Spring is in the air which means one thing...BASEBALL SEASON. Since I've moved up here I've been so much more into the Red Sox and I am so freakin excited for the season to start. Baseball season means Red Sox and Red Sox means....



Manny and Jacoby, my two loves. I can't wait to go to a game. AND, michelle got a job at a place right next to Fenway. So even if I can't go to the games I can go hang out there every once in a while and watch. Baseball season rocks!

Since its warm enough, our friendly neighbor, or the guy who owns the neighboring property, decided he needed to make our lives miserable. Our current parking situation is annoying enough, we have to work out three cars with three different schedules getting in and out of the driveway. It was only three because crazy downstairs neighbor went in and out the back because he has an SUV. Well now dude is putting up a wall so he can't get in and out through the way he has been. What does that mean for us? Well, we have 4 cars in three houses with 4 different schedules trying to use one driveway. It doesn't help that we avoid talking to crazy downstairs neighbor at all costs. Currently he's unemployed (again), but his "line of work" is pretending to manage bars and restaurants. Ugh, don't even get me started. On the weeknights Patrick and I pull our cars in no later than 11. We have are the only ones who have something like a normal 9-5 schedule. I have no idea what we're going to do and it is totally stressing me out.

Easter has come and mostly gone without anything terribly exciting. Honestly, we probably should have gone up to see what Nona was up to today, but alas. Michelle came down last night (finally!) and spent the night. I was stoked to have her see the place and providence. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot to do considering it was the night before easter. And today? We went to Borders. Actually, it wasn't sooo boring. We made a nice breakfast and hung out for a while. She got to meet a couple of my friends, including Dave. And in my never ending attempts to be cute and homey, the easter bunny came! Being the easter bunny (and santa of course) is freakin expensive, let me tell you that. But we got the first season of How I Met Your Mother on DVD and (most importantly) scrabble. Patrick and I played a game this evening, i won. It was a pretty low keyed visit, I wish we could have gone to the mall or seen more stuff down town. But I at least got to spend some time with her, and thats the important thing.

Right now I'm contemplating just how early I can get away with going to bed this evening. I am currently dreading waking up in the morning and doing my 9-9 shift. One day off just isn't enough. The only thing that is keeping me going is waiting for my tax return so we can get paid off on everything and *maybe, just maybe* have a little left over, though I'm not holding my breath. I want to have a little more wiggle room than we do right now. As soon as I get paid for my extra hours we can start to save up for other fun things, like a computer we desperately need. Dear god we need a new computer! Hopefully this one will last us another couple of months until we can afford it. The real world sucks

I thought spring was supposed to be warm and sunny...?

Oh how was I wrong!! There was snow yesterday. And rain. And more rain. And wind, cold. WHEN is the weather going to be nice again???

Getting your hair cut at a new salon is always a gamble and today, well...I lost. I lost about 5 inches of hair and $80. Being Monday, the place that I wanted to go wasn't open, so I went to this place on Thayer. I figured I could go in, get the haircut I wanted and get my eyebrows done all at the same time. I at least got my eyebrows done even if I didn't get the haircut I wanted. The concept is pretty simple, especially because it is the "in" haircut. I wanted to get what Mindy gave me last time she did my hair. Unfortunately I didn't expect a smelly (seriously, I had to hold my nose while he was washing my hair) man who didn't really understand the words "inverted" and "layers." I want a bob, I want it layered. SIMPLE. He had to go back and fix it twice and I'm still not happy. I'm going to let some friends see it and figure out if i want to go back and pitch a fit or not. He also doubled the price I was told just because he blow dried it. Didn't style, just blow dried. I could have done that at home and walked my ass back down for him to finish cutting it. Now I feel bad because I don't want to go in there and get someone else to fix it if I decide thats what needs to be done. If I do go back, it will probably be on Wednesday and I'll ask for the manager. We'll see what the friends have to say about it. Ugh, I am very very upset right now.

I have some wonderfully exciting news, Emily is moving back up to Providence in June! I'm so excited about having a best friend here. Its been 6 years since we've lived in the same state. Having her around is going to be amazing. I am in dire need of a good girlfriend. I don't think I've seen any "friends" in 2 weeks, besides dave. Things are frustrating and a little bit lonely these days.

