Happy 2nd Birthday Chez Terrace!

I have been waiting all week to write this post. Two years ago today I went to the real estate agents office and signed the papers on my very first home. Before I signed the papers they reminded me that under the tax credit, I need to keep the home as my primary residence for 3 years. I thought, wow, 3 years.. that's a long time. I remember walking out of the building with the key in my hand and thinking, "what am I doing? Did I just do the right thing? I just signed a debt for more money then I've seen in my life time so far and that has a due date longer then I've been on this earth.. OMG!"

Two years has gone by in the blink of an eye. Reflecting back on the past two years this house has been quite an experience. From being a landlord.. to projects around the home.. everything has been my responsibility. That has been both exciting and scary. Its hard sometimes when something goes wrong and you have to figure out how to fix it or have it fixed all on your own. But, doing it alone, I've learned a lot and figured out that I need to give myself more credit as most of my projects and decorating expeditions have turned out pretty well!

Its funny, two years ago if someone would have asked me to make a prediction about how things would be two years down the road, I wouldn't have said anything close to this. Back then, I never thought about friends leaving, people getting engaged, or the fact that I ever could be here alone. Back then, I had a tight group of friends, who had a great time every weekend.. and I really didn't foresee that ending. But time changes things, and unfortunately the care free days of spending every weekend partying with my friends are getting fewer as the days go by. People are just going in different directions. Its sad, but necessary I guess.

Before Sara moved out, I called my mom everyday and asked her "Mom, do you think I did the right thing buying my house?" I guess I thought that if I didn't buy it, then I wouldn't be faced with being alone here. She told me over and over she thought I made the right choice, but I still didn't believe her really. Sometimes though, something happens that puts everything into perspective. This week I spent time at Joe's apartment. It is a really nice apartment and very expensive, but its just not a home. Taking a shower, is like standing in a monsoon. The AC doesn't work well. The dishwasher is midget sized. All of the things that I have started to take for granted in my home had become so apparent.

This revelation made me very content with my choice to buy the house, and where I am in my life right now. I wouldn't say that I love living here alone, but I haven't hated it as much as I thought that I would and Joe has been very supportive. Decorating and managing my own house has brought me so much joy over the last two years and I wouldn't change it. Above all, should I ever find myself in a position later in life to have to take care of a house alone, I will be armed with confidence because of this experience.

On a side note, I have been trying to fill the holes around the house where Sara's stuff used to be. I went to the Manayunk Arts Festival that was on Main Street this weekend. Here are some pictures of my new found art: (The first two I put going up the stairs, the second 2 are in the den at the top of the stairs)
View of down town Philly
Love Park
Manayunk Bike Race
So True ! And that is me on the bike! hahah!

Jet Setting the East Coast

Since the roommate moved out I have had no shortage of things to do to occupy my time. Last Tuesday - Thursday I was in Mystic, Connecticut for work with my boss. Mystic is a beautiful area, right on the water very lush with trees. I really enjoyed it. I rushed back late on Thursday because my parents were headed to Philadelphia for Fathers Day.

Thursday night Joe, me, and my family, went to Buddakan for dinner and out for ice cream afterwords. I just had to show my mom the prices and atmosphere at Franklin Fountain. After that, we were pretty tired and headed on home.

On Friday, my family left to go to Dewey Beach and meet up with my brother. I had to work for the day, but I planned to meet them in Dewey later in the evening. So, around 3pm I jumped in my car and made the 3 hrs commute from Philly to Dewey Beach. We went out for a seafood buffet that Brendan had chosen then went to the Bottle and Cork to watch a Bruce Springsteen cover band called Bruce in the USA. It was a nice time.

On Saturday we headed to the beach for most of the day. The weather was perfect. Then at 5pm we went to "Jam Session" at the bottle and cork featuring one of my favorite college bands - Mr. Green Genes! At around 8pm we were drunk and hungry so we stopped and had some appetizers and headed back to Bren's beach house to meet his friends and hang out. His friends were really nice and we had a great time with them.

On Sunday morning we did a little shopping and headed back to Philadelphia so that my parents could catch their plane. The end of a fabulous weekend.

Yesterday, I slept at Joe's apartment in New Jersey for the first time. I went over after work and made us some chili and corn bread for dinner (you have to make do with what you have when you have limited kitchen utensils to work with). I also helped him put together a book shelf from Target which was a complete pain. The apartment is coming together nicely and I think he will really enjoy it when its done. I also think it will teach him a valuable lesson about how much of pain in the butt taking care of yourself can be. That is a lesson every man needs to learn in order to appreciate the stuff their parents, and subsequently their wives do for them.

One week, 4 states.. I am headed home tonight to RELAX!

Nicole, Party of 1

Well, its official I am roommate-less. Sara moved out and in with her fiance this weekend. On a side note Joe also moved into his apartment in Mantua, NJ, where he has signed a six month lease.. but more on that later. To me, this all was a lot to take for one weekend.

