23 Days - What's New?

What's new in my life? Well I've been contacting a ton of people since I came home - a lot of friends and family, plus the new people I've met since the summer began. I've been working out 4-5 days a week, running 12-15 miles a week. I've read 6 books: The Help, The Hunger Games Series (all 3 books), and the first 2 books of the 50 Shades of Grey Series. I just need to read the last one. All of these books are fantastic and everyone should read them! Especially the Hunger Games - I'm definitely a fan! 

I'm prepping for Italy - getting my paperwork together, getting copies and money ready, I have to contact T-Mobile this week about my phone, and I just started writing down where I plan to travel (hopefully I'll have enough money). I have a huge map on my wall of Italy and I'm putting red pins in the towns/areas I plan to travel. But I'm trying to guesstimate how much money I'll need and how I'll get there. Plus I might have some friends to travel with - otherwise I'm traveling alone, which should be alright since I'll understand enough Italian to make my way around. 

It's actually funny - I opened my brand new planner and went through the entire book, August 2012 - July 2013. I realized that I wrote down important days that my ex-boyfriend and I were supposed to be together or celebrate together and wrote them down first, along with American and Italian holidays & vacation days. Hahaha, I had to white them all out. I guess planning ahead was a mistake. Oh well!

I had a great vacation week and I'm not excited to go back to work first thing tomorrow, but today is my boss's birthday and I think we're celebrating tomorrow. I baked gluten-free cookies for him :) So I think it will be a great day! I'll dress up with my new tan! 

Emily

23 days until Italy and I couldn't be more nervous if I tried. But I definitely had an amazing vacation thanks to my family and friends. My roommate, Emily, who I have lived with for 2 years in college came to visit for the weekend. She drove from Buffalo and came late Friday afternoon. We went to dinner with my grandma that night to one of her favorite places, the Sunset Diner on 22. Then we stopped for ice cream at Blizzard Island and went back home to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics! 

On Saturday, we drove to Queens, NY to see Connor, one of my awesome friends who is practically my brother. The three of us went to Applebees for lunch and then we headed home. We stopped at Sonic on the way to my grandma's that night for a quick snack and watched some of the Olympics with grandma at her house. Then we headed home to watch more of the Olympics and then I got Emily caught up on the latest episodes of The Vampire Diaries - the most awesome tv show ever (right next to Smash)!

This morning we went to mass, celebrating my boss's birthday, and then she left for lunch with another friend. After that she's heading back home to Buffalo. The sad part is that I have to head back to work (AND THE GYM!) tomorrow. I have to prep for the 5k on Thursday! So my week should be interesting!

Ocean City, NJ

26 days until Italy!
Stories about Russian chocolatiers, the Jersey Shore & being naked outside after a shower...yes, this is my life.

-----
I felt that I deserved time away from everything - all the crap, work, thoughts, the broken feeling my ex left, etc. I just wanted to get away for a bit. Thanks to my generous brother and his fiance, my family was invited to Ocean City, NJ for a bit. I took off from work - and basically life - for a week. My vacation started Monday morning. Dad took the dog to the kennel, I packed up my car, and the two of us headed to Ocean City - 1 hour and 45 minutes away. My mom and my sister left Sunday afternoon so they were already there a day before us. 

The drive was nice - at least for me. My dad thinks I drive like Batman in his friggin' Batmobile. "Slow down! Slow down!" It's the Garden State Parkway - they're practically begging me to go faster. We got there safe and sound, though. To Ocean City! And as soon as I drove part way over the brand new bridge outside of the most gorgeous area of NJ, I sped up to 80mph when I saw the huge ferris wheel (from the Ocean City carnival on the boardwalk). I was sooo excited!

The last time I was in Ocean City, I was there for a huge family reunion in a big beach house. I was dating someone else. I was a freshman in high school. It was a great time! I was able to hangout with my cousins. But this time was different - more fun because it was more intimate. Just my parents, my sister, my brother & his fiance, and me. It was great! Monday after we got there, we hit the beach. And I got burned. Not as bad as it could be, but I'm still a little sore. And red, hahaha. We spent hours at the beach, came home for a shower, and went out to dinner after relaxing a little at the house. We went to the Chatterbox restaurant, a few blocks from the house. 

