Photos

I promised to share Maryland Day pictures with you and am happy to finally post the relevant links. Woo hoo! Click here to see the official university photos as posted on Flickr. You'll see lots of smiling faces, fun events and activities, friends of mine, the President and Mrs., blue skies, lots of green, ice cream and loads of grins. Sadly, no decorated golf carts in this heap. But check this one out:

See me? Look closely ... there! ... that's me on the far right, red jacket and holding papers. That's my colleague, Leslie, in the white shirt next to me. (Hi, Leslie!) During the time this picture was taken I was trying to be inconspicuous but obviously didn't succeed very well. *Sigh.*

Here's a shot WG took where I am VERY conspicuous:

Ugh. I was waiting for the chauffeuree to finish an event and get back on the golf cart so we could speed away to the next destination. In true multi-tasking fashion, I was also having a very animated conversation and WG was fussing at me to stay still for the photo. Ugh again. And t-shirts do nothing to elongate a neck. Triple ugh.

Two

Today is April 29. Know what day it is?

If you said National Shrimp Scampi day you'd be right! But it's not what I was going for.

Another guess?

Smack in the middle of National Playground Safety Awareness Week?

Yep! But no. 

National Poem in Your Pocket Day?

Yep! But no again. One more guess?

National Dance Day?

Well, we could definitely dance for this one because today, April 29, is my Blogiversary! (sing it with me...) Happy blogiversary to Pink! (cha cha cha) Happy blogiversary to Pink! (cha cha cha) Happy blogiversarrr-yyyyy to Pin-ink (cha cha cha) Happy blogiversary to Pink! (chaaaaaaa)

It's been two years of sharing little snippets of our lives with you in this small but pink corner of the web. Two years. Heck, that is longer than most of my relationships! (!!!) Even after 730 days of being a blogger I continue to be tickled pink that you, the three readers out there, keep reading. Many thanks for stopping by and being an e-friend. You really rock. Really! 

(clip art found on Google Images)

Keep Calm

 

 

Hot pink diggity! It's the Keep Calm and Carry On poster generator! Click on the link to read about the history of the now infamous slogan. Once there, click the "create" link at the top nav bar to make your own poster.

Obviously I HAD to do pink. (Duh!) But what does your Keep Calm poster say? What color is the background? And did you keep the crown or change to another icon? Curious but calm minds want to know...

This is how we roll

 

Yep. These are the Maryland Day golf carts all decked out and ready to roll. The red one was for the Pres and the pink one for the Mrs. They got lots of positive press and even made an appearance in the "official" photos! I'll get copies of those shots soon and put them on the blog for ya' along with stories of the day. Suffice it to say that the rain held off and we had a blast! 

Looking for something to do this weekend?

If you are looking for something to do this weekend in the DC metro area, may I suggest Maryland Day? It's free, fun and humongous. After doing this for 12 years we have gotten to be pros at Maryland Day and, let me tell ya', it's da bomb! Over 400 workshops, events, activities, opportunities, performances, hands-on learning, and lots and lots of fun. Serious fun! Click on the link even if you can't come out and play on Saturday. My friend the Web Goddess always enjoys the additional hits. (You're welcome, WG!)

This year my job is to decorate the golf carts for the President and the Mrs. Yee haw! I've spent a little too much office time planning the decor and can't wait to show you the pictures of the finished masterpieces. Hopefully the rain in the forecast will hold off, letting the decorations sparkle in the sunlight as planned. Fingers crossed.

If you make it to campus and happen to see an iridescent golf cart streaking across the lawn, that's me playing chauffeuress. Please wave. Say hello. You can even follow me to the free ice cream. ;-)

You're welcome.

I won!

Holy cannoli, Turkeys. Remember the last post when I said you wouldn't see me this week if I won the lottery? Remember?

What? Oh, OK. I'll pause while you go back and re-read. 

*whistling*

Welcome back.

Remember the last post when I said you wouldn't see me this week if I won the lottery? Well, I lied. Flat out lied. L. I. E. D.  Lied. 

"Wait. Does that mean you won?" you ask.

HECK YEAH! I was up late last night and thought to check the winning numbers shortly after the 11pm drawing. You can imagine the whooping and hollering and general hysteria that ensued. WOO HOO! YIPPEE! Oh, what a time!

