Movie Recommendation: Once

What a beautiful film. I first heard of this film while watching the Oscars. Once of the songs was nominated for an award. Then I got the soundtrack, which I loved. We just got it in from Netflix and it did not disappoint. A story about 2 souls connecting without the gratuitous sex and seemingly superficial behavior. I can't say enough lovely things about this film!!

All you ever wanted to know about Gator Girl #51-#70

51. I'm highly annoyed by Ingrid Hoffman from "Simply Delicioso". She's cute but someone her actions are like nails on a chalkboard.
52. I'm much more a fan of Ellie Krieger from "Healthy Appetite"
53. My wedding date is exactly 1 year + 1 day after we got engaged.
54. I love to dance in the car!
55. I am a fan of public transportation.
56. I used to wear big coke bottle glasses.
57. I did the whole makeover thing when I was in 9th grade, which included trading the glasses for contacts.
58. At age 29, I decided that I liked wearing my glasses the most so i'm back to that.
59. My glasses are maroon plastic Calvin Kleins.
60. I love Sheshiedo Lip Gloss, Bobbi Brown blush, and Clinique press powder.
61. My perfume of choice is Chance by Chanel.
62. I love commercials. Must be my old job's influence!
63. Reed Diffusers=Heaven
64. I'm a fan of First Lady Biographies
65. I try not to eat foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.
66. This has made me the slowest grocery shopper ever!
67. I write restaurant reviews on Yelp.com
68. I've used Craig's List to list my old apartment, find a trivia team and date!
69. I love lemon flavored things- candy, cake, drinks etc.
70. I go to Target a minimum of once a week.

More on me #31-50

Sorry it's taken me so long to get the next installment of my list posted! Here goes..

31. I like reality shows that deal with dating... with the exception of The Bachelor. Hate that one. But I love Millionaire Matchmaker, Confessions of a Matchmaker etc.
32. I use Google Reader to keep up with all my blogs.
33. My #1 favorite actor is Paul Rudd. But Ryan Reynolds is a very close #2!
34. I love to read my cookbooks.
35. But I end up looking up most of my recipes on allrecipes.com or reading them in my favorite magazines.
36. I like all things paisley.
37. I love personalized stationary.
38. I'm a fast reader.
39. My favorite jeans are Long and Lean from the Gap.
40. I'm a big fan of heist movies, like Ocean's 11, The Italian Job etc.
41. My favorite subject in high school was chemistry (for real!)
42. In fact, I was a chemistry major in college for the 1st two years.
43. However I changed my major 2 more times and ended up majoing in Psychology.
44. I was the co-editor of my college newspaper my freshman year.
45. I have a weakness for Nora Roberts books and Danielle Steel movies. However I don't like movies based on Nora's books. Crazy!
46. I typically get 8 hours of sleep a night unless it's Sunday--then it's 6 hours.
47. I sleep with one leg outside of the blanket and one covered.
48. I also like to fall asleep to the tv.
49. I wanted to be a librarian, but I'm too loud lol.
50. I'm musically inclined. I played the piano for many years and the flute for at least 10 years.

I can't believe...

that I'm getting married in a little over 2 months. Where did the time go????

I don't write much about wedding stuff on here, but I do have a wedding blog...

http://thefuturemrsb.blogspot.com

Read if you are interested!

Kisses,
GatorGirl

Oh Wrigleyville, how I miss thee...

Here is an column about the inevitable new developments in Wrigleyville. Click here to read.

I miss you my fun albeit somewhat crazy 'hood.

