Becoming Mrs. Ford

You Can Find Me

2012-02-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

See you next week, friends. This is where you can find me for a few:

Renninger's Flea Market

2012-02-08T04:48:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago I trucked it up to Mount Dora to Renninger's: Florida's Largest Antique and Flea Market. Dudes, IT WAS BIG. One sides is a sprawling indoor/outdoor flea and farmers market and the other side is a sprawling indoor antique mart. The antiques were beautiful, but they weren't awesomely priced.

I decided to try my luck in the flea section and I gotta tell you, I was slightly disappointed in the offerings and the prices. Whenever I have gone to flea markets in the past it has been for the deals, but the Renninger's sellers weren't budging on their costs the morning I went.

They did have SOME really cute homey stuff in the flea section:

Wouldn't this be sweet in a garden with flowers planted in it?

I kind of fell in love with this outdoor furniture for a little girl. It's hard to tell in the picture but this is a mini collection, all ready for an outdoor tea party with teddy bears and dollies.

Yep, that's me trudging through the not-yet-uncovered items. This candle- chandelier for an outdoor space was so pretty and only like $35! That was a good deal but we don't have much of an outdoor area in need of chandelier's at the moment. :) This piece also needed some paint, but that could be a fun project for the right person.

I loved these mini-arches, especially to hang on a skinny, bare wall in your home. They were $25 - $30 each though and the largest one couldn't have been more than 18 inches. Fail.

There were so many buckets...

And a thousand birdhouses. There is a cute home near Jonathon's grandma's house with about 100 birdhouses in a bare tree out front of their home, which I think is a really sweet idea. These cuties were only like $5 each, so sweet.

It was pretty chilly out the morning I went out to the Market and I was there pretty early, so I'm sure that affected the "mood" of the place. I definitely plan to try my luck again under different conditions, hopefully soon!

This is Why I LOVE the Off-Season

2012-02-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

Had a dreamy weekend with the one I love. There were pancakes. There was reading on the beach (in February!). There was Texas barbecue with cinnamony honey butter. There was a safari through the Congo River. There was pro football viewing and cheering. There was a killer sweater sale. There were lots of snuggles.

You just don't know how much fun it is spending time with my sweets when there isn't an expiration stamp on our date. LOVE having him back for our weekends and I'm trying to soak it up while I've got it. Can you tell? ;)

J definitely thought the Old Spanish Sugar Mill lived up to it's hype. We went a little crazy with the pancake mix-ins, but I think that's how they getcha. You drive forever, pay for entrance to a state park, add your name to a waiting list and by the time you're seated you order one of everything on the menu. It was delicious though. The gal at the table behind us had two small kids and an infant and she made them all pancakes and kept their little hands off the hot hot griddle all by herself. Shout out to single moms making it look easy!

Yes, its February and yes it was about 78 out; perfect day at the beach! After breakfast we drove East to New Smyrna Beach (which is precious), walked around on Flagler Ave, NSB's cute downtown with little beach bungalow surf shops and cafes, then found ourselves a spot of sand to call our own. This is truly my idea of heaven.

Somehow the day was still young, so we decided to try our hand at the great Congo River miniature golf challenge. While we didn't exactly earn the day's highest (lowest?) putting scores, the CR crew does give you a scavenger hunt to conduct along your path and we kicked that hunt's butt twice to Tuesday. Guess what we won? $1 off our next visit ;)

Oh hi, I live in Florida and we have a LOT of gators. You could feed these at the CR if you were so inclined. We were not.

We certainly built up an appetite of Texas sized proportions with our day of fun. Anyone in the mood for Texas Roadhouse? Yes, two of us. It's worth the drive up north just for the rolls.

Nothing I love more than this face:

Nostalgia Monday

2012-02-06T04:12:00.000-08:00

Oh, facebook... What a love/hate relationship we have. I think you are more trouble than you're worth and then I raid my aunt's photos and stumble on these beauties.

My pops and auntie as youngins. This picture freaks me out, I feel like I looked just like my dad here (but with longer, girlier hair) when I was a kid:

My Grandpa Red, a true man's man:

Grandma Pat looking flossy:

Yes, these are really my awesome grandparents. Don't they look like a retro magazine cover? Classy runs in my family!

Thanks for sharing Auntie. ;)

Weekend Warriors

2012-02-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

You can find me blissfully spending time doing NOT MUCH with my sweets this weekend. Here's hoping it looks a lot like this, only with a beach backdrop:

Living in Florida truly has some perks, especially in the months of January through April. It's all down hill from there, though. Got any fun plans this weekend???

Write It On Your Heart

2012-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, sure. But sometimes words say it so much sweeter, especially when chosen carefully. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I've compiled for you wordsmiths, a mini emo-valentine's gift list, all from Etsy.

A poster-print in subtle grey for you and him/her will go with any decor and any dog:

What sweetheart doesn't love a good mixed tape?

A frame-able 8x10 print for your honey bee:

Just come out and tell your sweetie how you feel:

If you want her to carry your eager heart in her heart with wild abandon...

And sometimes, depending on just HOW emo your sweetums is, a picture is really worth a thousand words:

Baby G Turns One

2012-02-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? It really was a whole year ago that my bff Lindz popped out the world's biggest baby (all 10 pounds 13 ounces of him). I guess I must have blinked because here we are celebrating his first birthday. He's walking, eating cake, getting haircuts! Slow down little dude, you were just a tiny (ish) baby a minute ago!

I was happy to get to help Lindz make little man's birthday special with a carnival themed backyard party, complete with candy and cupcakes galore! Grant got his first haircut at Disney World on his birthday, complete with his first ever Mickey ears. What is cuter than that?

The man of the hour. He didn't know what to make of all of our cameras and stares and he definitely wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with that cupcake! Good thing mom and dad were around to help.

Oh ps: someone's got a bun in the oven! Two baby's in 19 months, she must be a crazy woman.

Baby G loves his grandpa and grandma:

Look whose standing and toddling around all on his own!

Woopdie we popped a birthday balloon!

My bestie :)

This doesn't even begin to show the absolute mayhem that occurred once the gifts got opened:

Love this little bundle of giggleys.

Happy birthday baby G! Love you little buddy.

Abby's 30th Bday Surprise

2012-02-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Happy February!

We made it through January guys, are we pumped? This past weekend was a birthday extravaganza with not one but two parties for my friend Abby's 30th birthday and little Grant's 1st birthday. It was a weekend of growing up. :)

We surprised Abby with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" 30th birthday surprise. We wrote her a book entitled "Princess Abby's Flirty Thirty," then she chose some adventures. Abby picked dinner at Tommy Bahamas, a Rock Band Adventure and Cheesecake for dessert. Well chosen friend!

None of us had been to Tommy Bahamas before and it was DELICIOUS and very laid back. Everyday is a long weekend at TB's! We had a few drinks, a lot of laughs and some tasty seafood.

Later, our band Big Jack and Blondie went on the road for a Rock Tour with special guests Abby and Stuart and we enjoyed some delicious cheesecake to boot.

I would say it was a very successful birthday surprise. Abby bought herself a house for her 30th birthday so I think hers was the best gift. Next up, Little Grant turns 1.

Baaaaalllin

2012-01-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

Since the football season officially ended, I have been ecstatic to enjoy some more time with my sweetie and wouldn't you know? When not coaching of course we are watching some sports! Good thing I love football, baseball and basketball as much as he does. :)

Last week we were very lucky to be given tickets to watch the UCF vs. Memphis Basketball game and we had a blast. Guess who else was at the game? Michael Jordan! (One of his sons plays for UCF). We sat like 5 yards from him and I might have watched him as much as I did the actual game. For someone who played basketball, loves to watch it, is originally from Illinois and who's favorite number happens to be 23 (and 3, I have two favs)... let's just say it was pretty awesome.

To top the awesome night off... The Knights Won! The fans rushed the court, which was also pretty awesome to see first-hand.

All in all, it was a fantastic date night with the man of my dreams (Jonathon, not MJ!).

Happy Monday

2012-01-23T04:57:00.000-08:00

Did you have a wonderful weekend? Have a case of the Mondays this morning? Me too, but don't worry, January is almost officially over. Isn't January a little bit like the whole year's Monday? I feel like the year really can be enjoyed once we are out of January. Why? Well, next up is Valentine's Day, then our anniversary, then everyone we knows birthdays in March, J's birthday in April, mine in May, and then BAM its summer. Baby-steps people.

Anyhow, I know SOMEONE who had a great weekend: Senior Teensy.

We finally went to the dog park on Sunday to play in the beautiful 70 degree sunny weather for almost two hours. My little man was in dog heaven. As you can see from this photo, our dog park is... unique. It is basically a swirling vortex of water, mud and muck. You might get why our trips have become more and more infrequent. Anyhow, AFTER the dog park was when the "true" fun began. It was seriously like the pink ring around the bathtub in the Cat in the Hat.

The more I tried to get Teeny mud-free, the more the house turned into a disaster zone. Yes, the park has a hose and yes, I used it prior to bringing him home. It just wasn't enough; the muck was EVERYWHERE. I ended up vacuuming and cleaning the car and the house and I washed more towels, blankets, rugs, and my own clothes than I have in like a month. At the end of the day, I had a very happy dog and a very clean dog, house and car... so of course it was all worth it.

What'd your weekend look like?

