Wedded Whims

A Display of Faith

2010-02-22T20:35:00.004-05:00

I know I've been missing on this blog forever, but I just had to break the silence. You all just need to hear the story I'm about to tell, because it's blessed me so much.. I know it will bless you.

My twin sisters are senior starters for their varsity basketball team. They love the game immensely, such as is common in this "neck of the woods". The area in which we live pretty much LIVES for high school basketball during the winter. This year, their team went into the tournaments in the number one spot. They had the full potential to win states.

Twice this past season they made a decision that our family is all too familiar with. They chose not to play in a game because of religious convictions. We believe in keeping the Sabbath, outlined in the Bible as the time from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. During this time, we abstain from work and set our attention on worship, building our faith, and encouraging others. My sisters and I all made the decision when we were young not to play competitive sports during the Sabbath. Over time, we've had to make some tough decisions because of this belief, but none as tough as my sisters made this last weekend.

In the tournament, they had won their quarterfinal and semifinal games and were advancing to the Eastern Maine Finals. The only game after that is the State Championship. The finals were scheduled for 9am Saturday morning. My sisters didn't just decide not to play that day. They had already made that decision a long time ago. But that didn't make it easy.

Thursday night, after they won their semifinal game, we were all pretty much in tears because we knew it would be their last game. The community knew as well.. and every member of our family was incessantly asked questions. The press took note as well, and their story has since been featured in several newsprints and online editorials.

We were sad, but not because they "couldn't" play.. because the game was on that day. They didn't regret their convictions for a second, even though they knew that their presence on the court on Saturday could have meant a win.

Saturday morning came and we anxiously waited for a phone call on our way to church. We got the news just after the game ended. We had been defeated.

Defeated in a game, but not in faith and conscience. I've never been more proud of my little sisters. The coach of the opposing team in the finals summed it up better than I could ever:

"This is just a game of basketball. Theirs is a game of life and they're the champions for making that decision and following that."

I couldn't agree more.

Opportunity

2010-01-12T21:42:00.002-05:00

Today at work I received a call from our church's Women's Ministry director for Northern New England. They're organizing a women's retreat for early this fall. It's basically a weekend away for women and young ladies to get refreshed and reconnect with God. There's a program for the teen girls every year, aside from the seminars and activites the women attend. Two years ago I was the presenter for the teen track, and it was an amazing experience. Today when she called me, she invited me to be this fall's presenter as well. I am so excited, yet so humbled. There are so many days when I don't even feel worthy of my Savior's love, let alone fit to share it with so many girls in such a public setting. I told her that I would give it some prayer and get back to her tomorrow. I'm most likely going to accept the offer.. not because I think I have anything to say to those girls that is of importance, but because I choose to be always willing when God asks me to let Him speak through me. I have no idea what He's going to give me to speak about, but I'm trusting him to do a miracle. If even one girl becomes closer to the Lord as a result, it will all be worth it. Your prayers would be very appreciated. Not just for my presenting, but for God's leading, and the open hearts of the girls that will be attending the weekend.

People

2010-01-04T21:42:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago I had somewhat of an epiphany on the ride to church. I was just reflecting on what I've done over the past year, and what kind of an impact I've made. Every once in a while I go into a super introspective moment.. and this was one of them. Since I'm pretty focused on my decorating career right now, I tend to get a little wrapped up in material things. I'm constantly reminding myself that, well, it's all gonna burn! Seriously though, the ONLY thing that lasts in the end is other lives. How many lives have you impacted? Whew! Heavy stuff!

Kind of makes me step back and re-evaluate. Makes me write that hand-written note, smile at that grumpy co-worker, take some time and listen to a peer. So while most people are making new years resolutions.. I'm just going to change my focus. My goal is to THINK about every single thing I do. Why am I doing it? Is it selfish, or am I looking for a way to impact someone else?

Anyway, I won't keep expounding on that, but I just wanted to share. I figure if it hit me like a ton of bricks, it might get through to you too. :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:05:00.005-05:00

Hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas with your families! We've had quite the eventful day here. This morning Z surprised me with a scavenger hunt around the house AND garage to find my Christmas present from him... a new diamond ring. Girls' best friends, I tell you. ;) When we got engaged we were pretty focused on some business goals, and all our $$ was going to that. Therefore, my ring was pretty.. conservative. Don't get me wrong, I still think it was beautiful, and I still loved it. Z had always told me that he wanted to upgrade it for me though, I just never thought it would be this soon. It's a beautiful 3-stone setting.. I attempted to take a picture of it, but I need to try again when it's not dark outside. It's quite a bit more to look at when I'm doing things, and I find myself just staring at it sparkle a lot. Ultimately though, I think it's big for Z. I think it's his way of telling me I'm worth it. That no business amibitions or anything come before each other anymore. Once you're engaged, and then married, the "can I see your ring"? questions never stop. He told me he feels much more proud showing people the ring he gave me now. Proud, in a good way (this is in no way an ego-thing for either of us- we're just not that type).

It was so great being back with family this year. I truly count it a blessing to be here. Oh, and did I mention we have 2 FEET of snow? Ridiculous! But, it'll make the skiing and snow-sledding much more enjoyable! Z got outfitted with a new snowboard, boots, bindings, goggles, season pass to the mountain in our backyard, and new boarding pants and coat. Let's just say.. no one in our families had to think too hard about what to get him this year. He plans on heading out to try everything out on Sunday.

Right now we're watching the old classic, White Christmas. It's kind of a tradition with Z's family, so we're adopting it. :) Any of you have a Christmas movie you watch every year?

Thanks for letting me share a little of our Christmas with you! I'll be posting about some of my fave gifts on Project Pretty this weekend, so pop over there if you're interested!

Just Saying..

2009-12-20T16:58:00.002-05:00

K so I know I haven't blogged since Thanksgiving. Terrible blogger? Yes. For those of you who don't follow Project Pretty, that's where I spend most of my time. So really, I've been blogging, just not here. :) But anyway, since Christmas is right around the corner, I had to share these photos of my little nephew... Seriously, I believe I have the most ADORABLE nephew EVER.

..just saying. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T17:13:00.004-05:00

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful holiday with your families today! We all ate a ton of food, and there's a major Wii tournament going on right now.

I'm still trying to decide if I'll brave the black Friday shoppers tomorrow. My gift certificate to the mall is making me think it could be worth it.. :)

In other news, Z and I will be celebrating our first anniversary on Sunday. We're taking off for the weekend to a sweet little bed and breakfast on the coast of Maine. Sooo looking forward to it!

This is also post number 200 for Wedded Whims, and just the other day we celebrated 100 posts over at Project Pretty. Swing by if you want to get in on the giveaway action! I'm so happy to have met all of you through blogging. Thanks for all your encouragement and support!

Stress

2009-11-21T21:12:00.006-05:00

Readers, thanks for sticking with me. I have been physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted lately. When I took this new job, I had no idea it would be the way it is. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a blessing. And I do believe it's where God wants me right now. But, it's been very, very stressful.

If I didn't tell you before, I'm the financial coordinator for an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. We do everything from wisdom teeth extractions to botox and face lifts. I'm pretty sure I'm the only Christian working there, so that makes it a little tough. The language is pretty rough. Okay, really rough. The pressure is on me pretty thick to be bringing in $$$. So, on weeks where the numbers are low, the stress really gets to me.

I've been pulling a lot of 10 hour days, going home with little to no energy. I've been dreaming about balancing accounts and fighting insurance companies almost every night. It's not a job I can leave my office and forget about. I'm constantly trying to think about ways I can bring my AR numbers down or prove my work ethic more.

I'm also having issues with stress-eating. I constantly get the urge to munch. I have pretty much been inhaling life savers. Thankfully, my thighs aren't showing the results of that too much yet. I'm trying to stock my desk with clementines, apples, and bananas instead. So far, that has helped. Next week I'm going on a sugar-candy fast. After my mom's lecture about how excess sugar weakens the immune system (yes, she's an RN), I've decided to cut down. H1N1 is EVERYWHERE now. 12 % of the local high school was out sick a couple weeks ago. I'm just grateful to be healthy right now.

Anyway.. that would be the reason for my lack of posting. I've just been feeling drained, consumed with work. And since I don't want to bore you everyday with my rambling about numbers, I haven't been posting. I sure would appreciate your prayers. I know it'll get better eventually. It has already started to. My numbers last week were much, much better. God is giving me patience and strength and is starting to reward all my hard work. Despite the circumstances, He is faithful!

I think I'm starting to get used to it, and I'm sure I'll get into a routine that works for me soon. I've missed you all like crazy!! I've been keeping up with your blogs, and even when I don't have time to comment, know that my prayers are with you guys! :)

And, just to make this not a totally pictureless post, here are a few from a recent family hike:

{gorgeous, eh? :)}

{haha, it's hunting season..}

{my goofball sister..}

{the whole fam}

3 Blind Mice

2009-11-07T20:31:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday night my sisters wanted to dress up for Halloween. Personally, I'm not into Halloween at all.. but I'm always up for dressing up & having fun. So.. long story short- their friend who was going to dress up with them bailed and they needed another "mouse" to complete the group costume. Z and I were planning on going on a date that night, but he decided he'd take all 3 sisters out instead. So.. being the good sport that I am (wink..) I not only made the "ear hats" and tails, but wore them too.

{can you tell which one's which?? ..yeah, if it weren't for my more *ahem* mature features, no one could've either}

{caught mid-hip swing.. lol check out that tail!}

{getting a little cozy with the hubby.. (no, he didn't dress up)}

{gangster mice}

{walking into street lamps.. cause we're blind, of course}

{so glad to be back together again!}

Simple Pleasures

2009-11-05T16:28:00.002-05:00

I LOVE having my own bathroom attached to my office at work.

Why?

Because I can sit on the seat without worry.

It's all in the simple things. :)

This land is your land... this land is my land..

2009-11-02T17:51:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, guys. I'm just in a bit of a slump. I'm stresssssseeedddd with work, so when I get home I feel like doing nothing but snuggling with the hubby or watching hgtv. I've been there for a week now, and I'm just telling myself that it will get better soon. I'm feeling like "the little engine that could".. chugging up the mountain.. just waiting for it to level off. So.. it'll get better soon.. I promise. Or, I'll end up checking myself into a spa for like a week straight.

Wouldn't that be nice? :)

Anyway.. things are chugging along with the land. Want to see what it looks like?

It's pretty dead right now since all our pretty leaves have fallen, but it's truly a beautiful spot.

{nearly 1400 ft. of road frontage}

{pretty view of mountain}

The trees that you see would be a tiny portion of the 30 acres of forest.. the open fields are 19 acres of potential. I'm starting to have fun with the whole idea of designing my own home. I just need to work on the whole patience part.. :)

Happy Birthday to Us!

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today is a special day for my mom and I- we share a birthday! Unfortunately, we both work all day.. but we're looking forward to celebrating together sometime soon.

And.. while I was too busy to blog a couple days ago.. my dad had his birthday. Yep, all 3 of us within 4 days of each other. :) So, happy birthday to you to, dad!! :)

Poll: White Coats

2009-10-25T21:54:00.002-04:00

I've been having THE HARDEST time picking out a ski jacket. I've narrowed it down to a few criteria: North Face, no arm pit zips, 3-in-1 that zips together, and must have white & grey. I found one I love, and the store is holding it for me.. but there's just one issue- it's mostly white with a little grey.

I know, I know, that's what I said I wanted. But I'm starting to wonder how practical white is going to be. How easily will it get dirty? How hard will it be to keep it white??

So.. that's where you all come in.. anyone own a white ski jacket? How do you keep it clean? Are you happy with the white or would you go back & switch if you could?

Thanks in advance for your feedback. I need to decide soon!

Land..

2009-10-22T21:30:00.004-04:00

We're signing a contract right now. The sellers accepted our offer and we have an agreement. Provided all the technicalities go well, we'll be the owners of 49 acres of beautiful land very soon.

So why am I not jumping up and down and super excited?

#1- My house / property hunting emotions are drained. I think I just stopped getting excited or sad. I'm just kinda of okay with whatever. It's too exhausting to commit to the journey 100%.

#2- We will have land. Not a house. Which means we will continue to live in my parents' "basement apartment" until we have a house. Living with the parents? Really much better than I thought it would be.. but still. We're not out on our own technically. Sure, we could get a separate apartment.. but we're saving fantastic amounts of money by staying here.. so we're torn. It's super smart financially, but I don't know.. maybe it's a pride issue. Probably.

#3- Building our own house is a LONG process. No, we're not just hiring a contractor to do the entire thing. We're acting as self-contractors. Another smart financial decision. Why, oh why do the smart ones have to be so.....difficult?

I think I'll be excited when I see the foundation getting poured. Although, in reality, that might be like another year and a half. We're limited by seasons around here. And the budget of course. So we might have the land in November, and the driveway, septic, well, power lines, and other details done this summer.. but realistically.. it might be the summer of 2011 til we have the finished house. Ugh. I'm trying to be positive because in the end we'll have a gorgeous, brand spanking new house.. but right now it's a little tough.

Happenings :)

2009-10-19T20:24:00.004-04:00

So remember how we've been house hunting for like the past year? Well, we might have come to a different decision. We were just about to put an offer in on a house we really liked, but Z had another idea. He thought we should build instead. To be honest, I was mad. Right now, I just want to settle down after so many ups and downs the past two years. But, I've been praying for an open mind, and for God's guidance.

We looked at a couple properties on Sunday. The first was 49 acres and the second was 98. Obviously, the 98 is a little bigger than we want (my dad is actually thinking about buying it as an investment). But, the 49 seems just about right. It's a beautiful lot with a large amount of road frontage, a big hilly knoll perfect for a house on top (with a great view), a big area of beautiful forest, and borders a pretty little pond with a view of the ski mountain. It's 5-10 minutes from the ski mountain, a couple minutes from the little town (grocery store, etc.), and about 15 minutes from work for both of us. We put in an offer on it today.

So.. your prayers would be appreciated! I'll be fine no matter what happens- if nothing else, I've learned that God's way is best. If he opens the doors for us to get this property and build, then I'll be happy. If not, I'll know he has something better for us.

My new job is going pretty well. It's been rather stressful so far. We're just so busy that I haven't really gotten the training I need, therefore causing me to get behind. And when I'm behind.. I'm stressed. The girl that was there before me left things very undone, and I'm having a hard time figuring out where she left off, and what things she did wrong that I need to correct.

Z's currently working with my uncle building homes (hence the decision to build our own), but he'll be starting a new position at the beginning of November. He's been working a LOT, and driving long hours back and forth, so we're only getting an hour or two per night together. Thank goodness I have my family right here.

My dad's birthday is Thursday, and my mom and I share a birthday next Monday. My sister and her boyfriend made us this fun cake the other night:

Cute, right? We were pretty impressed!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately! It's been a little crazy! It'll get better soon! Love you all!

New England Runs on Dunkin'

2009-10-14T20:13:00.004-04:00

So usually ad campaigns exaggerate the truth a wee bit. I'm sure most of you have seen the whole "America runs on Dunkin'" campaign from Dunkin' Donuts. I don't know how true it is that America runs on Dunkin.. however, I'm beginning to believe that New England truly does.

I'm going to need my NE (New England) girls to back me up on this one.. Where we used to live in Ohio, I knew of MAYBE one DD's in like a 100 mile radius. And, we were pretty close to some major cities. But here?? There's a DD's on pretty much EVERY interstate exit.. and then some. Pretty much anywhere you go you can find yourself some Dunkin. Though not everyone's as hardcore committed, we've got some straight up faithfuls.

I never realized it growing up here. But coming back after a few years away with a midwestern hubby, it really stands out. He couldn't believe how many Dunkin Donuts there were on our trip up here. Funny thing is, I think Z has officially been won over. He's on his way to being a true New Englander.. drinking a Dunkin' coffee almost everyday. Now, there's just one more point I need to get him to commit to...

Fab News!

2009-10-07T19:20:00.002-04:00

God is SOOOO good you guys! Let me preface this by saying when we moved up here (a more rural area) I figured I'd have to "downgrade" in job professionalism. I figured there would be less positions and even less good ones. So, I responded to an ad in the newspaper for an administrative assistant. I got a call for an interview and found out they also had a position for a financial manager open. So.. feeling that I was well qualified, I expressed my interest in that one. I got a call today for a second interview. I went in & met with 4 people (including the CFO) and walked out with a job!! WAhooo!!!!! How amazing is that? We've barely been here for a week and I already have a job- I start Monday. All of these blessings just make me feel like we made the right decision in moving here.

happy

2009-10-06T18:09:00.004-04:00

It's so good to be back, you guys. I never realized how much I loved it here until I left. Nor realized that I'm a bit of a complex person.. lol. See, I've tried it all- country life, city life, suburban life.. And really.. I feel like I fit in each place.

