Fa La La La La.....

I swear I feel like as soon as I start truly getting in the Christmas spirit, it's over! We had a wonderful Holiday.We started off at David's parents on Christmas Eve, we ate and ate and then we ate some more! Great food. After church service we came back, ate (yes,seriously) and then exchanged gifts. It was a smaller crowd than we are usually used to but it was still great. Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast and headed to Seven Lakes to Mom, Dad & Jason. Mom surprised us with stockings! Stockings have always been my absolute favorite part of Christmas morning...We had a great day of games and food and wine and just enjoying eachother. I have said it before and I will say it again...I have a great family! Sunday we woke up to a lot of snow that was still coming down so we took off very early as to not get snowed in. The drive that normally takes us  an hour and fifteen minutes took us 3 hours!

We leave for our cruise in 10 days!! I.CANNOT.WAIT!

Baby Fever

Because I am not "with child" yet I don't want to openly blog about how much I friggen can't wait to be pregnant. At least a   million hundred times a day I think about what our life will be like once we do get pregant, like how we are going to tell our parents, what will the moment we see a "positive" on the stick feel like it- everything. One of the things I think about often is how in the hell am I going to keep it from friends and co-workers for at least 3 months?! How do people do it. I mean the first time I go somewhere and I don't have a glass of wine in my hand people will obviously know! Work will obviously know if I am having morning sickness and look like crapola in the morning...I mean seriously, how do people do it? We already talked about the fact that we will tell our family right away, I mean duh, they are our family and I think they would know better to post anything on facebook etc. This brings up another question, how will we tell them, who will we tell first? If we have a dinner and invite David's parents and my parents they will surely know what it's for but I want a  bigger WOW factor...so this will take some scheming. I was eating dinner last night and the craziest thing came across my mind...I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHAT A BABY THAT HAS HALF OF ME AND HALF OF DAVID WILL LOOK LIKE! I mean to think of that is mind blowing!

So here I am with full blown baby fever, I mean I hear people talk about when you are ready, you are ready but who knew it would be like this. Stay tuned.

Tis' The Season

Christmas.Snuck.Up. Wow, this December has been so action packed! We have been to Christmas party after Christmas party and I have been working more and more at the wine shop. I am not complaining but it definitely makes the days speed by. Next week is Christmas and we will have another packed week. We are having dinner with David's parents on Thurday night and then celebrating Christmas Eve with them like last year then we will wake up early and head to Seven Lakes for the night. I love the holidays but I so wish there was away to be with my parents and David's parents Christmas Eve. I think I have missed Christmas Eve two times in my whole life. Jason and I would go to sleep and I would wake him up super early so we can open our stockings and then wait patiently for Mom and Dad to wake up. Of course as we "grew up" it got later and later and now that I am married things are definitely different. David and I will start our own traditions.

This year we decided with my family to go on a trip vs. buying presents for eachother. We always end up spending so much money and getting "things" that we really don't need, we thought why not go on a family trip together. We leave Jan. 7th for a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas, the ship leaves out of Charleston. I am SOOO EXCITED I could pee my pants. Not only am I looking forward to much needed time off work but I am looking forward to a real family vacation with David, Mom, Dad, Jason and Julie. This is probably (fingers crossed) going to be the last vacation we take all together without a baby on board. I can't wait to gamble,drink,eat,swim,play Mexican train and relax! And who knows maybe we'll come back from the trip with more than a tan....

Happy Birthday Love

My wonderful Husband turned 31 yesterday and we celebrated with a wonderful "Sunday Funday Party"...The menu:
-Nacho Cheese Fountain with all the "fixins" to make the perfect nachos
-Sabrett hot dogs to make the PERFECT cheese dog
-Corn Salad
-Bruschetta Pasta Salad
-Veggie Tray
-Homemade Coleslaw
And for dessert I made mini cupcakes, brownies and cookies

I truly failed at getting a  picture of the nacho cheese fountain in all it's glory. The party was a success and we had a great turnout. I was able to clean most of the kitchen before we went to sleep but there are still dishes waiting for me to get home :(

I can't believe my husband is 31,the years have been flying by. I can truly say I fall in love with him more and more with every year that passes.This Thursday will mark our 2 year anniversary from the day he proposed. WOW!

