I Think We've Been Here Before...That Tree Looks Familiar

I have been sucked into the wedding and honeymoon vortex for the last 6 months, at least I think it's been 6 months. Maybe longer? My poor neglected blog! I thought that there would be a lot of venting occurring on here throughout the wedding planning process, but I was really concerned about hurting feelings, having more issues coming up, etc. So instead I just didn't write at all.

I've missed it!

There will be more of an update than below....which is:

DH and I got hitched.
I almost lost my ever lovin' mind during the two weeks immediately prior to walking down the aisle while simultaneously loving most of it.
DH and I went to Scotland for our honeymoon. We loved every minute! Well, except for the Great Food Fight of Scotland. But that's a story for another post. We took hundreds of pictures and I'll try to find some to post once they're edited a little more.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this adorable couple....oh wait, that's US!

Until We Meet Again

I drank the last Yuengling from DH and I's Tennessee trip tonight.

They lasted us 4 months, which was pretty good. It probably helped that we hid them out of sight and I'd give him the evil eye if he had one without me.

I'd have enjoyed them more with some hockey to watch, but that's a sore spot.

So long old friend, until we meet again....in approximately 2 months. It's still too long!

Apology Accepted?

I have been woefully absent. Sorry about that.

We are in Wedding Mode over here. The Save The Dates are sent, for the most part, and are not the right color but that was my fault 100%. The flowers are chosen - maybe the hardest part of the entire planning process until now. I'm gearing up to make a million and one pinwheels. I can't find shoes in turquoise to save my life. Oh wait, that's not true. There are a thousand cute shoes on Pinterest without a good link back to where to buy them or the designer. I'm getting desperate, people. We're debating buying everything for centerpieces versus renting everything from the venue. And my broken finger's fingernail finally bit the bullet and departed. Great. Now I have to grow a new nail too?????  It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be - there's already almost half a new nail grown. But sheesh!  At least I'll look like this after the wedding nonsense is over with since I'm marrying the funniest man I know.

DH and I spent Thanksgiving apart as I went back to Da Burgh for a couple days. A very QUICK couple days. Momma A, The Don and I all went and did some wedding shopping, found unexpected bargains (thanks Martha Stewart) and hung out. I spent Thanksgiving with one quarter of my family but enjoyed every minute even as I missed DH and the rest of my family and family-to-be. One of my lovely aunts even made me a pumpkin roll - which was amazing! 

Henry has moved in to DH's and he loves the space and the window sills. He's costing me a small fortune in vet bills, but I love him still. 

 

Actually Road Tripping

It's the long awaited road trip post! You were waiting, right? Nah, probably not. But I'm gonna talk about it anyway. Cause it's my blog. 

DH and I agreed that this road trip would be a test of whether we have looong road trips in our marital future. The trip from the Deep South to the Deeper South (Knoxville TN) is roughly 13 hours. We broke the drive out into 2 days to make it a little more do-able. Of course Hurricane Isaac came through the night we arrived in Little Rock. It was a drive full of fried pies - y'all....to die for!...and zipping past tractor trailers at high rates of speed in very wet roads. I white knuckled a bit, not gonna lie. 

DH loves fried pies enough to sing about them! And the pecan pie was worth singing about.

The next day we sprang out of bed, well maybe slowly rolled, and hit the road. We met up with a great friend of mine in Nashville and had lunch, did some shopping and talked wedding stuff for a couple hours. Way too soon it was time to get headed onto Knoxville. Not that we weren't excited to get to Josh and Rachel, but I was sad to leave my Nashville friend.

It was our first trip to Knoxville and we loved it! It has such a small town funky feel to it. There's a little of everything there. We were so excited to see some of Josh and Rachel's favorite places....

Brassiere where I had my first frog leg and was introduced to salmon to die for.

Chez for breakfast

And we also tried a new place that DH and I pretty much would DIE to have here in the Deep South.

Dead End Bar-B-Que. Y'all, if you are ever within a couple hours of Knoxville, take the time to detour and go eat. It was a-freaking-mazing. DH and I are totally jealous that we don't have BBQ anywhere near this in the Deep South. 

*Before y'all start leaving me hate mail about how Texas has great BBQ, we agree. But this place is way better. Truth, y'all.*

My beef brisket, cheddar and fried onion sandwich. I could eat this every day.

