Holiday Decor 2010

In light of yesterday's inspirational post, I did end up decorating for the holidays today :o)

Here is what we have this year (sorry for the poor quality pics, they were taken with a cell phone lol)

We also have some small wire lighted trees in the front yard (those are our house lights), but I haven't had a chance to get a good shot of those yet - so stay tuned for more!

Happy Thanksgiving

I find myself having a difficult time getting into the holiday spirit this year - maybe it's all that we've been through recently, I don't know. But I'm saddened by this and disappointed in myself because of it... normally the holidays are my most favorite time of the year, but this year I am just not finding myself filled with that same warm and fuzzy feeling *sigh*

No less, I wanted to be sure to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow [well, today now] is Black Friday and the "official start" of the holiday shopping season. I have never been one to go out at all hours of the morning in an attempt to land "amazing deals" and this year is no exception. We actually began our shopping last week and did most of it online - there are a few things that we need to go into the store for, but Bryan will be doing that on a weekday [since he works overnights] when the crowds will be a little thinner and much less stressful.

So instead, this day begins my holiday decorating season :o) I will spend my Black Friday in the calm and warmth of my home, putting up my Christmas tree and carious other holiday decor items. I am hoping that this attempt to lighten my holiday spirits will be a successful one, and one thing that always puts me in a good mood is decorating! Especially when the opportunity to shop for new holiday decor comes about ;o) So in honor of my own special little Black Friday, I present to you this year's holiday decor inspiration:

I absolutely LoVe this entryway decor!!!!

Not only is the red/silver combo one of my holiday favorites, but there is just something about this house that helps to finally give me that warm fuzzy feeling inside :o) This is the epitome of holiday decor for me!

Busy Bee

This is the statement that could best describe myself and my life lately!

I honestly don't even know where to begin...

I started my new job this week - I am officially working for a prestigious area university - Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), stationed in a local high school doing college prep and career exploration with their students. It's hard to believe that I have already obtained my first dream job so early on in my young professional career, but it's everything I imagined it would be and more. This new position came with a 25% raise, amazing benefits, 1.5 mile commute, more prestigious job title and responsibilities, brand new laptop computer, and job security.

 

We continued working on our master bedroom remodel - Bryan and my father finished the electrical work on our second floor, and we went out to purchase all of the rebuilding materials. All together we bought 20 sheets of drywall, 10 rolls of insulation, 34 - 2x4's, 25lbs of nails, and 3 new light fixtures. Our task this week is to raise the rest of the ceiling beams, and then we can work on getting the walls back up! I can't believe we're at this point in the process already, it's going to start looking like an actual room again soon!!!

We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday - with a nice little dinner celebration at a fancy local Italian restaurant, that made the most amazing lobster bisque (yummmmmmmm!). Everything was delicious and it was a nice little event.

Next week is another busy week - not only is it Thanksgiving, but we will also be celebrating my brother-in-law's 21st birthday. Thursday we will be stuffing the turkey and stuffing ourselves with delicious holiday delectables. Friday is Black Friday and the official beginning of my holiday shopping season. Saturday my in-law's have planned a nice little birthday party celebration and then of course Sunday will be spent recuperating from that lol

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! We've officially reached the end of October and I can hardly believe it myself, where has the time gone? To mark the end of this beautiful month, today we celebrate All Hallow's Eve. Of course it falls on a Sunday this year and so our celebrations are either cut short or rescheduled for another day - if you're anything like us, you celebrated last night in order to have today to recoup ;o)

We attended an annual Halloween celebration last night, and had an amazing time with some awesome friends. Everyone dressed up in their spookiest garb and we enjoyed drinks and appetizers before heading out to the bars. After a long night of dancing and drinking, we finally made our way home in the wee hours of the morning. I'm honestly surprised that I'm even up this early lol But all-in-all it was a great night, and I hope that you all enjoyed yours as well!

Here's a picture of our Halloween get-ups: I went as a black cat, and Bryan went as the Banana from the viral internet video Peanut Butter Jelly Time (also seen on the TV show Family Guy) - yes, my husband is a nerd lol

But in the end, it's not about how much of a nerd your husband is - it's about how much fun you had watching him make a complete fool of himself... and let me tell you, I had a blast ;o)

Others to make an appearance at our Halloween celebration included: a nerd (no, not my husband lol but an actual nerd costume), a 1920's style female gangster, a navy gal, the Boba Fett chicken from Family Guy, a few football players, a friggin scary ass leaf man and his leaf collector, Maverick from Top Gun, The Cat in the Hat, an Easter Bunny and someone else dressed as his carrot, a couple of witches, and a soccer player. Turns out we actually have a pretty creative group of friends haha and we would never have known, had it not been for Halloween.

