"'Cause tonight we're gonna party like it's 199--Er, it WAS 2009!"
The only update I made to this journal in 2009 was talking about 2008. And as the first journal entry I'm making in 2010, it's going to be about a year when journaling just didn't fit into my life for whatever reason. But I really love writing these entries and having them to compare year after year. So while I hope that I'll update more this year, life is no more less complicated than it was a year ago so while that dream is hopeful, I know myself better! So Live Journal, let's take a look at 2009: The Year without journaling!
January
Maybe the funniest thing that happened in January was Jaylene's episode of The Jerry Springer show aired. Hahaha so funny! At least she was made to loo like the innocent victim-Unlike the trashy ex girlfriend and the dumbass father of her child! But it made for some good tv. I think I kept it on my DVR for a good 3 months lol Anyway, we celebrated Angela's birthday low-key at Wings And Rings and that was fun. Sydney had her 9th birthday party at a hotel swimming pool! She had all her friends over and then family later. During the family part, a pipe had burst and fire alarms went off and everyone was evacuated!! Haha, at least it's something we'll never forget! I worked alot that month, as I do every month, Norwood has a hard time keeping a full staff! We got a HUGE snow and ice storm at the end of January which caused me to have my first call off! But driving so far away is no easy task! Angela and I also went to see "Grease" @ the Aaronoff and it was a good mix of the movie and the musical. We loved it! It also helped us remember why we were apart of the "Soul Patrol" in 2006 because Taylor Hicks played Teen Angel! Oh, how we missed him! Haha
Sydney @ her 9th Birthday Party!
Angela and I seeing "Grease"!
February
February always starts off amazing for me.. We do a Girl's Night in memory of Alissa! This year was VERYYYY fun! We had dinner at Applebees in Beechmont and then we went back to Katie's to get ready and pre-game with Pineapple Upside Down Shots, jello shots, and anything else that could be concocted! Haha, then Luke drove us down to Arnie's on the Levee where we danced the night away! There was a good time on a stripper poll that I can recall.. lol. Then we drove in a Taxi all the way home! Then, ordered and chowed down some pizza. Eventually, we all passed out happy, drunk, and together. I love those girls. It was such a great night! On a different note, the Lenga Boys were baptized this month! I became Ethan's God-Mother! :) At the end of the month, we celebrated Lauren's 24th Birthday early because she would be out of town on her actual birthday. Karaoke + Pineapple Upside Down Shots + Huggies with Whiskey - A very fun, drunken night!!! Haha. It was insane. That was the most I've ever been drunk, to date. It was a great night, I had a lot of fun singing romantic songs with Chris (I don't know? lol) and singing some 'Jessie's Girl' with the birthday girl herself! There was also the case of the pink dress!!! haha So much fun!
Girl's Night!
Lauren's Birthday!
March
In March, we went to the Circus!! We hadn't been since 2004! This was George's 2nd circus and Sydney's FIRST! So crazy, right?? Haha We had (let's face it..) awful seats but we had such a blast! It didn't matter where we sat, we had so much fun! And thanks to Emily's amazing camera with the best zoom ever, we still got really great pictures!! Early in the month, George and I decided we could afford to go to Chicago to see RENT: The National Tour!!! This was made more AMAZING by the fact that Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (two O.G. members!) were playing the leads in the tour! Haha, I was so excited! At the end of the month, Angela, Lauren, and I went to see a Drag Show and met up with Michelle, Sam, and some other people downtown @ The Dock."CHEESECAKE!" It was SO hilarious and it's where we first witnessed "The Duck Walk". It made some memories for sure!! lol
Me and George @ The Circus!
Me, Angela, and Lauren @ The Drag Show
April
April 1st is when my manager at Norwood, Aaron, left to start anther job. I know we didn't work together long, but I was going to miss him! It was very sad. Made easier though by the fact that George and I were going to Chicago the following weekend! ;) We drove up Fri. morning and Fri. night was RENT! I drove into downtown Chicago for the first time.. Scary as hell! And there was SO MUCH traffic! In about the same distance it takes to get from Eastgate to Newport, Ky (roughly 25 minutes), going from Schaumburg to downtown Chicago took 2 freaking hours! We were a little late! We got a little lost, found our way, parked, and then ran down the street to make the show! We only missed the opening part thank goodnes and were very promptly seated by the time the first song was over! Seeing Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in person, on stage there in Chicago was AMAZING. The whole night is such a happy blur to me now. Running down the street, hand in hand, with George and finally seeing those guys on stage--Easily one of the best nights of my life! Of course we did our usual Medieval Times and did some sight-seeing too! We had such a blast! I hope we go again this year! When I came back from Chicago, the week after, I started having this awful (girl-related) pain. Luckily, by the end of the month it was all sorted out. We spent Emily's birthday @ Smokey Bones with some drinking and karaoke! It was a fun time, I have the best videos from that lol April always brings some nice weather so we spent many days at the park and outside. Spring weather is the best weather! (I'm def. missing it right now as I write this, when there is snow on the ground and temps are barely @ 20 Degrees!!!)
Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Chicago!!!
Us @ Medieval Times!
George and Emily karaoke-ing on her Birthday!
May
Earlier in the month, George, Michelle, Kevin, and I went to the Museum to see the Dinosaur exhibit as well as just to go!! I hadn't been there since I was a KID! It was so weird being back in there but it's just as awesome as when you're little. So great. We had a great time! In the middle of the month, we did our annual CF Walk. We made our own Team Dancing Queen shirts. What's funny is some other people made them too, but different ones, because they didn't walk with us. Oh well! Ours were better. :) Katie found out she was pregnant! She's getting ready to have baby Christina any day now. We of course went to the Taste of Cincinnati (which I LOVEEE) and had Michelle's Birthday @ The Cheesecake Factory! May was a lot of fun, but there was some sadness. John Dean, the husband of my Girl Scout Leader in Ky, passed away. 'Cookie Man' was someone I honestly hadn't seen or talked to in years. But he was just so much apart of my past.. As are all of my friends in Ky. I guess, he was one of those people you think will always be there. Reality is that's not so. I feel to terrible for his family. Rest In Peace, Cookie Man!
Me and Michelle on the trolley @ the Museum!
[the real] Team Dancing Queen!
June
June is always crazy.. So much goes on! It started out this year with June 1st being the day my baby brother graduated from high school! I still can't believe he is in college now! Where did our youths go? It's so funny. I remember when I graduated, I felt like my best years were ahead of me and forget the past. Now, later on, I realize just how much I miss being a kid!! Anyway, it wasn't only his graduation, but little Sarah was also apart of that graduating class! My family and her family all ended up at Beechmont Applebees to celebrate! As we all know, June is mine and George's Anniversary! We celebrated our 2nd year of marriage by having dinner downtown at Boi Na Braza which is a steak house like the ones we've eaten at in Chicago! It was so delicious! On June 13th, Jesee Lee Boone Jr was born to Stacey and Jesee! He's such an adorable baby and big sister Aubree is so great with him! As for work, in April when Aaron left, we got Rene: Wicked Witch of the Central Region. Still though, we had good old Jamaican Gibson. However, in June, he decided to leave too. It made me terribly sad because he was my buddy! Norwood hasn't been the same since he left! :( I was very excited in June tho' because New Kids On The Block were coming to Cincinnati!! Jaylene and I had tickets, but we wanted Back-Stage passes! So, Q102 was having a contest.. Rewrite and sing your own NKOTB song on a voicemail! Jaylene and I both did it. I rewrote the lyrics to "Hangin' Tough" and she did "Please Don't Go Girl". Neither of us one, but mine DID get played on the radio!!! HAHAHA Soooo funny! I still think it was dumb that I was good enough to play on air, but not good enough to win! ;) The night of the concert was nothing short of amazing. 20 years in the making! I had the BEST time!!! Being with Jay made it even better. We danced, sang along, and Donnie Whalberg even slapped our hands when he ran by in the middle of the show! AMAZING. I still think about that night, how it felt at the concert, and overwhelming happiness washes over me. It was such a great night!! June started what first became "Celebrity Apocalypse Month" turned "Celebrity Apocalypse Summer" which then turned into "Celebrity Apocalypse Year"! So many celebrity deaths! It was all kicked off when Ed McMahon died. The same week, Farrah Fawcett. And on the very same day as Farrah, the world lost Michael Jackson. It was INSANE. MJ? Dead and gone? Didn't seem realistic. That started a media frenzy like no other! (At least though, it took the focus off of Jon and Katie Gosselin, which had been dominating the press for a good 4 months..) Still though, so crazy..
6 years Together, 2 years Married!
Best of Friends for 20 Years!