And there is Yuengling on tap. On. Tap. 

Let's all take a moment to reflect on the lovelieness that is Yuengling.

The thing with Yuengling is that Tennessee is the closest state you can get it in to Texas. Unless Florida is closer than Tennessee. Then that statement is wrong.  We brought back a couple cases to Florida and it will be drank like the liquid gold that it is. It was only a couple cases because the place we went couldn't sell more than that without shorting their own stock.

When it's gone DH and I will look like this...

But until then, we'll look like this.

And when we got back to the Deep South there was a Henry who was very happy to see his Momma.

Road Tripping

Hey all!

So DH and I have been traveling and then some stuff at home cropped up...including two broken AC units. Which made us look like this...

But I promise to be back soon with a long post - and some pictures - in the next couple days.

I'm just spending my time trying to catch up and get blogging again! Next time, I'm totally writing posts ahead and scheduling them to post for me.

Sunday Social: Summer

Sunday Social! This will be short and sweet, I think.

What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer?

DH and I went to San Antonio for a weekend to see his mom and stepdad. It was a lazy weekend but we loved it. 

Favorite outfit look of the summer/clothing item?
My Calvin Klein athletic shorts. I got the at Ross and while they're not the most flattering piece that I own, but they are versatile!

What is one thing you wish you had gotten to do this summer?
Gotten home for longer than a weekend. There is nothing like western PA in the summer. The lightening bugs were out when I was home but there was also the possibility of a rogue brown bear in the area. I weighed all the pros and cons and decided I'd watch the fireflies from inside rather than be eaten off by the bear. 

Favorite Song of the Summer?

Picture in a Frame by Tom Waits

Favorite movie/tv show of the summer?

Favorite new show: Bunheads, hands down. Although I despise the name. I do, I'm sorry. But I love the show! The clip below is why I love Sutton Foster - if you don't know her, she's the brunette.

Favorite old show: Breaking Bad, of course.

Link up, kids!

Six Degrees

This weekend DH and I discovered that we can waste hours playing Six Degrees on a road trip. Initially we were going to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but realized that as prolific as Mr. Bacon is, neither DH nor I are old enough - eek! - to remember anyone else in his movies except, well, Kevin Bacon. Unless you're talking about Mystic River, then I can get somewhere. Sorry Kevin. I really do like you. *Oh wait! I just realized that Kevin Bacon in Tremors gets me to Fred Ward which leads to Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama!*

Anyway, we played for a couple hours each way and came to some conclusions.

1. If you can link an actor to Batman, you have accessed a cheat code. Like in a video game, the cast of Batman will let you link to almost 60% of the rest of Hollywood. In essence you've just jumped up six levels and suddenly have a chest full of diamond bricks kind of cheat code. Because everyone has been in Batman. Except....

2. Cheat code 2 - The Avengers. Again, a big group but not the same group as Batman. And then there's...

3. Inception. Which pretty much covers the rest of Hollywood, barring Julia Roberts.

4. The only cheat code better? Get to Samuel L. Jackson. He pretty much can get you anywhere.

Anyway, DH is a master at making the direct connection while I tend toward more obscure films and it takes me twice as long. He says that I'm a genius because he uses the same connections over and over. We're road tripping again before too long and think we should maybe come up with a list of people to pair since we started to run out of matches and we also tend to forget who we picked to link.

We spent the weekend with my future MIL and Stepdad and their puppies.I'm looking forward to becoming part of another family. Specifically DH's family.  It was a great weekend. We drove along the river in New Braunfels and spent a couple hours in Gruene. Pronounced Green for those of you not from Texas. It's where "Michael" was filmed and we grabbed a couple beers in The Gristmill which is where John Travolta spread his wings. 

It was a perfect movie ending kind of weekend.  

Sunday Social: Traveling

Sunday Social with Neely and Ashley!

Best trip you've ever been on
Would have to be the cruise since I left as a girlfriend and came back as a fiancee! Beyond that, the best trip was a family vacation to Chautauqua NY. It involved one very cruddy lake house, threats of flights home, panic-fueled rental hunting, a beautiful house on a lake, everything only about a mile away, a broke down care with 7 people and memories that will never fade.

Best idea for a girls weekend trip
Well, I'm thinking OKC in a couple months. I've never done a Girl's Weekend in the past, so this will be a first!