Now the last time I went to the Chatterbox, I was a baby, maybe a toddler. It's a pink restaurant so you can't really miss it in Ocean City. It's off the boardwalk in town. Such a cute place - WITH CHOCOLATE COKE! (Try it - it's delicious!) I was a baby, flirting with dark haired men at this restaurant. My parents love that story. 

We also went to the beach every day after that. And went to a restaurant called The Shore Thing for dinner one night - where my brother ate something that was a cheeseburger between 2 grilled cheeses...weird. We went down the street for ice cream one night and another night we went to the Kohr Bros. ice cream place on the boardwalk - delicious! 

I bought a little white dress on the boardwalk and a shirt that says I pooped today! for my grandma. I got dark chocolate covered caramel candy with sea salt from a cute and very forward Russian guy. When I walked in the store, he took one look at me and says "I'll help you when you're ready miss!" He didn't make me pay full price, murmured some funny things to make me laugh, and winked at me when I left. Okay, really...who could ignore such a cute guy? He tried!

I played Haunted Mini Golf with my brother and his fiance. I bought some Italian gelato on the boardwalk. And almost got caught naked on the back deck after a shower. Whoa, wait...how did that happen?

I was outside on the back deck after going to the beach one day. There was a little wooden door that was the entrance/exit of the shower. After showering, I asked mom, who I thought was still outside, if she could pass me my towel. But she was inside the house in the shower. So I needed a towel...but to get it, I had to open the little wooden door to the shower. So I opened it, walking outside naked, covered myself...and then noticed the old guy, the neighbor from next door.

Crap.

He asked me if I went to the beach, to which I said yes. And scrambled into the house to get dressed. Awesome, right?

Weirdest vacation ever. But I'm tan and relaxed :)

WHY WOMEN BLAME ALL MEN!

MEN SUCK. With a capital S-U-C-K. A ton of women have a ton of complaints about a TON of MEN! Why? Because they all suck in their own ways! Men are liars, cheaters, thieves, and plain assholes. Men suck. Men lie...constantly. Why is that? You don't need to impress us by LYING TO OUR FACES. You don't need to have a ton of money, you just need to financially support us! You don't need to have a bunch of big-name cars. We just want ONE CAR to get us from Point A to Point FRIGGIN' B! And be safe on our way home from work. We don't want to be told to "drop our ass to the floor" or that we're "dirty hoes" or to "make that ass clap" because frankly...that last one scares me. (If I ever see/hear a woman's ass clap, I'm throwing up right there and running away.) I don't have time for men's bullcrap anymore! 

Men - don't act like the alphamale every damn second. It's okay to be wrong. Just don't be an asshole about it. Women are independent, confident, intelligent, money making billionaires too! Yes, we can support ourselves - with an apartment, house, car, food, education or whatever. Yes, we do own some nice things but we ARE NOT constantly orange, draped in Gucci/Prada/Dolce, and walking around in $500 heels. We also don't prep for sex every day like Victoria's Secret thinks we do. (Seriously, WTF is her secret anyway? Was she actually a guy?) We don't catwalk around in hoe-style lingerie, throw lace all over our bodies, and call it a damn day!

Men should be respectful - offer to pay for us, but don't feel like you've been slapped across the face if we end up paying for ourselves. Hold/open the damn door for us. Seriously, who gave birth to you idiots?! Remind us we're beautiful - every day. Yes, we have imperfections and acne and rashes and sometimes all we want to do is sit around and cry all day because Judy from work thinks I'm fat. But we still want to know we're BEAUTIFUL! Not sexy, not gorgeous, not perfect. BEAUTIFUL! It's absolute!

Men should be excited about marriage. That's a joke now. Not a lot of guys want to get married. Instead they feel like pimping around, f---ing girls left and right. Carrying a box of condoms in their pants like it's their damn job. Enough already. Are you 17 with a backwards hat? NO. Grow up! A real man gets married, stays married, and enjoys being married. That's that! 