In my never ending effort to keep my checking account balance over zero I've signed up for some extra shifts at work. Tides is forming a bunch of new programs and I'm doing "modified tracking" on my off nights. 2 or 3 nights a week I'm tracking 5 kids in Providence. I did 2 intakes today. Providence kids are a little bit different from my Woonsocket ones, must be the city living. Right now its a mess of confusion and nobody knows whats going on. The other day I went out and bought myself a day planner with hourly slots. In college those things stressed me out, but now with 5 extra kids and all that is involved with that I have to have it. We're running into some serious problems, like not having a work phone for it. It would be almost impossible to have one considering that I'm not passing a phone back and forth between myself and a kid in Pawtucket. Rhode Island maybe be small, but not that small. And gas is friggin expensive. Once I get started, which will be next week, I'm going to be getting about $400 extra a month, which isn't too bad considering I'm just extending my work day from 5 to 7ish. It sucks because that cuts into dinner time and all that, but Patrick and I can just move dinner back a little. I'm going to have to be more creative in preparing food that doesn't take an hour. Nobody likes eating at 9 pm.

The in laws were up this week from South Florida. Patrick's mother and youngest brother came up for spring break. It was a nice trip, especially because she kind of went grocery shopping. We have tons of eggs and milk now at least. That and a chicken carcass I need to boil down. mmm, carcasses! We went up to Boston on Sunday. They decided to do a trolly tour. Unfortunately we weren't on it for very long, but I enjoyed it while we drove around Boston. I learned a couple new things about the city I didn't know. A molasses flood? who knew? We also went to the USS constitution. That is one touristy thing I hadn't done before this past weekend. I surprisingly enjoyed it, even though it was absolutely freezing outside. They also went up to Salem to do some touristy stuff. I couldn't go because it was my Monday on. Everyone sounded like they had a fun time. I hope his mother enjoyed herself and doesn't think I'm too much of a heathen and awful girlfriend for her son.

I am currently cooking lasagna and chocolate muffins along with trying to clean the house. Patrick's mother and brother are coming in tomorrow for a couple of days and I'm trying to do my best to pretend I am all homey and jazz...HA. I figure make a lasagna, have some chocolate muffins and his mother might overlook some of the lesser aspects of the house. The fact that we don't really have any curtains or the dustiness we just can't get rid of. Its not that I'm nervous, I'm just worried she won't be impressed, or something. They're going to be up here until Wednesday so we have a good couple of days of family time. There's enough of my family around, its good his is coming up. I know we're going to Boston on Sunday, but other than that we have nothing planned. Providence, and RI in general, isn't the most inviting place in the winter. All the good stuff doesn't get started for another month or so. I am going to take half a day on Tuesday to hang out with them and I am at a complete loss of what to do. Movies? Mall? RISD museum? In order not to worry I am going out with Alexis to see Keller Williams tonight(!!!)

I feel kind of strange announcing to the world my weight watchers status, so as of next week just remember I'm on it. From time to time I might update those who don't see me, but thats only if its really good. This week, not really good. Then again, it wasn't really bad either. Nothing, absolutely nothing. I didn't gain or loose. Its partly frustrating, but then again I didn't gain. I will say that I adore our leader and she always has good ideas and recipes.

Making the lifestyle changes required to succeed at WW is tough. The whole counting thing isn't a big deal at all, its changing how I think about food. While I've always *tried* (kinda, sorta, sometimes) to eat relatively healthy, I've made some huge overhauls in my eating habits. Its a constant source of amusement and awe. Grocery shopping is definitely not the same anymore. Unfortunately grocery shopping in Prov is a pain in the ass in and of itself. Adding on being broke AND being on WW its a mammoth undertaking. There are three places to shop in the city (well, pretty much) and it is a distinct hierarchy. Whole Foods, Stop and Shop and Save-A-Lot. I can't afford Whole Foods, Stop and Shop has horrible produce and Save-A-Lot, well...its Save-A-Lot. Never, ever go the first Saturday of the month, its a headache and a half. Instead of dealing with the Stop and Shop I don't like I've taken it upon myself to shop in Woonsocket. Its a little out of my way, but Shaws and Price Rite are totally worth it.

Wow, I really am a middle aged house wife. A post about GROCERY SHOPPING?? I have food on my brain, its really all we do in the office. That and I play scrabulous on Facebook. Tracking is always exciting. It is, sometimes. I've spent the past 3 mornings I've worked running around like a chicken with my head cut off dealing with 5 different schools and making sure all 22 kids aren't in trouble. Its an undertaking to say the least.

But now I have to check my chocolate (and pumpkin) muffins and make the lasagna. Keller Williams calls!