Anyone interested in donating to Camp Oasis, can call 561.218.2929.

After the luncheon, Bossman and I headed back to the office. I stayed 'til 7pm, then home to Hubs and Chinese food. Watching House, The Chicago Code and The Cape. Then off to bed. Lovely day. Hope you guys had one too!

Love and hugs...

Yay! Finally left the house today. Hubs and I had a wonderful day out on the town. We began the day with a lovely Sunday brunch at home. I made Spanish egg white omelettes with fresh home fries, bagels and hot delicious coffee. Yum.

After brunch we changed and off we went. We began the day with a visit to the Boca Museum of Art. There was an exhibit called "Cut" which had an incredible display of movie costumes. They had dresses from "Ever After" (worn by Angelica Huston) and "Sense and Sensibility" (Kate Winslet) and outfits worn by Robert Downy Jr (Sherlock Holmes) and Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean). We weren't allowed to take pictures, but.... oh, what's that? Oh that's a dress that was worn by ...someone...in some movie. I forget now. :) But I got the shot! Actually love this dress. It was for a movie set in 1936, but I'd wear it today.

There was also an exhibit of Latin American Art. My favorite piece was called "Mother and Child". It was colorful and fun. I especially loved that mom was sucking on a stogie while holding her baby. Classic.

After our Museum tour, Hubs and I walked around Mizner Park, did some shopping and people watching. Then we headed over to the Cinemark Theater to take in a movie. We saw Liam Neeson in "UNKNOWN". It was very good.

Hubs and I had dinner upstairs at Bogarts. I had a turkey club and he had a pizza. Nice day. We are now on the couch, with the pups, watching the Oscars. Weekends over. Hope you all enjoyed yours.

Love and hugs

After watching the Oscars a bit, and looking at everyone's beautiful outfits, I had to take a step back and look at my own threads. When I got dressed this morning, I thought I was the cutest thing. Now, looking more closely at my get up, I'm thinking I look like a "What not to Wear" subject. Scary. What was I thinking???

Can I have a do over?

Hubs had to work today. I stayed in. Rita came. House is clean. I stayed on the couch all day watching TV and surfin' the web. Still nursing my icks. Looking forward to spending a nice day with Hubs tomorrow. He's on call this weekend. He had to go back out tonight after he got home...hopefully they won't call him tomorrow and we can do something fun. It was a gorgeous day today. Hope tomorrow is as nice. That's all I have to report. On the couch now, watching America's Most Wanted. Lemme know if you guys are doing something grand so I can live vicariously through you...

Ate eyes. 8 I's.

Totally fine today. Must have had some gross 24 hour bug thing yesterday. Today I worked well. I have actually come to LOVE my Fridays at the office. Nobody there but me. No interruptions. Nothing to do but finish the week's work and prepare for Monday. And today, that's exactly what I did. Great day. After work, I went to Publix, got some vittles for the week and came home. Hubs and I had dinner and we are now on the couch, with the pups, watching "The Social Network". The movie about Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. Pretty interesting stuff. Hope you all have a great weekend. Peace, love and good shabbos. xoxo

Had a hard time at work. Still feeling crappy. Worked all day though. Had a meeting. Katie ordered me matzoh ball soup for lunch and Tracey got me a Jamba Juice with an immunity boost. Bossman even gave me a Dayquil. My posse. Day wuv me, and I wuv dem. Hubs too. He made dinner and he's sitting on the couch watching American Idol with me. Thanks to all of you for taking such good care of me. Hopefully I can shake this Cat Scratch Fever soon.

Love and hugs.

Nothing too interesting to report... Worked. Lunched at my desk. The usual. Got changed and was ready to go to yoga but got sick. Fever spiked. Head almost exploded and a wave of nausea overtook me. On the couch. Hubs is taking care of me. Watching Idol. Going to bed early. Night all.

Since my blog has been a bit lackluster...Here are a few links to some of my favorite blogs, maybe they'll keep ya busy:

http://legallyhungry.com/

http://mialinnman.blogspot.com/

http://vicky-bell.blogspot.com/

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

http://www.properhunt.com/

Work was busy today! I got a lot done! Feeling good. Need to file. Had a Smart One for breakfast and a Smart One for lunch. A bit too much sodium, but they were no brainers. Kinda trying the Jenny Craig theory using Weight Watchers food. Whatever works. Went to Hot Yoga. Did pretty well tonight! Yay me. Got home to a yummy dinner made entirely by Hubs. He BBQ'd some pork cutlets that he marinated in Italian dressing. Hello. Yum. ...and we had burnt broc and shells. Delish. We cancelled our Weight Watchers memberships, so we have to be good on our own. Making smart choices is the key. On the couch now, watching Glee. All's well in paradise. Love and hugs to all those out there reading my little electronic rag. Peace.