Don't hit on us unless you're seriously prepared to be with us. Don't talk about marrying us unless you're planning to marry us AND FOLLOW THROUGH! Don't talk if you aren't going to walk. Don't ask, "Did I watch this show with YOU?" because it makes it sound like you have no idea which girl you watched the show with and shows us that you're pimping around with a billion other girls and can't keep damn track. LIAR. Don't flirt with other girls - online or via text or in person. ASSHOLE. We check your texts and FB chat message - we aren't FRIGGIN STUPID! We know you cheat and lie to our faces. 

And there's no sex till there's a ring on my damn finger SO SCREW OFF!

I totally agree with Jenna Marbles in "Bounce that Dick".
I'm just gonna act like this from now on - LOLZ!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1njojxS9vws <---

P.S. Amazingly perfect and honest guys out there, please don't tell me "I'm not him" because I've heard it before. And don't say "Don't blame all men on a few dbags" because I don't believe that crap either. Thanks :)

What Can I Do? Post is up to 70+ views! Check it out :)

Technology SUCKS

I've recently been keeping up to date with all of my accounts - which are like a billion and two! I have a gym membership and an amazon membership and an iTunes/apple membership...and a lot of accounts like these. Which, I guess, is normal. Since I've been updating all of my accounts, I changed some usernames and all of the passwords. Which is technically what you're supposed to do every 6 months. So I changed the passwords to my emails. No big deal...WRONG.

I tried to log into my emails on my phone. For whatever recent, Google now hates me. My gmail account I've had for years refuses to open for me and keeps telling me my "username and password don't match". After I changed the password twice, I decided to screw it. I'll leave my email for my friggin' computer! But I think I should call Google - if that's even possible. They have to have some help line or something. 

So I'm going to call the nerds this week so I can log onto my email via my phone. Should've called it a STUPID PHONE! Not a Smart Phone!

32 Days until Italy!

Only 32 more days until I leave the United States! It is very strange to think about now. Will the woman, Rosa, like me when I move into her home? Will I get lost? Or will I be able to make my way around Rome? I'm excited and nervous. Everyone warned me about the gypsies who rob you on the streets - the pick-pockets! And about the Italian men. They are supposedly aggressive and handsy. But I really don't care about either of those. I want to explore the country and use the language I've been studying for 6 years. I want to be fluent in their way of life! 

I'm taking July 23-29 off for my vacation time because it's the end of July and I haven't had much of a break all summer. I need a break before I leave for Italy because when August hits, I'll be all over the damn place - LOL. I'm heading to the Jersey Shore for some beach time! Hopefully I'll get some sun and spend all week in the water, but the storms we've been having in the Northeast lately have just been horrendous! It took me an hour to get home from work yesterday, which was ridiculous. It usually takes 30-40 minutes, but police decided to close the back road I take. But there was nothing wrong with the road! No flooding, no trees down, no fires. I have no idea why cops feel like shutting down roads for no reason! It's frustrating. 

Anyway, I'll get a nice break next week. Then my roommate, Emily, is coming to Jersey from Buffalo to stay for the weekend. I can't wait until she comes down, I miss her a lot and I have no idea what she'll do without me during the fall semester when I'm not there. I think she's going to have some serious separation anxiety - LOL. Especially since we've lived together for 2 years of college. Crazy!

I don't know what a couple people will do without me in the fall...

I'm also prepping for the 5k that I'm running with my brother in 2 weeks! My very first 5k! I've always wanted to do a triathlon but I'm not a runner. Since I joined the gym, and since my brother got me motivated to run with him, I decided why not! I'm just gonna live a little! It's 3.1 miles, I believe. I've been training for 2 or 3 weeks. 

Today I did 3.3 miles, which was great because I had a lot to sweat out. And wayyy too much energy! Yes - I ran AND walked, if you must ask me. Usually I stop at 2.5 or 2.6 and cool down. But I kept going tonight, which was awesome because now I know how to plan my stamina to keep up. I'm tricking my body into believing I'm a track star...when I'm really not. 

Here's to hoping!
Stay classy, San Diego ;)

Living with a Disease

In high school, I was sick a lot. I could never understand why. I wouldn't be able to eat a full meal. My skin would break out and slowly get worse. My stomach felt full even though I wouldn't be hungry. I would get so bloated, I'd look 3 months pregnant. I felt heavy. Everything felt wrong.