Even though it was after 11pm there was no chance for sleep. What happens first? What is the priority purchase? Do I get another car? Who do I take on The Vacation? Where should we go? How soon can I quit the job? Does the Turkey go to school tomorrow? Should I laminate the winning ticket so nothing happens to it? Would the lamination render it void? What percentage gets donated? Does this winning get a blog mention? Do I sign the ticket now or wait? When should we move? Is the chicken in the fridge still good? What color will the new furniture be? Should I call and wake him/her/them up with the news or wait? What percentage of the winning is invested and how?

I am certain there were many more thoughts that just didn't survive the night. The overarching thoughts are still how best to spend the money and when. It's just so exciting and a little bit overwhelming. little bit

Huh? What's that? You want to know how much I won?

Um. Well, I guess I could tell you. I didn't have to sign a confidentiality clause or anything. Just make sure to hold on to your hat because this is a shocker.

Ready?

Here goes.... 

I won $4. Yep. Four buck-a-roos! Yee haw!

Needless to say, I'm still at work and still driving the same car and The Vacation is a long way off. But do let me know where you want to go and maybe we'll get there some day.

I just need to win the lottery first. :-)

Happy Week

Hello and happy Monday!

(Happy Monday -- that sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?)

I'm just stopping by to say "gooooood morning, sunshine!" and then be on my merry way. If you don't see me back here this week it's because I won the Powerball or Mega Millions (or both! *squeal!*) and am sunning myself on a tropical island somewhere. Without cell service. With a butler. And a pool boy. Let's not forget the chef and personal trainer, either. Oh, and the architect who will fly in with drawings for the new abode. The Turkey and friends will be coming in for the weekend. And I'll be blogging occasionally. Between margaritas. And the man. 

Tattoo: De Plane! De Plane!

Happy Monday, turkeys!

WWBD

After partaking of the free coffee this morning from Starbucks -- Decaf with half-and-half, meet pink travel mug. Pink travel mug, meet decaf with half-and-half. -- I hopped in the car and starting driving crawling towards work. An accident on the parkway made the journey longer than usual but that was OK because of the free coffee in the pink travel mug. Nothing was getting me down, no sirree!

The commute was rather uneventful if you don't count the desperate need to pee by the time I finally reached the office (TMI?) and the bacon brain detour. 

Yes, you read that right. Bacon. B-A-C-O-N. Bacon.

See, I had mentioned a bacon sculpture to my friend PMG yesterday and remembered that I needed to relocate it on the web and email it to him at the very least. At most, it deserved a facebook post, photo taped to my office door, a brief blog mention (ta da!), or something similarly inane. Would either Prank Place or Archie McPhee have some fun bacon themed products? (For the record, yes indeedy!) What about the dark chocolate and bacon bars found in NYC last December? I need to add bacon to the grocery list. What does one mix with bacon infused vodka? Are any of the bacon t-shirts at Snorgtees on sale yet? Why does bacon smell so good when cooking? Hey, if I cook bacon for the Turkey tonight I'll get serious mom points. Should that be eggs and bacon for dinner, or stuffed chicken breasts with crumbled bacon in the stuffing?

The brain was on bacon overdrive. By the time I walked into the building I was SMELLING bacon from thinking about it so much.

Or was that the cafeteria in the building? Let's say it was the cafeteria, shall we? Thanks.

Once in my office and with the computer humming right along, Google helped relocate the aforementioned bacon sculpture. Google also helped locate a few more fab places:

The Royal Bacon Society - a blog about bacon. Bacon recipes, bacon gifts, bacon porn, bacon pet stuff, links to more bacon sites ... bacon, bacon, bacon!
The Sticky Pig - candied bacon. My mouth is watering already. Salty plus sweet? Mmm hmmm. Human catnip, here we come!
Bacon Today - another bacon blog, but this one has serious news stories and even music and videos devoted to bacon.
Bacon Freak - the Mecca of bacon shopping. Yee haw!

Needless to say, the morning's bacon brain detour has been a continuing theme. It's crowding out the work, unpacking its suitcases, and frying up some fun. 

Here's looking at you, bacon.

Go ahead. Make my bacon.

Of all the bacon joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.

Let's get out of these wet clothes and into some crispy bacon.

Bacon. James Bacon.

I'm gonna make him some bacon he can't refuse.

May the bacon be with you.

...and my personal favorite...

WWBD. (What would bacon do?) Hang with the hash browns? Get crispy?

Free coffee

Today is Monday which means free coffee is just 3 days away, folks. One. Two. Three. Free!

