It's a.......

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good news!!

I can finally blog the awesome news that Mike and I are having a baby!!! I am four months pregnant and the little one is strong! We find out soon what we are having...so excited!! We can't wait to meet our little miracle and we know we will be welcoming him/her to the world with a ton of love!!

A Halloween party and The Bridge??!!

Mike joined his old band, once again, for a benefit concert in Baltimore. Not only was it a dress up party, with The Bridge playing, and fun times with friends and family, BUT my dad, Charlie, came!!! Him and my mom came down for the fun! Ralphie joined in, too! Mike was amazing, as always, and it truly was an amazing night!! Kenny's charity raised a ton of money. I had donated a paining to the silent auction and it sold for $250!! All of it goes to the charity, so I was super excited!!! Here are some pics to document the evening...

Sherri had a great birthday here in MD!!

So, on Friday, my sweet girl, Sherri, had a birthday! Her and her man, Ryan, came to celebrate with me and Mikey! We had such a fun night! Glad I got to spend your day with you!!

My girl got married!!!

This weekend, one of my past students, who I adore, got married to the love of her life!! Congrats Kim and Jon! It was beautiful to witness and I loved my time with Sam, too!!!

A weekend full of Dicksteins!!!

We had the pleasure of getting a visit from our family, the Dicksteins! They all have amazing children and it was good practice for us for when we have little ones! Josh and Michelle had a wedding in town, so they stayed here with Esther and we had a blast! Rian and Lisa live in the town next to us, so we also got to spend time with them and the lovely grandparents (my God-parents) Wendy and David!! The whole weekend was super special and we hope to see everyone again soon!!!

Just enjoying some "me time" on this gorgeous October afternoon...

So, here I sit, just relaxing and having a "me day," while I wait for my sweetie to come home in a bit. I of course did the "must-dos" this morning, such as laundry, grading (which is actually a joy and not a chore because I truly enjoy reading the papers of my students), baked a birthday cake for my sister-in-law, and cleaned the house a bit. Then, I nestled into the couch with my two furry companions and had some time to just RELAX!! It's funny, because my friends have always referred to me as a social butterfly; one who is always flitting around from one place to the next with endless plans. Although I love seeing friends, families, attending fun events (such as the engagement party we are attending tonight...yey Cris and Kat!!), I am also realizing that there is a benefit to just taking some time for me, being selfish, and chillin'! I owe that to myself. We all do. Just sayin'!

September overview!

This was such a fun month!! My brother came to visit us and we loved every minute of that time together. Wish it happened more often, but we will take anything we can get! Seeing you so happy is the best thing a sister could ever want! Thanks for the best birthday cake ever....red velvet cheesecake!! It was so nice getting to celebrate with you!

Then, my actual birthday came around! It started with a girl's night out in B-more with some of my closest girlfriends;) Thanks for an amazing night, ladies. I LOVE my time with all of you!! Mike made my actual birthday so completely special, as always. I love my massage gift certificate, dinner at Jack's Bistro was the bomb, and just spending time with you at the Eagles/Ravens game was the best!! It was a good game, too. Sorry about your birds, lovie!

Then, I got a wonderful belated b'day dinner with Heather and Sherri. I love you girls SO much. Thank you for an incredible night!! September ended with a merry celebration of merryment at the Renaissance Fest!! The pics say it all!! Great month!!!!!! What will October bring!! P.S. Congrats to Tim and Heather on the birth of their adorable son, Spencer!!

Revel casino...mommy-daughter fun!

This Friday, after visiting dad in Jersey, the girls snuck away for some girl fun! Jamie is an amazing chef in Philly and because she worked with and trained so many of the chefs at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, boy did we get the hook up!!! We went to Amada and everything was delicious. Then, we bar hopped around, checking out the scene. Finally, we ended up at the new club called Royal Jelly and spent the rest of our night there. We have all been friends forever....literally since Jam and I were in the womb...so it was a LONG time coming that we would get to have this night. We had the BEST time...laughed so hard that I am STILL laughing about our chaos. Every time I close my eyes, I relive parts of that night!!! Thank you all for an amazing night of memories...I will cherish it forever!!!

A new rabbi in da house!