Tonight we are preparing for trick-or-treaters. This is our first official Halloween in our house (I can't believe we've been home owners for almost a year now - whoa) and so we're not quite sure what to expect, so this should be interesting. We bought a couple big bags of mixed candy just in case, we honestly have no idea how many kids we'll get, but I've already managed to pick out and eat all of my faves since we bought it lol Hopefully the kids don't like strawberry laffy taffy, because we're all out :o)

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!

Hiatus

Looking at my blog, I am saddened that it has been over a month since my last post - sigh. But it is with (what I hope will be considered) a good explanation, that you all will forgive me.

I've gone back and forth with how to approach the subject of my whereabouts for the past month, and at this point I figure it would be best to just put it out there or rip the band-aid off if you will.

On September 25th, 2010 I had a miscarriage.

We found out that we were expecting our first child at the end of June, it was wonderful news and we were very excited. The following month went smoothly and my pregnancy seemed to be progressing well, until September 23rd when I noticed that everything wasn't quite so right anymore (trying to not get into too much detail here). We already had our first ultrasound scheduled for that afternoon, so there really wasn't anything that I could do at that point besides try to make it through the rest of the work day.

At our ultrasound, which should have been a happy and joyous event, my worst fears were confirmed - the ultrasound tech told us that the baby had stopped developing almost a week before. Since things had already started happening on their own, we decided to go home and let nature take its course. Again, without getting into too much detail... it was the worst, most painful (physically and emotionally), horrifying experience of my life and I have never felt so incredibly alone. Within a matter of hours and then days, our world had been turned upside down and something that we had been so excited about was suddenly gone and ripped from our life.

The purpose of this post is not to scare anyone or gain pitty from the internet community - I honestly believe that there is a societal stigma against miscarriage and pregnancy loss, heaven forbid we talk openly about such a personal and private thing. The purpose of this post is to raise awareness and let women know that they are not alone. Since having gone through this myself, I have discovered a world of amazingly strong, supportive, and courageous women - who welcomed me, comforted me, and supported me with open arms... no questions asked.

I've also discovered some amazing resources:

October 15th is National Pregnancy/Infant Loss Remembrance Day and considering my my own loss occurred so close to this date, I really felt the need to share my experience and amazing cause with you all here.

It's taken some time, but we are in a better place both physically and emotionally now. We are looking to the future and all of the possibilities, with hopes that someday we will be blessed with the child that we were meant to have, raise and love... someday, someday soon *fingers crossed*

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

I know, I know - I've been slacking in my posting lately!

But for fairly good reason, this past Thursday was the first day back-to-school for my high schoolers and as a result things have just been completely hectic!

Just to give you an idea - the room they were originally going to put me in was in a free standing building separate from the main school building, and it was disgusting! When I found out that they were going to put me there, I seriously considered quitting my job... it was that bad! Well on Wednesday (the day before school was scheduled to start) they decided to close that building for the year because it was deemed unsafe for students and staff to be out there, well DUH! I could have told you that! Needless to say, I have been without an actual office or classroom for the past week. Luckily I found out on Friday that my principal has plans to put me in a very nice classroom in the main school building, I even got to see it so that I could start planning for the year - it's very exciting! They are hoping to move my things sometime next week, so hopefully I will be setup in my classroom in the near future!

Aside from that, even the weekends have been hectic.

Last weekend we went camping with friends - my mom and her boyfriend have an RV on a permanent site about an hour south of where we live, they let us use the accommodations for the weekend and we had a blast! We hiked up the creek and waterfall the runs through the campground:

We played cards and board games, cooked hot dogs and s'mores over the fire - it was great!

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend and of course it was no exception to the hecticness. We went to my in-laws for dinner yesterday, and spent the evening with them. Today we're going to the Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY

Tomorrow (actual Labor Day) is probably our only real day to relax, and Bryan needs to go to sleep around 4:30pm because he has to be to work at midnight on Monday night! Yeesh! 

So as you can see, it's been a little crazy around here lately!

