tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75357763719316422662023-11-16T11:07:34.252-05:00Books and Veils and Puppy Dog Talesthat's what my blog is made of.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-41035474091216899622014-12-17T12:47:00.002-05:002014-12-17T12:50:59.178-05:00Wedding Wednesday - Our Venue<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I loved our wedding venue!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5ngAEcjRZNQNeLfgvOrDd2doxZWe36pTY4FPD5DcCns8xOAUrbj77uN4yCFcTTdKmP0T7d8YOlBzjY9ytav0xBOsPFZqQ-KQHXhWUrKsBi82EFplbkhnyJW1QaQIhFSXbpX4mB_tiPg/s1600/IMG_3743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5ngAEcjRZNQNeLfgvOrDd2doxZWe36pTY4FPD5DcCns8xOAUrbj77uN4yCFcTTdKmP0T7d8YOlBzjY9ytav0xBOsPFZqQ-KQHXhWUrKsBi82EFplbkhnyJW1QaQIhFSXbpX4mB_tiPg/s1600/IMG_3743.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Paul's on the Bay</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the first vendors we booked after getting engaged was our venue. We knew we wanted to get married in our hometown where most of our family lived, so that part of the decision was easy. Through all of my vigorous research, I thought I knew every wedding venue in town. There are SO many gorgeous places in Pensacola to get married, but I had a few requirements. I wanted an outdoor ceremony with a gorgeous view. I wanted to have indoor space available for the reception that was equally as beautiful. I wanted to have somewhere to get dressed on site. I wanted to be able to bring in the caterer/florist/dj/planner of my choice. I wanted to be able to serve beer and wine. I wanted to overall vibe to be warm, Southern, cozy and comfortable, like a family gathering at grandma's house. We toured a few places that were nice, but each one felt like it was missing something. And then my sister nailed it on the head with her suggestion of <a href="http://www.paulsonthebay.com/">Paul's on the Bay</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStf763jetrQwzM0pa1wSKR1Gi-XRoMeaFvIYmm5h43F3YWJ69pLaV29aMStDagDmFbk_bl7lraOHxubKbD5uQWt5FyJlYdc4C_3x8eVWXaABqJzPEVqLmPXbNGOLWuTQKq4u9PjFYkek/s1600/IMG_3744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStf763jetrQwzM0pa1wSKR1Gi-XRoMeaFvIYmm5h43F3YWJ69pLaV29aMStDagDmFbk_bl7lraOHxubKbD5uQWt5FyJlYdc4C_3x8eVWXaABqJzPEVqLmPXbNGOLWuTQKq4u9PjFYkek/s1600/IMG_3744.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Paul's on the Bay is the same building that used to house Skopelo's Restaurant many years ago. After the restaurant closed down, it was transformed into a one-of-a-kind event center. The interior is beautifully decorated, and the back terrace has the most stunning view of Pensacola Bay. One tour of the site and we were sold!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I loved that we were able to have our ceremony, cocktail hour, photography session and reception all at the same place! There are separate dressing rooms for the bride and groom, an onsite catering kitchen, as well as a built in bar. Dina, the owner off Paul's, even has her own wine and cheese shop, so she supplied all of our wine and beer for the evening. It really was a one stop shop for our venue needs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Really though, it was the view that go me. Just have a look for yourself. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRGy5mflJL_E-fNbqZlfXUmfRdJLnrA8kTeN5SoK8XUMShW3qZB13kFnum_eLMSD77QmzSsLEQQ9r9zLPgc_3gL_9fI3Vwl2Ikg2JdoqXr_XMgWL0RscXYXeSr_hWEjo2-oYdc0HbHJw/s1600/IMG_3739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRGy5mflJL_E-fNbqZlfXUmfRdJLnrA8kTeN5SoK8XUMShW3qZB13kFnum_eLMSD77QmzSsLEQQ9r9zLPgc_3gL_9fI3Vwl2Ikg2JdoqXr_XMgWL0RscXYXeSr_hWEjo2-oYdc0HbHJw/s1600/IMG_3739.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ObpKkO3XqxZzvdD9Tes-V1z0hUKJY5gi_XYnjSMQ1KOV31q7hdrj38OstZuz3AoWyfxSMXfKOhooJCfyBjsmMI_ng8AHtyvKf4O1PyrDqWnGt2yL1h9vRPuFHfRZV8JJgSsrfb77QxI/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ObpKkO3XqxZzvdD9Tes-V1z0hUKJY5gi_XYnjSMQ1KOV31q7hdrj38OstZuz3AoWyfxSMXfKOhooJCfyBjsmMI_ng8AHtyvKf4O1PyrDqWnGt2yL1h9vRPuFHfRZV8JJgSsrfb77QxI/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo8I3ynTLZX4t0YaKkmmVr0DL7UAu4HxUdTqr-hYxybkuAEvBpTD1cw9aP4M_6RdaTDITs_E2k48N3JHMRgh_I3AnBYyspU74nvDhZz-ZRECazqBJax-Oh3bFHNx450DBIWO6fnrlPbo/s1600/IMG_3740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo8I3ynTLZX4t0YaKkmmVr0DL7UAu4HxUdTqr-hYxybkuAEvBpTD1cw9aP4M_6RdaTDITs_E2k48N3JHMRgh_I3AnBYyspU74nvDhZz-ZRECazqBJax-Oh3bFHNx450DBIWO6fnrlPbo/s1600/IMG_3740.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnes7Mo8k-hgkp4lTNsVjCZqdDMOYeQfH5Xg6MDIjRwfYzLfd4WWhLw_rtR5ikfztZW_kThGPxuZ4tFX5mXmGRhA35wYCz0ik30_MvWFaQBIieDteOyfKr3Hi05xNXAC_1hs9zUeMRky4/s1600/IMG_3741+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnes7Mo8k-hgkp4lTNsVjCZqdDMOYeQfH5Xg6MDIjRwfYzLfd4WWhLw_rtR5ikfztZW_kThGPxuZ4tFX5mXmGRhA35wYCz0ik30_MvWFaQBIieDteOyfKr3Hi05xNXAC_1hs9zUeMRky4/s1600/IMG_3741+(1).JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtEzakSsCO2qWjdfaA5hpS9DIXdpTMFu2jJY81lbnrj9wNvkQT0Gq6gyKyg7s12LMBJn-FfncdGDMpFMu3L0Tvyt3oDkGBOhywv5JYvUTTiu6xioz5GZ7jKJ37y4ZnufbxgfEsdbPcPE/s1600/IMG_3742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtEzakSsCO2qWjdfaA5hpS9DIXdpTMFu2jJY81lbnrj9wNvkQT0Gq6gyKyg7s12LMBJn-FfncdGDMpFMu3L0Tvyt3oDkGBOhywv5JYvUTTiu6xioz5GZ7jKJ37y4ZnufbxgfEsdbPcPE/s1600/IMG_3742.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I mean, how can you beat a scene like that? It was the beauty of a beach wedding, without the nuisance of sand in your shoes. We were blessed with the most beautiful, clear day in May, despite the monsoon that wrecked Pensacola the week prior to our wedding date. Paul's really set the stage for the best day of our lives. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>All photos by <a href="http://mirabelphotography.com/index2.php?v=v2">Mirabel Photography</a></i></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-1248596110394993132014-11-05T06:00:00.000-05:002014-11-05T06:00:08.221-05:00Wedding Wednesday - Engagement Photos<div>
While we were dating and throughout our engagement, Chris and I would often go on drives and motorcycle rides out past the city. We are surrounded by some gorgeous scenery here in North Florida and we love to look at the mossy oaks and fields of wildflowers. On one such trip, Chris took me to what he called "his place". A place where he used to ride out alone and just sit. Think. Relax. On this occasion, we packed a picnic lunch and sat in the sunshine on the side of the road next to a gorgeous old tree. We talked about our future as a couple. We carved our initials into the trunk of that tree. We still visit that picnic spot on occasion, and it was the first place I thought of when brainstorming locations for our engagement photos. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Chris and I considered hiring a different photographer to capture our engagement photos since we had such a specific location in mind. Our spot is about 45 minutes north of Tallahassee, while Josh and Sara are based in Pensacola (our hometown and where the wedding took place). We mentioned wanting to have our photos taken locally and Josh didn't hesitate to drive in and capture them for us. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Josh captured some of my very favorite photos that day. I have a few framed around the house, and Chris even has one or two on his desk at work. We used one of these for our save the date postcards as well. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4H_JNqkydUdAvfLpbVFlA-Pm7IliOxbqJZ81upO9J7cftEjo41c0VsIF6FaX0gIQVEzAXYFwkxUEyTqmY8p8R4suiZXseUPTgzxkBaO9XTaU5MwrtK9mZ6m_LEEVJ2X6RhGYjx79kQw/s1600/IMG_2864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4H_JNqkydUdAvfLpbVFlA-Pm7IliOxbqJZ81upO9J7cftEjo41c0VsIF6FaX0gIQVEzAXYFwkxUEyTqmY8p8R4suiZXseUPTgzxkBaO9XTaU5MwrtK9mZ6m_LEEVJ2X6RhGYjx79kQw/s1600/IMG_2864.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOzGsxv0T0xUVGM0pU1WJkPyukLdgHCgPqlnCqwmUlvaD0AcCQsEAfszD19ZeMHJ2gKHrGXlZC6TSzyICuLCPc_1vjllpDbx0_eOIg_b7ltuYMGHGYc1Eejhplu1GlXe4ZCxodZyGAsc/s1600/IMG_2865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOzGsxv0T0xUVGM0pU1WJkPyukLdgHCgPqlnCqwmUlvaD0AcCQsEAfszD19ZeMHJ2gKHrGXlZC6TSzyICuLCPc_1vjllpDbx0_eOIg_b7ltuYMGHGYc1Eejhplu1GlXe4ZCxodZyGAsc/s1600/IMG_2865.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUYddsXKQ1qTbJGLgdx2W6mVJ-SEZ_3LJ9tMpFhIuwtMcOS3FVXMRIhmWxn4VW-gEe5XhiZVxfNOZOzawgny7a_5Zcto2FZNPNSrQV3VG9xx_OvU9k-ooAvWvO8Tf0Yr56KaNSp2BWzM/s1600/IMG_2866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUYddsXKQ1qTbJGLgdx2W6mVJ-SEZ_3LJ9tMpFhIuwtMcOS3FVXMRIhmWxn4VW-gEe5XhiZVxfNOZOzawgny7a_5Zcto2FZNPNSrQV3VG9xx_OvU9k-ooAvWvO8Tf0Yr56KaNSp2BWzM/s1600/IMG_2866.