Part of me LOVES the city- I love the energy, the constant buzz, the opportunity, the convenience & proximity of shopping options, the fashion, the design, etc. I enjoy it so much. I lived almost a year in the city. The only part I didn't like was the dirtiness, the bums, & lack of SPACE.

I spent almost a year in midwest suburbia, development-land, whatever you want to call it, as well. And really, I loved it there too. I loved the neighbors, the cute little neighborhoods, the perfectly manicured lawns and bushes, the beautiful bike path, & my running route. And, I'll admit- I kind of liked the stupid status-y stigma. However, I still felt like my wings were clipped.

I never would have told you I loved the country 5 years ago. Uh-uh, no way. I wanted out. And I got out... and came skipping back last week. :) Oh my gosh, this place is beautiful. I LOVVVEEE New England. I don't care if we have cold snowy winters, or if Cracker Barrell hasn't made it's way into Maine yet. This place is gorgeous, and I'm so thankful to be here. If I ever forget that, would you all remind me please??

Anyway.. call me a chameleon.. I can learn to love it just about anywhere. I think that's what God's taught me these past few years. I've gone through periods when I hated where I was.. only to lose precious time I could have been enjoying my surroundings. So seriously, if you don't like where you're at right now, learn to okay?? God puts us in places to stretch us sometimes. And I believe that if we learn to appreciate where we're at, it enables him to bless us through it. I missed out on several blessings I'm sure while I was in high school and hating northern Maine. Now that I'm back and my eyes are open.. God is blessing me abundantly. Just tonight he sent me a little message in the form of beauty:

This is the view from my parents' front yard. Gorgeous, eh? Oh, and Canada's on the other side of that mountain. We'll blame the "eh's" on that, okay? :)

Here's a quick rundown of what's going on: My parents have made their basement into somewhat of an apartment for us for right now. We're house hunting at the moment, and will buy as soon as God leads us to the right one. Z's got a job and starts monday. I've had two interviews since I got here, and I felt pretty confident about both of them (I'm a bit over-qualified for them..). I should know about both of them by Friday. I've said the same prayer before each- just that God would bless my words, and that I would be hired where HE wants me, not where I want. Sure takes the stress out of interviewing. I do my best, and if it's where he wants me, I'll get it. Simple enough. My dad's in Louisville on business and my mom and sisters left to visit a college in TN today, so Z and I are alone in this big house for a week. I plan to get lots of cleaning and fall decorating done for my mom while they're gone. I'm just feeling super blessed right now, even though things are in a big transition stage. Anyone else able to relate??

Oh, and a BIG shoutout to my fellow New England bloggers! Glad to be back with ya, ladies!! :)

We made it!

2009-09-30T22:27:00.001-04:00

We've landed in Maine!! I'll be back with updates later, but finally, after 36 hours, we're here!

Burried in Boxes

2009-09-27T21:27:00.002-04:00

I haven't blogged in almost a week and I have a billion things to update you guys on, but I only have a quick second to thank you all for your support lately. Your comments on my last post truly touched my heart, and proved again what I've known for a while: I have some of the best blog friends ever.

It's 9:30pm right now, and I probably have a good 3 hours of packing ahead of me before I can even think about laying down to sleep.. in a sleeping bag.. Because I washed our sheets and packed them. Oh boy..

This moving thing is rough. It's my 6th time in a little over 2 years doing this.. but I do believe this time is the hardest. We're not just moving to a different suburb.. we're moving 1200 miles away with a ton of stuff.

Anyway, I've got oodles to do and a back that isn't going to hold up much longer, so I'll have to catch you all later. I'm working on catching up and commenting on all your blogs.. but I'm afraid it's hard to keep up when I have so many things to do here. It'll get better soon, I promise. Until then, I love you guys!! :)

S.O.S.

2009-09-22T22:26:00.002-04:00

So leah had a post titled this the other day, and I had to follow suit. For the same reason as her.. and then some.

Guys... I'm exhausted. My apartment is an absolute disaster. There are boxes literally taking over every room. Disorganization stresses me out. I've been staying up late trying to get everything done.

And what's worse... I don't even dare to talk about online. Let's just say I found out some information (that was no doubt meant to be hidden from me) today at work. I feel hurt, cheated, lied to, and downright furious. This would never have happened if my other boss were still here. I miss him so much... and now that he's gone, things just aren't the same.

I have never been more ready for a change in my life. What I found out today at work just put me at my wit's end. I wish I could just tell you all... and I wish I could have taken action today.. but I can't do either of those things because I can't risk it getting back to the wrong people and hurting me down the road.

I am trying so hard to give my anger and resentment over to the Lord.. but at this point, I feel I'm failing miserably.

I learned a hard lesson today... sometimes those you trust and admire will not only let you down, but be the ones that deceive and hurt you. And... as painful and infuriating as it can be, you can't say a word or do a single stinking thing about it.

I also learned that a full body exfoliating scrub is NOT for the timid.. but more on that later...

Can. Not. Wait.

2009-09-22T07:03:00.000-04:00

After work today I'm heading to my fave spa to relieve a little "moving process stress". I've got one of these:

{credit}

{Facial}

...And one of these

{credit}

{Full Body Exfoliating Scrub}

..scheduled. This day cannot go by fast enough! :)

Weekend Recap

2009-09-21T18:10:00.004-04:00

Friday night Z and I headed up to Michigan. We spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle's house. They live in the same town I went to college in, so the next day we went to church with some old friends from school. We got to see my gorgeous girl Tacyana. Here's a photo of Z, her, & I:

Love her! She's a religion major & totally a woman after God's heart. Although she's a couple years younger, we clicked back several years ago on a trip to Texas for a prayer conference.

We spent the afternoon with my aunt, uncle, and cousin at their house. My cousin Jonathan is thinking about switching his major & switching schools so that he can pursue a degree in furniture design. Yummm.. we've decided that he's going to design all my custom furniture for decorating clients once my little business is started. How fun is that??

Saturday night we headed to one of my absolute favorite cities in Michigan- St. Joseph - to meet up with fellow blogger, Kristen and her [super tall] hubby Jordan.

I have to tell you- Kristin proved her fab taste in food when she recommended the yummy little asian grill we went to. It was ssoooooo good! :) I definitely wish we were going to be living closer- we had a great time with them!

Sunday we headed to yet another friends' house & spent the day with them. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any pictures. We got home last night at 11:30 pm and were exhausted!

******************

Moving update:

We're set to leave one week from tomorrow. I'm into my second week training my replacement at work. Blah. I'll say no more.. [see mom, I'm being niiiceee!! :)] it's just not my cup of tea.

Our house is a maze of boxes. It gets worse by the day. I'm working on a little "packing tips" post for you all- gotta have something good come out of all this mess! :)

I've gotten 3 calls for different interviews back home.. but of course they want me there now.. and it'll be another 10 days, officially putting me behind any other candidates. Strangely enough, I've had total peace about finding a job. God is leading us to Maine, and He will totally provide. If any of those jobs are where I'm supposed to be, it'll work out. If not, I'll find something else. It's as simple as faith. :)

Big God or Big Government?

2009-09-16T20:54:00.002-04:00

You're in for a treat today, folks! Since Z's been home with a hurt back, he offered to guest post for me. I've been crazy busy at work (training the new lady is nothing short of a headache.. but more on that later), so it actually works out well. One of the things I love most about my husband is his passion. He's just honest, raw, and sincere, and I wouldn't have him any other way. What he's going to share with you is something he's been learning lately, and has become quite passionate about. Enjoy! :)

My wife C has been asking me to do a guest post on her blog for some time now, and I have finally come up with what I want to write about. It’s something that’s been on my mind for quite some time now. I’ve been doing some reading and studying and now understand how we need to think about our government.

I believe in inalienable rights which are our rights given to us by our Creator. These rights don’t stop at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. In Judges 8 vs ²² The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." ²³ But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." Here Gideon Respected their God given right to be ruled by God rather than men.

Again in 1^st Samuel 8 it says, ⁶"But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. ⁷ And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." Here we see proof of our God given right to be ruled by our God rather than men, and when we give that right away by electing a ruler, we reject God as our ruler.

I think our founding fathers knew this and that’s why they instituted a federal government that was very limited in power- just basic enough to do for the people what they could not necessarily do for themselves. It was also set up to be ruled by a body of people, not a sovereign king or czar. They understood that when we give power to our government it is a rejection of our LORD ruling us and shows our distrust in Him. This is why I believe in small government- that we keep the right for God to rule over us.

Every step we take in the direction of bigger government (who use their police force to take from those who have to give to those in need), we lose our trust in God to supply what we need. History has proven that when people have the power to take and give to whomever they please, corruption will gradually creep in. This corruption will ultimately destroy the nation from the top down. Because of this, the only One we can trust to give to those in need is our perfect Father in Heaven. We know that He loves us and has promised to supply our needs. Since He is perfect in every way and cannot be corrupted, He is the only one we should trust to rule over us.

I believe this truth is one of the most important factors to think about when trying to get a bill passed in congress, or even in daily decisions. We do the same thing when it comes to our employers. We not only rely on them for a paycheck, but for health insurance, retirement, and a number of other things. We should not so eagerly welcome these things into our lives without considering that we might be rejecting God like the Israelites did when they requested an earthly king. So, next time you're thinking about giving someone else more power over your life, stop and ask yourself of who's really in control. It's your choice. Me? I'd rather trust God.

-Z

:: Husband Down ::

2009-09-14T21:13:00.002-04:00

I had plans to blog a bit more tonight & catch up on all of yours some more, but we had a little incident come up. Z hurt his back today at work. He came home early and once I got home, I took him to the ER.

Poor guy had to take a shot in the arm AND one in the... uh.. bum. They said it's probably just a sprain and put him on anti-infammatories & muscle relaxers. So.. he'll be out of work for at least a day or two.. or more. He's not doing too bad thanks to the drugs, but he's having a really hard time getting comfortable. No position seems to do it for him.. I'm afraid we won't get much sleep tonight.

Your prayers for his speedy recovery would be mucho appreciated. We'll be leaving for Maine in exactly 2 weeks, so we're really hoping he's better by then. A 21 hour drive would be NO fun with a bad back.

**************

In other news, I've started training a new lady at work to take my place. And let me just leave it at this: You REALLY should know how to ATTACH a file to an email in Outlook, & know the difference between SAVE and SAVE AS in MS Word if you want to keep an office job. I'm seriously questioning why anyone would hire someone without these basic skills for an office management position. Drives me nuts. My guess is once I'm gone they'll realize their mistake. Oh well. 2. MORE. WEEKS.

My house is a disaster. It's covered in boxes. And if you've gotten to know me at all.. you can understand how this causes my OCD tendencies to go nutzo. Oh well. 2. MORE. WEEKS.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! I'll be back with more interesting updates later, & again, your prayers for Z would be much appreciated! :)

Compromise

2009-09-10T13:54:00.004-04:00

We had homemade pizza last night (yes I cheated and bought the crust), this is what it looked like:

Meat on the left. Veggies on the right.

Compromise is what happens when a former-vegetarian New England girl marries a meat-loving midwestern man. :)

Really?

2009-09-09T08:36:00.002-04:00

Anyone else seen this stuff yet?? It's Maybelline New York Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara. I'm pretty sure Estee Lauder and Lancome have a vibrating mascara as well. I definitely don't see this trend lasting long.

Because really.. I equate this stuff to applying mascara while driving down a bumpy road in an old Chevy truck that's lost its shocks. If you don't poke your eye out.. you WILL get it all over your face.

FYI: If you're brave and/or have a super steady hand, you can buy it here.

Bittersweet

2009-09-06T18:32:00.002-04:00

Well, all things are a go with the move. We've started to pack and plan. If all goes well, we'll be outta here in 3 weeks. I am incredibly excited about going home. About spending time with my family. But I think I'll be leaving a part of my heart here too.

The statement, "You don't know what you've got til it's gone" is so true. When I was growing up, I always wanted to get out of my small town & never look back. So I did. I moved to the midwest.. only to realize my heart was partly back home. I missed it like crazy.

It' been 2 years since I've lived in Maine. I spent a good part of that time missing it. Now we're going back.

And as much as I expected to feel only excitement, that's not all there is. Somewhere between wishing for my mountains and lakes back and wanting my family closer, I got attached here.

As many times as I complained to Z about my crazy co-workers, it broke my heart to tell them I was leaving. We all grew so close together because of the death of my boss 2 weeks ago. I'll miss them.. and I don't know if I'll ever have a better employer.

As much as I love my own family, I've fallen in love with Z's as well. I'm going to miss them so much. His sisters have become friends, and even those flat cornfields have become somewhat beautiful.

And as blind as I was to it, I've learned a great lesson.

1 Timothy 6:6 (New International Version)

⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain.

It's not enough to try and follow after Christ & be like him. Because how can we really be like him if we're not content with our lives?

It's tough to feel content when we're thousands of miles away from people we love, when we've lost someone close to us, or life's just seeming unfair.

But, God doesn't tell us stuff like this without a promise. The last part of that verse says ".. is GREAT GAIN". And really, God's pretty much the best at giving rewards. If he says that godliness with contentment is going to benefit me, I'll believe him.

I've wasted so much time in my life wanting what I don't have. Whether it's where I'm living, the career I'm in, or even petty stuff like new furniture or a prettier, more popular blog. What a waste.

So, friends, please don't make the same mistakes. You may look back on the little apartment you're in with wonderful memories someday. Enjoy where you're at. Be thankful for what you do have. Don't wish the moments away- embrace them. GROW because of them. Every single situation you come across is an opportunity to grow, and to inspire others. I only wish I'd embraced this lesson sooner. I want to live my life like Paul, and be able to say,

".. for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phillippians 4:11b-12)

It's Official

2009-09-03T08:35:00.002-04:00

Remember that certain something that I couldn't tell you all yet... Well, we've given our notices at work, and are planning on being moved back home (to Maine) by the end of the month! More details to come!

I'm Still Here!

2009-09-01T09:42:00.003-04:00

Whew! Where were we again? Apparently I get an F in blogging lately. But then again.. life gets in the way, and sometimes it's good to take a break. What have I been up to?? Let me fill you in.

Left for Kentucky Friday. Got there just before dark. Set the tent up All.By.Myself. Tried to sleep even though my back was yelling at me for the minimal padding between it and the ground. Woke up. Jumped on the back of Z's 4-wheeler, and rode around for a few hours. Held on for dear life while getting covered in dust. Had fun though. Went back to campsite for lunch. Washed grit out of my teeth and ate a PB&J. Took a nap with A (Z's cousin's wife) while the boys (Z & said cousin) did some "real" 4-wheeling. [sidenote: apparently it's not real 4-wheeling unless you're doing like 55 mph in the woods] Drove to the "lake" with A, only to find out it was filled with algae & would no way get me any cleaner than I was. Went back to campsite. Took "shower" in little water spiget that came 2 feet high out of a concrete slab. Felt fresh again. All was well. Boys got back. Made supper over the campfire. MMMmmm, pizza pie! Made s'mores. Colapsed into sleeping bag. Woke up, ate muffin. Packed up all our gear. Took the tent down All.By.Myself. Did a wee bit more 4-wheeling. Headed home.

If you just read that, you're a trooper, and I love you. :) The only pic. I have with me at work is this one, of our campsite.

Once we got home we showered & went to the viewing for my boss. We waited in line for 3 hours just to see the family, but I wasn't annoyed at all. I was so happy that many people were there. The estimate was 1,000 people. Crazy. It was pretty tough, not gonna lie. Seeing so many pictures of him, and momentos from his office on display was such a stark reminder that he wasn't there anymore.

I had monday off for the funeral, and so Z took it off too. We went an hour early just to get seats. If I thought the viewing was tough.. whew! The funeral was way worse. They opened it up for people to share memories of him, and several people barely choked through theirs to get words out. Like I'd said before, he crashed with his good friend, who survived the accident with minimal hurt. Well, his friend was there, sitting a couple rows in front of us. He got up spoke only a few words because he was so choked up- he said that he didn't understand, didn't know why he hadn't seen him that night, that he was such a good friend, etc. Oh my gosh.. there wasn't a dry eye in the place! The line of cars to go to the graveside was so long they had intersections blocked off and police escorts. It was hard, but I'm doing well. Please continue to pray for his family- It's going to be a long time before anything feels normal for them again.

After all of that was over, my WONDERFUL hubby took me south for a little retail therapy. We hit up a new outlet mall, and somehow I only walked away with one shirt from JCrew. Don't know how that happened! We went to Ikea after and let's just say.. I walked away with slightly more than that. :) Check out Project Pretty in a day or so to see what we scored.

Now, we're all unpacked, the house is cleaned up, and we're back to work. Still feels eerie looking down the hall at a closed door, but life is going on. And that's what he would have wanted.

