An Ode to Mustang Sally

Allow me to begin by saying this: I got a new car over Christmas break, and for that I am beyond thrilled. I could not possibly be more grateful. 

However, the new purchase is replacing my very first vehicle.  When I was sixteen I got a 2006 Ford Mustang. It was a cherry red cloth top.  We bought it because my dad said blondes look good in red convertibles...

I adored that car.  My summers were made infinitely better just by cruising down the parkway with the top down.  I measured my days by whether or not they were "top down" appropriate, and my favorite days were driven with the top down with the heat on, wrapping my legs in a warm embrace.  

That car brought me to my first date with Loverboy.

Got me in my first accident (one of the most memorable life lessons I've received.)

Got me to highschool graduation. 

Drove me to college.

Picked up my little sister when she couldn't drive.

Offered me an extra hour in the sun in traffic on the way home from the beach. 

I even learned to pump gas on that car...

And this morning, February 2nd 2014, Groundhog day and Superbowl Sunday, my parents drove off onto I-64 north toward New Jersey in my precious red car.  I think there is a Mustang-shaped hole in my heart. 

On the bright side... it is a cold, rainy Sunday with expected freezing rain and snow over night.  I don't anticipate my parents putting the top down any time soon, and I think I'll get good use out of the four wheel drive of my new SUV.  Her name is Nissan Nina. She's red too.

 

**disclaimer: My dad is keeping Mustang Sally at least for a little while.  So as Loverboy put it, it's like I'm going off to college and I'll see her on breaks :) I can't be totally heart broken just yet...

Happy Sunday

This is the first Sunday in a long string of unproductive fall semester weekends that I will be indisputably productive.  Sundays are my absolute favorite day of the week because they usually mean comfy clothes, time spent with family, down-home cooking, reading new Post Secret submissions, and during this time of year, football.

Others may argue that it is the least favorable day of the week due to the threats imposed by an encroaching Monday Morning.  I choose to ignore such threats. 

My bff and my bf baking on a Sunday. Love love love.

However, recently I've found that I've been spending the majority of my Sundays traveling, blaring country music with the windows down for 3 (or more) hours of I-95 driving.   It's quite difficult to enjoy any of the previously stated joys of Sunday in the confines of a moving vehicle, nor is it possible to accomplish any form of productivity typically left for the college student to complete in a mad rush of school-week-anticipation.  

Today will be different because I actually woke up in my own bed, after a night in, reading text books accompanied by the lull of the dryer and a sleepy roommate named Jill curled up on the couch beside me.  

I woke up (sort of) refreshed and immediately set out to Starbucks to push through my work for the week, invigorated by the sweet smells of fresh ground coffee.  

I bid adieu now (I am simply taking a break after successfully crossing off two large items on my to-do list) to continue working before 1:00 comes around and I can give myself a well-deserved break to watch my G-Men give a serious Eagle beat down, followed by grocery shopping and washing the heaping pile of laundry I abandoned in my closet last night.  

Go Giants! 

Who knows, maybe I'll even have time to do some long awaited baking this evening before bed time. It is fall, after all, and bake I must.  

I really want to try this recipe for Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies... Mmmmmm

Perfection.

It is 11:53 PM on Sunday night, meaning I only have 7 minutes left of my perfect weekend.  Thursday through today were spent relaxing in beautiful Cape May with my handsome boyfriend and I could not have asked for anything more.  

Except maybe for an extra day. It is killing me to know that this weekend is coming to an end. 

I bid adieu to lay in bed & begin reading the new novel I purchased at the Cape May bookstore--depart from my amazing weekend and carefully enter the weekday in a realm of fiction, hanging on to the surreal perfection that was my mini-vacation and avoiding any real-life drama that comes with a Monday.

After-all, can you blame me for wanting to extend this feeling when my biggest concern for the past three days was how close the tide was getting to my towel? 

Ode to Turkey Sandwiches

It's not every night that you get to spend the night in DC with your girlfriends, dancing and sipping on free champagne until the metro closes.  Unfortunately, magical nights like these often end in miserable mornings.

For me, last night was one of those rare nights.  This morning was one of those regrettable mornings.  

I woke up with a pounding head, achey joints, and a blistered toe. 

I didn't have much time to treat my misery, as I had to participate in Campus Recreation Services annual Olympics. Actually, most of the CRS Staffs participated in Olympics. We as Group Fitness participated in a Para-olympics of sorts with negative reaction times and lowered perceptions. Thank-you, Champagne.

However, when I finally finished "playing" (watching) Dodgeball, Kickball, and Volleyball, I headed straight for my refrigerator. My mission: a turkey sandwich.  

Nothing cures a hangover like cold turkey on whole wheat toast, drenched in oil and vinegar.  The crunchy-soft texture and award-winning combination of protein and sweet, sweet carbohydrates make for a sensational party in your mouth. I finished my homemade sandwich in record timing, and I immediately felt liberated from the vengeance my tired body was seeking. 

I.Love.Turkey.Sandwiches. 

The next time you are faced with the awful consequences of an amazing night out, please take my advice and reach for the turkey.  Making a homemade sandwich is sufficient, but going to the North Campus Diner for one is more rewarding, and buying one from Sunny Side Deli is beyond ideal. Now that I've confessed my hangover cure, never fear a Saturday -girls-night-out at the club. Let the Turkey be your savior.  But please don't put Mayo on it. That's just not right. 

.... On another note, "Baked!" Doritos are a strange thing. 

Superbowl Sunday - My favorite Holiday

"Paul Prudhomme in the kitchen and Dr. John on the stereo! Life is good." 

- Mom's Facebook Status; 11:30am Superbowl Sunday. 

I don't get homesick often when I am at school, but today, I'm feeling it.  Sundays are my absolute favorite day of the week, whether I'm at home in NJ or with my girlfriends in CP. However, during football season, Sundays are something special in the company of my family, dad's cooking, and my leather sofa.

One of my favorite playoff memories... 2007 NFC champ game - Giants v. Packers. All of my favorite people in one room: Pop, Chris, BFFs C&B, Aunt BooBoo&co, Mom&Dad, Vitales <3