Photo Field Trip

2012-01-14T04:24:00.000-08:00

The first Monday of every month the Harry P. Leu Gardens offer free admission to their botanical gardens and recently I took them up on their offer for a little photography field trip.

My wonderful husband and I have been saving up for a (long long) while for a new computer but he very sweetly allowed me to blow a big chunk of our computer stash on a new camera when they went on sale this past Black Friday. He knew how important photography used to be to me and how I have put this part of my life on the way back burner for long enough. He is truly one in a bajillion. Thank you sweet baby!

My field trip to Harry P. Leu was my way of jumping back in the saddle. I said it has been a while now, didn't I?! Anyhow, I am really enjoying playing around with my new cam. I had a very zen, very relaxing, very fun time working on my plants and wildlife shots at the gardens and I was really happy with how the photos turned out. The highlights:

Isn't it so Florida suthawn at the Leu?! Next up for my photography adventures, PEOPLE! You ready for your close-up friends?

Meal a Day Deals

2012-01-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been hearing a lot about EMealz and Menu for the Week type companies and I am intrigued. Have you all heard about these services?

Basically you sign up for an email service and these companies send you daily recipes and grocery lists. Some (EMealz) even scour your local grocery store ads and send you a weeks worth of recipes that use the sale items at your local market. You save money and have something other than chicken and veggies every night. As part of my "be more zen" resolution for the year, I have started cooking a fresh dinner for my handsome husband and I every night and it has been great for our together time, wallets and tummies but we are quickly running out of favorite recipes.

I am pretty picky about what kind of food I put in this bod of mine (is it organic? is it made of cheese? is it fried?) so I'm not sure if these recipe cards would be ideal for me but I like the idea of getting daily food inspiration. I get good ideas from blogs, Real Simple, Food & Wine, and I have also started following several recipe twitter accounts too.

Have any of you tried these services? DailyCandy was offering half off on one such service through Menu for the Week today and EMealz has a sample menu from Whole Foods available here. There are definitely coupon codes available online if you are signing up for these too, fyi.

Any other suggestions for mixing it up at dinner time?

HoliDisney Adventures

2012-01-12T04:53:00.001-08:00

Prior to Christmas our good friends and Disney insiders Jamie and TJ (who tearfully moved to Pittsburgh recently) returned to O-Town for a weekend and took us on a tour of the Disney hotel holiday decorations. It was something we have wanted to do as long as we have lived here in Orlando and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was AWESOME.

Behold, the lobby of the Grand Floridian in all it's Christmas splendor:

Regularly, the Grand Floridian is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever been in, but the Victorian themed hotel is even more stunning when decorated for the holidays with garlands, lights, a giant xmas tree and a life-size gingerbread house. Our happy friends and us:

Yes, we bought a gingerbread shingle from the gingerbread house and it was glorious.

After touring the Grand Floridian, stopping for a drink at the bar, listening to the live band and of course, enjoying our gingerbread we headed outside to watch fireworks over the boat dock that takes hotel guests to the theme parks. I'm pretty proud of this photo if I'm being honest with you:

Cuties:

Next stop was the rustic and cozy Wilderness Lodge with one of the most ginormous trees I have ever seen.

There may have been more Disney bars and more drinking, but mostly there were good friends and conversation. COME BACK FRIENDS!!!

Another Disney trip J and I took pre-Christmas was our romp to Celebration, Florida: Disney's planned community. We went last year as well to cruise around looking at the super duper over the top festive light displays that homeowners put up. But beyond the lights, they also make it snow in Celebration. Out of the sky. In Florida. Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Yes, it's really soap but it is pretty fun too. They play music, have fake ice skating, horse drawn carriages and a train that circles the town for the kiddies as well. Of course we had to get our obligatory shot with the Christmas tree!

While it might not get cold enough to bundle up and build snowmen, Orlando still has some pretty fantastic Christmas fun to be had if you know where to look. Living near Disney has been a pretty great perk to living here. More on our Christmas adventures to come soon!

Well Hello, 2012

2012-01-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

Welcome to a brand new year! I've been away traveling, visiting family, attending a wedding, celebrating life with my sweet husband, hanging out with Teensy and taking as many photos as I can. Photos of all of that to come. I have also been working working working working, which they say is a good thing that I should be grateful for, so let's just leave it at that. A few highlights from the last few weeks:

I'm not super big on New Year's Resolutions but I have made just one change that I am hoping to stick with... I'm trying to be more zen.

With a few small adjustments this has worked out well so far. The adjustments mostly include only doing as much as I can, doing what I want to do instead of what is "the right choice," reading more, cooking more, and working out more, but in a zen way. All of that has added up to not feeling stressed out to the max so far this year and it's a good feeling.

Have you made any promises to yourself for 2012?

I'll Be Home for Christmas

2011-12-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

Just try to not cry at the end of this song, I triple dog dare you.

XoXo

2011-12-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

Christmasy Weekend

2011-12-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

That's all she wrote yins. The last weekend before Christmas is one for the books; did you spend it merrily? My sweeties and I did for sure.

On Friday night we headed down to Celebration, Flordia where it snows every half hour! :) The "snow" is actually soap suds that are released from lamposts on main street, but it is beautiful nonetheless (if not a little dirty from the mobs of children rubbing soap in each others' faces). They also have horse-drawn carriages and some of the most insane displays of lights you have ever seen. Exhibit A:

I took many more photos and videos, which I will happily shares soon, but you get the drift, right? It is pretty much magical, and if you get the chance to be in Central Florida over the holidays ever, I highly suggest swinging my Celebration.

Also, I promised photos of our adorable wreaths and I always deliver on my promises:

Oops, how'd this cutie get in here???

The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS here in Florida this weekend, and finally felt cool and crisp. We soaked it up on Park Avenue with some lunch, people watching and shopping this weekend as well. It was very relaxing and a great way to start off Christmas week!

Only 5 days til the fat man brings us our goodies!

Christmas, Florida

2011-12-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

Guess where you will be able to find me tonight? Christmas, Florida. No, that's not just a state of mind friends, its an ACTUAL PLACE. And I want to go to it.

Where is Christmas, Florida? Glad you asked. Here's an extremely helpful map to guide your way:

I have actually driven through Christmas before when it was NOT December and at the time, there wasn't much to see. I am hoping now that the holidays are upon us, the town goes all out with their holiday lights. It would seem almost sacrilegious if they didn't, right? Besides the holiday lights, we are making the trek just for you. Yes, you guessed it. Your Christmas card will not only be beautiful, thoughtful and SWAK (sealed with a kiss, I'm 13)... it will also be stamped with the USPS sent from Christmas, Florida stamp.

You are so welcome.

Office Holiday Party

2011-12-13T04:49:00.000-08:00

One universal part of celebrating Christmas that people can either look forward to all year or completely dread is The Office Work Party. Ours was yesterday and it was actually really fun. There was ice skating, So You Think You Can Dance on Wii, food pantry donations, hot apple cider and... guess who was there? SANTA and MRS. CLAUSE!

By far the best part of the party was the ice skating. I had to convince Abby to get out there with me. As you can see, we were some of the first people on the ice but the traffic picked up after they saw how cool we were. :P

I would like to point out that I am from Los Angeles and Abby is from Ohio and this was her first ever time ice skating. She kind of hated me and kind of loved me for making her try it. Seems appropriate.

Have you had an office party yet this year? Was it horrible or horribly awesome?

Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

2011-12-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas has finally arrived in Central Florida!

Folks... this weekend I did Santa a solid and cleared the stores OUT with gift purchases. Two places with enormous sales that have a lot less inventory this morning than on Saturday or Sunday: Kohls and Joanns. Joanns in particular was a little dizzying. I managed to spend only $40 and walked out with bucketloads including two big beautiful wreaths for our home ($10 each. SERIOUSLY. Pictures to follow).

The conversation between myself and the cashier ended in her saying: "Ma'am, the door is that way. Are you really leaving this time? It's honestly for your own good." True story.

Besides the gifts and the wreaths... Here's a preview of a couple of my huge weekend splurges:

Our new "fireplace" which comes equipped with your choice of carols or crackling flames sound track. Yes, it was well worth the $5.

Teeny's new "I heart/paw Santa" collar! I realize he doesn't look overjoyed by his new collar but he only looks sad because I made him pose with his head on the ground for the photo, NOT because his yearly duties as reindeer are upon him. :)

Besides shopping without dropping, we also received our very first Christmas gift in the mail from the world's best MIL this weekend! In case you were wondering, she told us to open it early, we weren't being greedy piglets. We were BLOWN away when we opened the gift: A beautiful new nativity that I have had my heart set on for quit some time. (Real pics to come soon too):

I honestly don't remember telling her that we wanted this so much but she is a sneaky good listener and now our home will be even more festive for years to come. THANK YOU STACI!

How's your shopping list coming along? Is your home all holiday jolly? Hopefully tonight we get our TREE!

The Nutty Professor

2011-12-09T05:01:00.001-08:00

No students were harmed in the making of this photo...

Well folks, that's all she wrote! Mark my first semester as a college professor down in the books. I was fortunate enough this semester to co-teach a freshman seminar course with my friend and co-worker Abby. Co-teaching was not only hilariously fun but also made my life WAY less insane. I'm sure our students thought we were crazy... fun and slightly crazy. We were both teaching this class in addition to our regular full-time jobs at the university and without partnering to teach it, we would have had a hell of a time keeping up with all of the work.