Prayers for Donna. She had her gall bladder removed.

Prayers for Mrs. Berk. (Heart surgery today)

Today I had the day off. Hubby had to work. I got up. (Always a good start to the day!) Rode my bike to the beach. Read a book under the pavilion. Met a friend for a bagel and coffee. Rode home. Changed. Went to Hot Yoga. Came home. Showered. Had salad for lunch with a friend. Took the dogs to the dog park. Came home. Wrote a novel. Jogged through the neighborhood. Cleaned out the garage. Helped underprivileged kids. Oh yeah. ...found out I was a super model. If you believe any of that, I got a bridge I'd like to sell ya!

Actually, today I slept 'til noon. Made coffee and a doody. Went to Fox's, Marshall's and the mall. Had a caprese panini and water. Then came home and hung out on the

couch 'til Hubs got home. Then we went for sushi and Carvel. That was my day.

...what did you guys do this lovely Presidents Day?

Lazy Sunday. Hubs and I took his car to Tire Kingdom for an oil change and a new tire. When we got there, there were balloons galore and big signs all around saying "BUY 2 GET 2 FREE!" So we inquired. One tire, with balancing and rotation was $125. So being the brilliant mind I am, I figured that 4 tires, at buy two, get two free, would be around $250...right? Nope. $550 dollars for 4. False advertising! Apparently, the fine print was that if you buy two tires, they'll give you 2 free, but you also had to purchase lifetime warranties totaling $300. So we got one tire and an oil change. What's happening to this country? And what about loan modifications? Why aren't the banks doling out the funds they received from the Government to take care of the people in need? ...but I digress. Ran into Hubs friend Jay at the car place. They were friends in NY and moved here together, became roommates and when Hubs bought his own condo, they kinda lost touch. He's married now and has two little girls. We're gonna get together for a BBQ. Looking forward to meeting his wife. Pilates instructor. We're home now. Getting ready to watch "The Social Network". I'm off tomorrow. Hubs has to work. I'm going to yoga and then maybe to the beach. Love an extra day off. This is the life.

Slept 'til 9:00. Hubs left for work and I went to Suzanne. Got my hair did. Then off to K-Mart. I heard they were having a sale on their bed-in-a-bags, so I went to give a look see. FUGLY. All gross. Left. Went to Nordstrom Rack instead, then home. Waited for Hubs to get home from work...then around 5:30 we left for Ft Lauderdale. Had dinner downtown on Himmarshee Street. Mexican food at T-Mex, then walked down to the theater. We saw West Side Story. I didn't really love it. Let me explain. We all know the story, and the songs. It's a classic. I was so excited to see the show. Unfortunately, about 8 performers were swing, and 4 out of the 5 main players were understudies. All that wouldn't have been bad...it's just that the story is about gangs. Tough guys. ...and these actors were the most uncool guys ever!

I was just waiting for them to come out with new lyrics:

When you're a Jet,

You're a Jet all the way

From your first dance recital

'til you learn you are gay.

When you're a Jet,

If the spit hits the fan,

You got brothers around,

too bad you're all girlie men.

RUMBLE? Ah hell to the nose. We don't have anything to wear!

LOL...Truly. I'm not a hater. Not in the least...but tonight's casting was almost comical.

Oh yeah, and the guy in front of my seat fell off his chair and on to the floor. His family had to hoist him up. Oy! At least I didn't have to yell "Down in front!" ...since he already was.

It was an interesting night. We enjoyed ourselves as always, and had a fun night out. Hope you all had a great Saturday evening too.

Peace and love.

Friday

Worked. Bossman actually worked in the office with me today...at least 'til 1:00pm. We had a team meeting at 10:00 and a conference call with the coach at 11:00. Busy day. Lunch was at my desk. Ordered with Tracy and Katie. Then left work at 6:00pm. Came home. Waited for Hubs to get home from work. He arrived home around 8:00pm with a pizza. Whadda guy. Had pizza on the couch and watched TV. Nothing out of the norm here, except for maybe the pollen count. The photo above is my car windshield...filled with little yellow pillows of dust. Pollen. . ...and how's by you? Good Shabbos.

