Home sweet Home

*weheartit*

When we moved out of our last house, our next door neighbor cried.  She told me that her one wish for us is that in our new place we had neighbors that were closer to our age.  It was a really sweet thing for her to say, even though at the time it was odd and uncomfortable and I didn't know how to react.  Our last neighborhood was built in the 80's and most everyone was still original owners.  Even though we all got along it was at times a little hard to connect, seeing as we were both born in the 80's not building our dream home.  Brian and I are used to being the youngest pretty much everywhere we go and everything we do, but we have been blessed in our new home having neighbors that are at least in similar life stages.  We meet more and more neighbors each week, and we have such a great variety.  We again find ourselves being the youngest (so far), but not by much.  How lucky we are to have found not only a great house to call a home, but a great neighborhood to truly bond with. 

I look forward to many more summer days hanging out with our neighbors, many more years enjoying front porch Saturdays, many more 2nd Thursday lady bunko, the uncountable BBQ's and pot lucks, glasses of wine after work, and the smiles at the mailboxes. 

It's good to be home.

The power of a woman

*weheartit*

Happy in the sun

*weheartit*

People keep talking about being ready for fall, but I'm so happy in the summer.  I love the sun and the warmth.  I love pool time, getting up with light outside, being able to watch the sun go down after 8.  I'm not looking forward to dark mornings and evenings and cold.  I love fall, but I love summer so much more.  Like this happy kitty, I plan to soak it up a few more weeks.

Recovery

wikipedia

If you don't know, I love rap music and alternative.  I can stomach most pop music, tolerate rock, and would rather be in silence than country.  But rarely do I love an entire album.  It's happened twice in recent history though - Jay Z Blueprint 3 was incredible.  and now I can't stop listening to the Recovery album.  Eminem has me locked.

The first time through, I just enjoyed the beats and I love his voice.

The 2nd time I heard the words as if he was singing about someone else.

The 3rd time I realized he was talking to me, personally.  And I cried.

The 4th time I listened as part of something larger than me, and I had shivers multiple times.

"You can try read my lyrics off this paper before I lay them, but you wont take the sting out of them before I say them." - Not Afraid

And he's right.  They sting.  The album is brilliant.  The story weaved over the entire album is incredible.  There is no way for me recap or review the album in justice, you really need to download and take a listen (or several).

"I feel like I'm morphing"- Seduction. 

 Yes he is, he have reached the next level.  Story telling isn't new to rap, but this is beautiful.

Don't have time for the full story? Not Afraid and Love the Way you Lie are all over the radio.  Other good stand alones: No Love (love the throwback to Night at Roxbury), 25 to Life and Talkin' 2 Myself.

Have you listened to it?  What did you think?

Wedding Weekend Part 3 - Wedding Day!!

5 years ago I became a Mrs.  Just reminiscing on the good times.

Dad was ready to kill the wedding planner moments before walking me down the aisle.  But he snapped out of it pretty quick and put on a smile (and a joke) for me in giving me away. He told the Pastor he "gladly" gave me away, and the whole room laughed.  Pastor W asked if I had a come back and it took so much effort just to smile...

This is my favorite.  Brian had just said "I can see down your dress"

And our first dance.  I let Brian pick, and he chose Kenney Chesney "Me and You".

Then came the dinner & party.  I'll post the pics, but all you need to know is that we had the best DJ (James Looney), and mom licked the margarita machine dry at the end...

Brenda and Paul to the left, Jamie and Shawn to the right.

Josh & Nicole, Bill & Beverly

Allison, Hailey, Jenn & Cathy

Mom and friends

Barbie & Josh, Aggie War Hymn

James (the DJ), and line dancing!

Hands on your knees! How low can you go!

It's the dance from that movie....  and the chicken dance!

A little swing dancing: my and a cousin, Matt & Becca

and Garrett & I (my other brother from a different mother) and I have no idea what dance we are doing; looks like penguins...

We had so much fun.  Thanks to everyone that came out and partied with us!  Here's to another great 5 years!

Wedding Weekend Part 2 - My Family

5 years ago was the rehersal & dinner.  I've been so blessed to have a wonder and fun family.  They love Brian (more than me most days) and know how to have a good time.  Thus, most awesome wedding weekend ever.  But we'll get to the party later...

Isn't my mom cute?  And isn't Amy's face awesome?  My mom kept the whole family & friend group laughing and having a great time at the rehersal dinner.  She's a great story teller and quite the entertainer!

Dad made mom do her hair down and more normal.  She was actually not to happy about that, but aren't they good looking parents?  Loving and supportive (and freakin smart) too! 

My dad and I danced to an R&B remix.  You just have to be careful that "I'm too sexy" doesn't come over the speakers (as a cousin learned the hard way) -  my dad will own the dance floor!!  He and Brian are like 2 peas in a pod, and I think he was so happy I married Brian and he could have 2 awesome sons.

