The Blondie Bride-To-Be

I'm starting off this week with an ice pack on my shin and ailing over the fact that I still have to wear multiple layers if I want to leave the house. You're probably wondering, "why does this chick have an ice pack on her shin?" Well, that's because I bruised a nerve in my shin (owe) by taking off my damn boot. Yes, you read that correctly. My boot slipped as I was trying to take it off with my other foot, and BAM I kicked the front of my shin as hard as I could....which was followed by screams of every kind of obscenity I know in both English and in a few other languages. If I didn't know the heel of my damn boots were made of steel...I know now. Apparently high fashion doesn't only hurt your bank account...*whimper. I suppose I'll have to settle for Netflix marathons and my book hoard to keep me busy...OR I can try to be responsible and just stick to ab and upper body routines until I can go back to my boxing gym...my wedding dress says I should submit to the latter.

But all complaining aside, Josh and I got to visit our venue for the wedding again for our tasting. Thrilled. Any other brides-to-be or those who have gone through the wedding planning experience, know that at some point, you almost want to throw up your hands and elope somewhere to keep your sanity intact. However, visiting the venue again and solidifying so many other details ignited that wedding planning spark again. It's going to be awesome.

However the whole tripping over my dress thing is really worrying me...ya know since I apparently can't even take off my boots these days without injuring myself. We tasted all of our menu options and we were not disappointed in the slightest. Our guests will not go hungry that's for sure. We also sampled items for a sweets table. Everything looked so adorable, I didn't even want to eat it and mess everything up!

I of course sampled everything...because it's not like I'm watching what I'm eating because of my dress and honeymoon in Barbados right? RIGHT? Sigh...I lost this battle...but it was a delicious loss at that. Who can say no to a plate of little mini desserts? Not me. Luckily I also brought my mom and sister along to taste the different entrees or else they'd have to roll me out of the front entrance.

Also, yesterday was my big sister's birthday. Simply put, she's the best. We have five years in between us, yet that age gap means nothing until she starts obsessing over New Kids On The Block and I'm over here screaming about how there needs to be an N'SYNC reunion....

American Hustle

So my fiancee and I are on the prowl to rent a condo and might I say, the past two days have been quite a wild ride. I'll start from the beginning. So, just like any other day I looked through the many rental websites including Zillow, Rent.com, Trulia...but then I came across the PERFECT condo...for only $700 a month with utilities included...if you're from the Chicagoland area, you'd be doing backflips and somersaults all over the room if you saw this place. It was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,200-square-foot condo that was finished to perfection. Stainless steel appliances? Yep. Granite counter tops? Yep. Huge Whirlpool bathtub? Sure! Why not? Because this was such an amazing deal, some red flags were raised in my head, but then I talked myself down from being Ms. Skeptical Investigative Reporter and inquired about the property. I was not prepared for the response I would receive the following day....might I add...the bad grammar was the most annoying thing...(#editorproblems)

Am so sorry for the late respond, I receive your mail indicating your interest in our home for rent and i hope you are serious about this. Firstly i will like to share with you about my little family, I am a Elder and my wife has a private practice as an attorney i am a native of  XXXXX. I and my wife acquired our house few years ago and have lived happily' As we are approaching retirement,we have decided as JEHOVAH  WITNESSES to spend the rest of our lives in voluntary services.To spread with gospel of Jehovah and reach out to the less privilege.This has given us so much joy and fulfillment.Presently we have been assigned to (WEST AFRICA) to help build the Kingdom Hall and assist in spreading the living word.However, the initial plan was to sale out the house which I tried, but sometimes the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell i am telling you this in case if you find the house on another website, that is the old advert. because
 of this reason my lovely wife advised that we keep it for future purpose. As it has been a tough decision for us,we require a very nice,experienced and genuine family to help keep the bond that we have with  our home. so we are renting it out since we need someone to take good care of the property on our absent.right now we are renting and not selling but we would like to leave it into a good hand. We want our property to be well taken good care of, and there are some rules and regulation in which we do give out to tenant who are willing to rent the house so please don't disrespect our order but if you are still capable of renting our house the rules and regulation goes this way, You must keep our house clean including the surrounding, you must know the way in which you use the stove so as to avoid fire outbreak, you must not disturb the neighbor. . Don't be surprise if you find the home with another site and deference price, We have plan to rent it
 through Real estate before, but they are not serious simply because they have a lot of house to lease out and they added some money to the rent while there commission is not fair. Have this in mind you must know the kind of person that I'm nevertheless We are giving you this rules because of what corresponded between me and our last tenant. the keys and documents are with us here in (WEST AFRICA)