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjLeI1UC6lbD3Po6LAofWmOzu7Gfeq35Pmv-xgvvTFOq_peszGQGCl9Ero-6BKCATEIprlgWDp6EpsJjBJqEBXgtPmAlNe9lmQmA9AHASJN9XTOKTf712f9jyYFulFV_fQ-11qm3UyEY/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjLeI1UC6lbD3Po6LAofWmOzu7Gfeq35Pmv-xgvvTFOq_peszGQGCl9Ero-6BKCATEIprlgWDp6EpsJjBJqEBXgtPmAlNe9lmQmA9AHASJN9XTOKTf712f9jyYFulFV_fQ-11qm3UyEY/s1600/IMG_2867.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Le9EpAFiGZZ8rViL0cyPU74y-6fGe_IBLI2zObiTZtQz-ujWPDv0w8Ducc6lOL8v5oBlNEWBO3agvqAd1V3PJBA-oo9OCAd7laawCUAn6ESD3BHMYXvahzBtt1tsUrV69tNN_B6Q_KY/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Le9EpAFiGZZ8rViL0cyPU74y-6fGe_IBLI2zObiTZtQz-ujWPDv0w8Ducc6lOL8v5oBlNEWBO3agvqAd1V3PJBA-oo9OCAd7laawCUAn6ESD3BHMYXvahzBtt1tsUrV69tNN_B6Q_KY/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy4oDd4i9PrqWCW0MZ-u6xCG8pQv84P2PXLrazdGCzrGLOoYgmdI52D1jHhlU0i2c50xGVjQ5OWKZ6YB_mfcGHQdx-wnKAJZ9dA_Ruvsy_mO2nUYJKkevImwlTM34LonnxvN1upUyjds/s1600/IMG_2869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBy4oDd4i9PrqWCW0MZ-u6xCG8pQv84P2PXLrazdGCzrGLOoYgmdI52D1jHhlU0i2c50xGVjQ5OWKZ6YB_mfcGHQdx-wnKAJZ9dA_Ruvsy_mO2nUYJKkevImwlTM34LonnxvN1upUyjds/s1600/IMG_2869.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5-Q22VS5t8bJx047RLhjxw1lVG3Ejd_Xov-3XdGYs3X0-TTXX_SdWA0bInH32EQ727QsFdpiAZ-esVQMCxKm_xNvBiYPe551YCDEswTFa1sutI6PVo62G30ZyykfXRLMfx7H6PyzrxU/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5-Q22VS5t8bJx047RLhjxw1lVG3Ejd_Xov-3XdGYs3X0-TTXX_SdWA0bInH32EQ727QsFdpiAZ-esVQMCxKm_xNvBiYPe551YCDEswTFa1sutI6PVo62G30ZyykfXRLMfx7H6PyzrxU/s1600/IMG_2870.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4Xj51XOxTdkCKimQmYkMVRxXdF947zvzd76OyX8BKrXM1dp2lwVezeT_cnEdoDB2qoWhnMbpcD3DrXwYoonRrSYsbqW4Ut3uniiWT4HnWJ1au0gRa28mHx191TWFektGzyCxLL2hOgI/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4Xj51XOxTdkCKimQmYkMVRxXdF947zvzd76OyX8BKrXM1dp2lwVezeT_cnEdoDB2qoWhnMbpcD3DrXwYoonRrSYsbqW4Ut3uniiWT4HnWJ1au0gRa28mHx191TWFektGzyCxLL2hOgI/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kSYGsfw4XlZy-kFZ4tXOLsY16W2u7P5WmFn3PFbmqeQ4j75uHO9bAM5jYLejvhuid4xiOZmdlCoQUZ5Cj4uRReii8Xt7QgF5CRl0FNPn8WohYSegQVxPhz4NynA0e-K0-CfBu44hQcY/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kSYGsfw4XlZy-kFZ4tXOLsY16W2u7P5WmFn3PFbmqeQ4j75uHO9bAM5jYLejvhuid4xiOZmdlCoQUZ5Cj4uRReii8Xt7QgF5CRl0FNPn8WohYSegQVxPhz4NynA0e-K0-CfBu44hQcY/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_l3Eneo_Y7n4y39NAQGTurpS4HXEhdYQQK3B5EonN9M7tltkFxZgl9C1jUFpUpWwMLE4NvPresvQGrqkfJWVMS0DuuAVD2A2KZnqdAMi2HHXdcYEkQacOEqXUCHD3bU8DMAqYsNTsnk/s1600/IMG_2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_l3Eneo_Y7n4y39NAQGTurpS4HXEhdYQQK3B5EonN9M7tltkFxZgl9C1jUFpUpWwMLE4NvPresvQGrqkfJWVMS0DuuAVD2A2KZnqdAMi2HHXdcYEkQacOEqXUCHD3bU8DMAqYsNTsnk/s1600/IMG_2873.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hvfpED_wHXTbZKFKyu9s8WAMIXIWS6eyrDo_bwBNc5bLjj3GL_MQdLieWpYPpyHcvVau1jW5oPZfH_FjzFUK0wxPtynu88J1IBrTGUmLpE9I0OhRoHRqllctoOd1ftt5ex4Zwr3KN-s/s1600/IMG_2874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hvfpED_wHXTbZKFKyu9s8WAMIXIWS6eyrDo_bwBNc5bLjj3GL_MQdLieWpYPpyHcvVau1jW5oPZfH_FjzFUK0wxPtynu88J1IBrTGUmLpE9I0OhRoHRqllctoOd1ftt5ex4Zwr3KN-s/s1600/IMG_2874.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfuhbjXpk0z2QQFCuVYD8CmhSmzIfpUwB-dkQXvI_6qmuVL9_MeppjTldVQDOmJCOA71e61YV8wrMtIVNTDxYjknZAnXnGIesjYT1AVX7bGJta4BN_3_hBbP1hvhNaPLnKVbzKPBlq0s/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfuhbjXpk0z2QQFCuVYD8CmhSmzIfpUwB-dkQXvI_6qmuVL9_MeppjTldVQDOmJCOA71e61YV8wrMtIVNTDxYjknZAnXnGIesjYT1AVX7bGJta4BN_3_hBbP1hvhNaPLnKVbzKPBlq0s/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1WGEvQ9pfj-F5Y3UH4huXk7dzPR1EsiqMB9fok2xSB24eLgd3qjPqsHM7u6D6qTM2hinCoQEEq0Gbjp_54SKsGCX9f3Vf5S6iS4UUcA54j_br8VJIuKvgVKRytzmYuP2kOEtfNkNFRk/s1600/IMG_2876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1WGEvQ9pfj-F5Y3UH4huXk7dzPR1EsiqMB9fok2xSB24eLgd3qjPqsHM7u6D6qTM2hinCoQEEq0Gbjp_54SKsGCX9f3Vf5S6iS4UUcA54j_br8VJIuKvgVKRytzmYuP2kOEtfNkNFRk/s1600/IMG_2876.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From that first picnic...our tree carving!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOY3q9O_729MsiZ58Iod4h0toTJjGE-TCCwVE5uGmcGDAEtrzEFva-kN6wUJ_TdQaKAKr_aEAQsG9ccC30BGACBZSwSYHT2L4rCe6Q-ioKu8LM24x2VsTdeW6O2ydT-e19M9ObARmKjE/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOY3q9O_729MsiZ58Iod4h0toTJjGE-TCCwVE5uGmcGDAEtrzEFva-kN6wUJ_TdQaKAKr_aEAQsG9ccC30BGACBZSwSYHT2L4rCe6Q-ioKu8LM24x2VsTdeW6O2ydT-e19M9ObARmKjE/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Dm2tKO2iLrPynCW3FLEaJbWNAu9-qJpCgrcT6lRZ1Vd13ObS_1vH487fHBYK2ZFGWU1TE_BbY6JNOn6NhTt1MzFUZ0ZDvY6-kBwBcxLvX1x-CaklzzkGPgI0bVndRCSHb1e8omPstw/s1600/IMG_2877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Dm2tKO2iLrPynCW3FLEaJbWNAu9-qJpCgrcT6lRZ1Vd13ObS_1vH487fHBYK2ZFGWU1TE_BbY6JNOn6NhTt1MzFUZ0ZDvY6-kBwBcxLvX1x-CaklzzkGPgI0bVndRCSHb1e8omPstw/s1600/IMG_2877.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmRHhUpkN2RdN2cJCDZw7mRJIYLCUTMMYhAADdyAPrIRExpKfxLzkhUAbZftJwvOKmRH62zgpPLcm5JwOb0OdSR5H5FrDCID4Qa7-VwbP9-bwPdNvqAZsSV6wl9ZAxfoyfX4IUKZVmMM/s1600/IMG_2879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmRHhUpkN2RdN2cJCDZw7mRJIYLCUTMMYhAADdyAPrIRExpKfxLzkhUAbZftJwvOKmRH62zgpPLcm5JwOb0OdSR5H5FrDCID4Qa7-VwbP9-bwPdNvqAZsSV6wl9ZAxfoyfX4IUKZVmMM/s1600/IMG_2879.JPG" height="320" width="236" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA-UUwygv7ZqXmFlhOkzlnGbg0AH5B3_jielzIxe_GbB84lHMifAi4kV-6ERtiTxP0oX91OQ6Ls6DGg6lZMiKpbILiKfqSg2y2kvtpyQ1Kb-vQI2VjsC9xrhzrLGe5BJomZ4O7KO25SA/s1600/IMG_2881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA-UUwygv7ZqXmFlhOkzlnGbg0AH5B3_jielzIxe_GbB84lHMifAi4kV-6ERtiTxP0oX91OQ6Ls6DGg6lZMiKpbILiKfqSg2y2kvtpyQ1Kb-vQI2VjsC9xrhzrLGe5BJomZ4O7KO25SA/s1600/IMG_2881.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-25369685476058498222014-10-29T10:07:00.002-04:002014-10-29T10:07:14.911-04:00Wedding Wednesday - Photography<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This week I'll be talking about our amazing photographers, Josh and Sara Thurber of <a href="http://mirabelphotography.com/index2.php?v=v2#!/HOME">Mirabel Photography</a>! </i></span><br />
<br />
Photography was one of my biggest priorities when it came time to plan our wedding. Our wonderful planner recommended the husband and wife team of Josh and Sara Thurber to us based on the style of photography we wanted. I wanted our photographer to capture all of the important, posed moments, as well as the candid shots that would bring us back to that night year after year when we flip through our album. I wanted photos of the entire day, from getting dressed to walking down the aisle to dancing and partying to our grand exit. I wanted two photographers to capture moments from different angles. I wanted to own the rights to all of my photos and I wanted a CD of photos that I could make prints from in the future (I put together our wedding album myself...but that's a post for another day!) I also needed all of these requests to fall within our modest budget. Mirabel Photography hit every bullet point and then some! Not only were Josh and Sara a dream to work with (so sweet...so kind...love them!) but they blew us away with their talent and artistry. I will do a separate post next week about our engagement shoot, but today I want to focus on our wedding photos that I am in love with!<br />
<br />
Most of my favorite shots from our wedding day are the un-posed, raw, us-being-us photos that were caught on film. The photos that happen when we didn't even know a photographer was there.<br />
<br />
