MY BEST FRIEND IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!

So, clearly I am excited and many of you know but KELLY ANN SHANLEY is getting married!

Adam Best sure did propose on Friday evening, and she said YES! I can not begin to tell you how happy I am for the two of them. It's the strangest feeling when your closest friend gets engaged... I remember back to getting ready for dances and dates, holidays with our families, vacations, girls nights, trips to visit each other and now that this dream of her's has come true makes me feel so happy. So...shout out to you Kelly Ann Shanley :) I love your life so much! Let the planning beginning. I got your teeth whitening appointment scheduled ;)

Happy Halloween to everyone as it is 10/31/10. Halloween is one of those holidays that I have never really gotten excited about. This year I was in charge of organization an office decorating competition in the two unions.  We in CAIC let our students decide on the theme and they chose Snow White in the Seven Dwarfs. They asked me to dress as Snow White to which I agreed..then it occurred to me on Wednesday that I did not own a snow white dress. So, being the smart sorority girl that I am I went to Walmart to get some supplies. I was disappointed to find that Walmart no longer sells fabric and since I was in a crunch I had to get creative (scary I know) so I grabbed a twin flat sheet and some elastic and went home to get creative. I also took some white felt and went home to make the magic happen. Here was the result:

Here is me with "Prince Charming" (the student body president)

Snow White & Dopey (Keith, one of the Involvement Specialists)

Now, clearly I could not wear a bedsheet downtown last night (though I might have fit in) so instead I went with simple, comfortable and cheap: Derek Jeter

The ladies at Blue Post :)

 I also got to experience for the first time the Rocky Horror Picture Show (interactive). I must say I was amazed to see that many students in their...underpants? And so many of them knew the words and when to shout things. I was amazed. It was... an experience. Speaking of movies I did get to go see the Sound of Music Sing-A-Long. I learned many things seeing one of my favorite childhood films on the big screen:
1. The right words to most of the songs
2. The butler is who calls the Nazi's to come get the Vontrap family when they try to flee the country (who knew?)
3. It's obvious why I related so well to the movie as a child. For example, when Captain Vontrap sings to the children Edelweiss all I could think is that could easily have been me and my father, only the guitar would be invisible and the song would be "Born to Run".
4. The song Maria could easily be a song my friends would sing about me and lastly...
5. I hope to one day have children that perform at the galas I will throw in my house :)


Other than that...life is good. We submitted our first spring show offer on Friday. No, I won't say who it is and yes I would appreciate you crossing your fingers :) 

Next up: ECU vs. Navy game with the newly engaged couple, my second family and Casie Stone + Thanksgiving with the Wilmington crew. Should be good :) 

SHOUTOUTS:
- Happy late birthday to Shannon
- Happy Halloween birthday to my dear friend/future DGSC husband Casie
-to Lori Corley for a fantastic afternoon in Myrtle Beach today
-Congrats to my friends Leslie and Jake for moving into their new home 
-Congrats to Petey for being elected PKT president he will ROCK that chapter :)
-My students for having the greatest Halloween costumes and texting me pictures of them
-My grandma who turns 81 this week. Lets all have some red wine mixed with Diet Coke for her :)
-oh yea, my best friend Kelly Ann Shanley and her FIANCE Adam best who are getting MARRIED!


I think that's everything :)


XOXO


Stefanie Jo

Hits & Wishes of October

Ok, I realize it has been almost a month since I last blogged. I know saying October has been crazy is a lame excuse but I promise you that in fact October has been in fact pretty crazy.... however in true student affairs/virginia beach leadership workshop fashion I will share with you the "best of" in the form of Hits (things that have been great) and Wishes (things I wish would've or wouldn't have happened). Here it goes:

Hits:
-Adrienne making me take snacks and her Miley Cyrus cup to the ER at 3am when she pulled a ligmaent in her arm/shoulder
-Pretzel Combos at the local Target always a must with the girls = $2.68 of BLISS
-NACA South Conference with my amazing students in Chattenooga

The ACE group at the NACA Banquet

-ACE winning outstanding late night program for Festapalooza
-JMU and LU also getting some sweet awards at NACA including my boy Drew Midgette :)

Drew Boo and I at the NACA banquet :)

-ACEr's getting to meet Melissa our new middle agent
-More people taking the ACE spring show survey in the first 6 hours than took it last year (current count is 2300 students voting) - no I will not reveal who is winning
-A great housing collaboration program: Concert and Cupcakes = successful hall program in almost all areas on campus :)
-A VERY successfull Midnight Madness & Fan Jam



 -Good fall weather
-Signing up to run a 5K for my favorite girls on campus ADPis
-Learning to "Dougie" at Level 5 courtousy of a random guy and Clifton :)
-Discovering Modern Family and catching up on season 1
-Jimmy O moving in for 5 days
-Jimmy O loving Wilmington so much

 -57 successful PIT crew "graduates" - our pilot new member program has come to an end courtesy of Mr. Tyler Jones - the ever so hardworking ACE VP who worked so hard to create an amazing program for these new members who are so excited
-Discovering the lunch at Chris' Cosmic Kitchen is equally as good as the breakfast (happy late birthday shoutout to Jenn Smist)
-Todd Shanley Successfully moving to Sicily, Italy - miss you buddy hope you are enjoying the homeland the way I did.
-Being "type casted" as Snow White for our office Halloween festivities - if only my prince charming wasn't a cut out on the wall
-pumpkin candles
-Being introduced to (Thanks Sarah) The Clothes Mentor (the "adult" version of Plato's Closet)
-ADPis at LU still using the same pass down move from 2005 in their lip sync :)
-The Sound of  Music re-releasing in the movie theater next week as a SING-A-LONG!!!!!!!