100 Things About Me: Part 1/#1-30

1. I love gnomes. Even before Amelie!
2. My favorite reality tv show is The Amazing Race.
3. I love to travel and have been to Argentina, Philippines, and many US states (this also explains #2)
4. I did not live alone until I was 28 years old. This was only for 8 months.
5. My favorite US cities are San Francisco and Chicago.
6. I have 2 college degrees.
7. My first job was as a sales clerk for a Hallmark store at age 15.
8. My current job is as a recruiter.
9. I like to drink water, diet coke, Bloody Mary's, and Crown & Gingerale.
10. I once stood behind Jeremy Piven at a nightclub. He is a lot shorter in person!
11. I like scrapbooking but I only do it like 5 times a year.
12. I blog using a MacBook.
13. I'm slightly lactose intolerant but I still eat ice cream.
14. I like to cook and prefer it to eating out.
15. But sometimes, greasy takeout chinese is all I want.
16. The first sports team I remember liking was the Florida Gators Football team.
17. I am an older sister.
18. I love "House Hunters" on HGTV
19. I would like to meet Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Terry Gross (Host of NPR's Fresh Air) & Will Shortz (Puzzle Editor of the NY Times).
20. I read a lot of Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, Sleepover Friends, and Pen Pals books between the ages of 11-13.
21. I sneeze in 3's.
22. My first car caught on fire while I was driving it.
23. Now I drive a Honda Civic. I want a Honda CRV!
24. I'm a magazine junkie. Specially, Real Simple, Domino, Everyday Food and Reader's Digest...and all the bridal mags!
25. I used to love Lucky, Marie Claire and Glamour but for some reason, I'm just not into them as much now.
26. I wish I could live a week in a place like Stars Hollow.
27. I like Tuna Salad sandwiches.
28. I like tall guys with brown hair and blue eyes.
29. Luckily my fiance fits the above description!
30. My sister is my best friend.

Book Crazy

I went to my local Homegoods store today to look for a stockpot. For those of you who are not familiar with Homegoods, they specialize in brand name wares for the home at a large discount. I love coming here for random kitchen supplies, dining and bedding linens, and more! However I was not successful in finding the stockpot. What I did find are lots of great home maintenance and cookbooks!! I found 3 books that I had been coveting on Amazon.com. They are:


(1) Real Simple: Cleaning

Great tips on cleaning for our home. I'm a little obsessed with all things Real Simple. Cost was only $14.99 and it retails for around $21.


(2) Everyday Food: Good Food Fast. I subscribe to the magazine Everyday Food, which is a Martha Stewart Publication. The recipes are much more manageable that the ones in Martha's regular magazine. This book has 250 recipes sorted by Season. Such a bargain at $12.99!


(3) Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. another great household guide from what I"ve read thus far. I got it for $29 bucks and it retails for around $45.

I think any of these books would be great presents for a new bride or anyone with a new home!

Do you have any books that you would recommend?

Oh and before I go--it's my 100th post!!!

More things I love!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Mine was filled with relaxing times with friends and families. No complaints here!

For my first post of 2008, I would like to take this opportunity to share some things that I'm loving in 2008 (all 5 days of it!). No really, I feel strongly about my love for these shows, products etc!



(1) Philosophy "Makeup Optional" Skincare: I've been conveting this skin care set for a few years. Being too cheap to spend the $70 bucks to purchase it, I put it on my wish list for Christmas and hoped for the best. Luckily Momma Gator heard my plea! I have actually used it before, thanks to a bunch of samples from my local Sephora. It's nice having the actual regular size products as opposed to the little samples! I love love love it!



(2) Mission: Organization (an HGTV show): Like many other people in the new year, I had this intense desire to be organized. I started dvr'ing this show at the beginning of December and it has proven to be very educational. I cleaned our kitchen and pantry and ended up with several boxes of items to donate to Goowill on New Year's Eve! I also find it motivating to keep organized when I see how messy some of the rooms are on the show!



(3) Paula Deen's Vidalia Onion Peach Grilling Marinade: This marinade had a surprising, yet welcomed little kick to it! I've used it on chicken breast as well as porkchops. Both were received very well by my fiance.



(4) How to Look Good Naked (New Lifetime show): In the heydey of Queer Eye, I was quite the devotee. I was initially very skeptical of the likability of this show, however I just saw the premiere and it made me want to set up a season pass on the good old DVR. I felt good after watching it and I think you will too!



(5) Bag Who? BAGGU!: Baggu makes Reusable Shopping Bags. Not only are they reusable, they are easy to carry around in your purse! They fold up to into a 5 by 5 pouch. I keep 2 in my purse and one in my larger work bag. I received these for Christmas from the fiance and I love them! They can carry up to 25 lbs. No more plastic bags!!

I love to hear what everyone else is coveting right now!

Favorite Christmas Movies!

