A quick question of the day...

I have a slight dilemna, although I guess if I just went along with it, this wouldn't be so.

How do you tell someone (very close to you) who has asked you to sing at their wedding that the piece they chose isn't really that appropriate for a wedding? The song "Eagle's Wings" is pretty, but I'm not sure if it is right for a wedding ceremony.

Not sure what to do.

I live and breathe this Philadelphia Freedom!

This past weekend, I went to visit my wonderful friend Paul, who lives outside of Philadelphia. After a very short flight out of the very convenient Providence airport (about an hour south of Marlborough), I arrived in the very busy and confusing Philadelphia airport and Paul picked me up and took me back to Horsham. We saw an interesting sight on the way home-- a man walked over to the middle of an intersection in a busy street and started doing push-ups. Thank goodness the light was red. We didn't get very much sleep that night and woke up early to...go to school!!! Paul teaches seventh-grade social studies and I thought it would be a great idea to observe him teaching for the day. We had a really fun day and I learned a lot just by shadowing once. Paul's lesson was on comparing Gutenberg's printing press and the internet, which was totally great, because it helped the kids understand the revolutionary effects of the printing press, just as the internet has been incredibly innovative in the modern age. Paul is extremely creative and really connected well to his students. Friday was also a special day because the science teacher held an "Element Ball," where all the seventh grade students made posters of elements, had a cookout, and did a scavenger hunt. It was crazy seeing all the kids run around, but it looked like fun! I also talked to a couple of teacher's aides who were really encouraging and also talked to the eighth grade history teacher, who taught United States history, my fave. After school, we drove back to Paul's and then went to this delicious Mexican restaurant for dinner called Agave, where we indulged in chips and queso, seafood enchiladas and veggie quesadillas, fried ice cream, and coronas! This was a typical Paul and Greta dinner!

On Saturday, we woke up late and headed out to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home to many Amish folks. We went to this Amish village and museum and learned many things about the Amish. For example, they will eat at Sonic and Chic-fil-a (my kind of people), they don't like getting their picture taken, their buggies have flash signals, they speak three languages, and they don't usually vote. Also, they make beautiful quilts and delicious jams and honeys. We departed the village and went to the highpoint of "English" culture (this is what the Amish call everyone else)-- the mall. Paul recommended this delicious frozen custard from Kor Bros. and we both had chocolate/peanut butter twist cones. I contemplated buying proactive solution but I didn't. Then we drove to Paul's alma mater, Millersville University. It was a very nice school and reminded me of Ole Miss, which I hope to visit soon but don't know when I'll get back there. After Millersville, we had dinner at a pub in downtown Lancaster and watched the Preakness. Go Big Brown, win that Triple Crown!! Both of us wanted to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and we watched it at the theatre where Paul used to work. The movie was funny, a little vulgar (but nowhere near as distasteful as "Superbad"), and I think Jason Segel is so cute! He kind of looks like Brian without the beard (to me he does).

We planned to work out at least one day and went to Paul's country club gym on Sunday morning. We both worked out on the elliptical for a half hour and used the weight machines. After a quick lunch at Panera, Paul and I drove to New Hope (the town where he teaches) to see a community production of "Lil' Abner." Although I think the musical is a little hokey, it is still upbeat and humorous. I'll have to watch the movie soon. This was followed by another Paul and Greta typical dinner at an Italian restaurant, a few episodes of "Law and Order: CI" at Paul's house, and then I was back to the airport to fly back to Providence. I didn't get home until 1:15 am on Monday morning, but the weekend was fun. Most of the time here, I'm kind of anti-social (for several reasons) and I really miss being a social butterfly.

Monday was Brian's thirty-first birthday. We ate dinner at this wonderful sushi restaurant in Worcester, Baba, and will definitely return. My favorite roll had bananas in it and was delicious. Even though I didn't make a cake for his real birthday, I will make a rum cake for our dinner at Gretchen and Andy's on Saturday.

How do you get to Wonderland?

This is a little strange, but I was totally inspired by that cupcake I posted on my last blog entry. "Alice in Wonderland" is probably my favorite Disney film; I was even Alice one year at a Halloween party and my date was the Mad Hatter! The music is really great, too. There's even a jazz tune based on the theme song. Here is a little ditty from the movie.

A World of My Own


Cats and rabbits
Would reside in fancy little houses
And be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers
In a world of my own

All the flowers
Would have very extra special powers
They would sit and talk to me for hours
When I'm lonely in a world of my own

There'd be new birds
Lots of nice and friendly howdy-do birds
Everyone would have a dozen bluebirds
Within that world of my own

I could listen to a babbling brook
And hear a song that I could understand
I keep wishing it could be that way
Because my world would be a wonderland

This is the cutest cupcake I have ever seen!!

This is a Bread and Butter cupcake from "Alice in Wonderland." So cute!! Check out "hello Naomi" on flickr.com.

The Delights of Badminton...

Oh, the joys of spring have awakened the heart of New England! We've had some very beautiful days and some rainy ones, but the spring has overall been a nice one. Anyway, enough of my weather report. Today was such a nice Mother's Day, even though I couldn't spend this holiday with my own mother. However, she went to brunch with my brothers and tonight she is going to see Johnny Mathis with my grandad. The tickets were a gift from my brothers and me.

