Valentine's Day - Married Style:

I wasn't gonna do anything for Doug..... until about 6:00 pm on the 14th

So I went yogging all the way down to the grocery store [like less than a mile - weak]

and bought some stufffff and made it all in a mad rush before he got home!

note to you: simply shaping a wad of sugar cookie dough into a heart does NOT guarantee it will cook into that shape - my attempted heart turned more into like a butt shape.... not romantic.....

[but definitely funny when I explained to Doug my efforts]

also I *opted* not to get red/pink sprinkles - the store did not just run out..... 

Look how festive this guy got for V-Day at work! 

[yes that is our redbox for the night - "Drive"]

The night was made by us starvingly realizing we needed food -

So taco-bell-living-room-floor-picnic it was! While we watched our movie and ate 

our huge cookie with milk afterwards

PERFECT FIRST VALENTINE'S DAY

[J'aime mon mari]

PS: Post married posts will come shortly! Sorry about the wait - I've been 

trying to soak in all of my marriedness :)

Post-post-script: Notice how annoying I got with my new phone?

Halloween Day PLUS Me Dressing Up Equals My Increased Ability to Eat Candy

I have brown fuzzy gloves

[Doug calls them my Fozzy Bear gloves]

I have brown cloths
and hair-ties

and makeup

VIOLA, MY COSTUME!!!

Yum, yum, yum :)

*Happy Halloween Everyone*

Saturday Night - aka: Halloween Time begins

.... ok to be honest halloween time started about the same time I drove myself all the way to Target last weekend just to get a bag of candy corn..... for myself..... and nothing else

it also kinda started when Doug and I watched "28 Days Later..." [zombie movie - brilliant zombie movie] earlier this week

but it FOR REAL started this weekend because Doug and I carved pumpkins :)

Not to toot my own horn... but I take pumpkin carving pretty seriously, Exhibit A:

which led to...

Yes I absolutely made my pumpkin look like Darth Vader!!

thats what weirdo nerds do...

This was 2008, the last time I got to carve a pumpkin, and with my baby sister Caitlin! [HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY BUBBY GIRL!!!! I love you so darn much!]

To my shock, disbelief, stupefaction and great surprise - Doug had NEVER carved pumpkins before..... the lunacy!!

We remedied that this Saturday - while we watched "Shaun of the Dead" :)

Here's our handiwork:

[someone's got Xmas on the brain....]

I think he had fun :)

This was quite a night of grilling, mild thievery [the pumpkin patch wasn't necessarily open when we got there, but we left a note with the total in cash for the pumpkins we took.... we hope they find it under that pumpkin....], pumpkin smell all throughout the house, joking, candy corn and cupcakes!

 

It was a great night, followed by a great Sunday of apple picking! [pickies to follow]

I LOVE AUTUMN TIME!!!

Doug is a Grad...

Doug Wallace
aka: future hubs, best friend, playpal, food buddy, fellow dog enthusiast, nice midwestern boyfriend, and Pro shrimp pasta with combination sauce and garlic bread maker
has officially graduated from college.

He is a man

He knows all there is to know

He can no longer fill in that box that says "full-time student"

He is a functioning and contributing member of society

He'll start to wear glasses, read books, and go "hmmmm" while in Starbucks on the weekdays

He'll have that "air" about him.... 

you know

He's just DONE!!

A little Lowrey House commemoration in the back there, nice

ps: these pictures were taken in a mad rush, 30 seconds before the guys left for the auditorium and I left for my plane to Boston

[I flew like they did in the 60's on Pan-Am flights - in *style* :)]

Sorry no robe photos - have to ask his parents for those

post post script: Due to crazy finals week, packing, and leaving for my internship in Boston, I've not been stellar about keeping up with the bloggin' - will promise to get better starting tonight!

Best-Birthday-Gifting-Fiance Award

Goes to me :)

because of this, BAM:

Yeah, I got a bona-fide stuffed Chicago pizza delivered to our little college this past weekend.

Those who don't know what a stuffed pizza entails, check it:

Perfect amount of sauce on top
Crust

CHEESE and delicious toppings [pepperoni in our case]

Crust

I was all sneaky-sneakster this week - though I did tell him that I got him something that was being sent here and that I couldn't wait to give it to him..... and I called dibs on him for friday night supper time :)

I don't think he knew

So while I was at my job in the copy center.... not doing work, I quickly started brainstorming on how I could make this gift giving experience more enjoyable for Doug on the beginning to his b-day weekend

This was all I found...... my thoughts: "Lets do this!"

BOOM!! A horribly wrapped delicious frozen pizza all for my favorite boy in the whole wide world

Complete with:

And:

[That's Doug in Chicago Bears font ;)]

And this too!