It felt great to be back in the classroom after about two years and I really loved some of our students but MAN is it nice to be done with that extra hunk of work each week. I am ready for a SERIOUS BREAK. Speaking of which... there are only 15 days until CHRISTMAS!

Are you ready?

New York State of Mind

2011-12-08T05:01:00.000-08:00

It is finally winter here in Orlando! The temp actually got down to 45 degrees this morning and more than anything, that just makes me want to be somewhere with true wintery Christmas magic... New York City! If only I were ice skating in Central Park today and then off to enjoy a hot apple cider and shopping spree along 5th Avenue.

I suppose I will take winter in Florida while I have it today. It's supposed to be 75 again tomorrow (what?! why?!) and I know a lot of the world would happily trade places with ME for a day in this weather. By the way.... When did it get to be December 8th? I am giving my final exam today and then most of my students are scampering home for the holidays or are off to cruises with their families. Really. Lucky little students.

How are you enjoying the early December weather in your neck of the woods?

Cute Xmas Gifts for Teacher

2011-12-07T04:36:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts about the days leading up to Christmas are all of the wonderful gift guides out there... I know that might sounds weird, but I love looking at all of the fun, random items you can purchase out there that you would normally not consider. I like Real Simple's and Lucky's gift guides and Design*Sponge just put one out this morning.

Daily Candy has a list for just about everyone on yours, not the least of which is a darling Teacher's Gift Guide. How great are these few items from that list?

In case you are still stumped on what to give your child's teacher... speaking from experience and an extensive list of teacher friends, you can just about never go wrong with a Starbucks gift card.

Any other great gift lists you guys are perusing this time of year?

We're Going Bowling!

2011-12-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

See you silly Ducks at the ROOOOOOOSSSSSSSSEEEEE BOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!

We'll be the ones in Red.

Jonathon's Xmas Wish List

2011-11-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

Jonathon put together this Christmas list for your shopping pleasure and the list seriously cracks me right up. This list looks exactly like one of those "What to get the MAN in your life" articles in a December ladies magazine. Hehe, I have a man's man for a husband. Or wait... should I be concerned that my husband is really a robot? ARE YOU A ROBOT BABE?

The man would like an Electric Cordless Razor. He does have to shave on the go more often than you would think.

For our wedding I got him a lovely Tiffany Plaid Decanter and he would (obviously) like a set of Double Old Fashioned Glasses to match.

Along the same lines... he would like some high-quality booze to go fill the glasses with. He is building a bar, can't you tell? It's ok, I will have a lovely library with a fireplace and record player and pretty curtains and he can have the bar. I'm ok with that.

The man wants a tv. Presumably to watch Bravo and TLC on. Those silly Duggars...

World famous football coach Mike Leach's new book Swing Your Sword.

An iPad... Why not?

A pretty business card holder. Lil mama may have snuck this one into the list, but I think he would really love to have this as he really loves having business cards. Man's man, remember?

A Keurig for his office... There are a lot of these and I tried to get him to specify but I guess one that doesn't require a lot of cleaning would be a good fit.

Kiehl's shower set. If you're going for shampoo/conditioner, he likes the olive fruit oil and amino acid varieties. If you're going for face creams, I like their midnight recovery and abyssine eye cream. Just saying.

A macbook pro. Yea, we would like a new computer. It's only a matter of time!

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 for Xbox.

New Rainbow flipper floppers (size XXL).

And last but not least... a trip to the Four Seasons Miami! OOPS, how did this get in here? ;)

Merry Shopping again!

My Christmas Wish List

2011-11-29T04:17:00.000-08:00

I started my own Christmas shopping early this year so as to avoid the last minute scrambles and budgetary issues typical of my holiday season. So far, I have purchased our Christmas cards (I might have purchased about 60 cards and I am in love with all them) as well as a few gifts and a few decorations. I'm doing great! Did I mention I heart Christmas?!

I thought I would start my Christmas List early this year too, just in case you all wanted to get started shopping for me early. ;) Here's what I have thus far:

Framed Max Wanger photo (or something artisily similar) available for purchase on his website here. Pretty, right?

Tiffany Rose Gold Earrings... I really want Tiffany Bead earrings in rose gold but I don't think they come in rose gold just yet. I would take them in silver and black onyx too, though. I think they are so simple and timeless. Beyond the Bead earrings, I am slightly in love with these and these.

Girls night out at MAC, which is basically a private make-up party for you and your homies. Who wouldn't want to do that?!

Canon 7D DSLR Sexytime Camera. Nuff said. - UPDATE... I didn't get THIS camera but I did get a new camera on Black Friday and I am PUMPED about all of the gorgeous pics this blog is about to be blessed with! I am keeping this item on my xmas list because having the 7D would be truly magical and I can always sell mine on eBay. I'M JUST SAYING.

Laptopy computer... fifth year running on my xmas list. COME ON SANTA!

A sibling for Teeny. Seriously. Look at these faces.

I know these are super corny but I fell in love with the heart football charm at Brighton Collectibles and I think it would be sweet to have a football wife charm bracelet that can be built upon. They have sports charms, state charms (so far Cali and Florida!) and "inspiration" charms that say things like Faith. I love corny stuff like this...

A romantical trip with my sweetie to somewhere Suthawn like Savannah or Charleston.

Workout gear. I think I was still in graduate school the last time I bought new running shoes. Gross. I have USED them since then though, for your information.

Jason Aldean concert tickets... he's coming to Orlando in January!

Flats and Dresses for work. I will take any cute flats. I pretty much live in dresses at work so the more the merrier. Get it? Merrier...

And last (for now) but definitely not least... a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios! BUTTER BEER HERE I COME!

If that list doesn't do it for you, feel free to check out last years list. Many of the same items are still much wanted. Merry Shopping!

Mrs. Ford's First Turkey

2011-11-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

Ta DA! I did it. :)

Let me back up a minute... Jonathon's godfather Phil came to town this weekend for Thanksgiving and to see J's last game of the season.

That last game happened to fall on the day after Thanksgiving so of course he had to work on Thursday and Friday. That was OK with us, we brought him leftovers from my friend Lindzee's house and a fresh pumpkin pie on Thursday (actual Thanksgiving) and then moved our own Thanksgiving to Saturday.

That also meant I got super half-off Thanksgiving essentials (14 pound turkey for $8 anyone???) because I went shopping on T-day morning. I love a good deal.

Although there were only three of us, this was our first year hosting Thanksgiving at our house so I wanted it to feel special. There may have been "Im thankful for..." place cards involved. We have a lot to be thankful for and I was also very happy to be able to celebrate the end of this football season and all of my husband's hard work with this meal as well.

So what was the spread? Well, you can only see one of the three pies I made in this picture. I made two pumpkins and a caramel green apple crumble pie. Oh it was good. 3:3 is the perfect pie to person ratio, don't you think?

Oh yes, that is green bean casserole, deliciously moist turkey, biscuits, tangerine-cranberry sauce (SO good), stuffing and the best roasted winter vegetables you can imagine. I stole the recipe from here but I used Bragg's instead of balsamic and way less sugar. This was the winning dish of the night by far, besides the gorgeous turkey of course. I was proud of my turkey. :D

Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! Hope your weekend was magical.

Enjoying some Cyber Monday shopping today???

Music Monday

2011-11-28T04:32:00.000-08:00

Thankful for...

2011-11-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

My sweet, wonderful, handsome husband Jonathon. He is my best friend, my family, my heart and my life and above all things, I am thankful for our marriage and friendship. He loves the ocean, our family, football, music, good food, traveling, fashion, art and being a good person: all things that also make my heart go pitter-pat.

I love you sweets and I am so grateful to share this life with you. xoxoxox

Thankful for...

2011-11-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Sweet Baby G OvErLoAd!!!!

What? I can stand all on my own, like that's fancy or something. NBD.

Ok, I'm still learning...

Somebodies getting some new teethy teeths.

Smiley boy!

Bath time is the BEST time.

Have you seen my washcloth?

I love my Auntie T!

Love that sweetie baby with the snuggly belly. ;)

Operation Christmas Child is a GO

2011-11-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

In case you are still planning to donate a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child, today is the last day of National Collection Week so get going!

The contents of our shoe boxes pre-shipping...

I dropped ours off yesterday and was excited to see the list of possible destinations our boxes could be traveling to. OCC does have a fancy tracking system if you want to know exactly where your boxes end up but for me, just knowing the gifts are going to happy kids somewhere was good enough. The 4,085 on the chalkboard was last year's total at this donation center, fyi.

Again, if you would like further information about packing a shoe box, you can read more here. Now that National Collection Week is over that means just one thing... it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Prayers for Katie and Steve

2011-11-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Katie and her husband Steve were, unfortunately, evacuated from their new Reno home late last night due to a growing wildfire. While they are now safe with their pets far from the blaze, they are are not sure if their house will make it while most of their neighborhood has burned. They could really use your prayers.

My friends are San Diego natives who recently moved to Reno and have just started to set up their lives in their new home town. They have not heard news of their home yet so there is still hope that theirs is still standing. Besides this fire, Katie has also had a rough year medically. Please send them your best!

UPDATE: Thank you so much for your well wishes. Their home completely survived the fire. Whew!