Hopefully you've at least enjoyed this "ketchup" day, to see what we've been up to. I hope to get back into the swing of things and regular blog posting in the next couple weeks! Bare with me!

Fall Decor

Received my Fall Pottery Barn catalog in the mail today, and it really got me thinking about the fall decor for our house. Since we closed and moved into our house at the end of last November (yay!!! it's almost our 1 year homeowners anniversary) we didn't really get a chance to decorate for the fall season last year, we just kinda moved in and went straight to winter/x-mas/holiday decor.

So in honor of our first opportunity to decorate our home for the fall season, I have decided to share some of the ideas I am loving this fall, with you guys - my lovely readers!

love the whole look and feel of this pic - wish I had a big porch :o(

LoVe this wreath!!! I've been looking for a great fall wreath for our front door :o)

I've talked in previous posts about how I absolutely love Pottery Barn, but how they can also be quite pricey. I've pulled off PB knock-offs in the past, and am going to attempt it again with some of these fall decor items... so wish me luck and stay tuned to see what I come up with ;o)

Brian & Christine

Even though wedding season is technically winding down, the weddings that we've been invited to and will be attending this year are just beginning. My cousin got married this past weekend, and we attended the wedding on Friday. They had a lovely outdoor ceremony, under a gazebo of a local golf club. Followed by a reception to celebrate the nuptials.

The bride choose a Tiffany Blue and white theme, accented by pops of bright pink/red - very pretty. I love weddings and pictures, so I just thought I would share a few pictures from the event...

the groom (my cousin) waiting for his bride at the alter

here comes the bride

meeting at the alter to become husband and wife

the wedding party, taking some pictures before the reception

sister and mother of the groom (a.k.a. my other cousin and aunt)

seal the deal with a kiss

aren't they cute

blissful newlyweds

first dance

wedding cake

throwing the bouquet

They got really lucky (which is actually quite difficult to do in WNY) and had a simply beautiful day for their outdoor ceremony, the weather was sunny and an amazing 80° so it really was perfect.

It was a lovely wedding - congrats to the happy couple and welcome to the family my new cousin Christine!

Weight Loss - Week 4

In honor of the beginning of pre-season football, we are going to consider this week a bye-week in my weight loss journey ;o) In other words, no loss this week... however, there also was no gain and so I consider maintenance a victory either way :o)

This week's weigh-in was a pleasant surprise, as I was actually preparing myself for a gain. I have been feeling bloated and not good all week long :o( Plus, we ate out a lot more than usual and the physical activity was still minimal.

But my knee is feeling 99% better now, and so I am planning to start a fitness routine next week. There is a lovely little 2.25 mile bike path near our house, that happens to end at a Starbucks :o) So the hubbs and I are going to try walking it at least 3 times a week (weather permitting). So that's 4.5 miles each round trip with a nice lil Starbucks pit-stop halfway through! Wish us luck!

Week 4 ~ Total Weight Loss: - 8lbs

Fall Favorites

I know this may seem a little premature, especially since there are still a few more weeks left in August, but I am very excited for my quickly approaching favorite season - FALL!!! Out of all the seasons (well, really only 1 1/2 seasons if you live in WNY) fall is my absolute favorite and I am sooooooooooo excited for September to be here!!!

Here are just a few of the reasons why I love fall:

Foliage

(pic taken at a local state park)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pastries (cookies, breads, muffins, etc.)

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Apple Cider - esp. when paired with an old fashioned doughnut

Halloween

Apple Picking

 Warm Apple Pie with a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Cool Whip

Thanksgiving

Most of all, I just love autumn weather - stepping out in that crisp, cool day. It not cold enough for a winter coat and/or snow boots, but not so warm that you find yourself sweating every moment of the day. Fall is just the all around perfect season! What's your favorite season and why???

Summer Fun

I posted last week about our Saturday adventures in hiking, picnicking, and wine tasting - well, the summer fun continued into this weekend as well. Our city holds a monthly music festival called East End Fest, where they close off a section of a main road downtown and setup stages for various local bands to play.

It's hard to believe that it's mid-august already, and the summer season is coming to an end. But alas, fall is right around the corner and this was the final East End Fest of the season :o( So we made the most of it and had a great time. After work on Friday we met our friends Jeff and Andrea at a nearby restaurant for dinner and drinks, before walking down the street to the festival.

