Maine, Maureen, and Me

The 2011 Holidays!

We're going to lump the rest of everything into this post, and then cross our fingers that I do better with updating more regularly starting now....

After mom and dad went home, the rest of December seemed to fly by. I finished my second to last semester of grad school, and then started working full time. Will had to work until the 22 of December, so I took as many shifts at work as I could until it was time for us to come home. On the night of the 22 we loaded up the car with lots and lots of presents, our fur-children, and all of our luggage for 2 weeks. I really do love my poor little Corolla...by the time Will stuffed the kitty-litter into the trunk (oh the joys of traveling 17 hours with a cat), we literally had no more room for anything. We set off on our journey, and fortunately only encountered a little bad weather at the beginning. The most notable thing about the drive was the "Green Mile Switch", as William called it, that occurred between Grady and Rocky. Typically on these drives it's Grady who I have to worry about, because he is not a fan of the car at all. Rocky likes to snuggle with whoever is driving, but otherwise has never had a problem...until this trip. They completely switched roles, and Rocky decided she pretty much hated anything and everything to do with the car....and this was only on hour 6. I had to keep reminding myself hourly, or more, why it's completely inhumane to pack your animals on a plane....

We finally arrived in Michigan on the afternoon of the 23 - the day before Christmas Eve! Even though it hadn't been that long since our visit with my parents, it was so nice to see them and just be home. We unloaded the car, took showers, and were pretty lazy the rest of the day....17 hour car rides will do that....

On Christmas Eve we did 2 of my favorite things: Watched Christmas movies, and ate delicious food. Momsie made a feast! We had ham (for everyone but me, eww), roasted chicken, green bean bake (almost enough for 58 people...who puts the bulk sized recipe FIRST on the back of the bag???), salad, and AMAZING baked mac n' cheese. It was so good, and I was so so full. I managed to find room for Christmas fudge and Christmas cookies however....we topped the night off with my favorite Christmas movie: Meet me in St. Louis! Will fell asleep during it last year, so it was entertaining to listen to him remark on how long it was taking for the movie to get around to "Christmas".....

On Christmas morning I woke up around 8:30. Will woke up around 6:00. This is only notable for 3 reasons: 1- he loves to sleep in, any other day of the year, 2- the only reason I woke up that early, was because Will woke me up...., and 3-he's 28. Just saying :).  When everyone finally headed downstairs, we tackled the stockings first. The fur-children open theirs first of course, and momsie and dad, and later Susie and Charlie, spoiled them! They spoiled all of us actually! My favorite thing I got in there was this awesome set of different sized spatulas. I'm kind of a kitchen utensil freak... After stockings it was on to the presents, where we were spoiled some more! We played with our goodies for a bit, and then had a wonderful breakfast together. My mom makes the best pancakes....hands down, the best. Seriously. She'll send you the recipe - try them. After being stuffed again we got around to head to Elsie for Christmas #2!

Our next stop was Will's grandparents house, and we got there just in time for more food! The whole family was assembled and waiting for us, and it was so nice to see everyone we hadn't seen in so long! Susie and Charlie had come out in November, but everyone else hadn't seen us since our last visit in June. Lots of catching up, and of course more eating. Every year Will's grandpa gets a couple prime ribs to eat, and that coupled with all the other favorites means we sit around the table for quite some time....We were all too full for dessert right away, so we moved onto presents. We were spoiled yet again, because everyone was so generous. We had a lovely afternoon sitting in front of the fireplace with our loved ones!

A few hours later it was time to move onto Christmas #3, which was the final Christmas of the season. We opened presents with Will's parents, sisters, and Emily's boyfriend Mike. Spoiled yet again for the 3rd time! Thanks to both our families for all the wonderful gifts :). I did manage to take one pretty incredible picture of one of my favorite gifts, so for your viewing please, please enjoy:

I was pretty much exhausted after the travel, and the last few days of Christmas cheer, so I slept really well that night!

The next day I received the most exciting news ever: My best friend got engaged! Keith proposed to Ashley in front of her family on Christmas! It's so romantic, and so sweet. Ash called to tell me, and when I answered the phone she said, "Hey, I have a question for you!" to which I thought she was going to ask something about our plans to hang out, but when I asked her what, she responded with, "Did you want to be my Maid of Honor?" I immediately started sobbing, which is really the only appropriate response to such a question, when asked by your very best friend of almost 17 years. I'm so thrilled for both of them, because they're so happy, and they really deserve each other. And before I cry again.....

April 6, 2013! The planning has already begun! (Thank god for Pinterest....)

So this news completely made my visit, and although it was a few days until I could see her, I was so excited!

Throughout the next week we were so busy trying to see as many friends and family as possible. The things we managed to pack in were: an amazing game night with Chancey and Michelle, "cousins bowling" with Will's family, a lunch date with Zack, Sushi with Ashley and Keith, Nails for Ash and a much needed hair apt for me, the movies with Ash, Keith, and Sadie, spending time with Sadie and Marléne, dinner and a movie with Susie and Charlie, dinner and a movie with my parents, a short but sweet visit with my honorary Aunt Denise, and a few days of sleeping in past 9...It was glorious.  It's always impossible to see everyone, and we were really sad we didn't get to see any of my extended family. We definitely have to get home in the early summer to see all of them!