Happy Friday!

2011-11-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

Less than one week until Thanksgiving! What are you grateful for?

Today I am grateful for my sweet amazing husband, our snugly puppy boy, having a great job in a tough economy, Christmas carols, big changes in our lives that will hopefully be here shortly, having a safe car to drive around, being able to make a difference in the lives of others, my health and the weekend!

It's National Collection Week! OMG SHOE BOXES!

2011-11-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

This week is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child. Be sure to drop off your shoe box by November 21st. Drop-Off centers near you can be found here.

Operation Christmas Child provides children in need around the world with a small taste of the Christmas morning you and I most likely grew up enjoying. Participating in OCC is easy, all you need to do is fill an old shoe box (or you can pick up a special OCC shoebox to fill at some malls and other locations) with gifts and supplies for a child of a chosen age.

J and I are fortunate enough this year to be able to donate three shoe boxes. We are doing one for a boy and girl ages 5-9 and a tween girl aged 10-14. I have seen people at donation centers unload their whole cars with dozens of boxes, it is truly inspiring. If you do not know how to participate in Operation Christmas Child and would like to learn more, you can do so here.

Look at all this Christmas joy just waiting to bring smiles to kids' faces!

Don't forget the shoe box donation deadline is November 21! May I be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas!

I am a HAM

2011-11-17T04:07:00.000-08:00

What the heck is a HAM you ask? It's a Hot Ass Mess and I am the HAM mascot this week. I seriously do not know what is wrong with me (most likely lack of sleep?!) but I have been a real idiot all week.

It all started when I was trying to talk with my cousin about tablets, only I couldn't remember the word for tablet: think lots of hand gestures and groping for adjectives that would describe "you know those new techy things that are like computers but not computers." Dumb.

Then, I forgot my work keys twice and had to be let into my office by the janitor two days in a row. That same night I was driving home on the highway and even though I take that road at least 3 times a week, I inadvertently ended up on the wrong toll road, drove about 10 miles in the wrong direction and got stuck in a traffic jam on the random surface street I ended up on.

Yesterday, my co-worker Abby told me a joke that I "haha" chuckled to, thinking I had gotten the joke, but then realized what the joke was really about at 11pm; it was literally like a light bulb went off in my mind. The same night my email account got hacked, which is not awesome. While that was not actually me being a HAM, all of my contacts (former students, friends of my husband's, an old boss or two) all received messages about impotence relief from "me."

THEN, what you would think would be the worst offense of all, during the class I teach I called J. Edgar Hoover one of our past presidents. Yep, that happened. Do you know what it's like having your every airhead moment corrected by a bunch of self-important 19 year olds?

But the worst of the worst, the final ultimate proof I am a HAM, happened this morning:

Yes, the picture is dark but if you look close enough you can see my entire right side, from neck to leg, is drenched in the delicious Egg Nog latte that my husband made me this morning. Of course I poured the coffee on myself in the car on the way to work too. I think I got most of it out, thankfully though, with water. Sigh. Welcome to Thursday!

Let's hope I don't try to top this one anytime soon. Sleep, I need you.

Mad Love

2011-11-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

I just got back from my whirlwind weekend trip to Madison to see my lil sis and my mama. It was too much fun and so beautiful there. Besides missing my wonderful husband, I definitely didn't want to come back. More pics to come soon, but for now a few photo highlights...

Eating amazing baked goods and cafe at Lazy Jane's on Willy Street.

Showing the Badger pride outside Camp Randy.

My sis, lil Bucky.

With my mama at the Original Pancake House... YUM!

Da girls at the Cap!

It was weird to come home in my North Face and boots to Florida's 70 degree weather late at night! I know people move here for that very reason but it is so not me. I loved the wintery weather and seeing my loved ones. Back to work for me now!

Did you have a fun weekend?

Something Exciting Is Happening

2011-11-11T03:57:00.000-08:00

It is 11/11/11 for the one and only time in the history of numbered dates! Wooootles.

That's not the exciting thing happening though. The exciting thing is that I'm about to make some more of these...

I love that little princessa. OH and Happy Veteran's Day y'all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those that have served so that you and I can make happy memories with the ones we love.

Blessings!

Reason #21 to Visit Orlando

2011-11-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

The Old Spanish Sugar Mill in DeLeon Springs. Check it out.

Last weekend I headed up to one of Florida's beautiful state parks with friends to check out the make-your-own-pancakes restaurant at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill.

My friend Lindzee has been talking about this place pretty much for the past 9 years that I have known her so I was very happy to finally get a chance to try it for myself.

Luckily, it was a bit of a gloomy, rainy day, which is great because the Old Spanish Sugar Mill is a legit old sugar mill from before the Civil War so as you can imagine there is no AC and those griddles get HOT. It is very cute and cozy inside and would make the perfect wintry date spot for you and your honey. See below:

Yes, you do MAKE-your-OWN eggs and/or pancakes but the batter is provided for you. You can request all kinds of delicious mix-ins and get way fancy with your cakes. As you can see, I myself went for peanut butter banana. And they were YUM.

Oh and soemtimes they have cute babies at the Mill.

Definitely worth the trip to DeLeon Springs!

Things I Didn't Buy #1

2011-11-09T04:06:00.000-08:00

Biggest Game of the Century

2011-11-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Friends.

We are half way through the week already thanks very much to all of the amazing veterans out there that we plan to salute on Friday while NOT at work! So... happy middle of the week Tuesday to you all. :)

Did you folks watch the GAME OF THE CENTURY on Saturday? It appears we wear our team gear no matter what game we are watching so one of these two pics coincides with the Alabama LSU game and the other is most likely us watching some other college football game. When it is fall, we kind of do that a lot.

Anyhow, I thought the game was good fun to watch. I definitely called a no score until overtime LSU win by a field goal and although it wasn't no score until OT, it did turn out to be that type of game. It was a very fun game to watch although it was on pretty late for Florida so I may have drifted off during the fourth quarter. I do love being able to watch a good game WITH J instead of just looking up at him in the booth. ;)

Besides the big game this past weekend, this also happened:

More to come on that soon... Hope you're having a great week.

Music Monday

2011-11-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

More Halloween Horrors

2011-11-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Halloween weekend wrap-up in 10 words and 4 pictures...

Green nails, Reese's, floss, Cocoa Village, Little Shop of Horrors!

Football Thursday

2011-11-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

Having a home game on a weekday is both completely awesome and also very tiring.

The day involved going to work for a half day (I'm looking a smidge sweepy here). Go Knights!...

Stopping for some of Orlando's best cupcakes on my way home (YES! There was pumpkin, red velvet, black and gold and J's fav "high hat" which is like a ho-ho) and then hanging out with my favorite lineman in the afternoon. We are very normal and so is our living room decor.

Then finally getting to campus for the football game and getting realllllllllllllllly close to this dark, unlit, low, poorly parked football cart with the bumper, I mean back of, my car. No carts were injured in the parking of this automobile.

Finally in the stadium and cheering with the other ladies of the Knight! Ok, that doesn't sound right. I have been trying to come up with something catchy but that sure isn't it. We are ladies who love football and our footballer hubbies... let's just leave it at that. These two are great company, I am happy to have them in my life.

And last but not least... my sweet, wonderful, exhausted husband finally hung wedding pictures that had been awaiting their homes on our living room wall for quit some time. Oh yea, he hung these at 1:30 in the morning on a Thursday. SoRrY nEiGhBoRs. It was literally the only chance he has had in the past few weeks so he took it despite my begging. That's love ladies and he's mine allllllll mine. Gosh he's a sweetie to me... and the pics look darn good, no?

Whew, that was one heck of a day! And HAPPY FRIDAY KIDS. Got anything great lined up?

UKNIGHT

2011-11-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

Let's Go Knights!!! LIGHT IT UP!

Happy Game Day Ya'll!

This Just Happened

2011-11-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

Ugh.

Halloween Horror Night

2011-11-01T04:39:00.000-07:00

Did y'all dress up for Halloween yesterday or this past weekend? I was a haunted housewife... Actually I just was a scared housewife and no that wasn't a costume.

It went a little something like this...

I bought candy but decided to bring it to work with me to give out to the kiddos rather than keeping at home. You see, last year I excitedly bought gobs of candy and ended up with 5 cavities (I wish I was kidding) from eating it all because we got a grand total of ZERO TOTS (trick or treaters).

A little background info for you: Floridians are bogus. They do these annoying fake Halloween things like "trunk or treats" in church parking lots or "walking our kids around outdoor malls collecting candy from panera and shoe land and pretending that is the same as real Halloween" or having a fall festival with costumes "unrelated" to Halloween in celebration of autumn. Seriously. Bogus.

ANYhow, seeing as how I am IN Florida and had no Halloween luck last year I was not expecting any TOTS, whatsoever. Thus you can imagine my complete and utter shock (and slight horror, there was really horror) when the following happened.

I was on my way out to my car in the dark while holding not one but two bags, my purse and Teeny's leash and I was also on the phone. Because of all of this, when I opened the door I wasn't really paying attention and looked up directly into the haunted eyes of two teenagers and their mom standing about 5 inches from my face... Just starring at me. They startled me so badly I seriously jumped 2 feet and yelled at them "OMG you scared me!"

