30 April 2012

One year ago...

Every little girl dreams of her marriage proposal... Flowers, horses, doves, tuxedos, and lots and lots of tears.

One year ago, I didn't get any of that (well, except the tears... I'm such a sap). What I did get was the man I love asking if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. And of course I said 'yes'!


In case you've missed the story of our proposal, you can find it here.


Dear Beau,

The past year has been crazy and I can't believe how quickly it flew by. Before you know it, we'll be at the end of the aisle saying 'I do' with a little PG13 kissing. Just kidding... more like a peck -- no PDA for us! I'm so happy to be spending my life with you and I can't wait to see what's ahead for us. And just remember, I may not always like you but I'll love you all the days of my life.

Always and forever,
Your bride-to-be

26 April 2012

Crazy...

Let's talk about things that drive me crazy, shall we?

-- STINK BUGS: These have to be some of the smelliest, weirdest looking bugs out there.



-- "ME AND TONY": Come on people, 1st grade grammar here... It's "Tony and I went to get pizza" not "Me and Tony went to get pizza"

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-- TOILET PAPER DIRECTION: It goes over, not under. Got it? Good.



-- WEDDING VENDORS: I realize you want my business but emailing me 3 times a day and calling every other day is not going to make me go with you so stop harassing me.



-- CRYING BABIES IN RESTAURANTS: I get it, sometimes babies cry. But if your child is screaming its head off in a restaurant, take them out to the car!



I know there are many, many more things on this list but I just can't think of them right now... I suppose it just makes for round 2 one day!

Happy thirsty Thursday everyone!

24 April 2012

Country roads, take me home...

Alright so not my actual home yet but one day it will be.
Anyway, where will I be in 10 days?


That's right, the beautiful state of Vir-gin-eye-ay!

10 DAYS PEOPLE!!!

Not only haven't I been to the property in 5 years but I haven't even been on vacation in 4 years! It felt soooo good to write it in my planner yesterday... and to start making my mile-long packing list (you know, for our 4 day trip).



And yes, Sammy has a section on the list of the many things I need to take for her.
I'm pretty sure her bag will be as heavy as mine!

23 April 2012

What was I saying...?

While lying in bed last night - you know, during the hurricane-like weather outside which was keeping me awake - I thought of an awesome post. But did I grab my phone and put in a reminder... of course not! Why would I do that?! So now I have absolutely no idea what I was planning to write about today. Awesome.

(thanks Gabapentin and hair color, I'm so glad that you love to mess with my mind)

Since I have nothing to say -- which Beau would disagree with -- I'm going to leave you with a picture of my little girl from our lazy Sunday...


Yes, she was sleeping with her legs straight out - stiff as a board!

I sure do love her and her sissy! I don't know what I would do without my babies <3



Oh and apparently word verification was set up for my comments... I AM SO SORRY! I hate that crap and I don't know how/when mine got set to that. If it ever comes up again, please let me know!

20 April 2012

Oh baby...

Disclaimer: There is no bun in the oven -- just to be clear.
You'll have to wait a few years for that announcement!
And yes, I have been avoiding the water... just in case. 


In lieu of the arrival of my cousin's baby and her (postponed) baby shower which will be taking place tomorrow, I wanted to share some baby things I've been 'pinning' for when I have my genetically designed son a healthy baby boy or girl of my own.


One of my favorite parts... nursery decor!
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Unless it's a little girl, then it will look more like this...
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Maternity pictures will be taken...
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Adorable birth announcements are a must.
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And many, many pictures like this once popped out...
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and this...
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That is if Sammy doesn't eat the baby first. She can be kind of jealous.
There's a great possibility that she used to nip my niece's feet when I was holding her as a baby.
Luckily, Bow is nice to babies and little kids!

Twins run in our family...
If I'm unfortunate enough to have twice the trouble, I hope to get a picture like this...
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For his/her first Halloween... WILSON!!!
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You think I'm joking? Just wait haha

If a boy, around the age of 2 or 3, Grandpa can take him trick-or-treating...
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Because let's face it, who doesn't love Up!

And they will own ridiculous clothing like this...
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My poor future kids will have slim to no chance of being normal!
But that's ok, they will be fun little kids and that's what counts!

19 April 2012

Healthy yet yummy... is that an oxymoron?

I've been absent lately. Go ahead, smack my hand. I'll be back in the swing of things soon (hopefully) but today I have a special treat for you...

I've been making smoothies - or as some of you call them, green monsters - lately. And they are deeeelish!