Brian and I spent the afternoon at Gretchen and Andy's house in Bolton, which some people might consider rural. They have a nice home and a spacious backyard, where Gretchen has both flower and vegetable gardens. The former occupants also built a barn for a few horses, which still stands on the property. We ate a delicious gourmet lunch of hotdogs, hamburgs, cole slaw, beans, etc. (I'm only kidding, but it was good) and I made yellow cake with homemade chocolate frosting. We played a few rounds of badminton, which was really fun! Brian and I gave Gretchen a few gifts-- two books, chocolates, and some sweet-smelling bars of soap. She is a great lady and I'm very happy that she will be my mother-in-law soon!

We've watched several movies lately, including one at the theatre. Here is my take on some of the flicks.

- "Cloverfield"- This movie had a weird, shaky-camera, Blair-witch effect going on that was not for the faint of stomach. Mothra and Godzilla (the older version) are much better!

- "Charlie Wilson's War"- I liked this movie and wish I had seen a few months ago. I think people needed to see some of the history of the current war we're in and although the arming of the Afghans was initially a good thing, it changed into something different, which Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character foreshadowed at the end. Tom Hanks tends to choose projects that are intelligent and usually nominated for lots of awards. Well, this is excluding "Bachelor Party" and "Bosom Buddies," but these were quite funny!

- "The Guardian"- Not worth your time or mine. This is Brian's direct quote-- "the movie went from bad to incredibly cheesy." And to ice the cake, the movie ended with a saccharine Bryan Adams tune. Although I did love the theme song to "The Three Musketeers" with Sting and Rod Stewart. The opposite of Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner does not really know how to choose a film project anymore (dare we mention "Waterworld" and "The Postman?"). Kelso cannot act in dramatic roles.

- "Walk Hard"- In progress, although it is quite funny, however, a little vulgar. It is Judd Apatow, so what can you expect?

- "Iron Man"- I now think Robert Downey Jr. is the sexiest man alive. The movie was a great fantasy flick. Gotta love Jeff Bridges, too, even as an evil CEO named Obadiah.

Yay for a four-day work week and going to PA on Thursday to visit Paul!

Oh the Sun Shines Bright on my Old Kentucky Home...

Being a Kentucky gal, I guess I should have gone to the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race, more than I have, which is one time. However, I did only live in Kentucky for six Derbies, so that is not too terrible of a ratio. Now that I live far away from the Bluegrass state, I yearn to go to the Derby even more than I did when I lived in Louisville. My one experience at the Derby was really fun, even though I went to the infield. When I was a senior in high school, about six of us went to the Derby and since my high school boyfriend’s best friend’s father was a cop who always worked at the Derby jail (yes, they have a small holding cell at Churchill Downs), we were able to get out of the forty-dollar fee to enter the infield. The day was fortuitously beautiful, like this year, but we didn’t really see too many horses, which is kind of what you get in the infield unless you are right by the fence. We did see some crazy stuff though, like this guy who mugged another guy and jumped over the betting line to try to get away. I probably wouldn’t go to the infield again for Derby though, as it is too much like Louisville’s version of Mardi Gras, and that’s not really my style.



Now that I live in New England, I decided to bring a little bit of Kentucky to Massachusetts and held a fun Derby party on Saturday. I sent out cute e-invitations from Bobby Flay’s website (even though he is the devil), which matched my plates and napkins that my mom bought for me back home. I also planned a nice menu which was a cross between Mexican and Southern cuisine, since Cinco de Mayo was right around the corner as well. The menu consisted of chips and homemade guacamole, bourbon, mojitos, fruit salad, vegetarian enchiladas, a Cajun shrimp casserole, homemade sugar cookies in the shapes of horses and fleur-de-lis, and a Kentucky pie (if I mention Derby Pie, Kern’s will sue me). Natyra brought Benedictine sandwiches, Keith and Sarah brought salad, Mary and Matt brought chips, cookies, and Boston Cream Pie (yum), Seneca and Michael provided sparkling cider and blue cupcakes (for the Bluegrass state!), and Geralyn and Jason brought ice cream to accompany the pie. I think everyone enjoyed the food and we even received recipe requests!! I felt like Martha Stewart! We decorated the apartment with plastic jockey hats, jockey silk pictures that my guests and I colored at the party (sounds silly, but it was very cute), and had a random drawing for the horses. Brian picked up both the “Big”horses— Big Brown and Big Truck (not my favorite horse name) and won $20, although I felt bad because we were hosting the party. I don’t think anyone cared though. Unfortunately, Matt drew the last two finishers in the race and Seneca drew both the second and third place finishers, one of whom was Eight Belles, who everyone is very sad about because she was euthanized for breaking both of her ankles. Some people were dressed up, some weren’t. I probably should have worn more formal attire, but I was kind of tired from cooking and cleaning for most of the day. However, I had a lot of fun at the party even though I ate too much and drank too many mojitos! I was happy to bring a little bit of my home state to Massachusetts and I think the party guests enjoyed themselves. Also, I met Seneca and Michael, who came with Natyra, and they were very nice. Seneca went to Northeastern when I did, but unfortunately, we did not meet there. She is very fun and she is a Southern girl, too, hailing from Atlanta.



Although I have been very nostalgic and homesick lately, I have to think about other people I know who are much farther away from home than I am. I have a friend at work named Marta, who is from Brazil, and I know that she gets homesick as well. She gets to go home at most once a year, so I am very lucky to go home several times a year. In the past six months, I’ve been home four times. Part of that is because of my stepfather, but I am still happy to have gone home to visit friends and family. I only hope that I can eventually establish those kinds of connections in Massachusetts. :)