I think I did pretty good with two choices of permanent marker colors and some crinkly white paper. Doug liked it when he unwrapped it - hugged me for like ten minutes :)

And we enjoyed it when we cooked it that night - many friends partook in some bites - Doug said he felt like a drug dealer handing out free samples of crack - Hopefully all our friends are hooked so we can someday all meet up in good ol' Chi Town

I think Doug had a pretty stellar birthday weekend - eating Giordano's, going to college movie festivals, writing papers on a Saturday (a SATURDAY!!!), a successful Luau/Rumpus [doug was Mr. Grill all night, while I was Miss Drinks for about five minutes], chuch [where doug and the men of Lowery gave their collection money in nickels - $20 worth], Imo's, and Kung Fu Panda 2! 

One More Week - lets go out with a bang!!!

Happy Mum's Day

I'm not kidding! She really is the best!

~ She's wonderful

~ She's beautiful

~ She's strong

~ She's thoughtful

~ She's mega-multi-talented

~ She makes friends wherever she goes

~ She taught me everything I know

~ She's my example of a true woman

She's my Mum :)

[I told you ~ beautiful]

Although she's almost 10,000 miles away from me [wow that looks long typing it out like that] I have no problem feeling her love, warmth, care, and guidance every single day. Any moment someone expresses motherly-like qualities to me, I am reminded of my mum and that there is no way I could ever be without her and her expression :)

My oldest and youngest sisters are living with her in Australia and I know they gave her a very special day yesterday [that darn time change!] I know because not only did Caitlin cook an amazing breakfast and lunch for Mum and the family - she was kind enough to tag me and my other "yankee sister" in the pictures of the delicious food we did NOT get to eat.... thank you Caitlin....

I'm glad they spoiled her so much because she certainly deserves it. If you didn't do the math while I was discussing my sisters - Mum is a mother of FOUR DAUGHTERS

This has led to countless references to books/movies like Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women".... though I don't really like that one since I'm the one that DIES!! [woah, sorry, spoiler???]

A Mix of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility"

And to be famously known across the churches of the country as "The Rooker Girls"

It's hard to miss a family like ours - especially when my sisters and mother are so stunning!

Mum was always home when we needed her. She took care of us when we felt less than perfect. She made us matching sailor outfits when we were little, as well as other cute hand-sewn ensembles, crazy wire headbands and most recently - Monica's wedding veil :). Mum taught us all the best manners [she still reminds me that I'm such a "little piggy" whenever I burp]. She instilled in us the importance of family. Showed us the epitome of Motherly Love. And somehow she managed to raise four of the most independent and unique women I know.

I love my Mum more than words can say. 

Had I been in the same country as her - I would give her something that looks like this:

Some flowers [non-annoying ones] - her favorite chocolate

And a card [I used to make them with KidPix - this seems more age appropriate :)]

But this blog post is the best I can do for the wonderful women that is 

My Mother

Happy Mother's Day Mum 

                                                                            Love Always, 

                                                                                      Lucia

As fitting, I'll finish this with some of my favorite paintings of Motherhood:

[1] Mary Cassatt, Little Girl Leaning on Her Mother's Knee, 1901

[2] Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child XI, nd

[3] Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child, c. 1900

[4] Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun, Portrait of the Artist with Her Daughter, 1798

[5] Mary Cassatt, The Child's Bath, 1893

It's Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Today was a wonderful day - it began with me dreaming of waking up late for Easter Sunday and watching all my roommates and friends leave for church without me :(

Suffice it to say - I woke up in a panic at 8:45am - thank goodness!

Doug and I went to our college's chapel and we were A VISION in pastel purple 

[just ask anyone who went to church - we were matching, it was borderline embarrassing...]

Doug:

Pastel purple shirt, silver square cufflinks, purple tie, slacks, dress shoes [Bostononian brand shoes thank you very much :)] He looked wonderful

Lucia: 

White dress, pastel purple cardi ;), nude heels, and a pearl bracelet Doug bought me from Hawaii

It was an awesome service with fantastic readings, and I just love that Easter hymn :)

After we went to Panera for lunch - having mental fights with other Easter matching couples and families - there was a whole green family there, we were like Woah

Then in the pouring rain we stopped at a Starbucks to get a warm drink for me [Coldy McColderton] and a frappaccino for Doug [Hotty McHotterton.... hehe]

and since then its been all work work work for us today. I read from six different books and wrote one paper, and Doug wrote many pages for his capstone - it sounds like it'll be awesome. 

Oh and here's what I got for Easter [this candy giving tradition was started by my wonderful parents and it has been continued by my lovely sister Monica and for the past two Easters - Doug :)

Monica's Cute Basket pour moi!

 Doug's Basket for me too [an Easter of spoiling for me I guess]

[Gasp!] Dost mine eyes deceive me??

Nope

He got me RED SOX TICKETS!!!!

He duh best :)

It's been a real good Easter....