What up?

Judging by my absence from this here blog for (holy crap) more than five months, you’d probably guess, I’ve been a busy girl. Busy finishing up all 6 of my final courses, writing a bajillion papers, graduating with a masters and a perfect 4.0 GPA (I know, I brag), trying to enjoy the summer a bit, attending two fabulously debaucherous bachelorette parties and a Christmas-decor themed shower for one of my bestest friends, standing up for her at a gorgeous wedding ceremony on the lake at this awesome resort, and travelling all over Peru for a total of 11 days during which I was forced to poo in little holes in the ground for a portion of it.

It’s been a crazy, stressful, wonderful, exhilarating five months. And now… I am back to normal, I have my regular old life back and it is pretty damn awesome. Just in time for fall, my favorite season.

So what’s on my mind these days? In no discernable order at all, these are some things I’ve been thinking about:

• Babies. Yup.
• Chai Tea Lattes. They taste like October, I swear to God. Where have I been?
• Boots. I just bought these babies last week, and I think I’m in love. My brother works for Aldo now, which has proven to be very convenient.
• Speaking of shoes, and of course my brother’s discount, these might be next (if I can swing it with the hubs). I think two new pairs of shoes for the fall/winter seasons are respectable enough, no?
• I’ve found a few more good/terrible blogs which make me seethe with annoyance and silent judgment. Those are my favorites, and I feel like a sick masochist for continuing to go back, day after day. I wonder if there’s anyone out there seething with annoyance and silent judgment over my blog. Oh that’s right, I never write anything new here, if any ever existed, they’re likely long gone.
• Meat. Only because last night we took my parents to Fogo de Chão for my dad’s birthday. So. Much. Meat. It was overwhelming, somewhat nauseating, yet at the same time delicious.
• TV. I can watch again, as my evenings are no longer spent reading boring business text books and writing papers! I’m most excited about The Office, Pushing Daisies, Mad Men, and How I Met Your Mother. (Guilty pleasures that I am super embarrassed to be watching: Greys, Private Practice, Lipstick Jungle, and sometimes a little Real World Road Rules Challenge thrown in.)
• The Duchess. Does anyone want to see this movie with me? I know for a fact that Dan is a no-go, and Betsy, this is the mother of all “olden days” movies so I will make an educated guess you’re also not interested. I, on the other hand, am obsessed and giddy about the prospect of forbidden love, arranged marriages, constricting corsets, ridiculous wigs, and Kiera Knightly.
• Antiquing. Bring on the early morning drives to Buffalo, picking up hot coffee on the way, the kitschy vases and standing lamps, the combined smells of cinnamon, barn, and oil based paint, and the stops at the vegetable stand on the way home to stock up on funky gourds, squash, and honey crisp apples. We went last weekend, and I’m thinking about going again this Saturday.

As you can see, most of what’s on my mind these days is either superficial or mundane. But this is the good stuff of life, taking stock and getting enjoyment out of the little things, and I’m so happy to be able to take the time to do it again. I’m bracing myself for more evening walks and happy hours with the girls, reading the paper while downing whole pots of coffee on Sunday mornings, and getting excited about planning out my Halloween costume. Loving it all.