Best idea for a couples trip
Anywhere I go with DH is the best idea. Seriously. We usually go places within driving distance, so the time spent on the drive is always fun. We turn up the music, I get comfortable in the passenger seat and he drive 900 mph. It's great.

Best vacation on the cheap
Renting movies from Redbox, buying snacks at the gas station and cuddling on the couch with the blinds closed.

Place you most want to visit
Italy, someday. We still have family there that I've never met. It would be amazing to visit the church my great-grandparents were married in.

Vacation/Travel necessities
Underwear. We have a genetic flaw that rears it's head at times and bags will be packed without underwear or sometimes not nearly enough of it. Toothbrushes and other toiletries can be replaced pretty cheaply. But underwear? That's not as cheap a fix.

Next week's Sunday Social topic: Purses

Favorite handbag you've ever owned

Dream handbag you lust over

Daily essentials in your purse or work bag

What's in your purse(with pictures)

Weekend, What Weekend?

It's been quite the week in my life! So if you left me any comments in the last 8 days, thank you so much! And you should have a reply back. I always love getting a reply back, so I try to do that as much as I can.

What in the world was going on that I couldn't get back to comments? Well, there was skydiving last weekend for DH. It's something I would never ever do myself but he loved it and I was so glad to have been able to give that to him for Christmas. When he's happy, I'm happier!

Does anyone else feel like a holiday in the middle of the week is just a tease? I so did this past week. The fourth was a great day - very laid back. DH and I spent the evening with friends, making pizza and watching Bridesmaids - "Help me. I'm poor."

But the best and most time consuming part of the week was my trip home to Da Burgh this past weekend. My godmother was getting remarried and I was so honored to have been there. She and Hubby are off honeymooning as we speak! As always, when I'm home whether for a week or a day there is much family involved. My MIB (Most Illustrious Brother) and SIL were home for the wedding as well which was awesome since we only see each other maybe once a year. My Little Bro and SIL live closer to my parents so I see them slightly more and they were part of this weekends festivities as well.

I do have a question though...why can't I stay awake past 10pm here in the Deep South but when I go back to my parents house my mom and I will stay awake until 1 or 2 in the morning talking and I don't get tired until my head hits the pillow? Also, how about that very long run on and on and on sentence?

There is one last thing I would like to share....

Isn't he a gentleman for not taking back my ring upon seeing me make this face?

Cruisin' and Moving Full Sail Ahead

DH and I went on a cruise. I was a little nervous considering I cannot do more than tread water for a few seconds. I made him promise me that should we pull a Titanic...or a Costa Concordia, for that matter, that he would get me in a life boat with a life jacket on. I am a nervous traveler. I am convinced that I will miss my flight, forget my ID, lose my passport, leave my underwear at home, get pull over by security and be allowed into a country but not back out. Irrational traveling fears for the most part.

After we got under way, I was more amazed by the dolphins swimming along with us, the way the ocean changes colors and how freakin' huge the ship was. I was a little seasick the whole time. It was the worst when sitting still. Laying in the sun was fine, walking was fine. Whatever plane of gravity my head resides in when sitting was NOT fine. But the cruise line does their best to keep your stomachs full in an effort to distract you from the seasickness.

The ports that we stopped in were Progresso - kind of dirty - and Cozumel - I could live there. Cozumel was the only thing that DH wanted....white sands, crystal clear water and floating water toys. We had a great time!

While we were on the cruise DH surprised me with a proposal to spend the rest of our lives together. It was a beautiful night! We were alone on one of the lower decks and he had snuck the ring into his camera case without me being any the wiser. I wish I had a picture from right after but they're all on his camera. It was the perfect proposal for us. Then I kind of wanted to run through the cruise ship shouting "I'm getting married!!!!" But I didn't. Instead we went to a wine bar for champagne, held hands and giggled, had a round of champagne bought for us when we told the family next to us what had happened, went to a piano bar and DH broke two chairs. That's a different story completely...

It's so bright! The sun, the SUN!!!!

Pre-proposal

He needed a little captain's courage, I guess...

"Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?"

Eric's deep blue sea

Leaving Cozumel....tanned and happy

Dinner the last night...we didn't get pictures with our fourth couple =(

Now we're moving full speed sail ahead. It's all venues, caterers, dresses, pastors, flowers, photography....it's never ending at the moment. But a happy kind of never ending.