Catching Up

2009-08-27T11:36:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm so behind right now. It's nuts. But today I'm going to try and do some catching up on a couple awards I received.

The first is from Kristin. This girl and I were totally meant to be friends. Somehow we found each other on facebook through mutual friends. Then I think I messaged her because she was looking for wedding songs or something. Then we discovered out mutual love for theknot/thenest.com. Then we discovered we were both bloggers. lol. Oh, and we're going to meet up in person next month hopefully. So anyway, she's a sweetheart & I can't wait to meet her! She gave me the Fab Blog Award.

For this I have to list 5 current obsessions & tag 5 others. So here's the obsessions.

1. Prayer. Seriously. God has been testing me lately, and I believe trying to make me stronger and more faithful. Prayer's the only thing that's gotten me through. Oh, and you know what's great?? He ANSWERS. :)

2. Natural-ish design elements. Stuff that's raw. Like jute, linen, burlap, unstained wood, tree branches.. you name it.

3. Subway. Z would tell you it doesn't count because I get veggie subs. :) I would get something with chicken if it didn't look like something put in the blender, mashed together, and labeled chicken breast. Eeek. Sorry if I just ruined chicken subs for you.

4. Paint. But really, what else is new??

5. Tissues. I've had a cold. My nose is masquerading as a faucet. Tissues are my lifesavers. Sorry if you just got a nasty mental image. :)

Now, for the tags..
Summer
Sarah
Three Men & a Lady
Sarah
Melanie

Also.. Courtney tagged me for the Premium Meme Award. This girl is just too cute! I also think we were destined to be friends.. after all, we have the same name, right?!? (oops, just let it slip!) She's new to blogging, but I've totally enjoyed getting to know her!

For this award, you're supposed to list 7 random things about yourself and tag other people you want to know more about.

Weeeelllllll.... you all have been getting a good dose of "About me" lately, and I'm beginning to feel a bit.. self-consumed. lol So just read a few of the last posts to catch you up, k? I also added a link to the about me posts in me left sidebar.

And for the tagging..
Holla! to one of my blogging bffs, Roeshel.
And I'm tagging a new follower, Lauren Kelly.

Spill it, ladies!! :)

Tomorrow after work Z and I are headed to Kentucky with his cousin & his wife for a weekend of four-wheeling and hiking. Say your prayers for me people. Four-wheeling and I DO NOT have a good history. Oh, and since we'll be camping and "roughing it", Z thinks we're going to eat gorp (trail mix to most of you) all weekend like we did in the Rockies that time... ha! Not for this chika.. I'm going grocery shopping this afternoon. :)

All About C&Z

2009-08-26T15:15:00.004-04:00

Thank you all for your sweet, caring comments. You've been such a comfort. Love you guys!

I figured I'd do this little quiz popping up all over blog-land to lighten the mood. [I know I still have Part 2 of the questions to do. I swear I'll get to it!!]

♥ What are your middle names? Alyssa & Alan. [Now, you know our middle names, and not our first names.. lol]

♥ How long have you been together? 2 years

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? About 5 years

♥ Who asked whom out? After having a long distance "phone relationship" for 2 months, we sealed it with a kiss and assumed it was official. :)

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? His. We're 1200 miles from mine.

♥ Do you have any children together? Not yet.. give us ~3 years.

♥ What about pets? Not yet. Once we own our own house, it's on the agenda! :)

♥ Did you go to the same school? Nope (again, the distance thing)

♥ Who is the smartest? book smarts- me / critical thinking & ingenuity- him

♥ Who is more sensitive? Me. Oh lord.. me. If you ask him, he'll say too much and grin. :)

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? We have a fave mexican place that we go from time to time.. but every Saturday after church we go to Culver's

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Maine from Ohio (home for me, 21 hours from where we are now)

♥ Who has the craziest exes? Um.. neither of us have a whole slew of exes, but I'm pretty sure I'd take the cake on this one..

♥ Who has the worst temper? Neither of us have much of a temper.. but me if it comes to getting upset over smaller things.. him when it comes to a really deep issue making him mad

♥ Who does the cooking? Me. The only meal he's cooked since we've been married is grilled cheese. Although, when I make hamburgers or chicken, he does the grilling.

♥ Who is more social? Me.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? That'd be me again..

♥ Who is more stubborn? Me.. but of course it's hard for a stubborn person to admit they are..

♥ Who hogs the bed? Neither really.. but I have gotten whacked in the face a time or two. :)

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Me. I start work a half hour earlier.. but he does get up and eat breakfast with me. :)

♥ Where was your first date? Silver Beach on Lake Michigan

♥ Who has the bigger family? Me

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not a lot, but when I do, it makes me flutter :)

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Well.. we've only been married 8 1/2 months so we don't have a tradition yet, but I imagine we'll be alternating between Ohio & Maine w/ both families.

♥ Who is more jealous? neither

♥ How long did it take to get serious? uh.. on his end- he told his bff he was going to marry me before we started dating. For me.. still quick, but after 2 months of "phone dating" and a few weeks of real dating (meaning him driving to MI to see me on the weekends), I was serious. Guess we had to either 'do it or die' because of the distance.

♥ Who eats more? Him. But I can keep up better than is probably lady-like. :)

♥ Who does/did the laundry? Me. Once in a while I can convince him to switch a load over or fold his boxers.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Him. I married an under-cover genius.

♥ Who drives when you are together? Him. Always him.

That was fun! Def. helps get my mind of things! :)

Remembering

2009-08-26T09:07:00.002-04:00

Can I be real with you all?? [I just don't feel right being a New England girl and saying ya'll, even though it's easier..]

Stupid question. You all get the real deal in every post. Maybe a little more transparent than normal is a better way of putting it.

Yesterday sucked. I went into work on 2 hours of spotty sleep. I walked by my boss' empty office all day. I look directly at it from my desk. And I was just waiting for him to walk out.. To hear hear him laughing or have him give me a hard time about something and nudge my arm the way he always did. I broke down a couple times in the bathroom and cried on the tile floor. I couldn't eat lunch. I did manage a bite-size snickers bar, though. [I'm really trying to ignore the fact that that might be a sign of comfort-eating.]

I had to answer the phone and hear, "Hi, is [boss' name] there?" a couple times. I then had to keep my composure and explain to them that he had died. I can't say passed away, because he didn't. He didn't just "pass away". He crashed mid-air, was thrown into a cornfield, and had the life ripped from him. Passing away is when you're 90 and you simply go to sleep. My boss was killed. No one's fault, but I just can't pass it off as something that sounds so everyday and easy. It was tragic. Unexpected. And it's left so many people just reeling.

I left work 45 min. early because I wasn't getting anything done. I'd sit at my desk and just zone out, imagining what must have gone through his mind in his last moments.

I got home and tried to do 'normal' things. I started cooking Z supper, and hit my elbow on something. Normally, I'd just grit my teeth til it started feeling better. But for some reason it triggered a wave of emotion and I collapsed on the living room floor, sobbing.

I pulled myself together and got dinner going. I had on the TV in the background (I have to have background noise when I'm home alone). Bad move. The 5 o'clock news came on, and guess what story they started with? Yeah. They showed the spot in the cornfield where he went down. Of course this started me bawling again.

And of course the UPS man had to choose that exact moment to knock on my door. Poor guy. Then one of my bff's called for a friendly chat.. only to hear me all choked up and tell her what had happened. Poor girl. Then Z came home to find all this happening. Poor guy.

Being in Z's arms seems like the greatest comfort right now. We ate dinner and went into our room to lay down for a while. Well, I fell asleep at 6pm-ish.. and woke up this morning around 6am. That helped. Today's a little bit better. Still hard, but better.

Now.. I'm not going to end this post here. 'Cause honestly, I have a hard time when other people write posts like this. You know they're hurting, but what can you possibly say that's going to help?!? Seems like I never have adequate words to comfort anyone.. and I'm sure some of you feel the same way. So don't feel like you have to say something to make me feel better. I know you all care. And I appreciate every one of you so much. I'm sure if you all were here in person, we'd all hug and we wouldn't need words.

This morning, something dawned on me. What would he want us doing after his death? Probably working hard, and going on with life. He'd have rather died doing something he loved (flying) than suffering with some disease. He'd want us to excel the business, enjoy our off time, and hold on to Christ. He wouldn't want a lot of flowers at his funeral- he thinks most of them stink. Oh, and he'd want the office to stay especially clean. :)

So, that's what I'll do. There are still going to be tough times.. probably more than I'm anticipating.. but over all, I'm going to try and live like he'd want us to. I think I owe him that. And I'm looking forward to seeing him in heaven. 'Cause I know without a doubt he'll be there.

When Our Hearts Just Don't Understand..

2009-08-25T09:21:00.003-04:00

My boss died tragically last night in an accident. He was up flying his ultralight and crashed into his good friend, who also flies. His friend went to the hospital, but is going to be fine. My boss died before emergency crews arrived.

We have a small office staff of 6 people, and we're all like family. He was a great man. After seeing him almost every day for the past year and a half.. it's just.. hard. He was very fatherly to me.. and to many. I wasn't going to come in to work today.. but I felt like they needed me. I knew it would be hard.. but to see my grown men co-workers fighting back tears.. and to answer the phone over and over answering the questions that yes, he did die last night.. it's heartbreaking. Every call and email I get it brings fresh tears to my eyes.

8 days ago his father died as well. His father was 83, and they all got to say goodbye.. but this was so unexpected. I'm sure his family is torn apart. I know his daughter pretty well, and I can't imagine being in her place- losing her grandpa and father within 8 days of each other. I can't imagine being his friend who was involved with the crash. I pray he doesn't feel guilty. .

Part of me just wants to ask why?? He was young (56), had a wonderful family, and was an amazing business man. It's just not supposed to happen that way. But the other part of me knows without a doubt that God is in control. My boss was a strong Christian. There were several occasions when I'd walk into his office in the morning and see his daily devotional book sitting open on his desk. He's okay now. He's not suffering. And the next thing that he'll see will be Jesus coming to take him home.

So while my heart doesn't understand, and my eyes are raw from the tears.. I am thankful for a God who is preparing us something so much better than this life. I'm thankful for my boss' example. And I truly hope you all never take one moment for granted. I hope you know without a doubt that you'll be in heaven with him. And please.. just keep all of us who knew and loved him in your prayers. These next few days won't be easy.

Answers: Part One

2009-08-19T08:24:00.004-04:00

Lucy asks:
What is your favourite/least favourite DIY project you've done?

Hmm.. Fave DIY project would have to be my glass lamp. It was just such a spur of the moment thing- the idea just came to me in the store, and it ended up looking like a million bucks!

Least fave.. Probably my mid-century modern dresser. What Project Pretty readers didn't see is what happened when I applied a coat of Polyurethane. I had 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of white paint on that baby and it was looking good. And then I applied a THIN coat of poly. And the whole thing turned yellow. I had to paint all over again. I might have been so mad I cried on that one... ;)

What does a day in the life of C look like?

I wake up at 6am & cuddle with Z for about 10 minutes. Then I shower, get ready, eat breakfast, make Z lunch, and leave for work at 7am.

I start work at 7:30am. I always start by checking email. Then, depending on the day, I work on payroll, billing, various contract work, etc. til I get off at 4.

On my way home I run my errands- which are usually either to the bank, post office, grocery store, JoAnn's, Menard's, Marshalls (that's an errand right? :)), or Target.

On a good night, I get home and cook dinner. If something's in the oven, I usually run out & get a project set up in the garage. The food's usually ready by 6, then Z helps me clean up & we're done by 6:45.

I usually spend the next couple hours working on some DIY project in the garage or at my sewing desk. The rest of the night is usually spent reading design books, blogging & reading blogs, or Z and I will settle in on the couch for a movie about once a week. When we're on the internet or reading, we like to do it in the same room so we can chat about what we're doing. Oh, and if it's a really good night, I go for a run just before dark. :)

And ... are you SURE you're not pregnant?? ;)

Ha! No, I'm not 100% sure. But I will be in a couple weeks. :) Although, I HIGHLY, highly doubt it's possible.

Carol asked: What is your fave meal to cook?

Hmm.. If I'm feeling like super-wife, then Bruchetta stuffed chicken. If I feel like a quick meal then either Corn Chowder or Baked Ziti.

S asked: Have you always been into design?

When I was a lot younger, I always thought about being an interior designer.. but figured I'd have to move to a big city to do it. I never saw myself being too far away from family so I put the idea out of my mind. As I grew up, I made my own purses, and designed my own skirts, etc. I spent hours playing the Sims game. I'd design the houses and then quit. I didn't care what the "people" did as long as I made the house look pretty. :) I have always found a creative outlet somewhere. I thought I wanted a career in Marketing, so that's what I started going to school for. And I hated it. God showed me that being a kick-butt boss lady in some corporation wasn't going to make me happy. It would've turned me into someone less than my best. It was then that I fell in love with wedding design. I did a little bit of wedding planner work. Then that turned into falling in love with interior decorating. It almost became an addiction. When I realized that I could work towards owning my own wedding design & interior decorating business, I was ecstatic. The idea of getting to share my love for design with people and give them an event or space that they loved made me feel so... full. Whew! That was probably more than you asked for huh? ;)

How long did you and z know each other before you got engaged?

Z and I met in 2002 at a summer leadership camp/conference. We kept in touch somewhat & went to camp for the next 5 years, but had no romantic interest whatsoever. That changed the last year we were there. We started dating in Sept. of 2007. We told our families we wanted to get married that December (yes, after barely 4 months of dating). Z proposed in April of 2008, and we were married November 29, 2008. It was a whirlwind, but I've never been so sure of anything in my life.

That's the end of Part One! I'm sure some of you have got to have a few more questions, so fire a few more off, and I'll answer the rest tomorrow. :)

Discrimination

2009-08-18T10:45:00.004-04:00

Thanks for all your questions on the last post! Please keep them coming in, and I'll start answering them over the next couple days! :)

So last night Z was trying to apply for a job. There were pre-screening questions asking his race and sex. After answering white male, he was told he was not eligible to apply. This company has certain quotas they have to meet as far as employing minorities that give them tax breaks, etc. Z was not happy.

My best friend in high school got a huge scholarship simply because she was latino. She had average grades, I had a 4.0, but I didn't receive any impressive scholarships. I'm white.

Is it just me, or has racial discrimination reversed itself? Have we not gone so far to help minorities, that we have discriminated against the majority? Why has it become increasingly harder for white males to get the same benefits a black woman would get? Why did so many people vote for our current President based solely on his ethnicity?

Discuss.

Note: Parts of this post have been deleted to protect certain entities.

Miscellany

2009-08-17T09:50:00.003-04:00

There's a lot on my mind lately.. but unfortunately I can't share anything via the blog.. YET. So, stay tuned.. lots of large updates to come!

Z & I went to Indiana for the weekend to visit his cousin & his wife. They just bought a new house, so it was neat getting to see it.. and them, of course. Sat. night we went to Chilis, and then we hung out @ Lowe's. Us girls snagged some mistint paint and checked out paint colors and backsplash tiles for their new place (I'm living vicariously through others til we get our own). The guys looked @ power tools.. surprise, surprise. Sunday they taught me how to ride a [manual] four-wheeler. Let's just say.. I need practice. lol :) We headed back to OH around 2 & spent the rest of the day w/ his family & friends.
Z's poison ivy is recovering. It was BAD. Like all over his body! Sucked for both of us- He was miserable and I couldn't even kiss him.. or anything else. :) Within another week, I figure it'll be totally gone.
I swear if I didn't know better, I'd think I were pregnant! Of course, I'm NOT. See above point. :) I just feel slightly nauseous off and on all.the.time. Weird.
I found an interior design school that I'm going to start taking classes at sometime this year. SO excited. 6-8 months from starting, I'll have my certification. :)

Since I can't mention a lot of what's going on in our lives right now on here at the moment, I thought I'd open it up for questions [not about the not-to-be-mentioned news though :). Anything you'd like to know? Perhaps you're wondering if I stuck my finger in an outlet as a child? Or what it's like up in the Northern-most part of New England? Ask away!! I'll do my best to answer!

Pieces..

2009-08-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

.. of my heart.