I couldn't possibly post every one of my favorites, but I will try to narrow down a dozen or so candid moments that I love looking back on:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SehrWCFfrRL7T3FMCfigqWfB_-z_Y9WpBkcAXwGMLJ2cM9WSzt6_vPmy1mEHcbXBo0Q-L5_ldJqImftU5utWJDHNmd-Dh1HF73Zu0Lq5uoG0V7hO1qcZ9WAZoaTW6LgnCcUCXBeBgtU/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SehrWCFfrRL7T3FMCfigqWfB_-z_Y9WpBkcAXwGMLJ2cM9WSzt6_vPmy1mEHcbXBo0Q-L5_ldJqImftU5utWJDHNmd-Dh1HF73Zu0Lq5uoG0V7hO1qcZ9WAZoaTW6LgnCcUCXBeBgtU/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A private moment after the ceremony</i> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41LrVINsU5MB5KNv6Q5PQ_aan898-4aboV7J8wy1XlzXtcGhJKpR2xv8azBpT5TuwKK3zNaKnjbObgWZwhbSiyxZUSETA9IdHCEK10CUIMR7JVGIp-_9_p5P6QHkB4s5G06LPVy80lOs/s1600/IMG_2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41LrVINsU5MB5KNv6Q5PQ_aan898-4aboV7J8wy1XlzXtcGhJKpR2xv8azBpT5TuwKK3zNaKnjbObgWZwhbSiyxZUSETA9IdHCEK10CUIMR7JVGIp-_9_p5P6QHkB4s5G06LPVy80lOs/s1600/IMG_2832.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A private moment after the ceremony</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQUZjYo5vjMZPvW6ELPQ024GB-0JJPi7W770Q-b9fV1HA-HNZPQ-XJNVipbaMTmJjpVFEAU0zpmI6b42WJpBy-AL7lGWbrhT-EEMYeUWQdQv0hs4-D0zz2ja5pQ6x_7APEyXwQWRfdDc/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQUZjYo5vjMZPvW6ELPQ024GB-0JJPi7W770Q-b9fV1HA-HNZPQ-XJNVipbaMTmJjpVFEAU0zpmI6b42WJpBy-AL7lGWbrhT-EEMYeUWQdQv0hs4-D0zz2ja5pQ6x_7APEyXwQWRfdDc/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Possibly the best picture of our family in many, many years</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgNm77QjzjSKlhnt5DFqpJM0O18EnfRzkvkV6yDCLZvILW3Oj1PTlb5r5H-q-wn_OB_4HEWp_JetjZFLdS_MAXiSn9LGX3hf94jDcwTsTKIh0xIMkzux9DjkOHEXZAPfbEmRqck8YrB0/s1600/IMG_2835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgNm77QjzjSKlhnt5DFqpJM0O18EnfRzkvkV6yDCLZvILW3Oj1PTlb5r5H-q-wn_OB_4HEWp_JetjZFLdS_MAXiSn9LGX3hf94jDcwTsTKIh0xIMkzux9DjkOHEXZAPfbEmRqck8YrB0/s1600/IMG_2835.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A little ladybug found itself nesting in my dress...a good luck sign!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1gRoTE4Y6F4aCmFF3IQ1agRjc4mskxWNNH3ttZM6-Mo7Bv64eoDsPeikef_dEDv2nc4BY9uHET_2WL0lraYQLR5Ct_XKXjTcsZ69Z9HQSOQbWkkrVJzuhI86cyTu4c9gJxtoT-cnYGY/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1gRoTE4Y6F4aCmFF3IQ1agRjc4mskxWNNH3ttZM6-Mo7Bv64eoDsPeikef_dEDv2nc4BY9uHET_2WL0lraYQLR5Ct_XKXjTcsZ69Z9HQSOQbWkkrVJzuhI86cyTu4c9gJxtoT-cnYGY/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This happens a lot...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0srFM1LQGxMW35yz9mfqlS2qhmGHgtnunqTzL4VEEe3DOkyV5J-LEpk3dk_4Bz7K5ANRXsYlfLG2cIzmEcqjkbBESnIifRTpMPq4hsj99q7-9P0adTQdAX9NSkJa_dDtOT6uBLnXvj1I/s1600/IMG_2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0srFM1LQGxMW35yz9mfqlS2qhmGHgtnunqTzL4VEEe3DOkyV5J-LEpk3dk_4Bz7K5ANRXsYlfLG2cIzmEcqjkbBESnIifRTpMPq4hsj99q7-9P0adTQdAX9NSkJa_dDtOT6uBLnXvj1I/s1600/IMG_2837.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is what happens when you tell us to look lovingly into each other's eyes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgpEu7px6kCKV4BsVi75TQmDVPyiXyj6AVDJamVZahFRyL4L4Ut2L0lQCdjvcFYuhMuqpxFNNmTNjNKdD-qAT78TYdsd9uxnXy2Zbcv4ORkRRrviW43dSSs2sT1FbW9BLF5BOqHgNsZw/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgpEu7px6kCKV4BsVi75TQmDVPyiXyj6AVDJamVZahFRyL4L4Ut2L0lQCdjvcFYuhMuqpxFNNmTNjNKdD-qAT78TYdsd9uxnXy2Zbcv4ORkRRrviW43dSSs2sT1FbW9BLF5BOqHgNsZw/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One of my favorites of the two of us</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd4WfpgIpVs1kTuE8UwCRgVTF8kBEHfNJHjyuPrF96HH_jXwK4V7yXpiihO1ZcmAiMViIWM79tuUgKy1vZLXNkKUIyHsHWmXBliFnspTKK3rHG-WMouYyR-7z8K7jOaLyexgRlPQJL5Y/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd4WfpgIpVs1kTuE8UwCRgVTF8kBEHfNJHjyuPrF96HH_jXwK4V7yXpiihO1ZcmAiMViIWM79tuUgKy1vZLXNkKUIyHsHWmXBliFnspTKK3rHG-WMouYyR-7z8K7jOaLyexgRlPQJL5Y/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I missed a lot of moments like this in the flurry of the reception...I love being able to see them now</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrxphuORsg6KNzUm1ChRp_DeFpZu6BOTVNzFg9I8XZiD0e63f2bw6U7AZ-aqn6YR1hfJGQqjP9idjVRSFkWOkkIaOWfmNChAKMPy6ROojthkLLkYLV4frObD37YehyphenhyphenX0HCZEsjbSLEkQ/s1600/IMG_2840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrxphuORsg6KNzUm1ChRp_DeFpZu6BOTVNzFg9I8XZiD0e63f2bw6U7AZ-aqn6YR1hfJGQqjP9idjVRSFkWOkkIaOWfmNChAKMPy6ROojthkLLkYLV4frObD37YehyphenhyphenX0HCZEsjbSLEkQ/s1600/IMG_2840.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A much needed quiet moment </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-sMvJMNYt25Lz4kIlsToc_ru0RBhpAwgEqdtbsmG9KtvYNL26xCPBG9zbSrvHrhY0BgN-XTbXtgeSSlfO6hdegdOG6bmBlYmtrB7tXaF-ron5rajGTk_zorD2dRIKf4cViTULOAkbM4/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-sMvJMNYt25Lz4kIlsToc_ru0RBhpAwgEqdtbsmG9KtvYNL26xCPBG9zbSrvHrhY0BgN-XTbXtgeSSlfO6hdegdOG6bmBlYmtrB7tXaF-ron5rajGTk_zorD2dRIKf4cViTULOAkbM4/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We laughed a lot...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvRLsIWAQQWBXtp4JO3vhsIi9brFeY3fPiwvbO1JJoBCTSyMF9RSrC3OYHx2zabkCI9_QFTlLZ2rPrH_cbGHAJ-aaAy0Zwy7FJtJAwNuJdeah1hjo2ScRIpi1A8DPq3Nk2K2kZin5suY/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvRLsIWAQQWBXtp4JO3vhsIi9brFeY3fPiwvbO1JJoBCTSyMF9RSrC3OYHx2zabkCI9_QFTlLZ2rPrH_cbGHAJ-aaAy0Zwy7FJtJAwNuJdeah1hjo2ScRIpi1A8DPq3Nk2K2kZin5suY/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And cried a lot...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_HlGY8h_ad_rO6IR1-8pENgrmmhteM0QoB4PowQL9jQy2gIuhCWGrtwp0bgXGjOnC-DIFzw7vcxAm2no7Y3vQQbda14vVDwLQ7euGXUQgj68bbrzi5TKuD9YLs7aERhTGqoYlEvKPn0/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_HlGY8h_ad_rO6IR1-8pENgrmmhteM0QoB4PowQL9jQy2gIuhCWGrtwp0bgXGjOnC-DIFzw7vcxAm2no7Y3vQQbda14vVDwLQ7euGXUQgj68bbrzi5TKuD9YLs7aERhTGqoYlEvKPn0/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And danced a lot...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDaqqln84MnuA04Rn4L4kpBkPBiuZTA-pcfqZVQj0rmcxPo92J_VYrGm3v9syXSBJx84NkZudgEFUXiRw0eOZSQq0Da5a3y-5Uxr2UQcO87EF7LhTkkgmOgsul7UjJgT6hMmM_YXPAxA/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDaqqln84MnuA04Rn4L4kpBkPBiuZTA-pcfqZVQj0rmcxPo92J_VYrGm3v9syXSBJx84NkZudgEFUXiRw0eOZSQq0Da5a3y-5Uxr2UQcO87EF7LhTkkgmOgsul7UjJgT6hMmM_YXPAxA/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I mean A LOT. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrHzM3Uc5qKf8x0Iuu2QSpoaNz6N57NQGTh-NtBIO-_wAIxKoFiR4SNH_0qBnEqE7o3Jet6dvr9q0FWzOs8QSmF3e-qcIasZpTj2GAnFp1Je5E8Pb9ULAD7Nn2PKd9_Q7l-53sOOabLk/s1600/IMG_2845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrHzM3Uc5qKf8x0Iuu2QSpoaNz6N57NQGTh-NtBIO-_wAIxKoFiR4SNH_0qBnEqE7o3Jet6dvr9q0FWzOs8QSmF3e-qcIasZpTj2GAnFp1Je5E8Pb9ULAD7Nn2PKd9_Q7l-53sOOabLk/s1600/IMG_2845.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No really. The dancing never stopped. My poor mother in law just wanted a nice, normal family portrait. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqWslAyAePSdWQsTHHruFn9P760Z_TPXtqSaDZyNylOxCdXJLa2E5Cyrg1ohjaDuNoozowrK8ODaJPlU6U-71zF6faZ5NovpA0PFHqMm3GuoBBL1xH0h2yzcLUTmtovaUJkeZjZ4h1Z0/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqWslAyAePSdWQsTHHruFn9P760Z_TPXtqSaDZyNylOxCdXJLa2E5Cyrg1ohjaDuNoozowrK8ODaJPlU6U-71zF6faZ5NovpA0PFHqMm3GuoBBL1xH0h2yzcLUTmtovaUJkeZjZ4h1Z0/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This laughter is the result of a naughty thing the pastor's wife said as she walked by. </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmRYTm_aCYgMzdPNy-S7QPYikwvXh8hBSqgEKLw-jrhCl_cmQgaUOoCdnB2FEY2bDgqu3MOsnPTGYKtUL41orqCgZAU0_QP-T_n2h6kHeHAq4bgBNzyS2afzreXcRhf5Ltq_5yqB45Ss/s1600/IMG_2847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmRYTm_aCYgMzdPNy-S7QPYikwvXh8hBSqgEKLw-jrhCl_cmQgaUOoCdnB2FEY2bDgqu3MOsnPTGYKtUL41orqCgZAU0_QP-T_n2h6kHeHAq4bgBNzyS2afzreXcRhf5Ltq_5yqB45Ss/s1600/IMG_2847.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I don't think I even noticed the sparklers in this moment... </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Next week I'll share our engagement photos taken by Josh and Sara!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-81853673702075027902014-10-23T12:04:00.000-04:002014-10-23T12:04:30.560-04:00Howl at the Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5qDFOUfefEu67WhgRVIZqDcjCaj_uMp0YtizOsxmWodsheyR2jMs3KuD4B9Os-PLF9HtITM0lSQ5Bn-B2_zVSvto-0Cu8Wy7aC6Bj9rJUMTNyrHhtmkHd2PcR1uJWVwBcz_LMbykGTk/s1600/IMG_2743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5qDFOUfefEu67WhgRVIZqDcjCaj_uMp0YtizOsxmWodsheyR2jMs3KuD4B9Os-PLF9HtITM0lSQ5Bn-B2_zVSvto-0Cu8Wy7aC6Bj9rJUMTNyrHhtmkHd2PcR1uJWVwBcz_LMbykGTk/s1600/IMG_2743.JPG" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-37018896997994004732014-10-22T10:53:00.002-04:002014-10-22T10:53:51.378-04:00Wedding Wednesday - Our Florist<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Up next on Wedding Wednesday is our fabulous floral designer, Chloe!</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
Chloe Lawry with <a href="http://www.supposeyflorals.com/">Supposey Florals</a> did the most amazing job. She was so creative and turned my inspiration pictures into our own personal reality. Just different enough to make them our own while still completely encompassing the inspiration we showed her. Chloe was patient with us through the many emails sent, phone calls made and meetings attended. I requested contract changes at least a dozen times during the planning process, and she obliged all of them.<br />
