Location: Monroe place

Date night with miss shatto. And what a date it was. Cinco de mayo!
First no awkward pauses, good conversation.
Food delicious, dessert fabulous and free.
Little Olympics and lineup.
Check exchange was easy.
She took charge and decided our next destination and company.
The goodbyes were simply.
AND she has already texted the next day.
Sounds great, gentleman take note!!!!!
So next time you plan for a ladies night out and everyone comes back with legit excuse, do not let it hold you back from still going out. :)

ten thoughts on a saturday from the arlington couch:

[this is going to be a new installment on the traveling opi's blog. ten thoughts. not on a certain day, just random occurrence. allow you to peek in my brain]

1. I love cereal. All cereal. Today fruitloops. Last night late night snack honeycombs. Yesterday afternoon honeycomb cinnamon. I like Varity. I have five box of cereal open currently.
2. saw dear john. Rate, rental.
3. dollar beer and hot dog griffens game silly stuff. #5 is hot.
4. if coldstone is closing. All you have to do is ask a boy to hold the rolling door up [while being closed] and yell please please please stay open. We really want icecream. Noooo we have a pregnant woman and she has a craving. It works. Got my sweetcream and m&ms!!
5. I enjoy watching the Olympics. Snowboarding is awesome. Mens skating tad…hmm. Moguls ouch!! Go usa hockey!
6. lady gaga is now number thirteen on vh1 countdown…come on little monsters vote!
7. on the lent 2010 experiential calendar: feb 25 states: Do something that you’ve been putting off or trying to avoid.
8. question: what would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be? [not looking for your answers on this, I am only posing this question from the book purpose driving life. Made me think. So maybe you too]
9. book, furious longing of God: a. until the love of God that knows no boundary, limit, or breaking point is internalized through personal decision; until the furious longing of God seizes the imagination; until the heart is conjoined to the mind through sheer grace, nothing happens. B. Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus. C. you are blessed! Be-you-ti-ful. Be you. Just be. Love supports you. You are blessed! You have learned the purpose of life: LOVE. D. God loves me, just the as I am.
10. read an email this morning that gave me goosebumps. God is evident and working, pray is powerful. Will continue to pray and pray some more. Sometimes when you are at a loss for words, all you can reassure with is. Pray. But shouldn’t that be the greatest reassurance??? i am still learning....

and now we are back at it

up at 6:30. Leave at 7 for Orlando. say good bye to the parents until march 6. delayed an hour due to crew mandatory rest!?!? arrive in gr, arrive at my house. off to work. off to the y. home. unpack, laundry, and finally the bachelor.

Recap of the Floridian vacation:
one day full of sun! One nascar race. Lots of family time and quality time. Lots of sleeping. Lots of relaxing. reading and sudoku. Olympics. Fun adventures: mall, krispie kremes, quality bars. walks and beach runs. All this goodness makes it a success in my mind.
FIRST MORNING:

OUT TO EAT!

HIDING BY THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING, IN THE PARKING LOT TO FEEL THE WARMTH [told betsy this is one of the weirder place i have slept before and her response, especially in your bathing suit!]

AT THE RACE: [six layers and comforter]



ON A WALK [valentines night aka pink day was just the girls, race went way over. so we went for a walk and to dinner, very good!]




Here is a brainteaser for you:
Today as I boarded the airplane home to good old gr, I had to use the bano. I just do not understand this. Why do they have a sign that reads if you smoke there is a $2200 fine. BUT then on the door there is an ashtray? Hmm does not make any sense to my brain.

blah blah blah soooo blog blog blog

this bar stool has become my destination for the last two days [temp reads 43 again]
checked facebook... times a hundred...no new status updates
checked gmail...times a hundred...no new emails
checked radar...times a hundred...cloud moving a snail pace


I finally understand how the older people in florida may be a tad over weight. Bc when it is cold all you can do it eat and sit and eat and sit and then change locations and eat and sit.

The lipinski family made the best of the clouds and wind yesterday by:

First started out the day with a walk:

second went to the new movie valentines day, two huge buckets of popcorn:


third took another nap, bc the two above items took it out of me!!!

Fourth head to the race track bc we thought the weather let up, but it didn’t!! Sooo we head to krispe kremes instead:

fifth watched the opening ceremonies and feel asleep on the couch again!

so far I have check two things off my vacation essentials:
hit up publix and went for a morning powerwalk.


here is another funny sign we discovered:


nine minutes for it to becoming sunny according to weather.com....hmmm
or maybe just time to go and eat lunch since i have been sitting for an hour!! :)

what to do on day two?

yesterday woke up to 36 and wind chill advisory....

this morning woke up to...rain and 49.

what state are you in...florida!!
i do not believe all the licences plates that say: sunshine state.

so as i sit here with my family on a couch and a loveseat...we stare at each other: hmm
we first check where we can drive to sun. but rain continues throughout.
maybe a movie.
maybe a nascar show.
maybe a random adventure [i love random adventures!]

so now we continue to look at each and watch tv and read. until one of us has a great entertainment idea.

so what good has florida brought me thus far:
1. 2 hours of sun yesterday, chilly but sunny
2. relaxing relaxing relaxing relaxing!
3. 10 hours of sleep last night! amazing!
4. lots of family laughing. jeff got all you can eat crab last night and he ate and ate and ate and splatted his crab on us all, while cracking it open. that was in a quality restaurant called: charlie horse. [35 min wait or maybe over an hour] nothing like gathering a bunch of mid age fat nascar fans in one bar!!

you know when you are on vacation when you drink pop at 9 am and your mom sits next to you at 10:30 eating a cookie!! bahhh

will we be off on a jet plane tomorrow???

That is the hope, if this blizzard clears out.

The plan is to head down to Daytona with my brother and sister in law. To meet the parents for a mini family vacation until monnday.


A few little things I look forward to on this vacation.
[Besides the obvious---no work, sun, relaxing]
1. waking up early to go for walks on the beach or through new neighborhoods
2. discovering new stores, including grocery stores [always enamored, I think I get it from my mom]
3. the smells of warmer destination and the way my skin will feel and the palm trees
4. being able to read in a chair for hours on end and it is ok
5. going out to eat, finding new restaurants and people watching
6. nascar night race….yes you read that correctly
7. spending quality time, unrushed with my family
8. having girl chats with my mom
9. being out of my normal routine
10. the smell of coffee brewing in the morning and late night krispe cream runs.

mirror mirror on the wall.

This morning as I peered into the mirror to start off my Monday I thought to myself: wowow look at those eyes, where is my caffeinated gel garnier nutritioniste anti-puffy eye roller skin renewing magic cream, meaning I will be rocking the did I get hit by a brick last night, look all day. This was then confirmed at my 10 break [thank you BHS for this new addition to my day] when colleen walked into my office and said….wowo you look really tired or I guess when terry thought I had a cold bc my voice sounded so much like a man. But have no fear a LARGE cup of tea and energizer drink mix put a little kick in my step and we were golden from there.

So maybe I did not partake in enough shut eye this weekend.
Thank you [party 1] classy black and white event, you were well worth it.








the only picture of us downtown [oppsss my camera duties slacked off, so not kari]


Thank you [party 2] superbowl at the vriesman home [which I would like to say, very tatortotish love it]!!! Very fun, funny, and yummie.





Time to sleep as to avoid the caffeinated gel garnier nutritioniste anti-puffy eye roller skin renewing magic cream tomorrow.
and last two thoughts:
I would like to state I am turning over a new leaf, in more than one way.
Count down to family florida fun: two!