One of my favorite things to do on Christmas is watch movies. After the hustle and bustle...after the family dinners and present openings, it is a good way to decompress. Many of my favorites happen to take place during the holiday season but aren't necessarily Christmas themed (like "White Christmas" or "Miracle on 34th Street") Here are some of my favorite movies to watch during the holiday season...

(1) While You Were Sleeping
(2) The Holiday
(3) Love Actually

I also like to look for cheesy romantic Holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. I just finished "Eve's Christmas" on Lifetime and it was terrific! It really warmed my heart. Back when ABC Family had a lot of fun cheesy movies, there was a great movie with Kristin Davis called "Three Days". Does anyone remember that one?

I'm watching "A boyfriend for Christmas" on the Hallmark channel now (I dvr'd it). I'm only 15 minutes in so I haven't decided if I'm hooked yet!

Holiday Happenings!

The Fiance and I had 15 or so friends over for a cocktail holiday party last night. Honestly, I wanted an excuse to show off my holiday decorations as well as all my holiday serving pieces! Plus I love to cook for people when I can. We served an array of appetizers as well as Poinsettias, lots of red wine and beer for the boys. The appetizers were well received! I made a Seven Layer Taco Dip that satisfied my requirement to offer at least one vegetarian friendly dish when I entertain. I also had a tasty (store bought) Spinach and Artichoke dip. However my Seven Layer Dip along with my Chicken Satay were the hit of the party!

We had a great turn out. It was a great way for our friends to meet each other. Also, we got to play the Wii, which is always fun with a group of people!

Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow but only till 2pm. Then it is off to my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner!

I hope everyone is having a Happy Holidays!

Argh

I hate being lactose intolerant.

Blegh.

That is all.

Post Thanksgiving Eats

The Fiance and I were over all the heavy food we had been consuming this weekend. So it was time to consult my two favorite websites for recipes: www.AllRecipes.com and www.foodtv.com

We didn't want to have anything that contained leftovers nor did we want anything heavy on the tummy. Thus we had the following tasty dishes for lunch and dinner. I have to admit, I was plesantly surprised they both turned out well. Both were new recipes for me to try!

For lunch, we had Panzanella, which is an Italian bread salad. We used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe, which consisted cubed bread, tomatoes, yellow peppers, red peppers, basil, cucumbers and a tasty homemade vinegrette. A link to the recipe I used can be found here. This was the perfect lighter lunch. I especially loved all the veggies!

For dinner, we had Fish Tacos! This recipe is courtesy of the Food Network, more specifically EPCOT Catering. There is a show called Behind the Bash that shows you what goes on behind throwing a big party. These mahi tacos were served at a Disney Anniversary Party. I substituted Tilapia for the Mahi as Mahi isn't easily found this time of year. Also I added cheese, corn, avocado and romaine lettuce as toppers for the tacos. These were a big hit with the fiance and I'll definitely be making this one again.

We are trying to balance out the heavy holiday meals with ones like these. Any suggestions on some sucessfull lighter recipes would be appreciated!!

Ten Things I'm Loving Right Now!

I apologize for being MIA! Work and wedding planning has been taking up a lot of time. However, I did want to share the ten things I'm loving right now (aside from the fiance and family of course!)




(1) Twinings Chai Latte for the Tassimo: No longer will I have to go to Starbucks to get my Chai Latte fix!





(2) Tripadvisor.com: I'm planning a December long weekend in Savannah and a Honeymoon in California Wine Country, so this site is invaluable to me!





(3) Sugar Free Syrup for my Coffee/Chai Latter: Paired with our Tassimo, it's like having my own coffee shop in our kitchen.





(4) Taste of Home Cookbook: I got this for Christmas last year. It is a great collection of recipes and most importantly, cooking tips like the temp that chicken needs to be at!





(5) Sweet Potato Fries: Alexia makes a great brand of sweet potato fries. Best served with a side of garlic mayo. YUMMY!





(6) Real Simple Magazine: From the useful tips to the art direction of this mag, what's not to love?





(7) Sunday Puzzle on NPR: It is rare that I miss the Sunday Puzzle. Great word puzzles to help wake your brain up!





(8) NFL: What's a Fall Sunday without NFL?! Enough said.



(9) How I Met Your Mother: Suit Up! Best tv on Mondays!





(10) Revlon Ceramic Hairdryer: The reason behind my non poofy hair! It's like getting a professional blow out!