Wish
-Adrienne tearing ligaments in her arm and having to go to the ER at 3am
-When A and I got to McDonalds at 4:59 am after time in the ER they would've been serving chicken nuggets still so as not to dissappoint her heavily medicated self :)
-My ACErs didn't create the term "NACin'" (like Mackin') and then live it at NACA South
-My students wouldn't have pranked me at midnight the last night at NACA
-We hadn't woken up an innocent hotel patron while my students were pranking me
-Students wouldn't write in the free response section of the spring show (concert) survey:
a.) artists previously listed in the survey
b.) Stefanie Mancuso
-Sprinklers wouldn't go on 20 minutes prior to our Fan Jam event forcing ACE to towel dry 3 large inflatables, tables/chairs and repackage 80 boxes of Dunkin Donuts
-I was better at driving the ACE golf cart and didn't risk lives when I did
-I wasn't dreading taking the NC drivers test so much
-Petey boo was a little more shy when it came to performing on stage ;)


Ok... I think that's what I have for now... shoutouts?

-My girl Hunter Bedard getting a sweet job in Boston: Congrats!
-Keith and Lucy get married in ONE MONTH and potentially ALL CHI 08 can go? AMAZING!
-Good luck to my grad Sami heading up a big time fundraiser this weekend ... you will rock!
-ACE rocking a great month of programming in October - so proud
-Happy Birthday next week to Shannon Mariner and Casie Stone
-My Yankees making a come back in this series...come on boys we got this :)

I wish I could make everyone in the world happy

An interesting notion, I know, however in talking to a friend this week we both realized that if we could just make everyone in the world happy life would be good. Now, I am realistic enough to know this is not possible but we should try, right? It's the difficult things that life throws us that we can not control that I think is the most challenging. At least that seems to be the case in my life currently. Sometimes life is challenging, it doesn't make sense. All we can do is go to bed and know tomorrow is a new day, and take that as a new opportunity. Perhaps I will just start out with making one or two people's day would at least be progress? I don't want to get all pay it forward here but realistically, could it work? Maybe. I'll just aim to make one or two people happy each day. Will you try to do the same?

Tonight ACE had an awesome comedian, Glozell. For those of you who have not seen her youtube videos definitely check out her videos. She was very funny and the audience seemed to really enjoy it. Watching her made me realize how simple comedy can be. It is pointing out the things that are obvious and a good delivery. Glozell does this very well and I believe she will be quite successful.

I got to spend a sweet long weekend with my dear best friend Lauren Kennedy. We celebrated Katie K's birthday in Wilmington on Thursday and then trecked to VB on Friday for our pledge sister Angela's wedding. Friday night was spent at YNOT for a traditional Shan-man dinner. LK is no stranger to these dinners and it was good to spend time with my (other) family as well as JoJo and Matty B! There is NOTHING like YNot garlic knots and pizza. Mmmmm... Laura Hunsberger joined us that evening and it was a night of reminiscing.  Saturday we headed to Herford, NC for Angela's wedding. Between the three of us we couldn't get the time for the wedding right and arrived an hour early to the beautiful wedding site. We had a great time at the beautiful wedding and I am so happy for Mr. & Mrs. Carly :)

Saturday night was a slight glimpse back at freshman year mixed together with a mini ADPi/my vb friends reunion. I can always appreciate a night where you think it will be nothing special but get surprised by how fun it turns out to be. That sums up Saturday in an appropriate blog way. It was wonderful to spend time with so many people I love and finish up the weekend with a great dinner w/ Adrienne, Katie and LK.

So life is good. UNCW has fall break Monday and Tuesday which I know is coming at a perfect time for my students so I am excited for them to enjoy the break and for all of us who work at the University to catch our breaths. So yes, that is all for now...

Shoutouts (clearly):

- So very proud of little bro Petey for a successful philanthropy week :)
-My love to my bff Katie ... make the most of your time at home. I know you will <3
-So proud of my ACErs for rocking the first half of the first semester. Great job :)
-Congrats to my sister Kirby for accepting a job!
-Love to the JMU Panhellenic for a successful recruitment. Miss you girls xoxo
-Wanna give some love to JoJo for being a great mom!
-Congrats again to my pledge sister Angela Hendricks Carly :)

Hello wonderful blog readers,

Whew...are we really more than half way through September? How did that happen! I suppose its a result of a pretty crazy start to the school year. Life in Wilmington is still wonderful. ACE has been rockin' it so far this semester with some amazing programs and had 113 students apply for the first PIT Crew (Programmers In Training) which started this week. We selected 60 students to go through a 5 week new member program for ACE to prepare members to be contributing and active members of ACE. We are excited to begin preparing and planning for the annual spring show (which may also double as my 25th birthday party this year based on date availability... who doesn't want 2500 people at their birthday party?). Overall, work is great. I am continually thankful to those at JMU who helped me through my graduate program to prepare me as best they could for this job. Hopefully, I'm making it happen. I survived my 90 day evaluation and still have a job so obviously something is going right :)

I have been able to do more than just work though. Last weekend I visited my best friend/soulmate Lauren Kennedy in Clemson, SC. As many of your know LK and I hadn't seen each other since April which is was crazy considering I'm not sure we've ever gone more than a month apart since we met. Needless to say it was great to spend time together. We got to see Clemson crush Presbyterian in football which was great. For those of you know don't know 1.) The beginning of Clemson football is the most exciting 25 seconds in college football 2.) they lasso in the middle of the clemson cheer EVERYTIME THEY SCORE.  I loved it..and seeing LK :) Luckily she'll be here Thursday and we get another fun weekend together in VB for Angela Hendrick's wedding.

Sorority bid day was this past Monday. Helping with sorority pref night confirmed that its the same conversation every where you go. The same tears, same drama, same T-shirts, same bid day cheers. However there is something equally comforting about that. It was also wonderful to hear "Deep in my heart I love my ADPis" being chanted. I was excited to see ADPi do well in recruitment and pick up some all-star upperclassman I've had to opportunity to get to know since I've been here.

TV starts again this week! I act excited like I'm that big of a TV watcher, but I'm hoping to become one. After watching the Emmy's I realized I am missing out. So far I have set the DVR up for: Greys, Glee, Private Practice, Modern Family & My Generation. Am I missing something I should add?

Also, for those who didn't get to see, the communion picture made an appearance this week, a favorite of many of my friends:

Well I think thats it... time for shout outs?