Christmas Book Advent Calendar

idea {via}

I think this is such a cool idea for when kids are a little older and can a.) read and b.) unwrap something. 

When I was younger before December would start  my Grandmother would always get all the grandchildren an advent calendar. Starting in December we would  open a little window each day and get a piece of chocolate, it was always so exciting because it started hat "countdown to Christmas" anticipation!

This idea is to use 24 Christmas books that are wrapped and you unwrap one every day and read it. the books can be used over every year and it could be a great tradition!

...I think I need to go buy an advent calendar today

December 1st

Wow, I just can't believe how quickly this year is going by! David and I have been married for almost 9 months, it's almost Christmas!  Thanksgiving was wonderful, I think I really just loved having the 4 days off work-well kinda. I worked at the wine shop from 12-5 but that's not really like work anyway! We got our tree up and decorated, decorated the rest of the house and just relaxed, it was wonderful. Last night I went and got my hair cut and colored, it is the first time I have ever gotten all over color, I was a little nervous but I LOVE it and it's exactly what I needed to make me feel refreshed and ready for the Holidays ahead. This Sunday is David's birthday and I am throwing a party for him at the house, we will have about 20-25 people and I am even pulling out the nacho cheese fountain. I will try to remember to take some worthwhile pictures but for now I will leave you with a horrible phone pic of my new "look"

Just another Tuesday

It is November 23rd, Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and it is 70 degrees out! It is very difficult to get in the Holiday spirit when it's this warm. I am also having second thoughts about putting all of my summer clothes away so suddenly.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and just having a  couple days off work. I have been working at the wine ship more than anticipated but it's a GREAT thing. I still really love it. Because I have all day Friday off David and I plan on spending it together, getting little things done around the house and I think this weekend we might even get our Christmas decorations out. I love Christmas! This year we are not doing many gifts for people and I have already bought most so I might even have to wrap some empty boxes so my tree looks full.

The Wolfpack plays this Saturday and if they win, we will be heading to Charlotte for the ACC Championship on Dec 4th. David of course is beyond excited for this to happen. However, if they lose we will be celebrating David's birthday on Sunday-so it is a win/win. I have ordered some cheese for the nacho cheese fountain and I have invited 30 of our nearest and dearest.

I feel like all these things are miniscule to the actual thoughts going on in my head. My full blown baby fever is taking over and it's getting so bad that I can't go into a store without cruising by the baby section-is this normal? I had my yearly Dr. appt yesterday and she said if it takes longer than 8 months to conceive we should then go to a Dr. and find out what's up. All I kept thinking while she was saying this was , 8 months? 8 MONTHS? That is a long time. I am such a planner and need to have everything so planned out that I am banking on maybe 3 months, I think I will absolutely drive myself and every person around me crazy if it takes longer than that.

Toys!

These are so cool! Not your normal abc blocks and that's that I love about them. I have decided I want to do an "abc" themed nursery...with lots of books and colors and of course different things that have abc on them. I think these blocks will have to be purchased. I mean what kid shouldn't have a block thats says "afro" or "underpants"

Feeling Productive

Things are good. Life is good. I LOVE my  part time job at the wine store and it is truly going to help me accomplish my goals in saving money for our cruise in January as well as putting extra away for when we have a "bun in the oven". My day job is good, not as busy as I would like but I still feel I am a valued employee, I am good at what I do and I know that.  The house is clean, the laundry is done. I love the way I feel when I am able to accomplish just a little more each day. I feel productive. Last night I got home from the 2nd job about 7:30, folded laundry, put it away, loaded the dishwasher took out the trash and straightened up a bit. I went to bed feeling tired but a good tired. I have been trying to exercise more, which has been a challenge especially working later but Tuesday I was able to run 2 miles on the treadmill then do some weights and crunches. It's been my first week off the pill and I have to say I feel a little "off". I am chalking it up to my hormones being out of wack and I am hoping my body gets back to normal in the next couple weeks.
Hard to believe Thanksgiving is a week from today. My parents will be here to celebrate with David's parents so I am looking forward to our first "married" turkey day.

