Dear Delta,

I find your fees for checking luggage absurd. Isn't it assumed that a traveler will likely check a bag? Can you just include those fees when we actually purchase the ticket itself? I have decided that I will do everything within my power to avoid checking a bag during this Thanksgiving season. My strategy: wear the pieces that will take up the most room. This makes me think of that classic Friends episode where Joey wears all of Chandler's clothing (as the complete opposite of hiding his boxers). Not so sure I'd go to this extreme - but I won't rule it out ;) Do you remember this episode? Maybe this will jog your memory....

Joey: (entering) Where's my underwear?!

Ross: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come on, come on, what. You took his underwear?

Chandler: He took my essence!

Ross: Okay, now hold on. Joey, why, why can't you just wear the underwear you're wearing now?

Joey: Because, I'm not wearing any underwear now.

Ross: Okay, then why do you have to wear underwear tonight?

Joey: It's a rented tux. Okay. I'm not gonna go commando in another man's fatigues.

Chandler: Well, then it looks like somebody is gonna have to give back somebody his cushions.

Joey: Okay, you hide my clothes. I'm gonna do the exact opposite to you.

Chandler: What are you, what are you gonna show me my clothes?

Joey: Hey, opposite, is opposite! (leaves)

Chandler: He's got nothing!

(Joey enters wearing a lot of clothes)

Joey: Okay, buddy-boy. Here it is. You hide my clothes, I'm wearing everything you own.

Chandler: Oh my God! That is so not the opposite of taking somebody's underwear!!

Joey: Look at me! I'm Chandler! Could I be wearing any more clothes? Maybe if I wasn't going commando...

(found this transcript here)

To NYC And Back....All In 26 Hours

On Tuesday I flew out to New York City for a conference. I arrived at about 6pm, and immediately took a taxi to the Columbia University area to meet one of my best friends, Francie, for dinner. Dinner was not only delicious, but it was so fun to just gab about what's going on in our ever-changing lives. Friends like Francie are a true treasure. I mentioned her a few postings ago, but she was my roommate throughout college, and was with me through the very best of times, and most importantly through the very worst of times. She is truly one-of-a-kind, and I miss spending time with her on a regular basis. After dinner, we toured her apartment, and then I caught another cab to my hotel - Washington Square Hotel. Nothing fancy, but my brother lives near there (and of course he happened to be out of town this week, so I didn't even see him at all). The next morning I headed out to the conference, sat through 8-9 hours of presentations, and then headed back to the airport. It truly was a whirlwind. Being in New York and not being able to shop for even a second was such a shame!! What a neat city, but I'm happy to be back at home with SB.

One for you....{one for me}

I had a fabulously successful weekend of Christmas shopping! I am thrilled to announce that I have not only purchased all of the gifts for my side of the family, but I wrapped them too! Now I just have to patiently wait for the big day to get here ( sometimes I get too excited about gifts that I have trouble keeping them a secret!!). Here's the admission.....so I purchased lots of things for my family, but do you remember the adorable hat/scarf/glove set from J.Crew that I was admiring? Yea, well they came home with me too! Looks like I'm down to just a pair of slippers on my list. Now if this 50 degree weather would just get a touch cooler so that I can wear the cute outerwear!!

I heart weekends!

After a ridiculous weekend of hosting everyone and their mother here last weekend....this weekend has been simply the best, with more fun in store!

Here's a mini summary of all the fun:

• running on Sat morning
• haircut and highlights (love getting this done)
• Christmas shopping GALORE! (just about finished with my side of the family!)
• fun dinner last night with a friend from DC who's in town for the Rams' game today
• UGA won! (thank goodness......Georgia win = happy husband!)

And today I have to do a bit more Christmas shopping, play tennis, and that's really it! Oh happy day :)

New Name, New Identity, Newlywed!

The process of getting married and taking one's husband's last name is very exciting (hello! isn't that why we "test it out" for ages prior to the big day, scribbling it all over notebook pages), but I was surprised to feel a bit sad to "lose" the identity I'd had for the last 27 years with my last name. Just about all of the women in my family have taken their husbands' last names, and moved their maiden names to take the place of their former middle names. Perhaps because this big name change coincided with a move, I felt more of an impact -- all of a sudden I was no longer "Emily A," I was "Emily B." I introduced myself to people I'd never met before, and they never knew that Emily A -- or the things I'd achieved, the person I'd been prior to now, and the link to my family. Prior to experiencing this big name change, I thought it was a no-brainer that I'd take SB's name (and thank goodness it's a great last name -- there are a lot of doozies out there!). I can now understand why women do choose to keep their own names - and even though it is still a choice I'm happy to have made, I find myself stuttering a bit when people ask me my name! I took baby steps to fully change everything......first going to the Social Security office, then going to the DMV several weeks later, then making the big change professionally (which proved to be a bit confusing for a number of my clients) several weeks after that......and then just recently we opened a joint banking account with my new married name. Did you all change your last names (or do you plan to when the time comes?), and did you experience any sadness with that process??