 - Love to Lindsey McDaniel who coordinated  a wonderful Yom Kippur dinner...so wonderful I'm not sure many of us could move afterward.
-Happy late birthday to my cousin Jackie!
-Good luck to my little bro who has worked hard to plan an awesome philanthropy week "Quest for the Kids" that starts this week at LU
-Happy early birthday to Katherine Ann Kolkmeier
-Happy 50th birthday to my Uncle Paul
-A late congrats to my JMU Dukes for an amazing victory over Virginia Tech last week!
-As always lots of love to my ACErs for rocking it week after week :)
-Love to Todd Shanley coming home before moving to Italy... excited to see you boo <3

Why don't men shop at Target?

Happy Labor Day All!

I hope everyone was able to enjoy a great three day weekend (except for you Dukes, sorry bout it :( ). Life in Wilmington was good to me this weekend. I spent time at the beach, celebrating birthdays and housewarmings and of course some great time with my amazing friends. Whether it was getting pedis, shopping, enjoying some Fuzzy Peach relaxing at the beach/pool or enjoying a good McCalisters lunch on the couch I would say this Labor day weekend was just what the doctor ordered. It all comes back to how lucky I am to live in such a great place with wonderful people. So shout out to all of you who make my life in Wilmington a great one :) Nothing to complain about besides the blank wall over my couch ;)

So my blog post title ties into a conversation Adrienne and I had the other day while enjoying our Pretzel combos at Target: Men do not shop at Target unless the are accompanied by someone. Think about it, how often do you see a man by himself shopping at Target. NEVER. Men go to Walmart. Why? I'm not sure but when discussing my observation yesterday with some friends it was pointed out to me that just the lay out of the store.is geared toward women When you walk in, the first thing you arrive to (besides the food court aka home of the pretzel combo) is purses and womens clothing. He had a point. However, I'd argue that the reason a women chooses target is the little things that can not be found at the local walmart, many of which are gender specific. For example: who doesn't love a good $19.99 dress? I DO! Or, a cute pair of earrings? A wonderful card for a friend? A good pair of shoes? You can get all of these while picking up a 36 pack of TP, toothpaste. cereal, a birthday gift for grandma and inevitably something for your home. Now, don't get my wrong I am WAY more likely to leave walmart spending less money than Target. I'm not sure anyone has ever spent less that $50 at Target, which is why it is dangerous but ask most women and Target is a store you can't live without. Anyway, I know there are some men who appreciate Target, and I appreciate you :) Just an observation I made. Thoughts? Leave me a comment!

I want to give a shout out to my friends, the educators starting school tomorrow, especially Ashley Carlton, Rachel Myers & Leslie Lehner starting for the first time. I am so proud of ALL my teacher friends...I have faith in the future of my job because you will do an amazing job educating the youth of America (or just Virginia, Massachusetts and Florida...haha)

I participated in my first Fantasy Football draft today. My cousin Anthony said I did well and I think he is smart so I think it was a success. I guess we'll see how it goes. We are playing for nail polish so really I'm not stressed out. I'm in it for the fun.

And no, we didn't have a Hurricane here :)

Shout outs? I think so!

- Alyssa Garnich starting her new job this week! Good Luck :)
-Fellow CSPAer Dana got a job this week! That makes all 11 of us employed, I like it :)
-My friend and Duke/SeaHawk Bradley Davis turned 25 this weekend! Happy Birthday :)
-The one boy who truly has my heart, my little cousin Torin starts Kindergarten tomorrow! I got to buy him his first day of school outfit: Tallwood Timberwolf colors :)
-My dear friend Annie Blewett moved to Spain yesterday!
-Lots of love to my sisters at LU who completed an amazing recruitment <> first finest forever
-JMU Dukes won this week again Morehead
-Good luck to UNCW greek women this week as you start recruitment
-Good luck to LU boys as you start recruitment (especially those PKT guys, I hear they are the gentleman's fraternity with a great VP)

Coming up next: A visit to see my soulmate/best friend Miss Lauren E. Kennedy at Clemson next weekend :)

School is more fun without homework...

Well hello friends! I know it has been two weeks since I last blogged which can only be attributed to one thing: welcome. Not just the program in general which was an incredible success but also the start of the school year in general. It has been great so far. I know I've said it before but I have some fantastic students that planned and executed an awesome welcome including an outdoor movie, concert, Teal Tuesday, and finished up last night with a comedy show. They did it all with energy and enthusiasm that made it easy to come to work every day (or night).

In the middle of all this craziness I have had lots of visitors as well. Adam Best & Kshan came to visit last week. As many of you know Adam has been out to see the last 7 months so I was more than excited to see him (Welcome home Adam). JoJo (and Spunky) also came for a weekend visit which was wonderful. There is something about spending time with your mom that brings life back into focus. It was exactly what I needed last week. She got to meet and visit with some of my favorite people here in Wilmington and it was nice to share her with them. Lastly, Ashley & Brian Raska came through on their way back from Myrtle Beach for breakfast at one of my favorite places Chris' Cosmic Kitchen . It was great to see them as well! I enjoy sharing Wilmington, the place I now call home with people because I know they will find it as wonderful as I do!

UNCW is an amazing place and I continue to appreciate being at a coastal school. Here are the top 3 things awesome things working at a coastal school I've observed over the past two weeks:

-Making a rain call involves calling Enviornmental Health and Safety because the weather can change in a matter of minutes.
-There are skateboard racks in the dining halls to hold the skateboards of it's patrons
-The biggest Welcome events involves fencing off part of the beach for a giant beach party (Below is A, Katie and I after working Beach Blast)

Other than that I've just been enjoying time with friends, relaxing and enjoying the beach/pool time I have missed over the past few weeks. It feels good to start getting into a normal routine and it feels GREAT to not be bogged down with school work for the first time in 18 years :)






Time for shout outs:

- Happy late birthday to Jimmy O
-Congrats to Alyssa for getting an awesome job at Stevens
-Good luck to those at JMU as you start school this week (especially that Ashley A. Jones starting CSPA!)
-Congrats to my ACErs on a sucessful welcome
- Happy early birthday to Bradley Davis
-Good luck to my teacher friends starting school in the upcoming week. You will be great :)

They're back...