They persisted with the staring. I stammered out a question about had they had rung the doorbell? More blank stares and some ghoulish nodding. That's about the time when I regained my wits and remembered that they actually wanted something from me. And that's also right around the time that I remembered I didn't have anything for them.

I'm not sure which was scarier... The shock of having them standing practically in my doorway as I was walking out of it or how fast they dipped out when I said the words "so I don't have any..." I really didn't even have time to rummage through my cupboards for an acceptable candy substitue, although, I would have had like a box of quinoa and some almonds to give them. Somehow, I don't think that would have really done the trick (no pun intended).

After they were gone, I genuinely felt bad that I didn't have candy for my very first, true Florida Halloween TOTS. I felt like a disappointment to the traditionalists out there and just one more reason for people to head to the malls with their little princesses and superheros in tow. Mostly I just felt bad because fight or flight had kicked in and all of the adrenaline in my body settled nervously in my stomach.

What I learned from this spooky experience:
1) Don't complain about lazy tradition followers if you yourself are not going to help uphold the tradition.
2) Always, always look out the door as you are exiting it.
3) Have candy on hand. At all times.

Hope you had a great holiday. Welcome to November!

Music Monday

2011-10-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

Happy sleepy, rainy Monday morning...

Veg Fest Central

2011-10-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

I kiss dogs. What is going on here you want to know? Read on gentle friends.

Last weekend we seriously packed it in. We did breakfast with friends, pumpkin patch, veg fest and Badger game, all in one day! What is veg fest you ask? I'm still kind of asking that myself... I know there were signs. And dogs. And vegan food. And beer.

Did I mention the dogs? I mean come on, how cute is that?

Mostly veg fest consisted of dogs and beer which means J and I were both happy. That's what marriage is about right? Compromise? No wonder we get along so well. What goes with dogs better than beer? Jon and Tasha? Yes, I think so. Thumbs way up.

Sounds like a solid weekend though, right? How many question marks can I fit in one post? Ok, seriously end of week ramble concluded.

HALLELUJAHITSFRIDAY.

Gratuitous Cute Baby Pics

2011-10-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

WALL of CAKE

2011-10-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago... there was cake. A whole WALL OF CHOCOLATE. And it was delicious. My friend Abby and I had a shopping date at Hobby Lobby (OMG that place is out of control... I think we were there for 2 hours and only left because they were closing) and then demolished THE WALL in celebration of it being Friday and in celebration of there being CAKE.

ExTrEmE cAkE cLoSe-Up

Abby and I met at work and it has been amazing being able to work with someone who is also a good friend. There have been many stressful days where we laugh really hard so as to avoid mental breakdown. Highly recommend. No, we didn't actually make it through the entire cake but I'll tell you what... CHOCOLATE WALL makes excellent breakfast. Just sayin.

Pumpkin Patch Party

2011-10-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend in addition to brunching with our friends at the Polynesian, J and I had a less tropical experience at the pumpkin patch! It's just not fall until you have your pumpkin family at your door step.

I had never seen so many ugly pumpkins in one patch! I loved them all and if I had felt like blowing a couple hundred dollars on front door decor I would have made a killer hay, scarecrow and ugly pumpkin vignette. That's right, a vignette!

As it was, we got our three beautiful pumpkins (no ugly ones for us this year) and hit the road but not without a mini photo shoot and some hand-holding and strolling. There is something so nostalgic and sweet about a trip to the patch. Since it always falls smack in the middle of the hectic football season, I definitely look forward to this calm, quiet day every year.

Wait, where did our glasses go? ;)

Have you all made your trip to the patch yet?

Hawaii for Brunch

2011-10-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful friends Jamie and TJ are moving to Pennsylvania in a few weeks (yay for them, waaaa for us). With that news, we decided to start knocking off all of the "we should..." items on our joint Orlando lists, starting with brunch at The Polynesian Resort's Kona Cafe.

Some handsome fellows...

The food was scrumptious (obviously the coffee was good and besides that I had guava juice and grilled banana filled french "tonga" toast. Delicious!) and the conversation was even better. We are definitely going to miss these two.

And the lovely ladies...

The Polynesian is a little slice of the island life here in Orlandi. If you are longing for the tropics but a jaunt to Hawaii is just out of the question, you should definitely check this hotel out, even if just for breakfast like we did.

Another item on our joint "we should..." Orlando list is to hotel-hop through all of the Disney resorts at Christmas time to see all of the holiday decorations. Our buddies may be gone by then but I am holding out hope. In the meantime, we plan to knock a few more items like this off of our big list, and pictures are sure to follow.

Happy Friday!

2011-10-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping this weekend holds a repeat of a night like this for me and my honey:

DATE NIGHT! This was a couple of weeks ago; we went out to a nice seafood place and then cheered on a Wisconsin football victory. A pretty great night if you ask me. However, with J's crazy schedule we haven't had a chance to sit down for a nice meal out since. There are a couple of good college football games on this weekend so here's hoping we can repeat that wonderful weekend.

Did I mention that he is so handsome? Well... he is. :) Have any fun weekend plans?

Reason #20 to Visit Orlando

2011-10-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorms shunderstorms. Back at the end of summer J and I were the lone diners at the outdoor patio of Bosphorous Restaurant during one of Florida's frequent light summer sprinkles.

Bosphorous on Park Ave was our first attempt at Turkish food and it was NOM NOMlicious. This enormous bubbly lavash is worth a trip on it's own but with grilled lamb or garlicky chicken patties and pickled cabbage it's downright heavenly.

Did I mention it is wonderful to sit outside on their Park Ave patio no matter the weather? However you say romantic in Turkish... That's the right word for this place. Next time you're in town, check it out!

Weekend Warriors

2011-10-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I had a pretty sporty weekend. And I'm sorry for the quality/darkness of the photos. SOMEONE needs a new camera. That'd be me if you didn't catch on to that.

My weekend was book-ended with two beautiful Florida sunsets. Our weather has been yo-yoing between gorgeous and down right hot again. I prefer the gorgeous weather, personally. At least on the hot days you know they will end with sights like this.

They say people who carry a mug with their company logo on it around the office are more likely to earn a promotion faster than their non-mugged colleagues. This new sporty polo is my version of the office mug. As I was shelling out way too much money for a Nike dri-fit logo-ed polo that I will likely not wear all that often I was telling myself "this is like an investment in your upcoming promotion... or at least a raise, actually maybe just the raise." Hey, it could happen!

Apparently people on campus yoga it up between buildings outside ... and next to trash dumpsters. I thought this was kind of hilarious. What could be less relaxing than trying to asana with college kids leering at you and the lovely smell of trash wafting by?

Speaking of working out... This picture was taken about 45 minutes post-run #1 of the weekend and you can see my face is still the same color as the red-orange walls and flowers on my shirt EVEN after showering. I take my red faces very seriously. I was so focused while I was running that I didnt notice the gym was closing until one of the workers came over mid-run and was like, yea we closed 15 minutes ago get off the treadmill. Hence the lack of cooling down and stretching. That kind of sucked.

I get why people are so outdoorsy here in the Fall and Spring; get it while the gettings good baby. Teeny and I opted for more relaxed outdoorsy walks for workouts #2 & 3 and again got to enjoy the beautiful weather and sights of Central Florida.

Teeny after one of our power walks. How did I get the cutest dog on the planet? Gosh he is adorable. And he is seriously the best workout buddy. When I am like, ok we could be done he is like no way lady lets do this. :) With his help I did 7 miles last week and I'm pretty pleased about that.

Last but not least for the sportiest weekend ever... I watched this E:60 on Nnamdi Asomugha and must admit, there were tears involved. If you haven't watched E:60 before, prepare yourself. Its typically about athletes dying or hitting rock bottom and their redemption or something else similar you don't want to watch but can't look away. This one was about a very talented athlete using his life to better the world around him and it really pumped me up. It pretty much contains everything I find inspiring: sports, education, giving back, being awesome. Enjoy!

Fall Fashion Freakout

2011-10-17T04:22:00.000-07:00

Its' Fall folks... and that means one thing: fall fashion. There are a lot of rando fall trends going on out there right now including Native American, color blocking, tartan, 60's re-imagined, equestrian and then some. One other trend that I am definitely feeling? The grand old poncho.

And would you believe it? I found you a poncho for each of those trends so you can be cozy and stylish no matter the personality of your day. Mostly I am loving these because they embody my signature look: grandma chic.

All Ponchos from Polyvore

Don't you want every one of these? And some new boots??? Yep, me too. What say ye!?

Ray and May

2011-10-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

This is my lil sis Rayshawn.

We like to hang out. But we live so far away.

She's all thumbs.

This is just my favs all in one place, NBD.

When I see these pics my mind tells me: SO MUCH AWESOMENESS

No one ever said we were twins.

I love these little babies.

Waaaaaaaa no jackie make rachi cry so long time.

What's that? A precious babe?!

We are... completely normal.

And I love her!

Don't be jealous.

Silly Target

2011-10-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

Remember back in May 2010 when J and I moved to Florida and thought, "hmmm what should we do with our living room? We're kind of feeling brown, creme and vanilla... lets go with that and make it real romantickey with flowers and distressed everything and french looking things."

Quit trying to be me Target. Seriously. This is their most recent home add from my Lucky mag and I know its tiny but I took a picture with my camera phone because my mind was blown. Enter into any Target and you will see their lavender, brown and creme french-themed home collection. You can't make this stuff up folks.

