HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE PEOPLE :)

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Cheers!

I Suppose There's One "Perk" to the Recession ...

Our a-hole landlord didn't raise our rent!!!

Holllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeer :)

I Heart My Grandma Stella ...

Who else on the planet would spend 9 years
(REPEAT: NINE YEARS!)
collecting all 50 state quarters for their grandchildren?

Talk about a heart of gold!

This is one Christmas gift I will cherish forever

Lucky = Me :)

How long can you keep Christmas cards on your door for?

Forever?!?

Is that too long?! ;)

I just love them :)

Zippidy Do Da Is Back With a Vengeance!!

When I first started this blogidy-blog-blizzzoggle
on January 29th, 2007
I vowed to myself that I'd post a little somethin-somethin
every single day for a year

Sooooo,
with 30 days left before our first anniversary,
I'm due to write 60 more times ...
eeeeek!

---> In order to ketchup like tomatoes
starting today,
Mr. Do Da will be updated twice daily ...
loooooook out ;)

Where Have All the Meatheads Gone?!?

I was talking to my brother and his gf about my "love life" ...

The conversation went as such:

Steve: Ace, have you met any cool guys in Zoo York?
Me: Some, ya. I met this guy a few weeks ago but "I was a little too much for him to handle"
Steve: Why do you say that?
Me: Oh, ummm, because he blatantly told me, "I was a little too much for him to handle". Could be that I accidentally busted his nose with a shower rod. But for real, it was a total freak accident! Also, could be because he was Jewish...for whatever reason, Jewish guys never like me-like me. Go figure...
Kendra: Seriously, only you!
Steve: Ace, you just need to find yourself a nice "209"
Me: What's a "209"?
Steve: You know, a nice, solid, meaty, 209 pound dude
Me: Stephen, finding a boyfriend is not like shooting a deer!

But it leads me to a question I ask myself constantly in NYC.
In all serious, where are all the meatheads?!?

I walk around Chicago and fall in-love left and right!
Swarms of friendly, chubby, crock-pot owning, beer guzzling, average intelligent dudes ...
But where are they all hiding in "Man"hattan?!?

Nameless (yet inquiring) minds would like to know ;)

Nothin' Says Christmas Like a Drag Queen ;)

Each and every year my "High School Hookers" get back together for a Secret Santa exchange ... and each and every year I swear
it can't get funnier that the last

Boy was I wrong!

This year we threw tradition out the window
and laughed it up at the Baton Show Lounge

Holy hell ... if you've never been, it's a MUST :)

Miiiiichelle, Laur, Meg, Katherine, Gina, Chick, Apie, Kater, Jeanine, Sven, Eileeners, Emily, and Christina ...
it was SOOOOOO great to see you!!

Coot, KTR, Sully and MoBaby ...
you were sorely missed :(

Can't wait for next year!!!

Marley & Me

If you don't sob your eyes out at this movie,

then you've clearly never owned, loved, and lost a dog before :(

My seeester and I went
and our tears were a flowin'
thinking about Bo & Bradey

RIP buddies ...
We miss you DEARLY!!


Xoxoxo

Damn Funny!

I gave Stephen the "Man Groomer" for Christmas
and this was my Grandma's reaction ...

Priceless!

Confession:

During midnight mass I fell asleep (twice) and when I was awake, I started wondering when was the last time my pastor had sex?
I wondered how often he has sex, and if he feels guilty when he does it. I then stared to think back to the last time I had sex, and wondered when the next time will (ever) be. Then (thank God, literally) the offering tray came around so I quickly snapped out of it and threw in a twenty dollar bill (partially, because it was all I had in my wallet, and partially, because I felt so damn guilty for thinking about the horizontal hokey-pokey IN CHURCH!)

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus ;)

One for the record books :)

This Hall-iday consisted of
tons of family time
aaaand lots of wine

Stephen's girlfriend (Kendra) gave us each a nice bottle of Red
and they didn't stand a chance ...
5 bottles down before you could even say,
"gonna find out who's naughty or nice" ;)

The addition of Kendra
(along with her ever-so-thoughtful libations)
were excellent additives this Christmas!

For the first time ever,
we all slept in late,
opened gifts after brunch,
lounged around,
drank,
talked,
drank some more,
and laughed from noon until night :)

Confession: I'm already sad thinking about the years to come when we will ultimately all have to take turns for the Holidays :(

Happy "21st" Bday Timmy!!!

