iPhone Apps I can't live without...

Can I just say, I LOVE MY IPHONE!!! I can't imagine life without it, it's ridiculous but this little device runs my life! I figured I would share my favorite apps, this list is subject to change as new apps hit the app store, but these are my current favs!

FACEBOOK
Ahh, yes, good old facebook! This is the age of social networking and facebook is a must have for the youth of this generation. I can have four papers due in a week for grad school, stress over wedding details that should've been done yesterday and STILL find time to waste on facebook before the "Oh shit, blahblah needs to be done" panic hits me.

TWITTER
While I love facebook, I've slowly found myself becoming addicted to tweeting to my peeps! I love the idea of being able to actually talk to celebs (even if they don't tweet back) and find out what they or my friends are doing/thinking.

INSTAGRAM
This app is awesome! I love all the different ways you can make your pictures look and being able to choose if I want them displayed on facebook and twitter saves me the hassle of uploading my pics on these two social networking sites separately!

FOURSQUARED
Finding out who else is at the mall or fighting for mayor ships of public places can become addictive! Getting badges for unlocking things on this app gives you a small sense of accomplishment and the titles these "achievements" have cracks me up!

AROUNDME
This app is awesome whenever you visit a new town or just want to find something new to do! I can't wait to use this on my next road trip, who ever made this app was awesome!

NETFLIX
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Netflix! Having unlimited data plan plus netflix means I'm NEVER without some sort of entertainment! Of course, If you aren't lucky enough to have the unlimited data plan, at least you're good to go as long as you have wi-fi!

ITRANSLATE
Having friends in other countries, this app is great when trying to figure out what non-English status updates are about. It's also helpful if I forget how to say a certain word in Spanish.. (Hey, I was born and raised in AMERICA! English is my primary language, so sue me if I forget how to say a word in Spanish!)

FLASHLIGHT
Using my phone as a flashlight is the best feature ever! You never know when you find yourself in a dark place and need a guiding light!

DRAGONVALE
I love this game! breeding dragons and competing to have the best dragon "zoo" amoung your friends in the game center becomes addictive super fast!

TINY TOWER
Again.. another addictive game, though it is a bit slow once it starts taking over a day to build a floor. Never less, this game does help kill time when you're bored!

WORDS WITH FRIENDS
Ahhh, the joys of playing Scrabble against your friends ans co-workers!

FML
Feeling like your life sucks? You're not alone! Reading the misfortune of others just has a way of making any crappy day into an OK day!

SHAZAM
Personally, I always forget the names of songs and the artist. This app is great in helping you figure out the names of songs on a radio station or playing in a restaurant.

EBAY
I love EBay! I can usually find stuff that I want at a price I can actually afford!

RED LASER
Hello, my name is Shirley and I am a shopaholic! I love finding deals, my motto is to never pay full price for something that I can more then likely find at a different store for a cheaper price. As such, this app is a must have!

TD BANK
I am one of those people that never balances her checkbook. I know, I know, I really should keep a better track of how much money I have in my bank account but I know myself and that is just not happening! At least there's an app for that..

TINY CHEF
I love this game but at the same time I hate it. I will go for a few weeks where I constantly play but the moment I forget about it and my dishes spoil, I get over it and stop playing for awhile. Ah, well, we shall continue this love/hate relationship because Tiny Chef will, more then likely, have its permanent place on my iPhone screen.

Well, that's all of my current favs, I'm sure whenever I find new apps that I think are worth mentioning, I'll blog about them!

<3 Shirley

Real Housewives of NJ finale

Jersey, Jersey, Jersey! Where to start? Can I just put a disclaimer out there and say that this is a REALITY TV show and as such, I do not know any of the people displayed in this show and the events that happen affect me in NO WAY WHAT SO EVER! But, as a viewer, I can voice my opinion and pass judgment since the "characters" in the show have made the conscience decision to put there life out there for us (and getting paid a ton of money to ruin their lives, back stab each other, ect..), the viewers, to watch and become entertained. 

With that said.. 