Yes, you read that right -- FREE COFFEE! Take your reusable travel mug to Starbucks this Thursday and they will fill it for free. And just in case you're scratching your head and wondering if I have finally fallen off the proverbial rocker -- why would Starbucks give away coffee? to everyone? on a Thursday? -- here is the confirmation from Starbucks' website:

Join the movement. On April 15th, bring a reusable travel mug into your local Starbucks and get a free brewed coffee.

 

One person can save trees, together we can save forests.

For the good of the planet, Starbucks is encouraging everyone to switch from paper cups to reusable travel mugs. One day in March thousands of New Yorkers made the switch. Join them now by taking a pledge to do the same.

Click here for details.

The pink turkey will be there Thursday, pink travel mug in hand. Hope to see you there!

(Oh, come on. You didn't think my travel mug would be any color BUT pink, didya?) 

76 Trombones

Well, not quite trombones.  Try 76 heralding trumpets.

76 brochures heralding/trumpeting different colleges, that is. 

Our mailbox has been fed a constant stream of college publications ever since the Turkey took the PSAT. It became so ridiculous that we started keeping the brochures, throwing them into a pile. The pile has collapsed several times and now resides in a box. In a box. With a fox. Fox in socks. Fox in socks in a box.

Oh, wait. Wrong story. Let's get back to it...

There is a box in our house filled with college brochures. I decided to take a look through it earlier and counted 76 different colleges represented so far. And that's only the printed pieces. I can't even begin to tell you how many more have peppered the Turkey's email box with messages. And do you know how many of these emails or snail mails have been opened? Care to take a guess?

I'll pause while you think. *pause*

Is that thinking thunk? 

Ready for this? ....

3. That's right - THREE. And I'm the one who opened them!

So every day when the mail comes I just shake my head as another college brochure meets the box. Some days it's 2 and other days it's 4. (That would be 2 or 4 brochures, not heads!) If this is the deluge now, post PSAT and while the kid is a sophomore, what is coming our way after the SAT and during his junior year when, I expect, the heralding/trumpeting will be at its zenith? I am shaking my head again. Oy vey! Our poor mailman. 

Secretly -- pinky promise you'll keep this a secret! -- secretly I am tickled all sorts of shades of pink that my kid and his nerdiness are in demand. It makes my heart go pitter-pat, pitter-pat, pitter-pat...as I throw yet another brochure into the box. With the fox. In socks.

A Wii bit of humor

What do you get when you cross Super Mario Brothers with the Wii and stir in a healthy dose of humor? You guessed it (or didn't) -- Super Pii Pii Brothers!

Check out the website for the whole skinny on this Wii craze. What a game! My only question: does it come with toilet paper? (insert laugh track here) (People really go to great streams lengths for April fools jokes, don't they?)

I usually don't buy into the whole potty humor thing but this was just too funny! And if it's left you wanting more of this Think Geek foolery just point and click here. My faves are (because you're dying to know, right?) the Monolith Action Figure and the Squeez Bacon. Oh, and the Screaming Chef's Knife. And let's not forget the Wireless Extension Cords or the Programmable Tattoos. How about the USB Desktop Tanning Center?

Oh, I am still giggling. :-) Go, pop culture, go!

Reality check

I'm in shock.

After regaling family and friends with stories about our recent travels -- specifically about Drew and Princeton -- and being asked a few too many times, "what's tuition at Drew?" I decided to look it up.

Hold on to your hat. And windbreaker. And shoes. And most definitely your wallet.

Tuition this year at Drew was a mere $37,310. ('Scuze me while I have a coughing fit.)

Oh, but it gets better! Here it is with room and board and fees (taken directly from Drew U's website):

Tuition:	$37,310
Room:	$6,702
Board:	$3,666

Fees

• General Fee: $560
• Health Insurance: $588 (required for International students)
• Orientation Fee: $250 (First year students only)
• Technology Fee: $125
• Transcript Fee: $25 (First year students only)

The Turkey won't need the health insurance fee because he's not an international student -- oh goody! that's a $588 savings! break open the champagne! *cough!* -- but that still gives us a grand total of $48,638. Per year.

With 28 months to save for this potential expedition, and assuming college will be a 4-year thing for the boy, that means I have to sock away...doing the math so you might see smoke...yeah....OMG!...I would have to save $6,948.29 each month between now and then! *hack!* *cough!* *smoke!* *swoon*

Thank goodness the words "tuition" and "remission" are together and part of my benefits package. Thank goodness I still have a job. Thank goodness for scholarships. Thank goodness for peep-tinis. With this sticker shock/reality check I'll be partaking of some 'tini tonight.

