Behind, but for good reason

I'm sorry I got behind on my 30 Days of Thanks posts. I was doing so well! But I promise I have a really good reason.

I have a big announcement

Wives Unscripted

Today I helped launch a collaborative blog with 12 other women. All of us met, while we were planning our weddings. We've kept close ever since, and decided that we want to open our lives up to you all. We've spent a while plotting and planning for this blog, so certainly go check it out. It's been a big labor of love for me because it allows me to use my degree! I've missed doing design work, so this will be a nice outlet for me. I'll still keep posting here though. With 12 other people, I won't necessarily post every day, so that will allow plenty of time for me to keep up here.

So give the link a click and check us out. This week is dedicated to allowing you get to know us!

Have a good Monday!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 7

Day 7: A Scent

There are lots of scent to choose from. I do love Vanilla Bean Noel from B&BW, or the smell of pretty much anything baking. But I think the smell I love the most and am most thankful for is my husbands smell. He spends nights away from home and the thing I love more than anything is when he comes homes after being away for a night or two and he gives me a big bear hug. That hug and the way he smells makes me so happy and loved.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 6

Day 6: A Pair of Shoes

Just like yesterday, I don't think there is one single pair of shoes I'm thankful for. Well maybe super comfortable ones on those long days of walking. But in general I'm thankful I have any shoes at all, let alone have a choice of what shoes I wear on any given day. I think it's something a lot of people in first world countries take for granted. Many people in third world countries don't have shoes. I know there are many organizations that help by donating money to foundations that help provide shoes to those people throughout the world that are in need of shoes.

So maybe I'm most thankful for those organizations that provide those shoes so that other people may be thankful for their one pair of shoes.

Deep thoughts these last couple of days. :)

30 Days of Thanks Day 4-5

So I got behind a day. I think I need to write these ahead of time and schedule them to post. Might work better. Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to write a few for this week.

Day 4- A Snack

Popcorn. I can't say that it is my favorite snack of all time. There are certainly other snacks I enjoy. But popcorn is one of those comfort snacks. We have a Whirley Pop so we pop our popcorn on the stovetop. There is nothing better than a fresh hot bowl of popcorn to munch on while watching a good movie. And it is just really amazing how something you can eat off a cobb in a totally different way tastes so different when cooked a different way.

Day 5- A Place

I'm having a hard time with this one. There are a lot of places that I am really enjoy visiting or being at. There's the coffee house where my husband and I had our first date. There's our parents' homes where family gets together for holidays to celebrate. There's the park where we take our dog every week for walks. There's places we have gone on vacation that will always hold special places in my heart. So I guess I don't have one place that I am thankful for, but many, and for that I am thankful.

30 Days of Thanks

So Several of my Friends have been inspired by Lindsay over at Designer Wife to do a 30 Days of Thanks. I think it's a great idea and hopefully I want to challenge myself to do more blogging, so hopefully this will help. Each post may be pretty short, but that's ok.

I'm a little behind so I'll use today to catch up and then continue on.

Day 1: A person

I know it's going to be a little cliche, but I am most thankful for my husband. He is an amazing gift in my life. He supports me, he listens to me, he makes me laugh. If you've ever met him you know he is a wonderful man. We just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and actually the day this was supposed to start (Nov. 1st) was our 8th dating anniversary so I think it's quite appropriate that this what I am thankful for on this day.

Day 2: An animal

I only have one special non human in my life. His name is Baxter and I couldn't imagine my life without him now. We adopted him in Jan of 2008 just after we moved down to PA away from our friends and family. He has a lot of energy, but a lot of love to go along with that. Neither of us had had a dog before (well my husband when he was under 3yrs old) so this was completely new. We had to learn how to train him, and how to train ourselves. It wasn't easy, but it was very rewarding. I know that he has helped to prepare us to eventually become parents some day.

Day 3: A cozy place in my home

Well because the home I live in is not really "my" home, but belongs to my parents, I do have a hard time getting to the really cozy state in many places. I think really the only place is in our bed. The bed is the one large thing that my husband and I brought into my parents home that is officially ours. We purchased that bed when we moved in together to our first apartment. It is very cozy, and especially in the evenings before we fall asleep when we are all snuggled together, it is the greatest feeling in the world.