An Unexpected Visit

My good friend Danica and her 4 year old son Ian spent the night on Sunday on their way to visit family in Greensboro. I found out about the visit mid-week and was SO excited! All day Sunday I anticipated their arrival. Ian turned 4 in September so of course I wanted to get him a  gift he could open...so off to Target I went. HOLY CRAP! I must have walked around the toy section for over a half hour. I was completely overwhelmed baffled at what to get a 4 year old! Of course for a brief moment I wished "he" could have been a "she" so I could purchase an Easy Bake Oven but I finally decided on Play Doh, all different colors and tools. On another errand I picked up some coloring books and crayons. My heart was heavy Sunday with a mix of excitement to spend time with a 4 year old but also my great friend Danica.  This "baby fever" is truly starting to take over my brain. I can't walk in to a store without cruising the baby section just to look at the miniature outfits and awesome toys.

Ian was so much fun! So well behaved and what a great age, so curious and polite,creative and hilarious. I loved that I had some time to talk to Danica too about her pregnancy and just get some feedback of how things were while she was pregnant.  We had our usual wine and cheese and just enjoyed our short evening together. I only wish they lived closer.

Me Wantee

This would look perfect in a nursery. just sayin'

For the Love of Music

In the 3+ years that David and I have been together we have seen sooo many concerts. Our first big trip together after we started dating was Atlanta for New Years to see Widespread Panic. Our next big trip was to the Everglades to see the Langerado Music Festival, it was that weekend David told me he loved me for the first time. Music is definitely apart of "us" and I look forward to more and more shows with my fav. I thought of this because this past weekend we were with my family and something was brought up about concerts and my Dad has only been to 2-Neil Diamond and I can't remember the other. My Mom has only been to 1 in her whole life and guess who it was??? New Kids on The Block! It was my first concert. I was absolutely obsessed and I remember it was at an amusement park in NJ. There were 4 of us total, my Mom, me, Jennifer Carusso (from elementary school) and her mother. I remember watching most of the show from my Mom's shoulders, at that time and in that moment it was AWESOME and my Mom had made my all my teenage hearthrob dreams come true.

No one ever said I was going to be good at this

It seems like everyday I think about blogging, but does it ever happen? NO. The past few weeks have been very eventful. We took a trip to Covington Kentucky/Cincinnati to visit David's army buddy Zach and his girlfriend Becca. We had a wonderful Halloween weekend that was action packed with an amusement park, bengals game and of course dressing up silly. David and I just went to Goodwill to find old tacky clothes and cheap wigs and mustaches completed the attire. David and Zach have a great friendship and it's always a good laugh hearing about their old army shenanigans. Upon returning from our trip I had a job interview at a wine shop in Wake Forest and I got it!! It's going to be exactly the type of part time work I was looking for. I work roughly about 10-15 hrs a week, they are flexible with my schedule and hello, I get to work around WINE! After working my first 2 hour shift I got a $2 raise so I think it's going to stick. I know I said I was okay not getting a  2nd job but with the cruise coming up in January I could really use the extra cash- not to mention it will help to pay off some of these credit card bills!...Last weekend we headed to Seven Lakes to have "Thanksgiving" with my parents and Jason and Julie came down from Charlotte. Jason and Julie will be in Ohio with her family for the actual holiday so we created our own. It truly felt like Thanksgiving, full meal, full bellies and of course we ended the night with our favorite dominoes game, Mexican Train.

My last little tidbit is that I took my last birth control pill on Sunday! This was the last thing that needed to happen in preparation for a babe. I have been taking prenatal vitamins for over a month now and I have a Dr. appt on the 22nd to make sure we are "good to go". I have drilled it in David's head that I am not to get prego before our cruise, I would be miserable! I am trying to keep an open mind and think positive. It's difficult for me at times to not let my mind wander to bad places and thoughts, like what if we can't conceive or what if it takes forever or what if I miscarry. There are so many "what ifs" and I keep having to tell myself STOP! I am just going to go with the flow, wherever that takes us. But I have a feeling this lil' blog is going to get interesting.

