ME TIME

Ah yes... I'm nearing my 30's...and only now am I feeling more and more comfortable doing things on my own :: seeing movies, having dinner out in a restaurant, having a drink ... funny, as I can move to other countries, can move state to state, take on the world as it is, but have never felt comfortable eating alone. Well, I'm proud to say I've (sort of) conquered that unfamiliar feeling. Now let me say that this will never be my preference in life, just that I'm now starting to feel OK with it. Thats all. Just mere sharing of my end of soon to be end of 20's thoughts.

GETTING SKINNY...

So I turn 30 in a few months.... yes, yes..all jokes can be directed to me this year... and I've set myself a target on being in the best health that I've ever been. Changed eating habits. More working out... I'm already seeing results. Pants are loose, tummy is flatter, cheeks and chins have disappeared ... Last year during my mono battle I was so determined to get healthy and into amazing shape but was defeated by the sleeping needs and low energy. Now that I'm fully recovered (thanks to vitamin B and a lot of sleep) both Lee and I are health and fitness crazy.... minus the Diary Milk bar we just shared! shhh dont tell! Lee is training to do a duathalon and then hopefully the London Marathon. I am just a training partner....no competitions for me (yet). So yesterday we went for the longest run I've done since my collegiate rowing days. 40 minutes (i know it's not that long) around New Malden and Coombe.. up and down mega hills, thru parks, under the A3, and around many neighborhoods. (mind you, Lee is 6'4" and has a stride like a deer... so my little legs were working twice as hard to keep up!) The running part was fine. The breathing part was fine. The blisters from breaking in new shoes by walking around London were not so fine. My feet... oh the sight of them....have been 1 week in healing and will need a lot more time for the skin to replace itself. gross. 3 months to go... you'll see. I'll be a new me.

TONIGHTS THE NIGHT

I do have a lot to tell you about my weekend in London...but I will save it for tomorrow. (I have taken photos as well!!) More importantly however ... TONIGHT my condo in Atlanta, which, yes indeed folks, is FOR SALE.. will air on HGTV's "What you Get for the Money". Check your local listings of course, but 7pm is for the East Coast watchers. Tell your friends and tell them its for sale! :) Please get in touch with Mark Camp (mark@markcamp.com) if you are interested in seeing it/buying it.

PACKING FOR LONDON

PACKING UP!!! I fly to London in just 6 days!!!! let me tell you how hard it is to pack within the baggage limitations! 2 bags. under 50lbs each. ugh... really!? ...now we are talking shoes, bags, clothes, toiletries ... everything! I know this is only round 1 to bring stuff to London .. but ugh, to chose... my round 1 weight distribution test ... Amazing ... to think that just over a year ago I was in Atlanta Georgia, unhappy and thinking about moving to home to Boston to "start over"...but NOW!!! I'm moving to London to "start a life"! If only I could make packing MY JOB!!!!!! I do LOVE it :) and OHHHH how many good secrets I have for packing!!! (just ask Lee!) ... hmmmmmmmmm .... back to packing!!

STEP RIGHT UP

Thats right folks .. it's CAR SELLING TIME. 2000 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro AWD It's pretty I know... Black leather interior (there are two rips, yes) Some minor exterior dings, but nothing major... LOTS of new stuff (timing belt, battery..etc) less than 81,500 miles on it. Anyone interested? leave a comment with your email (i have to allow the comment to post, so I wont post these)

HISTORIC WEEK

So many things this week, I think i'll just do a list... 1. I'm now a Floridan. YIPEE. I'd list the benefits... but for now, well, there was SUN SHINE while we were there; and oh yes! whats the forecast for Shrewsbury MA ..rain? oh really? rain? hmmm..... 2. Mikey and Jenny have made the trip and have moved into their new home in North Carolina!! EXCITING! I think this is actually the FIRST home outside of Massachusetts he's ever had! Good luck to you both in this new chapter of life. 2. My friend Noel Kade has passed her LEED test. I'm proud of her. 3. RIP :: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson. wow. Who didnt watch Ed McMahon growing up?! And if you didnt have a Farrah poster on your wall...well something was wrong with you. Michael...well he's a legend. period. May you rest in peace and may we all remember your interesting lives. 4. I may have been commissioned (by my brother) to do a painting for their new house. SUPER EXCITING. I'll post a photo of that when completed. (to be completed before my departure date of July 7th) 5. OH LOOK!! it's the sun! here in Shrewsbury. Oh wait... it's leaving us tomorrow....what's that...more rain?! oh. yeah. more rain.

CONGRATS TO US!

Well a few items to note... #1. My sister just purchased a second house. It's lake front on the Worcester side of Lake Quinsig. :) It's SO cute. She's looking for renters ... #2. I have purchased my one-way fight to London! July 7th ...

A PIECE OF ME FOR YOU

EXCITING NEWS! You can now purchase my works here:: http://caradipierro.imagekind.com/ I have added a link here on my blog as well. Spread the word and HAPPY PURCHASING!