Living with Sara the past four years has been an amazing ride. There were ups and downs like any roommate but mostly I look back on the time with fond memories. We did some pretty great things together. When Sara and I moved to Manayunk we were mere acquaintances, but in the last four years have developed into good friends. Manayunk has been like an extension of college for me -- except with more money and no homework! We went to bars, movies, took trips, threw parties, shopped, the list goes on. My only regret is that we didn't get to spend as much time together in recent months as we are both busy with our boyfriends (which I owe her & Steve for because without them I wouldn't have met Joe). I must say that her leaving feels like the end of an era, as I am pretty positive that she will officially be my last roommate. A lot has changed in the last four years, and especially in the last eighteen months I feel like time is moving faster then ever. Then and now:
May, 2007
January, 2011

You may remember this post from 2008 where I listed out things that every woman should know how to do. Looking over the list, I feel that I have accomplished the majority of the things except one: EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.... how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

I must say that I stuggle with being alone.. and I don't like it at all. My mom tells me that ever since I was a baby, I was not good at being alone. I don't know what it is. Its not really sleeping alone that scares me. I think what scares me most is the silence that comes with being alone. Its not having someone to talk to that bothers me. Most of all not having someone to talk to over dinner. Cooking and eating dinner was always a time to reconnect with the people I care about. It was originally a time to reconnect with my family. In college.. it was a time to bond with my L5 roommates since we made it a point to cook together and eat like a family. Sara and I also enjoyed cooking for each other and sharing our love for making a great meal. That is what I will miss most. The joy of cooking is watching other people enjoy what you've created. You know, until I started writing this, I didn't really think about that as something I'd miss most.

I feel the same way I felt when I was leaving for Delaware. The future is so uncertain all of a sudden. A lot of my friends are moving out of Manayunk to the suburbs or the city with their boyfriends/fiances. That being said, Joe and I have a loose plan that he will live in his place for six months, and then move in with me... but who knows really what the next six months will bring.

The truth is, I am not sure I am going to like living alone at all. Although, like the article says, every woman should know how to live alone, even if she doesn't like it. So, in the next six months, I am going to give my best attempt learning to living alone.. as this could be my only opportunity. I want to learn to fill the silence that comes with living alone by doing things that bring me happiness. I plan to exercise, read, try new hobbies. Who knows, maybe it will not be so bad after all being Nicole, Party of 1

Wild Weekend

This weekend was a wild ride. On Friday, I went to UD to hang out with Toni & Michele for Alumni weekend. The school had offered to let alumni stay in the dorms for a small fee, and had planned a weekend full of events. The events kicked off Friday night with mug night on the Green which featured unlimited food and beverage under a really large tent with a band. It was good to catch up with Toni & Michele and see some of my old friends.

While I enjoyed being there, it was sort of strange too. It reminded me that time changes things. Going back for a visit was fun, but you can never recreate the experience or the way things were when that was your everyday reality. Once a place and time is gone, it is gone for good.
So much has changed since I lived there, its almost like it never happened. Toni and Michele stayed for the remainder of the weekend, but I had to head back because I had plans the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday, Joe and I went out to dinner at a restaurant called Fork in Center City. The food was good, I wouldn't say it was stellar though. It was nice to sit outside and people watch though, the weather was the perfect temperature. After dinner, Joe and I decided to go get a drink at Cuba Libre. The first night that I met Joe back in 2008, we had gotten on the subject of Mojitos. He told me he would take me out for the best mojito ever... at Cuba Libre. Three years went by, and we never went, so this weekend he finally made good on his promise to take me out for a mojito. After that, I wanted to get ice cream at this place called Franklin Fountain, and old-fashioned ice cream parlor at 1st and Market St. We are standing in line for ice cream, and all of a sudden we hear a CRASH! An large suburban making a left from 2nd street onto Market rammed into two parked cars... tossing them onto the sidewalk where people were eating. If the cars hadn't been parked there the SUV would have went directly into the crowd waiting for ice cream. A young girl jumps out of the car laughing and drunk out of her mind! Someone called the cops and when the cops came, the girl proceed to run from them. They got out their guns and started chasing her down 2nd Street. They finally caught her. It was quite an entertaining scene. I cant imagine being so drunk you hit parked cars, get out, laugh about it, and attempt to run from the law... crazy.
Sunday was Bike Race. Allie, Alex, Joe, Sara and I stocked a backpack full of beer and headed to the "Wall" in Manayunk to watch the race. The wall is the steepest part of the race and where the majority of people congregate. While we were there, we ended up being interviewed by Comcast! You cant watch the interview below.

All and all, a crazy, but fun weekend! Its weekends like these that remind me of all that is good in my life.