Achoo! Cough! Hack! Hack! Achoo!

I am sick of being sick and completely unmotivated to write anything else. I am sure something exciting will happen to me this weekend. I am hoping to A.) either win the lottery or B.) Get offered my dream job making more money than I know what to do with it. In the interim I am not going to hold my breath!

Fortune Cookie Friday

"To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others"

I also learned that New Year's Eve is pronounced (chu) (xi)

Drinking While Pregnant

So as well know I have babies on the brain so whenever I see anything that has the word "pregnancy" "pregnant" or "baby" I immediately read it. I came across THIS ARTICLE that I thought was pretty interesting. It's such a  different time now than it was 30 years ago. My mother openly admits that she drank gin and tonics and smoked cigarettes the whole time she was pregnant with me and she always likes to add "you were the perfect baby and you turned out fine".I am in no way shape or form saying that it is okay or even something I would do while pregnant but I think it's funny that now people are saying it may be okay to have the occasional drink. I love my wine, I really do. I have a deep love for Pinot Noir,Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet. The thought of going a whole 9+ months without a glass is quite sad but on the flip side I have a feeling Iwill not miss it when I know I have a little person growing inside me.  I feel like there are so many things you should or shouldn't do while pregnant, it's a bit overwhelming. We have a ways to go so I guess I will just keep reading up...with a  glass of wine in hand.

OCD isn't such a bad thing, is it?

I have come to the realization that when I get excited about something I get obsessed with it. Cousin B is coming this weekend for a visit and she has several friends also coming to Raleigh to visit another friend who is currently going to State. I volunteered to have a brunch at the house on Saturday and since the moment they all said yes I have been completely obsessed with menu, grocery lists, lists of things to get done before Cousin B gets here etc. I have even gone as far as looking at all the weekly circulars at the grocery stores to get the best sales, I am very neurotic organized. I absolutely love having a home that we can entertain in and I also love how I feel when it is all clean and ready to bring on the guests so my next couple days consists of cleaning, laundry and more cleaning.

It's funny because when Jason and I were growing up our Mother cleaned up behind us, we didn't have chores or any kind of responsibility when it came to picking up after ourselves. When I first moved out on my own I think my Mom was terrified that I would be a slob but the exact opposite happened, I am a clean freak. I guess I was just so used to living in a clean house, with clothes always washed and put away, plates out of the sink and everything dust free that I had to create that atmosphere in my own home. So now of course I am wondering how will I be with my own children one day. Will I be obsessed with cleaning their rooms, will we give them chores, how many chores, will they get an allowance? Okay for now I will just breathe, we have several years until we get to that point and I'm sure by then there will be an "app for that".

To end this discussion on my OCD,Cleaning and future child rearing practices I would like to add that my absolute favorite cleaning supply is Sprayway glass cleaner, The smell reminds me of my grandmother for some reason and it truly cleans the heck out of glass and mirrors. I was recently at World Market and noticed there is a stainless steel and stone cleaner. Note to self: add to Christmas list

The week in review

Last week was crazy at work, so incredibly busy. I did go out to see a project on Tuesday that I had worked on for a while and the clients had spent ALOT of money on tile...it really felt great seeing the finished project which I rarely ever get to do, it also gave me a boost of energy to think about what I want to pursue next career wise. I don't know if Traditions In Tile will be around forever and who knows if I want to design tile forever. I was able to go to lunch with one of the kitchen and bath designers I work with on a regular basis and she was telling me all about what it took to get certified and she definitely gave me a big head telling me how great I would be at it...so I figure I might look into it. I mean I love being in kitchens, why not design them?