What are your favorite things??

Southern gals love their southern food!

I love southern food. I know that it isn't the healthiest but I love it just the same. While in my favorite Publix, I decided that we needed to have biscuits. I've always been a little wary of the Pillsbury frozen biscuits, but I decided to give them a shot. boy was I mistaken! These biscuits are fantastic! Just before they came out of the oven, I brushed a little bit of butter on the top. Perfection. Served with country fried steak, corn and gravy, it was the perfect little southern meal. Needless to say, my fiance was one happy camper!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Not So Single Girl! Here goes!


Four Jobs I Have Had In My Life

1. Cashier at a Hallmark store
2. Cashier at Disney World!
3. Research assistant in a biology lab
4. Waitress Extrodinaire


Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1. Under the Tuscan Sun
2. French Kiss
3. The Goonies
4. While you were sleeping


Four TV Shows I Like to Watch

1. How I Met Your Mother
2. Nip/Tuck
3. The Office
4. Beauty and the Geek


Four Places I Have Vacationed (Wow, do I need one now!)

1. Buenos Aires ( It was work but like a vacation!)
2. San Francisco
3. Philippines
4. Bahamas


Four of My Favorite Dishes

1. Caprese salad (tomato, basil and mozzerella)
2. Thai Peanut curry
3. Spicy tuna sushi roll
4. Sweet Potato fries (more a side, not really a dish!)


Four Web sites I Visit Daily

1. Gmail
2. Myspace/Facebook
3. Netvibes
4. Wedding Bee!


Four Places I Would Rather Be

1. Visiting friends in Chicago
2. Drinking wine in Wine Country
3. Buenos Aires!
4. NYC

Wahhhh!!

No fall boots or winter coats for me to purchase this year. Where I won't miss the cold completely, I will miss the fashion options.

Wahh.

Finally! Pictures from Argentina!

My trip was wonderful! Buenos Aires is a romantic and cosmopolitan city with lots of charm. The architecture is gorgeous, the people are beautiful and gracious and the food is incredible! Highlights included:

* Futbol game (Argentinos Jrs. v. Boca Jrs.)
* Exploring Recoleta cemetary and shopping at the open air market
* Delicious food over leisurely and fun (but looong) dinners!
* A Fun Tango show
* Dancing at Sunset until 4am
* Great people to share it all with!

Yes, I did work too. It was an amazing experience to interview Argentines for opportunities in the US!

Here is a glimpse into my trip. For the first time ever in my blog, I will have pictures of me in there!

Don't Cry for me...

Because I'm leaving for ARGENTINA!! Yes, my company is sending me to Buenos Aires for a week on a recruiting trip. I am a lucky lucky girl!! I'm leaving in a few hours and will be back stateside by Thursday early morning! I hope to have the opportunity to take a lot of pics to post here.

Wish me luck on the trip!!

Seven Things About me

Argh! I typed my whole response to Not-so-Single Girl in the South's seven random things about me and when I tried to publish it...poof! Gone!

So here goes again...

(1) I'm obsessed with all things trivia. From Trivial Pursuit to the World Series of Pop Culture to NTN Trivia, I love it all.
(2) I still squeal when I spot John Krasinski on any tv show or movie trailer. I totally didn't expect him to pop up in The Holiday!!! Hehe, yes I am BEHIND.
(3) I love reading recipies but rarely use them.
(4) I didn't really learn how to cook until I moved to Chicago. Now I really enjoy it and like to find ways to make my favorite take-out food at home.
(5) I am an NPR nerd.
(6) When I drink water, I always spill a little on me.
(7) I think Rob & Big are stupidly hilarious.

I would like to tag my sis (if she still reads this!)

Wow!

I didn't realize I had been MIA for a month!! Time really goes by quickly!

So the boyfriend err....fiance and I are going to Orlando for the weekend. It'll be fun to get a change in scenery for a day or two. Nope, we are going to Disney World or Universal. Believe it or not, there is actually non touristy things to do in Orlando! I went to school there for 2 years. I lived in a charming little town just outside Orlando, where I would spend my Saturday mornings at the local farmer's market and my evenings at one of the sidewalk cafes. It really was an oasis from the tourist trap of Orlando. There is also a great little neighborhood near downtown called College Park. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area!