Apparently I'm not as good of a blogger as I thought I would be, it has been a while since I've blogged. Here are some highlights of the last 2 weeks:

- My wonderful friends Katelyn, Kelly, Angela and Audrey came down for an AWESOME girls weekend!

- I got to judge the RA training lip sync which was a total blast (shout out to Belk/APT, Crossing &Schuites)

-My ACE students came back in full force last week planning an awesome fall calendar and welcome programs.

Most importantly...they're back! Freshman move in was Saturday and with that the craziness began. UNCW does an amazing job with move-in and for any of you who work on a college campus you know there is nothing like the energy of the start of the semester. Today, as I volunteered at Convocation I looked at the sea of Teal and was taken back by the amount of enthusiasm and excitement that was around me. This is what it is about. Below is a beautiful pic of KTK, A and I at 7 am Saturday :)

After freshman move-in I went to VB for Mrs. Diane Anderson's retirement party. To say the women is remarkable is an understatement. For those of you who don't know the legend that is DDA she is one of my biggest mentors. I met Mrs. Anderson formally my junior year of high school. I served on a VB city-wide sportsmanship committee represeting good 'ol Tallwood. That summer I was elected the City-Wide SCA Chairman at Beach Workshop and from then on I have never been the same. Mrs. A has been an incredible source of support for me throughout the years. She taught me true servant leadership both as my advisor on CWSCA. She provided me with a once in a lifetime opportunity to serve on the Virginia Beach Leadership Workshop staff for five years and I have never, ever been the same person. I am the person I am today because of Mrs. A. To be in the room with so many who feel likewise was inspiring. It was amazing to hear so many others speak of Mrs. A the way that I do. So cheers to DDA, an amazing influence on my life and so many others.

I also came to a strange realization this weekend. In my less than 24 hours home I got to see Petey before he headed back to LU for his SENIOR YEAR on Sunday. It's a strange feeling when you realize your siblings have become your friend. As many of you know I have adored Petey my whole life but being around him now is like being around a best friend. As soon as he came home on Saturday we began talking and catching up like two friends who hadn't seen each other in a while. As much as I hate to admit it, little Petey isn't so little anymore. He is an adult (in many ways) who I respect and very much love. There is no doubt that I miss him when we're not together but it isn't until I see him again that I remember how much. So Petey, there's your shout out...love you little bro! Good luck with senior year! Don't worry Joann wanted to document the event :)

UNCWelcome has started and so things at work are crazy. Tomorrow night ACE has it's first event. We are showing "The Sandlot" outside while serving cracker jacks, capri suns and ice pops. It should be an awesome event :)

I believe that is all for now... Shout out time? I think so!

-Congrats to 3 of my favorite teacher friends for getting jobs this week: Rachel Ann, My little one Ashley     Carlton & Leslie Ann Lehner
-Lots of love to Lindsey McDaniel for organizing a successful move-in
- Tyler Jones for being selected to speak to the Board of Governors this weekend
-Good luck to the UNCW students as they start classes this week
- Happy Birthday today to my Uncle Joe
-Welcome home to Adam Best...back from a 7 month deployment! 

I want to give the last shout out to my amazing students who have worked SO hard over the past few weeks to plan what I believe will be a great start to the semester. I am the luckiest girl to work with such an amazing exec board and graduate assistant :)

Live a life less ordinary...

Hello Friends,

I know it has been a while, I suppose life started getting busy, or less interesting leaving me little to blog about but none the less, I'm back. Life in Wilmington is going well. For those of you who have heard about the couch saga, my new couch was delivered today and thanks to my recent paycheck and Sarah giving me another table my family room is really coming along :) I am very pleased.

As I predicted, with August hitting life has picked up at work and the rookie moments are becoming more frequent. I must say that for every rookie moment I have, I have 5 moments when I think to myself either how lucky I am to have found this job and opportunity so that keeps a smile on my face. More and more I am becoming more comfortable and the true Stefanie Mancuso comes out. Example: At the Student Affairs division retreat yesterday in Southport I was standing with some friends on the deck telling a story (full out, Stefanie story... acting it out and everything) actually, let me rephrase I was acting out what I believe I would be like as the Bachelorette (Christina was convincing me I should be on the show) and I knock my whole plate and cup off the ledge of the deck onto the hill. There was no good way to get onto the hill to pick up my mess, so, classy as ever I hoped over the railing, picked up my trash, and then climbed back over (no, I was not wearing a dress or skirt). Classy as always.

I saw Charlie St. Cloud Sunday night. Good movie, clearly some tears occurred, even from the guys. Again, I need to do a better job of not interacting with the films, it seems those around me aren't into it...it's just a challenge...I've never had an inside voice. I will put the disclaimer that it is not a chick flick, they just flash Zack Effron all over the screen in the previews to get 15 year old girls to buy tickets. In fact, it reminded me a great deal of the 6th sense only with a hotter actor and less whispering.

Yes, I am sad about the Ali not picking Chris L on the Bachelorette, however, I am happy for Ali and Roberto. They seem happy. I just hope they honeymoon in Alaska so he doesn't sweat so much. Poor guy. Did anyone else notice how tight Roberto's pants were and how difficult it was for him to get down on one knee, I know our house did.

Lastly, I have a public confession to make. As many of you who work at UNCW know, I am a regular at the local Fisher Center Einsteins. Today, I had a meeting with a student there and my boy Samual offered me my usual coffee cup for my regular Vanilla coffee. I chatted with Daniel, the manager and proceeded to have my meeting. Following my meeting I went over to fill up my coffee cup with a little more coffee before heading to my next meeting. Daniel yelled over to me "do you want me to charge you for that refill" to which I responded "don't hate on me Daniel". Tonight, I share this story with Katie and she informed me that you do not get free refills from Einsteins and that was the reason that she and Adrienne never do when I do after our frequent breakfasts. Clearly, I feel terrible for taking advantage of my dear friends at Einsteins and abusing my regular status. Lesson: Do not assume all places have free refills. I will remedy this situation, asap.