We start out the episode with a recap of what has happened this season. Let's sum it up in a nice package with a hot pink bow tied on the top shall we? New housewives Melissa and Kathy arrive on scene after Danielle was fired/quit/whothehellknowstherealstory to spice things up in NJ and a big ol' fight breaks out at a BABY'S Christening after Teresa says "Hi" to her brother Joey, who calls her "garbage" (on national television.. and the winner of best brother of the year award goes to Joey Gorga *eyeroll*) blah, blah, blah snide remarks, Teresa blowing up over her cousin Kathy for no apparent reason, a trip to Punta Cana and showdown between Jacqueline and her daughter Ashley (or Ashlee as she's called now) and we arrive to the season finale. Oh, I almost forgot, Caroline's sons and brother/family steal a product from Canadians  start endorsing this new water called "BLK water", Melissa starts a new singing career like every other housewife in this franchise tries to and we learn all about Joey Gorga's unquenchable sex drive. So after the recap of the season, we find Teresa going on with her cheerful self preparing her demon children for a family photo. You hear Melissa talk about how this is the first time they're taking a "family" photo together. First of all, I don't think that it's common to take a family photo with your whole immediate family (siblings with their children and grandparents) once you get married and start your own family. Maybe it's because I come from a huge family (my mom is the youngest of 25 for example), but what I personally have found to happen is each family takes a professional picture and sends them out with the Christmas cards. So Melissa's complaint just doesn't really make sense to me, nor do I fault Teresa for not inviting them over for pictures.In between of this and little snippets of the "digs" in Teresa's book being read, Victoria gets ready for her prom. She looked stunning and the conversation between her dad and date are priceless! I'm sure every girl can relate, daddy just doesn't like his little girl dating! Unfortunately, this cute scene is almost forgotten as you start learning more and more about what exactly Teresa has written in THE BOOK (take two!).  I don't know if it was just me or my imagination, but didn't the whole unveiling of Teresa's Book seem extremely scripted? Just from watching the episode, it seemed like these people thought she wrote the book that week! Come on, give the girl some credit (MELISSA!), sure things have gotten smoothed out, but they weren't at the time Teresa wrote the book! In fairness, I can see Caroline's point, from what was read out loud(I haven't read nor bought ANY of Teresa's cookbooks nor do I plan to. Honestly, I would never buy anything these housewives make or endorse, I waste my money on people who become famous without going on a trashy reality TV show. I'm not going to let them profit off me just because they became famous for doing absolutely nothing of merit... even if it's for my amusement!), Teresa was digging into Caroline! I can understand the joke about being 1/16th Italian and the Rachel Ray repeated joke, but to go on and make a dig about a person's child is low. Now, It could be that she didn't intend to insult Chris Manzo or that we only heard a small portion of what was written, but I can understand Caroline's anger. My parents are a lot like her, mess with them and they can take it, joke around, etc... but mess with one of the kids (I have three brothers) and it's ON!! I cannot wait for the reunion, from watching the previews on Watch What Happens Live!, it looks juicy! I can't help but feel a tiny bit bad for Teresa, I hated when the ladies ganged up on Danielle and it looks like she's getting the Danielle Staub treatment! BUT! This is a big BUT! My sympathy vanishes when I remind myself that these ladies made the CONSCIENCE decision to put their lives on display (no pun intended.. which reminds me! Oh.. let me finish this first thought!) so anything that comes from it is ENTIRELY their own fault! Maybe they didn't think the price of fame was going to be this high, but it wasn't promised to be all rainbows and butterflies.. and anything that FORCES you to interact with certain people or attend certain events is NOT reality! In the real world, we have free-will, our choices are our own to make. Now for my other though.. OK, On Display.. while it is a catchy song, it's not deserving of being produced.. THERE I said it! First of all, using auto tune will make any mediocre singer sound fantastic. Second, did anyone else catch the subtitle where it says "Melissa's songwriter" as some random guy makes an appearance? What ACTUAL talent does she have besides catching a rich husband and *snicker* "releasing his poison"?? Someone who has talent does not need auto tune NOR do they need someone else  to write their songs! Sad... just sad.. I say we support someone with REAL talent instead of these TV fame whores!! Well that's my piece, hope you enjoyed! If not.. eh screw you too *wink*

<3 Shirley

Bear-Bear!!!!

This is my spoiled brat Bear-Bear! Isn't he CUTE?!?! I love this dog, it's sad but he's got this way about him that you can't help but wanna spoil him! This dog has such an attitude! I swear, he's like a little person, if you do something he doesn't like (example: give him his baths or cut his nails) he will find a way to get back at you or ignore you! One time after I gave him a bath, he looked straight at me and just peed on the floor then sat in it! I could swear he had this little smirk on his face, kinda like a "ef you, clean THIS!" Of course I had the last laugh when I gave him a second bath but it just goes to show you that dogs do know how to get back at you!

The Beginning..

Hey guys!! Well, here's the scoop, my name's Shirley and this is my life! DUMDUMDUUUUMMMMM!!! Well, this is the start of my new life, my new MARRIED life! At the moment, it's wedding madness, I am getting married on 11/11/11 so technically, my new life hasn't started yet but I hope you enjoy reading about the craziness of getting this wedding done and stick with me as I embark on this new chapter of my life! For all you newly engaged couples, I hope in sharing this final month of planning and STRESS will help you when you get to this moment in your wedding plans... YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!! Felling unsure and a bit scared? Don't worry, it's natural! After all, you're planning on spending the rest of your life with this person, and you want your day to be remembered vividly as you age together and celebrate your anniversaries 20+ years into the future, right? I can only hope that everything goes perfectly for both myself and any of you who are reading my blog, but alas, knowing that life isn't always perfect, let's try to be realistic and not freak over the small stuff :) Is it really going to matter if the accent flowers aren't the same EXACT shade of purple as the bridesmaid dresses? Or any of the minor details that bombard us brides that retailers try to convince us are "important".. (like EVERYTHING needing to be personalized with your names? Sorry guys, I highly doubt your guests are going to care of the napkins are personalized..) Let's remind ourselves of whats really important, the celebration of love (even if you wanna kill him sometimes when he doesn't seem as interested in talking about wedding details as you are.. ahem...) and the unity of two people as one! Remember.. there is life after D-day, this ONE day, though important, is not the ONLY day of your lives together, its just the beginning...or at least that's what I keep on telling myself instead of going bridezilla on everyone! XOXO!

<3 Shirley