lipstick laughs

As I have mentioned before, I come from a big Italian family.  This past weekend was my cousins family graduation party.  Family parties are always a good time that end in drunken shananigans.  My Great Aunt Rosetta (who is 90 years old) is known for bringing "gifts."  These are really not "gifts," basically she cleans out her apartment and brings you her old belongings because she thinks you could use them.  As this is very thoughtful of her, usually it is something you do not want nor need.  As funny as it is, it is very sentimental at the same time.

Well I think this weekend's gift might have been my favorite.  Aunt Rosetta came with a sleeve of lipstick tubes for each of her great nieces.   I do not think I have really ever worn lipstick, and I now know why.  That stuff tastes bad, my cousins and I all agreed that we'll stick to our lip gloss.   But instantaneously as soon as I received my tube of bright pink lipstick, I put it on and started the trend with my 10 other girl cousins.  We were hysterically laughing and Aunt Rosetta was so touched that we loved the gifts.  We took a GREAT picture of all of us wearing our lipstick surrounding Aunt Rosetta smiling and laughing together.  It is a picture I will definitely cherish and frame.  Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the picture yet (my mom took the picture and did not post yet). I was only able to take a picture with my iPhone to send a quick pic to my sister who had to miss the lipstick laughs because she was in class on a Saturday.

Tori, Me, Kelsey & Tina showing off our lipstick laughs

nicknames

I can not be more excited!!!!  My nephew who is 20 months old finally said my name this weekend!  It was and is not the full "Jenna" but he says "enna" and I will take it!   I am just excited that he knows that when he says that word or sound that it means me, his coolest, funnest aunt.  Aunt Enna, I am :)

It got me to laugh though, about silly little nicknames because now I have another one.  Here is a list of my names...

• Jenna (obvisouly)
• Jenn
• JennaBenna
• J
• Schmenna
• TigerLily
• Enna

What are some nicknames you have?

concerts....

One of the best things about the summer is the amount of great concerts that come around my area.  Concerts are just so more enjoyable in the summer than they are in any other season. 

Last night I relived my youth and went to the NKOTBSB (New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys) Concert with my sister and friends.  I was a HUGE BSB fan growing up, Nick Carter was my life!  They were my first concert in 2000, my parents surprised my sister and I with the tickets and it was like we won the lottery, we were so excited!  Over the past 13 years I have seen the Backstreet Boys probably about 6 times with my sister.  It was just so much fun pretending like I was a 13 year old girl again last night singing and dancing every move with my childhood crushes.  There were numerous points of the night where my sister and I were laughing at eachother because it was like nothing had changed and we still were those little girls.  It was a great night and a night I will never forget. 

Besides the NKOTBSB concert, I am seeing Glee this Friday, June 17 at the IZOD Center, then Katy Perry at the Prudential Center on Sunday, June 19 and then Taylor Swift on July, 20 at the Prudential Center.  Hopefully I will have more concerts to list as the summer begins, but I am so excited and cannot wait!

What concerts are you seeing this summer or what silly bands were you obsessed with growing up as I was with the Backstreet Boys?

30 days!

30 days until the 4th of July!

I love the 4th of July almost as much as I love my best friends.  4 years ago my best friends and I spent the 4th of July at Kate's lake house in Swartswood, New Jersey.  We had the time of our lives and full of laughter.  That night completely intoxicated, we vowed and promised to each other that for the rest of our lives that the 4th of July will be our holiday and always spent together. 

Let's face it, as we grow older, fall in love and get jobs, our lives may take us in different directions.  It is already happening and we are only 23.  Some of us are still in school, some have moved 20 minutes away and others 2 hours; it is life and tough decisions we have each had to make.  But I am lucky to have these friends and to have had them for almost 20 years now. 

So every 4th of July for the rest of my life, I have plans and those plans are in Swartswood, New Jersey with my best friends spending the day in the sun and laughing.  I hope my husband and kids are cool with that because if not - CYA - have a nice weekend with daddy because mommy will be at the lake!