Free Time

Now that Lee has left the USA I have a lot of down time again... Before it got cold and rainy, I spent most of my time outside helping my sister with her Garden. (Photo to come soon of the patio I've created for her! - its not finished yet - but it will be this weekend!) Gardening is hard work! My Mom is a PRO! She can stay out all day carting stuff around, planting, replanting, bending, squatting...lets just say I'm pretty sore. HA..and I'm supposed to be the athlete around here. Well it's back to working on my Resume and updating my blog and online portfolio...

For girls and guys..

For gifts or for yourself! Rosemary is hands down the best Esthetician the Shrewsbury area has! Not only is she one of my best friends, a great mom, a super sister, daughter and all that, she gives the BEST facials! If you find yourself in Shrewsbury ... she is the best!

Up Close and Personal

oooooooohhhhh tibes is so cute. i had to get some close photos from him today, he's a great subject! besides, all the more practice with my new camera is better for me!

Christmas in April

Over the weekend I got not one, but TWO big items in the mail! Item #1 The first, not oh so exciting, but very needed is my new external hard drive!! I bought a 1TB Western Digital Element. Its sleek, and it holds LOTS of info! Looooooveee the newegg.com! and finally I can defragment my laptop! (yes, that’s right, I had less than 6% free on this precious little machine of mine and it won’t perform defrag’s unless there is 15% free!) Item #2. …now THIS is the exciting part!! I bought a camera!!! WOHOO. Nikon D40. It’s used…well… refurbished. But it’s new to me! Here’s the first photo I took (happens to be of item #1!!!) WHAT A DAY!

Scrapbooking

What a better way to spend Easter night than making a scrapbook of my AU/NZ trip from June/July. My dearest friend, Matt Gentile and I had so much fun on this month adventure and really that trip changed my life… I find that if you don’t create an album or scrapbook of your trip soon after you take the trip you forget the little things … I’m a few months late I know, but I saved everything and remember most things about the trip so the book creating process has been fast and fun! I’ve done books for my semester in Poland and the months of travel after and have really enjoyed looking at those books since, so any major trip I’ve decided to keep up with my scrap-booking tradition. In 20 years I’ll really enjoy looking back at them. Thanks to the good supplies at Target, and some extra stickers and ‘things’ all you need is a good glass of wine and some tunes and have at it!

I’m a creative cat..

I’ve rekindled my love with board games (ok, it was never lost..just put it on hold!) From data head to creative cat, activities included getting your teammate to guess a song that you hum or whistle or …acting like a character or famous person or spelling words backwards. oh the hours of fun!!

updated site

Please take a look at my updated online portfolio. I will be updating this again after my return to Massachusetts. http://dipierro.carbonmade.com/

Work Thoughts

As I’m recovering from flights, travel, mono, sinus eww… I’m allowing all artistic and out of the box ideas for my next work adventures to consume my time (oh right, 2nd to beach time, long walks, and plenty of sleep!) Here are some of my idea … 1. update my CV … this is in the works anyways 2. finish up some of my panoramic photo-montage’s and sell them! Anyone interested in the first round? I should have them completed by next week … how I print and sell is the next step to that. 3. begin painting again and selling these – most likely wont happen until I’m home in Shrewsbury with my supplies in hand. There are more… I’ve chosen not to embellish…. Here goes the step into the unknown …

Avoca Beach

WOW … the perfect weekend get-a-away spot. Lee has taken me as a part of my week birthday celebrations via rental car to a great spot in Avoca Beach. The hillside of the beach is packed with cute little homes, weekend get-a-way spots and many retiree homes. With a fantastic rental home… bigger than my Sydney apartment..with a patio, stocked with breakfast items, movies and even scrabble we had an amazing weekend away from the city. Every home it seems has a view of the water, since all are located up this hill from the beach. We went kayaking, played tennis, walked the beach, played paddle ball, hung out at café’s and watched surfers for hours! Surfing is such a big sport here in Australia, with young kids, age 14 or so winning major tournaments! The waves these kids are able to surf are unbelievable. Just wading in the water you can feel the rip… at Avoca the tricks they were doing on surf boards could hold your gaze for literally hours. Very entertaining! What an amazing difference from my 28th birthday to my 29th birthday. So long my years as a 20 year old. 2008 I told myself would be MY year…and so far…so it has 

Birthday Celebrations

What a birthday week! After hiking in the Blue Mountains over the weekend with gorgeous weather, enjoying the sculptures by the sea, and a few nights out for good food, we finally went to the zoo! Toronga Zoo, just across the harbour from the Opera House is as good as the San Diego zoo! It’s HUGE! And, yep, just like SD it’s built on a hill. So planning your route of travel is Key to success of not only viewing all of the exhibits but saving your legs in the mean time. With Wild Australian animals, a major reptile exhibit, (Austin would be in heaven) tigers, lions, chimpanzee’s…you name it! We were lucky enough to be there for feeding time for the lions and tigers. They were pacing and really active. The giraffe’s really do have the best view in the city! Its crazy that a city such as Sydney develops waterfront properties with a zoo and a cemetery! (photos to come soon on these)