I've talked about some of them before, like:

Z
My family
Piano

But some of them I haven't really gone in to, like:

Design. There's just something unbelievably satisfying and rewarding about creating beautiful spaces. To turn the plain or ugly into something warm, inviting, relaxing, exciting... something that makes you FEEL.. is unexplainable. The pieces are slowly coming together for my future in design. I have found a correspondance program where I can get my interior design certificate in a rather short time frame, and I've got a pretty solid plan for a business in mind. Honestly, I've been scared to totally share my love for design. I don't just want to be another girl who drools over a gorgeously styled space, but never creates the gorgeous space herself. Let's face it, the prospect of going out on your own and starting a business is scary. I'm so proud of the ladies I've met through this blogging world who have done this. They're a great encouragement, and so are all of you. Thank you so much to those who have commented, emailed, and supported. I don't talk a lot of design on this blog, that's what Project Pretty is for.. but I definitely feel much more free to share here, and the tone here is much more personal. So thanks for that.
Ministry. God gave me a passion for people a long time ago. Specifically, teenage girls, and young women. The soul of a girl is so precious, so fragile, so beautiful- no matter what front she puts up. I did a good bit of work in youth ministry while still in high school. While I was in MI for college, I was flown back to ME to be the keynote speaker for a weekend women's retreat. I was in charge of the girls from 13-18. I've never felt so used before. Used as in, God was using me- big time. Do you know how touching it is to see the face of a 15 year old girl look up at you, and tell you that because of God speaking through you, she has given her life to Him? Amazing. That's worth living for. Since moving here, I haven't had a chance to be involved in this kind of ministry. But I think during this break, God has been refining my faith. I'm still so far from where I need to be.. but He uses broken vessels. And I'm so glad.
Honey Bunches of Oats. [I had to throw this in after the last two being pretty heavy :)] Seriously.. when my parents dropped me off at college, my dad put a case of this stuff under my dorm bed. Love that man. Oh, and I love Sam's Club. They supply me with family size combo boxes that I shamelessly polish off on. my. own. :) I could eat this stuff all. flipping. day. long. :)

So.. now that I've shared with you all, what do the pieces of your heart look like? Do tell!

Happy Birthday Z!

2009-08-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

Today I'm saying Happy Birthday to my hubby..

From back then..

To now...

You take my breath away

You make me laugh

You lift me up (sometimes literally)

You make me look good

You continue to sweep me off my feet

You are my leader, my inspiration

The reason for my smile..

I love you

Happy 24th babe, I wish you didn't have poison ivy. :)

Giveaways

2009-08-12T22:31:00.002-04:00

FYI lovlies:

Lucy's having a giveaway.

So is Summer!

Check them out!!

*Btw, they're both awesome girls who I've loved getting to know- so make sure you stop by & say hi!

Closer to Love

2009-08-11T11:44:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to share this song with you all.. I absolutely love it.

Here are the lyrics as well. So true.. in all of our lives, there's something that breaks us, brings us to our knees, and pulls us closer to love.

She got the call today
One out of the gray
And when the smoke cleared
It took her breath away

She said she didn't believe
It could happen to me
I guess we're all one phone call from our knees

We're gonna get there soon

If every building falls
And all the stars fade
We'll still be singing this song
The one they can't take away

I'm gonna get there soon
She's gonna be there too
Cryin' in her room
Prayin' oh, Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh, it's your light
Oh, it's your way
Pull me out of the dark
Just to shoulder the weight
Cryin' out now
From so far away
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love

Meet me once again
Down off Lake Michigan
Where we could feel the storm blowin'
Down with the wind

And don't apologize
For all the tears you've cried
You've been way too strong now for all your life

I'm gonna get there soon
You're gonna be there too
Cryin' in your room
Prayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh, it's your light
Oh, it's your way
Pull me out of the dark
Just to shoulder the weight
Cryin' out now
From so far away
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love

Cause you are all that I've waited for all of my life
(We're gonna get there)
You are all that I've waited all of my life

You pull me closer to love
Closer to love
Pull me closer to love (You are all that I've waited for)
You pull me closer to love
Closer to love
Closer to love (Cause you are all that I've waited for)
Closer to love

Pull me closer to love

Lord, It's Me... Please Guide..

2009-08-11T08:52:00.003-04:00

Father you know what I've been through with this whole house process. You know that I've been broken and that I've given up my desires for Your will. You are my hiding place in the flurry of acreage, contracts, lenders, offers, and square footage. I've shut down my feelings and heart on the whole shebang. I've gone into a stage where I let You and Z do the house hunting and deciding.

So Lord, I need to know if it was You yesterday. Was it You that shut down another house opportunity we were looking at? I need to know if it was You speaking to Z. Did You give him that feeling that he wanted to get out of here? Did You help him find that awesome house back home? Why have you slammed the "doors" in our faces on all these houses? Is it because we're really supposed to move back home?

You know how my heart has broken over missing my home and my family. You know about the countless nights I've cried quietly (sometimes violently) into Z's arms. You know the guilt I've felt about missing out on my sisters growing up. Lord, you know how much I've wanted to go back.

And just when I'd all but given up on doing that.. a glimmer of hope surfaces. Z's on the phone with my dad asking about job opportunities up there, and looking into renting moving vans. It's too real. It's too close to perfect. It's almost too much to handle if it's not going to happen.

I know You don't tease Your people, Lord. But I'm so afraid this is going to feel like a big tease. Lord, please guard my heart. Please take it and protect it from being broken again. Take my hopes and my fears, and in exchange, give me as much faith as you can spare.

I know you're preparing me for something great. I know you're building my faith so that I can share it. I know that no matter where we end up, you've given me the greatest gift I could ask for in my husband. And I will follow Him anywhere.. especially because I know he's following You. So Father, please just hold my heart and guide us..

*************

I'm sure you all get the gist of what's going on.. and I'd really appreciate your prayers. :)

& If you're a new reader & have no idea what's going on, you can look at the posts with the label "Houses".

A Pretty Night Out

2009-08-10T15:05:00.028-04:00

Z and I spent Friday night hanging out with his grandparents. They're so fun, and we love doing things with them. They decided to drive our way, so we thought we'd show them a little bit of downtown. Care to take the tour yourself??

We ate at one of my personal faves- the Coldwater Cafe. The history of this place is just so neat. It was previously a bank, and has kept a lot of the original architectural features. There are private dining rooms in old offices, and even a dining room in the old vault.. which is where we decided to eat.

I have to hand it to whomever designed this place- it's beautiful! This was a hutch/wall display had the prettiest stoneware & china! (Sorry for the fuzziness!)

Although I'm not in love with the wallpaper, the bathrooms are beautiful as well, complete with REAL towels to wipe your hands, and a little settee.

Even the toilet paper is arranged all pretty!

On Friday and Saturday nights there is live music played in the lobby/bar area. (fuzzy again)

Some of the decor:

Perhaps my favorite part of the entire cafe is the entry, with this gorgeous old safety box display.

After dinner we took a stroll around town. There was a jazz concert taking place on a blocked-off street. I loovee jazz so we stopped and listened for a bit.

Free carriage rides were offered for kids.

There are some beautiful looking antique stores.. too bad they're only open til 5!!

I just loved the window displays in these stores, so I snapped some pictures! Too bad you can't really see them! Forgive my amateur skills!

This woman was doing watercolors of the town on the sidewalk.

Such talent!!

It was a great night! We just love our little town. If only we were looking at buying a house here.. but unfortunately, real estate prices are sky-high. Not exactly a newlywed's scene.

Here's the final group shot we snapped before heading home:

SUYL: Wedding Reception/Honeymoon

2009-08-07T11:07:00.003-04:00

Today @ Kelly's Korner it's Show us your life: wedding reception/honeymoon, and I'm excited to join in!

Once the ceremony was over, I had to rush into the back room and loosen my dress.. I almost passed out.. lol. This would be me telling my parents I needed to go.. now! :)

Our reception was held at the grand ballroom at a local college.

Z & I took lessons and did a swing dance to Glen Miller's In the Mood for our first dance.

My dad and I danced to Stephen Curtis Chapman's "Cinderella", performed live by a friend of ours.

I played the piano and my bridesmaid sang "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill for the Mother-Son dance.

This would be my sisters dancing w/Z.. if you can't read the caption, it says, "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?". lol..

From the looks of things.. our guests had a pretty good time:

My sisters gave an hilarious toast:

Z got the garter..

I threw the bouquet.. (please excuse the 'girls popping out..) :)

We played a slideshow showing us growing up & meeting. We recorded our voices telling "Our story" in the background. Props go to Z for the video editing. :)

We left to a sparkler send off:

We took a short honeymoon in NYC & a cottage in PA (can you tell Z was the photographer?):

Whoa! Sorry for picture overload.. I had like 1500 to choose from, can you blame me? :)

Good Wifey FAIL

2009-08-06T10:14:00.004-04:00

I was home sick from work yesterday- I woke up at 4am throwing up. Fun stuff. I did start feeling better later on though, and got some stuff done. I decided to clean out the fridge. So, since we believe in brutal honesty around here... here's the items I pulled out of the fridge that had mold on them. Eek.. can't believe I'm showing you all this...

This is my good wifey FAIL of the month. Gosh.

And you want to know what's worse??

Thought so.

That old guacamole fell off the stack of my leaning tower of shame and spilled on my kitchen rug. Thank the LORD it's black. Z doesn't know about that one.. let's not tell him, k?

Alright ladies- now that I've let you in on my shortcomings as a cute little perfect wife.. let's hear yours. If only to make me feel better...

What are your good wifey FAILs??

**PS- I added the "Organization" label to this post... Baahahaha.... **

Neck & Manners

2009-08-04T09:11:00.002-04:00

Well, I finally found out what's wrong with my neck. 1st, I have what's called Military neck. Here's the normal curve of the upper vertebrae:
Mine looks more like this:
I've been in a few car accidents- one where I rolled an SUV twice down a hill.. so my Dr. thinks it's probably a result of whiplash.

In addition to this, my top two bones of my vertebrae are out. The top bone is out forwards and to the right. The second bone is out backwards and to the left. So.. they're going different directions and turning a bit in the process, resulting in a "bent" spinal cord and a lot of friction in the area. Usually both bones go out in the same direction. In my case, it's hard for the Chiropractor to adjust me because 1) When trying to get one bone back in place, he has to be super careful not to bump the other one further out in the process- since they're going in opposite directions, and 2) because my skull sits very low on my vertebrae, making it hard to even get to the top 2 bones.

Blah.. he adjusted me last night, but I've been in more pain ever since. This morning hasn't been enjoyable, to say the least. And.. Z and I have to move our living room furniture in tonight. Please pray that we get some help- I really don't think I can lift half a big leather couch on my own.

*********

On another completely unrelated note- I'm curious about something, and I want your input.

I was raised in an environment where manners were very important. Like, you use your knife to get your peas on your fork, NOT your finger. And honestly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Manners are no where near as important to Z, but he's come a long way in the past 2 years (almost) we've been together. The men at work, on the other hand?? Yeah. I think they know what the word manners means, but the see absolutely no use for it in the workplace.. at least when dealing with their office manager (yours truly). It annoys me big time when people are manner-less. On the other hand, I truly, deeply appreciate a courteous person. Maybe I'm old fashioned.. but that's why I'm polling you guys-

How big are you on manners? Do you put your napkin on your lap for meals? Do you say please and thank you religiously? Do you kindly ask people to do things, or do you tell them to do it? Do you say "Excuse me" when walking between people or accidentally getting in someone's way? Do you apologize when you accidentally mess someone up or just say "woops!"?

Just want to get a feel for the place of manners in today's society.. Is it a dying courtesy? Or will you stick to your manners like gum on bleachers (speaking of manners.. lol)?

Monday Randoms

2009-08-03T09:24:00.004-04:00

My brain is in a billion different directions this morning, and since I'm unable to write anything fluent enough for you all to understand, I'm doing it bullet point form. :)

This weekend we did a lot of.. sleeping. Like a ton. I feel asleep at 7pm Friday with my laptop on my lap- I was that tired! Didn't wake up til 8:30 Sat. morning. Took another nap Sat. afternoon. Slept a good 8-9 hrs. that night, and took another nap Sun. Afternoon. What is wrong with us?? haha And for some reason I still needed a cup of coffee to keep me awake this morning at work.
I'm pretty sure I've lost some weight. I'm not touching the scale til I'm sure it's at least 5 lbs, so we'll see. I had been counting calories, and on an average day I took in no more than 1200. I looked up averages, and talked to my nest.com girls, and found out that that might not be enough. Sometimes too few calories actually stunts weight loss. So.. I upped it by 100-200 calories a day and tried not to stress about it. Sure enough.. my pants feel looser, and my belly a little more toned. I'll take it! :)
My X-rays came back from the specialist, so I have an appt. with the Chiropractor tonight. I really really hope we'll have some answers this time. I'm ready to feel my age, and not like I'm 60! Z's also been having some pain since his big wipe-out on the tube while we were in Maine, so he's getting adjusted as well.
We're picking up our new living room furniture tomorrow!! Eee!! So excited!! We sold our end & coffee table Sat. night, and the "new" ones are in the garage, halfway through their paint job. We're also giving our current couch & comfy chair to Z's sister tonight, so this evening our living room will be almost completely bare! I hung some new wall art & am playing around with other accessories to pull the room together.. can't wait to finish it!
Z's birthday is next Thursday, so this Sat. night, I'm throwing him a party at our place! So excited for that- just hope I can get everything done by then!
Z & I are on a "buying break" this week. Lately it seems like he's been buying a lot for the garage & I've been buying a lot for the house.. well, it all adds up, so we're going to try & slow down a bit! I just have a problem with taking on too many projects at once.. like right now I believe I have 5 different ones going!
Z found a fraudulant transaction on my credit card last night, so we had to call & report it. They're going to investigate, close my account, and send me a new card. Thank the Lord for fraud protection- I Love my credit card (that sounds bad.. we pay in full every month btw :) ).
I was sorely disappointed with Ruby Tuesday's veggie burger on Sat. night. Seriously- I think they just mashed rice & black beans together. They have FAB burgers at the RT's back home- I don't know what was up with this place- I don't think they like veggies. :)

K.. enough rambling! How were your weekends??

SUYL: Wedding Details

2009-07-31T08:54:00.004-04:00

This week @ Kelly's Korner SUYL series is Your wedding party/flowers/details. So, I'm going to start with our getting ready process. I did my own hair and make-up (I always do my own- VERY few people have a clue about curly hair) with a little help from my stylist at home. We got ready at my parents' beautiful home in ME.

I also did my sister's hair and helped with my other sister and my cousin's hair.. all on the morning of my wedding.. haha. No stressing around here!
Oh, and make sure you pee BEFORE you put your Spanx on.. or your wedding party will get to know you in ways closer than your mother...

And like a true DIY-er, I made my own bouquet too.. the night before my wedding. Here are my sisters putting on the final touches: (Callas & Roses)
Another DIY thing- I made my girls candle bouquets instead of flowers- we had a night wedding, and they looked gorgeous!!!
I actually didn't DIY our aisle runner- I designed the graphic, but had this made:
I also made the ring bearer's pillow (embroidered it with our names too) and flower girl's basket:
I DIY'd every step of our invites & programs:
Our cake was inspired by something I saw on theknot.com:
We had the best wedding party ever!! Seriously, what wedding party goes rock climbing, plays basketball and races around a track for you??
Can't forget my adorable flower girl & cousin:

This is what happens when your 6'4" & 5'10" groomsmen switch jackets:

And lastly, a little of the ceremony:

So.. as you can see, here @ WW we're all about DIYing & having fun, relaxing & enjoying those special times!!

PS- If you haven't read about our "interesting" ceremony, you can do so here.

New Feature & An Update

2009-07-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

Well, once again, God saw us through. This makes 5 houses we've almost bought. After looking around inside the house and seeing that it would need a lot of work, we came up with a new number for our max bid. We knew it was low, but we prayed and knew that if this were the right house, we'd get it. If it wasn't meant for us, it'd go higher.

And we got a very strong answer. The winning bid was more than 2 times the number we had in mind. I still don't get why in the world the winner is paying that much.. It's considerably above county value and would need to be gutted almost. But, that's just how God works. He takes care of His children. Whether it's house-buying, financial problems, or even as small as helping us find something we've lost.

It's hard going up and down about all this, as you've seen in recent posts. But each time the Lord guides us away from homes (or sometimes just downright slams the door), my trust grows. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

I hope you believe that. And I hope you let God guide you through life. It sure is a heck of a lot better. No, not always easy- as you can see from our story- but I'd much rather have my life in my Creator's hands than taking it into my own. I fail all the time, but HE doesn't.

On another note...

I love getting comments from all of you. They really help build relationships, and I think the new feature I added to this blog really displays some of the girls I feel the closest to.

I've added a "Top Commenters" widget to my right sidebar that will show my top 5 commenters and link back to them. I'm so thankful for your input here & this is just a way of showing you some love back. Everyone who visits my site now will see how supportive you are, and be able to click on your name to check YOUR blog out.

So, thank you all for your sweet words. Some of you I've just "met", but I SO look forward to getting to know you through your blog as well! Just because you haven't been around for long and therefore aren't on the list, doesn't mean I don't cherish you checking in here. I write this blog not only for myself & to preserve memories, but to give back to you. I hope you finish reading here feeling happy, inspired, encouraged, or closer to Chirst. I hope I've been a blessing to you, because Lord knows you've been a blessing to me! :)

-C

.. Oh by the way...