NKOTB: Full Service Tour Cinti, OH 6/27/09
Michael Jackson
July
4th of July was spent two ways! On July 3rd, we went to the Balloon Glow @ Coney Island which was really fun! I met up with George, Merri, Larry, and Sydney after work that Friday night. They had been there all day swimming and hanging out and then when I got there, we did the Balloon Glow and then they had Rossi Fireworks that night! We had never been, but I think we are going to do it again next year too! We loved it! The next day, we did our own Fireworks at Angela's house. Such a fun night! The fireworks were crazy though! And who knew my husband was such a pyro? Haha. Too bad on every cool summer holiday, it RAINED. Who cares.. We had some amazing food at our would-be cookouts! LOL Soon into July, I had some major car drama. My alternator, battery, and a tired all went out ON THE SAME DAY. A day in which I had NO MONEY. It was really bad. I cried so much. My Mom, Dad, Sam, everyone helped us out. Including.. Granny. It was a stepping stone for a reconciliation. I NEVER saw that coming. But I'm ultimately glad it did. It's nice knowing we'll be in each other' lives from here on out. It's still weird. How many hurt feelings there have been over the last 6 years and now George and I are going over that house every week for dinner. So many changes, like always, I guess! 2009 was ultimately the year I discovered Andy Samberg. SO HILARIOUS. From "Jizzed in my Pants" to my "Like A BOSS" to my favorite: "I'm On A Boat!" So amazing. And then when he teamed up with Justin Timberlake on SNL to do Mother Lover, I about died. It is so hilarious and if you didn't see any of these videos, YouTube immediately! At the end of the month, George and I went to Video Games Live the concert as an early birthday present. And then we spent Sam's Birthday at Smokey Bones with her because they freaking made her work! So dumb! But that pretty much sums up July.
Balloon Glow!
George and I on the 4th!
Because it's worth a Pic.. J.Timberlake & Andy Samberg in "Mother Lover"
August
For George's birthday this year, we went to The Beach again! Everyone had a great time! A ton of people came. It was a much nicer day this time around too. All that matters is that George has a great time and he did! Then after his birthday, we were on vacation all week too! I finally decided to read the Twilight Saga. I had put it off for 5 months. But then I fell in love with it! Really, it's obsessive! When I came back from vaca, Tammy (a girl @ work) and I obsessed about it for MONTHS! The books really are amazing and I love that I read them! The movies are pretty awesome too! :) At the end of the month, we had a Girl's Night and we went to the Shadowbox Cabaret! We hadn't been there in a long time! But it's always a good time! My brother left for school, as did little Sarah. Again, so crazy seeing my baby bro and not-so-little Sarah head off to college! I can barely believe it! Over summer, Sydney had spent a day a week with us, usually on the weekends. We loved having her and had the best time. Kids keep you young.. even if they aren't yours! haha I also spent more time with Jaylene. We tried to have a reunion in Bellevue, but it was only me and her! LOL Well, Riley too! It was still fun, as it always is with us. :)
George and I on his birthday @ the Beach!
Davidson Kids on George's B-Day!
The Girls
Amazing!
September
Right in the beginning of the month, Angela, Lauren, and I went to the American Idol Concert in Indy! Nancy drove and we had a BLAST! Gaga for Gokey! Haha We always have such a great time and it's like a tradition.. Watch American Idol and then go to the concert! I love those girls, we had such a bad case of the giggles, everything was hysterical to us, and I know Nancy must have thought we were high or drunk or something on the way home by the way we were acting.. But we weren't! That's just how much fun we all have together. :) The very next day was the WEBN Fireworks! We went with Lauren, Chris, Mikie, Kaitlyn, George S, and his girlfriend. It was a ton of fun! George and Lauren also started playing volleyball at The Sand Bar! I only got to play twice but it was so much fun, I'm def. playing all next season! Then, it was of course, Birthday Time! I celebrated with a big birthday party that Angela was gracious enough to let me have at her house! It was so crazy but a lot of fun! I think my cake was a great addition too! I sure spent enough time planning it, lol. A ton of people came to celebrate and I'll never forget it! Thanks everyone for making my 25th so special! The week after, Mikie turned 21! He hosted a Beer Olympics at his house. It was so funny, watching everyone. George was on Mikie's team (duh!) and they won! It was so funny! At the end of the month, we bought tickets to.. RENT! The Broadway Tour came to CINCINNATI! And so, I was going to get to see it AGAIN! So great!! :)
Best Friends @ The American Idol Tour
Us @ WEBN
Great Shot of the WEBN Fireworks
Shanna Turns 25!
Birthday Cake!
Mikie Turns 21!
