For a long holiday weekend, mine wasn't too eventful. I haven't concluded whether that's a good or bad thing, but having great weather would have helped a lot. On the other hand, I can say that I learned two very important lessons:

1. Avoid vegetarian products, they make me really sick.
2. Appreciate the little things of your significant other to keep that fire burning.

I'll have a chance to redeem last weekend for this upcoming one with a mini vacation to CT. Plans to indulge in seafood, wine and good books are in the works. However, before I get to that point, I have the routine weekly assignments for school, which I'm ready to be over with already. Especially when one course is a big PAIN. Maybe I need an adjustment in my attitude towards the course, but right now I'm feeling all sorts of aggravation with the work, professor and the subject itself. At least it gives me something to work with during training.

Yesterday was void of anything productive, however was probably what I needed to catch up with my own thoughts. I realized that I'm falling back into my pattern of being filled with things yet being empty. I'm aware it's worldly things that I've identified as my priorities, but can't help but see them as distractions from what should matter, or REALLY matters. There is a time and place for everything and know that this is all in His time. As a result of training, I've adopted a "no excuse" attitude to worldly living but should apply it to spiritual living. Bottom line, I've decided to put a more conscious effort into my church family and I pray that it's done with wisdom, and in love, if nothing else, at least in love. Who am I to ignore what I am called to do?

Yesterday my boss asked me to go through a pile of resumes as he's hiring additional help for the office. Apparently I was looking at them too slow, but screened out a few good ones out of a pile of 20. It was easy for most of them where many of them didn't have much substance, or for example the resume was too long for no GOOD reason, and they were not professional resumes. I don't care if you were a bar shot girl for Club Abyss nor do I care that you were a movie extra for a movie, what does that do for a job in the office? You can't even peg it as a "unique skill". People don't THINK.

In other news, school work has consumed every other time that is not spent on work, training, eating and church. And it sucks. Plain and simple. Yesterday I was thinking about why I go to the gym and train so often - I barely have any time to rest. I came to a possible conclusion - it's the only time when I can't/won't make excuses for myself. With school work I'm lenient on myself, allowing procrastination and distraction. On the other hand, it's a different mindset in the gym. I use that term loosely because honestly, the gym is the only place where I don't think about ANYTHING. I'm completely void of what's going on outside of the building and it's therapeutic. It's like zoning out with peace - is there such thing as zenning out? Maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.

I should stop bothering with planning out my weekend or put anything in my calendar in that fact because anything can friggin' happen in all the powers it may be of 83 year old woman that I call grandma. Anything that I have, let alone want to do stops and is dropped like a bad habit if granny lays down the law. I'm all for matriarchy, but Saturday was a day filled with much frustration. The family visited grandpa's grave in Queens for Father's Day - which I don't mind doing at all, actually wish we did it more often, anyways, the traffic getting there was horrible and aggravating. Mainly because I knew it could have been avoided if we left early, as was expected and would have made the most sense. I was in rare cranky form that morning and did fairly well keeping it mostly to myself, while Jerry kept calm for me. He's a good sport, really, he is.

It doesn't matter how many times I visit grandpa, and how long he's been gone, the tears still come out. I guess it gets harder as I get older, where the times I shared with him become more nostalgic and my appreciation grows. Also, I really wished that he was still around to meet Jerry - they would have gotten along really well. It was Jerry's first time "meeting" grandpa and I think grandma was happy that he came, even though she doesn't say it upfront. After the cemetery, the immediate family, and Jerry got caught in more traffic driving into the city towards Chinatown. When there is traffic, I'm a horrible back seat driver - I had enough road rage for Jerry. Again, he's a good sport. We took grandpa (on mom's side) out for dinner in Little Italy, which was a nice change from the same Chinese spots we go to. The service sucked, but the food was tasty. Even though grandpa complained about how much the dinner cost, he enjoyed his big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Before heading back to Jersey in the pouring rain, Jerry, Mandy and I had a quick dessert at the Chinatown Ice Cream factory. MmmMmmM...black sesame.

Sunday was a full day of school work, as none was done on Saturday...as intended. It was a draining day, and equally as frustrating, but it's over. It wasn't a total bust. I went to see Sex and The City, which mom and I enjoyed and afterwards had a really long talk about Jerry and I. Apparently granny started on the pre-planning for a wedding reception with a cousin of ours that owns a restaurant. Of course. It was really strange that granny is bringing this stuff up, but it was more strange that I was having a civil conversation about my wedding with mom because I never thought she would be ready to talk about it at all. I always skirt around the issue, or never give a straight answer, but at least I know she can talk about it. She already demanded that she gets a certain number of tables for her guest list...yeah, HER guest list. To my friends...I'm sorry, you'll just have to catch the wedding on You Tube.

Relationship Lesson Learned this weekend, from my Aunt Marie and Uncle Joe.

Aunt Marie: You have to give her the "little" wins when you can, so it makes it easier for the bigger things.
Jerry: *nods*
Aunt Marie: And SHE is ALWAYS right. Even if she's wrong, she's right. Take it now, talk about it later.
Jerry: *nods* okay...
Aunt Marie: And she's the center of your universe.
Jerry: *smiles* I see.
Aunt Marie: Who is the center of your universe dear?
Uncle Joe: You are, babe.