2009-07-30T13:00:00.005-04:00

Tonight's that auction.. the one I mentioned at the end of this post. I'm rushing there right after work to see the house. We haven't even seen the inside of the house yet and the auction starts at 6pm. Oy! the stress! the pressure!

We've set a limit number that we won't bid above, and his parents and grandpa are coming so they can help us inspect it and give us bidding suggestions. We've never done this before.. and auctions for an item this HUGE scare me.

You don't get to have an inspection before you commit to buy. BUT, there's the chance that we'll get a heck of a deal & our net worth will instantly multiply by like 80 times.

I'm half nervous about it, and half at peace.

It's a big deal, and there are so many unknowns it's crazy..

But, God is in control. He's led us through this whole house-hunting process, and he's obviously kept us from any house he didn't want us to have before, so I know he'll do it again.

Your prayers would be mucho appreciated.

..like MUCHO mucho. Thanks.

************

And PS- AMAZING giveaway HERE!!!

The One About Gunshots at Our Wedding

2009-07-30T07:57:00.006-04:00

I don't think I've ever told you about Z's plan to never let anyone forget our wedding. Let me just say that yes, I did know about all of this ahead of time, and yes, I did tell him it was okay. ...we're just crazy like that. My uncle was our pastor and he was in on it as well.

So let's go back to November 29th of last year at roughly 5:30pm.

We were married close to my hometown (in ME, his fam & friends are in OH) so most of the guests were my friends and family. And for the most part, none of them knew any of the groomsmen or our out of state friends.

The wedding party walks down the aisle. The music starts & my dad walks me down the aisle. I kiss him & my mom goodbye & walk up the steps to stand with Z. My uncle welcomes everyone and says, "If anyone has reason that these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold your peace".

Just then our friend Lee (from Boston- no one knows him) jumps up, walks out into the aisle towards us and says, "Wait! C, I love you!!".

(My dad told us he was getting ready to stand up and punch the guy..)

Z then looked at his groomsmen and said, "Get 'em boys!".

All the groomsmen reached into their tuxes and pulled out cap guns and started firing wildly at Lee as he ran out of the church. The entire crowd erupted into laughter.

It took a good 5 minutes for everyone to regain composure and for the service to go on. My bridesmaids didn't know what to think, our parents were both shocked & relieved, and Z was basking in the glory of his perfectly executed plan.

It was the perfect way to lift the tension in the room. After that, everyone was smiling, and no one was nervous.

We got innumerable comments from people all night about how it was the most unique wedding they'd ever been to and how they'd never be able to forget it. I got asked several times if I'd known about it, and told how I was so brave to let him do it.

I should've known what a crazy ride the rest of our lives would be- with a beginning like that!

When I asked for Z's input on our wedding, that was his ONLY request. He didn't care about decorations or music or even food. He just wanted to do something that people would remember. And I believe it worked.

Chances are, whenever any of those 175 people hear the words, "speak now or forever hold your peace" at a wedding in the future, they're all going to look around and make sure there's no "secret lover" walking down the aisle. And that's just how Z wanted it. :)

And Lee, if you ever read this- you're the best & we owe you big! :)

Recap.

2009-07-28T11:39:00.005-04:00

This weekend was a blur, so I'll just recap it quickly.

Friday night I spent priming & painting a desk & finishing the bench on PP today.

Saturday we went to church, went to Culvers (as usual), took a nap, went to see our friends' new baby in the hospital, and went out to dinner.

Sunday we picked up my new craigslist coffee table & end tables. Then Z went to an auction at a car dealership that closed & got lots of good stuff. I spent the entire day painting the desk & chair, running to Menards for project supplies, starting on some smaller projects, and cleaning the house. It was a full day and by the time 9pm rolled around, I was wiped out!!

Monday after work we met up with some friends and went to a Cincy Reds game. Even though they've been doing horribly, they won last night. It was no Red Sox game, but it was good nonetheless. There were something like 10+ homeruns, and 3 were hit to our section. The guy 2 rows in front of Z caught 2 of the balls, lucky guy! We went with a group of about 60 people, so that's always fun! I forgot my camera, but here are a couple cell phone shots.

Yesterday a few items came in that I ordered, so I'm looking forward to getting everything situated tonight. Z has a men's Bible study so I'll have the place to myself. I might even whip up this fabulous Zucchini cake with the HUGE zucchini our landlord gave us.

Sharing the Wedding Dress

2009-07-24T17:48:00.004-04:00

I'm a little late in the day, but I'm crashing the party over @ Kelly's Korner. Today, the party's all about sharing our wedding dresses.

Picking out my wedding dress was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.. because I had to do it without my mom. I tried on close to 50 dresses.. went to every bridal boutique.. and then at the last one, I found it. It really wasn't magical. I'm guessing if my mom or sisters had been there, we all probably would have cried. I do have to thank my MIL & SIL who went with me- it was great to have them there. It's just that every girl dreams of finding her wedding dress with her mom. But anyway.. I liked it because I felt very comfortable & feminine. I hesitated to buy it because it was pricier than I was planning on.. but after that much searching, I was ready to be done.

It's Maggie Sottero's Anastasia. Sweetheart neckline, lace-up back, embellished with lace & intricate beading. I'll let the dress do the talking:

I also wore a faux fur cropped jacket for some shots.. after all, it was november.

Learning Faith

2009-07-24T08:42:00.003-04:00

There are a lot of things in my life that have caused my faith to have to grow.

Like marrying Z. He challenges me on a daily basis. And he's predictably unpredictable, which forces me to be flexible.

Like moving to a totally unknown place & taking a job I don't love. I have to believe God has a reason for this & it's part of a bigger plan.

It really is funny how I've changed. I was always Ms. Planner herself. Maybe even a tiny bit of a control freak every now and then. But I always portrayed a totally put-together, professional image. Funny how God humbles us & stretches us, isn't it?

If you've been reading my blog for long, you know we had grand plans of buying a house. You're also probably starting to feel like we don't know what the heck we're doing because of how often the plans change. Really. I've kind of stopped updating you on that whole situation because... it changes all.the.time. And that'd just make me look spastic (or maybe you already think that.. oh well, can't trick you, can I?). :)

So you want to know what's been going on?

I was starting to feel like God just kept closing the doors on us buying a house. I mean, 3 full price offers, and still nothing? Seems like a closed door to me. So then my heart started to dream about moving back east.. even though I didn't want to let it because it hurts so much every time I let that dream creep out and have it smashed again. Like.. makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. K. moving on.

But then, inevitably, it did get smashed. My logical husband (yes, I love him for it) didn't think it was a good idea. So, after a self pep talk or two (or ten), I started feeling like we should just be adventurous.

We both have jobs that aren't holding us down. Meaning, we could move anywhere pretty much and make what we're making now. Wouldn't really set us back. So I thought- let's move somewhere fun! Colorado mountains? NC shore? TN lakes? I figured, if I can't be close to home, why not just enjoy this time!

Then Z finds an estate that's up for absolute auction. Big house, 10 acres, barn, pond, lots of woods, beautiful property, good neighborhood.. house needs a lot of TLC. The auction is next Thursday. Z wants to bid. Okay.. so no moving to fun places if that happens. And buying a house and putting a lot of effort into making it nice lowers the chances that we'd move home before having kids. Breaking heart...

Honestly, it's almost made me indifferent. I feel like my dreams and my desires don't really matter anymore. I'll just take a back seat, let Z make the decisions & let God guide us. And turn the feelings off. Because truly feeling each step in this journey would be far too difficult. The ups and downs leave my composure fighting for air.

So maybe I'm learning faith.. or supposed to be. But maybe I'm just tired. A little unsure. And just praying for the faith to be positive through this time.

Organization Giveaway Winner

2009-07-22T08:48:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited to announce the winner of the Organization Giveaway! But, before I do, I just wanted to thank you all for your participation and for spreading the word.

From the sounds of things, a few of you are going to buy one of these anyway! And I don't blame you- who doesn't have issues with insane amounts of mail and clutter in their homes??

Now, with out further adieu, Random.org has chosen us a winner!

Abbie, please email me with your shipping information, and I'll get your prize shipped right out to you!

And, just for fun, if any of you purchase this item, send me a picture of it in your home & I'll share everyone's organizers in one big post, with links to your blogs of course!

Until later, happy hump day!! ;)

My Husband, the Superhero

2009-07-20T20:55:00.003-04:00

This post is dedicated to the brave antics of the boy I married.

Preface:
[We were on vacation in Maine. There are lots of bugs in Maine. Bats like bugs.]

It was a beautiful evening. Our last night of vacation seemed like the perfect time for the family to head out and have a camp fire. And camp fire we did! We were roasting our marshmallows to perfection & chowing down on s'mores.. when those nasty black creatures that live in the dark started swooping down at us.

Timeout:
[Quick story: My mom's an E.R. nurse. She once told us a story about a girl sleeping in an old house. The girl had big black curly hair. While she was sleeping a bat got in the room and when swooping down, it got caught in her hair. In it's struggle to get away, it bit her. Long story short, they killed the bat, and brought the girl to the ER with the bat still in her hair.]

So.. having heard this story, my sisters and I (whom all have crazy curly hair) put our hoods up & covered with blankets. No nasty bat was getting in our hair. But still.. a little freaky that they were around, right?

So back to the bugs. They were out that night, and biting! And I had capris on. So I went back into the cottage to get some wind pants. I had forgotten that the front screen door had been sticking. So I came back out of the bedroom with my pants half up (you do it too..) only to see a dark shadow fly across the room. "B-- BBbbaa-- Bbbaatttt!!", I screamed as I ran out the side door.

That, of course sent my sisters into a tizzy and we huddled together as Z, my dad, and M (sister's boyfriend) looked in the windows to locate the devil.

Well, the boys put on hats, grabbed our badminton rackets, and headed inside to rescue us. Because you know we weren't setting foot in there til he was out!

After many valiant attempts at wacking him, the boys remained victory-less. So they tried to phsyc him out. They shut the lights off and went outside. Z stayed inside with the laptop to work on his sermon.

Finally, M went back inside and turned the lights on. They both spotted the bat at the same time and went into stealth-mode. The cottage has a loft on one side and catedral ceilings on the other. Z climbed up into the loft to get a little height advantage, and advantage it was.

During one swoop across the room, Z took a wide, hard swing and wacked that nasty creature straight up against the kitchen wall (our guess is he was traveling at least 40 mph). It then flopped down into the kitchen sink where M trapped it with his racket. My dad then ran inside and drowned the thing in the sink.

Us girls were just now starting to creep toward the door. Imagine our relief when we saw my dad emerge from the kitchen with two plastic cups held together, telling us the devil was dead! He carried it out to the fire in the cups and tossed all 3 in (sorry, environment! lol). If you've never seen burning bat.. it's nasty.

I proclaimed my love for my bat-killer over and over agin that night. Ahh.. my hero. :)

We later slept soundly knowing our abode was bat-free. AND, we made sure that darn screen door got shut just as soon as anyone walked through the door.

We now joke that we baptized and cremated that animal all in the same night.

Oh, the memories....

Weekend Part 2

2009-07-20T10:39:00.015-04:00

The riverboat cruise was so neat!! I'd definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a fun outing- it'd be great for birthdays, anniversaries, bach parties, etc.

Here's some photos from our trip:

The boarding location was across the river in Newport, KY:
Z & his grandma & grandpa walking to the dock:
Our boat:
With Cincy & the Reds' stadium in the background:
Z & grandpa on the upper deck:
Neat condos on the riverfront:
Self-Portrait (eek..):
Can you imagine living up there??
Neat bridge shot:
Darn flash made the background disappear..
Newport:
It was a great night! During & after dinner, they had a jazz/swing band playing live music, so we requested In The Mood by Glen Miller. [Quick C&Z trivia fact: We took lessons and did a swing dance to that song for our first dance.] Then my husband dragged me onto the dance floor (what?!? Z WANTING to dance???) & made me do the same dance we did for our first one. We got a little applause after.. read: embarrassed C!!

It was great being able to spend some time with the grandparents & try something new. We're definitely planning on doing it again!

Quick Weekend Recap.

2009-07-19T16:16:00.003-04:00

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Yesterday Z and I enjoyed a nice long nap (don't ya love Saturday naps??), went to a going away party for a friend, and watched 2 movies at the drive-in. Drive-in movies are so fun! If you've never been to one, definitely find out if there's one in your area- so worth it!

Today was spent painting, staining, sanding, and doing all sorts of handy-wifey projects in the garage. Project Pretty is going to have some great updates soon! :) We also took in some of the local Air Show sights. We live just a few miles from the airport so we could see most of the action from our front yard. In just a little bit we're headed down to Cincinnati for a Riverboat dinner cruise with Z's grandparents- definitely looking forward to that!

However, Since I'm not going to be home til late tonight, I'm extending the giveaway until Tuesday night, July 21st at 7pm EST. I have a lot less going on that night, and it gives you all a little more time to spread the word & get entered!

Anyway, what have you all been up to this weekend??

To Be Honest...

2009-07-17T09:53:00.002-04:00

I just love all the 'honest' posts going around with this award, so you can imagine my excitement when I was tagged by my blogging buddy, d.a.r. I've taken forever to get it posted, but that doesn't take away the excitement! This girl is truly honest, and her blunt, truthful comments have definitely helped me from time to time! Thanks a bunch!! So... here are the rules:

1. List 10 honest things about yourself that your
blogging friends do not know about you.

2. Give the award away to 7 bloggers.

3. Let them know they've received the award.

Hmm... I always struggle with coming up with things people don't know about me, but I'll try!

I grew up right next to Canada. I had Canadian teachers (private Christian school), Canadian best friends, we shopped in Canada, my sisters took gymnastics in Canada... It was just like the next town over.. except for the whole security check thing.
I was the first one on my dad's side of the family to move out of state.. we're a close knit bunch so moving wasn't easy!
I was never into politics until I married my husband. I'm still not "into" them, but I feel like I'm much more 'in the loop' & passionate about certain things. For example, you don't want to get me going about Obama's stupid heathcare plan, big government control & spending, abortion, or the whole "take from the rich & give to the poor" mindset. Gosh. Makes me mad just thinking about it.
A lot of people who don't know me well think I'm just a girly girl. Now, while I can be girly with the best of them, I can also get dirty & sweaty with [almost] the best of them. :) Yes, I've been covered in mud, go hiking & camping, use power tools, and pee in the woods if there is no toilet around. Now you know... ;)
On the other hand.. I also did the pageant thing. I was Little Miss [Hometown-festival] & Miss Teen [Hometown]. Yeah, I practiced walking, waving, speaking.. the whole bit. Even took home the talent, scholastic, & congeniality awards. Probably should have left some for everyone else.. Anyway, I just did it for fun, so by the time I was finishing high school, I didn't really feel like doing it again- girls take that stuff WAY too far! Hmm.. I need to dig up the pictures..
I play the flute. Or did. I believe it's still at my parents' house. But piano has always been my first love.
I don't drink Soda. Or pop for you midwesterners & Canadians. :) Once in a while, maybe- if there's nothing else to drink, but that's it!
I grew up in Maine, but I've never tasted Lobster. Or any seafood, for that matter.
Z and I forgot to buy my wedding ring til 5 days before the wedding. Thank the LORD Kay's had something in stock!
I was strangely tall in 6th grade. Like 5'5". At least it felt tall then- I think there was only one other person taller than me. But then I just... stopped. And everyone else grew. So now, I'm an average 5'6 1/2".

Whew! That was tough! Kudos to all of you who've done this already- 10 things is a lot!

I tag:

Liana
Ashley
pk
Leah
Lucy
Carol
Summer

Get Organized Giveaway

2009-07-16T13:08:00.005-04:00

Well, I told you there was a giveaway coming, and here it is! CSNstores was so gracious to sponsor this, so the thanks goes to them! So, what's up for grabs? None other than the very wall organization unit that I blogged about back in January! I never snagged one for myself, but now one lucky ready will get to have their very own for free!! The winner will get their choice between oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel:

Stylish & functional, and free! Great combo right? This time around, I'm going to give you more ways to win. Here's what to do:

This giveaway is open to all followers and/or subscribers of Wedded Whims. All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know you're a follower/subscriber.
For one extra entry, post about this giveaway on your blog & let me know you did in your comment.
AND get one extra entry for each person that you refer to the giveaway from your blog post. Be sure to tell your readers to mention your name in their comment so you'll get credit!

Lastly, if you don't have a Reader that you subscribe to blogs through, or a Blogger account that you follow through, you can still enter. Just add Wedded Whims to your Bookmarks or Favorites on your internet browser, and let me know you did via a comment. You'll receive one entry.

This giveaway will end Sunday night, July 19th at 8pm EST. Thanks for reading- blogging would be no fun without your input!

