UNBELIEVABLE!

I am so incredibly fired up right now. My cousin Jackie turned 21 a few minutes ago. She actually shares her birthday with her best friend, and they decided to go out on the town in Pittsburgh. They reserved VIP service at a club called "Privilege Ultralounge" in the Strip District. I was there last year for Marina's bachelorette party and thought that it was a pretty nice place. Jackie was so excited that John and I were going to meet up with them to celebrate this milestone.

Earlier, John was inquiring about the dress code there. I assured him that as long as he looked put together (which he always does) that we should be fine. I distinctly remember that I wore jeans, a nice tank top, and flip flops last year, so I knew that it couldn't be that strict. So, I decided to wear a nice pair of white capris and a pretty tank top with (my staple) flip flops. I'm sorry, I wear them everywhere...I can't wear strappy things...I prefer to be comfortable rather than suffer and be fashionable.

So, we roll up to the entrance of this club and the bouncers inform me that I can not enter because of my flip flops! I couldn't believe it. They said that there is a liability if glass breaks and my toes get cut. Okay, that kinda makes sense. However, as we were standing there discussing this, a group of girls line up to go in. The one girl had on strappy sandals. More of her foot was exposed than mine. As they let her go in, I piped up and said "Hey - she has sandals on - why are you letting her in." They told me that those shoes were acceptable. Well, this made me totally livid! I couldn't understand the difference.

I told them that this is something that they need to advertise so that patrons know what to expect when they come here. They then referred to a sign that was at the bottom of the ramp. When I looked at this sign, there was no indication that sandals were prohibited. They don't allow athletic gear, baggy clothes, head gear, and work boots. Again, I got even angrier. The one girl working there said - "You can go to Walmart and buy a pair of shoes and come right back." PLEASE! She went on to say that it is against the law for any bar or club to allow people to wear flip flops. I knew that this was not true, and I am on a mission now.

I have been calling multiple clubs throughout the city, asking about dress codes, and specifically about flip flops and sandals. Not one said that they don't allow them. One indicated that they don't recommend them, but they wouldn't turn anyone away it they had them on. So, not only am I sending that club a nice little letter, I am writing a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette!

My cousin is taking a picture of that sign for me. Also, I searched their entire website, and there is nothing about a dress code. Furthermore, if this is such big deal, they should inform people when they book parties there to tell their guests about such specifics.

What really kills me is that Jackie didn't officially turn 21 until midnight, and she has been there since before 10, drinking. So they wouldn't let me in, yet they knowingly allowed her to drink there illegally for 2 hours!

Oh, just wait...this bar messed with the wrong person!

We have 3 little ones!

Well, they're not ours, but they are living in our grill! As you can see, 3 of our little eggs hatched. I had just checked Tuesday night and there was nothing, and when John lifted the lid last night, this is what he discovered! So these little guys must have tapped their way out of their eggs sometime in the last 24-36 hours. I must admit baby birds are kinda gross-looking, but it's cool to see such a wonder of life occur right in your grill!

They must have some Moré genes in them because look at them begging for food! No one eats more than the members of my family. They have to be at least Italian.

We are so close to being able to use our grill again! FYI - we are not the only ones with this problem. Our neighbors informed us that they have had nest issues with their grill...despite an intact and in-place grill cover!

Loving Gabriel Brothers

Last night, my neighbors and I ventured to Monroeville for dinner, shopping, and coffee. Our shopping excursion was supposed to include Gabriel Brothers, Sam's Club, and Marshalls. However, it only included Gabriel Brothers. We got so caught up in that store, that we were the last customers to leave...on a Tuesday night.

So, just guess which racks kept us so intent - yep, Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. There were at least 8 racks of clothing from these stores and all the items were $5! Now, you had to look carefully for success because most of the clothing sizes were 00-petite...yeah, like that person exists! But there were a few items that I found that made me happy. I also purchased some nice Ashworth shirts for John...ones that will be great for the vacation. My other exciting purchases were a 9-West bag for $20 (originally $62) and 2 Speedo work-out bathing suits for $12.99 each (originally $72 and $84).

I used to go to Gabriel's all the time with my mom - wait, correction - my mom used to drag me to Gabe's when I was younger, which probably explains why I hadn't been there in quite some time. Well, after last night, it is going to be a frequent stop when I am in Monroeville!

Boys are as bad as girls!

After the hiatus from the Memorial Day weekend, of course I have to start back with a post about "The Bachelorette."

Usually, on seasons of "The Bachelor," the girls in the house single out one particular girl and gang up on her. Usually this is the girl who the Bachelor seems most interested in and therefore is viewed as a threat. Sometimes the "gang-up" is deserved, sometimes it's not. But, hey, they're girls, and they're catty. I can say this without hesitation because I attended an all-girl high school, and no matter what you say - girls are catty - PERIOD!

Surprisingly during last night's episode of "The Bachelorette," the guys proved NO DIFFERENT! I couldn't believe how crazy the boys can get...just as bad, if not worse, as the girls. The drama created by them was amusing to watch.

If you read the comments of my last post about "The Bachelorette," I mentioned that I thought that Jeremy was "creepy." He revealed some things about himself on last night's episode that made me think less about his creepiness. We'll see if he is actually creepy or not.

In terms of my predictions - Chris got booted, so I am down to 3 of my top 4 from last week. I will keep a tally of how long my predictions last.

One last comment - Twilly is a twit - and I have NO idea why she kept him!

Any other thoughts?

Oh, to be a kid again!

Growing up, this weekend was always the best...the kind that you look forward to all year long. And here are the reasons why broken down daily:

• Thursday - sometimes Ascension Thursday fell on this week, and as a Catholic school girl, we would have the day off due to it being a Holy Day of Obligation. In addition, this was the day of Penn Hills School District prom, and all of our neighbors would be going. So, we would watch all of the couples take pictures and load into their limos
• Friday - Penn Hills School District Kennywood Day! Looking back, we were such losers when it came to Kennywood Day because we would purchase an outfit specifically for that day, and then anytime we would wear it afterward, it would be referred to as "my Kennywood outfit" and our friends knew exactly what we meant. At least my friends and I didn't buy matching outfits to wear (which a lot of people did). Nevertheless, it was the best day because we would get to the park early and leave really late, and we would run into everyone we knew throughout the day!
• Saturday - Pools opened! I was a total pool rat when I was younger. I really felt badly for the lifeguards, because I am sure that they hated us...we would never miss a day and we would never leave - rain or shine
• Sunday - Usually, by this time graduation parties started, and since I was one of the younger kids in my extended family, there was always a few parties to attend and most fell on this day.
• Monday - Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL! Enough said.

What I wouldn't give to go back to those days, when my biggest concern was bad weather because it would put such a damper on all of the festivities of the weekend.

Speaking of, it has been so depressing in Pittsburgh lately, because the weather just hasn't been up to par. I was driving into work this morning and it was 39 degrees! C'mon...it's Memorial Day weekend, it has always been at least in the high 70's, even if it rained. "They" say that it is supposed to warm up, I hope that their predictions are right!

She's 3!

Happy Birthday Gabriella!


















Can you tell that she LOVES Cinderella?

And the Winner is:

Kristie Yamaguchi! Yippeeee!