Attn : The rent are including the Utilities are intact such as Dishwasher,Dryer, Electric Stove, Fridge, Washer,Air Condition,Sewage,Trash,all included in the monthly rent,as i am in a governmental programmer that sponsors my utilities on monthly basis etc.Please note that, we are a kind and honest family,that
spent a lot on property that is available for rent, so in one accord,we are soliciting for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as your own.We want you to keep it tidy all the time so that we shall be glad to see it whenever we are around on a visit.
Here is the Property Description

Available Now!!!
Bedrooms:2 Bedrooms
Bathrooms 2 Bathroom
Monthly Rent : $700 (utilities included)
Security Deposit :$500(Refundable)

Pets Policy : Well Trained Pets are Allowed
Address of the house:
Lease Term : As long as you wished
If you are really interested in renting my home then answer the rental application questions below.
Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?
Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?
Marital Status:__________?
How many proposed occupants :__________?
List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?
Present Address :__________?
Will you have pets :__________?
Please describe Breed, size :__________?
Personality of pet :__________?
Preferred move in date :__________?
Intended length of lease:__________?
Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?
How soon can you have the deposit and rent payment sent to me:__________?
Length of previous tenancy :__________?
Present occupation :__________?
Are you a section 8 applicant
Do you work late night :__________?
Do you smoke :__________?
Do you drink :__________?


Now if you're anything like me, this email was followed with a reaction of WTF? But hey, I still wanted to entertain the idea. I'd tell you what my father said, but I fear that it would offend some people...I emailed back and then quickly received a response...which was the final nail in that scammer's coffin....

Hello,

My wife and I have gone through your application and have found it satisfactory, so we will say at this point “Congratulations" you are now our tenant and we want you to always pay your Monthly rental fee on time to avoid any form of embarrassment. My Secretary will be receiving the refundable security deposit , paid to her through a wire transfer so as to secure our home for you and take it off market which automatically makes no one contact us for the same house you are renting. i will also be signing on the Lease/Rental Agreement in a hard copy paper before shipping the keys along with the hard copy paperwork to your present home address. Can you please re confirm your present home address? And upon receiving the deposits we will secure our home for you and take it off market and get the keys shipped to your present home address along with a tracking # to let you know the exact time you will be receiving the package. Please do confirm your present
 home address by sending it again through the email so that we do not make mistake when shipping to you. When do you plan moving into our home when you receive the keys; Let me know immediately so that we can make arrangement on your move in date. So if you are ready for the payment below is the payment information so once the payment is made the keys and document will take place asap to you so you can move in asap..


RE-CONFIRMATION OF THE DELIVERY ADDRESS :
RECEIVERS NAME?:_________________
DELIVERY ADDRESS?:_________________
RECEIVERS NUMBER:?_________________

Here are the contents of the document that needs to be sent.

1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2) Paper/Permanent house form
3) The house documentary file.
4) Full Description of the house
5) Payment Receipt
6)Lease contract.

So once you ready to make the payment below is my information to send the payment, through Western Union nearest to you. Just go to any Grocery Store or Outlet near you with this information and send the payment and i am not too familiar with the area so my secretary will pick up the money for me while i take care of the shipping...So do get back to me with your mailing address where The package containing the keys and documentations of the  house will be delivered to you through Courier Service okay.

Receiver's Name: XXXXX (Secretary)
Address : 23 Isolo Road
City: Mushin
State:Lagos
Country: Nigeria
TEST QUESTION : GOD BLESS?
ANSWER : AMERICA


As soon as you send the payment from the western union Transfer, you would be given some information. You would have to get back to me with following information:


1. Full Sender's Name And Address Including Zip Code:
2. M.T.C.N Numbers:

As soon as i confirms the  payment, I will send the necessary document and keys of the house to you through FEDEX and get back to you with the Tracking number and the arrival time of the document and the keys.


NOTE: THE SECURITY DEPOSIT IS FULLY REFUNDABLE IN-CASE YOU DON’T LIKE THE HOUSE.

Please note that the deposit made is fully refundable should in case you finally gain entrance into the house after receiving the keys and documents and feel unsatisfied or uncomfortable with the interior,but i am giving you a benefit of doubt that you will love everything about this lovely and beautiful home and is ready for move in.The deposit will be refunded in less than 24 hours after you request for it..You are advices to act fast on this so you don't loose the house to other interested applicants...Give me a call as soon as possible.
Thanks and Remain Blessed.
You are welcome to our lovely home.


Now after initially reading this, I let out a resounding, "are you fucking kidding me?" As my heart sank and my brain let out a, "I told you, idiot."  Mind you we haven't even seen this place and he's thinking we're just going to wire $500 to fricken Nigeria? Do I have "Fucking Moron" stamped to my forehead? The sad thing is that some naive people out there would have fallen for their shenanigans. And in response to this, he will not "confirms a payment" from me and no, I will not head to my local grocery store to make any such payment. They've messed with the wrong blonde! Until then, I'll just sulk with my cat about this ridiculousness and make sarcastic remarks about how awful some of these acceptance speeches are for the Golden Globes. (Luigi is even more pissed than I am, that second bedroom was going to be his and Apollo's).