October
October got off to a really sad start. Angela's Mom passed away. I won't say much about it because it's not my place. All I know, is I love my best friend and I'm always there for her. Rest In Peace, Sheila. The month of October was filled with more volleyball games, work, movies, and of course, HALLOWEEN! George, Me, and Sydney had the BEST costumes EVER this year! Lauren hosted and Adult's Only party at her place which was a lot of fun. Then on actual Halloween, we dressed up and took Sydney Trick-or-Treating! George was Mario, Sydney was Toad, and I was Princess Peach! Everybody got a big kick out of it! I know it will probably be the only time I ever get to do a couples costume with George because he's not into that kind of stuff but it was so great! LOL Also, at the end of the month, George, Lauren, Chris and I all went to see RENT at the Aaronoff! We were in the 3rd row back and it was even better than the first time I got to see it! I went into 2009 not knowing if I would get to see the tour with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal but holy cow! I got to see it TWICE! After the show, we went to the Stage Door to see if we could get some autographs! And we didn't get to meet Adam, we did get to meet Anthony! Which, come on, is the better part of the package! LOL It was so surreal!!! What an awesome way to end the month, right? lol
Mario and his Princess!
Super Mario Characters!
Lauren and I @ RENT
Anthony Rapp in Cinti, OH 10/30/2009
November
Ah, November.. It started out with Friends Thanksgiving @ B-Maid Katie's house which was really, really fun! We had such a great time with our game. ;) Then came the best week EVER.. On Sun. the 15th, we got to see Dane Cook!! He came to the Bank Of Ky center in NKy and he was so great in person! So funny. I love that guy! A bunch of people went.. Me, George, Emily, Angela, Lauren, Chris, and Sam Geverts with some of her friends. We had a GREAT time! Then, that following Friday.. NEW MOON came out! I had been waiting since August! lol It was so great, I saw it twice in a week! LOL Tammy and I made shirts.. Mine was (duh!) TEAM JACOB! I feel like a dirty old lady going gaga over Taylor Lautner but COME. ON. He's just dreamy and the fact that he plays Jacob Black--Makes it even better! For Gaby's birthday this year, we all went to The Cheesecake Factory again and that was so fun! It was good because we really didn't hang out with that crowd a lot this year (Lora, Gaby, Dan, etc.) for whatever reason. Sometimes, life just gets in the way! Not that we all didn't talk or ever see each other, but it wasn't a lot. Still though, we had fun! Then of course we had Thanksgiving and that was great.. I had a little mini vacation away from work that weekend which was amazing. We put up our Tree the Saturday after Christmas and we got a real one this year! George talked me into it! It was very pretty and I enjoyed it! Sydney went with us to pick it out. It was perfect. :)
Dane Cook @ Bank of Ky Center 11/15/2009
Team Jacob <3
Gaby's Birthday Dinner!
Sam, George, and Emily on Thanksgiving!
December
And so here we, in the last month. Christmas time in full swing! We watched Syd a lot this month when Merri went back to work.. And LOVED it! I love spending time with her! One of these times, we hung out, watched Christmas movies, and made Christmas Cookies! It was so much fun, just me and Syd! We got flour everywhere, but our cookies turned out looking pretty professional if I do say so myself! George had surgery on the 11th to pull out two teeth, he was in a lot of pain! But he got over it pretty fast! We went to the Festival Of Lights with Merri, Syd, Sam, and Kenny. That was a LOT of fun! "DADDY... LET'S RUN IN CIRCLES!!!!" Hahaha, good memories! At work, we all decided to go out to dinner at Bonefish Grill for our Christmas Party. Talk about AMAZING food!! I don't always get along with Rene, but it was nice of her to get us all gift cards for the occasion. Maybe as long as I can fly under the radar where she's concerned, I won't have to deal with anything! LOL On the 20th, we went to the Shadowbox Cabaret for their Holiday Hoopla show with Lauren and Chris. That is the best show they do, hands down! For Sydney's real birthday, we went to see Chipmunks: The Squeakuel! It was so cute! George didn't like it, but hey, we weren't surprised!! Christmas came and went. Truly amazing. I was truly in the Christmas spirit all month long! It helped that when my car got hit in Nov. while it was parked in the parking lot, we got a huge check for it! George got a new computer and I spent a little more on Christmas than I should. The rest went into Savings for when we're ready to get a new car. I'm just not ready for a car payment again! Anyway, we spent Christmas Eve first at the Davidson house playing games and eating snacks. Then we went to my Mom's/Granny's house for Christmas Eve. We stayed late there and Dad came out and we all did gifts together. Christmas morning we woke up at the Davidson house and opened presents. Then we went to the Garcia house for Christmas Day Brunch. It was a great time! Then New Years came. George and I went to dinner at Olive Garden and then over the Davidson's to bring in the new year with Sydney! It's so fun hanging out with her, she's the best! There wasn't a better place for us to be! :)
Davidson Family Christmas
Makin' Christmas Cookies!
Festival Of Lights
NatCity Norwood Christmas Dinner
At the Shadowbox!
At the movies for Syd's B-Day!
Christmas Tree!
Christmas Eve Love
Bringin' in 2010!
Sydney on New Years!