I think that is all for now... I've got some serious shout outs going on though:

- Congratulations to Katie and Clay Haley - they had a BEAUTIFUL wedding that I was lucky to attend last Saturday.
-So much love to the two newly employed teachers for the city of Norfolk, VA: Mrs. Ashley Carlton & Miss Rachel Myers. I am so proud of both of you!
- Love to my housing folks who are in the midst of RA training right now
-Best of luck to Miss Ashley Jones who moved to Hburg to start grad hall director training tomorrow (Go Dukes!)
-Time to come back east LK...congrats on finishing your NODA internship in Texas :)
-Phillip Burns: thanks for the great life talks, I appreciate them, still.
- Jimmy Oliverie making his victory lap this week at his internship in Philly.
-Early birthday shout out to Angela Damiano and Jemilia Harrison -Monday

Next up: a visit from some of my favorite girls this weekend.

Always,

Stefanie Jo

ADPi's with the beautiful bride this weekend <>

Leo will always be Jack Dawson to me...

Good Morning!

Can I start by saying, where has July gone? It seems I was just writing about the 4th and now we are approaching the last week of the month. For those of you in Student Affairs, you know what this means: the end of our summer. While this may seem sad to many of you who will continue your summers through labor day, remember that ours does begin early May. I could not be more excited about the opening of school, this may be the only year I feel this excited about it. However, I will not really feel as though I've started my job until I've done it through the hustle and bustle of the school year, especially August. 


This week has been a good one so far, lots of spending time with friends which has been great. I have been so lucky to meet some great people down here and I enjoy spending time with them when I can. Monday and Tuesday were spent with Jen, Sarah and Katie. We enjoyed the Bachellorette at Sarah's beautiful new apartment (literally, beautiful). I really am not ok with Frank and continue to love Chris L more and more every day. I think Frank's issues are the most real the show is so, perhaps it is best that the fantasy world has a taste of reality.  Tuesday night we saw Inception.

Yes, it is a great movie. I minimally interacted with the film (this is a big deal, as many of you who have seen films with me before know) mainly because I had to focus so much during the movie to understand. However, there is a scene with Leonardo DiCaprio and his wife in the movie where she says "don't let go" and it took EVERYTHING in me not to yell "NEVER LET GO JACK". I resisted as Jen and Sarah are new to seeing films with me and did not want them to feel mortified. Overall, a great movie and I wish Bill Hall could see it and explain it to me more (shout out to my Dukes who know and love Bill Hall). 


In other news, I am in the market for a new couch...after much drama with JCPenny, JoJo and I are giving back the original couch and instead getting one more to my liking, without the drama. :) So Wilmington folks, got any furniture store suggestions-hit me with them :) 


A Joann and Pat update. They are still rockin' :) I went over last week to help Joann with some e-mail issues. They are always good for a laugh and a life talk. Hopefully we can break bread together soon! 

I believe that is all for now!

Shout outs: 
Happy birthday to Keith Taylor today :)
LK is a little over a week shy of being on the east coast! 
Good luck to Miss Lori Corley as she begins her journey as an ADPi leadership consultant <>
Special thanks to Adrienne for a great couch talk last night, a great friend already!
Congrats to my fellow CSPA friend Mike for getting a sweet job last week! :) 


A parting Pearl Jam song lyric I just received from a friend to leave you with:

"I know I was born and I know that I will die
The in between is mine.." (I Am Mine, Pearl Jam)

Have a great day,
Stefanie Jo

I get by with a little help from my friends...and family :)

I think the Wonder Years was onto something in the late 80's when it started each show with the Beatles, "With a Little Help From My Friends".  The truth of the matter is, it's the only way to get by. As most of you know this week is a difficult one for my family and many of my friends. It is amazing to me that it has already been 6 years since we lost someone dear to us, my father, Peter A. Mancuso (Big Petey, if you will). In reflecting on this with JoJo and Petey I think we have realized how blessed we were to have such an incredible man in our life for as long as we did. What we have also started to take notice of is how lucky we have been to have the incredible support we have over the past 6 years from our amazing family and friends. The truth is, life can be difficult but if you let yourself be open to a network of amazing people who care and want to help you will do more than get by. I can say in full confidence that without this, we would not be the strong people and family we are. So on behalf of JoJo, Petey (and Spunky) I want to say thank you for the continued support and love we have been shown year after year since 2004. It is not only your thoughts and kind words this time of year but your constant love and support.

The lesson: Do not be afraid to lean on your friends and family when times are hard. I smile brighter and laugh harder because of each of them (well... you, if you're reading this blog). Just something to consider...

Overall there has not been too much excitement this week, for those of you who are Bachelorette watchers like myself, you know that the end is near and the rumors Ali picks no one makes me sad. I am a Chris fan (shocker, I know). Odds are I will punch the TV next week when Frank breaks her heart, jerk! Haha...it's really the only trash TV I watch so I allow myself to get into it, everyone has a guilty pleasure, right?

I am joining a book club with some of my favorite JMU girls :) A very fun/exciting way to keep in touch!

Ok, time for shout outs:

- Kelly Ann Shanley & Adam Best have a great time reuniting in GREECE! :)
- Big loss for the Yankees this week, shout out to George Steinbrenner 7/13-yes that is irony at its best!
-Another CSPA 2010 gets a job, Congrats Jane! (insert lasso!)

Tabrizi fo' Sheezy

Well, clearly the most important update is that Hoss and Carolyn were married yesterday, which resulted in a true DGSC weekend. For my new followers, DGSC or Dirty Girls Social Club is a name associated with 12 of my closest friends from high school. The namesake is attributed to a book by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez about a group of girlfriends and their lives. We took this name in 2003, the first year of what would become an annual dinner and a lifetime of friendship.

The first of this group of friends, Carolyn Fawcett tied the knot yesterday. She is now Mrs. Tabrizi and it was a great event. The weekend began with many of us coming into town (with a few boyfriends and fiances) on Friday and staying with the wonderful Angela Damiano (shout out to my favorite hostess!). We ate at one of my FAVORITE Mexican places in Alexandria and I was heart broken when I was unable to have a Cadilac Margarita, my favorite, because the machine was broken. Some how I survived. We spent the evening sharing funny stories, showing the guys some old videos and laughing so hard our faces hurt.

