I love being happy!

I am in one of those rare "everything's awesome and I can't stop smiling" moods, and despite having the sniffles and a few oddities at work, I am just about the happiest I've been in a while! As Kate would say, "the major updates":

1) I have furniture! Last weekend (10/14) my family drove down with a truck o'stuff from Minnesota and three of my favorite boys (Brian, Dan & Sully) helped unload and get my apartment all set up. I'm way excited to have furniture and lights and a desk and a tv/dvd player and all my stuff! I even have my scrapbooks and scrapbooking materials here, but I haven't had time to sit down and do any of it just yet. Someday I will :) I've been too busy doing other things...

2) "Lost" Wednesdays! Man, what an awesome tradition. I meet up with Suzette for dinner somewhere downtown, then we head over to K.Rock's apartment for Lost & Project Runway (Well, now that PR is done, I don't know what we'll watch, but we'll still be watching Lost!) Sully joined us last week, and sometimes Kellie & Kristin (new friend) will join us. I love it. :)

3) Grey's Anatomy Thursdays. There is this awesome bar in Wrigleyville called Take 5 that does this Grey's Anatomy Thursday night thing -- Grey Goose drink specials ($7 martinis!) and Grey's Anatomy on ALL the tvs in the bar. It's a great sports bar feel, and would be an awesome place to watch a Bears or Cubs/Sox game. But the whole place shuts up for the show and they do trivia during commercial breaks. Afterwards they have 80s/90s music videos. haha, how awesome is that?!

4) I'm hosting a psuedo-Halloween party on Friday night. Actually it's more of a pre-housewarming party (my real housewarming party will be in December, just in time for Christmas!) I'm excited to have people over to my place and to be social and Ms. Hostess like I haven't been able to be in a super crazy long time. I love playing hostess, I do. This is why I love planning special events. I often wish my job was just special events because I feel like I can't throw myself into the event as wholly as I'd like because I have a lot of other demands on my time. Oh well, I'm doing the best I can. :)

5) I finally got my priorities and expectations and goals into a tangible grid. I showed it to Fr. Tim, who I think appreciated it, but during the meeting all he said was "No place for grants" and "where's recruitment" (it was the first fricking column) and went into his "enrollment is our biggest threat" spiel. Yes, I know. This is why it's not only a) the first column, but b) why I went out to distribute fliers last Thursday with Vida, and c) why I have been wanting your help all this time! DUH! But that's ok, because he redeemed himself in saying that I should come to the School Board meeting and talk to the parents about forming a recruitment committee. Well geez already, couldn't you have thought of this a MONTH ago?! What do you think I've been saying this whole time about doing it all myself?! ::shakes head:: It's ok though, because that grid makes me feel really organized and have a real clear idea of what I'm supposed to be doing with my time these days, each month.

6) Stephanie Ann is getting married next week. I can't hardly believe it!?! It's absolutely crazy. It feels like just yesterday she was calling to tell me she and Brian had gotten engaged, and now it's finally here. Like everything else in our life/friendship together, this has a been a journey and I couldn't imagine not doing it together. I hope she's able to continue being part of all MY journies over the years, just as I can't wait to be part of her continued Married-Life Journey! :) I walked down the aisle at St. Procopius last week to practice, and oh man did my knees/legs shake the whole time! I just kept picturing my beautiful Stephie waiting behind me to walk down to her husband-to-be. I couldn't stop smiling and I just about burst into tears. I love her dearly and I wish her the best happiness. I can't wait til all my friends (and I) are all married and can share in each other's joys so strongly. I will have to wait a while, but I'm still excited for it. Got Dan & Mal's wedding invitation, and filled out the info and mailed it back in already. I just can't believe it. Next will be Greg & Rachel, unless I go to Erin & Zach's wedding or Katie & Steve's wedding (Both on St. Patrick's Day, can you believe that). All these weddings... some days I'm annoyed by it, but right now I'm kind of ok with the lovey-dovey thing. :)

7) Does Bri have a love interest? Or at least a like interest? You bet. And you're all thinking it's the coworker, but it's not. Adam and I, I think, have come to an understanding but we're too busy to even formulate a real strong decent friendship at this point much less anything else. I have a 3-year deal with God, but I packed that away in my locked box. So now I'm open to whatever, and it looks like whatever was waiting for me to be in Chicago and then the door sort of opened on its own. We'll see what happens -- I'll keep you posted. :)

8) I can't wait for the holidays. I'm going home for Thanksgiving & Christmas, and I'm ecstatic for both! I love going to MN for the holidays, and I love the family love and traditions. I do want to explore all that Chicago has to offer for Christmas traditions, but that will happen in its own time. :) Hopefully this year, and hopefully with friends, and perhaps a specific friend. Until then, I'll keep my mind occupied with thoughts of snow, presents, cozy fires, "White Christmas" play on Dec. 23rd with my family, christmas songs, lights, decorations, etc... Can't wait can't wait can't wait!

9) Potential St. Louis visit... December here I come!! I love STL, and everyone keeps getting on me to come visit, so by golly I think it's about time I try to come visit! The potential plans are to go down on Thursday night 12/7, go to school on 12/8 and help with Drop-Off Sunday on 12/10. I think. It's on the DL, all hypothetical, but I'm so excited about the possibility! Oh the possibilities... That's my personal motto/theme right now. :)

10) And finally, I saved a puppy yesterday. It came tearing out of this house yesterday while I was walking to the bus stop after work. It stopped behind a car, who was parked on the street waiting to pull out of his parking spot. I'm not sure if he saw the puppy or not, but once he caught the break in traffic I knew he'd try to leave. So I motioned for him to wait, then sqautted down to try and coax the puppy out from behind the car, where he was barking at who knows what in the street. She turned and looked at me, and I kept saying, "come here pup, come on, come on pup" and finally her little paws came up on the sidewalk and just like that she ran back up her steps. The guy in the car smiled at me and I walked away, knowing I had saved a puppy. A super cute adorable lovable "I want to take her home with me" kind of puppy. And I'm the cat-owner :)

Ok, time to go channel this good mood and all this energy! Take Care and know I love you all!

Bri :)