<br />
Chloe created my beautiful bridal bouquet, six smaller bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres for the men, corsages for my mother and MIL, as well as all of the centerpieces and our cake topper. She also provided the gorgeous burlap and lace table runners at our reception.<br />
<br />
I went with a full color palate as opposed to one or two signature colors -- we focused on soft, pretty shades of pink, peach, cream, yellow, with hints of turquoise as an accent (in the form of blue mason jars and dusty miller). The flowers we used include garden roses, ranunculus, poppies, anemones, hydrangeas and fever few. The vases for the centerpieces are all yard sale/thrift store/vintage finds that my mother and I collected over the course of a year. We searched for a combination of milk glass, mercury glass, mason jars (blue and clear) as well as basic clear glass vases. Mom and I had such a fun time hunting for the pieces we needed to create the centerpieces! It was so special to have those moments with just the two of us amidst the craziness of wedding planning. A few days before the wedding, we delivered all of our found glass to Chloe and she worked her magic to create our beautiful centerpieces. We donated many of the pieces to Chloe to use for future weddings, I kept a few to have around the house, and we sold the rest on craigslist.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yTmbPoRTaI69GK28xjSbKBK_NbfnR1qLdHZ1zZDpLS3-c5orLdFegDYSkx2Y_Qn90JZb6_kU37Ay2yE9y1_jjbX0sPx1QptpCbV0ui857VEHEq9uNkdjBWJU6hJASfpv5NsKK9-QHgQ/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yTmbPoRTaI69GK28xjSbKBK_NbfnR1qLdHZ1zZDpLS3-c5orLdFegDYSkx2Y_Qn90JZb6_kU37Ay2yE9y1_jjbX0sPx1QptpCbV0ui857VEHEq9uNkdjBWJU6hJASfpv5NsKK9-QHgQ/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTjfrA806vmJMh6W4Q2yPCpfzbT1guSqbxfE551DqXJez3QWqhFFlhn2D6VbQMB6rBu3XVhyphenhyphenNo15SggOzn0mw-ZftRkjRQ3Ni6HAYjTd2Mw_BuE7uDnzaxvBbTaxB4EafhPQgPhyphenhyphenkUy0/s1600/picstitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTjfrA806vmJMh6W4Q2yPCpfzbT1guSqbxfE551DqXJez3QWqhFFlhn2D6VbQMB6rBu3XVhyphenhyphenNo15SggOzn0mw-ZftRkjRQ3Ni6HAYjTd2Mw_BuE7uDnzaxvBbTaxB4EafhPQgPhyphenhyphenkUy0/s1600/picstitch.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMaECk41_NYQoPZsH3ZV9OzSh7IwdVwqStuKVCdoDGkdF2OHulPEW97F7WYnMdOuX8ZWFw_jM4gK8Fkvl6uPjIXz25nXa119x-oRTKxGy9XSiuWhj7dMW8hwuIPvAtDw3gH8HVYM-zBM/s1600/picstitch+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMaECk41_NYQoPZsH3ZV9OzSh7IwdVwqStuKVCdoDGkdF2OHulPEW97F7WYnMdOuX8ZWFw_jM4gK8Fkvl6uPjIXz25nXa119x-oRTKxGy9XSiuWhj7dMW8hwuIPvAtDw3gH8HVYM-zBM/s1600/picstitch+(1).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDC43vlINsEuWa_x_HUINDbdsxb8ZV3GVGu_6yNQFiZ-6XpSDJ2vHhX-ZiHG8dMKSShLjtdqFU9jB8G3vsPrM3EVzfdxFUTsfY3vXCJ66I7qFGlZLhOEcWZn53TNQoDnfZVXLj6kdE9o/s1600/picstitch+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDC43vlINsEuWa_x_HUINDbdsxb8ZV3GVGu_6yNQFiZ-6XpSDJ2vHhX-ZiHG8dMKSShLjtdqFU9jB8G3vsPrM3EVzfdxFUTsfY3vXCJ66I7qFGlZLhOEcWZn53TNQoDnfZVXLj6kdE9o/s1600/picstitch+(3).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bPNqIrVUFGD3F7yhWCnm8879oZ_MocIP09IzjjiI2vxF8u6o5ueH7jfFxFGP62YcbXQIqozh8G5R0bWkClYkhXOshj2yBj-9Dxc51neAg_dqlouQ8diNRqLm4i1HGEsSh2fwRTJgt4c/s1600/picstitch+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bPNqIrVUFGD3F7yhWCnm8879oZ_MocIP09IzjjiI2vxF8u6o5ueH7jfFxFGP62YcbXQIqozh8G5R0bWkClYkhXOshj2yBj-9Dxc51neAg_dqlouQ8diNRqLm4i1HGEsSh2fwRTJgt4c/s1600/picstitch+(2).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>all photos by <a href="http://mirabelphotography.com/index2.php?v=v2#!/HOME">Mirabel Photography</a></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I wish I had researched how to preserve my bouquet, but I had no idea I would love it as much as I do! I would love to one day have a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/118832876/custom-bouquet-paintings?ref=shop_home_active_1">painting</a> of my bouquet to frame in our home. <i>*Hint hint, Christopher*</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
What topic would you like to talk about next week?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-27947757542293399152014-10-20T13:06:00.001-04:002014-10-20T13:06:54.919-04:00Book Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoo0xSBY5cj4POBwR5K_IytHwlmc_DE3Svm8MsIgizk0G-qqATjg1FVg9IuhDTIj4tBtM4e6mabA34jdxTgGgiijBeZA7pWa4sUdMCPg6GafWiwxH_ZZSwYRuAU0Ywe7jK1kJ-zWzPeE/s1600/How-to-Bake-a-Perfect-Life-194x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoo0xSBY5cj4POBwR5K_IytHwlmc_DE3Svm8MsIgizk0G-qqATjg1FVg9IuhDTIj4tBtM4e6mabA34jdxTgGgiijBeZA7pWa4sUdMCPg6GafWiwxH_ZZSwYRuAU0Ywe7jK1kJ-zWzPeE/s1600/How-to-Bake-a-Perfect-Life-194x300.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>How to Bake a Perfect Life</i> by Barbara O'Neal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will admit, I judged this book by it's cover. I did not pick October's book, nor was I that interested in actually reading it. I (wrongly) assumed it would be a self-help book that made me gag. The synopsis on the back of the book didn't do it any favors, either. Too many cliche's.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at fifteen and an endless family feud. But now Ramona's bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She's one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother's rambling Victorian and everything she's worked so hard to build.<br />When Ramona's soldier son-in-law in wounded in Afghanistan, her daughter, Sophia, races overseas to be at his side, leaving Ramona as the only suitable guardian for Sophia's thirteen year old stepdaughter, Katie. Heartbroken, Katie feels that she's been dumped again -- and this time on the doorstep of a woman out of practice with mothering.<br />Ramona calls upon a special set of tools-- patience, persistence, and the reliability of a good recipe-- when rebellious Katie arrives. And as she relives her own history of difficult choices, Ramona shares her love of baking with the troubled girl. Slowly, Katie begins to find self-acceptance and a place to call home. And when a man from her past returns to offer a second chance at love, Ramona discovers that even the best recipe tastes better when you add time, care, and a few secret ingredients of your own."</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh my...I literally laughed out loud at the cheesy synopsis and nearly left it at the library. Except that I was already in the car on the way home so I figured I might as well give it a shot. So glad I wasn't a book snob. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While simple and fun to read, this book also had deeper moments that made me put it down and think. I felt like part of the Gallagher family, I felt like I was in Colorado with Ramona in the park listening to classical music. I could hear Jonah playing his guitar. I could feel the breeze blowing in from the open window upstairs. The author has such a way with her writing that I was truly immersed into the story. There are a few lines that had me equally as embarrassed as the back cover, but I was eager to see where the story would end up. Fairly predictable with the happily ever after, but not without its tumultuous plot twists. All in all, it was a refreshing book that we all thoroughly enjoyed. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-89468238465258292192014-10-19T14:29:00.001-04:002014-10-19T14:30:42.368-04:00#46Crossed another goal off my 101 list today--- I changed my own oil.<br />
<br />
And almost died in the process.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG6tkSv6WFiTgOCOt1yqCig0u_hOJOsSATK-qaXFs7yvwMMfhjr3Lxd7AoOqUUTgSfhqqZaz4_SQPE3TFWCPl2UER4T6Mf6OKS0TBxCxJqyuVD8VD0ab4y2O6Rt8N-qY20vn5qnXTRfc/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG6tkSv6WFiTgOCOt1yqCig0u_hOJOsSATK-qaXFs7yvwMMfhjr3Lxd7AoOqUUTgSfhqqZaz4_SQPE3TFWCPl2UER4T6Mf6OKS0TBxCxJqyuVD8VD0ab4y2O6Rt8N-qY20vn5qnXTRfc/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me looking at how far under the car I actually have to go</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB8FJ82y8H6q00TDjZ8vRpqjxPuwCXrgDT4tKJmTMBJ7nw5vW8InjvqO1S9xuDO2GfkdaEGp8YCTSj09vZOhh6-lMmPqOqbFVjZ7uoHk04fvDmgz3Jwlcuf0m6dh-5cym9tpgsOyMd2Q/s1600/IMG_2711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB8FJ82y8H6q00TDjZ8vRpqjxPuwCXrgDT4tKJmTMBJ7nw5vW8InjvqO1S9xuDO2GfkdaEGp8YCTSj09vZOhh6-lMmPqOqbFVjZ7uoHk04fvDmgz3Jwlcuf0m6dh-5cym9tpgsOyMd2Q/s1600/IMG_2711.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me having a mild panic attack and asking Chris how<br />