Rough day. Cranky mood. Tired. Grumpy. I hope to go to bed early tonight. Currently, Hubs and I are on the couch, eating spaghetti and watching NCIS reruns. We do have two videos we may watch, just not sure if I have enough attention span left in me to watch the whole thing. Hmmmmm. For the record, I am well aware that my posts haven't been too interesting lately, but please remember, this was just supposed to be a photo blog. A picture a day. ...and I'm doing that! The writing was just extra bonus. Peace and love. Night.

Action is the highest perfection and drawing forth of the utmost power,

vigor, and activity of man's nature.

Bishop Robert South

Work was nice today. My friend Russell bought me a late Valentine's Day lunch. Yum. Then I worked 'til 7:00pm and ran to yoga. Wore my new Lulu outfit and kicked butt! Spoke to an old sorority sister tonight. She's 50, like me, and except for when we were in college, she's always lived in Jacksonville. On Valentine's Day, her husband told her that his company was relocating and that they had to move to Miami. In Jax she lives next door to her older sister, down the street from her little sister and around the corner from her mom. She was devastated at the thought of moving. She emailed me, 'cause she knew I lived somewhere near Miami. We spoke for over an hour today. I told her to call me the minute she got here and I would run down to see her. I thought that a friendly face would help ease her fears. It doesn't matter that we haven't seen each other in 30 years, when we spoke on the phone today the conversation flowed as if we'd seen each other yesterday. Like I said when I saw Sheri Rosen (from 4th grade) and when I saw Shelly Kassimir (from kindergarten) old friends, are the best friends.

Bossman was out today. He actually was in a car accident on Friday & isn't feeling perfect yet. He's ok though. Got bounced around a bit. Hurt his neck, back & some headaches ...but he'll be fine. I did a lot of catch up work today. Felt productive. Had a huge salad for lunch. Then off to hot yoga. Got home at 9:00pm and Hubs had made a delicious dinner. Orange roughy and Brussels sprouts. Love him. Now on the couch watching Glee & NCIS. Thankful for this beautiful life. Peace to all.

Prayers for Bossman

Work was good. Richard brought me a chocolate cake for Valentine's Day. Ate the whole thing. Russell told me he wants to buy me lunch. Bossman told me he loves me...but the best gift of all was the huge basket sitting in the passenger seat of my car. Hubs bought me a Valentine's Day basket stuffed to the brim with stuff. A big white bear, chocolate, perfume, candles, a desk clock, potpourri and a mirror. What a guy. After work we went to the Vietnamese restaurant by our house, La' Tre. We have old family friends that have a home in the Berkshires. For the past 20 years or so, my parents have gone to their house on July 4th weekend. Each visit to the Berks included a visit to Truc Orient Express in West Stockbridge. The most delicious Vietnamese food around. The restaurant by our house in Florida is owned by the brother of the woman who owns Truc Orient Express...so we went. The place has actually been in the same spot for the past 24 years. But Hubs and I never went there. It was very very good. We started with the cabbage soup. It was like a wonton soup but the meat centers of

the "wontons" were wrapped in pieces of cabbage. It was hot and very good. After the soup, we had a Happy Pancake. It was like a quesadilla only instead of beans and cheese these babies were filled with shrimp and pork and chicken and yummy vegetables. Hot and crunchy and so so so good. They even came on the plate with a hot sweet sauce, like a thin consistency of duck sauce and red pepper. Delish! After our soup and happy pancake, Hubs and I shared an order of 5 spice chicken. Spicy and sticky sweet. Everything was so good! Then, as if everything was ate was not enough, we ordered dessert. A fried banana sort of egg roll thing that was covered in a coconut sauce. ...and we had Jasmine tea. :) Everything was just divine. We enjoyed it and will definitely go back again.

There's no better way to spend Valentine's Day! In our family...food is love and tonight was no exception!

Hope you guys all had a great day too! Hugs and love.