Zippidy Do Da would not exist
if it weren't for loyal readers like my cousin Tim :)

Sometimes I don't really feel like blogging
but then I remember ha!larious comments he's left me like,

"You make me laugh! I read your blog all the time. I actually get salty when you sometimes go days without posting...like you owe your time to the masses or something. But, then I think "she can't sleep" and I know the next day there will be a new post from some ridiculous hour like 3am. Anywho, hope all is well. And FYI...I sat next to Osama's twin brother on the way home from my bachelor party. I was so drunk I almost tweaked out. I'll take the cat lady ... anyday of the week."

Hahahaha

Cheers to you my friend ...
may 2009 brings us many more hysterical mems
liiiiiike, the St. Patty's Day Parade ;)


Have a GREAT day!!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPIEST HOLIDAYS!

As the next couple days will be jam packed with
last minute to-do's
family functions
and too many adult beverages at the Glenview House
(just being honest)

I wanted to be sure to wish you and yours
a WONDERFUL holiday :)

Until next time ...
Stay Warm!

Confession:

One of my most favorite events of the year is sitting down on Christmas Eve with a giant glass of Nog looking through all the Holiday photo cards we’ve received.

There’s always the handful of “real” North Shore families
that still have theirs professionally taken
in matching plaid, denim and/or khaki.

These "Kodak Moments" are usually set alongside a lake or deep in the woods somewhere. Everyone looks picture perfect ...
even their Golden Retriever is smiling ;)

Cracks me up!

Happiness Is ...

A freezing cold Chicago Bear victory
over the Green Bay Packers :)


Daaaaa Bears, da Bears, da Bears!!!

NOT Normal ...

Home Sweet Home :)

Although my nose and toes could do without it,
it wouldn't feel right if it weren't snowing here in Chicago.

And there's still 6-8 inches more to come
(that's what she said ;)

Ahhhhh,
it's SOOOOOO great to be home!

Unfair ...

Why are even the Plasma screens used for decorations,
LIKE 85 F$%#ING TIMES BIGGER THAN MINE?!?!

Arrrgh ;)

Hahaha

Kidding ... Kinda

A Must See!

If you haven't done so already,
check out
Slumdog Millionaire
ASAP!


It starts off a little slow
so just be patient,
because you won't regret seeing this flic :)

Confession:
I now have a girl-crush on Freida Pinto ...
How is it humanly possible to be that beautiful!?!

Let It Snow!

The New York Stock Exchange :)

Cool

Cooler

Coolest :)

Kudos to my buddy, Nick Howard ...

on (yet another) GREAT Show!

"Miracle on Clinton Street" ;)

Get this ...
I hosted a
DINNER PARTY!!

Aaaaaaaand,
my friends actually said that
my baked manicotta and ravioli
tasted "GOOD"!!!

It's a miracle ;)

Weekend High"lights" :)

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

We love you :)

Da Bears! Da Bears! Da Bears! DAAA BEARSS!!

Thoughts on Happy Meals

Confession:

I've been hooked on Happy Meals lately ...

Liiiiiike,
not gonna lie,
I'm up to two a week

Ya

Soooo,
when the McDonald's person asks me,
"Is this for a boy or a girl?"

I immediately say "BOY!"

So that they do not think
that this little 27.3 year old still craves McNuggets
like A-Rod does Madonna

Thanks to the aforementioned yumminess,
I now have two toys to give to my little-hommie-G :)

Meet Toa Onua the Mistika Bionicle
and Minty the My Little Pony


HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!!

Thoughts on Journaling

It probably goes without saying
that I keep a journal (or "two")

It's funny though because
(as you may have noticed)
I write as if I were talking ...
So sometimes
I catch myself talking as I type
causing my fellow NYC coffee shop goers
to look at me as if I have 8 heads
and voted for McCain

It makes me laugh
and poses the question,
why is it ok to sit and write by yourself,
but not actually talk to yourself?!?

Have no fear,
I fully plan to stick to blogging,
it's just another random thought
by yours truly ;)

Ann & Arbor Scored a New Friend ...

Meet our new buddy,
Greenwood :)


Confession(s):
It's a fake tree, and the presents underneath are fake too
just empty boxes ... but they sure look cute ;)

Happy Hall-idays!

Every year we (The Hall's) send out a Christmas card to all our friends and family. And every year, we make fun of ourselves with an annual Hall-iday letter.

Since they should be arriving to mailboxes this morning, I thought it was fitting to post to my blog as well ...

Because if you're reading this, then I consider you my friend, and therefore ... you're on my "list" :)

Seasons Greetings!

******

Since we’re all on information overload this year, with everything from the presidential election to the economy plugging along as fast as a 1929 Model-T, we’re keepin’ it short because we know you deserve a breather this Holiday Season!

Here are the Hall-iday CliffNotes:

Grandma Stella

• Turns 91-years young this year
• Runs an unofficial shuttle service for her retirement community with her 1994 Toyota Corolla and continues to win the big card games on Sundays nights

We cordially request that you don’t share this letter with the IRS. She worries about the tax ramifications from her additional revenue...