The wedding Saturday was fantastic! There were two beautiful ceremonies followed by a great reception full of sweet dance moves and lassos.

and in true dirty girl fashion, Angela and I prepared a song for the bride and groom. This is a tradition started a few years ago, Angela and I began by performing "Light my Candle" at a DGSC dinner one year. We then in years to come began writing our own songs to be performed at large get togethers. This wedding was no different, we composed a brief ditty for Carolyn and Hoss to the tune of Train, "Hey Soul Sister". The video is available for viewing on my facebook. I'm not sure how to post it on here, perhaps my dear friend Kelly Shanley will post it in the comment section?

Overall a great night, it was no shocker JoJo tore up the dance floor during the cupid shuffle, as I have shared with many of you, she loves a group dance! It was great to spend time with JoJo, Matt and the Shanley's as well. Nothing like a taste of family and home.

Overall a great weekend. Life in Wilmington is going well... last week went by fast with a 3 day work week but I am getting excited for the awesome programs and events that are coming up in a month. Dinner at Pat and Joann's was great. They prepared me a wonderful Italian dinner and I returned the favor by setting Joann up with a new more user friendly gmail accout. I continue to enjoy spending time with my amazing new friends here and look forward to introducing more of them to you via the Mancuso Monologues but until next time...

Stefanie Jo

Of course, some shout outs:

Congrats to the several couples that were wed this weekend:

Carolyn & Hoss         Kat & CJ           Mike & Christina

Also, welcome Brayden Roemmich, nephew of my little one Ashley Carlton.

Kelly Ann Shanley traveling to Greece next weekend...lucky girl!

Shout out to big Peter Mancuso, thinking about him this week <3

Wake up in the morning feeling like...Usher?

So, let me explain... no, I am not that big of a Kei$ha fan but this morning I woke up with Usher's "OMG" in my head. Not really sure why, perhaps I was thinking about my weekend...

Let me start by wishing everyone a happy belated 4th of July. While the 4th has never been my favorite holiday I should recognize here my love of America which I demonstrated at a young age by performing "God Bless America" and "Proud to Be An American" over and over again for well, anyone who would listen. I wish there was not video evidence of this but unfortunately there are several performances that Joann keeps close to her on family video. So, for that reason I must say I have a place in my heart for the 4th of July.

This weekend was great. It started Thursday night when a group of us went to Captain Bill's to support some UNCW folks on their volleyball team. We hit around a bit and I remembered why I played field hockey in college. We are trying to put a team together for the fall so I have a few months to get better. If only that Katelyn Grant was closer...she was an all-star in her day :)

Friday, after work I hit up the Keys Pool where my friend Pat was hanging out (he is the 74 year old man I friended a few weeks ago along with his wife, Jo Ann). They are from Long Island, NY so we talk about Italian food and he reminds me of my Grandfather. I have adopted them as my grandparents and they are having me over for dinner tomorrow night, apparently they've gotten me a surprise. I am so excited to see what it is. Dinner is at 5:30, I feel bad I'm making them eat late ;)

Later Friday I was able to meet up with the one and only Jermisha Dotson who was in town celebrating her birthday. This is where the Usher song comes into play, it was easily played three times while we were out at the bar and I believe it has become the anthem of the weekend...

Saturday was spent working out, running errands and some pool time. That night I had sushi (mmmm...) downtown with some friends and headed out downtown for another fun night :) The next morning I was up early to get things together for a beach day. Ironically, we weren't the only people who wanted to be at the beach of the 4th of July, who would have thought? Parking was an adventure, I will take Katie's version of the story (which I have taken from her blog... b/c she really is the one who experienced the worst part of it)

Here's the short story: Stefanie had found a spot where a car's meter was going to run out at noon (it was11:30 am at that point) and so I was waiting in the car to take the spot when the people returned while Stef walked some stuff down to the beach. Next thing I know, the family is coming back to their car, but a different woman is with them and waving her husband to come take the spot. I try to calmly explain that I've been waiting for that spot. To which the woman tells me "sorry, but he said I could have his spot" and then continues to stand in front of the car so I can't pull into the spot while her husband pulls into it. I was livid to say the least! So, then Stef and I took turns waiting in the car for another spot. It was my turn and there was a couple coming back to their car so I was excited. Next thing I know, someone else is coming over that way to take the spot. So, I calmly (or not so much) get out of the car and go to the man who is getting ready to get in his car and back out of the spot. I politely ask if he would mind backing out in a way in which I could then pull into the spot and block the other car. He tells me, "sure thing, sweetheart." I get back in the car, and pull into the spot while watching the woman in the other car get angry. Thank God she didn't slash the tires. - Katie K

After that drama, we still had a great time at the beach with friends, food and fireworks (what more could a person want?)

Today was a great day off...took a long walk with KTK as she is training for the Breast Cancer 3 day walk (sponsor her!), shopping, pedicure and pool time! Also, I got to watch Adrienne kick Corey's (another new friend here) butt in tennis. We finished up by watching the Bachelorette... (mmm Chris L I love you!)

So overall, a great little 4th of July weekend. Wilmington is shaping up to be a great place to live and I can not believe I have already crossed my 1 month mark of working here. Below is a picture of the ACE executive board at our retreat a few weeks ago. They are fantastic and it has been great getting to know them so far!

Of course I have to throw some shout outs to the following people:

Jen Stollery - starting her big girl job this week! Good luck momma :)
Joe Peltzar - moving into his new place this week
All of my new Wilmington friends... many of who have started to follow the blog... you all are great :)
Diane Moody - happy belated birthday :)
Carolyn Fawcett- a big week for you sister, turning 27 and getting married HOLLA!

Thats all for now... much love!

Stefanie Jo

The lasso has moved south...

Hello Friends...