many people die from faulty car jacks each year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTGoryRO6PCGbkb6gExtefGTnq2Yn06XeWnoukrexYnwlJ05JdqjEKUcHiHljHGk8mnsoTDOnlOcRi3CyBjRT9ZWSUBIdcHCOzchZvmrmnAucS5SQzNG8CMmP0SukfMiXyPa2EA9W234/s1600/IMG_2713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTGoryRO6PCGbkb6gExtefGTnq2Yn06XeWnoukrexYnwlJ05JdqjEKUcHiHljHGk8mnsoTDOnlOcRi3CyBjRT9ZWSUBIdcHCOzchZvmrmnAucS5SQzNG8CMmP0SukfMiXyPa2EA9W234/s1600/IMG_2713.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me being a badass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMh-7g3sqfFjXMIYMhTFk_Chmz8AJIL0G0OXSW9aWf1XYNx3XqA0jbBa7xQMKgjB6HNtQzn19SEBCCJHDGL6UPnZ2HQ5NwJ9W7EcJs5GAQIMkrPXB74RIzmz23gfvVIT8Q_Mib3jdlQzc/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMh-7g3sqfFjXMIYMhTFk_Chmz8AJIL0G0OXSW9aWf1XYNx3XqA0jbBa7xQMKgjB6HNtQzn19SEBCCJHDGL6UPnZ2HQ5NwJ9W7EcJs5GAQIMkrPXB74RIzmz23gfvVIT8Q_Mib3jdlQzc/s1600/IMG_2716.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me talking smack about how badass I am</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div>
One tarantula bite, two sand spurs and a third degree burn later, and I am officially a master mechanic. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-70687009757888534292014-10-15T06:00:00.000-04:002014-10-15T06:00:00.722-04:00Wedding Wednesday<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I will attempt to designate one post a week as Wedding Wednesday here on the blog. I will chronicle our wedding planning journey, tips, inspiration ideas, personal anecdotes and other things I simply enjoy! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Up first: Our Wedding Planner!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, Sara. How could I have gotten through eleven months of wedding planning without you?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I never, ever thought in a million years I would hire a wedding planner. I always assumed mom and I were crafty and creative enough to do everything ourselves, and why should I pay someone else to do all the fun parts? We had a fairly small budget and I was willing to cut corners wherever I could. I fell in love with <a href="http://www.saragillianne.com/">Sara Gillianne's</a> work through lots of Facebook stalking, wedding blog admiring, and seeing the work she was doing with the <a href="http://pensacolabw.com/about/">Pensacola Block Party Wedding</a>. I set up a meeting with her mostly because I was eager to do wedding-y things after getting engaged, and also because I figured it wouldn't hurt to meet with someone in the biz, even if I already knew I couldn't afford a planner in my measly little budget. <i>Oh how wrong I was. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I loved Sara immediately. She just <i>got </i>me. We met at a little coffee shop and chatted about themes and colors and settings and feelings I had for the wedding. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but boy she did! After our initial consultation, Sara put together a proposal based on the few ideas I had and my mini budget and blew both Chris and I out of the water. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmJtgIc1VSQsBYmocvLllyHkDVMQVDY5DTYABjreFrXQO1qDx7Hs76JR79eQhFiJ4dkl6rm58PbMKE8E7NVcBruOvytCOzkjD6JMpW4rSeEZ63Q5kbQtuIBaC-UvX_cKqUDno1ef7o98/s1600/Ashley+Moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmJtgIc1VSQsBYmocvLllyHkDVMQVDY5DTYABjreFrXQO1qDx7Hs76JR79eQhFiJ4dkl6rm58PbMKE8E7NVcBruOvytCOzkjD6JMpW4rSeEZ63Q5kbQtuIBaC-UvX_cKqUDno1ef7o98/s1600/Ashley+Moore.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Design by Sara Gillianne</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the inspiration board she put together for us, and I love love love it!! Our vision for the wedding changed slightly over the course of the planning process, but the overall feel of what she came up with stayed the same -- cozy, comfortable, family friendly, southern charm -- and that is exactly what we got!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She was a dream to work with for the entire year...she always kept our budget in mind (even when I didn't...) and worked hard to set us up with vendors who matched our personality and style. She patiently put up with my dozens of weekly emails, texts and phone calls. She set up vendor appointments, cake tastings, and venue tours. She negotiated contracts for us to get prices reduced which enabled us to afford a wedding we previously could have only dreamed of!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But let me tell you where the magic really happened: the day of the wedding. I think she hides a tiny wedding fairy in her emergency day of kit because by the time we arrived at the venue Saturday afternoon, it had been completely transformed! I remember walking into the building and losing my ability to speak...the beauty of it all quite literally took my breath away. I never once on the day of my wedding had to worry about whether the cake had been delivered, or if the flowers were set up correctly, or where my wedding rings were or if Chris and the boys had arrived on time. She took over responsibility of everything and coordinated with everyone so that I could enjoy our wedding day. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can say with absolute certainty that hiring Sara was the right decision for us. She is professional, kind, knowledgeable, and an overall joy to work with. If you are planning a wedding, I highly recommend you find room in your budget for a planner. And if you are in the Pensacola/Gulf Coast area, that planner should be Sara Gillianne. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-69632091800143174652014-10-13T12:08:00.000-04:002014-10-13T12:08:59.422-04:00Vegetable Soup From My Past<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I was in high school, my friend's grandma would always make vegetable soup as soon as the weather cooled off. She didn't have a specific recipe. It always tasted slightly different each time she made it, but somehow always the same too. I wish I would have taken the opportunity back then to learn from her first hand how to make it, but alas, my sixteen year old brain had other things to worry about. I've been searching the mighty interwebs and Pinterest for a while, looking for recipes that sound similar. None were perfect so I improvised and combined a few different recipes until I came up with one I like. Oooohh and I hit the nail on the head. It was like I time traveled back to 2004. Delightful and warm and cozy and scrumptious. Here's my take on a pot of vegetable soup.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLTm-UT7vzaiNkbVcILkMbMAAb6dbTWPw-fJo-rfM_qt8NtAZ86uCMS1jPtagiO_nplWXPS9ij46yZfqFm_59mSyUdPNUYGDGLcSHS4eTrQIrwvrL-QIBybmkUjeLwn5930K2Eu8gxHg/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLTm-UT7vzaiNkbVcILkMbMAAb6dbTWPw-fJo-rfM_qt8NtAZ86uCMS1jPtagiO_nplWXPS9ij46yZfqFm_59mSyUdPNUYGDGLcSHS4eTrQIrwvrL-QIBybmkUjeLwn5930K2Eu8gxHg/s1600/image1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 lb beef stew meat</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">flour, for dredging </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2-3 Celery ribs, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 of a small onion, chopped</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2-3 garlic cloves, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">32 oz chicken broth </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 c. frozen lima beans</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 c. frozen corn kernels </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 c. chopped carrots</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 c. frozen green beans </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 c. frozen whole okra</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 can diced tomatoes with juice</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1-2 tbsp. tomato paste </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Salt</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pepper</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Garlic Powder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started out by cutting beef stew meat into much smaller pieces than it comes in at the store. The cubes of meat are so huge that they take forever to get tender in the soup and I just don't have time to wait seven hours to eat my food. I cut each cube into 3-4 smaller pieces. Season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and then dredge in flour. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pan and cook until browned on all sides (don't worry about cooking the meat through, it'll have time to finish cooking later). Remove beef to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Add chopped celery and onion to the hot pan and cook 3-5 minutes until tender. Add minced garlic to the pan and saute one minute, stirring continuously so garlic does not burn. Add chicken broth to deglaze pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the beef and vegetables. Return beef to the pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes to start tenderizing the beef. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the soup has simmered for awhile, start adding whatever other types of vegetables you want in your soup! To the celery and onions already in, I added lima beans, corn, green beans, whole okra, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes (let me be clear for a second and admit that I didn't actually measure out these vegetables. I just dumped some in the pot until it looked like enough of each. The 1/2 c. directions are just an estimate...) The key for me though is tomato paste...that's what gives the soup its signature flavor and consistency. I added a tablespoon or two until the broth thickened up to where I wanted it. Cover the pot and simmer all your vegetables until they are tender and you're ready to eat. I let mine cook for an additional hour once the vegetables went in. If you like your veggies al dente, just cook it for 30 minutes instead. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I served my soup with a side of piping hot cornbread. We ate this soup all week long and it got better each day! Enjoy! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-55497608186636987262014-10-11T18:05:00.000-04:002014-10-11T18:05:38.134-04:00Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have a confession to make: today is my due date. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today should have been the day that our second child was born. Yes, I said second. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">October is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Month. This is a topic very dear to my heart, as I have suffered through four pregnancy losses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each of my losses occurred during the first trimester, prior to our first ultrasound appointment. We were never able to visualize our babies' heartbeats on the screen. We don't have any pictures of our babies. I never felt them kick. Very few people knew of their short lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Does that make them any less "real"?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pregnancy loss is such a terrible term. Yes, a pregnancy was lost. More than that though, a child died. <i>Four children died. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It has been a very rough year for us. A flurry of emotions, doctors appointments, blood work, injections, ultrasounds, x-rays, chromosomal testing, vitamins, supplements, medications. All of my testing has come back normal thus far. I haven't decided yet if that is good news or bad news. I'm grateful to be healthy. I'm grateful I don't need surgery. I'm grateful I can get pregnant in the first place (quite easily might I add). But none of this good news makes me feel any better, because good news or bad, we still lost four babies. And no one knows why. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It is widely accepted that as many as 1 out of every 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Odds are, you know someone personally who has gone through the pain of pregnancy loss. Most losses occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, during the first trimester. Many women chose to wait these 12 weeks out before announcing the happy news, for fear of having to tell anyone if something terrible happens. I didn't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris and I found out about my first pregnancy on October 11, 2013, at 5:30 in the morning. We had only just decided to start a family, and were delighted at how quickly our dreams seemed to be coming true. I immediately called my best friend. I accidentally told a colleague at work later that same day. We announced it to our parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins the following weekend on a trip home to Pensacola. Chris called a meeting at work for no other reason than to announce that he was going to be a dad. I slowly started telling work friends. We each sent texts to friends and acquaintances, some of whom we hadn't seen or spoken to in months. We couldn't help it! Once we started spreading the news, we couldn't stop. The more people we told, the more real it became. We dreamed of baby names, of nursery colors, of boys versus girls and whether or not we would find out the sex. We were happy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Sunday, October 27, our lives changed again. Chris was across town at baseball practice. I was at home, tasked with finishing some laundry and cleaning the kitchen from dinner the night before. A relatively normal day, until I started bleeding. The moment it happen, I knew. Deep down, I already knew the pregnancy was over. I could feel the loss in my bones. I collapsed onto the bathroom floor and cried harder than I ever have in my life. There are no words to describe the soul-crushing pain I felt. Unless you have been through a miscarriage yourself, you will never really know. I am sure I terrified Chris on the phone that day, begging him to come home to me. My words may have been inaudible but he knew something was wrong. By the time he made the drive home, I had reached a state of calm. I was numb. I was no longer able to cry. I had convinced myself that it was all a mistake, and I was obviously being very dramatic. But that afternoon, in the emergency room, my nightmare was confirmed. Though my blood work still showed a pregnancy, the ultrasound did not. I was 6 weeks and 5 days along. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My second pregnancy began in January of 2014, but was lost on Valentine's day at 6 weeks 4 days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />My third pregnancy came as a lovely surprise in May, but lasted a mere 6 weeks and 1 day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My fourth pregnancy ended just last week, technically termed a chemical pregnancy, ending at 4 weeks 5 days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm telling you all of this not for pity, but to bring to light a topic that for so long has been brushed aside. First trimester miscarriage is a silent suffering. Many women have no one to turn to for support. Few may have told anyone about the pregnancy yet when it is lost. Friends and family members often don't know what to say, or may unintentionally (or purposefully!) say something hurtful. Some women may even believe they aren't allowed to grieve their loss publicly for fear of making others uncomfortable. While some women may indeed choose to stay silent for their own reasons, it is my belief that anyone who wants to grieve out loud should be able to! During my losses, I found it very therapeutic to discuss what was happening. I wanted to relive the experience, not for the pain, but to ensure the memories remained. My babies and I were one for such a short time, and I will relive those few happy moments often, and for the rest of my life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.capitalareahealthystart.org/index.html">Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition</a> is a local organization dedicated to helping local at-risk mothers receive the care they need for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Each year in October, they host the annual <a href="http://www.capitalareahealthystart.org/walk_to_remember.html">Walk to Remember</a> to observe National Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day. This years walk will be held on Thursday, October 16 beginning at 5:30PM. The event is held at <a href="http://www.saintpaulsumc.org/index.php">St. Paul's United Methodist Church</a> and is free to attend. All grieving families and friends are invited to participate. The event will include a remembrance quilt, a memorial service, and a candlelight walk around Lake Ella as a tribute to all the lost little angels. Grief counselors will be available as needed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are suffering quietly (or blubbering loudly) and need someone to talk to, I am happy to be here for you. I can lend a shoulder, an ear, or simply a smile if need be. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-42175187078689295492014-10-09T06:00:00.000-04:002014-10-09T06:00:06.901-04:00Book Club <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgYZUL3WKHdNvtnVQhM-eivH1Aa5gunbqNBsxBAVy6T5x9EjtjvfF9yyUTTnai7g6qL1ghSr356j4J2bwKwQob2e0XqZfnwN1rBhRKSjw_H87EZ-mIJ4VdMFmeCGFsJuz-RMWKm4UsYw/s1600/guernsey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgYZUL3WKHdNvtnVQhM-eivH1Aa5gunbqNBsxBAVy6T5x9EjtjvfF9yyUTTnai7g6qL1ghSr356j4J2bwKwQob2e0XqZfnwN1rBhRKSjw_H87EZ-mIJ4VdMFmeCGFsJuz-RMWKm4UsYw/s1600/guernsey.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</i> by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our August book club choice was another hit all around. Granted, we only had two members at the "meeting" since August was such a hectic month with school starting (one of our members is a teacher and two others have school aged children). We did learn, via text, that everyone was in agreement again. Another 5 star book for us! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The book is written in the form of letter correspondence between the book's characters. I will admit it was a slow start for me learning who was who and keeping each character straight. The authors did a wonderful job of giving each character a unique voice and style of letter writing. I was interested to realize that towards the end of the book, I was able to recognize who's letter is was without looking at the name. The book is very historical in nature, set in 1940s, war struck England. The language was beautiful and I wished the book had not ended (although it had a lovely ending!). I've heard whispers of a possible movie adaptation which I would be very interested in seeing! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Any recommendations for next month?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-24807332451350391032014-10-08T10:12:00.001-04:002014-10-08T10:13:47.710-04:00Geocaching <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris and I were sitting on the couch Friday night watching TV, whining and complaining about wanting to get out of the house and do something fun. Well, I was whining, Chris was playing Candy Crush and trying his hardest to ignore me. We are currently in super-savings mode in an attempt to buy a house sometime before our fiftieth wedding anniversary, so typical date nights are a no go right now. Cue <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/admilheim227/">Pinterest</a>! Chris had zero faith in my ability to find something free to do that would actually be fun for both of us, could be done at 7PM on a Friday night, with little to no preparation. There were a lot of great ideas, like stargazing on a blanket (not dark enough yet! -Chris), </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">frisbee golf at Tom Brown Park (too dark already! -Chris), and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">YouTube self-taught</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> dance lessons (uh, no. -Chris). Then I ran across an idea that I KNEW he would love, and one that I've actually done a few times before with my family in Pensacola--Geocaching! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV8HSNWW7bh73Wv4-ehCejGwxidKp829p7S6oZ3bVy3l4xcy5vpmFxC2y1UpAyt7fhmDiHtDZ0fTVYa42bHP-SdV7IvD0Q0N7mTUW_993OyCiETTCOxxvOfFcz9CnQuwQuoT8d7H89_Y/s1600/IMG_2542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSV8HSNWW7bh73Wv4-ehCejGwxidKp829p7S6oZ3bVy3l4xcy5vpmFxC2y1UpAyt7fhmDiHtDZ0fTVYa42bHP-SdV7IvD0Q0N7mTUW_993OyCiETTCOxxvOfFcz9CnQuwQuoT8d7H89_Y/s1600/IMG_2542.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chris was skeptical, of course (I think he was finally on a roll in Candy Crush...he hasn't gotten the memo that no one plays it anymore...) but he ended up loving it! Just like I knew he would ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you've never Geocached before, you must download the app right now! There is a $9.99 paid app if you want ad-free and all the bells and whistles, but we have the free intro app and it w<span style="background-color: white;">orks perfectly for us! From the official website:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #584528; line-height: 18.0017986297607px;"><i>"Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.</i></span><i><span style="line-height: 21.6021614074707px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">" </span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
Once you download the app and create your account, simply find a geocache near you, click start, and go treasure hunting! Green dots are geochaches near you, gray dots are a bit farther away, and smiley faces are caches you've marked as found. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSxpAUhgBkwDHPO6x6OVQ08Ga-3lDRD-fgBuQBE2ud1N1fNlmu-cEJJfSoZG3jyjunyCUezid5YmgQzoMTxA8ftyL1pJCxMvYiM6Mrs4K-vL-1Rw9Gxjw0YHkJta8p-OxXWR6B7E1BUU/s1600/IMG_2544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSxpAUhgBkwDHPO6x6OVQ08Ga-3lDRD-fgBuQBE2ud1N1fNlmu-cEJJfSoZG3jyjunyCUezid5YmgQzoMTxA8ftyL1pJCxMvYiM6Mrs4K-vL-1Rw9Gxjw0YHkJta8p-OxXWR6B7E1BUU/s1600/IMG_2544.jpg" height="200" width="110" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp7Cu14fyOlZPfsz1UJcqszHxQIUSU7HcQa7vupxw_avIt0ehSa9ziao2unlLzNcQ6NfV77CtLGnuBVokhR8K7BfbgP7KUBvELyfiMZ-7mn2ssU6v7yRR3YuKTTTeC9gSigxkZUHJWUE/s1600/IMG_2545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp7Cu14fyOlZPfsz1UJcqszHxQIUSU7HcQa7vupxw_avIt0ehSa9ziao2unlLzNcQ6NfV77CtLGnuBVokhR8K7BfbgP7KUBvELyfiMZ-7mn2ssU6v7yRR3YuKTTTeC9gSigxkZUHJWUE/s1600/IMG_2545.jpg" height="200" width="110" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bP3vT9d0x9J_esqriwgzIlFpJGjFdE7qt5Jfmrh4a22UHa0Q4xQAVfcwLnN9vRyIYburA0T5X9p0Cp3O6yx4KhpU-52fr_iB2VAgzLnhBtbyphMx72b9GWSznGr1uIYYGMrZJoQRcww/s1600/IMG_2546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bP3vT9d0x9J_esqriwgzIlFpJGjFdE7qt5Jfmrh4a22UHa0Q4xQAVfcwLnN9vRyIYburA0T5X9p0Cp3O6yx4KhpU-52fr_iB2VAgzLnhBtbyphMx72b9GWSznGr1uIYYGMrZJoQRcww/s1600/IMG_2546.jpg" height="200" width="110" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We quickly discovered there were two geocaches within walking distance from our apartment, on a route we take all the time! I coaxed Christopher off the couch and outside for a leisurely stroll and treasure hunt :)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva6L90I_bTGqkaXjaVAXG744eWqOd6KI7ErE9caxPl7V8cb0TgfpcD2lKZgMrjIg1xvDMWlLgoR-B9OpKVRLOyrXftv8lGuQLwQwFJk3VolkxBnko0clkq0ysSgNxJt1l0BBz8kXDzyA/s1600/146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva6L90I_bTGqkaXjaVAXG744eWqOd6KI7ErE9caxPl7V8cb0TgfpcD2lKZgMrjIg1xvDMWlLgoR-B9OpKVRLOyrXftv8lGuQLwQwFJk3VolkxBnko0clkq0ysSgNxJt1l0BBz8kXDzyA/s1600/146.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>love this view</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfALAYx5gPiknuAGLZe_COPdjHJ22-S-d5fbO5boxG7QeeM0NPK-dp1igV1YGh2zhobHwu7uvW1Dw2sYnyPG2krQ5WvYgA4Io5Rl3RvX0IgBtnsHSds8QPsIxbT98akM-JIjdWBiPd1DU/s1600/134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfALAYx5gPiknuAGLZe_COPdjHJ22-S-d5fbO5boxG7QeeM0NPK-dp1igV1YGh2zhobHwu7uvW1Dw2sYnyPG2krQ5WvYgA4Io5Rl3RvX0IgBtnsHSds8QPsIxbT98akM-JIjdWBiPd1DU/s1600/134.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCROmz4hidvOWumYv6BOU9LEM0Wdx3rdpPk4Da-XOQcHdUB4tJz8bRg8ApJ3N1FYXmSlo1dMryZSVcE3N-MmaU69OcQz28XZD0ZIUANb0tjYuGYhJ7VdWzp1VUAIAcd3Kko6bNiRwtWA/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuCROmz4hidvOWumYv6BOU9LEM0Wdx3rdpPk4Da-XOQcHdUB4tJz8bRg8ApJ3N1FYXmSlo1dMryZSVcE3N-MmaU69OcQz28XZD0ZIUANb0tjYuGYhJ7VdWzp1VUAIAcd3Kko6bNiRwtWA/s1600/136.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzr3TiQde84b1oab1BbNsIWrXyLT5pGohmu_p9ITITT9HGnCRV58Ke-npbT_-m8gUPXQlHR-rUoSeMhvrpisTxqj8ySTfnzyFk9u0FKi77DkkhY39TYcbowygv5IfSkRSIFRw4rbrJv0/s1600/137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzr3TiQde84b1oab1BbNsIWrXyLT5pGohmu_p9ITITT9HGnCRV58Ke-npbT_-m8gUPXQlHR-rUoSeMhvrpisTxqj8ySTfnzyFk9u0FKi77DkkhY39TYcbowygv5IfSkRSIFRw4rbrJv0/s1600/137.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31d9LK3ZmuHTjNZec3FGV25ILLEy8OSec_PoICGVF8aF6STG_yQa6_09dlA2ePzflVaw_Q5nH2UA1Xq3kmhfjLtIZwSSW48FhZ4G-qgsRbumm8CbJE3pdRSak4elb_LFcEaemsbkwx6Y/s1600/148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31d9LK3ZmuHTjNZec3FGV25ILLEy8OSec_PoICGVF8aF6STG_yQa6_09dlA2ePzflVaw_Q5nH2UA1Xq3kmhfjLtIZwSSW48FhZ4G-qgsRbumm8CbJE3pdRSak4elb_LFcEaemsbkwx6Y/s1600/148.