Taking On 2014

2013 brought on a lot of many strange happenings and that's not even counting the many celebrity breakdown and the birth of the twerk nation we're living in right now. This year is going to be the best - not only because I get married this year - but because it just has to be. However, so many things are wrong right now including the fact that it's -10 degrees right now in Chicagoland....and I had to leave my warm bed to chisel the ice off of my car and not suffer from a bout of hypothermia all at once. I'm one of those that like to curse the fact that I have to suffer through this each year knowing full well that it's eventually going to happen since I, duh, live in the Midwest. I don't even know why meteorologists need to say the exact temperature once we're in the negative degrees zone. There's cold (slightly above freezing), fucking cold (below freezing), and really fucking cold (anywhere less than 0 degrees).

Coldness and winter storm weather aside, there are many things on the horizon that I look forward to including:

1. My wedding and honeymoon in Rihanna's homeland (can I get a hell yes?)
2. Maintaining my fitness routine and trying out some new health tips and tricks
3. Ditching carbs (I can pretend like this is going to happen)
4. Being less judgmental (lol I know that was funny too)
5. Saving more money and not succumb to every Nordstrom sale (okay seriously stop laughing)

The new year also started off with a bang, considering my boss got fired - I mean...quit or else be fired...for telling the president of the company to go fuck himself. If there was a list of things not to say within the workplace...I'd imagine that would be on the list....sober or shitfaced status aside (thank you Christmas holiday party). Considering we're only a few days into the new year, I don't have any doubt that 2014 will bring a year full of crazy news and events...hopefully more good than bad. It started off with a kiss from my hubby-to-be so I think the odds are in my favor. (Please ignore the Bears jammy pants and dragon T-shirt...)

 

 Next month is also my birthday...which means one year closer to 30...I'll try not to have a panic attack at the thought. I'll also try to ignore all of the pregnancy notifications on my Facebook feed as I'm now officially at the age where it's pretty much acceptable to have kids... unless all of the other areas in your life are messed up and unstable. However, that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone these days. Anyway you look at it though, I'll take each day going forward with my head high and great ambition....while holding a glass of wine of course.

Finding The Silver Lining

So here I am...a month later...and my life couldn't seem any crazier or hectic. On the scale of LiLo to Amanda Bynes, I'm about to join whatever nuthouse those two checked into sooner rather than later. I'm working myself to the bone at work, trying to plan a wedding and trying to figure out this whole "getting a house" thing all at once. It's a miracle I haven't turned to some kind of illegal narcotic by now. Luckily, I have an amazing family, fiancee and friends to make sure I pick myself back up and dust off my heels whenever I fall down...either from pure exhaustion or just because life is full of WONDERFUL surprises...I am so very thankful for them. A few weekends ago, I was able to have some quality mom time and took her to go see Wicked. It was one of the best plays I've ever seen! I loved everything about it and I don't blame people for seeing it multiple times! Before the show, we went to The Walnut Room, ate amazing food and drank the best martini creations ever. It was our kickoff to the Christmas season.

Fast forward from that moment a little bit and we bring ourselves to celebrating eight amazing years with my future hubs and Thanksgiving...X3. Yes, I managed to survive three Thanksgiving family gatherings and only rolled away 3lbs heavier (which is a miracle). I knew those cheesy casseroles and stuffing had it out for me and were ready to sabotage Operation Wedding Dress...NOT THIS TIME. I even went to a 90-minute boxing class Thanksgiving morning to prepare for the caloric damage I was sure to partake in later that day. This year, I had a lot to be thankful for despite all of the craziness in my life and without this guy below, I don't know how I would have made it through.

As for other people and/or things that keep me sane right now...I present to you....shaved Apollo. He actually likes his Blackhawks jersey until he grows some warm fluff back.

 And then there is Luigi...he loves his classy, Christmas bow tie. If any of you ladies are looking for a date...he's available.

These two partners in crime were good too as the Christmas decorations and shiny, clinky ornaments were being hung on the tree. So far, I've watched a few movies that MUST be watched before Christmas including "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" and "Elf." I'm also ahead on my Christmas shopping....although I always say that and then I never wrap anything until the night before. The one Christmas wish I have this year is to HOPEFULLY find the perfect starter home before the wedding or soon thereafter...because quite frankly..I no longer enjoy watching House Hunters and any other show on HGTV just gives me anxiety.

Fall Into Insanity

So now that I've blown off blogging since late July, it is now my favorite time of the year...FALL. No, it's not just the pumpkin everythingness (pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin patches the Great Pumpkin etc.) it is the weather, layered clothing, the beautiful trees around my house changing colors and it also means that the holidays are just around the corner. Oh and that my wedding is now seven months away instead of two years from now. Since my engagement, I know of four other people who got engaged and married so it's safe to say that I'm ready to fricken get hitched already! Of course having said that, I feel like my world is upside down as I go through all of these major life changes all at once.

