Spring Fever!

So it finally has started warming up a here in Cinci-nasty. It's supposed to get cold one more time next weekend but at least we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. For a moment there it seemed like Spring would never arrive, despite the Groundhog's prediction.

After having what will potentially go down in history as the worst day at work in the last 10 years, which is essentially the length of my entire professional career, I decided to leave early and my husband did the same. Around 4 pm on Friday, we went to the park right by our house and enjoyed the sun and the warmth for a super long time, which was in huge contrast with the previous weekend where we'd gone to the park in the middle of what seemed like a mini-blizzard and had to leave after about 5 minutes or so!

Here are the highlights of what our first Spring weekend brought to us:

• Rediscovering one of Cincinnati's "greater" treasures (pun intended), Graeter's. Gabi has proved yet again why she's her mother's daughter as she devoured every ice cream we got, and was especially keen on the chocolaty ones, none of that sorbet crap that her dad likes. Unfortunately now I'm totally bummed out because I discovered that Mint Cookies N' Cream is a flavor that they only have in January and February so Saturday, which was the first time I ever tasted it, will be the last time I can have it until January 2008! And who the hell is in the mood for ice cream in January and February anyway?! Maybe in PR, but definitely not in the 'Natti, and definitely not with the winter we had this year. By the second day we went to Graeter's the lady who served our ice cream asked me: "Didn't I serve you last night?". I guess the night before it had been somewhat surprising for her that we were having ice cream for dinner. I responded "Don't worry, I won't be here EVERY day". But yet there I was on Saturday & Sunday for the 2nd & 3rd time in a row! But don't worry, today is Monday and after my husband asked me if I wanted Graeter's after dinner I actually said no. :)

• Girls Night Out to watch a chic flick - Since my husband had boys night out on Friday I got GNO on Saturday. Elika, Mara and I went to the movie theater and watched The Ultimate Gift. It's actually the adaptation of a novel by Jim Stovall. We really didn't know what to expect but it seemed like the best thing to watch given that Mara didn't want to watch something stupid like Reno 911 even though Elika and I are always up for a good laugh. I told Elika that if Borat had been showing that's probably what I would pick to watch, since I thought a good laugh was the best medicine for the type of day I had (I guess there was a shortage of alcohol because that also would've done the trick I'm sure). That reminds me of when I was on maternity leave and I watched every single show on TV every day, I pretty much knew the whole daily TV schedule; from 7-10 watch The Today Show, 10-11 Ellen, 11-12 The View, etc. etc. I knew the whole thing by heart. Funny because now what I know is that at 7 pm there's Noddy, which is followed by Sagwa, which is followed by The Berenstain Bears, which is followed by Kevin's The Birthday Show. This is all courtesy of the Sprout channel for those of who not familiar with baby TV watching menus. And then it's bedtime for Gabi. Anyway, back to my TV watching habits during maternity leave...At the beginning I especially looked forward to Oprah and Dr. Phil, but once I had the baby I realized what I really needed was a good laugh, none of that "heavy" stuff that Oprah and Dr. Phil like. And so my only "appointment television" became Ellen, I laughed so hard every day when she did her monologue and then started dancing, it was exactly what I needed during that time. I would schedule Gabi's naps and feedings around Ellen and not answer the phone or look at the computer or schedule doctor's appointments or go out grocery shopping or anything like that during that. It became the only sacred cow during my maternity leave. Anyway, huge digression as usual. I come back to The Ultimate Gift...We all cried like babies, each one probably lost in her own thoughts since we all seem to be in the middle of some major life transition, although Mara won't tell us what it's all about! Elika is getting married in a month, I am in the middle of a mid-work crisis, and Mara, I guess we'll find out soon enough. Anyway, there was a really good quote in the movie that I thought was incredibly appropriate for my current situation. It was something about "you don't begin to live until you've lost everything". I guess my life is about to begin...Anyway, I highly recommend watching the film, I don't even really think it was a chick flick although that's not to say the chicks won't dig it :) This is the excerpt from the web site:

  A story that just keeps giving

  When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks – or “gifts” – designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.

• Catching up on my Tivo thanks to boys night out and crying like a baby when seeing the 3rd episode of the Grey's Anatomy series. During the first two episodes of that series I wasn't the least bit interested in Meredith Grey's drowning, given the fact that I pretty much knew she had to survive given the show is named after her! But somehow the two brilliant writers (I absolutely LOVE listening to them on the ABC Official Grey's Anatomy podcast) found a way to make me care for that storyline with the 3rd installment, actually "care" is a huge understatement, it drew me in, sucked me dry of tears and spit me back out rethinking life as I usually do every time I watch the show. and crying my eyes off on Grey's Anatomy. I also watched the last 2 episodes of The OC which was kinda sad to see it all coming to an end, and there was a funny quote in the show about how "teenage dramas seem to last forever" which unfortunately was not the case for this particular teenage drama. I know I was probably the last person on Earth still watching The OC, but as my husband likes to say, I like to live in the past. I still need to do major catch up on episodes of Apprentice, The Office and Heroes.

• My husband is ecstatic about Georgetown winning the Big East tournament and of course making into the NCAA tourney. I'm wondering if I should actually join a pool just to have one more thing to take my mind off work. I also wonder if I should have Georgetown go all the way. I'm not bothering to ask my husband that because I know what he'll say. Cincinnati Reds tickets also went on sale on Saturday morning and my husband is a huge Cubs fan so we got games for 2 of the Reds-Cubs games here in Cincinnati. We've gone to Chicago a lot in the past for Cubs game but we always seem to freeze our assess of in Wrigley Field and as much as I like to go to Wrigley Field I don't think I can take any more of being cold.

• It was also nice to get over my week-long spring allergy, a phenomenon for which apparently Cincinnati is as famous for as Graeter's ice cream.
  

• Oh, and Daylight Savings Time sucks! I made it to work approximately one hour late today because Gabi is usually my alarm clock and unfortunately she's off by an hour. I'll have to put on a REAL alarm clock tonight or risk getting fired. That would be a shame. :)
  

Now somehow we have to figure out how to make our yard look better in time for Jose's 30th birthday party. And I also can't wait to go buy a pool at Target for Gabi, Jose and I to enjoy the summer with!