By Friday I was pooped, David and I were supposed to go to a concert but we sold our tickets last minute and opted for a nice dinner at home, a rented movie and some wine.Saturday we enjoyed a great NC State win. It was an early game so we got out and started tailgating about 9:30, it was a beautiful day and we actually got a little sunburnt. After a day of champagne and beer drinking I think I was in bed about 9:00pm! Sunday was a new day and a day to make something yummy to eat. After much deliberation David and I decided on lasagna and gazpacho. Weird combination I know but David has been dying to make gazpacho so he did and it came out great and could easily fend off any amount of vampires with the amount of garlic he used! My lasagna came out great as well, I folllowed the basic box recipe but I added a couple twists. I used a combination of ground beef and hot Italian sausage to give it an added flavor. For the ricotta mixture I added about a cup of sour cream, so it wasn't so dense and I also added some sauteed garlic and onions to the tomato sauce with a  can of diced tomatoes. Our thermostat read 66 degrees upstairs so we thought it was perfect weather to have a fire in the fireplace we just could not wait any longer! Of course I walked outside at one point and it was probably more like 80-85 degrees, our neighbors must think we are insane!

Memories

The past couple days I have been thinking non stop about our honeymoon and how relaxing it was. 10 days in Zihuatanejo was incredible. We felt so special that Marsha and Walt and Ashley and Ramses gave us 10 days in their paradise. I know we will go back eventually. We hope to take friends there and then eventually take our own family trips there. Rarely do we ever "unplug" I was so at peace, read so many books and just took advantage of one on one time with my best friend and love of my life. I have a book that we took with us every day. We documented every place we went, everything we ate and each of our server's names. We indulged in some awesome food and I even went as far as getting the recipes. Typing that thing out will definitely be a rainy day project so for know I will just post a picture of our view from the condo. Stayed tuned for more....

A Day Without Eggs is Like a Day Without Sunshine....well not for David

So let me just start off by saying I friggen LOVE eggs, any kind...egg salad, fried eggs,eggs benedict, scrambled, omelets, you name it I will devour eat it! I have fond memories of being young and having sleepovers and on Sunday morning my Dad would make a big breakfast with perfectly fried eggs and each one was topped with the first letter of our name made out of a slice of cheese! I mean come on! how cute is that?! I always said I would do the same for my kids, and that's just it I will be doing it....truth be told- David hates eggs, loathes them, bickers,makes a fuss and absolutely gets obnoxious when I cook them. Has this stopped me from eating my beautifully shelled friends you ask? Well I have definitely cut down on my egg consumption but I am making them more and more and hoping that one day he will be open to trying it again because of course as you get older your tastes change. Take me and olives for example, I actually stomached them at our date night a couple weeks ago. Who doesn't like a good breakfast for dinner?! I digress. So because my weird loving husband doesn't eat eggs in recipes either I have had to try making things differently. Potato Salad for example is delicious with boiled eggs but I had to come up with a different plan for my one and only. This weekend is an NC State home game so as usual we pull out all the stops. This weekend we are having  a gourmet hot dog buffet with side dishes so I volunteered potato salad. I came up with the recipe below and it is YUM. Keep in mind I rarely measure if I am not following a recipe so quantities are off the top of my head and may need to be changed to suit your tastes.

EGGLESS RED SKINNED POTATO SALAD:
8 Red Skinned Potatoes
Whole bulb garlic
1 cup Hellmans Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
Fresh Dill- about 3 tablespoons but adjust to your taste
Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
Bacon- about 4 slices

MOP: (that stands for Method of Preparation...look you learned something today!)
Preheat oven to 400 cut off top of garlic bulb, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and wrap in foil and put in oven for about 45 minutes, let cool in foil
Cut potatoes in half, cover with water and boil until fork tender approx. 35 minutes
Cook bacon to a crisp (not burnt) let cool and get off any excess fat then crumble, set aside
Whisk in bowl vinegar, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, s&p, roasted garlic*
*once garlic is cooled you can literally squeeze it out of the bulb, it comes out like a paste
Once potatoes are completely cool you can cut them in to smaller pieces and add them to your "dressing". Mix bacon in about a half hour before serving so it keeps some of it's crunch. Also let potato salad sit out about a half hour before serving, if it's too cold it loses a lot of it's flavor. Here is a picture (minus the bacon)
Next time I will try to take step by step pics.