They say that the three most stressful things you can experience in your life include moving, changing jobs and your relationship status. I am now experiencing ALL of those things at once since Josh and I need to look for a house, we're planning our wedding and he's now in the middle of gaining a great opportunity for himself regarding his career path. I'm surprised I'm not on a million anxiety meds right now to calm me down. I mean really, this is a lot for one person to handle and sometimes I'm on the brink of a psychotic break.

Right now it feels like my life is at a point where everything is in limbo, but I do like to think I have my shit together to a certain degree. I mean, I've gotten through months of serious wedding planning and haven't severely injured my mother yet so that's got to count for something. I am also reminded that dealing with one like mine should be considered an Olympic sport (it really should). Move the hell over Michael Phelps, I have 25 gold medals that should be coming my way.

I am also reminded that I really should be grateful for where I'm at with my career right now and mind you, I am. Things can get pretty crazy, but I can honestly say that I LOVE what I do for a living and that's the best feeling. Succeeding in my career is one of the most important factors in my life and having done that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I frequently reward myself with pumpkin spice lattes (very dangerous when my wedding dress should be ready for alterations soon). Crap.

Since my blogging hiatus, I've finished some more races including the Chicago Women Rock 5k, 10k and Half Marathon. I ran the 10k course with some friends and my mom and Josh's mom walked the 5k. I was SO proud of them considering my mom is approaching the big 6-0 this week. To motivate everyone toward the finish line, they had a bunch of hard bodies handing us our medals.

 The race benefited charities dedicated to women and this was by far one of the most fun races I've done. You even got to celebrate with champagne afterward. Because everyone feels like consuming alcohol after a race right? Well yes, that's what I did. Two glasses. Like a boss.

 

 My mom thought she couldn't do it and was starting to make excuses to get out of it, BUT she rocked it just like I knew she would. Now I have my Perfect 10 race at Navy Pier to look forward to in November. This one is especially very dear to my heart since it benefits cancer research.

 

One of the best things about fall is that it provides perfect weather to run in and it makes me feel better about my pumpkin spice latte consumption. Until next time...

The "C" Word

So ever since last Friday I've tried to absorb all of the heavy news that has come my way. My sister is sick again and has to go back to the Mayo Clinic (we're thinking she has a cortisol deficiency disorder) and I also found out that my cousin (someone I see as the brother I never had) has a tumor in his eye that is malignant. Cancer. The big "C" word is not something that is welcome into any family, yet it is very prevalent in mine unfortunately. This type of cancer that my cousin has is apparently very rare, it's called Choroidal Melanoma. There are very few machines in the world apparently that can treat this type of cancer and one of them just so happens to be in Boston so he's headed there next week as far as I understand. I'm not taking this lightly and it's the worst feeling so helpless when the people you love are going through so much. So I'll take this time out to say, EFF YOU CANCER! The good thing is that this treatment process has a 98% chance of annihilating the tumor, however there is a 50% chance he could lose his eyesight in his right eye.

No one deserves to go through something like this, but especially not my cousin. He just started a family nine months ago. He is the youngest at heart and can make anyone laugh themselves to tears.

He has a long journey ahead of him but he's one strong cookie and he'll get through this. One day (hopefully sooner rather than later) it'll all just be a distant memory. While I'm not all too religious, he is definitely a man of faith so right now...I'm going to try and keep calm and say my prayers for him.

When bad medical news hits the family, it hits me hard. I'm VERY close to my family and I have zero tolerance for diseases/ailments that try to mess with my fam's happiness and well-being. ZERO. I can only hope that the Mayo Clinic can help my sister manage her symptoms she's been suffering from at least so she can feel normal again. She was fine for the past five months and BAM she gets really sick again. It's the worst feeling not knowing what you're suffering from exactly in addition to having a bad reaction to most of the medications doctors try to put you on to treat whatever it may be. If I could take her place, I would...just to relieve her suffering. She's my big sis, my other half, my best friend....ILLNESS GET THE EFF OUTTA HERE. She was doing so well and now she's back to square one. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I love her so much and I need to hear the laughs and see the smiles again. She's the best sister a girl could ever have.

Due to my sister being sick, she can't join me on this Minnesota adventure that will ensue later today. I'm hoping this little mini vacation and spending time with my Minnesota fam will lift my spirits. My cousin is graduating college on Saturday (omg I feel so old) and I can't wait to see everyone there. At this point, I can't handle anymore bad medical news so it can just stop it already. I don't know how I'll keep my mind occupied enough so I'm not worrying about my sister or cousin, BUT the best thing I can do for them is to give them my support, prayers and keep a positive mindset. Ready, set  and go!