Book Happy

2009-07-16T07:50:00.002-04:00

Anyone else ever get a little more excited than they should over new books? Well, when I got an email from Amazon this morning saying my order was shipped, excited would be an understatement! I can't wait for them to get here!! Here's what I got:
And.. a $5 subscription to Real Simple- can't beat that!
As you can probably tell, there's a theme to all my books- interior decorating. It's a dream of mine to own my own business staging, decorating, and beautifying people's homes. So, if it's true that "Success is when preparation and opportunity meet", I'm going to try & prepare myself the best I can. Oh, and bonus=Z considers this spending an investment, so I get to order books guilt-free! Yay! Books + no guilt over spending = Book worm heaven!

What are your most recent book purchases? Anyone have any of the above books??

Oh, and PS- A BIG thanks to Marianne for introducing me to Thom (1st book) with her guest post on Project Pretty! I'm officially a fan!!

Glass Lamps

2009-07-15T14:05:00.003-04:00

Want some serious eye candy? Head over to Project Pretty & check out these glass lamps I've been eyeing.. and tell me if you fall in love too!

Vacation Reflections: The Photos

2009-07-14T21:35:00.014-04:00

Z preached a heck of a sermon at my home church! I was so proud of him!

Sister & I

Sisters & their friend

Sister & Z

I <3>

This would be when we went fourwheeling.. I wore my dad's rain suit..lol.

Family photo

That's it for photos, but stay tuned for the giveaway I mentioned this week!

Vacation Reflections: The Words

2009-07-13T12:53:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!! I'm finally back to the blog world. While I managed to sneak out one post and a few comments here and there, I was pretty much MIA last week. Z and I spent a week at our friends' cottage on the lake in Nothern Maine with my parents and sisters. It was wonderful. Rather than carry on with all the details I'll try to sum it up with a few points. This post will just be the words, as I don't have time right now to add all the pictures- that'll be coming.

There is just something about being out on the water..
...about laying in bed and listening to the rain on the log cabin roof
...about relaxing on the rope hammock and seeing the sun peek through the trees
...about grabbing a super-fast lunch so you don't miss out on the afternoon sun
...about making s'mores around the campfire just like you did 10 years ago
...about eating breakfast with the family every morning and hugging them every night
...about lake water dried in your hair as it whips around in the wind
...about seeing a bald eagle soar over your head as you're floating in the middle of the lake
...about swimming for ages and seemingly never getting any closer to getting back in the boat
...about kayaking races with the hubby
...about being daddy's little girl & mommy's cooking helper again
...about walking out of the rest area bathroom to find your hot husband waiting to walk you back to the car :)

Can't explain it, but nothing beats it.

It doesn't matter that the temps were only above 70 three days..
...that my plans of waterskiing turned into 4-wheeling for a couple days thanks to cloudy skies
...that the decor in the cottage would have made my stomach turn in any other place
...that, as newlyweds, there's only a thin wall separating your room from your parents' room and you can hear EVERYTHING each other is doing.. :) (no, no hanky panky last week!)
...that I got a lovely sunburn that made it hard to sleep (thank you, pasty-skin-resulting-from-office-job)
...that a bat followed me in the front door (story coming)
...that the ground was so saturated from a month of rain that the septic holding tank was full and we couldn't shower there (luckily my parents are owners of a time-share condo w/ showers just down the road)

None of it mattered, and in fact, it only made the memories richer.

I was SO sad to leave, but was so thankful for the much needed vacation. Thanks Mom and Dad, for having us! And thank you, awesome readers, for putting up with my lack of posts & comments! You're all the best!! :)

25th Anniversary Party

2009-07-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

So, I had to wait til now to tell you all what was keeping me so busy last week- I was planning a surprise 25th Anniversary party for my parents. Of course I was planning from 1200 miles away, so it was a little challenging, but everything came together on Sunday.

We held it at our little cottage on the lake that we're staying at this week (yay! for internet access- I'm ready to catch up on your blogs!). My aunt made a beautiful cake:

Pretty much everything was silver & white:

(Oops... ran out of time to get a picture of them in there..)

It's been super cloudy and chilly since we've gotten here, but the rain held off and our day really wasn't bad at all!

My little cousin served the cake:

We also brought out the top layer of my wedding cake.. even though it didn't look too pretty.. haha :)

Z, Me, Mom, & Dad.. let's ignore my pastiness... :)

More to come on the vacay & pictures! :)

Twins!

2009-07-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

Remember these little bowls??

I'm slightly more proud of them, now that I found out Cassandra from coco&kelly has the same ones!! She was guesting over here- can you spy my bowls' little twin??
Don't you just love when you pick something out, and later find out super stylish people loved it too(Reminds me of the bathing suit..)?? Not bad for a goodwill find!!

One of Those Weeks..

2009-07-02T07:50:00.002-04:00

This week has been chaotic to say the least. I've been running around like a madwoman trying to get ready to go on vacation. Tough, huh? JK.. but really, work has been super busy too, as we're implementing a new software system and I have to do the majority of the leg-work to get it up and running, PLUS, I've been in charge of putting on an employee luncheon this afternoon. No time to blog when all this is going on! I promise I'll do my best to catch up with all of your blogs- I miss you guys & feel out of the loop when I go a while without checking in. Wow.. just sounded like your mom. Sorry.

Anyway.

I'll be a little MIA for the next 10 days while we're on the lake, but I'm hoping my dad will bring his wireless card (*hint,hint, dad!*) so I can get on once in a while. I had plans to have awesome guest bloggers and everything, but ... I was too busy to even email them and ask. Oops.

BUT- there is good news!! I was recently contacted by someone from CSN stores, asking if I'd be interested in giving away one of their products. You know I said yes! They have several sister stores, including one just for bedroom furniture, and one for futons. And not just ordinary futons, people. We're talking impress the in-laws, wow the neighbors futons. But anyway, I picked out just the right item to give away to one of you lucky readers. Here's a hint: I've mentioned it in a post a few months ago as something I totally wanted to have to get more organized. Imagine my excitement when I found that same item on the CSN site! The giveaway will happen within the next couple weeks. Stay tuned!!

Picture-Packed Weekend

2009-06-28T22:05:00.022-04:00

This weekend was a full one! It started off with the Tattoo event at the local Air Force Base. It was a fun night- we went with 3 other couples & enjoyed some sun (oh, btw- this is what my hair looks like straight..),
Parachute - jumpers while the national anthem was played(that flag was attached to his foot),

Fly-overs by some really neat military planes, a concert by country artist Aaron Tippin,

And a fireworks show.

It was a great time. The concert really wasn't impressive.. but then again, I'm not a big country music fan, so that might be why. It was really neat getting to see local military heroes honored on stage and new recruits sworn in. The radio said there were around 85,000 people there. It took us an hour just to get off base when it was over with. Craziness!

Anyway, Saturday night we had two couples over to our house for a barbeque. I made an enormous amount of macaroni salad, and whipped out 10 hamburgers! Yay! :) I still can't get over the layer of fat that sticks to your hands when you're done. Ugh...

Sunday afternoon was a baby shower for a friend of ours. I make a diaper cake stuffed with all sorts of baby goodies:
My cousin-in-law, Ally did an awesome job with the decor:

And my adorable little nephew made an appearance! I'm sure you ladies won't mind a few pictures:
Then somehow, my shower attire turned into four-wheeling attire. Z's pretty excited about his new ride, so he decided I had to hop on.
Z's cousin & his wife went too:

I ended up taking off my dressy shirt & threw on my sister-in-laws old sneakers since we were 1/2 hr. away from home.. and of course... Z got me dirty! At least those weren't new pants!!

Z can't say I'm not a good sport! haha.. Anyway, we had a great weekend, and only have 5 more days until vacation! What did you all do this weekend??

Magic in the Meat

2009-06-25T18:37:00.004-04:00

I'm learning..

For those of you who are newer readers, I was a vegetarian for 8 years, and up until I first visited Z's parents' house 1 1/2 yrs. ago, I'd never tasted red meat.. Let alone cook it.

So being married to a meat & potatoes midwestern man has been an adventure. His parents raise a cow for meat every year so they always have fresh beef. I've tried my hand at making several meat- related dishes since being married, but I'd never made hamgburgers before..

When my cousin was recently visiting I decided to try. She suggested I throw some spices in the hamburger mix, and it turned out to be a very husband-pleasing meal!

Note: Yes those are forks in the meat. You really think I'd stick my hands in that stuff? ha.. I'm NOT that good yet. ;) So anyway, maybe this is old to all of you, but I thought I'd share what Z calls "the key ingredients", since it is, after all, BBQ season. Chances are you have way better tricks up your sleaves, but cut a veggie some slack! :)

It's as simple as: a couple pinches of basil, a good shake or three of pepper, and a healthy heap of McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning. Then melt a delicious fresh sliced provolone cheese over the top & you'll have a man doing your dishes and mopping your floor in appreciation (k, maybe not.. but a girl can dream right?).

But, don't take it from the novice- what are your BBQ secrets? What makes your man do that growning "yum" sound? Any other veggies or former veggies who are still tryin to get a grip on this stuff?? Chime in!

My Back, My Feet, and.. Well, nevermind

2009-06-24T08:30:00.002-04:00

Update on the back situation: I've been in a LOT of back pain lately, despite seeing the Chiropractor 2 weeks ago. Seriously, I'm too young to have back problems. But this is what I've gathered from talking with the Dr. so far:

Rolling an SUV off the side of an embankment & flipping twice is not good for your back.
Neither is taking a wipe-out on waterskiis and putting yourself in a back brace. Oops.
Once your back is feeling better, it's not a good idea to carry 45+ lbs. on your back while hiking the smokey mountains. Oops again.
My range of motion in turning my head is awful. So I need to get it fixed or I'll be one of those old people who can't turn their head to see what's beside them.
I have a low skull. (Z thinks that's funny for some reason) He can't get to my top vertebrae to adjust it. Surprisingly, I don't have a short neck (go ahead.. look at past posts and check ;) ).
The Dr. told me the last time he adjusted me could have just made it worse. Wonderful.
It's a bad sign that I have to crack my back hourly just to relieve pressure.

So.. I have another appointment tomorrow. Please, Lord, I'd like to feel young again! :) Anyone else have back problems? Any suggestions?

On another note, the running has been going well. It's blistering hot & humid, so I've been waiting til right before dusk to go. But I'm having the same problem I did in HS cross country- my feet are starting to blister. I'm looking at buying new running shoes. Any suggestions? Or other ways to keep your feet a little less painful?? Yesterday Z and I got up at 5:30 to Shred before work.. Oy! Jillian and I do NOT get along first thing in the morning!

I have an OBGYN appt. on Monday. SO not looking forward to it. That's all.

Cake-Poppy Goodness

2009-06-23T12:59:00.002-04:00

Today D reminded me of these goodies by Bakerella. Is that woman not amazing? In case you haven't been introduced to her work yet, feast your eyes on these, her amazing cake pops:

Okay, you get the idea. But seriously, wow.. :) I was just thinking I needed an occasion to make them for.. but then I realized- she's got ideas for EVERY occasion. Long story short- I'm making some of these. For sure.

What a Weekend!

2009-06-22T09:49:00.004-04:00

Z and I had a fun & productive weekend. Saturday we had the wedding I mentioned in the last post. Here are a few pictures:Goofing off..That would be my husband.. drinking the centerpiece.. gosh.It was kinda neat being able to join in on the married couples dance this time & not having to line up for the bouquet toss! So glad those days are over!

Sunday we were suupperr productive & got the entire house cleaned- floors scrubbed and all. Totally made my day seeing Z mopping. :)

Later on we went to his parents' house & hung out with his sister & her bf.

It was a little sad not being able to see my dad in person for Fathers' day, but I'm sure he was having a great time.. He and my mom were at a Red Sox game (so not fair..). My dad is like my hero. He's been the ultimate example of what a Godly husband, father, and man should be. In a way, he's the reason I married Z- Z's SO much like him! And since my dad reads my blog, I love you, Daddy!! :)
Hope you all had a wonderful Fathers' Day & weekend!!

PS- Today's the last day to enter the Project Pretty giveaway! Don't miss out!!

Gift Wrapping a la Natural!

2009-06-18T22:04:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow Z and I are off to a wedding for some friends of ours. I hate just giving "typical" gifts, so here's what I put together this time around:

A warm fuzzy bedding blanket from their registry
His & Her books, that we just know they'll love (add will definitely enrich their marriage!)
Some Godiva Hot Cocoa
A basket that's similar to one on their registry (the store was fresh out of the exact one they wanted)

To tie it all together I placed everything in the basket, surrounded by some recycled brown paper gift filler. Then I even tried my hand at making them a card, and attached it to the handle with some grossgrain ribbon.
Hope they like it! It's going to be a beautiful day for a wedding. Have a wonderful weekend!

An Embellished Giveaway

2009-06-18T21:52:00.002-04:00

Head on over to Project Pretty for an awesome giveaway!!
Enter to win an awesome personalized item from Embellished Bayou!
Also, check out the Embellished Bayou Blog!

Today I Shall Be... Random

2009-06-18T11:17:00.004-04:00

Inspired by some of your recent posts on getting to know you, my mind turned into a little whirldwind of thoughts. So I have a feeling they're going to just pour all out.. let's do it in bullet form, shall we? (Just so I can pretend there's some sort of organization in my head)

Since starting to run, I've felt SO much better! Don't get me wrong, I'm in pain after the first 1/2 mile, but I feel so good after! My whole body just seems a bit tighter, and I'm feeling much stronger. Love it.
Z and I have just started a new "schedule". We've decided that at 9 or 9:30 every night we're going to stop whatever we're doing, and spend the rest of the night with each other, talking or studying the Bible. We were getting so sick of getting to the end of a day and feeling like we hadn't truly grown that day- whether grown together as a couple, or grown in our relationship with Christ. Last night was the first night, and I LOVE it.
I really really want to start meeting some blog friends!! Seriously gals, if you're up for it- email me. Z and I travel quite a bit, and have a road trip from here (Dayton, OH area) to Northern Maine planned in 2 weeks, and I'd love to meet up with a couple of you for coffee or something along the way. OR, if you're closer to the area- Let's do a weekend meet-up!
I really feel my interior design style defining itself. I'm starting to narrow down the looks I love, and I feel like my style is maturing. When I first really started to "get into" design, I was overwhelmed with all the MANY options one has when styling a space. Now, I feel like I have a little more direction & have a handle on what I can really envision in a space. Stay tuned for an idea I have that could very well score some of you a sweet deal... ;)
Did I mention I'm spending an entire week with my family and wonderful hubby on the lake in just 2 1/2 weeks?? Yes. I am excited. Very excited. And motivated by the thought of being in a bathing suit for an entire week. ;)
I got my hair cut last night!! I went to the same salon & spa my mom and I got our massages and pedicures at, and I'm so glad I did! I officially have a new stylist! Love her! And I love that my hair feels healthy again. Curly hair is HIGH maintenance when it comes to keeping it moisturized & trimmed. It's not a big change, but it's a bit shorter. What thinkest you, blogland?? (Yes, these are cell phone pics from my office's bathroom & my chair. Do what ya gotta do, right??)
I just realized I talked all about my cousin visiting, but never shared any pictures! We didn't take too many, but here's my fave from a little coffee shop in the old part of town. (Pre-haircut, btw)
Apparently I'm now known as the "Tofu Queen" at work.. because some sort of veggie burger usually comprises my lunch. Hmm.. better than being called the Honey Bun Queen.. or the Donut Queen.. Now, THAT would be degrading! :)

Hope you're all have a wonderful Thursday!!

Summer Loves

2009-06-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

Things Loved for Summer:

C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Mentha Tinted Lip Balm in Baby Pink Mint- a light lipstick, with the conditioning of a balm, and the tingly sensation of mint on your lips- love it!Summer Scarves- they just add oomph to every outfit! And my collection just keeps growing. :)

Summer Dresses- Thanks to my mom, I've also jumped on the Maxi Dress Bandwagon.. don't judge (& yes, I have a scarf to match).. :)

Jergen's Natural Glow Firming Lotion- pretty sure I already mentioned this, but it really works.. I've even seen a little more tone in the *problem areas* :)
Fresh berries- I can't get enough!! I just need to find a local place to pick them!

What are your summer faves?

Frugal?

