Why 27 you ask? I guess because I'm 27 when I started this blog, and everyone has a top 10 list so I want to be different. Plus, it gives you a little more insight into my life and is going to force me to think outside of the basic information. So without further adieu...
1) My name is Nicole Marie. My parents just liked the name Nicole and Marie is after my godmother.
2) I was born on February 7th in New Jersey, stayed there for a few years, moved to Long Island (south shore) for 10 years, and then back to New Jersey. I did have a brief stint in New York state when I went to college at St. Bonaventure University in the booming metropolis of Olean, NY and graduated with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Marketing. I currently work in public relations so at least I stayed on track.
3) I met my husband, Rob, my junior year of college. We met through a mutual friend and did not attend the same school.
4) Rob's birthday is the day before mine: February 6th. He can never have an excuse to forget my birthday.
5) After dating for one year we got our dog, Buster. He's an adorable Bichon and has the best personality. He's like a big dog trapped in a little dogs body.
6) I am the oldest of four kids. A brother, Dominick; a sister, Rosie; and another brother, Joseph.
7) I love to travel. Last year I went on one of the best vacations of my life: a two week cruise around the Mediterranean. Everywhere we turned was amazing and full of so much history. My favorite spot was Venice though. It was the most spectacular city and I hope to go back one day.
8) Rob and I went to Europe as a re-do of our honeymoon. His appendix ruptured while we were in the Caribbean and the complications from his misdiagnosis lasted for months. He definitely put me to the test for the "in sickness and in health" vow pretty early on. I think I passed with flying colors. He survived.
9) Probably should back up. We dated for a few years and then got married on November 24, 2007 at a country club in New Jersey. We had a great time at our wedding and I still get teary eyed when I watch our wedding video.
10) I have five primary email accounts - between work, personal, maiden name, married name and then my every day fun email. My most frequently used email involves the word shorty, and you may have guessed it, it's because I'm short (I like to say vertically challenged or petite).
11) I took piano lessons for years as a kid. I still play every once in a while, but stopping lessons is one of my biggest regrets.
12) One other thing I regret in life is not studying abroad while in college. I actually had everything set up and was supposed to spend six weeks in Florence for a photojournalism class, capturing the beauty of the Tuscany region. I had been accepted, paperwork in, classes registered and then the week I was about to book my flight Bush declared war - the one thing my folks said would stop me from going. Thanks a lot. At least we were able to get all the deposits back.
13) After canceling my trip to study in Italy I bought my favorite car still to this day: a Volkswagon Cabrio. I named it Piccolina - a name my Italian teacher in college used to call me. I think it has something to do with being little. I cried when I got rid of it to get my next car.
14) For the record, I'm five feet. I like to say 5 feet, one inch, but that's being generous.
15) I actually went out with a guy who smelled like peanut butter and jelly (turn off #1). He thought it'd be funny to Google what the legal height of midget was and tell me I just made the cut. That was the last date.
16) Instead of going to Italy over the summer I got an internship with Radio Disney in New York. It was an awesome opportunity. I've never had so many Zour candies in my life.
17) During my Disney internship I got to work concerts on the beach in Point Pleasant every Wednesday. During one of them I was actually a body guard, if you will, for Jesse McCartney. This was before he wasn't really famous for his music but was more well known for being on the ABC soap opera All My Children.
18) During high school I loved to watch ABC soap operas. I actually went to Super Soap Weekend in Disney one year with one of my best friends, Lisa. It was an amazing experience and I actually brought up how much fun we had during my matron of honor speech during her wedding.
19) This is actually my second blog. The first one I had no clue what I was doing and it ended up just being about random stuff so I deleted it. Here's hoping this sticks because it took me a while to come up with the name!
20) I was 20 when I met Rob. We were actually 20, about to turn 21 a few weeks after we met. Our first date was at Dunkin Donuts with our mutual friend (Rob was hanging out with him and we were getting together to say goodbye before heading back to our colleges after winter break). Our second date was to the Rockaway Mall. We got coffee and we made a Build-a-Bear together. I still have the stuffed animal on my bed :)
21) Our wedding song was "I Finally Found Someone" by Barbara Streisand and Bryan Adams. The line that sucked us in: "It started over coffee". We liked the rest of the song, but it was pretty accurate about the coffee part so that's why it is our song.
22) For my 21st birthday I did shots (a lot) and one of them was Rumplemintz. After a few of those I was calling them Rumpelstiltskin and that he was my best friend. Pathetic.
23) I learned to ski after moving out of western New York. Rob got me my first set of skis and all of the equipment as a one year anniversary present. I love skiing now and actually push him to go on weekends in the winter.
24) Hmm.. up to 24.. what do you not know about me yet. I guess it could be that I can't wait to have kids. Eventually this might morph into a mommy blog (sorry, I know there are a ton of those), but this is like a virtual diary and will be a good way to document pregnancy and parenthood.
25) I enjoy reality TV, and most of the time it is about housewives. Housewives of New York City, Housewives of New Jersey, Desperate Housewives. I guess that's where I am in my life, huh? Before that it was bridal shows. Bridezilla was just comical and made even my bad days seem normal.
26) I am extremely close with my grandmother. She's one of my best friends.
27) Wow, 27 things about me went faster than I thought! I guess one last thing is that I love to cook. More so baking than cooking meals, although breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day.
I guess it's a good thing I didn't start this blog much later in life, or I would have been here for a while :)
Our dog, Buster, isn't just a pet but a member of our family. Since he was a puppy we've always thought he was different from most little dogs. For one thing, Buster is very active - he likes to swim, loves to play in the snow, and always amazes me how much energy he has when he goes for a run (we used to do about 4 miles a day). Another thing that's comical is how he loves to eat fruits and vegetables, but is particular about what he has. For example, he only likes carrots when they are boiled, and he likes lettuce, but only iceberg; he spits out romaine. I could go on and on about how much we love Buster and how he makes each day special.