I am up to 20 followers of the blog! How exciting. I know that people can read it without following it but it is so interesting when I talk to people who say they read my blog or know what is going on with me, I almost forget this exists, or assume people don't read it! So thanks :)

It is official after a night on the town Saturday night my favorite dance move of 2010, the lasso has officially moved to the Wilmington area. I had already shared it with my students on ACE but most recently shared it with a few of my new friends. I explained that the lasso is "like a good purse, it goes with anything". Several of us broke out the lasso at Level 5, a bar in town.

As many of you may know, Katie Kolkmeier, one of my best friends moved here on Friday and I am happy to have her here. I enjoyed time with the Kolkmeier family this weekend! Special shout out to Sue Kolkmeier who made me a sweet new blanket for my apartment. Overall this weekend (which started Thursday night) was very fun. I got to experience many new bars and places. My biggest accomplishment was successfully playing the ring and hook game for the first time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjp02QuRvpw . I stated that I thought it was impossible and then was successful on my 2nd try to both my and the guys I was with's surprise. Another accomplishment was staying out late but Thursday and Saturday. I am often a grandma when it comes to those types of things but was a champ.

I have made many new friends which is always great! Last night Katie and I hung out w/ Adrienne, the other "new girl" who is an RC with Katie and I have a feeling we will become friends quickly. She just graduated from USC and is a UNCW alum. I think we are all excited for what is ahead and are confident we are in the right place :) I have secured a bedroom in Katie's apartment should I need/want it which has caused some angst for some of the guys here who formally lived/hung out there. I took a picture on the bed last night to remind them. :)

Anyway...all is well! Glad everyone enjoyed the Ramsey story. They are great people!

Shout out to the EX chapter of ADPi for winning some great awards this weekend!

Also, shout out to Jimmy O who will present at a conference in Wilmington in October.

Good luck to KTK starting her job Thursday :)

What are people doing for the 4th of July?

Travis Ramsey

Hello Friends...

First of all, Congratulations to Ashley and Craig Carlton as they were married last weekend and included me as part of their big day. I could not be happier for them. The wedding was fabulous and we lassoed, did the tic-toc and cupid shuffled all night long (aka I was loving myself). Ashley woke us at 6:15 to start our day (she was "hungry" aka EXCITED) and the party continued all day long.

I also was able to celebrate fathers day with the one and only Wild Bill Shanley. The entire Shan-man clan (that's a lot of -ans) was able to celebrate together as Todd was home for a week. There was lots of food, cannon balls and beers for everyone :) I of course was thinking of my own dad on Sunday...the one and only Peter Mancuso and remembered how lucky I was to have a great dad for 18 years :) He continues to help me...this week it was in the form of a man named Travis Ramsey.

While driving back to Wilmington after a fantastic weekend on Sunday I was chatting w/ the one and only Lauren Shouldis when I pulled into a gas station/Blimpie to pee (you know I can't drink a whole diet coke and then hold it for more than an hour). I got out and saw a sign on the door that said back in 5 minutes (it was about 6:15 pm). I went back to my car and tried to start it and it would not start. I told Shouldis I would call her back and called roadside assistance (calmly may I add). The man...not helpful informed me I was far from Wilmington (no, really?). He was giving me less than helpful options and sharing stories about his father's car troubles...now I was frustrated so I was like ok maybe I need a jump. I go into the store (now re-opened) and asked a man for help jumping the car. He stated he wasn't sure how to jump a car (is that not a requirement of an adult man? Really any driver but particularly a man in his 30s...whatever). I schooled him on jumping a car and with little luck the man continued on his trip to Charlotte.

I called back roadside assistance and was connected to someone significantly LESS helpful...she told me that I could have the phone numbers of towing companies, I informed her that was why I (well, Joann) paid HER. I explained that I needed to be towed to Emporia (I decided that was the best option as I was about 12 miles away). Just when I was beginning to get upset a nice man around 60 years old walked up to me and asked if I needed help. I explained to him my situation (it has been about an hour at this point) and he tells he is a mechanic and asks me to pop the hood. I do as I'm told and he notices that it is the battery as well. He takes out his wallet shows me his ids and says "I'm Travis Ramsey and I live up the street. I can fix your car but my family is waiting to do birthday cake just up the street so if you feel up to it come with me and have some cake and I will get tools and come back" I look at his work id for the VA department of Corrections and figure ya know what the heck. I call my mom giving her his information and get in the car. We arrive at what seems to be a nice little house about a mile from where I was and I enter a room full of people waiting to eat birthday cake and ice cream! Travis introduces me to everyone in the family and I explain my situation. Their daughter graduated from Longwood in 2004 so we had that connection. After cake and ice cream, which I did not eat we went back to Travis and Lynn's house down the street so Travis could change. In his house I got to see his Native American artifact collection and chat with Lynn about her back surgery and she and Travis' life.

We then rode back to the gas station where Travis determined that it was not my alternator and using heavy duty jumper cables got my car to start (apparently water had drained out of my battery which in turn ruined it). We drove into Emporia (it is now after 9pm) and Travis and I turned my car off and tried to restart it. When it did not restart we went into Walmart where I bought a new battery (that Travis offered to help my buy) and he installed it in the parking lot. The couple offered for me to stay with them but I insisted that I drive home so I could atl east wake up and go to work in the morning even if I did go in late. They made me promise that I would call them when I got home and visit when I was driving through the area so I did. Travis called me every 30 minutes until I was home and Lynn called my mom when she got back to the house to assure her it was ok.

Lessons learned:

1. There are still good people in the world.

2. Dad is still there when I need him.

3. Allstate roadside assistance blows

4. When the battery in a Honda dies, the radio resets itself and requires a code that can be found in the owners manual to reset it (also a safety check if the radio is ever stolen).

So big shout out to Travis and Lynn Ramsey...wonderful people in Drewryville, VA :)

Also...KTK moves to Wilmington on FRIDAY :)

The Wilmington Swagger...

So I apologize for this update coming so much later than the past few but I had some uploading issues last week and forgot to come back to the blog.