I was in the hospital 2 or 3 times in 3 years. It took 3 years to diagnose. From March to November of 2009, I visited my doctor 7 times, had 3 blood tests, 2 hospital trips, and an ultrasound. It was horrible. They were the worst years of my life, I think. I was always sick, always slow and heavy. I didn't know why. 

July 15, 2011 - I received blood tests results from my doctor and had questions. There were asterisks next to things I didn't really understand. What did they mean? My doctor told me I had Celiac Disease. That my intestines weren't working correctly. That I eating healthy food was BAD for me! 

I never thought I would ever be allergic to whey/wheat products. Ever. No one in my family had it and usually it's genetic. I always ate healthy, ever since I was a little kid. I always played sports and needed the carbs. But this wasn't the case. 

Celiac Disease is a digestive condition that ruins the lining of your intestines. I didn't realize that by eating bread, I was damaging my organs. Just like I didn't realize that by using Aveeno, I was damaging my skin! For me, it isn't just about consuming wheat products. Yes, I will have to live without gluten. No more pasta, pizza, pastries, or bread for me. But I also can't use cosmetic or beauty products on my skin if there is wheat in them. Aveeno I definitely can't use because most of their products have wheat. 

The only products I can consume have to be gluten free.

Now I have been living a "GF" life for 1 year :)

July 8-13

I haven't written in a while and I've been kicking myself for it because so many things happened this week! Here we go!

July 8 - Sunday:
The regular day - wake up early to go to grandma's house. Have breakfast with her, leave for church, work Bingo from 1-9pm, go back to grandma's to help her get ready for bed, go home. 

But she said to me, "You look good. Too good. Make sure the guys don't pinch your behind!" To which I gave her a puzzled look and laughed.

July 9 - Monday:
My alarm decides not to work. Instead of waking up between 7am and 7:15am, I wake up at 9:20am. I arrive at work Monday to Thursday at 8:30am and leave at 4:30pm so it was a small glitch in my day. Which is not so pleasant, especially for a Monday morning. But the rest of the day was fine and I went to the gym after work. 

July 10 - Tuesday:
I left for work, drove 15 minutes into the next town. Realized I forgot my laptop - which is vital for my job. Drove back home to get it and drove to work. At the end of the day, I drove home. Was looking for my phone on the drive home, pulled my purse (which was in the back seat) from the bottom and all my accessories fell into the back of the car. Awesome.

So I get home and I'm still looking for my phone. Can't find it. Tear my car apart and check my purse - still no phone. I forgot my phone at work. Awesome. I drive back (on my way to the gym) to drop my sister off, who also works at the same place. My phone is not at my workplace. It's sitting in the depths of the cup holder in the back of my car. How did I find it there? My sister called my phone while I was in the car looking for it. Thank heavens it wasn't dead and on vibrate. Went to the gym.

Weird week, right?

July 11 - Wednesday
Bingo and work. Better day. Gym.

July 12 - Thursday
Day off to go to Hurricane Harbor with a boy friend and my sister, who decided to forget she was wearing jean shorts when she went into the wave pool. What's even dumber is that my boy friend and I had no idea she was still wearing them. Awesome day. Went Bridesmaid dress shopping with my brother's fiance at night. 

July 13 - Friday
Day off. Spent all day shopping for new clothes with my sister. Stopped at Burger King for lunch and dropped my credit card at the drive thru...TWICE. Went bridal gown shopping with my brother's fiance at night :)

Weirdest week ever...then I found $5...

The Bachelorette

The Bachelorette was on tonight. Since this season has had one amazing girl, I've been watching it. Emily is a young woman, and mother, who is extremely determined to find a husband and father for her 6 year old daughter. However, tonight I think she kicked off the wrong guy, Sean. I thought Sean was absolutely perfect for her. He was a great father figure when they showed how close he was with his young niece. He's buff and gorgeous and such a gentleman. I thought he was the perfect choice for her! Poor Sean! 