Fall Approaching

The leaves have started falling and it's FINALLY starting to cool off a bit after a feverishly hot summer. Football games consume our weekends and there are sweaters and fall colors in all the stores. I love Fall, it is my absolute favorite time of the year and it's beautiful in NC. I cannot wait to wear my corduroy pants and my brown leather boots. Sundays turn in to days where there is something cooking on the stove all day and I love it. I have started thinking of goals or better yet things I want to accomplish, things I know I can accomplish in these upcoming months. Sometimes it's hard to get out of this rut though, it's just so easy to just watch tv and not be motivated while the hours rush past. I used to love to snuggle up with a good book and just read or get really creative with some sort of project and I haven't done that ina  while. A couple weeks ago I went and got everything to crochet, I really want to make a blanket or something substancial in size so I can say, "I DID IT" but as so many things I worked on it for a day and then never went back. Why is it difficult to follow through or just finish a damn project, is it just me? Does this happen to everyone, where does it come from? I am a big list writer. I love the to cross things off the list and then eventually be left with nothing but it seems there is always at least 1 or 2 lingering things that never get done. Well that is going to change. I am going to try to finish things I start and I want to start reading again and finding the things that make me feel happy, just like the way I feel when the leaves start turning my favorite colors of fall.

Bad Habits

I have started the habit of waking up at about 3:30-4:00am on Saturday morning. I have never been a "late" sleeper but it is just ridiculous that I can't sleep past 5 on the weekends! This morning I woke up at 3:58 and just layed there trying to close my eyes and clear my head and go back to sleep and finally at 4:30 I got up and made a cup of tea. So here I am at 5:00am on Saturday morning watching the Real Housewives of DC, I am sure by Noon I will be completely exhausted. Oh Joy!

Bits & Pieces

I thought I would take the time to post some pictures from our recent trip up to CT. I wish we would have gotten more of other family and friends we saw but we were having too much fun! This was a perfect day trip to Island Beach- We took the short ferry ride over and enjoyed a grilled cheese near the water. I loved this trip even more than normal because I feel like David really got to bond with Nana, she is so special to me. I remember going to Island Beach as a child and playing by the beach and big rocks and eating "snack bar" food- it just had a different, awesome flavor.

 I think it's funny how as you grow up you only remember little bits and pieces. I wish I could remember everything good and bad but unfortunately I don't think anyone has that big of a brain compacity! But for now I will try to document all my stories and memories so one day I can look back and remember more than just the bits and pieces.

Meagaloopapoopiedoop

My Dad had all types of nicknames for me when growing up, Meagaloopapoopiedoop was something he loved to yell out loudly and dramatically in VERY public places, eventually it got shortened to loopie(thankfully!)...Doober was another favorite of his nicknames for me. David and I recently went to spend the day with my parents on Labor Day and while we were eating dinner we were reminiscing about when Jason and I were younger and some of our favorite things, including both dressing up in our superman and superwoman pajamas and riding my father's back around the living room. My Dad and I also used to sit and watch Fraggle Rock for hours and he said that the little workers were named "Doozers" and  I couldn't pronounce it and I said "Doobers" and alas that's how it began. My Dad will always and forever be my Daddy, someone I look up to, someone who makes me laugh with how inappropriate he can sometimes be and someone I cannot wait to introduce my [some day] children to so they can share some of the same memories I had as a child. And for that reason I really want this and of course these

What a fantastic weekend!

Friday night we had an incredible 3 year anniversary date. We started off at Coquette where I had my very first dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives, I drank the whole thing and ate 2 out of the 3 olives...the 3rd I gave to David. For those of you that don't know I HATE olives, which is so wierd because I LOVE salty and savory. I had been craving a martini since we started watching the TV series Mad Men and finally I indulged Friday. Back to our date... we enjoyed beef tar tar in the bar area and then walked over to Mura where we indulged in some great sushi,saki and pomegranate martinis (they make theirs with gin and pom liqueur).

Saturday was the most.productive.day.ever! I got the craft room closet cleaned out and organized, scrubbed our 40sqft tile shower,cleaned the whole house,did all laundry, went to an hour long gym class, finally got some pictures mailed out that I had been meaning to do, David mowed and blowed the whole yard and washed and vaccumed both cars while I cleaned the insides and then we painted the whole shed and made a fabulous dinner!