2009-06-15T12:55:00.003-04:00

I just finished reading FB's article The Three Levels of Frugality. I think the closest description of myself would be Urban Frugal. I decided to assess where I spend and where I save:

SAVE

I bring my luch to work amost every day. I eat out once or twice a month for lunch.
I make Z's lunch for him almost every day. He probably eats out 3-4 times per month.
We go out to eat ~3 times per month.
We have credit cards that save us good percentages on almost everything we buy- including gas & groceries. (We pay them off in full every month)
I am a ridiculous sale shopper, when I shop. Try not to very much, but when I do, I get a deal.
I do mystery shopping to make extra side cash, but refuse to waste my time on surveys and the like.
I usually dye my own hair when it needs it.
We do vacations on a serious budget, but we find deals and still have tons of fun.
We're planning on buying a house that is well below what we technically could afford.
We drive used civics- great gas mileage, very reliable, not expensive. We always buy used cars. A new car depreciates 10% the minute you drive it off the lot.
We don't have cable, and we have Roadrunner Lite internet- still DSL, but not suupperr fast.
We drink only water at restaurants, and often get some great coupons.
I have become quite the thrift shopper- I save us tons on home furnishings.
We're still on our parents' cell phone family plans (for now), and pay them our portions.
We keep "date nights" cheap or free

SPEND

I buy top of the line cosmetics- make-up, hair products, lotions, shampoo, etc.
Now and then I splurge on organic or vegetarian groceries (It's my reward for cooking him meat, right?)
We travel quite a bit.
I put a lot of effort and time into decorating and improving our apartment. I do it cheaply, but don't skimp on making it look nice.

So what about you guys? Frugal at all? Where do you spend/save?

..We're Just THAT Cool..

2009-06-15T09:12:00.003-04:00

So last night Z and I get into a "tickle fight". Don't roll your eyes, you know you do it too.. ;) It of course happened just as I was ready to fall asleep. Then all heck broke loose and our competitive selves came out. Well, he had me just about pushed off the bed, and I wasn't about to go down alone, so I hauled him down with me. Then it happened. I started to sit back up really quickly just as he leaned down to tickle me again, and BAM! My nose smashed into his skull resulting in throbbing pain and a bit of a weepy wifey. After taking a moment to recover, we confirmed that it wasn't broken, and prayed it would look okay in the morning. Fortunately, my makeup covered it up just fine. However, I can't say I enjoy the feeling that a train ran over my face today.

Yeah. We're cool. :)

Priceless

2009-06-13T16:15:00.003-04:00

Made-Over Craigslist Dining set: ~$60
Placemats scored @ Marshall's: $3
Decorative bowls scored @ Goodwill: ~$4
Milk bottle vase from Dollar store: $1 (duh!)
Fresh flowers from grocery store: $3.33
Fresh fruit: $5

Getting your husband to eat more fruit because it's displayed prettily on the table: Priceless.

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

PS- I just posted a new project on Project Pretty! Go check it out!

Why Today is Good

2009-06-11T14:51:00.008-04:00

This morning I was beginning to slip into a negative mood. I HATE being in bad moods, so I decided to suck it up and get a grip on what wonderful things are really in my life. This was a good reminder! Thanks Cristina! So anyway, I'm flipping around my negatives & making them positives.

We have been house hunting seriously for a few months now, as most of you know. We've put offers in on 3 houses, only to get beaten on every.single.one(not counting all we did BEFORE we got married, only to end up homeless after our honeymoon). We would really really like a house. The designer in me just wants to get to work making it look pretty (as in, I have paint colors already picked out, people). But you know what? God has been closing those doors for us. And I am SO thankful to have a God who is involved in our life and cares enough to steer us in the right direction, even if we don't like it. So thank you, Lord, for teaching us faith and patience, and for directing this endeavor.
My back has been killing me for a while now. Probably thanks to the time I rolled my parents Ford Expedition (twice) or my waterskiing accident that put me in a back brace. But you know what? I called on Tuesday for a Chiropractor appointment, and they got me in tonight. What a blessing! Last time I had to wait for almost 2 weeks. I'm SO looking forward to my adjustment!
I have a super busy night tonight- I'm preparing for a visit from my cousin that was in our wedding(that's us in the picture!). I have that appointment, grocery shopping, cleaning my entire house, finishing the projects I have spread out all over our patio, and laundry. But you know what? I have wonderful family, and I am SO blessed that she's coming to visit me. AND, I'm so thankful we don't have to worry about money for groceries or my many projects. :) AND, I have a hubby who not only doesn't mind having a bazillion half-finished projects everywhere, but encourages it & helps me out around the house.
My hair is going crazy right now. I'm well overdue for a cut, and therefore my curly-Q ends are getting rather.. fuzzy. BUT, you know what? I'm thankful for curly hair. I can easily grab a flat-iron & go straight, wash it, and it's curly again! AND, I have a free cut&style left on a spa package I bought, so I won't be shelling out any extra Moolah for that one!

It's never as bad as we think it is, ladies! And in case you still need a little extra pick me up, chew on this:

If you're not in a good mood now, I'm not sure if I can help you! ;)

OH, and PS- It's almost the weekend!!

What a Life!

2009-06-10T08:37:00.002-04:00

I am on my way to becoming a runner, ladies. I am. I got out and did it Sat., Sun., and Mon. Last night I ended up shredding instead. It was the first night on level two. Holy. Crap. That woman doesn't play around with her plank exercises!! I'm ridiculously sore today! When I first bought the 30DS I thought I'd do it every day, like you're supposed to. But, just like going to the gym, or any other exercising, I got bored. I do the best when I can switch things up. So, I'll be juggling biking, running, and the 30DS. On the days I bike or run, I do crunches on my stability ball. The goal is to run at least 4-5 days per week, in order to make it a habit. I love the new outlook I have on running. I do it for myself. For Z. For our future children. I do it for lifestyle. So far, this approached has kept me motivated, yet grounded enough to not feel bad about only going a mile or two instead of pounding out 3-4. I'm looking for long term results, so as long as I'm running, I'm creating a habit. It doesn't matter that I'm not going far at first, because eventually my endurance will build up and the miles will increase. Plus, the fact that I'm blogging about it will help keep me in check. Some of my best encouragement comes from some of you!

I've also become obsessed with oodles of little projects. Of course, when they're finished, they'll be featured on Project Pretty. Hints on what I'm working on: Lots of spray paint, trips to goodwill, Corkboard, fabric, and painter's tape. Oh, the joys!! Also, there will be a fun giveaway to kick off the new blog soon! :)

Speaking of projects, my Chair Makeover is being featured today on the DIY Show Off. Go check it out!

image credit

Desk Job?

2009-06-09T14:20:00.002-04:00

Anyone else have a desk job? If so, you know the feelings that come with sitting for a majority of the day! About 2pm [now] I get super antsy. By the end of the day I just don't feel like doing anything anymore. Somehow sitting all day ends up stifling any energy I had, and making me less productive & lazier. So.. I set out in search for some exercises I could do at my desk. Her are some articles I found:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blofficeworkout.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5755_exercise-office.html
http://women.ygoy.com/office-exercise-exercise-at-your-desk/

I might have just sat here flexing my *cheeks* for an entire 5 minutes thanks to one of those articles.. lol :) I'm looking forward to making my day a little more active thanks to these ideas- hopefully they'll come in handy for some of you too! And, if you're super hardcore, you could always go this route...

Project Pretty

2009-06-09T06:45:00.000-04:00

Since I started this as a personal, lifestyle blog, I've decided to start a blog specifically for all my decorating and crafty jabber. It's bound to increase, especially once we buy a house, and I don't want to bore those of you who aren't really into that stuff. Of course it's still going to pop up here and there- it's part of who I am. I'll also be linking to posts on that site if I'm talking about it on here. I'm planning on featuring inspiration photos and other peoples' projects on Project Pretty as well.

I'm really looking forward to having a more specific topic for that site, so if you're a lover of pretty home things, I'd love it if you'd like to follow there as well. :) Welcome to Project Pretty!

Just one more thing- I want to thank all of you who read this blog. I completely enjoy getting to know all of you. Anytime I see an unfamiliar name show up in my comments, I jump to check out your blog as well! I love "meeting" & learning about each of you & am so thankful for your blog-friendship!

Monday Randoms

2009-06-08T09:52:00.003-04:00

Bachelorette Party went great this weekend! Had a fab time with the girls- lots of fun. Didn't end up staying over night- I took most of your advice & just left once things were dying down. And by dying down, I mean 70% of the girls were asleep when the movie ended. So, it worked out great all-around. Z was waiting up for me when I got home aroung 2am. :)

I've decided I'm going to be a runner. No, not just "start running". I decided I'm going to have the lifestyle of a runner, as in, I need to do it. So, I'm starting out slow & short. Working myself up to more, and not getting overwhelmed. I plan on finding a 5k to run sometime this summer or fall. It's not far, but you gotta start somewhere, right?? And, once again, thanks to You girls.. It's still your fault. :) I absolutely hate running, but the results are so worth it. My coping tactic right now is just trying to feel my body getting stronger as I run. That, and checking out my neighbors landscaping in FULL DETAIL and game-planning what I'll do when we get our own yard... Totally takes my mind of the fact that I'm panting and my ankles are killing me. :) Ran both Saturday and Sunday. Yay me!

I'm getting super sick of house-hunting. I just want it to be over with! I've lost track of how many houses we've either put an offer in on, or been ready to, only to find out we've been outbid, or there's already a pending contract. The competitor in me wants to beat down the competition, but somehow that doesn't work with real estate.. :)

I'm unbelievably white. Like pasty. Z's arm next to mine makes me look like an Albino. SO not attractive. And since it's becoming shorts & tank-tops season, I NEED to do something about it. Only problem is.. I'm thinking I don't really want to lay out in a bikini where the tenants beside us can be peeping-toms. I really don't want to go back to the tanning beds, but it's oh-so-tempting!! I really can't pull off the pasty-white look like this girl. ->

I'm thinking about a blog-makeover. If you have used someone to create yours, please share! I want to go custom, but I'm not sure I can do it myself, so I'm willing to hire!

Happy Monday Everyone! Have a great workweek!

Mid-Century Mod Makeover

2009-06-04T19:15:00.012-04:00

Back when I moved into a duplex with Z's sister, there were a few pieces of old furniture left in the house. One of them was an old dresser that I honestly hated for a long time. I spilled nail polish remover, jewelry cleaner, and lord knows what else on that thing. I have no idea why I even brought this thing with me when Z & I got married & got our own place. Wait.... Yes I do. I needed more space for my clothes. :)

But anyway, it ended up in our guest bedroom, and I slowly started to see the potential in it. Until eventually, I was sure I could make it pretty.

The top was in terrible condition, so I did a good bit of sanding.

At first I hated the drawer pulls, but then I started to love the shape. They just went with the mid-century mod feel of the whole piece, so I decided to just spruce them up.

A little Rustoleum brushed nickel spray paint, and I was convinced. SO glad I kept them!

Then I primed and painted both the drawer fronts and the frame.

My previous experience had only been with black paint, so I was shocked when it took like 5 coats of paint to make me satisfied with the finish.

So happy with the result!

It's a very boxy piece- a style I'm not usually a fan of. But you know what? It works for me. I love the clean lines. And for like $10 (in paint), you can't go wrong. ANYthing would be better than the before, so I definitely feel like I got way more than I bargained for!

What do you think? :)

Separation Anxiety

2009-06-03T14:18:00.002-04:00

WARNING: Typical newlywed jabber to follow.

I need some help ladies. Either reassurance or a slap in the face. :)

See, I was invited to a Bachelorette party this Saturday night, and have plans to go. We're going to dinner, then back to the host's house for a lingerie party, & everyone's sleeping over. Sounds great, right?

Well, I'm totally sure it will be, except for one little thing: Z & I haven't spent a night apart since we got married. I know it has to come sometime, but I'm just not ready for it yet. I'm still in the stage where I absolutely cherish those minutes that we snuggle & spend talking before falling asleep each night. And to be 100% honest, right now I'd rather do that than fall asleep at someone else's house.

So here are the circumstances:

The bride & host are friends I met about a year & 1/2 ago. They're super sweet, fun girls, and I enjoy spending time with them, but we're really not that close. Basically just see eachother or talk on facebook once in a while type friends.
Z & I have very busy weekends planned for the next month, which means more time apart.
We've been married for 6 months. And still have hearts in our eyes. I admit it. :)
Two of Z's sisters are going. Which means I'd have to come up with a reason why I'm leaving early that wouldn't cause them to give me a hard time forever.

I'm contemplating leaving once all the "party" stuff is over- when most everyone's getting in their PJ's & stuff.

So what do you guys think? Am I just a pathetic newlywed? Is this okay to do?

(this, from a girl who may or may not still have her baby blanket hidden in her adult bedroom.. yes, I have separation anxiety!) :)

image source

Mom Was Here

2009-06-02T21:51:00.009-04:00

I drove my mom to the air port today, and put her on a plane back to New England. I was sad she had to leave, but happy because it's only another month until Z and I head home for a week. I wish we'd taken more pictures together while she was here, but it seems like I didn't think of it until it was the end of the day, and we here putting our pajamas on. But anyway, here's a recap:

Thursday: Chipotle, Pedicures, and relaxing at our place.
Friday: Mom got lost while going for a walk :), went shopping, 1 hr. deep tissue massages, more shopping, BBQ'd our dinner, Coldstone for dessert (yum!)While shopping on Friday, mom spoiled us by bringing this little bistro set home with us:

Saturday: Morning walk, Wedding, Played around in the park, Went out to dinner at an awesome local place, and made a late night run to the mall :)

We saw this gorgeous cloud on our way to the mall.. and of course, being true nerds, we had to take a picture:

Sunday: Went to our new nephew's baby dedication at church, Took pictures by the local Annie Oakley statue, Went to lunch, Sat outside & got some sun, and watched Valkerie (good movie, but sad)Goofing around because I was super tall in 4" heels :)

Monday: Since I had to work, Mom baked us some homemade bread in the morning, and went outlet shopping. Then we had dinner- Mom's homemade Mac 'N Cheese (yum..), Went on a walk at the local preserve & falls, Chilled & enjoyed our last night together, and helped Mom pack.

Overall, a wonderful weekend. I cherish times with family- and I love girl time with mom! Thanks for visiting, Mom! Glad you had a safe trip back! :)

One More Day

2009-06-01T10:06:00.003-04:00

I have been totally spoiled having my mom here for the past few days. We have had so much fun together. I thought I brought the right connector to work to be able to post pix today, but nope. Didn't happen! So instead, here's an older shot of my mom & I from my wedding:
I unfortunately had to work today, so she's off outlet shopping (boo!). Tonight's our last night together & she's totally babying me & cooking dinner. I secretly think she misses mommy-ing me. That, or it's just instinct. :) Our relationship has a fun mix of dynamics now that I'm on my own. There's the part where we go out shopping & to the spa together like friends, but there's still the part where I hug & kiss her goodnight, let her cook me dinner, & lean on her when we're watching a movie.

And know what else is great? Z loves having her here too! I'm so blessed that my hubby loves spending time with my family- that he's not one of those husbands who avoids the in-laws! Although, who could blame him?- My family's awesome (yes, I'm biased). :)

Anyway, back to regular blogging tomorrow- I have some super fun stuff to share!! Thanks for hanging in there while the posts are a bit sparse and bland!

Busy With My Mommy

2009-05-30T17:43:00.003-04:00

I know I've been a little MIA lately in the blogworld. My mom arrived for our girls weekend on Thursday evening and we went straight to get pedicures. Friday was shopping, 60 min. deep tissue massages, BBQ-ing, and Coldstone. Today we went to a wedding, are about to go for a walk to some local waterfalls, have dinner at our fave cafe, a bit more shopping, and then possibly watch a movie. It's been great. I miss having my family around so much that whenever we are together, I just love it.

So anyway, I'll be back to regular blogging soon, I promise! But until then, give your mom a call and tell her you love her, k? :)

Out of the Wild

2009-05-27T21:04:00.011-04:00

Day 1 here.

Day 2 of our Memorial Day weekend we woke up after having gotten little sleep due to the lack of pillows and the hard surface we laid on. And.. sure enough, it had rained.. A lot. Luckily the pack with our food that we had tied up in a tree (to keep away from bears) was waterproof, so the contents were mostly dry. So we got up, ate some gorp & apples, and started cleaning up our campsite.

We left all our gear, except one pack filled with water, gorp, & toilet paper (of course), at the campsite. Our hike for the day was into a place called Abram's Falls.

See those people to Z's right? Unfortunately, the trail they were on led them straight through the river! :)The sign & bridge right before we got to the falls.
There were a lot of people at the falls because there was another trail that led there from a nearby parking lot. We saw a group of twenty-something guys goofing off near the edge. Some were jumping off the cliff just to the left of the falls. Z and I couldn't help but think that it would be awfully easy for them to get sucked under by the current.

Then we found out on Monday that someone actually died a few hours after we left. Wow.. that sign wasn't so amusing anymore! You can see the article here. It's such a hard, sad way for people to learn a lesson. I can't imagine what his friends are going through.

The hike back to the campsite was pretty tough. The fatigue from the previous hiking was starting to set in. When we got back we packed up all our [wet] stuff into our packs & started back towards the car. If it hadn't been for my ankle braces, Z's encouragement, and several quick breaks, I might've been in pretty sad shape! The front of our toes were in serious pain from the steep downhill & our (okay my) legs felt like Jelly!I've never been so excited to see a car with AC. It was ridiculously humid, especially for this New England girl! Combine that with the fact that I was probably sweating more than I ever have, and you get one wifey who was very excited to find a hotel! More on that next time though.