*cough!*

Drew U. and the Ivy League

Last week was the Turkey's spring break. He got to sleep late and play video games most of the week while I was at work. I think he reveled in the sheer laziness of it all. Can't blame him. After all, that was what I did on my spring break, too.

Starting Thursday though, I took over the scheduling. No more sleeping 'til noon and showers were a must. We got up, packed up, and headed out. First stop was not the grocery store, not the mall, not downtown Annapolis, but Drew University.

That's right - Drew U.! This was the Turkey's first official college tour and I wanted to make it a fun one. What better place than a university that shares his name? :-)  The walking tour of campus was nice and the Turkey was impressed with all it had to offer for such a small place. "Small" in this instance is 1600 students.  teeny tiny

 
Drew University is in Madison, NJ. It was a lovely drive on a gorgeous spring day. We did the walking tour of campus, stopped at the bookstore to get the requisite Drew t-shirt, walked around on our own taking pictures (you can tell by the shadows it was late afternoon), laughed a lot, and then meandered towards the car. Can you guess our next destination by the picture below?

That's right - Princeton! Welcome to the Ivy League!

We met my friend Laura and her 6-year-old daughter for dinner. I hadn't seen Laura in over 14 years and it was a treat to catch up in person and finally meet her daughter who is a delightful firecracker. We settled at Winberie's for a casual dinner and then headed over to The Bent Spoon for gelato. Mmmmm! The Bent Spoon is apparently an institution in town and has really unique flavors. Sour cream gelato anyone? (Don't knock it. That's what Laura had so I got to taste it and it was surprisingly good. Who knew?!) Peanut butter, mango, coconut, pear and prosecco, vanilla bean....it was all so so so SO yummy!

After a night in heavenly beds at the Westin, we headed back downtown for breakfast and our own walking tour of Princeton.

PJ's Pancakes, the site of breakfast. We had seen it while driving around the night before and had casually remarked that we might try it for breakfast. When a friend recommended it via facebook, it was a done deal. Diners over the years have written/carved their names into the table tops. We had a few laughs reading the comments on the table before the Turkey added his own "Go Terps!" to the menagerie. This was definitely the ONLY time I would let and encourage him towards graffiti. Oh, and their pancakes were seriously fluffy and scrumptious, too.

Pancakes done and parking found, we walked across the street and meandered through campus.

It was again a gorgeous morning and the walk was lovely. Drew remarked on more than one occasion that he felt he was at Hogwarts instead of a college campus in the US! With so much gothic architecture I can totally understand that sentiment. It is indeed unlike most of the campuses in this country.

Before you start asking, the answer is NO. Drew is not thinking of applying to Princeton. This was simply a fun expedition since we were close to the campus. Puh-leeze! Let's revisit tuition remission at Maryland, shall we?

But have I told you about his time in Harvard? Remind me about that some day.

Back to the trip...

After the Princeton experience we came back to reality with a thud, landing in Brooklyn. We spent some time with my brother and sister-in-law and new nephew, walking around the city, checking out the Brooklyn Flea Market, and generally just hanging out.

We came away without pictures of the baby who is a super cutie and likes to try to talk and did a good job of sliming my purple shirt (stay tuned for pictures because we'll see him again next weekend)...right...no pictures of the baby this trip but with pictures of this:

Do you see it? It's the second house in the row. No, it is not my brother's house. It is ... drum roll, please ...

A PINK HOUSE! The entire thing is painted PINK! Sister-in-law knew I would get a kick out of it so she took us a couple blocks out of the way to find it. Yee haw!

Gotta love home owners with a sense of humor! :-)

And yes, I got away with NO pictures of the baby but 3 - count 'em: one, two, THREE - pictures of a pink house. *sigh* I can't even chalk it up to too many peep-tinis. I can, however, blame it on a pink obsession. After all, the baby is a boy so no pink. (Did that work? Do you believe it? No? Rats. Me either.)

Hi, my name is Jess and I like pink.

Must. Start. Taking. Baby. Pictures.

Peep-tini

Ta da! One Peep-tini! :-)

The recipe was easy: make a cosmo (or a shaker full of cosmos, your choice), pour in to glasses and float a peep on top. Easy schmeasy!

Here's another view: 

Wishing you a happy Easter full of your favorite Peeps! 

Cheers!