Ok I will do my best to post every day. And maybe I'll even add some pictures if i get the chance. But I will make every effort to post daily. Be sure to check out Lindsay's blog and also and who are also participating.

A Wedding, a Death, and a Baby

So I've been MIA for a few weeks. Sorry. I'm still really trying to get on my feet with this whole blog thing.

It's been a bit of a crazy few weeks for me. But I wanted to at least touch on a few big things that happened this past 2 weeks.

First, the death. The death of a man most hated by Americans, Osama bin Laden. Almost 10 years after the attacks on America on September 11, he was found and killed by US special operatives. FINALLY!!

There is a lot of debate about the mission. If it was carried out properly, if they could have taken Osama alive. So many ifs. But what it all comes down to is we got him. Honestly, I am kind of glad they were not able to take him alive. It would have caused more problems than solutions. Where would he be tried? Who would represent him? How much money would it take to house him until the trial? Guards 24hrs a day? What if he was killed while waiting for trial? What would happen to that person?Or worse what if he escaped while waiting for trial? The we would have to start all over again with our search for him, and I don't think he would be as easy to find a second time around (not that he was easy to find this time, but you get my drift).

Then there is the debate about the photos of his dead body. Should they be release to the public or not? Obama has decided not to release the photos. And I'm not going to attack him for that. There are certainly pros and cons to each. And there may be things the president knows about what they found during the raid that may have swayed his decision as well. I have to admit to being a bit curious. But at the same time, from the description released, any of the photos looked very gruesome. I don't know if I actually do want to see them. Also there will be doubters no matter what you do.

Now onto much lighter subjects

Second, of course is the royal wedding. I can't help but touch on this a little bit, it is historical after all. It will most likely be the only time I will witness the wedding of a future King (I was born after Charles & Diana's wedding). I have British blood in me from both sides of my ancestry. Of course every girl enjoys a wedding as well. What will the bride's dress look like; what kind of flowers will she have; what hats will the guests be wearing; what will the bridesmaid's be wearing? And this wedding was even more momentous as we witnessed Catherine Middleton go from commoner to royalty. And boy she sure looked the part. She. was. stunning. Her dress was amazing, and just what I imagined her wearing. It was elegant and simple. The jewelry was perfect to compliment the dress. And it was so sweet to see the way she and Prince William interacted.

This is the one time we really get a look into the life of royalty. I really enjoyed seeing what their wedding customs were. Learning that the bridesmaids are usually children, and that this was the first royal couple to have a "maid of honor" and a "best man". Also that they were the first royal couple to have lived together before marriage. Their ceremony is very deep with tradition, and I loved learning about that.

I wish I could have been able to watch the ceremony live. But unfortunately I needed to work. It would have been fun to get dolled up and watch while drinking tea and eating crumpets. But at least I was able to record it (thank you modern DVR's) and watch it the next day. All 6hrs of coverage.

Finally, my cousin (whom is like a big sister to me) had her baby a two weeks ago. I was able to get to the hospital only an hour after her bundle of joy had entered this world. It was amazing.Baby was still with mom post birth and had not been weighed or measured yet. I think this might be the only time I will witness this other than when my own children are born. Surreal is the only word that comes to mind as I watched this new life trying to take in the world. I am so glad I was allowed to be there to bear witness to this wonderful time in my cousin's life with her new family. It will be amazing to watch her daughter grow up, (and of course spoil her in the process) and hopefully I will have children for her to play with someday. In just a few short weeks she has already begun to learn about the world around her.

While on the baby subject, I just feel a bit compelled to touch on one more thing. This week the Top names of 2010. Most of the names in the Top 10 are classics, Michael, William, Emily, Sophia, Ect. However, there are more and more "trendy/modern" names creeping up there. Jayden for instance for a boy. I would love to know who started the damn "replace random vowels with 'y' and heck just add in a random 'y' where ever you want. I want to go back and time and convince this person that it is a horrible idea.

These poor kids are going to grow up having to spell their name for everyone. There were always names out there that could be spelled multiple ways, Stephen/Steven. But all you had to ask was is that with a v or a ph. Not oh is there a Y in there instead of one of the E's. I think 3/4 of this list this year contains random different spellings of traditional names. And really you are not making your kid "you-neek" by spelling their name different. The only difference now is that there is not going to be 11 Jennifers in one class instead there is going to be a Jenipher, a Jennyfyr, a Jennyfer, and a Jynifer. Really it's still the same name people. Sorry I know there are people out there that do like these names, but I know there are many out there like me who feel the same way about these names. End rant.

