100th Post Giveaway!!!

Presenting to you, as promised, a giveaway in celebration of my 100th blog post! I've posted sporadically over the past few months, but I have stuck with it and I'm still here! You, too, have stuck with me through it as well and that is what this is all about. To show you my appreciation for your continued readership, I am giving away the following:

1. A copy of John Mariani's book How Italian Food Conquered the World

Amazon.com

2. A bundle of our favorite cooking gadgets: garlic peeler, garlic press, gnocchi board and more!

If you love Italian food, you will love Mariani's book. I couldn't put it down! It's amazing to see how things evolved from The Old Country to the New World. Not to mention all the exciting, yummy dishes you can make with our goodies. See the rules of play below in order to participate.

Rules of Play
1. Become a follower of this blog and my solely food-dedicated blog The Saucy Italian.
2. Comment on this post and tell me what you'd like to see on my blog in the future (discussions, recipes, etc.)
3. That's it! Simple, right? The winner will be decided by a random number generator and announced on Saturday, September 24th. All entries must be made by midnight (EST) on Friday, September 23rd.

I am so excited about this giveaway. I hope you will be too!

My 9/11 Story.

Today, as we all know, marks the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack that I ever hope to witness during my lifetime. It's hard to believe that ten years have passed. It's sad to know that there is so much hatred in our world and worse, that people seem to be more and more willing to act upon that hatred.

But as we always hear around this anniversary, so many stories of the good that have come from this tragic event emerge. I like to think that how my husband and I met is also indirectly one of those stories.

As many of you know, I studied abroad during my junior year of high school (2003-2004), just two years after the September 11th attacks. The town where I attended an American school was very close to a large military base. The mayor of Viterbo offered some added measures of protection after the attacks in the form of posting some military personnel outside of the school 24/7 to check packages, comings and goings, etc. It was on an October day 8 years ago (I know, 8 years. It's mind-boggling), that I first laid eyes on my husband-to-be, keeping watch outside of the school as an Italian soldier. Of course I could go on to tell you that he wasn't even supposed to be stationed at the school, but closer to Rome and that he was about to be discharged as his one year mandatory service was coming to a close, but because of several people being sick, someone had to fill in, but the simple truth is this: Had September 11th never happened, I don't know with any certainty that I would have met Benny. Really, what are the odds that a girl, born and raised in a very small town in Tennessee would meet, fall in love and marry a man from Bagheria, Italy (be honest, have you ever heard of that Italian city?)? God uses very mysterious ways to bring people together.

It's raining.

It's raining today and thank God! It has been so dry here that the last time hubs mowed the lawn out back it looked like a freaking dust storm. He was covered in dirt when he came in! There are a couple of draw backs to this rain today, though. 1. It's Labor Day - a day of cookouts and being outdoors. It ain't happening. 2. It's rained 5 inches just this morning and after about a two month drought, it's causing some problems. Roads are flooded and so are cars. Word to the wise, actually pay attention and follow through with the advice they always give to not drive through standing water. Your car will flood, possibly be swept away and almost certainly be totaled.

So, since our cooking out plans were foiled, we've decided to go see Bridesmaids (again!) with my brother and sister-in-law (who is about to pop and looks so precious!) who have not seen the movie, at the cheap movie theater. I'm pumped. I want to see a good comedy and laugh a lot today. I'm one of those losers who likes to see movies I've already seen. When I find a movie I like, I will watch it a billion and a half times until I have picked up on every single nuance possible. I'll always ask someone if they've seen a particular movie and if they remember this part or that part and they look at me like I'm crazy because they haven't seen it hundreds of time like myself. To let you know how fabulous my taste in movies is (and how random), I'll share with you a few of such movies:
1. Sex and the City: The Movie
2. Bridget Jones's Diary
3. Bridget Jones's Diary: The Edge of Reason
4. Love Actually
5. Shawshank Redemption
6. Legally Blonde
7. Miss Congeniality
8. (although not a movie) Sex and the City (the entire series. I know, it's sad and pathetic but hubs got me the entire set for Valentine's day year before last and I've watched it through in its entirety four times, not to mention all the random episodes I've also seen multiple times on TV)

Okay, so not so random, except for maybe the 'Redemption'.  Most of these are completely mindless movies, but they make me happy, so whatever.

With this post, I have 98 blog posts and I am planning an exciting giveaway for my 100th post. Stay tuned for details and tell your friends!

New Job.

So, I have a new job! I start on Monday, the 12th and I can't wait! I'm working out my two weeks' notice right now. Yeah, that's fun. I am going to be a Legal Secretary for a huge local law firm! Yay! And this will be my view...

Well, not exactly my view, but let's just say that I will most definitely have access to this view of our amazing city every day! While I still have to go to my old job every day until next Thursday and that can be nauseating to say the least, I can already feel a difference in how I feel. I know that there is no perfect job, but I do know that there is a better job out there for me and I feel that that is exactly where I'm moving.

On another note, the hubs and I went on our first vacay since our honeymoon last week! Destin was beautiful and it was definitely the most relaxed I've felt in what feels like forever! I've had too much stress in my life lately, or it least it feels that way. I'm ready for some smoother sailing and good nights' sleep. I've discovered that a vacation is essential to mental health and therefore, plan on taking one every year, even if it's small.

My next big savings' project is on its way. I would love for me and the hubs to take a really awesome trip for our fifth anniversary which is in two years. Call me boring, call me conventional, but I really, really just want to go to an all-inclusive resort in a tropical destination. I can see me here...

So, I discovered Pinterest like a month ago and of course I'm just as addicted as everyone else. If you haven't joined, do it. It will change your life. I am so packed full of ideas, I can't sleep sometimes! Cute ideas, useful ideas, recipes, DIY projects, simply beautiful and joyous etc. You name it, they've got it. Definitely check it out.

'Til next time lovies...