Yes, this is an adorable picture of my dog but behind the cuteness you can also get the jist of what I'm talking about with without me throwing up a detailed picture of the insides of my house. That kind of creeps me. Sorry stalkers, jou don't even know me!

Anyways, apparently Target reads my blog. Or something. If I knew how to make money at telling people what is going to be "in" just around the river bend I would be swimming in dollar bills right now. I guess I'm just gifted ;)

It's That Time Again!

2011-10-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

If you have not yet participated in Operation Christmas Child and sharing the season of joy with children in need, start planning now to donate a shoebox this year. National Collection Week is just a month away, November 14 - 21!

If this video doesn't inspire you, there are plenty more available here.

Happy Shoe Box Shopping!

Wet Weekend in Pictures

2011-10-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a pattern in my life. It goes as such: dog. baked goods. football. dog. baked goods. shopping. AND repeat. Not that I'm complaining but I suppose my blog could be more thrilling if my pattern weren't so darn predictable.

Nonetheless, the weekend indeed contained all of those wonderful things that I love so much PLUS torrential rains. Hoorah! What more could a girl ask for?

Besides the usual goodness, I also got a visit from my Mother in Law who came to town for the weekend. We went on the hunt for pink things to wear to the Pink Out at the football game in support of breast cancer awareness and also some much needed galoshes/wellies. Our hunt took us all the way from Wally World to Bloomingdale's. My MILs hat is lovely, no? Corny hats call for corny pics if you ask me.

FINALLY at the 11th hour we found rain shoes. Just in time too, it rained through the ENTIRE football game on Saturday. And when I say "rained" I guess I should specify that I mean we stood under heaven's waterfall for four hours. A newspaper article I read stated that we got 7 inches of rain on Saturday and that it was "the wettest day in Orlando since 1950." Awesome. We should win Super Fan awards for sure.

Well we won the game and actually had a really fun time in the wet weather. A warm breakfast was definitely in order the next day. We actually sat outside in the rain again. Cant get enough! :)

What? I'm just the most precious baby of all time? Oh, ok. As long as you admit it! I swear I just don't know how these pics sneak in here.

Besides our rain gear shopping, we saw a lot of wonderful CHRISTMAS decorations this weekend. I seriously love it when there are Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations all out at once in the stores. I want it all. I actually decorated my office for Halloween this year (which I never do) and I can't wait to bring in the Happy Harvest decor in just 3 little weeks. CHRISTMAS HERE WE COME.

Happy Monday yall. Do anything fun (or dry?!) this past weekend?

Go Pack

2011-10-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

I know the quality of these pictures completely sucks. It was night. I used my phone. You get the jist. But regardless of the quality, you still gotta love the content (and yes, the driver of this car was also wearing an Aaron Rodgers jersey). We were pumped.

Oops. How did this most adorable picture ever get in here?! ;)

While we are at it, this happened last week and made my day so much brighter.

And speaking of random things I take pictures of with my phone:

Get it? He's a BOXER?! Ok I'm done.

Things That Grandmas and I Have in Common

2011-10-05T04:49:00.000-07:00

These are the items I have been camera shopping (like window shopping but with my iPhone. It's a new term I coined, feel free to use) for lately.

Upon re-looking at these items, I feel my love of distressed, floral patterned, romantic items really makes me look like a 70 year old lady. Woopdie. I don't care. I still want all of this.

Also these are cute AND creepy and yes I was Christmas shopping in September.

And I DID buy this very un-grandmotherly fabric because it was way too pretty not to buy, even though I don't YET have a plan for it. I'm thinking of trying it in my wedding shadow box. Crazy? Maybe. Perfect? Maybe also.

You should be very glad there is nary a picture frame on this list. I seriously have a problem. My name is Mrs. Ford and I am a picture frame addict. Good thing I have so many great photos. :)

What have you been shopping for lately?

Gratuitous Cute Baby Pics

2011-10-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday from me and Baby G...

We Run This Town

2011-10-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is down in the 70s, Teeny and I have thrown our running hats on and gotten ourselves out and working it!

This was us pre-run on Saturday:

And this was us 4 miles later enjoying the fruits of our labor.

On Sunday I finally cashed in a Christmas gift from my sweet husband (yes you read that right, it was 10 months later and right when I needed it!) for some free yoga sessions. Listen. They call it Power Yoga for a reason. That class kicked my butt; I seriously don't think I can remember a time when I sweat that much. I have done a lot of yoga in my day but it has been a few moons since I seriously practiced. There were a few moments when I literally laughed out loud at some of the moves that crazy Yogi wanted us to do.

I have a feeling my body is going to be VERY ouchy for the rest of the week. But it felt good to get out and Mov it Mov it. Besides kicking my own ass, I got to spend Saturday afternoon eating key lime pie, playing boccie ball in the park with my hubs and then enjoying a lovely dinner and some college football (Go Bucky!). I have to say, it was pretty perfect.

All in all it was a pretty fantastic weekend. I am definitely counting down the days until the next one. Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Finally!

2011-10-01T04:22:00.000-07:00

Intellicast tells me that the high today will be.... 83 degrees!!!! That might sound like summer weather to most of you but there is actually a crispness to the air this morning (currently 70 out and loving it!) that we have been sorely sorely missing here in Hotlando.

Teeny and I are about to go be outdoorsy for the morning. We like to get while the getting's good.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Half-a-Versary Sweetie!

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Listen folks... Today is no ordinary day. No, it's not just special because you get two blog posts after zero for quit some time.

Today is my 18 month wedding anniversary with the sweetest, funniest, best friend and most handsome man a girl could ask for!

The 18 months feels just right... it's the 6.5 years together that slightly baffles me. I mean, look at these little babies.

The days just keep sweeping past us don't they? It has been a whirlwind year and a half for sure and I am very much looking forward not only to the next 6 months but the next 60 years! I love this man.

Happy 18 months Jonathon Ford. I love you!

Oh, Hello!

2011-09-28T04:44:00.001-07:00

So woops, looks like 6 weeks may have gone by and I haven't said a peep to yall. MY BAD.

The past few weeks have been a bit INSANE. The football season started (we are 2-2 waaa), the class I teach started (which is really fun... I love my batch of freshmen), the class I was planning to take started (yea, past tense. that class got dropped like a bad habit), my current job has me on a direct flight to early gray and wrinkle city and the real reason, the best part of all... LOTS OF VISITORS.

First was my lil sissy Rayshawn:

Next my mum who happily kept up the tradition this year of visiting for the first TWO games of the season.

Finally, Teeny and I took a road trip down to West Palm Beach and Miami for one of our away games and to hang out with one of my besties Aimee, her husband Adam, their furry children Bella and Blue and our friend Lauren.

It has been a cwazy few weeks but the good news is that Fall is officially here! HALLELUJAH. Have you ever spent an August in Orlando? I wouldn't recommend. There are more pics to come of these adventures and more. Happy Humpday!

Stupid Monday

2011-08-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

Is it Christmas yet? It is barely back to school time and I am already exhausted... this is no good. You know what this means, right? Mental vacations. LOTS of them.

Have you all seen Sarah's Summer Home on HGTV? I am slightly obsessed and not ashamed to say that I dream of my own gorgeously appointed private island home on a Midwestern Lake close to a plethora of antique stores. OH yes, a plethora. YES, please please.

Take a looksee and you'll know what I'm talking about:

Did I mention the house is only accessible by boat and also has a tiny guest cottage? This is where I will be vacationing mentally all week. How about you?

Ahhh Weddings

2011-08-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

As you all well know, this blog started as a dedication to all things wedding related and as I am now almost 1.5 years deep into my wonderful marriage (OMG where the hell does the time go?!) I haven't had a "need" for all of that wedding kerfuffle.

Well... folks, there's just something so magical about weddings. I seriously love them. The romance, the design, the SHOPPING... Snippet and Ink, one of my all time favorite wedding blogs ever, just embodies everything I love about weddings. Kathryn Storke Grady writes that beautiful blog and she just did a guest post on Etsy about fall weddings that made me want to plan mine all over again: in the fall. Here is one of her inspirations that I think most closely matches up with my style.

Beautiful, no? I just MIGHT buy an item or two from her Etsy selections... In fact, i just did. Ooops. Its never too soon to start planning an anniversary party, right? Some of my favs:

I think I have steered clear of blogging about weddings as a post-bride blogger for fear of seeming like the old washed up cheerleader who stands on the side of the high school football field embarrassing everyone by doing the cheer hand gestures along with the teenagers. Like, leave some things to the kids, you know? But I think screw it, I am too in love with this stuff to not indulge a little. If anyone needs some help designing their wedding, I think you know where to turn.

Happy Lucy Day!

2011-08-06T04:13:00.000-07:00

The funniest woman in entertainment turns 100 today!

I'm sure like me, most of you grew up loving Lucy and do to this day. Its fairly safe to safe Lucille Ball has been my idol since I was a little girl. I've seen every episode of I Love Lucy, some of The Lucy Show (which, lets face it, was no where near as great as ILL), read the biographies and of course love the movie The Long, Long Trailer!

When I was a kid my mom surprised me one weekend and took me to the I Love Lucy Convention in LA (yes, that exists and YES, that explains a lot about the type of kid I was) where I got to meet Elois Jenssen who was the costume designer for I Love Lucy in the 1950s. That was a pretty phenomenal experience and only solidified my adoration for all things Lucy.