The Start of a Christmas List...

This evening I ran a few errands, and ended up swinging through J.Crew. I have been wanting to get a scarf, hat and gloves that match for awhile - and I found an adorable set there. The color is super flattering - and I think it would work well for just about anyone.

(I think I like the hat....but I saw one in the store that didn't have the pom-pom or ear flaps, and I like that one a little better....though maybe the pom-pom and ear flaps could be fun?? Not sure...)
Is it bad that I can justify the ugg slippers as being casual and wearable to work (being that I work from home)?? Don't worry, I wouldn't wear these out of the house, but they look soooo warm and cozy.I still have a few more list-worthy ideas, so this is just the start :) I have already purchased a few presents for our family members.....but I need to really get on it pronto! I definitely plan to swing by the Gap for some kids' clothes with this 30% off coupon!!

Weekend Recap

SB and I experienced a parental infestation of sorts this weekend. His mom came to visit Friday through Sunday, and my parents arrived yesterday and are staying till tomorrow. No special reason....just pure coincidence that they were here over the same weekend - and believe me, it has produced two totally exhausted newlyweds after all this entertaining!

In the spirit of the month of thankfulness - I will give thanks that we have parents who love us, and are able to travel to visit us in our new city.

Glamour's December Cover....a Glamour DO!

I think that this shot of the First Lady is just stunning:

I am a big fan of the fact that they finally chose to feature a professional, poised, real woman on their cover. She is a big step up from some of their earlier choices this year.... remember the cover featuring the one and only Miley Cyrus? That was an all-time Glamour low in my opinion.

TAG - I'm IT!

Thanks to Nautical and Southern for tagging me!

The rules:
1. Answer with 5 answers.
2. Tag 5 favorite bloggers.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
it was 1999 and...
-I was a freshman in college.
-I was unbelievably homesick -- making daily calls to my sister, my mom, and a boy who shall not be named.
-The one main thing that made me happy was the fact that I was about to experience my first Duke basketball season as a student (aka Cameron Crazy -- doing lots of "Who's your daddy, Battier!!" cheering)
-Thinking about whether or not to rush (Duke did it at the start of 2nd semester.) I ended up starting the process, and then dropped out midway through it. The next spring I regretted my decision and ended up pledging AOII.
-I was living with Francie, a wonderful, wonderful roommate. We were randomly paired, but lived together (with some additional girls) all 4 years, and she was one of my bridesmaids.

2. What are 5 things on your To Do list today?
- Work, work, work
- Take Daisy for a 3 mile run
- Hit up the grocery store -- buy dinner for tonight, and food for the week
- Dry Cleaners (oops - forgot this!)
- Laundry

3. Snacks you enjoy?
- Cheddar cheese with reduced fat wheat thins
- A tasty Honeycrisp or Red Delicious apple
- Popcorn
- Banana with peanut butter
- Baked goods

4. Where are 5 places you have lived?
-Madison, WI
-Durham, NC
-Atlanta, GA
-Washington, DC
-St. Louis, MO

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
This is always a tough question to envision...but I would:
-Buy a beach house near Charleston, SC
- Support a number of charities about which I feel passionate
- Travel the world
- Cover the college expenses for my (non-existent) children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, etc.
- Invest wisely to take care of future generations!

My 5 tags are:
Windowboxes and Weissbier
Life Under the Big Oak Tree
Summer Wind
Just Another Day in Paradise
Southern Daze

Great Halloween Weekend

Tennis with my dad, running with my sister, jack-o-lantern cutting, trick-or-treating with my nieces and nephews, a chocolate shake here and a great bowl of chili there. All in all, it was an awesome weekend, and I'm so glad I made the trek home to share it with my family. It had been ages since I'd experienced the true trick-or-treating festivities......so to live it through the eyes of my little nieces and nephews (ages 9 months to 8 years) was pretty remarkable, and reignited my love for the holiday. We had a kitty, a puppy, a gypsy, a Packers player, a mouse, and pajama boy (my 2 year old nephew who preferred to wear his pajamas instead of a costume). They were all pretty much on cloud nine, running from house to house, and then eating candy galore. I wish I took video to document pajama boy's dancing after t-or-t.....it still makes me laugh out loud. My sister and I were pretty much on the floor laughing watching him. I'll upload photos sometime soon....I'm in the process of trying to hunt down the cord to download pics from the new camera. I think it may have gotten lost in the moving process.

One GREAT hit from the weekend: PUMPKIN BARS!! I found the delicious recipe on Summer Wind's blog, and I knew this weekend would be the perfect opportunity to make them. (and I actually just made a 2nd batch tonight for my Junior League meeting tomorrow evening....they're that good :) Here's the pumpkin bar recipe:
INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ICING:
  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
4. To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.