I woke up Sunday morning put some pork in the crockpot and baked some banana nut muffins, after all the work on Saturday, Sunday I just relaxed, rented some movies and hung out with the cats while David was plastered to the TV watching football....At one point while I was laying in bed watching my "chick flicks" and I was filled with the most overwhelming happiness. I think because I finally realized I don't need a 2nd job (even though it would be nice to have), money is not everything and we will be just fine. I don't know where this fear of the future comes from , I guess I just think and think and it eventually warps in to worry. I can't get babies off the brain and how once we are pregnant, there will be no extra time, so maybe I am trying to fit it all in? I felt like this weekend freed my mind from all of the little worries and made me look at the big picture and I am truly lucky to have such a  phenomenal husband that puts me at ease more than he knows and probably more than I tell him.

3 years

3 years ago today David and I had our first date. I knew then my life would be changed forever.

Blah Blah Blah

I know I know, I haven't really been so great at writing even though I have thought about it, but thinking about things does not get them done. That would be awesome if it could happen like that though, I could "think" of vaccuuming the house or "think" of folding the laundry...

We have had some great past couple of weeks. Our trip to CT was so enjoyable and I felt like David really got to spend some quality time with Nana and I always enjoy my visits with them. It scares me to think that any trip I take up there could be the last time I see her because she is just getting so old and frail.

We are now in the middle of September so football has started and we have started our ritual of awesome tailgates and hanging out with great friends.

I have been on the hunt for a part time job in the evenings and weekends because to be quite honest I have been having major anxiety over the "thought" of getting pregnant with no money saved up. It's funny how when you voice your opinions to friends or even family they all say the same thing... "You will never have enough money for kids" I agree there will never be enough..... but shouldn't you have SOMETHING? Between the debt David and I both have as well as the mortgage, it's hard to fathom how we would be able to accomplish juggling it all. I always knew I wouldn't be a full time stay at home mom and that I would have some sort of part time job to supplement for bills etc. Of course David is my rock and he says not to worry and that things have a way of working out but unless he knows a secret was to win the lottery I will continue to worry.

So the hunt.....I was offered a part time position at Restoration Hardware but the pay was not worth my time. I had 2 INCREDIBLE interviews at the new Container Store that is coming here and then got a call that they did not have a position for me, I felt like I was punched in the stomach! The Manager truly made me feel like I already had the job at the interview so to get the alarming news that I wasn't chosen seriously sucked. I had been basing everything around getting this job, budgeting what I could save and how long we would need to save and then it all crashed down in one 2 minute phonecall! "We had to make some tough decisions and unfortunately we don't have a position for you BUT you are at the top of our list if someone doesn't work out" yeah right I am sure they say that to everyone and I am now 2nd choice, which again is a horrible feeling.
The only options I feel I have at this point are going back to catering or some sort of food, which is okay but it is not consistent. I was looking forward to another weekly paycheck, learning new things, meeting new people. I have done all the food stuff and it's exhausting. HOWEVER I have an interview with caterer tomorrow and I have the opportunity to work an event on Saturday, so we'll see what happens. blah.

Family

This week has been a loooong one and it is only Wednesday. It is restaurant week and I agreed to help out at the Mint Restaurant due to restaurant week so I have been getting to my day job at 7:45am then leaving at 4:30 and going straight to 2nd job and then getting home about 10:30 so I have not seen David or the kitties but it all WORTH IT. I make a little extra cash for our family trip to CT tomorrow. We are planning on driving a nd leaving about 1:30. David has never been with me to CT and I am very excited to take him to my hometown. We plan on spending the day with Nana and Aunt Bonnie on Friday and having a great dinner with Sean and Betsey included then Saturday we are headed to spend the day with my BFF Cristina and her squeeze Mark.

I moved from CT to NC 16 years ago but so much of me still thinks of it as home. I enjoy going back to visit even though I don't get there as often as I used to. Nana is getting older and I know she will not be around forever and it's a scary thought and I know visiting won't be the same without her being there. I hope that one day when David and I have children that they will develop a close bond with both our parents. The relastionship I have with my Grandmother is unexplainable, I feel I have a part of her with me always.