I am just in awe of you, Jessy!! Last night, when Mike and I came to see you debut at the synagogue and it was just spectacular! You are SO completely engaging and we just loved every minute of it. Could have listened to you speak all night. Then, the dinner afterwards...no words. Thank you for having us and we look forward to many more nights like this!! Mazel Tov!!!

Who is ready for another school year??!!

I am!! Today is the first day of the fall 2012 semester and I couldn't be more excited! I always love this time of year. Fall is coming soon, I get to meet my new students, and it is a fresh new start;) I feel blessed every day to have a job I love so much. I can't wait for many more years of this! Happy fall start, everyone!

Family visitors and a night out with Kim and Dave!

Mike and I got some FL visitors on Thursday! After a wonderful week of me going back to work, Dad and Lori made a pit-stop at our place on their way from DC to AC! Even though it was a short visit, it was a great one!! Then, mom came back for another fun two days!! Mom, I love having you here. I feel SO lucky to have you as not only my mom, but as my best friend!!! Last night, we met Dave and Kim (7 months preggers!!) at Cazbar in B-more. What a fun place!! We ate delish food and watch a belly dancer. We love our times with you both! See you soon for Eagles season!!!

Dinners with great friends!

This week is off to a good start because we got to spend both Monday and Tuesday nights with great friends! Monday, we met Amy and Allen at The Grilled Cheese Company for dinner. Yum! Always love seeing you two!

Tonight, we had time with Arik and Agnes at our place! Mike cooked a delicious meal and we all laughed and had an awesome night!! Thanks for the visit and Agnes, have the BEST year in JAPAN!!! So exciting!! Maybe the Finkbones will visit!!

Sisters weekend!!

Angie and I went to our second annual Jersey Shore weekend! First, we went to Sea Isle and stayed at our Inn. We went to the beach first and then hung out at the pool. We went to No Shower Happy Hour, and then the OD for the rest of the crazy night! Saturday, we went to my cousins' house, Gail and Reed, to nap and chill before another fun night! Gail threw a party, hosted by Maria Bello, for a charity in Haiti. We got to help with this amazing charity from the rooftop of the Revel casino, poolside!! After the party, we went to the HQ nightclub and hung out VIP style!! We felt famous;) Then, today we went to the beach with my cousins and drove home to MD. It was a wonderful trip!! Already excited for next years' trip!

Fun in the Sun with Nina and Soli!

LOVE you girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't posted in far too long!

Let's see...a busy, amazing August... First and foremost, my girl Jessy moved back to MD!! Welcome home, lovie!! We had an awesome dinner with some of our close friends to welcome Jessy home and to congratulate her on becoming a Rabbi! It was a fabulous night and I can't wait for many, many more!

Then, some other amazing people moved home!! I know I posted about them before, but having Rian, Lisa, and Grady (and baby-to-be) around is a real treat! I love time with them!

Kurt and Erica (welcome home also, Erica!) took us boating again in Annapolis! We always love our trips with them...it was a perfect day and brave Kurt even let Mike drive the boat!!! Fun times!

Mike and I met mom, Chaz, and Angie in DC to see Ralph conduct at a Navy event. I was so happy that dad and mom were able to come and felt good! Ralph was truly magical to watch...his commanding presence! SO cool!! We also went for a yummy Mexican meal and then to Arlington! My grandpa is burried there, so we visited....I was finally able to introduce him to my husband....it was very special.

Hope, Reg, and baby Kenzy also came for a fun visit!! We loved our time with them, as always!! Hope was my college roommate and we have been SO good at staying in touch and super close! I LOVE that we both make equal effort to visit each other at least two times a year...once in our neck of the woods, and once in theirs. It is so nice that after ALL these years, we still care just as much as we did then;) Thanks for such a wonderful time!!!

This week, Mike took me down to OC! We always have the best time! We went to the beach, the pool, yummy restaurants, the boardwalk, in the photobooth, surfing, and to the bars. It was a great trip!! Nice seeing Rob, too~~ LOVED it all!

One more shout out...Heather opened her brand new store...bigger and better (although I hate saying better, because it has always been ridiculously amazing)....in Marlton Crossing, which is a KILLER location!! The opening was fantastic and I could not be happier for my girl!!!