We ended our holiday trip home by ringing in the New Year at Ashley and Keith's house, with Matt and his new girlfriend. We played wii games, and had some drinks. When the ball dropped I got emotional again, because all in all, it's been a pretty fantastic year. I love Maine so much, but it was also nice to spend the evening at home with some of my favorite people....now to get them all to move out here :). 

On New Years Day we slept in, and then in the late afternoon began our long trip back. Rocky did a little better, but we had some really nasty weather, so I was a bit of a mess. The drive feels longer and longer every time....

Tuesday was back to the real world, with work for both Will and I, and also my internship starting back up. It felt like our trip home flew by, and as always, in spite of missing everyone back home, it was nice to get back to Maine :). 

Some very exciting things coming up: Will is going to be hosting a comedy Show in South Portland starting on the 17! This is huge, and I'm so excited for him. The show will be every other week, and he along with 2 of his comedic friends will be taking turns hosting. Very  exciting. I start school next week, which is fine by me, because only a few weeks after I start back up I'm taking off on a cruise for a week with one of my favorite people: Stacey!!! We're going on a music cruise with our other friend Dawn, and it's going to be a much needed vacation! In the immediate future, our friend Zack is coming to visit us on Friday!! You'll be seeing a post about that, I promise, because I love when people come to visit us!!

I have grand plans to do an in depth "Year in Review" post, but we'll see.....In the meantime, you should know that Will and I have had a really wonderful year, and we're excited for everything 2012 has to offer. For me, I think it's going to be pretty incredible...I'll have my Master's Degree before I turn 25, and then we'll be figuring out where to live, and where to work. It should be amazing :).

Thanksgiving 2011

Oh my gosh.....It's January......Nicely done with the blog updates, right?

Things have been a tad bit busy out east, but that's no excuse. We've had a really great last few months, and it's time for some updates!

To begin, we had a wonderful visit with Will's parents in early November. They came out for about 5 days, and we had a great time. Unfortunately I took absolutely no pictures.......so you're just going to have to take my word for it :). We did lots of fun things, like eat home-made chili, walk around some lighthouses, let Charles sit on a few rocks, go out to eat, and rest and relax doing "Maine things". In fact, living out here is a lot like being Up North..........or so I keep telling them :).

Having Susie and Charlie visit was great, because this year we weren't able to go home for Thanksgiving. Will only had a few days off from work, and it just wasn't worth it to travel.  Luckily for us, my parents decided to come out and spend the holiday with us this year! They stayed for almost 2 weeks, and it was so wonderful having them here. Again, not so great with the camera (just wait until I do my Christmas update....even worse with that one), so I only have a few pictures...but it was a lovely time.

Mom and dad had only been out to visit one other time, when I moved here last August, so we had lots of sightseeing to do.  On the list of activities were things like: getting seafood at our favorite little shack, walking around lighthouses, scavenging for sea glass at Land's End, going to see Breaking Dawn (just momsie and I), making delicious food at home, making a home-made 'Michigan Meets Maine' Thanksgiving dinner, getting sushi and gelato at our favorite places in Brunswick, and just generally exploring the area.

 Bird, Bird, Bird is the word.....

Magical Tarts...Thank you Stacey!!

 Delicious pie as well!!

=

 Probably going to kill me for this particular picture, but it's the only one I have that isn't blurry....So glad Stacey was there though :). 

 Momsie and Dad about to enjoy our steamed lobster dinner! I promise he isn't really flipping off the camera, but is really just trying to hold onto his lobster cracker!

 Poor little friend....he tasted amazing. 

 These last 2 were from a few of the lighthouse excursions! Will likes to take pictures of people taking pictures....

I wish I had taken more pictures, but you get the idea. I hope mom and dad can come back soon! Susie and Charlie too!! We love visits from people back home :). 

3 Years!

So to say Will and I have been a little busy in the last few months would be putting it mildly.....because things have been a little crazy around here. Between new jobs, new internships, elections, visitors and trips, graduate school and many other things, we've been on our toes. That doesn't mean we didn't set some time aside to celebrate a special day for us: October 27, our 3 year anniversary!

In September I signed us up for a ballroom dancing class, which started in mid-October, and runs for about 8 weeks. We had talked about that, as well as a nice dinner and movie date, being the bulk of our anniversary festivities.  Because of this, I was very surprised when Will texted me one day a week and a half before our anniversary, and asked if we wouldn't like to have dinner....in NYC. Although I knew we shouldn't spend that kind of money so close to Christmas, practicality runs out the window when someone mentions my most favorite city in the whole world....so of course I said yes!

We found amazing prices on airfare, and got a really really nice *bed bug free* room in a beautiful hotel, for a great price! It came together so nicely!!