I am Lucky

Some people call it blessed but I prefer the word "lucky". I am lucky to have a wonderful husband, I am lucky to have an awesome family that is now larger due to my wonderful husband,I am lucky to have an amazing group of friends, some that I have known for 10+ years and others only for 3+. I am lucky that I get to wake up every day in a beautiful house that is ours and even luckier that I get to spend every day at a job (whether I "love" it all the time or not). I have had so much luck in my life and it gets better every day.

Monday not so fun day

Mondays seriously depress me, usually because I have had such a fabulous weekend and I think about how fast it ALWAYS goes, but then again life starts speeding by faster and faster after your teenage years.  This week brings day job and night job Monday,Tuesday & Wednesday and then Thursday afternoon we head to CT. I am really looking forward to seeing family as well as one of my best friends,Cristina.

Now I must get.back.to.work.ugh.

Things on My Mind

Friday,Dinner,Bills,Work,Weather,Ice Cream, Worries,What to Wear tonight, Vaccuming, David, Babies, What to Drink Tonight, Concerts this weekend, Need to Clean my car,Get my Oil changed, Make a List, go Grocery Shopping, Iron Uniform for work next week, Bored with my job, wow today has been 3 years! Betsey is coming to visit Oct 15th. I hope Ally is doing okay, I want to squeeze Gavin, Carleen is in another country, I should forward Danielle that recipe I found for Spicy Zucchini Soup, On my way home stop at the bank and get gas.

Favorite

Christopher,one of my closest and dearest friends was teh photographer at our wedding. "Capturing the moment" is truly something he has ALWAYS done incredibly...Out of hundreds of AWESOME pictures, this one is truly my absolute favorite, it's when we are walking up the aisle right after saying I DO.

Amazed

I have had a bit of an obsession lately reading blogs. I find it absolutely amazing and somewhat fascinating how people carry on with blogs, truly like they are trained professionals. David and I have been talking about babes alot lately and I am truly excited about when that time comes in our life so in preparation I have been reading, A LOT! I have stumbpled upon some super great baby blogs. I told David I was going to have to start a notebook just to write down some of this valuable information on products and websites and advice OH MY! It does give me the inspiration to continue this blog and hopefully take care of it more and not leaving it out in the cold wondering what is happening this day or the next.

I am surprised my blog is still talking to me

WOW, it's August 2010, I have been married for 5 months, we bought a house 17 months ago and I have not posted about any of that. I don't know if anyone even reads this thing but I have been doing a lot of "blog reading" lately and it has definitely given me more of a nudge to get back in to writing mine.

Let's see...

The house. There will always be a project that has to be done but it's what keeps it exciting. We did a huge kitchen/downstairs remodel as soon as we closed and it turned out phenomenal. We recently just finished a master bath remodel and David has been building a shed (or should I say small house) with his Dad. In the fall we are hoping to start on a patio/firepit project but I think we are due a little break from the stress of remodeling.

The cats. A couple months after moving in I convinced David we had to get a kitten. David grew up with dogs and I grew up with cats and nothing against dogs but cats are just more independent and with as much as we are away it wouldn't be fair to a dog...within a day of deciding we were going to get our first pet we got an email from a neighbor of David's parents and they had twin kittins, serously identical. We have had them for over a year now and just started being able to tell them apart and that's only because one is larger than the other! We named them Carter and Finley (Which they share with the NC State stadium). These cats have brought us so much laughter and we just absolutely love their personalities and how friendly and welcoming they are to everyone.

The wedding. I will most likely have to do a seperate post just for he wedding, because it was just so darn AWESOME. In a nutshell it was a perfect, the whole weekend. The ONLY thing I would have changed would be to not fracture my foot at the rehearsal dinner (yes that happened). Luckily I have awesome friends and family and they were all there to help and of course a silly fracture didn't prevent me from dancing on chairs by the end of teh night.

The honeymoon. Absolutely Incredible!

The life. The adjustment period in to being married was a litle stressful and we argued for at least a month straight but we are better than ever. It's like this lttle tiny switch gets flipped when you say I do and something shifts. Luckily David and I talk about anything and everything and we were able to nip all that "stress" in the butt and now it's back to flowers,rainbows and unicorns...well kinda.

Dear blog,sorry for neglecting you.