As we were driving out of the Park, we saw this:

I just love seeing rainbows. They always make me say a quick "thank you" prayer.

Day 3 to come!

Take a Hike!

2009-05-26T21:03:00.018-04:00

I'm a little late getting this posted, but it's been a whirlwind since we got home, and I imagine it will continue to be until my mom gets here on Thursday! But anyway, on to the Memorial Day weekend recap.

Saturday morning we got up and drove to Tennessee. And of course it just wouldn't have been the same if we hadn't stopped and taken some random tourist photos:

And then it was time to stop messing around and get on the trail. Z's cousin & her husband were sweet enough to lend us their awesome backpacks and sleeping mats. After loading those things up with 45-50 lbs. each, we strapped ourselves in & started the trek to where we'd set up our own little camping area for the night. Don't we look hardcore?

our little camping area.. that's the fire pit we made ourselves

And this would be our "shower/bath" :)

Back Country Camping Essentials:Gorp. Known to most as trail mix. Bonus points if you make your own!
Disinfecting wipes- this kind was awesome! I even used them to wash my face and felt perfectly fresh after.. well, almost.
Toilet paper- when ya gotta go, ya gotta go! [Note: Please do not make the same mistake I made. Make sure there is not a trail with hikers on it directly behind the area you're sticking your pasty white bum out.]A Mini Propane Lantern. Worth it's weight in gold when your hubby realizes he just used his only pair of socks as a loofa to wash up in the river. Yes, if you have patience, it will dry your socks. Just don't burn them.Whaatt?? These ARE essentials! Who says you can't brush your teeth and deororize in the woods?? Just be prepared for the hubby to give you a hard time.

Lastly, don't forget to admire the gorgeous handiwork of your Creator & Lord. Man, He's good at what he does!!
More on Day 2 & 3 of our adventure to come!

You've Got Mail!

2009-05-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you're anything like Z and I, you have a problem with too many papers, envelopes, receipts, magazines, etc. piling up near your entry or where ever you set all your stuff down after walking in the door. I got fed up with this problem Friday on my day off, and came up with this solution:

A DIY "Mailbox".

Step One:
Get yourself an old used USPS flat rate mailing box, or something of similar size. Mark lines where you want to cut.
Step Two:
Use an Exacto knife or similar tool to cut your lines. Precision and straight lines are key.
Step Three:
Lay the cut out box on fabric of your choice and measure how much you'll need to cover the inside and outside. It's just like wrapping a present!

Step Four:
Cut the fabric at the corners and fold into the box. Secure with a spray adhesive or good old no-wrinkle Elmer's. Continue folding and gluing as if wrapping a present.Step Five:
Once all your flaps are glued down, stick some of that clutter in there, and get it off your kitchen table/entry console/whatever you use.

Call Me Annie..

2009-05-22T22:43:00.003-04:00

Annie Oakley, that is. Due to the enormous amount of people that are apparently flocking to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park for Memorial Day, all the "normal" (a.k.a. front country) campsites are reserved. ALL. And it's a huge park. So, being the adventuresome duo that we are, we are resorting to back country camping. As in, you leave your car, carry everything you need with you, hike several miles, and find yourself a secluded spot off the trail to camp. No running water, no outhouses, no air mattress, no electricity, no anything.

Just me, my darling husband, a bazillion black bear that want to eat our food, a 50% chance of rain, and lots of bug spray, sun screen, and deodorant! What girl could ask for more? :)We'll be roughing it for one night, and hopefully staying somewhere with a shower night #2. Because this naturally curly hair does okay for one day without a shower, but more than that... well let's just say it wouldn't really give our trip that "romantic getaway" feeling we were going for! And cuddling up next to your hubby isn't quite as good with a rock in your back and a certain unpleasant odor wafting down to your nose.

But seriously though, I really am looking forward to the adventure of it all! I've done plenty of camping in my lifetime, and can probably set up a tent and start a fire faster than most men- thanks to my parents taking us kids growing up. I'm looking forward to checking out Z's mountain man skills as well! ;)

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekends!! I have a scheduled post for while we're gone, and I'll be back with lots of pictures on Tuesday!

A Weekend in the Smokies

2009-05-21T21:26:00.004-04:00

Our internet was down at work today, so I'm a little behind on things. It was actually kind of nice not to have it- a little break. Except for I was running around all day trying to get us the right router & help with the office space transition we're going through right now (people switching offices, creating new workspaces, etc.). That, and I had another lovely surprise that caused me to scurry to get things done- I have a 4 day weekend!! The bosses decided to give us tomorrow off as well! I love small companies sometimes!

It's also supposed to be in the mid to upper 80's this weekend, so that makes me super excited. Z and I grilled out on our patio tonight for the first time (yum!) & that got the wheels in my head turning...

Our 6 month anniversary will be on the 29th of this month. That weekend is going to be super busy with my mom visiting (Yay!), a wedding, and a baby dedication, so we were trying to figure out another weekend to do something to celebrate. Then it dawned on us that this weekend would be perfect! So... the plan is to head to the Smoky Mountains in TN!! I've never been down there, so I'm really looking forward to it! We're going to bring our tent and camp, hike, sightsee, and hopefully canoe or kayak.. and of course a wee bit of "Newlywed celebrating"(you didn't read that, mom & dad!). Just look at this place:

photo credit

photo credit photo credit

We also plan on going into Gatlinburg to do some sightseeing as well. I've heard it's a super cute town. I'm so looking forward to a weekend away with my hubby! I can't believe we've been married for almost 6 months already, and I'm so happy we're going to do something to celebrate! I don't imagine we'll celebrate every 6 months forever, but I definitely want to do something special every year. It's a great way to slow down, and remember to cherish this amazing marriage that God has given us! And have some fun, of course!! :)

So anyway, I plan on spending tomorrow catching up on your blogs, cleaning the house, doing a mystery shop, making campsite reservations, planning our menu for the weekend, grocery shopping, and packing the car with our camping gear. Then, saturday morning we're off to Tenessee!! :)

Retro Swimwear

2009-05-20T12:51:00.003-04:00

I'm absolutely in love with Jantzen's 2009 line of Retro Swimwear. In my opinion, it's very flattering & forgiving in structure. Yesterday after work I got the urge (or rather I gave into the urge I'd been having for weeks) to go check out our local Marshalls. It's a rare occurance that I don't find an amazing deal in there!

So I walked in and was immediately greeted with their summer display area- Better known as the "make you fall in love with a million things you don't need" area. And fall in love I did. I saw this & was hooked:
Then, I tried it on, and knew it was love (this from a girl who HATES bathing suit shopping). Talk about flattering- the way the faux tankini top comes down below the top of the leg opening is genious. I've never liked seeing that area of the thigh right along your joint & bikini line- on anyone. I don't know why- It just made me squeamish (could be because of one too many woman who don't know the value of a good bikini wax or shave, but we won't talk about that). Well, problem solved. I love the polka dots, I love the tie in the back, I love the sweetheart neckline, I love the 50's glam feel, I love it all.

It even has detachable straps, shown here, in red:
And, it also comes in solid colors (more shown here):
I can't remember the last time I owned a one-piece bathing suit. But I've been keeping my eye out for one lately, and this sealed the deal. Can't wait to wear it for our week on the lake this summer.

Oh, and I can't finish without talking about the price. If you buy it direct from Jantzen, it will run you $100. If you buy it through an online discount site, it'll be about $80. Any guesses what I got it for??
.
.
.
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$25!!

Ridiculous, right?? I came home a very happy little wifey!!

ETA: Little did I know, this suit has actually gotten a good bit of publicity, shown here. I'm a wee bit proud I picked it out before knowing Elle & Vogue did too! ;)

Doggy Business..

2009-05-19T13:42:00.002-04:00

As soon as Z & I get a house (we've been beat on 3 so far..bad market, my butt!), one of the first things we want to do is get a puppy. Every time we see a cute dog we just about melt! Z is convinced he wants a husky. Brett didn't help the situation much- with her adorable doggy pics and videos! I mean, look at little Ty:
But.. huskies get big. And I've heard they shed a lot. So I just don't know about that one..

So anyway, I need your input! Here's what I'd like in a dog:

Small to medium sized- NO huge guys if they're going to be let in our house- We watched Marley & Me!!
As little shedding as possible. We don't deal with dog hair well.
CUTE. And no, I don't consider poodles cute. (Sorry!)
Not a "yapper". I can't stand tiny dogs that just bark all. the. time.
Did I mention cute?

I'd love to hear about your dog experiences! And pictures or links to pictures will probably sway me the easiest! I'm a sucker for a cute puppy!

Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's Gone

2009-05-18T12:38:00.002-04:00

I was "that girl" in high school. Busy, busy, busy. Worked, played sports, in the band & choir, class prez, salutatorian, banquet (didn't have prom) queen, and in a bunch of other groups/teams. Worked my butt off, and couldn't wait to get out of there & explore the world. I grew up in Northern Maine, and swore I'd never come back- it was too boring, too remote, too limiting.

And I got exactly what I wanted. Married a guy form the midwest & stayed here. While I don't really dislike it here, I miss home like crazy now. Mostly because of my family.. and the gorgeous scenery that doesn't exist in the flatlands.

It's funny.. I just didn't appreciate the place I grew up while I was there, and now it's the one place I'm missing. If I believed in Karma, I'd kick it in the face. :)

So now, the place I once longed to escape is the place I'm racing back to for vacation. Yeah. Vacationing back home. And I can't wait.

Z and I are taking a week in July and going home to spend a week on the lake. Picture it- cute little cottage surrounded by pine & birch trees, the old rope hammock swaying in the wind, the dock my dad made extending out into the cleanest lake water in the county, the speedboat docked & waiting to take us skiing, tubing, knee- or wakeboarding, the canoe and kayaks ready for calorie-burning morning trips as the sun rises, campfires & making smores with the family.. Heaven.

Oh. And there's nothing like waking up at dawn to a lake that's as smooth as glass and being the first waterskiers on the lake. Pure Heaven.

So, I wanted to share some pictures from our more recent (past ~2 yrs.) times at "camp".Sister #1 & I.. goofing off. :)Daddy & I.. a little blurry but I love it!Little cousin & I.Marshmallow Mouths... can you tell we're sisters??My boat driving skills have been known to flip a friend or two.. ;)We made our own comic.. :)The perfect summer snack!

I absolutely can't wait! What're you looking forward to this summer?

Restaurant Condiments..

2009-05-15T23:27:00.002-04:00

I have a slightly strange obsession with this dressing. It's Wendy's Reduced Fat Ranch. And people, if you haven't tried it, you need to go get some. It totally makes up for the crappy fast food salad! It's like the perfect ranch dressing with this surprising little zip of flavor.. and hello, it's reduced fat!! Not sure why I'm dedicating an entire post to this stuff, but I stopped in & got some with my side salad today after work and may or may not have thought about sucking it straight from the package. Yeah. That good.

Am I the only one with a restaurant (if Wendy's can be considered one) condiment obsession?? Please, if you have one, do share. It'll make me feel alot better about scheming to order a case of this stuff..

Decisions, Decisions..

2009-05-13T20:01:00.005-04:00

Sometimes the toughest decisions are those that put our logic up against our emotion. I think that's what I'm struggling with tonight. We just went and looked at a property that Z is totally ready to put an offer in on. Me.. still trying to decide. I'll give you a quick rundown, and I'd love you hear your opinions.

The Facts:

It's a one story, brick, ranch-style duplex
Garages in the center separate the living spaces (cuts down on the chance of hearing your neighbors)
On 1.5 acres in the country
Approx. 1200 sq. ft. on one side, and 1300 sq. ft. on the other
3 bed, 1 1/2 bath on each side, with the option of adding a bedroom or den on each side (there's a "closed frame" porch addition on the back)
Tax appraised value is double the asking price (hello, instant equity!)

The Good:

GORGEOUS area- lots of hills, woods, beautiful scenery that reminds me of home (Maine)
Away from the city- way less crime, safe for kids, etc.
Privacy!!
Incredible Value
Plenty of room for us to live in one side & rent the other out. The rental income would pay for at least 2/3 of the mortgage. Very smart Financially.
Lower taxes than properties we've looked at in a county closer to the city
Great layout, not cramped-feeling at all.
In great condition- ceramic tile floors, newer berber carpet in some bedrooms

The Bad:

It would be a 45 min. commute to work for me. I work on the Northeast side of the city- Z works on the Southwest side- it would be 30 min. for him- the same time we're driving now. So, not a big deal for him, but a little UGH for me..
Having renters live right next door. Not ideal, but then again, it would only be temporary (~3-4 years).

So, I'd love to know your thoughts. I know most of you are already homeowners, and have been through this process before. So you know where we're coming from: We're still pretty young, aren't planning on having kids for 3-4 years, and are using that time to really try & "get ahead" financially. We LOVE the country, and are used to driving (I averaged ~700 miles/wk. in high school), just not sure I want to do that again..

Oh, and here's the view out the sliding glass back door (rainy and blah out today, but pretty nonetheless!):

Pretty Food

2009-05-12T11:45:00.006-04:00

Today I'm home from work, sick with this "thing" that won't go away. So looking at pictures of past pretty meals is going to be as close as I get to cooking one today.

*BUT* before I show you the yummy chicken skewers from a few nights ago, I do have to give you a quick update: We didn't get the house. :( All we know is that there was a cash buyer. That's a whole heck of a lot of cash to have hanging around! So we're pretty bummed- but I think it's toughened us up. We're going to keep looking but we've learned not to get too attached until we have an accepted offer. We also know that God's in control, and He has the perfect home picked out for us. We just have to trust that when the doors close on one place, He'll open them on another.

So anyway, on to the point of the post:

Satay Chicken Skewers, found here

Ingredients
One 10-ounce jar satay sauce or spicy peanut sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 11⁄2-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Cayenne pepper
1⁄2 cup peanuts, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped (about 1⁄2 cup)

Preparation

Pour 2⁄3 of the satay or spicy peanut sauce into the medium bowl and add the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes; 2 hours is preferable for optimum flavor. While the chicken is marinating, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Twenty-five minutes before serving time, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and divide it into 6 portions. Slide pieces onto skewers (depending on size of skewer, this may mean 1 or 2 skewers per person) and place on baking sheet. Discard remaining marinade (raw chicken juices in it make it unsafe). Dust the skewered chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Bake for 20 minutes. For the final 2 minutes, turn on the broiler and broil the skewers close to the heat, until the edges look crisp but not burned.

To serve, place the skewers on a serving platter and sprinkle with the peanuts, cilantro, and scallions. Pour the remaining satay sauce (not marinade) into a bowl on the side for dipping.

I served these with roasted potatoes. Just put the potatoes on 1/3 of the baking sheet and pop them in the oven about 15-20 min. before you add the chicken.

Pretty, right??

Wedded Whims

A Display of Faith

Opportunity

People

Merry Christmas!

Just Saying..

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Stress

3 Blind Mice

Simple Pleasures

This land is your land... this land is my land..

Happy Birthday to Us!

Poll: White Coats

Land..

Happenings :)

New England Runs on Dunkin'

Fab News!

*happy*

We made it!

Burried in Boxes

S.O.S.

Can. Not. Wait.

Weekend Recap

Big God or Big Government?

:: Husband Down ::

Compromise

Really?

Bittersweet

1 Timothy 6:6 (New International Version)

It's Official

I'm Still Here!

Catching Up

All About C&Z

Remembering

When Our Hearts Just Don't Understand..

Answers: Part One

Discrimination

Miscellany

Pieces..

Happy Birthday Z!

Giveaways

Closer to Love

Lord, It's Me... Please Guide..

A Pretty Night Out

SUYL: Wedding Reception/Honeymoon

Good Wifey FAIL

Neck & Manners

Monday Randoms

SUYL: Wedding Details

New Feature & An Update

.. Oh by the way...

The One About Gunshots at Our Wedding

Recap.

Sharing the Wedding Dress

Learning Faith

Organization Giveaway Winner

My Husband, the Superhero

Weekend Part 2

Quick Weekend Recap.

To Be Honest...

Get Organized Giveaway

Book Happy

Glass Lamps

Vacation Reflections: The Photos

Vacation Reflections: The Words

25th Anniversary Party

Twins!

One of Those Weeks..

Picture-Packed Weekend

Magic in the Meat

My Back, My Feet, and.. Well, nevermind

Cake-Poppy Goodness

What a Weekend!

Gift Wrapping a la Natural!

An Embellished Giveaway

Today I Shall Be... Random

Summer Loves

Frugal?

..We're Just THAT Cool..

Priceless

happy