Random Weekend Fun

This weekend I initially didn't have much planned. But, the weekend turned out to be randomly nice and I did a few different things with some different people. On Friday, I went out with Allie and a few of her girl friends to see the movie Brides Maids. One to ten I'd give it an ELEVEN! It was hysterical. I haven't laughed that much in a movie in forever! I would highly recommend it. We were supposed to go see the 7:40pm show but it was sold out by the time everyone got there, so we ended up going to Uno's for drinks and seeing the 9:40pm show. Even showing up 10 mins early, we were in the third row of the theatre.
On Saturday, I woke up and was pleased to see the sun shining. I was determined to do something outside since sun isn't something we've seen much of lately. During my morning ritual of scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed while my eyes adjust to a new day, I noticed someones post about "Spring Fest - Rittenhouse" going on in the city. The festival boasted food from local restaurants, wine tasting, demonstrations by Steven Starr, and beer sampling. I called Brendan, and he said he would come with me. We hopped the train in Manayunk and headed for the city. The festival was from Broad St. to 19th St. on Walnut Street. That is a pretty ritzy section of the city that has great restaurants. Brendan and I fought our way through the crowd from one food station to the next. By the end, we were stuffed! Everything was great. We also had a few drinks and had a nice spring day buzz going. I grabbed a red velvet cupcake for the road and we headed home!

Later that day, Joe came over and we made dinner together. He made his mother's tomato salad recipe and I grilled corn on the cob and these Chipotle Monterey Jack Cheese Chicken Sausages that I have been getting from the grocery store. They are fantastic, you should try them. They only have 170 calories per link compared to normal sausage that has 270 calories and they are so much easier then regular sausage. They only take 6-8 mins on the grill. Our dinner came out great and I like cooking with Joe. I think cooking is a good bonding activity and sharing recipes our mom's make is a good way to share our childhood with each other. The best part-- he did all the dishes.

On Sunday we had a Phillie's game. Not much to report about it. The weather was cold and dreary and the Phillie's lost in a pretty boring and disappointing 1-0 game.

All and all.. sometimes the best weekends are the ones you have nothing planned and you can just see where the day takes you!

Local News: Volume 2

This week I was hard pressed to find any news that really interested me much. Then, today I finally found something on USA Today. According to US 2010 Census, thirty percent of Americans have never been married, the largest percentage in 60 years. Obviously, the article gives the standard reasons why this occurs: "cohabitation is continuing to increase in popularity." and "marriage is becoming optional and people are choosing to do it later in life." As if these weren't the obvious answers. But this got me thinking, if 30% of America is unmarried, why do I feel like 100% of my friends are getting there and FAST?!

I'll tell you a story of why I feel that way. Last week, I decided that since all my good friends seem to have other plans for the future like moving in with their boyfriends/getting engaged, I better find some new girls to hang out with or I am going to be bored and alone in Manayunk. I contacted a girl I hung out with in college in hopes that maybe she would not be glued to her boyfriend... and would be interested in hanging out. She gladly accepted and I was really looking forward to our meeting for drinks and catching up. I talked to her last week and we agreed to meet today. And then a crazy turn of events. In the time between when we had talked last week, and our meeting scheduled for today... she got ENGAGED. Talk about awesome timing. Last night she left a message that "due to her recent engagement, she'd have to reschedule".

I feel as if everywhere I turn I am surrounded by engagement these days. I must say, even though I am trying to be happy for my friends, I am sort of annoyed by it too. There is only so much of everyone elses happiness you can stomach before you start to feel left out.

I know someday I will be engaged too, and get married, and we will move to the suburbs and meet other couples to be "our friend". But, sometimes I wonder if the days of having girl friends are just plain dwindling as my woman friends meet guys and make them their world. Everyone seems to be planning out their future these days instead of enjoying the moment. It sort of makes me angry... because I believe that having girl friends is important.. yet I know I'm guilty of it too sometimes... forsaking friends for my boyfriend. I don't think it happens with guys as much, I think they have an easier time maintaining friendships and a relationship too... it seems they just do a better job at making "man time" a priority.

So, anyone else agree? Even though anti-marriage rates nationally seem to be at their highest ever.. it seems to me, 100% of my friends still want it.. and sooner rather then later.

Wet Wedding Weekend

This weekend was Joes friend Toher's wedding. It was outside in his fiancé's backyard in Douglassville, PA. Unfortunately when planning a back yard wedding you take a gamble in regard to the weather.. especially in May. This weekend was alittle soggy here in PA.Since the wedding started at noon, I had my hairdresser, Borica, do my hair. I was just plain too lazy to fuss with it at 8am. I really like the way it came out.. what do you think?

I had spent a lot of time coming up with an outfit for this wedding. Not really because I didnt have plenty of clothes I can wear already in my closet, but becuase I really just wanted something new and fun. Plus, with the wedding being during hte day and outside, a lot of the dresses I already had were too fancy. I ended up going to Lilly Pulitzer for my first time and fell in love. I ended up with my dress, shoes, and necklace. I didnt really indend on spending all this money, but once I walked into Lilly I couldnt help myself.

The weekend was interesting.. I cant get into too much details.. but lets just say it was a weekend of firsts: my first backyard wedding, my first time at an econo lodge, and my first time at a female strip club...which I was dragged to by Joe and his friends aprés wedding... lets just say it was not pretty.