Jamie Sharon

• Is still enjoying her job at JP Morgan Chase in Chicago
• Has become an incredible cook, however we fear she has adopted Sue’s habit of talking to herself while in the kitchen

She hasn’t started to answer her own questions yet, so we’re still
hopeful the symptoms are not permanent

Stephen Jay

• Took a new job with Genworth Financial in Wisconsin
• Now lives in Milwaukee and actually admits to having a girlfriend
• Turned 30 this year yet still wears his college football jersey on Saturdays

No reason to lie about the jersey situation…we remain concerned

Stacey Marie

• Moved to Manhattan and took a new job with a small start-up called Peanut Labs
• Has developed a garden gnome obsession which the family psychiatrist said was “normal”
• Gladly admits to not having a boyfriend and insists it “has nothing to do with the gnomes”

We are currently interviewing for a new family psychiatrist

Joel Arthur

• Wakes up at 5am in the winter to coach the catchers for the Glenbrook South varsity baseball team before going to work

He however, still watches Desperate Housewives…religiously

Susan Victoria

• If you don’t know how busy Sue is, then you don’t know Sue. But, I bet she knows you, which explains why you’re reading this letter right now.

2008 has given us so much to be thankful for and we are ever so grateful. With the loss of our Grandpa Jim this year, we’ve faced many ups and downs. His passing reminds us how invaluable it is to spend time with those we love and to appreciate the time that we have together. As always, we wish you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season and the happiest New Year!

All the best,
The Halls :)

A New Gnomie :)

THANK YOU, JESS!!

As soon as we assemble our tree tomorrow night,
he will be the first ornament up :)

This Pretty Much Sums Up My Weekend ;)

I blame the Margarator ...

"Happy" Monday ;)

"Junk Male"

Hypothetical question ...

If your mom sent you the following in the mail,
how would you feel?


Welcome to my life ...
wanna trade?!?

Kill me with a spork ;)
 

The Ultimate Question

Last night I found myself at the corner bar (shocking, I know)

While shooting-the-shit with the bartender, he asked,
"What would you name your bar if you owned one?"

It is a question I ask myself daily,
and still do not have the answer

Thoughts on ... Toilet Paper

Confession:
Today I was feeling down

Down about Mumbia ...
Down about the state of our economy ...
Down about the fact that my skin tone has scarily become a shade of Casper the Friendly Ghost now that the weather has turned to be 45 degrees (with a hint of promise that it will be butt-ass cold very soon!)

In general,
just feeling really down :(

This is not an anomaly, I mean,
everyone's entitled to have a totally shit day here and there.

But when they happen to me,
and there is absolutely nothing I can do to control the situation,
I tend to fixate on something that I can control,
that I can change,
that I can make better.

And today that fixation,
was a little thing called,
"Stacey's Spending Habits" ....

As the daughter of a Financial Planner, let's just say that
the apple fell faaaaaaaaaaaaar far far away from the tree.

Admittedly, I am THE black sheep when it comes to money :(

Last year I blew my entire savings account to quit my job and write a book ... way to go genius! You could have just blogged at night for free! UUUGH

Focus Stacey, foocuus!! ;)

Point of post being: Tonight I went through all my receipts & bank statements looking for ways to save money without having to sacrifice the things I love (oh yes, and to be able to afford Wedding Season 2009 ... KIDDING! Kinda)

In doing the aforementioned activity,
while breaking down my spending stupidity,
I came to realize that I drop at least $20 a month on ...
TOILET PAPER!!!

Repeat: TOILET PAPER!!!

Let's do some simple math, shall we?

$1.50 per roll x 12 rolls in a thingy (+ tax) = $20
$20 x 12 months per year = $240

Which means that the island of Zoo York (at a population of roughly 8 million) wastes (no pun intended) approximately
2 BILLION dollars a year on TP!!!

Holy hell ...
I can't handle this shit
(again, no pun intended)

Overwhelmed = ME!

Goodnight ;)

Thoughts on Random Acts of Kindness ...

Needless to say
I LOVE them :)

Tonight when I was decorating our door for the Holidays
(have no fear, many o' pix of the Extreme Home Makeover Christmas Edition will be posted once we put the tree up!)

I digress ...

So anyways,
I decided to share some cheer with our neighbor as well.
I figured, if he didn't like my wreath, he could just take it down ...
no biggie

Well I've heard him come and go a few times,
and the wreath remains in tact :)

I think he likes it ...
I sure do!

Our Door:


Mark's Door :)

A Happy Thought

My friend (Ahmer) posted this image to his blog,
and I like it so much that I thought I'd post it to mine too :)