Siblings always have a special bond.  The person that you spent the most time with while growing up, that you have a ton of inside jokes with, house a crap ton of memories with.  Beyond that, and it drives everyone else in the family crazy, we will laugh without speaking.  He can say 3 words, I say 2 words and we are done.  And it's never consistant or makes any sense to anyone else, but we always can read where the other is going without actually saying it and have a great time joking around. 

I also have the most awesome grandparents and cousins.  Funny, loving and always there.  My grandparents to the left are hitting 50 years this December - amazing.  My cousins Becca & Matt are just fun to be around, and even willing to dance with my other Granny, who's not even related.  But what can I say, both mom & dad's side like to have a good time. 

It was great to have all the family in before the wedding for the rehersal dinner.  Good times with friends and family!

Wedding Weekend Part 1 - My Girls

5 years ago tonight, we kicked off my wedding weekend with dinner, drinks and attempted dancing with the girls!  I married my best friend, but it's a great feeling when you best girl friends celebrate with you and stand by your side.  The last 5 years has taken us all in different directions, and I feel that I never get to see them or even talk with them; but we always just pick up and I know they would always be there for me in a time of need.   So here's a quick shout out to my girls!

I have known Amy since we were 2 and she was my MOH.  Through baby sitting co-op, girl scout troop 447, summer camp and other activities we became best friends when we finally went to the same school a few years of high school.  She is so fun to be around and always an honest voice when I need one.  She gave a great toast, and even shared her wine with my dress!

 

Melanie was one of my college roommates, and isn't just important to me but also Brian.  Super smart, blatantly honest and an excellent cook -- she was the perfect roommate and an awesome friend!

I met Allison when she hired me as an intern.  She has been a great mentor, both for career and for living life, and is a great example to follow on both accounts as well.  She took such good care of me that weekend (and always); I can't post them for decency reasons, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten clothes on me that day without her.  She took total care of me, as she always has.  She is beautiful, smart and just wonderful.  She even took out her diamonds to not outshine me on my special day - and that was huge! 

Barbie and I met freshman year at A&M.  She gets me, like really gets me.  What's more, she married Josh who also gets me (most of the time).  And they now have 2 beautiful daughters that I adore.  I just wish they lived closer than 3 states away.

Naomi and Heather kept the ceremony flowing with beautiful music.  Naomi is a college friend for Brian & I, and Heather lived across the street and we have known each other basically our entire lives.

All have been there for me and I couldn't ask for better friends to have stood with me that weekend.  There were several other really close friends that came to celebrate with us that weekend, and I cherish those memories as well.  I love how life brings such wonderful people into our lives, and how the number of great girl friends continues to grows and how each one has a special place in my life.  I'm so blessed to have great people around me to share the good (and the bad) times. 

Here's to the great girls in my life!  Life wouldn't be the same without each of you!

Skinny Bitch

You've seen this book right? "Skinny Bitch.  A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous! By Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin"

I've seen it a dozen times and finally broke down and bought it to read on my flight home (Zune was dead; don't go think I got all soft and would chose reading over music).  I have to give this a big thumbs down, a massive thumbs down.  Anything in the book that I thought might be good information (facts about artifical sweetners and fruits and breads) is all tainted by one sentence:

"Its a sad fact that in this country, most doctors know almost nothing about nutrition." (Page 60, Skinny Bitch, Freedman & Barnouin). 

Your telling me your a "self-taught know-it-all" and my doctor is stupid?   Wow.  Bold.  We're done here.  But just in case you were wondering what it was about, I'll recap quickly and save you the suffering. 

You think it's going to be good and I was really getting into the read.  Toss around the F word, call me a fat B, and tell me how to straighted out.  Awesome!  Would love you too! 

Smoking is bad - agreed. 

Soda is the devil - agreed (don't want to give it up, but agreed). 

Stop eating crap - agreed. 

Artifical sweetners and persevatives are perserving the fat on my ass - agreed.

Go vegan - ag... wait... what? 

Milk is poison? Really, you may not like it, but they say it's actually bad for us.  (This is the section where my quote above comes in.) 

Our bodies can't digest meat?  They have issues with animal rights, and I get it, but we have eaten meat since forever, I'm pretty sure our bodies can digest it.

Most of the book is spent trying to guilt or gross you into being a vegan with them.  But when you have to tell me to eat soy made to look like a chicken breast, and after 30 days I'll be happy enough, that's not really the life style I want to bite into.  I mean, it might taste okay, but why shape it like a chicken - that's just weird.  If I need to give up meat, don't rub it in my face by making faux meat.  And of course their skinny - I walked our Market Street today stocked with Organic and healthy foods and finding Vegan is still hard.  They want more to join them, because then the stores will start stock more vegan options.  It's a great tactic, and I applaud their efforts for their lifestyle.  I even took some of the advise and bought some of the recommended items to use in place of others I would normally eat. 

But next time name the book Skinny Judgemental Bitch - at least let me know what I'm in for ahead of time.

God didn't give us all this great food for us to not eat it, we already screwed that one up.