We made plans to go to the Comedy Cellar for Will, and to see a show for me. The Comedy Cellar on Friday night was actually really awesome, and we saw some note-worthy celebrities. Among them, the least of my favorite Comedians: Dave Attell....Oh well, Will was on Cloud 9. For the show on Saturday night, we got great seats to the revival of Anything Goes! I've been singing that music my whole life, and was so excited to actually get to see it in NYC, finally! On top of this, Sutton Foster, my favorite, was starring. This marked the second time I've seen her in the lead role of a show! Joel Grey was unfortunately out the night we saw it, so I was a little bummed to miss out on that legendary star....but it was so incredible. I did the obligatory autographs and pictures afterward, and then we had a really nice dinner.

Sunday was really special for me, because we went to Zuccotti Park to see Occupy Wall Street. I've been a little involved with Occupy Maine, so to visit the place where it all started was so incredibly moving. The energy was incredible, and there were soooooo many people. I kept telling Will how "beautiful" it all was, because it really really is. There were musicians playing, booths set up with tables and tables of information, lots of creative signs, tons of police, and a feeling of solidarity that you only get when you're involved in something like that. People from all walks of life were there, and it just makes you feel the change that's coming.

After doing that, and a few other things around the city, we met up with one of my oldest friends who recently moved to NYC. It was great to introduce him to Will, and to meet his boyfriend, and see their apartment. It was a lovely way to end our perfect weekend.

I'm undoubtedly a lucky girl. Will and I survived a 900 mile move, our first year of cohabitation, my first year of grad school, and his first year of searching for a job. Throughout it all I haven't doubted us (seriously at least ;)....moving WAS hard haha), at all. I love you babe!

Sorry for that mushy part....Now for your viewing pleasure, just a few of our pictures from our 2nd trip to NYC together:

 We had just a "little" bad weather on Saturday, but it was still beautiful, and we made do!

 We did have room service instead of going out on Saturday though!

 Anything Goes!!!!! 

 She's my favorite :). 

Will remembers way back when, when he thought I used to accost these poor people in a poorly lit alley....

 No big deal...........Ok, yes it is :). 

 See....it is beautiful!!

 "I was looking up. It was the closet thing to heaven." <--- <3

I vote for NYC every year on our anniversary :). 

"Not the last vote of 2011, but the first of 2012!"

Since September I've been working on the 'Yes on 1' campaign. Maine People's Alliance has been the lead organization running the campaign, and it's been a wonderful experience. I've met some incredible people, and learned so much.

'Yes on 1' was an important question on the ballot, regarding same-day voter registration. Maine has had same-day registration for the last 38 years, and is proud to boast of having one of the highest voter participation rates in the country.  It's especially helpful in a state where many people have to work 2 or 3 jobs, and have a very difficult time getting to their town clerk during business hours to register to vote. On top of this, many town clerks in the less populated regions are only open a few days a week, for a few hours. It makes registering before-hand very difficult.  Without any of these logistical reasons for having same day registration, though, why should we make it more difficult for people to practice their democratic right? It's hard enough getting people to vote in an election as it is...why make it more difficult? Maine's system has always worked....Period.  Last spring, however, our incredibly popular governor signed a bill to do away with this right. Among one of the cited reasons for this was voter fraud. After a thorough investigation it was determined, like many suspected, that there are actually zero cases of fraud related to same-day registration. 0. What it really boils down to is that the Republicans are trying to disenfranchise several populations of voters who are more likely to utilize same-day registration: College students, and working-class families. Both populations which are statistically more likely to vote for Democrats. Coincidence? Nope. Maine was just one of many states across the country that is trying to pass voter suppression laws, but the people here have said they will not stand for it.

This past summer Maine People's Alliance led a People's Veto on the subject, and collected more than 71,000 valid signatures. This effectively got the issue on the ballot...which brings us to the next chapter:

All the hard work of so many people came to a head this past Friday, as we started our GOTV (Get Out The Vote) phase of the campaign. For those of you who haven't worked on an election before - this phase is crunch time. I can't even speculate the number of phone calls made, or doors I hit, but it was all worth it. Last night the results came in: we won! Maine said "NO" to Governor LePage, and to people like him, who will try to suppress our democratic right to vote.

Here's a clip from Rachel Maddow, one of my very favorite people, about the issue. This explains things better than I can:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908//vp/45216800#45216800

Other big news: Yesterday the hard work of Equality Maine paid off, as they collected all their necessary signatures for the Marriage Equality initiative. We'll be seeing that on the 2012 ballot. This is so exciting!!

I'd also like to congratulate the voters of Ohio and Mississippi, who did the right thing yesterday. In Ohio, the important collective bargaining rights of the unions were restored. In Mississippi, voters agreed you cannot call a fetus a "person". Initiatives to take away a woman's right to choose are happening everywhere, but yesterday, lawmakers in Mississippi failed.

Change is coming folks. The time to get involved is now.

Part 2. Enjoy.

A W&M-ECA Exclusive

Here is part 1 of one of my latest as well my longest set to date.  There is quite a bit of new material here for all the non-Mainers reading that I hope you will enjoy.  Stay tuned for part 2 as well.  It should be up in a day or two.