That about wraps up 2009. I feel like this year in particular went by REALLY fast! It honestly shocks me that it's been a year since I last wrote a journal entry. I don't know what 2010 will be like but I'm sure it'll be good. :) And who knows, maybe a few surprises will happen this year.. They always do!
January
Maybe the funniest thing that happened in January was Jaylene's episode of The Jerry Springer show aired. Hahaha so funny! At least she was made to loo like the innocent victim-Unlike the trashy ex girlfriend and the dumbass father of her child! But it made for some good tv. I think I kept it on my DVR for a good 3 months lol Anyway, we celebrated Angela's birthday low-key at Wings And Rings and that was fun. Sydney had her 9th birthday party at a hotel swimming pool! She had all her friends over and then family later. During the family part, a pipe had burst and fire alarms went off and everyone was evacuated!! Haha, at least it's something we'll never forget! I worked alot that month, as I do every month, Norwood has a hard time keeping a full staff! We got a HUGE snow and ice storm at the end of January which caused me to have my first call off! But driving so far away is no easy task! Angela and I also went to see "Grease" @ the Aaronoff and it was a good mix of the movie and the musical. We loved it! It also helped us remember why we were apart of the "Soul Patrol" in 2006 because Taylor Hicks played Teen Angel! Oh, how we missed him! Haha
Sydney @ her 9th Birthday Party!
Angela and I seeing "Grease"!
February
February always starts off amazing for me.. We do a Girl's Night in memory of Alissa! This year was VERYYYY fun! We had dinner at Applebees in Beechmont and then we went back to Katie's to get ready and pre-game with Pineapple Upside Down Shots, jello shots, and anything else that could be concocted! Haha, then Luke drove us down to Arnie's on the Levee where we danced the night away! There was a good time on a stripper poll that I can recall.. lol. Then we drove in a Taxi all the way home! Then, ordered and chowed down some pizza. Eventually, we all passed out happy, drunk, and together. I love those girls. It was such a great night! On a different note, the Lenga Boys were baptized this month! I became Ethan's God-Mother! :) At the end of the month, we celebrated Lauren's 24th Birthday early because she would be out of town on her actual birthday. Karaoke + Pineapple Upside Down Shots + Huggies with Whiskey - A very fun, drunken night!!! Haha. It was insane. That was the most I've ever been drunk, to date. It was a great night, I had a lot of fun singing romantic songs with Chris (I don't know? lol) and singing some 'Jessie's Girl' with the birthday girl herself! There was also the case of the pink dress!!! haha So much fun!
Girl's Night!
Lauren's Birthday!
March
In March, we went to the Circus!! We hadn't been since 2004! This was George's 2nd circus and Sydney's FIRST! So crazy, right?? Haha We had (let's face it..) awful seats but we had such a blast! It didn't matter where we sat, we had so much fun! And thanks to Emily's amazing camera with the best zoom ever, we still got really great pictures!! Early in the month, George and I decided we could afford to go to Chicago to see RENT: The National Tour!!! This was made more AMAZING by the fact that Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (two O.G. members!) were playing the leads in the tour! Haha, I was so excited! At the end of the month, Angela, Lauren, and I went to see a Drag Show and met up with Michelle, Sam, and some other people downtown @ The Dock."CHEESECAKE!" It was SO hilarious and it's where we first witnessed "The Duck Walk". It made some memories for sure!! lol
Me and George @ The Circus!
Me, Angela, and Lauren @ The Drag Show
April
April 1st is when my manager at Norwood, Aaron, left to start anther job. I know we didn't work together long, but I was going to miss him! It was very sad. Made easier though by the fact that George and I were going to Chicago the following weekend! ;) We drove up Fri. morning and Fri. night was RENT! I drove into downtown Chicago for the first time.. Scary as hell! And there was SO MUCH traffic! In about the same distance it takes to get from Eastgate to Newport, Ky (roughly 25 minutes), going from Schaumburg to downtown Chicago took 2 freaking hours! We were a little late! We got a little lost, found our way, parked, and then ran down the street to make the show! We only missed the opening part thank goodnes and were very promptly seated by the time the first song was over! Seeing Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in person, on stage there in Chicago was AMAZING. The whole night is such a happy blur to me now. Running down the street, hand in hand, with George and finally seeing those guys on stage--Easily one of the best nights of my life! Of course we did our usual Medieval Times and did some sight-seeing too! We had such a blast! I hope we go again this year! When I came back from Chicago, the week after, I started having this awful (girl-related) pain. Luckily, by the end of the month it was all sorted out. We spent Emily's birthday @ Smokey Bones with some drinking and karaoke! It was a fun time, I have the best videos from that lol April always brings some nice weather so we spent many days at the park and outside. Spring weather is the best weather! (I'm def. missing it right now as I write this, when there is snow on the ground and temps are barely @ 20 Degrees!!!)
Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Chicago!!!
Us @ Medieval Times!
George and Emily karaoke-ing on her Birthday!
May
Earlier in the month, George, Michelle, Kevin, and I went to the Museum to see the Dinosaur exhibit as well as just to go!! I hadn't been there since I was a KID! It was so weird being back in there but it's just as awesome as when you're little. So great. We had a great time! In the middle of the month, we did our annual CF Walk. We made our own Team Dancing Queen shirts. What's funny is some other people made them too, but different ones, because they didn't walk with us. Oh well! Ours were better. :) Katie found out she was pregnant! She's getting ready to have baby Christina any day now. We of course went to the Taste of Cincinnati (which I LOVEEE) and had Michelle's Birthday @ The Cheesecake Factory! May was a lot of fun, but there was some sadness. John Dean, the husband of my Girl Scout Leader in Ky, passed away. 'Cookie Man' was someone I honestly hadn't seen or talked to in years. But he was just so much apart of my past.. As are all of my friends in Ky. I guess, he was one of those people you think will always be there. Reality is that's not so. I feel to terrible for his family. Rest In Peace, Cookie Man!
Me and Michelle on the trolley @ the Museum!
[the real] Team Dancing Queen!
June
June is always crazy.. So much goes on! It started out this year with June 1st being the day my baby brother graduated from high school! I still can't believe he is in college now! Where did our youths go? It's so funny. I remember when I graduated, I felt like my best years were ahead of me and forget the past. Now, later on, I realize just how much I miss being a kid!! Anyway, it wasn't only his graduation, but little Sarah was also apart of that graduating class! My family and her family all ended up at Beechmont Applebees to celebrate! As we all know, June is mine and George's Anniversary! We celebrated our 2nd year of marriage by having dinner downtown at Boi Na Braza which is a steak house like the ones we've eaten at in Chicago! It was so delicious! On June 13th, Jesee Lee Boone Jr was born to Stacey and Jesee! He's such an adorable baby and big sister Aubree is so great with him! As for work, in April when Aaron left, we got Rene: Wicked Witch of the Central Region. Still though, we had good old Jamaican Gibson. However, in June, he decided to leave too. It made me terribly sad because he was my buddy! Norwood hasn't been the same since he left! :( I was very excited in June tho' because New Kids On The Block were coming to Cincinnati!! Jaylene and I had tickets, but we wanted Back-Stage passes! So, Q102 was having a contest.. Rewrite and sing your own NKOTB song on a voicemail! Jaylene and I both did it. I rewrote the lyrics to "Hangin' Tough" and she did "Please Don't Go Girl". Neither of us one, but mine DID get played on the radio!!! HAHAHA Soooo funny! I still think it was dumb that I was good enough to play on air, but not good enough to win! ;) The night of the concert was nothing short of amazing. 20 years in the making! I had the BEST time!!! Being with Jay made it even better. We danced, sang along, and Donnie Whalberg even slapped our hands when he ran by in the middle of the show! AMAZING. I still think about that night, how it felt at the concert, and overwhelming happiness washes over me. It was such a great night!! June started what first became "Celebrity Apocalypse Month" turned "Celebrity Apocalypse Summer" which then turned into "Celebrity Apocalypse Year"! So many celebrity deaths! It was all kicked off when Ed McMahon died. The same week, Farrah Fawcett. And on the very same day as Farrah, the world lost Michael Jackson. It was INSANE. MJ? Dead and gone? Didn't seem realistic. That started a media frenzy like no other! (At least though, it took the focus off of Jon and Katie Gosselin, which had been dominating the press for a good 4 months..) Still though, so crazy..
6 years Together, 2 years Married!
Best of Friends for 20 Years!