And they've been married for 17 years now. Hehe. Now that's been my favorite question to ask Jerry. Did I mention that he's a really good sport?

I don't know whose story I should take accurately - but apparently dad made a "scene" at the local grocery store when picking up his pictures. Both mom and dad reported that when dad was picking his pictures, the lady at the counter brushed him off and then continued to be rude to him when she "tried" to help him. Dad wasn't taking any of this crap as he works in the same industry as well so he asked for the manager. Dad made his valid complaint where he ended up getting his pictures - the same pictures that the lady at the counter claimed that they weren't there. However, during his conversation with the lady at the counter, this elderly woman who the lady was helping at great lengths nudged into the conversation with snippy remarks. This only pissed off dad for him to respond to her, "Am I talking to you?"

As if that wasn't enough - dad had to have the last word. So, after my dad got his pictures and spoke with the manager, just before my dad left, he turned to the old woman and said:

"Thank you for butting in...old hag."

Yeah, her jaw dropped too.

Good news! I uploaded some pictures from the past couple of weeks and even a couple of videos for a fully packed entry! The captions will tell the story...



Jerry and I in Chinatown waiting for our shabu shabu dinner after seeing Jump! I don't know what kind of mood I was in that day, I just remember being really hungry and then disappointed after finishing my food quickly. This was also the day that my grandfather started drilling Jerry with background questions and the infamous wedding statement that wouldn't go away.




May 22nd - Mandy's graduation. While waiting for the ceremony to start, I was amusing  myself with the camera. Jerry - "We're sitting through all of this?"



Still waiting for the ceremony to start and  the both of wanting some STRONG coffee...Jerry felt like being a little scruffy that day.




Here comes the Douglass College Class of 2008! It was really weird attending a graduation as an alum. I was a bad alum, I forgot to wear anything Douglass related. Then again the ceremony was a lot earlier than expected and fortunate that I could wake up in time.





Graduation action shot! Even though it drizzled, the ceremony still went on as planned. I stayed to see Mandy get her diploma and then waited in the student center with grandma and grandpa so that they wouldn't get cold from the rain.




The smile of a graduate! Congratulations Mandy!




Mom and Mandy in front of Voorhees Chapel. I couldn't get a really nice picture of these two - between Mandy getting distracted by relatives and mom seemingly crying from excitement.




After the ceremony, we all went to my uncle's restaurant for Mandy's graduation lunch/dinner. Even though dad made a reservation, we still had to wait for 45 minutes. I must have been really hungry because I was getting irritated with every passing minute. Mandy tried to get my mind off of it with more digi cam amusement.




The proof of all proof...dad eating vegetables! One of the dishes was a lettuce wrap that dad particularly enjoyed during mother's day dinner. Throughout this man's 55 years on this earth, he's hated vegetables and seeing him eating anything green was picture worthy. Lunch/dinner was delicious of course, but did not go without a mentioning of weddings from grandpa again, and then some awkward "on the spot" questions from my eldest aunt. Really weird.




May 23rd - Jason's birthday celebration on the Queen of Hearts party boat at NYC. It was like being in a club on water with nothing else to do but drink and dance, or get scurred of the enormously big girls grinding with men a quarter of their size...seriously. Jerry and I took a break out on the deck to get some air. It was so stuffy in there!




Jerry - "Whoa, that's a little too much." On our way to the Staten Island Botanical Gardens we passed by this very shimmery mustang. It's not pimped out, but glammed out.




Jerry and I in the Chinese Scholar Garden within the botanical gardens. It was a nice feature of the gardens, however would have been beautiful if everything was in full bloom. But it was a peaceful walk around the place. It wasn't until a couple of days later I realized that we could have had a picnic there to add a romantic touch to the day...eh, there is always a next time. *Note to self - add picnic basket to the wedding registry.




Say hello to Jeffrey everyone! Jerry and I visited his brother for Memorial Day BBQ, and they had good friends come over to pig out as well. The last time I saw them the woman was pregnant and now enjoying the first year of parenthood. He was so adorable and surprisingly thin with those round cheeks! He was so much fun to play with.




Jerry's youngest niece, a.k.a the Diva. She was so pissed that she didn't get to play the Wii when SHE wanted to play and that I was playing Wii with her older sister. She made that apparent to EVERYONE in the house. As soon as I started taking pictures of her, she was my friend again. I was so amazed how much she changed since the last time I saw her. She was so quiet 6 months ago, and now she can't stop talking and singing to people or herself.



This is the first time I'm uploading videos, and here goes nothing. This is Jerry's singing and "dancing in the car" debut, a.k.a. me amusing myself on my trip to the botanical gardens. Baaybee is explaining the dance that goes along with one of the FEW songs that he is willing to dance to. Yep, that's R. Kelly...you can take the boy out of north jersey but not north jersey out of the boy.



Jerry practicing one of the forms that he learned in China during our visit at the gardens. I think it's called the 5 Animal Form...or so he says. After doing it, he didn't want to see the video because he could feel that it was sloppy, as if I know the difference. My baaybee is still hot.

The last couple of weeks were very nice, but wedding talk emerged and it's all snowballing. Not from me, nor Jerry but from everyone else. Mom has been asking me hypothetical questions about marriage arragements and just today dad commented about it...in his own way of course by saying that he knows the measurements of my room to turn into a cigar and wine lounge.