I danced as a kid (did you know Lucy was an accomplished dancer?) and grew up singing and acting and then doing improv in high school. After that I thought I would become a costume designer and to this day I use humor a lot in my life to make others comfortable and to help me deal with things I would rather not be dealing with. I'm not saying I do all of that because of Lucille Ball, but I do think the influence she has had in my life is fairly evident.

I know I'm just one of Lucille Balls' trillions of fans and I think that's something else that I love about her, she spans decades, cultures and countries because funny is just funny no matter who you are. Its really fun to read all of the articles about her that are out this week (including this one and the Lucy Fest in Jamestown, NY is this weekend too) and to watch some of my fav clips for the hundredth time. Even Google is honoring her 100th year today, check it out!

Cheers to her and Happy Lucy Day to you!

A New Season

2011-08-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it's happened. Football is upon us. It really feels like last season just ended, doesn't it? I am so excited for and proud of my sweet hubs who is off to an amazing start already this season and I am definitely looking forward to it all... the games, the fall weather, the pumpkins, the pageantry, the trips to new stadiums and truthfully, for it all to be over in good time :) But you know, it still kind of feels like summer. Like, a LOT. Am I right?

Last night Jonathon took me out for one last pre-season date night. He's so handsome.

For the next few months, it will just be me, Teeny and Drop Dead Diva (come on Don Draper, where have you been hiding?!). I have come up with lots of PLANS to make the time without my main man seem less daunting and lengthy. The plans include lots of girl time, Baby G time, mani/pedi time, yoga/dance time, crafting time, sewing time and of course work on my very real and very demanding job and my fun Etsy job too. Not to mention I will be teaching a class in the fall and possibly taking at least one class too... maybe. I'm not trying to lose my mind, just distract it.

The plan that is the most fun of all though is to have lots of visits from my family and when they're not around to start planning where to vacation once the season is over! The mind just reels with possibilities. :)

Happy football season yall!

So Long Sweet Girl

2011-07-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

After 16+ wonderful years of together time, my family had to say goodbye to our sweet girl Emma. She had a very long, happy life and I feel so blessed to have spent it with her. I also feel so blessed to have gotten to kiss her right between the eyes, see her happy smile and say goodbye in person just a few weeks ago. She will always be my sweet, smart, mischievous girl.

I hope you're frolicking in endless fields in heaven now Emmerson. I will see you again one day and kiss you right between the eyes. You are my sweetie and I love you.

I'm Just SAYING

2011-07-15T18:14:00.001-07:00

Trip Home: Part B

2011-07-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

Did someone say SANTA MONICA? I think it was me. Oh, beautiful beaches and sweet soft cool dry air how I missed you.

J and I enjoyed checking out the new Santa Monica Place which was WAY fancier than I was expecting. Jonathon grew up near by so it was fun scoping out his old 'hood and all of the fanciness that it has since become. Had we been hungry there was a nifty little indoor market and outdoor patio seating up on the third floor here that would be a little slice of LA heaven for lounging in the sea air. As it stood we spent our time oogling the diamonds in Tiffany instead. ;) Priorities, you know?

Lucky for me I got a visit from my bro to Florida for my birthday back in May AND got to visit him in CA for HIS birthday in July. And it was not just any birthday, oh no friends... it was his 30th!!! OLD MAN ALERT! We killed two birds with one stone by taking him out for his bday to a nomlicious LA sushi joint. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Love you bro!

Didn't I say something about a Dodger game earlier?! YES we <3 the Dodgers and hate the McCourts. This was for sure the emptiest Dodger game I have ever been to but that just meant better seats for us for a winning game! AND because its summer in the city we were treated to some very spectacular post-game fireworks. Jonathon's Godfather flew in from Colorado to see us and go to the game with us too, so I would say all in all the evening was a triple-play (haha, you're welcome).

As I mentioned yesterday, the rest of the trip was pretty much spent either eating, driving to eating or visiting with friends or family or driving to visit friends or family. There were also two afternoons of glorious pool lounging thrown in there as well that pretty much made the trip complete. We tried to balance the hustle of seeing as many people as possible with a little actual relaxing since we have both been working so hard. I think we did a decent job. Thankfully we went last week and not this to avoid CARMAGEDDON. That was a very hot topic amongst our LA friends during our trip.

The rest of the pics are just of us pre or post eating at various food type establishments. Like I said, priorities, you know?

We had an amazing trip, got to spend lots of QT with our lovies and got to see our favorite city in the whole US of A. We're blessed people, what else can I say?!

Now it's back to REALITY. Waaa waaaa. I do have plenty more pics on my phone to share with you all. They are mostly of, you guessed it, food so you have that to look forward to soon!

:)

Trip Home: Part A

2011-07-13T04:08:00.000-07:00

So, I have been away. HOORAY for away. Today's a new day. Say hey! Ok sorry, my glee at having a vacation and going home for a week caused me to channel Dr. Seuss for a second there but I'm over it.

Check out this beautiful picture:

So many lovely faces all in one place! JOY! J and I flew on home to LA last week and it was SO needed and enjoyed. We pretty much ate and drove around for a week but that's all you're supposed to do in LA anyhow. Oh and we got to spend some serious quality time with our kins. You know how it is. My bro and me at his pimped out office balcony overlooking Wilshire Blvd. Yea he fancy:

We flew in on the 4th of July which was nifty. Jonathon and I cruised up to Griffith Observatory to watch fireworks go off all over LA, it was pretty incredible.

Of course we got to spend some QT with Jon's sweet mom and Gammer.

Viva Los Doyers! We drove up to the top of Dodger Stadium to buy tix for later in the week and to soak up the views of beautiful downtown LA.

Things LA has that Florida doesn't: a) my family b) good food c) good shopping d) perfect weather. Yea, it was a little tough to leave. One of the highlights of our trip besides seeing loved ones was all of the fun shopping we got to do! We even found name plates with both of our names spelled correctly! It was thrilling. :)

We did a lot of eating. And I mean a lot. Like, gained 5 pounds in 5 days a lot. It was grand. Me and my handsome husband out for one of our delicious dinners with the crew.

BFFs

I love these goofballs.

AND I love these goofballs.

My beautiful family (sans beautiful husband of course).

Oh I want to go back just looking at these pictures is TORTURE. It is nice to be home too though. Things Florida has that Cali doesn't: a) my TEENY boy. I got the world's best snugglies from the baby upon my return so I shouldn't complain.

Part B of Cali trip to come soon!

How Did Two Weeks Just Go By?!

2011-07-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Most likely because this has been two of the most insane work weeks of my life. I literally worked the past 12 days straight. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.

So you know whats? Mama deserves a little vaca for sure. I can not WAIT to spend the next few days with this handsome man right here making a fish sandwich everywhere we go! Ok that sounded kind of gross but I only meant not leaving each others' sides.

In related news, there will be a hell of a lot of this action in my near future:

And this action:

I <3 you sun and surf.

OH ps: HAPPY 4th of JULY BABIES!

I've Had a Busy Week :)

2011-06-16T04:40:00.001-07:00

What's Cuter Than This?

2011-06-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

No seriously, I can't think of a single thing....

Things Worth Smiling About

2011-06-09T04:46:00.001-07:00

The Simple Things...

It's almost Friday (instant mini-dance party!), the weather was GORGEOUS on Teeny's and my walk last night ANNNNND I get to see my Pops this weekend!!! WOOOOO!

Enjoy your day!

Crafteroos

2011-06-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I bought things. I blame it on this:

What'd I buy? Things for crafting. Besides decorating our guesty room, I also finally found a shadow box that I liked enough to turn into a WEDDING shadow box. Doesn't hurt it was 50% off BABY! Side note: everytime I say/hear/write the word shadow box I think that is should be whispered SHADOW BOX and I think about my brother's Little Weblows shadow box which he (or my mom?) made in like 5th grade and then proceeded to "decorate" with throughout his entire life, probably to this day. Oh, he'll be 30 in like 2 weeks. NBD.

Yea, so about that wedding sssssshadowbox. I plan to put in said box one of our invites, one of our programs, a piece of my bustle that I kept, Jonathon's boutonniere, some of the charming charms I purchased for 50% off and then some at JoAnnys and the piece de resistance... my mini reception veil as seen below.

Awwww, you can swoon later when I complete my shadowbox (shhhh) and show it to you. What the freak is a better combination than weddings and crafting? Riddle me that one.

Guest Room Game Plan

2011-06-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Did you have a wonderful weekend? Ours was a pretty lazy one but there was a bit of re-decorating to be done, so that was exciting.

My mother in law sent me this awesome life magazine for my bday and it couldn't have suited our plans to re-decorate the guest room more. Isn't the frame so cute? Michael's frame sale plus coupons; man I love saving money!!!

We were originally going for a generic beachy type theme but with this new art and this throw back material I found for $6 a yard (plus coups) that could make super cute pillows or curtains... Now I'm leaning toward a vintage beach cabana theme. I know I'm weird, just go with it.

These are prints from Coronado CA's Tent Citys in the 1910's that are a bit inspiring too:

I originally scoped these "Parisian" curtains at BB&B and I am still a bit in love with them:

And I want this pottery barn washed velvet quilt real bad:

Wouldn't that all make for a super cute guest room? Yea, I think so too. Oh and Teeny is precious btw:

It Must Be Friday

2011-06-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

Gratuitous Cute Dog Pics

2011-06-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

You're welcome.