After some walking around and checking everything out, we were able to snag a table on the patio of one of the bars. It was perfect because we also happened to end up near the band we wanted to see - a DMB cover band, and they were great! The weather was perfect, the beer was cold, the music was great, and the company of good friends was the cherry on top of an awesome night!

(sorry for the poor pic quality, these were taken with a cell phone ;o)

We still have a few more fun summer events planned, before the school year begins again and then it's back to reality! Next weekend is my cousin's wedding, the following weekend we're going camping, and then Labor Day weekend is the Buffalo Wing Fest!!! So stay tuned for more recaps as we close out summer 2010!

Weight Loss - Week 3

I think I am finally feeling physically better this week - went for a 2 mile hike last weekend and my knee held up really well. I had some minor pain and stiffness afterward, but overall it was better than I was expecting. I continued to play it safe this week, and kept the physical activity and workouts to a minimum - mostly walking, nothing too intense and/or high impact. No less, I still had a 2lb loss again this week - so even with minimal exercise, healthy eating and portion control can still equal a loss. We're planning another mild to moderate hike again for this coming weekend, and hopefully if my knee reacts well I can be back to the gym again next week!!!

Also, if you'll take a moment to notice - I've added a special Weight Loss page to the blog. Just a little place where I can sum up and keep track of these posts, documenting my weight loss journey :o)

Week 3 ~ Total Weight Loss: - 8lbs

Nice lil Saturday

We are really lucky here in WNY, to have so many wonderful destinations within close proximity - it makes for some awesome day trips and activities. This past weekend we took a Saturday and went down to the Fingerlakes region with our friends Jeff and Andrea, and had a simply amazing time!

We started out with a morning hike up the Barnes Creek Falls at Onanada Park along Canandaigua Lake.

The boys complained for most of the hike, they would have rathered we started wine touring at 10am instead of doing any sort of physical activity. Needless to say they survived ;o)

It was a nice hike, about 2 miles total in length and moderate difficulty - there were a couple hills that gave a few out-of-shape mid-twenty-year-olds a run for the money lol but we made it. The trails were clear and even, and there were some nice lookout points along the creek. It was a beautiful and perfect day for a hike, a lovely way to start our Saturday in the Fingerlakes.

After the hike, we went across the highway to the other half of Onanda Park along the lakefront. We pulled out our picnic lunch, cooler and blanket and setup for a lovely picnic right on the shore.

Andrea and I took a moment to dip our toes into the water before we headed off to our next adventure, while the guys sat on a nearby picnic table - they really just wanted to get to the wine touring lol But the water was beautiful, even the temperature was nice. The view was spectacular, a perfect backdrop for our lil picnic along the lake :o)

It wasn't long before we were on the road again, and following the Canandaigua Wine Trail - or first stop, Heron Hill Tasting Room... this is a newer addition to the Canandaigua Wine Trail, as the actual Heron Hill Winery is actually on a neighboring Fingerlake - Keuka Lake.

We also stopped at the very southern point of the lake in the little town of Naples to try a few more wineries, one of which comes highly recommended by my in-laws (who are self-proclaimed wine-o's) Imagine Moore Winery.

This was a lovely little family-owned winery, and they had some great wines!

We continued our way along the wine trail and eventually made it back up to Canandaigua, where we ended our wine tasting adventures at the New York Wine and Culinary Center.

We did one last tasting, and Jeff even got to do a flight of local beers (he was very excited about this). This establishment does cooking classes, which we were able to peek in on while we were there and we are planning to return later this month to take a class!!!

After our last tasting and visit to the NYWCC, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and walked along the pier. It really was just an absolutely perfect day.

Then we made our way to a local restaurant for some dinner. While we were there the waitress informed us of a concert being put on at the local Music and Arts Center (CMAC) by Maroon 5, so we figured we would see what kind of prices the box office was offering for last minute tickets. Unfortunately it was more than we were willing to pay (even at the last minute), so we decided to just head home for the night.

However, we did make one last impromptu stop along the way. Bryan and I had never been to the Fingerlakes Racino, so Jeff and Andrea took us on a quick tour. The race for the day was already over by the time we got there, but we got to see the track and played a few slots.

Afterwards we headed home, opened a bottle of wine and turned on some music. It was a perfect ending to a perfect Saturday :o) Good friends, good food, good wine - great times! What more can you ask for?!