NKOTB: Full Service Tour Cinti, OH 6/27/09
Michael Jackson
July
4th of July was spent two ways! On July 3rd, we went to the Balloon Glow @ Coney Island which was really fun! I met up with George, Merri, Larry, and Sydney after work that Friday night. They had been there all day swimming and hanging out and then when I got there, we did the Balloon Glow and then they had Rossi Fireworks that night! We had never been, but I think we are going to do it again next year too! We loved it! The next day, we did our own Fireworks at Angela's house. Such a fun night! The fireworks were crazy though! And who knew my husband was such a pyro? Haha. Too bad on every cool summer holiday, it RAINED. Who cares.. We had some amazing food at our would-be cookouts! LOL Soon into July, I had some major car drama. My alternator, battery, and a tired all went out ON THE SAME DAY. A day in which I had NO MONEY. It was really bad. I cried so much. My Mom, Dad, Sam, everyone helped us out. Including.. Granny. It was a stepping stone for a reconciliation. I NEVER saw that coming. But I'm ultimately glad it did. It's nice knowing we'll be in each other' lives from here on out. It's still weird. How many hurt feelings there have been over the last 6 years and now George and I are going over that house every week for dinner. So many changes, like always, I guess! 2009 was ultimately the year I discovered Andy Samberg. SO HILARIOUS. From "Jizzed in my Pants" to my "Like A BOSS" to my favorite: "I'm On A Boat!" So amazing. And then when he teamed up with Justin Timberlake on SNL to do Mother Lover, I about died. It is so hilarious and if you didn't see any of these videos, YouTube immediately! At the end of the month, George and I went to Video Games Live the concert as an early birthday present. And then we spent Sam's Birthday at Smokey Bones with her because they freaking made her work! So dumb! But that pretty much sums up July.
Balloon Glow!
George and I on the 4th!
Because it's worth a Pic.. J.Timberlake & Andy Samberg in "Mother Lover"
August
For George's birthday this year, we went to The Beach again! Everyone had a great time! A ton of people came. It was a much nicer day this time around too. All that matters is that George has a great time and he did! Then after his birthday, we were on vacation all week too! I finally decided to read the Twilight Saga. I had put it off for 5 months. But then I fell in love with it! Really, it's obsessive! When I came back from vaca, Tammy (a girl @ work) and I obsessed about it for MONTHS! The books really are amazing and I love that I read them! The movies are pretty awesome too! :) At the end of the month, we had a Girl's Night and we went to the Shadowbox Cabaret! We hadn't been there in a long time! But it's always a good time! My brother left for school, as did little Sarah. Again, so crazy seeing my baby bro and not-so-little Sarah head off to college! I can barely believe it! Over summer, Sydney had spent a day a week with us, usually on the weekends. We loved having her and had the best time. Kids keep you young.. even if they aren't yours! haha I also spent more time with Jaylene. We tried to have a reunion in Bellevue, but it was only me and her! LOL Well, Riley too! It was still fun, as it always is with us. :)
George and I on his birthday @ the Beach!
Davidson Kids on George's B-Day!
The Girls
Amazing!
September
Right in the beginning of the month, Angela, Lauren, and I went to the American Idol Concert in Indy! Nancy drove and we had a BLAST! Gaga for Gokey! Haha We always have such a great time and it's like a tradition.. Watch American Idol and then go to the concert! I love those girls, we had such a bad case of the giggles, everything was hysterical to us, and I know Nancy must have thought we were high or drunk or something on the way home by the way we were acting.. But we weren't! That's just how much fun we all have together. :) The very next day was the WEBN Fireworks! We went with Lauren, Chris, Mikie, Kaitlyn, George S, and his girlfriend. It was a ton of fun! George and Lauren also started playing volleyball at The Sand Bar! I only got to play twice but it was so much fun, I'm def. playing all next season! Then, it was of course, Birthday Time! I celebrated with a big birthday party that Angela was gracious enough to let me have at her house! It was so crazy but a lot of fun! I think my cake was a great addition too! I sure spent enough time planning it, lol. A ton of people came to celebrate and I'll never forget it! Thanks everyone for making my 25th so special! The week after, Mikie turned 21! He hosted a Beer Olympics at his house. It was so funny, watching everyone. George was on Mikie's team (duh!) and they won! It was so funny! At the end of the month, we bought tickets to.. RENT! The Broadway Tour came to CINCINNATI! And so, I was going to get to see it AGAIN! So great!! :)
Best Friends @ The American Idol Tour
Us @ WEBN
Great Shot of the WEBN Fireworks
Shanna Turns 25!
Birthday Cake!
Mikie Turns 21!
October
October got off to a really sad start. Angela's Mom passed away. I won't say much about it because it's not my place. All I know, is I love my best friend and I'm always there for her. Rest In Peace, Sheila. The month of October was filled with more volleyball games, work, movies, and of course, HALLOWEEN! George, Me, and Sydney had the BEST costumes EVER this year! Lauren hosted and Adult's Only party at her place which was a lot of fun. Then on actual Halloween, we dressed up and took Sydney Trick-or-Treating! George was Mario, Sydney was Toad, and I was Princess Peach! Everybody got a big kick out of it! I know it will probably be the only time I ever get to do a couples costume with George because he's not into that kind of stuff but it was so great! LOL Also, at the end of the month, George, Lauren, Chris and I all went to see RENT at the Aaronoff! We were in the 3rd row back and it was even better than the first time I got to see it! I went into 2009 not knowing if I would get to see the tour with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal but holy cow! I got to see it TWICE! After the show, we went to the Stage Door to see if we could get some autographs! And we didn't get to meet Adam, we did get to meet Anthony! Which, come on, is the better part of the package! LOL It was so surreal!!! What an awesome way to end the month, right? lol
Mario and his Princess!