See ya later

I'll be out of touch for a little while. But have no fear, stories and hopefully pictures will abound when I return to blogging world!

A Little Look See

So there's not much going on in my world. I mean, there's a lot going on, but it's all the general things in life...not exactly riveting blogging. A few examples:

• Went to see The Hunger Games last night. Think it was a really great movie that stayed pretty close to the book. I appreciate the decision to not cast anyone super famous (before this past opening weekend). I tend to see an actor like Brad Pitt as Brad Pitt playing a role, not the role he's playing. Does that make sense to anyone else? Jennifer Lawrence was amazing, but I expected nothing less from someone who starred in Winter's Bone. If you haven't seen it, it's dark, depressing and moving all at once. The only decision I didn't really get behind was to make Haymitch more likeable than he's originally written. Or maybe it was the whole Katniss-Haymitch relationship that didn't ring true to me. Anyway, I have lots of friends who have yet to see the movie, so that's all I'm going to say. I hate it when others tell me all about the movie and what they didn't like or did like before I've seen it. Now, after I've seen it? Let's dish! 
• DH and I ran 10 miles yesterday in preparation for our first 1/2 marathon as a couple. We ran with one of his friends again this weekend. If the heat continues to build here then I am going to be miserable in 3 weeks when the race happens. Miserable. And I ate a bug again yesterday! True runner, I suppose.
• I am putting off packing. I hate packing and I am always convinced the inconceivable will occur so I end up packing a weird conglomeration of items. And then I wear approximately 10% of what I packed. 
• But once I finish packing and get through my work day tomorrow, 2 things happen:
• DH and I go celebrate my birthday!!!! Yes, it's the week of Awn. I accept all things sparkly. Not necessarily expensive, but sparkly. Totally kidding. I accept all gifts, sparkly or otherwise. 
• I get to go see my BFF in Boston! This is where both of us being audiologists kicks butt. We can go to the annual conference AND see each other!

Yeah, so not exactly riveting, as I said. And yet, I still ended writing a whole post. Hmmm...maybe I just like seeing my thoughts in writing.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Giraffes, A Rodeo Parade and a Photo Booth

I got to spend some time with My Person this past week. Our time included feeding Miles the Giraffe. He was a bit demanding and ate his lettuce at an alarming speed.

-Oh hi, Miles-

Introducing two Boston born drivers to what we call highways down here in the south while trying to navigate Houston in the midst of a Rodeo Parade and a marathon which made our hotel an island in a sea of street closures.

And a well placed photo booth at C and D's wedding

The feather boa and the hat was a must! I love that both My Person and DH are willing to have fun, no matter where we are.

The Quest

I feel like I'm on a one woman crusade to find time to blog, vacation, clean, run, do laundry, play with my new toy from Christmas, prepare for anniversaries, work, sleep and eat.

I'll try to break it down:
Christmas - it was amazing! DH was blessed by me, his one true love, with a gift of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Yep, I paid for him to skydive on a date of his choosing. Since day one of meeting one another he has waxed poetic about free falling through the stratosphere. To put it lightly, he was stunned! I was equally stunned at my gift....a new Kindle! My trusty kindle was a hand me down and was literally first generation. It was one step up from a person following me around and turning the pages of a book. I loved it but had no idea what I was missing! Words with friends without an iPhone? Yes please!

Vacation - DH and I traveled to Yankeeland and spent the better part of a week with my family and friends. It was amazing and a balm to my heart. I love living here in the Deep South and totally appreciate that I didn't even need a coat this afternoon, but I miss my first home. It was so sweet to see how DH and my family got to know each other and find more out about each other.

Cleaning, laundry, sleeping and eating are pretty self explanatory.

Running - Runner Girl and I have barely ran since the marathon. Sad, sad, sad. I feel jiggly. No lie. I feel like a big fat blob. I think this year is harder than ever at the holidays because I've been so good about eating the right way (still having treats) but this Christmas has been rough.

Work - This has been a really tough week for me. Since last Friday I have seen 4 patients with hearing loss of varying degrees. Sometimes what we do hits a little harder than other times, and this week is one of them. Thank heavens I'm off until next week. I know that it's important for families to know what is happening with their kids, but occasionally I wish I could tell them "Just come back next week. Enjoy this last holiday or this last weekend. Because in the next 5 minutes your world will change forever."

