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?!

Weight Loss - Week 2

Winding down the second full week in my weight loss program, and overall it is going well. I'm down another 2 pounds this week (woot woot!!!), which is great considering the physical activity has been minimal and the eating of unhealthy foods (mostly on the weekends) has been much greater.

If you'll recall my previous and first weight loss post, I was starting the Couch to 5k program in an attempt to get into shape and lose some of the extra poundage. What I failed to mention is that I have bad knees - yes, I know everyone says they have a bad something and that's what prevents them from working out and achieving their weight loss goals... but I have been told by physicians in the past that I should avoid running as a form of physical activity on account of my bad knees.

A little history...

When I was in high school I blew out my right knee during cheerleading practice (something else I may have forgotten to mention, I was a competitive cheerleader for a good chunk of my youth) and was recommended for surgery to repair the damage. Now, if you or anyone you know has ever had a knee injury and/or surgery then you know that it can really put a person out of commission (apparently your knees play a vital role in your daily life - who knew) and if you're a teenager involved in sports, then this is really the last thing in the world that you would want. In the end, the doctors told me that if I had the surgery I wouldn't have been able to get back to my usual physical activities for over a year :o( So instead I sucked it up, wore a brace, was extra careful, and managed to make it through the rest of my high school career and teenage years with only a few more minor injuries :o) However, I also managed to permanently damage my knees :o(

Back to my point...

Since this was so many years ago, I figured there was a statue of limitations on said knee damage - apparently I was wrong. After the first two weeks of my new running program, I managed to injure my left knee (yes, if you're keeping track that is or was my "good knee")! And so I have been away from any sort of physical activity for the past week, in an attempt to heal. It is slowly starting to feel better, but I do feel like running is out of the question for me at this point :o( I know that if I went to see a doctor they would order yet another MRI and would probably recommend surgery again, but this time on both knees (thanks, but no thanks). Since I have been pain free up to this point, with regards to my knees, I don't feel that surgery is necessary. I will just have to modify my workout routines, and stick to low impact activities (pretty much like I've known I should all along).

So I am putting the Couch to 5k running program to rest for now, and will hopefully resume working out on my elliptical and the cross trainers at the gym next week. Like I said before, a loss is a loss and I still had one this week even despite this set back - this gives me hope for the future, even without running.

Week 2 ~ Total Weight Loss: - 6lbs