Yes, I have a gargoyle who sits on my desk...
He's pretty kick ass if you ask me!


Ingredients:
Pomegranate Juice, .75 cup
Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened), 1 cup, unthawed
Strawberries, frozen, unsweetened, 1 cup, unthawed
Banana, fresh, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)
Spinach, fresh, 2 cup




I've gotten reactions of "spinach, gross" "you won't catch me drinking one" and "why not a chocolate milkshake instead" but people, you don't even taste the spinach... no lie! I even brought one in for my coworker today and she agreed. She wrote down the recipe so she can pull one over on her husband this weekend. I'm telling you, try it!


Also, today marks the last day of Picnik...


What are we suppose to do??? I'll tell you what, head over to PicMonkey!


It's very similar to Picnik. Some small differences but looks easy to learn.

I know, I know... Beau bought me the professional Photoshop and here I am, using a free editor online but Photoshop is NOT user friendly (sorry B, maybe one day I'll learn)


Have a great Thursday! One more day until the weekend -- thank God!

14 April 2012

Say what?!

I may or may not have flown up to Maine yesterday to have lunch then came right back.

Ok, ok... I did. Jeez!

Now for just a couple of pictures...

Flight map -- New Jersey to Maine

Somewhere on the way... a lake, some land, and the ocean :-)

See that snow capped mountain in the back? That is Mount Washington.
Beautiful!

It did not feel that warm!

I owned the world that hour as I rode over it. Free of the earth, free of the
mountains, free of the clouds, but how inseparably I was bound to them.
-- Charles Lindbergh --

Hope you all have a great weekend!

PS: Like the new look of the blog... Spring cleaning inspired :-)

09 April 2012

Summer loving... Clothing Edition

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Can you tell my favorite color is blue?

Also, a dear friend surprised me the other day...



I'll be wearing it in the next few weeks...
Then I'll post a real picture instead of the website one :-)

06 April 2012

An Easter like no other...


Easter 2007 started off like any other holiday...

My parents and I went to the Easter Sunday service at church. After that we went home to change then headed to my grandma's for her annual Easter lunch and egg hunt. On the way to my grandma's, my dad and I were talking about how we were going to wire a lamp I was making in wood shop (because yes, I took 3 years on wood shop in high school). Everything was going perfectly normal.

Once at my grandma's, my dad began to not feel well but didn't tell anyone. We knew something was up when he decided to not help hide eggs and instead began to fall asleep on the couch. He claimed he was just coming down with a cold or something. He spent most of the day there napping with my 1 month old nephew sleeping on his chest. It wasn't until we were about to leave that my dad wasn't looking so well and my mom and sister made the decision to take him to the hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, my dad told the triage nurse that he had a bad headache and for part of the afternoon was having vision problems. They then rushed him back into a room and started to perform tests.

After a few hours of waiting, the doctor came to talk to my mom and I and told us news we we're not prepared to hear...

"He is in the middle of having a major brain stem stroke and we can tell by the scan
that he's had a few mini strokes in the past. Unfortunately, there isn't
anything we can do for him except let it run it's course."

My heart broke.

Was my dad going to die? He's only 55 years old. He still needed to be around to see me graduate in a few months, to walk me down the aisle, to see his grandkids grow up...

If he pulls through, will he ever walk again? Feed himself? Tell us he loves us?


FACT: The brain stem controls all of our vital functions for survival.  A brain stem stroke may effect breathing, heart beat and blood pressure, as well as hearing, speech and swallowing.  A stroke in this area can also create paralysis as messages need to get through the brain stem on the way to the rest of the body.


As my mom sat with him, I had to make the phone calls. Having to call someone with bad news and not knowing the outcome was difficult and with every call, the tears were streaming down my face.

My dad is a strong man though and he proved it that day.

He ended up spending days in the hospital - which made my day consist of going to school, going straight to the hospital to sit with him, going to EMT class, then home. At night I could hear my mom in her bedroom crying and I couldn't help but cry myself. Luckily, he was able to come home from the hospital and didn't need any rehabilitation.

The affects of the stroke will always be with him. The balance issues, the vision problems, the constant ringing in his ears... But he is still here with us.

This Sunday marks exactly 5 years. He was able to watch me graduate from high school and next year will be walking me down the aisle. I couldn't be more grateful. My parents are the two wonderful people and I can't imagine my life without either of them.





Every day, take the time to tell the ones close to you that you love them.