Instagram Weekend

2011-06-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to ya. Is being back at work on this beautiful Wednesday as hard for you as it is for me?

We had a seriously perfect weekend. There were pools, boats, barbecues and family and friends. It must be summer now, right?!

Here was our weekend in instagrams. I heart you iPhone.

Mrs. Ford: Princess of Etsy

2011-05-27T04:36:00.001-07:00

Completed my latest Etsy order for Beth in London and I couldn't be happier with the results. I hope she loves these cards and I hope she tells me what she plans to use them for, they're so mysterious! By the by, Beth and her main man are two lucky people with very full passports. Thanks for the order Beth! Interested in ordering from my Etsy site? Please take a gander and message me for more info.

Do you have fun holiday weekend plans??? Our plans involve the following:

Pretty pumped up about it being FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY! Everybody's looking forward to the WEEKEND WEEKEND!!!

Surpwiiiiiiiiise!

2011-05-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

My sneaky husband really out did himself this time!

I thought my birthday surprise party last weekend was THE big surprise. Then I thought my beautiful flowers at work and dinner at Cheesecake were THE big surprise, but NO... flying my brother in for the weekend and pretending we were going to the airport to pick up a co-worker was THE big surprise!!!

I'm a lucky girl. :)

Not only did my bro make a surprise appearance in Orlando, but then we also took a road trip down to Palm Beach to see one of my best friends Aimee and her husband Adam and to catch VIP front row seats at a little stand-up.

There may have been cute dogs involved. And their tongues...

It was a VERY short visit but a super duper fun one filled with people I love too. What's better than family?!

2 Week Birthday

2011-05-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

What's better than flowers to brighten your day? These beauties just get prettier everyday.

I was kind of bummed out about a Tuesday birthday because that meant I would have to go to W-O-R-K on my special day, but turns out a Tuesday birthday just means 10 days of celebrations! Phase One... Jonathon threw me a surprise party last Saturday. More pics to come...

Phase Two... Cheesecake on my actual birthday!

Phase Three... to be determined this weekend. Isn't it Friday yet???

One Year Older

2011-05-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

My birthday yesterday was filled with flowers, pina colada cheesecake and sunsets! What more could a girl want?

Thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes. It is weird getting older but your lovely comments make it sweet.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2011-05-17T10:25:00.001-07:00

Wish You Were Here

2011-05-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

Stupid Monday mornings.

In my mind I'm here:

You're invited, the more the merrier!

Summer Beach Reading

2011-05-12T04:38:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. I don't know HOW we got here so quickly but folks, its time to pull out your bikini and floppy hat and head to your local B&N to pick up a summer beach read.

I have been trying to get through The Happiness Project (which is definitely not the ideal beach read although its light enough to suffice), which is interesting and makes for good inspiration to make positive changes in your life. However, much like my beef with Eat, Pray, Love this one smacks of obvious while also having very little voice or personality with which to relate. Yea, I'm a harsh judge. I think it's due to the era of blogs and reality tv where women across the world feel their personal journeys of "better parenting" and "less nagging" and "trying to be single for 3 months" are in some way profound and deserving of national press. Maybe I am a harsh judge but that stuff kind of depresses me, can't we shoot higher?

Anyhow, I stumbled across this awesome website What Should I Read Next that I am hoping will help me pick a winner for my next book, since this one isn't cutting it thus far. Basically you type in the name of a book or author that you love and voila, a list of similar styled reads at your service. I don't know how accurate the read-o-meter on this thing is, but hopefully its a winner. Let me know what you think if you try it out.

Read a good book lately?

Disney Weekend!

2011-05-11T03:52:00.000-07:00

Living in Central Florida we get asked all the time about how we enjoy the Disney parks and aren't they great, and which one's the best, etc. Well, until last weekend we hadn't been to all of them so we couldn't answer that question very well. But now we can!

Our awesome friends Jamie and TJ (who both used to work for Disney and know all of the insider secrets of what rides to skip and which restaurants are the yummiest) took us to the Animal Kingdom and Epcot this past weekend.

The one thing these two Southern Californians are constantly surprised by is the sheer size of the Disney property. The Animal Kingdom was really huge too, but rightly so as there is an entire wild game reserve on property of which we were able to explore on a safari!

One of the best rides we went on at both parks was Expedition Everest which was like a mix of the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain but with a twist. I won't tell you what the twist is so that you are as surprised as we were when you go on it... it was awesome.

In the evening we went over to Epcot, which was so beautiful. I kind of didn't know what to expect of Epcot but I really enjoyed it. We went during Flower and Garden Festival so there were lots of sculptures of Disney characters made of plants here and there. That's Peter Pan behind us.

Epcot's theme is that many different international countries are represented. There is a soda station with free samples of soda's from around the world. I personally enjoyed Japan's, Jon liked China and I'm pretty sure TJ is making that face at the soda from Italy which was DISGUSTING.

Jamie and TJ are cute:

We had an awesome time! And now we can call our selves true Central Florida experts.

Come visit and we will give you the insider tour. :)

Happy Mother's Day Ladies!

2011-05-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day Weekend spent with the very special women in your life.

I would like to wish all of the amazing mom's in my life a very special THANK YOU for doing all of the hard work of loving us all so well...

My best friend whose first Mom's Day it was yesterday, my awesome step-mom who gave me the best little bro and sis of all time, my mother-in-law who raised the best man on Earth, the two greatest grandma's-in-law around, all of my friends with babies of the four-legged or regular variety you keep the world turning... And of course to the BEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WORLD, mine! I love you!

Happy Birthday Rachi!

2011-05-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE HUMANS!!!!

This was us just a few minutes ago...

And then I blinked and here we are now...

I think you are amazing. You're funny, sweet (sometimes) :P, smart and most of all you're always YOU which is the best thing about you. Thanks for being my family, making me proud and being one of my best friends. You deserve a dance...

Thumbs up to you miss grown-up home girl in her 20's!

I love you and miss you! Hope you had some gluten-free cake to celebrate.

Easter Funday

2011-05-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Ok, I know Easter was forever ago but between Jonathon's birthday, the holiday weekend, work being insane and feeling a little under the weather, I am just now getting around to sharing our wonderful weekend with you.

Aren't we the cutest?

Of course one of the best parts of Easter was getting some snuggle time with the tiniest bunny in town, baby G! He wore his Sunday best to church. Love that sweet smile. :)

A sweet new family... mom, dad and big baby.

After church Jonathon and I drove to Downtown Disney to attend the House of Blues Gospel Brunch! It was a pretty fabulous way to spend our Easter Sunday.

We also took a romantic ferry ride around the Disney waterways!

I have a handsome husband...

We had a very relaxing birthday/Easter weekend and am SO excited it is already the weekend again today! HALLELUJAH to that one. I have a soar throat that I am begging to not ruin my big weekend plans. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Friday!

BMF Featured on Emmaline Bride

2011-05-04T04:23:00.000-07:00

Check me out in the world wide web doin big things!

I am so honored and excited to share with you that my Etsy site has been featured on Emmaline Bride: The Wedding Guide for the Handmade Bride. YES!!!

This is not only thrilling for me because it gives my Etsy site publicity but also because the Emmaline Bride blog maintains the same philosophy that I try to uphold with my blog and Etsy site. That is that a wedding should be personal and the best way to make that possible is with sentimental, handmade touches.

I have kind of been having a rough week so far so this seriously turned my frown upside down. Please check the beautiful write-up out here.

Jonathon's Birthday Wrap-Up

2011-05-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Jonathon's birthday was already "a while" ago and I still haven't posted about it... the time is seriously flying by and I don't know what to do to Slooooow.It.Down.

Anywho, Easter weekend was pretty eventful for us because we also celebrated my wonderful, handsome, sweet, funny (did I mention handsome?), loving husband's birthday! You know what's weird about him turning the OLD age he is now? We actually went on our first official date 10 whole years ago. Creep me out.

Yea, I am the luckiest girl in the world and I know it. He's a keeper.

Oh and it was his birthday in case you didnt know, the giant blue pin kind of gives it away.

On Friday night (his actual birthday) we went out for dinner with two of our favorite people at Texas de Brazil, a churrascuria. It's basically meat-stick central; you flip a card to green when you want more meat and men in gaucho pants come running to shave you loins and filets, and you turn it to red when you are going to explode. I had the salad bar. But it was the fanciest salad bar ever. And the hubs was a happy clam.

Of course there was more dessert to be had on Saturday at one of our favorite and most sentimental places (we had our wedding rehearsal dinner here) The Cheesecake Factory. Jonathon has a cute little red forehead thing going on from all of the relaxing in the sun we did at Daytona Beach this weekend. If you're wondering what kind of cheesecake that is, there's only one acceptable variety according to the birthday boy and that would be banana cream.

I promise we did more than stuff our faces with meat and pie but there was no camera around for those parts. Apparently the face stuffing is the part I wanted to reminisce about. Says a lot really.

All in all I think he had a beautiful birthday/Easter weekend. I can't believe we are SO old now. I love you sweetie husband and I am so grateful for the 14 years of friendship we have shared and our wonderful marriage. :)