Hubs was "on call" today and of course they called. He had to go to work so I called my Sissy. She had been dying to see the Justin Beiber movie (in 3-D) Never Say Never. So I told her I was around and sure enough...she changed her day around and we went to a 1:40 movie. Geeks. We were the only 47-50 yr olds in the the theater. The only thing close were some Moms in their 40's, but they were at the show with their daughters! Sissy was hiding under her hood and I kept turning around and screaming to 'make believe' kids in the back of the theater. "We'll meet you in the lobby after the show girls! Behave!" Lemme just say this about the movie, I liked it so much! Justin Beiber seems like such a great young man. He's sweet as pie, and I wish him, and his family, all the success in the world forever! What a dolly face! After the movie I drove Sis home, and ran back to the house. Hubs was home and we had a 5:30 dinner rez at Sal's in Delray to meet his parents and Gma. Dinner was great. I had Cavatelli and lots of bread. No Weight Watchers or yoga tomorrow. It's Valentine's Day! Hubby has planned a wonderful after work dinner surprise for me...I'll let ya know all about it tomorrow! I hope all of you enjoy your day of love with loved ones. And if you have no one special in you life at this time, remember, you always have yourself. So do something fun. Treat yourself. You don't need a date to make you feel special. Enjoy!

Who dat?

Woke up at 9am. Puttered around the house. Hubs worked. Rita came. I ran out to do a few errands. Sissy met me at Annie Sez. Got a couple of tops. Then we went to Doris's Italian Market. Got some yummo stuff. Saw Angel, an old friend, with his wife. Went back to Sissy and BIL's place for an hour or so. Kissed Cosmo and Little neph. Came home. Met up with Hubs. Changed clothes. Then went out for Hubby's Valentine's Day date. (He's in charge of plans for Monday, the 14th, tonight was my night to plan for him.) We went to the movies. Saw "The Mechanic". It was very good! Hubby loves Jason Statham. We had popcorn, soda and Reese's Pieces! :) We ran into Red Jenn, an old friend from work from 1997. She also lived in the same apt complex as me. Saw Yori across the room. Didn't get a chance to say hi to him. After the movie, we went upstairs to Bogarts for dinner. I had wine and a tuna burger. Yum! Hubby had a blackened Mahi-Mahi sanny and some wine. Delish! (Don't I plan good dates?) We sat next to Scott Crane, a friend from High School. Now home, on the couch, watching TV. Getting ready for SNL. I hope it's a good one. We're due. ...and how's by you?

Another long coaching day. Personal Vision Letters were read. Funny stuff! Then lunch with the guys at Taverna Kyma. Greek salad with grilled chicken. Yum. Worked 'til 6:30 then home. Reheated some Chinese food & waited for Hubs to get home. Reheated his Chinese food & now...you guessed it...on the couch watching TV. NCIS reruns now and then we're gonna watch FRACTURE. I'll let ya know how it is. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Good Shabbos.

Love, peace & hugs

Another Doctor's appointment this morning. Routine. Hey, I'm 50 now. Gotta get all this old stuff looked at. Work was crazy. We're working with a coach and he was in town today. Ordered lunch in. Ate at 12. Met from 12:40 to 4:45. Oy! Not easy for someone like me. I gots ta move. I can't sit in a closed door meeting for 4 hours. Torture. But I did it. And I think it was productive. We're learning a lot and starting to get some processes in place. Looking forward to implementing some of the ideas. It'll be great! After the meeting ended, the team said goodnight and left. I started to work. Didn't leave 'til after 7. I'm so tired. Got home and Shelly called. She was visiting a friend in West Boca Medical Center (5 minutes from my house) and wanted to stop by to say hi. She came over, had some dinner (She brought her own...she's on weight wathcers) and then she left. Loved seeing her. Nothing better than best friends. Love you girlie. Now on the couch watching Idol with Hubs. Gotta get to bed earlyish tonight. I need to go in an hour early tomorrow. More coaching. Night all.

I love you B.

Had a doctors appointment this morning. Routine. Then stopped at Dunkin Donuts. Got a large light and sweet hazelnut coffee and a bagel with bacon egg and cheese. 'Bout 30 points plus. Went to work. Had lunch. Ran home and cooked. BIL and Middle and Little came over for dinner. Made a salad, sweet potato fries, sauteed spinach & garlic, chicken & sausages, and boiled some pasta for Little. That's all he likes to eat. (Besides chicken nuggets) Came out pretty good for a 30 minute meal. Rachel Ray would be proud. I hadn't seen the boys in about 10 days! I missed them. Great to see them. Watching Criminal Minds with the hubs now. Then off to bed. Night all. Enjoy!

Had a nice day at work.

Lunch at Houston's w/Katie.

Publix & then dinner w/Hubs.

Now on couch watching Glee.

Spoke on the phone today with

Lauri, Mom, Mr. G, & MIL.

Texted with Sissy and BIL.

Made some appointments.

I'm 50 now.

Need to check the old bones.

Not much else to report.

Wishing you happiness.