SITS Challenge: Spring into Action Day 2

I've decided to join the SITS Spring into Action Photography Challenge.

I really haven't done enough on my own with my photography since I got my new camera in Feb. I am hoping this will help me take more photos, and get better about posting them to my blog. I have a few posts that are photoless, which well is not so much fun. I have photos that are uploaded for posts, but never quite make it to the blog. I need to get better about that.

I took a few photos last night. In horrible lighting, at 11pm. If I had better lighting in these, I would have been happier with the photos. But I didn't, so I went outside today right when I got home from work and took a few more photos. It was freezing, my dog was so excited that I was home that he wasn't being very good at sitting still, and my battery was dying. Not a good combination. But I will share a few that I was happy with from each session. Hopefully as Spring really starts to appear, taking photos outside will not seem so much of a chore.

A few from last night's shoot.

And then from today. Much better lighting.

I really wish I had better subjects outside. There wasn't much outside to photograph yet since it's still been too cold for the flowers and plant life. Hopefully soon though. I would love some better subjects. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a chance to be outside. It will be much nicer weather.

Overall this was a great challenge. It really got me thinking about the composition in the camera which is much needed. I also really loved learning about the online photo editing tools. Though I own Photoshop, sometimes I just don't have the energy, and want to do something quick.

Letting go...

I had actually planned to post about this subject sometime soon. Well today is the perfect day. Today the ladies over at SITS are hosting a link up to Let Go.

There's something I haven't yet talked about here, at least not in depth. It's something I am ashamed of, so I try not to let people know about it. But I really shouldn't be ashamed of this. I know there are others all over the country that are in the same situation that my husband and I are in.

You see, my husband and I , live with my parents. We moved in with them about 3 months after we were married when my husband lost his job, then I lost mine. We've now been with them for almost 2 and a half years. We both have jobs now, but they are contract jobs that don't come with benefits. Couple this with the fact that we unfortunately had accumulated a fair amount of Credit Card debt, and you get a not so pretty financial situation.

I grew up with this ideal in my head, as most people my age do, that you graduate high school, go to college, get a job right out of college, get married, buy a house, and have kids. That's what is supposed to happen. Well, it didn't. I didn't get a job right out of college. I don't live in my own home, and we aren't planning on kids for another few years when we can be financially stable. I don't have a fairy tale life that I always thought people were supposed to have. I have a real life, live like most of the rest of the country does, and that is ok with me.

When we moved in with my parents, we thought it was only going to be for a few months. We had been living out of the area, and we thought that when we moved back home, and got jobs, we would be back on our feet in no time. Well, that would of been the case in a perfect world. However, all this happened during one of the biggest financial crises our country had seen in years. So, getting back on our feet was going to be much more difficult.

We have made the best of a difficult situation, afterall when we moved in we were newlyweds. It has certainly not been easy having 4 adults in one home, each with their own opinions, ideals, and THINGS. The logistics of how to fit all of our stuff was the hardest. We had to get a storage unit which is where our larger funiture lives (except are matress we brought that with us). It was hard at first for my husband especially to adjust to living with my parents and being comfortable at "home". We wanted to respect their space. Afterall they were nice enough to welcome us and our dog into their home. But it was, and still is difficult living with your parents. Logistics of who is cooking, who cleans what room, and how the cars are parked in the driveway were something we had to figure out.

It's taken me a long time to become comfortable talking about a lot of this with people other than my close friends and family. I feel like a lot of people look at our situation and assume we are irresponsible and lazy. We both work hard, and hopefully will both have permanent/stable jobs within a year. We will be paying off the last bit of our credit card debt within a month or two. We have worked hard to get that done. And we're thankful an inheritence was able to help us out with the last push. We now plan on staying with my parents so we can build up our savings so we will be ready when we leave to hopefully buy a home of our own. We are so thankful that my parents were able to help us. We are very grateful that we do have wonderful support system.

So today I am letting go of hiding, and saying hello to sharing my life.