I have started my job at UNCW and so far it has been fantastic! The people are outstanding, my students are awesome and in general the atmosphere is wonderful. I started on June 3 and dove right into orientation. My first day I worked a services fair for parents and though I knew little to nothing did my best to chat up strangers and convince them their child would love UNCW. I did well until someone asked me a question I had NO idea the answer to: "Where is the bathroom". Now, anyone that knows me well knows that this should never stump me because on average I spend more time walking to the bathroom than I do doing most things in a day. However, this fair was in a building I had not been in before and so I politely responded to the parent "I do not know". She looked terribly confused, how could she send her child to a school where people can't answer the simplest question. I of course asked my co-worker the question and showed the women the direction. Whew...tough day.

This past weekend I went on a retreat with my students (the ACE executive board). We traveled an hour up the road to a baptist camp on the water. It was beautiful and we had a GREAT time. My students are as smart as they are funny and I know that I've made the right choice. They kept me laughing all weekend but made serious goals for the year and I know they will reach them. I hope they learn half from me that I know I will learn from them.

In other news... the Keys (my apartment complex) is a sweet place. While it is beautiful, it houses a hodge podge of people who I have had the pleasure of people watching over the past few weeks. These people range from high class, overly tattooed, half drunk 40 year olds to young families with kids who without a doubt soak my book with their constant splashing. I have made several friends over 50, most of which are relocated from New York (only Yankee fans of course). There are also several young professionals like myself who also enjoy watching and interacting with the wide array of people who comprise our neighborhood.

Italy update: I have received an e-mail from Federico, my Italian boyfriend. I think we're engaged. :)

That's all for now. Next up: Ashley and Craig's wedding :)

Back to the Homeland :)

Hello Friends (and family) or should I say Ciao! As you all know I spent the last ten days traveling with my Aunt Roe around Italy. The trip was as fun as it was amazing! Everyone has told me how great Italy was and I was not sure it would live up to my expectations but it did. Rome is a great city with wonderful people, food and well the scenery is like no other. While our trip started with us not reading the self check-in properly in the airport where it clearly stated "slide passport here", getting ripped off by the cab driver from the airport and ending up at a Lebanese restaurant for our first lunch with a pre set menu that could have fed the entire Italian army. We however rallied like champs and didn't look back. The food was amazing...it is as good as everyone says. I took a picture of pretty much every lunch and dinner I had just so I could remember how good it really was. The Gelato? Well that literally is a "slice of heaven" as Aunt Roe would say as she ate her pistachio each day. I on theFed other hand got crazy and tried a different flavor each day, my favorite was mint chocolate chip :)

We made several friends on our trip, most of which were 60 year old couples. My favorite couple though were the 70 year old Aussie's who we met in the hotel bar. They were charming and lovable and bought us wonderful Champagne. The other set of friends that I made were the members of the Sofitel staff. Fabio - the front desk guy greeted me a smile every day, would draw on the map where I should go that day and when I returned from a busy day would listen as I yammered about my day (I'm not confident he actually ever knew what I was saying). My other friends were the bar staff. Antonio (who I let order my lunch once and I got a BLT and fries- signs we weren't soul mates) and Federico, my new e-mail buddy. They were very entertained by us at the hotel bar at night. I often tried to turn it into a "bumpn" club but apparently the music had to stay mellow due to the rooms on the 7th floor. My only complaint about the Sofitel was the cookies and wine in our room Aunt Roe and I came back to our last day there only to realize (when the note was written in French) that it wasn't for us and we had to give it back (that's right I gave back cookies).

The Amalfi Coast was incredibly beautiful I would argue that the food there was even better than in Rome. My favorite of these towns was Ravello. It lacked the traffic that the other places did and the scenery was by far the most breathtaking.

Overall I would say I was most amazed by our last day in Rome which was spent at the Vatican, St. Peters and three other Basilicas. The history nerd in me was speechless as I stared at the work of Rafael and gazed up at the Sistine Chapel. Overall, great trip with lots of laughs and excellent food! Shout out to Aunt Roe - boom boom pow :)

The following congratuations is in order: Lauren and Mike, my dear friends got engaged while I was away. Katie K is moving to Wilmington the end of June and Joseph Peltzer also go a job at Drexel University. Love all of you :)

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job... cross your fingers :)

Old men are the nicest people on Earth...

Today started with Mo and Joe delivering my couch...two very nice men who delivered my slightly damaged but being replaced couch. Considering the couch debacle last week I should just be happy I have a place to sit now, and I do! :)

I learned 3 very important things at Target today:

1. I make decisions best when there are 100 people looking at me or only 2.5 seconds to make it than if I am by myself will an endless time limit. This seems counter-intuitive however I assure you that in the heat of the moment I will make a quick decision on the spot and work with that decision. Today however, I stood in the same aisle in Target for about 15 minutes debating what should have been a quick decision, it was after all what I went there for. A storage shelf that was on sale (see above). It's sad really.

2. Old men are the NICEST people on Earth! Today, while I was having cognitive issues in Target there was also a monsoon going on outside. When I was leaving a woman (who looked like a workout barbie doll so I'm not convinced she was the mother and if she is...I hate her) was walking out with twin infant boys in baby seats. Obviously she wasn't eager to run out in the rain so a few of us waited under the overhang for a few minutes to see if the monsoon would let up. Then an old man came up to her, he had to be at least 80 and said "wait here". He walked to his car parked at least 10 spots back, got an umbrella and walked her to her car with the umbrella over the babies. I am curious if this instinctual generosity comes with the old age (knowing very well that no 19 year old or even 30 year old guy would have thought to do that) or if its a generational thing that will eventually be gone. Let's hope it's the first, you hear that Petey?

3. Last and not least I have learned that the Urgent vs. Important mentality applies not only to tasks at work but also to Target (and well all) purchases during this sweet time of no paychecks I live in. All of us know the way Target works. You go in and leave spending at LEAST $40 (on a good day) even if all you needed was toothpaste. We all get caught in this Target trap but today I was so proud of myself as I slowly put back random items that were not "urgent" to my life right now. I did however splurge on a pretzel/soda combo for $2.50, lucky me :)

A special congrats shout out to my friend and former roommate Jen for getting a sweet job in Tampa, FL today!

Live the Dream,

Stef