Peace & Love

Worked. Had some coffee, instant oatmeal, a Progresso soup and a Smart One. Went to Hot Yoga at 7:15. Loved it! Got home and Hubs had made me a yummo dinner. Boarshead Everroast chicken sandwich with white american, wickles and some spicy brown mustard on an Arnold's sandwich thin. A side salad with ginger dressing and some potato salad. I'm a lucky girl. Thanks Hon! I finished my book. James Patterson's "Swimsuit" Really good! I can't wait 'til it's a movie! Now watching Chicago Code, Hawaii Five-0, House and The Cape. Wow. I'm busy tonight. Hope you all enjoy your week. Love hugs and peace.

Today was beachtime.

Then nails.

Now FOOTBALL. I don't usually care about football, but I got in on the office pool and now I have something to root for! We played boxes. Each quarter of the game someone wins. If the quarter ends with the Packers score ending in a 3 (3, 13, 23, 33 etc.) and the Steelers score in a 0 (0, 10, 20, 30 etc.) I win! ...miss that field goal!!!!

I love Bradley Cooper.

Can't wait to see LIMITLESS.

(Just saw the commercial)

Saturday

Today Hubs had to take a CPR course for his new job. It was up in Palm Beach. So I thought...maybe I'll go to the Gardens Mall, up in Palm Beach, while he was there. Tory Burch, Lululemon, Anthropologie, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel...all in the same mall. Heaven. So he passed his certification and I almost passed out from the excitement of my finds! Got two new gorgeous Lulu outfits for yoga and a top in Anthro. When Hubs' course was over, and he was certified in CPR, he came back to the mall to meet me. We walked around a bit then we went to Panama Hatties for a fish dinner by the water. Now home. Watching SNL and just hanging with the pups.

Friday

Worked. Bossman and LBM out today. Bossman hosted some clients at The Palm Beach International Art Show and LBM is in Vail at his best buds bachelor party weekend. Hope you guys enjoyed! I had a chance to catch up on most everything. Now, ready for the weekend. Had lunch with Gma. Hadn't seen her in about 6 weeks! Missed her. Glad we had a chance to get together. Then home to walk the pups and MIL and FIL came to pick us up at 6:30. Drove up to Lake Worth to meet Hubs' Aunt and Uncle for dinner. They live in NY but they rent a place in PGA every year for about 2 months and we usually meet them for dinner during their stay. Tonight was great. We went to Cuoco Pazzo. We had gone to this place a time or two before and it's always delicious! Tonight I started with the mozzarella and tomato salad, with capers and olives...yum... and then I had the fettuccine bolognese. OMG! Fab. Had another glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc too. Got home about 10:00 and now just on the couch with Hubs watching some old Seinfeld episodes. Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend. Good Shabbos.

Thursday

Worked. Then went to Casa D'Angelo with Bossman and Katie. The evening began with a chilled glass of new zealand sauvignon blanc, (my favorite wine). Then I had a yummy arugula salad with shaved reggiano parmesan and the piece de resistance was a delicious veal chop smothered with porcini mushrooms and white truffle oil. OMG. Molto Buono. Thank you Bossman! It was an awesome evening!

Mom had her biopsy today. Now we wait.

Please keep her in your prayers.

Wednesday

Thanks for still reading my little blog. If you guys save the web address in your favorites, you can read whenever you'd like, without the email. You can even catch up on missed days. http://aryssemby.blogspot.com/

Today was work then home to the couch with Hubs. Watched The A-team". Cute. Nothing new. Think good thoughts for Mommy. She has a medical test in the morning...

Work was better today. Had a meeting. Ate lunch at my desk. Left around 6:30pm for Hot Yoga. Saw 3 of my 7 girls. Finally got to give them their holiday gifts! :) So what if it's February! Any day is a good day to give presents, right? Yoga has been hard since I've been missing so many days, but tonight, finally, I was back! Loved it. Did well. Feeling stronger. Now I just have to work on my eating. I've gained half my weight back and I would rather not see the rest ever again. ...so I'm really gonna try hard to be good and to make smart choices when it comes to my food. That being said, after yoga I came home to a nice egg white omelette that Hubs made me, with some broccoli and a drink. Yummy. Thanks Hon. Love you.

Mr. Gorgeous moved into his new place this weekend. He sent me pictures. He's got some real talent for decorating. His place looks awesome. Love you Gorgeous. I hope every day that you spend in your new apartment is a happy and wonderful day! I miss you.