Today is only the beginning.

Catching up...

I'm really trying to get better about posting. I think I may need to write posts, then add pictures later. I would love suggestions to help jump start my frequency of blogging.



I finally ordered and received my new P&S camera. I LOVE it. I did a lot of research, Mostly on Consumer Reports, but some other reading of consumer reviews as well on Amazon and other sites. I finally ended up pulling the trigger and buying the Panasonic FH20 in black. I am loving the camera so far. The zoom is amazing, and I happy so far with the flash and the stabilization. I haven't had too many opportunities to use it since it arrived. The camera is compact and perfect for sticking in a pocket or purse to bring along. It is a little heavier than some I have seen, but it is all metal exterior which is a nice feature.



My wonderful husband arranged a horse drawn sleigh ride for us as part of my Christmas gifts. We didn't go until the first weekend in Feb. due to scheduling conflicts and weather. But it didn't disappoint. It only lasted about a half hour, but it was such a different experience. My only complaint was that the park the ride was in was too familiar to me (we go to this section of the part about once a week, during the summer, much more). I wish that there was somewhere else local that we could take the ride that I would be more into the scenery more as it would be new.



We also went out to a wonderful dinner that we called our annichristine's dinner celebration. We had originally bought a certificate from Restaurants.com to use for our Anniversary in Oct. But, with the holidays and my husband's class schedule at the end of the semester we never used it. So, we thought it was a great night to use it. We went to The Grill at the Strathallen. It was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend it for a nice night out.

I think that's all for now. I'll make a separate post for my bakathon for Valentines Day.

Happy New Year

Well it's a new year which gives me the opportunity to maybe start blogging with a little more regularity. I have been meaning to do much more blogging, but I just keep putting it off. But I would like it to become more of a priority.

I think part of the reason I have problems is that I have trouble finding things to blog about. But I think I will start blogging more about everyday things and stop trying to come up with specific things to blog about. At least to get me started into the habit of blogging.

Not much has happened this year. Nothing exciting at least. Both my husband and I continue our quest to find permanent jobs with benefits. We are both employed as "temporary" employees or as "contract". Which is great, it brings in money to pay bills, but still doesn't provide us any decent benefits, nor quite enough money for us to move out of my parents house. Hopefully this year brings a permanent job to at least one of us, if not both.

I plan on buying a new point and shoot camera this month or next using Christmas money we received. It was something that we both want and need, and I've found what I think will be a great camera at a very good price. I hope to start getting back into my photography and posting more pictures here. I am going to shoot for at least a photo a week one I get the camera.

I don't really "do" New Years Resolutions as I really have a hard time keeping them. But I do like to set out a few goals that I would love to reach this year.

• I would like at least one of us to get a permanent job.
• I would like to try to blog more often. Once a week would be great, but I'll even settle for once a month.
• I would like to do more in the evenings. By this I mean try to accomplish something more than sitting watching TV and absentmindedly surfing the net. I would love to do more sewing projects, finish that darn afghan for my cousin's wedding (I would love to have this done by the time her baby arrives in April), get more into my photography, take the dog for more walks at night ect. I know this isn't easy since most nights I don't get home until 8pm, but some nights at least I need to devote to doing something to help me feel more accomplished.
• Save up money for something fun. Even if it is something not very expensive. I would like to save money for something that isn't needed. It's very hard for me to do this since we still have debt to pay off, but I think in order to feel happy sometimes you need to do this.
• Go on vacation, even if it is only for a weekend. Since we live with my parents, there is always someone else home. It would be nice to have a weekend of just us.
• Get on a gym routine. I had been doing great when I got out of work at a normal hour. But now not getting out until 7:30, the evenings are kinda shot for gym time. I need to get up early and get to the gym. I had been doing great with my weight loss, and am still doing great with eating well, but without the gym, it's very very slow going. I would like to be back to under 150 by the end of the summer (that's 15lbs from where I am currently). It would be even better if I could get back around 135 where I was through High School and most of college.

I really hope this blog can serve as an outlet for me. I was never good at keeping a diary or journal as a kid, unless I was forced to do so. But it think even if I can get an entry every couple weeks, even if it's short. That will be great to hold me more accountable and hopefully help me feel more accomplished.

Hopefully 2011 will be a great year for me!