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