I have to remember what I look for in my future boyfriend, fiance, and husband. I want a strong man, not a boy. Gorgeous, handsome, protective of me. Loves me every moment and will always remind me of how much he loves me, even when I'm pissed off...really pissed off. I want a man who isn't afraid to brag to his friends about me. Or kiss me in public, or in front of his family. I love that stuff - it's so simple, yet so significant. I want to be someone's one and only. I don't want a guy who's been through countless girls. I don't want a manwhore or another dbag. I don't want a liar or a manipulator or a cheater. I want someone to be completely and totally honest with me. I'm not going to write you off the first second if you're honest with me when I ask you...the first time. I want someone who won't go behind my back and flirt with other girls. I want someone to love me for me. 

I can promise that the man that marries me will be the luckiest man in the world. The man who is willing to put up with my horrible days where I just scream at him and say the worst things in the world for 10 minutes...then apologize and have him hold me close because he loves me, even in my worst moments. Even when I sit around and cry. When I'm having really tough days. I want a best friend! The man that can be my entire support system, through job opportunities, deaths in the family, sickness, shopping & buying an apartment for both of us to live in. I want all of that. It's really cheesy and I'm old fashioned, but I love the little things.

I want to be texted first in the morning. I don't want to text him first every day because then it looks like he doesn't care. I want to hear his voice before I go to sleep every night. I want him to be excited about seeing me and I want him to be a little nervous whenever I'm around him because I would be nervous too. But I want to have fun. And trust. And love. I want to turn the tv on and leave it on while I make out with him for hours. And forget what time it is. I want to walk around with him...anywhere we can possibly go, at whatever time. Because I know he'll protect me with every ounce of his being. I want him to make me the center of his universe and plan everything around me...and US! I want to share my life with someone like that. 

It's hard to find a gentleman. Someone to hold doors for you. And buy things for you on dates. And just have fun. It's hard to find someone who won't cheat on you or lie to you. Because most guys do. It's true! I don't want to fall in love with someone just to find out they screwed me over more than once. I don't want that ever again. When a man is with me, they are either with ME or they aren't. And there are no more chances. When you've lost me, that's it. Goodbye. The end. Good luck with your sorry pitiful excuse for a life without my radiance in it. 

I want a man who won't run when I get mad. Who, even if I think it's over, will constantly keep proving to me that he's worth every second of my time. And that no matter how difficult life gets for either one of us, he will always remember that I love him completely. And even if I push him away, will be at my doorstep with flowers or letters or whatever in hand, prepared to give me a ridiculously (but much appreciated) monologue about why he will always stay by my side - because THAT, my friends, is TRUE LOVE!

But I need a man. My hero! I want my friends and family to love him. I want him to ADORE me! I want him to spoil me and visit me, wherever i am, every chance he got. I want him to be excited about Skyping me every day or calling me or texting me. Instead of some guy who sits around on his ass and never suggests anything of that sort. I want a provider and a lover. I want a super hero and a best friend. I want a man who can't keep his hands off me, but can still be discreet and know that physicality isn't the whole relationship. I want truth! And sustenance. 

I want a husband in a few years and the clock is ticking. I want to get married young and be married...once. And live a long, happy, loving life with the man of my dreams! I only plan to get married once. I'm never getting divorced. Ever. And I can't wait to have kids! I want to teach them Italian and help them learn. Bring them to church every week and make them gluten-free guinea pigs! I want all of that with someone and more! i want an athlete - someone who will kick my ass at the gym when needed. I want a chef and a singer. I want someone who isn't afraid to make a fool of himself by dancing with me. I want someone who isn't afraid to travel the world with me and make a billion beautiful memories together! 

Is this list long enough? There's still so much more! 

But I can't start any of this because no man like this exists. When I return to DC in January, I will be shocked if I ever find a man like this. 

Home Stay!

I had a great day today, even though I woke up before 8am because of a nightmare that scared the hell out of me. My grandpa, who died in 2010, would have been 91 years old today! So happy birthday, grandpa! I miss you and if you were alive to celebrate today, I would make fun of you...cause you're super old. Haha, but I'd still bring Dunkin Donuts coffee and some cookies for you <3 

Work was great and tomorrow night will even be better because some of my regulars come in on Sunday nights! And I love that because it's nice to have real conversations with someone who stops by to see you and talk to you even though you're working. It's a nice break from the job! 