Super Mario Characters!
Lauren and I @ RENT
Anthony Rapp in Cinti, OH 10/30/2009
November
Ah, November.. It started out with Friends Thanksgiving @ B-Maid Katie's house which was really, really fun! We had such a great time with our game. ;) Then came the best week EVER.. On Sun. the 15th, we got to see Dane Cook!! He came to the Bank Of Ky center in NKy and he was so great in person! So funny. I love that guy! A bunch of people went.. Me, George, Emily, Angela, Lauren, Chris, and Sam Geverts with some of her friends. We had a GREAT time! Then, that following Friday.. NEW MOON came out! I had been waiting since August! lol It was so great, I saw it twice in a week! LOL Tammy and I made shirts.. Mine was (duh!) TEAM JACOB! I feel like a dirty old lady going gaga over Taylor Lautner but COME. ON. He's just dreamy and the fact that he plays Jacob Black--Makes it even better! For Gaby's birthday this year, we all went to The Cheesecake Factory again and that was so fun! It was good because we really didn't hang out with that crowd a lot this year (Lora, Gaby, Dan, etc.) for whatever reason. Sometimes, life just gets in the way! Not that we all didn't talk or ever see each other, but it wasn't a lot. Still though, we had fun! Then of course we had Thanksgiving and that was great.. I had a little mini vacation away from work that weekend which was amazing. We put up our Tree the Saturday after Christmas and we got a real one this year! George talked me into it! It was very pretty and I enjoyed it! Sydney went with us to pick it out. It was perfect. :)
Dane Cook @ Bank of Ky Center 11/15/2009
Team Jacob <3
Gaby's Birthday Dinner!
Sam, George, and Emily on Thanksgiving!
December
And so here we, in the last month. Christmas time in full swing! We watched Syd a lot this month when Merri went back to work.. And LOVED it! I love spending time with her! One of these times, we hung out, watched Christmas movies, and made Christmas Cookies! It was so much fun, just me and Syd! We got flour everywhere, but our cookies turned out looking pretty professional if I do say so myself! George had surgery on the 11th to pull out two teeth, he was in a lot of pain! But he got over it pretty fast! We went to the Festival Of Lights with Merri, Syd, Sam, and Kenny. That was a LOT of fun! "DADDY... LET'S RUN IN CIRCLES!!!!" Hahaha, good memories! At work, we all decided to go out to dinner at Bonefish Grill for our Christmas Party. Talk about AMAZING food!! I don't always get along with Rene, but it was nice of her to get us all gift cards for the occasion. Maybe as long as I can fly under the radar where she's concerned, I won't have to deal with anything! LOL On the 20th, we went to the Shadowbox Cabaret for their Holiday Hoopla show with Lauren and Chris. That is the best show they do, hands down! For Sydney's real birthday, we went to see Chipmunks: The Squeakuel! It was so cute! George didn't like it, but hey, we weren't surprised!! Christmas came and went. Truly amazing. I was truly in the Christmas spirit all month long! It helped that when my car got hit in Nov. while it was parked in the parking lot, we got a huge check for it! George got a new computer and I spent a little more on Christmas than I should. The rest went into Savings for when we're ready to get a new car. I'm just not ready for a car payment again! Anyway, we spent Christmas Eve first at the Davidson house playing games and eating snacks. Then we went to my Mom's/Granny's house for Christmas Eve. We stayed late there and Dad came out and we all did gifts together. Christmas morning we woke up at the Davidson house and opened presents. Then we went to the Garcia house for Christmas Day Brunch. It was a great time! Then New Years came. George and I went to dinner at Olive Garden and then over the Davidson's to bring in the new year with Sydney! It's so fun hanging out with her, she's the best! There wasn't a better place for us to be! :)
Davidson Family Christmas
Makin' Christmas Cookies!
Festival Of Lights
NatCity Norwood Christmas Dinner
At the Shadowbox!
At the movies for Syd's B-Day!
Christmas Tree!
Christmas Eve Love
Bringin' in 2010!
Sydney on New Years!
That about wraps up 2009. I feel like this year in particular went by REALLY fast! It honestly shocks me that it's been a year since I last wrote a journal entry. I don't know what 2010 will be like but I'm sure it'll be good. :) And who knows, maybe a few surprises will happen this year.. They always do!