Anniversaries - DH and I are celebrating our 1 year anniversary this weekend. I thank God every day for giving me a man that I had no idea I could ever deserve. A man who loves me for exactly who I am, not who I can be or who he wishes I were. I am blessed to love him and be loved by him.

Thank you for following this little blog this past year. I hope that I can continue to entertain and amaze (c'mon, we all know you're AMAZED every time you stop by) throughout 2012.

Down In The Dumps

Today has been a weird day. Ever had one of those?

I've been a little out of sorts the last couple days, actually. DH has been great about it, and maybe it helps that I'm aware of my mood. I just don't know what the issue is.

Today is the perfect example. Church was good, I met with my finance guys and had a great meeting. I headed home in good spirits. I knew I wanted to work out and then go get a pedicure - a rare treat. I typically don't spend money on something I can do myself. My workout was good and the pedicure was amazing. I even met up with a friend and her little sassy-pants of a daughter for frozen yogurt.

But underneath it all I am kinda sad. I feel the urge to get out of town. Blow this popsicle stand. Burn some rubber. It doesn't matter really what you call it. Even wanderlust doesn't exactly describe it. I want to go somewhere and spend time with people who know me. I guess it's a little home sickness that crept up on me. I was just there last month, but I kind of just want to spend a weekend lying on my parents couch while we watch movies and eat junk food. I want to laugh with my dad and talk in movie quotes with my mom. And I want DH and all of my friends there too. In my mind, the living room is a lot bigger.

The reason that this really sucks is because it could be a lot of different things making me feel this way or influencing me to let me feel this way. I do believe the next two statements I am going to make. I believe that this could be Satan attacking me, stupidhead that he is. I do believe that maybe I'm not eating the right combination of things and am feeling a little under the weather to begin with. And it could be a combination of all of those things. I keep a pretty close tab on my emotional barometer and when it starts to tweak and spin there's a reason. I'm hoping this is all more related to blood sugar and diet, given the way my mood has been swinging around. Ask DH, he can attest to the lightening fast pendulum from happy go lucky to slightly morose. Maybe I've worked out too much and used all my endorphins for the next month?  Hmmm...anyone have a scientific research article pertaining to that theory?

Either way, if anyone has free airline miles they'd like to give up I'd gladly accept them. Pittsburgh, Dayton, Atlanta, Boston, Nashville and Las Vegas all sound good.

San Antonio

DH and I spent this past weekend with some of his family in San Antonio. It was my first trip there and I"m so glad we went! Not only was it great to meet the rest of DH's family, but it was a super relaxing weekend, which we both needed.

We went to The Alamo on Saturday. Remember the Alamo! Seriously, we didn't pay the $6 for the audio tour so I'm not sure I understood the significance of everything. The only part of The Alamo that the audio tour pertained to was the same part that you couldn't take pictures in - The Mission. So there may have been some amazing historical facts but I don't know them.

The grounds outside of The Mission were beautiful.  The gardens look like they've been there for decades and combined with the old architecture, it was as if we'd been transported back in time. Man does that sound dorky! But they were beautiful grounds.

We also found the church where some of The Alamo heroes are interred. Outside the church DH popped a pose by the fountain and found a new friend. He does love him some birds.

After our historical tour was the famed Riverwalk framed by lots of trees. Take an umbrella or be prepared to take your chances with the birds. I narrowly escaped being pooed on twice. If you know me, you know that birds are drawn to me for some reason. The Italians insist it is good luck to be hit by bird poop. I think they just wanted to swing an awkward situation in their favor. Anyway, sorry for digressing into the gastrointestinal world of birds there.

DH and I walked and talked and got all sorts of turned around but had a great time! We got so caught up in talking that we kind of went the wrong way on the Riverwalk and didn't realize it until about a half a mile past the touristy part of the Riverwalk. But there were some great hidden treasures along this stretch of the walk and we never would have seen them if we would have stuck to the restaurant/tourist section!

Along the way there were a ton of different birds to see and try to catch on film. The baby birds were my favorites while DH prefers the odder looking bird that we couldn't identify. Any ornithographers in my reading audience? 

If y'all are ever near San Antonio, the Riverwalk is a great place to spend the day and relax. Just remember, we Italians consider it good luck.