I also heard from CUA and I got information about my Home Stay family! I'm living with a woman named Rosa close to the school in Rome, Italy. And I can't wait to meet her! I'm SO EXCITED! 

Also, while taking care of grandma today (who has had a burst of surprising energy lately), she said something interesting to me that made me stop and think: "Marie, the day I stop putting on my makeup and stop styling my hair when I get up is the day that means I'm going to die very soon." And I'm not sure what to think about that. But I laughed when she said this...really hard. Because even when she was rushed to the hospital, she refused to see any doctors until her hair was curled and sprayed, and her makeup was finished. That's her routine and she's sticking to it! 

Fridayyy

Today was a gorgeous day! It was super hot out. It was the last day of teaching my 3rd graders and I will miss all of them! I could not have asked for a better class! As a thank you, I got flowers and chocolate from my kids. I hope I'll see them again next year, maybe when I teach for the 3rd year! 

I also went to the gym today because I wasn't able to last night and I can't during the weekend. I found a new machine that I had...a little too much fun with. And I can already feel that I'll be regretting it tomorrow. But I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill without tripping over myself this week, haha! I'm slowly prepping for Italy, got a nice portion of my room/paperwork sorted out, and I feel accomplished!

I'm starting to make a list of things I need for Italy though...like pants. Apparently I don't have many of those left and in Italy, they expect that you will walk into placed with shoulders and knees covered. This will be difficult for me because I HATE the heat and I like wearing loose, sleeveless clothing.  But I don't want to look too American.

      
 

Ladies & The Drinks ❤

I went to dinner with Will tonight. He was filling me in on flights to Rome and what to do/not do when it comes to traveling to another country. He told me what the Italians are like and their foods portions. He explained what to do about phones and money. I haven't seen him forever so it was nice to catch up! 

BTW - My post What can I do? is up to 40 views! 

Check these songs out:

2 Reasons by Trey Songz
Lemme See by Usher ft. Rick Ross

Bottlez by T-Pain Choreo <3 

 
Hahaha, both are so true! I love being a Virgo! Everything is completely on target!
 
Whoaaa, hello gorgeous! 




 
 
 

Middle of Summer

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone! Here are some interesting things I found at Pinterest! Remember to follow me @ pinterest.com/mncullinan !

  




 
 
^^-------LOLZ - Always what the guy's best friends say after he & his girl breakup

Riding Solo

Dear guys who are "dying" to be my boyfriend,

I'm not interested. At all. You are all very nice guys, but I just got out of a relationship and frankly, I'm sick of all the sick & stupid games. I'm done for a while. Maybe when I get back to DC for school in the spring, I'll start looking again. But for right now, I am not emotionally available. 

Thanks

 
 
 


  

First Post of July!

I can't believe it's July already! OMG how exciting! I've been home since the beginning of May and the summer it already half over. In less than 50 days, I'll be on a plane to Italia! So much has happened during my summer - my grandma, work, catching up with old friends, preparing for Italy in August...but I feel there is still a lot to do. I honestly have no idea what to write about since nothing has struck any inspiration in me. I thought about writing an entire post in Italian but I figured I would do it on a day closer to when I leave.

However, I did get some free time to myself today. After teaching, I had lunch and stayed in the office for an hour or so. I was told the office was closing at 2pm so I could leave early for the 4th of July holiday! So I was super duper pumped! I drove home, unpacked, got in my bikini and hit the pool! It was nice and sunny out today, without all of the humidity and I went by myself. I did that on purpose but I totally looked like a loner - oh well, haha. 
 
I laid in the sun for about 2 hours, went for a swim, read a large portion of my  most recent book, and enjoyed the time outside in the sun. Hopefully I got some color, but I'm so damn white I could be related to Edward Cullen. (Sad panda.)

But tomorrow I'm seeing some hot male strippers (aka MAGIC MIKE) and I'm going to spend more time in the sun :)



I miss swimming!