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris was way better at finding the hidden goodie boxes than I was, mostly because I didn't think to put tennis shoes on and no way was I walking into the underbrush in flip flops and shorts just to be attacked by snakes or spiders or squirrels or whatever else was waiting in the woods. The first geocache we found was full of prizes! Stickers, magnets, a golf ball, ribbons. The rule of thumb is to "take one, leave one". We didn't bring any trinkets along with us, so we just signed the log book and put everything back. The second geocache was full of dirt. No thanks, got plenty of that already.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are a few others hidden just out of walking distance, so we will be going on a driving date to find those gems! After we got home, Chris talking all night about places we could search and where we might hide our own geocache one day. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have you ever gone geocaching before? What types of fun/free/cheap things do you like to do (alone or with your significant other)? We are always looking for more date night ideas!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-43272914697519499562014-10-01T13:55:00.002-04:002014-10-01T13:55:56.547-04:00Capital City Bike Fest 2014<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love when we are able to find free, fun things to do in town. So often we resort to spending money we don't have just to get out of the house and do something different. Last weekend, Chris discovered the third annual </span><a href="http://www.tallahasseebikefest.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Capital City Bike Fest</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> held at the Tallahassee Airport. We had such a great time! Chris rides a 2007 Yamaha R1 and loves any excuse to show it off. We arrived after lunch time to a pretty small crowd, but had a great time walking around to look at all the vendors and show bikes that were there. There were local restaurants set up selling food, drinks and various snacks. The animal shelter had an adoption booth showcasing one of my favorite pups, Scooter (who has a new home now! yay!). Local bands took the open air stage to perform some </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">great </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">80s classics. Our favorite part of the day, however, was the mechanic's challenge. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT8RSsGo1tO_NAU6gq3tcC_juJbxsNmG7IBIWMSMHtOLSHgFnpQbNW6ctECbXy4EZd9BHbl4kAbqArnTbLt41Bi4bQWDWB2DB5-o4Ef0KwBNf2GEHSdeTXRpAAfwZOuCuEYyQTd2I5WY/s1600/IMG_2430+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT8RSsGo1tO_NAU6gq3tcC_juJbxsNmG7IBIWMSMHtOLSHgFnpQbNW6ctECbXy4EZd9BHbl4kAbqArnTbLt41Bi4bQWDWB2DB5-o4Ef0KwBNf2GEHSdeTXRpAAfwZOuCuEYyQTd2I5WY/s1600/IMG_2430+-+Copy.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDiAeJKANvRO2VXcb-0QDpoVyy_WOpRtOGcvi9r8Yh1ejSkGP1Yw5CD6jkpDFJMNE8P_tsq_st5fO5FFqYtsvlmKqn2htQIWWf2UXENoyF4VoPNN7T4yDvDuLx_TZc5HZfTkk97xIa0I/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw69cuH6ryi2kX0vtQOUpIlhOG-sBOL0SEKu3s6C7hpGnNrIooW3ZpnRj1OBck1IRyIRfwLMdf7Z_8QEXNE_5gHJk7zC71odFv8goe5-HWx0p2Sf2vTNNEs6P9IQYX3QYZ20F2Qc-JhqA/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
It took some convincing by me and Jim, the owner of the 1986 Honda Shadow 700, but Chris eventually tried his hand at the challenge and had a <i>blast</i>!<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn7kigrDh7vGZjf6Iku7KvpfTjLFGEiDJgpUZUtNqudwWmFzdL1ByJQeFLSoTohjI3NKH6j3IRKcITeEwjQ8VZMWB0Mcff3UBSW8k2yhQFJT2lSD-8EnGvbXqsdlkRoSe37c5gEUZeXY/s1600/IMG_2426+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn7kigrDh7vGZjf6Iku7KvpfTjLFGEiDJgpUZUtNqudwWmFzdL1ByJQeFLSoTohjI3NKH6j3IRKcITeEwjQ8VZMWB0Mcff3UBSW8k2yhQFJT2lSD-8EnGvbXqsdlkRoSe37c5gEUZeXY/s1600/IMG_2426+-+Copy.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDiAeJKANvRO2VXcb-0QDpoVyy_WOpRtOGcvi9r8Yh1ejSkGP1Yw5CD6jkpDFJMNE8P_tsq_st5fO5FFqYtsvlmKqn2htQIWWf2UXENoyF4VoPNN7T4yDvDuLx_TZc5HZfTkk97xIa0I/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDiAeJKANvRO2VXcb-0QDpoVyy_WOpRtOGcvi9r8Yh1ejSkGP1Yw5CD6jkpDFJMNE8P_tsq_st5fO5FFqYtsvlmKqn2htQIWWf2UXENoyF4VoPNN7T4yDvDuLx_TZc5HZfTkk97xIa0I/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18lfv_4vxms1pMX5osN8fboamgfReuerwSLLywnJ5gqUCu16X1sjLyq0d5l_-kBsgboFXawQGo-mKxzWec4UjzmshQupW8ylYThrOtMIRrAzadQrGKQqmp5K4URJ-4b_Vkeh80wXfO0s/s1600/IMG_2431+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18lfv_4vxms1pMX5osN8fboamgfReuerwSLLywnJ5gqUCu16X1sjLyq0d5l_-kBsgboFXawQGo-mKxzWec4UjzmshQupW8ylYThrOtMIRrAzadQrGKQqmp5K4URJ-4b_Vkeh80wXfO0s/s1600/IMG_2431+-+Copy.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXNaCZTtVB09oKE2aqyD_goHKCffDELXh_AHgb2enxxGTl20ROuTiVnTl3Af_2SlU2SLWp6uzy0jLvM650deDToeumYrobtTzxJ8i-25dprEOcCy5lxOKJLjVNQhaI4TNNT9IUJWhm0Y/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXNaCZTtVB09oKE2aqyD_goHKCffDELXh_AHgb2enxxGTl20ROuTiVnTl3Af_2SlU2SLWp6uzy0jLvM650deDToeumYrobtTzxJ8i-25dprEOcCy5lxOKJLjVNQhaI4TNNT9IUJWhm0Y/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4PGY_taNxvcLFjK0QYLlL_-BPLs3cXdGT84A4kPQUkJOJphZKXI55zYEz9cF-lcQaoMV4p3-O7jus3TejUAEA8Mpi7D5uXLyDLZ1gcQnrMEldAj_ifmUV13m0Qw0iJxPR2-el4mfiM8/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4PGY_taNxvcLFjK0QYLlL_-BPLs3cXdGT84A4kPQUkJOJphZKXI55zYEz9cF-lcQaoMV4p3-O7jus3TejUAEA8Mpi7D5uXLyDLZ1gcQnrMEldAj_ifmUV13m0Qw0iJxPR2-el4mfiM8/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7ASBX7cCHwgV4tceZGHcs8hnl8zYo3AuAXTHYqLwlnTMmgO9PoTYJ4XaeC4CqMXet6qDO6BAAWjcmsbYL6dGX46MHBrxrrfkFoIB6bPRD0tKM6reFSuevIk0S1dmfSG5R56wVQZ8yUY/s1600/IMG_2434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7ASBX7cCHwgV4tceZGHcs8hnl8zYo3AuAXTHYqLwlnTMmgO9PoTYJ4XaeC4CqMXet6qDO6BAAWjcmsbYL6dGX46MHBrxrrfkFoIB6bPRD0tKM6reFSuevIk0S1dmfSG5R56wVQZ8yUY/s1600/IMG_2434.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S8-JRJd85Omnym6LNz4jDaS56cThr6o_7jkHVP5YalSaFiVNSuAkl4QSN08qyAJIZAYMfjLSmsHbcr6WhGiWx4yHYqBDTH1IIiU3rh_hBHl4LSWllj9CXzrJyikjUdc-_Yf72ecgv44/s1600/IMG_2438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S8-JRJd85Omnym6LNz4jDaS56cThr6o_7jkHVP5YalSaFiVNSuAkl4QSN08qyAJIZAYMfjLSmsHbcr6WhGiWx4yHYqBDTH1IIiU3rh_hBHl4LSWllj9CXzrJyikjUdc-_Yf72ecgv44/s1600/IMG_2438.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw69cuH6ryi2kX0vtQOUpIlhOG-sBOL0SEKu3s6C7hpGnNrIooW3ZpnRj1OBck1IRyIRfwLMdf7Z_8QEXNE_5gHJk7zC71odFv8goe5-HWx0p2Sf2vTNNEs6P9IQYX3QYZ20F2Qc-JhqA/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw69cuH6ryi2kX0vtQOUpIlhOG-sBOL0SEKu3s6C7hpGnNrIooW3ZpnRj1OBck1IRyIRfwLMdf7Z_8QEXNE_5gHJk7zC71odFv8goe5-HWx0p2Sf2vTNNEs6P9IQYX3QYZ20F2Qc-JhqA/s1600/IMG_2436.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVAY2P-pqfXlYKCl7N8OMw9909Zfgy2JQDku7zgoDoO327A-sxy9NyRdIboNB_heY3ZdKJpUe-9s4_PxSAFb30yFba4KAF_BM2942sE5DPa0yzRkDgptAu9lcYPATtejtEWJA41gfT28/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxVAY2P-pqfXlYKCl7N8OMw9909Zfgy2JQDku7zgoDoO327A-sxy9NyRdIboNB_heY3ZdKJpUe-9s4_PxSAFb30yFba4KAF_BM2942sE5DPa0yzRkDgptAu9lcYPATtejtEWJA41gfT28/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
He finished with a time of 9 minutes 10 seconds, which was the fastest of the day!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP9eGvGLZrPJimha9n3qtWfPsCaOxtJvSSM_dd_JFzZVvX2FpAVfm8GEJ8WTXfs-f_MABCdzFUd1id_6zdCH21PJzKKg5a73J8OqQjuQFSUVJ9OTvQVE4Sy88_QowsqmpeOX3AYi-jOU/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP9eGvGLZrPJimha9n3qtWfPsCaOxtJvSSM_dd_JFzZVvX2FpAVfm8GEJ8WTXfs-f_MABCdzFUd1id_6zdCH21PJzKKg5a73J8OqQjuQFSUVJ9OTvQVE4Sy88_QowsqmpeOX3AYi-jOU/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He came home with a prize package including a T-handle tool set, chain cleaner and lube kit, an Icon brand baseball cap, and a ton of stickers which he would never dream of actually putting on his bike/car :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was so cool to see him at work doing what he enjoys. We made some new friends in town, and Chris even got a job offer from the mechanic shop if he ever feels like quitting his day job!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Do you know of any fun, free activities coming up around town? I'd love to hear about them!</div>
</span>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-NfGSB9lyjhQ%2FVCrbWwBdJRI%2FAAAAAAAAAPw%2F-lcYB_7mZM0%2Fs1600%2FIMG_2430%252B-%252BCopy.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpT8RSsGo1tO_NAU6gq3tcC_juJbxsNmG7IBIWMSMHtOLSHgFnpQbNW6ctECbXy4EZd9BHbl4kAbqArnTbLt41Bi4bQWDWB2DB5-o4Ef0KwBNf2GEHSdeTXRpAAfwZOuCuEYyQTd2I5WY/s1600/IMG_2430+-+Copy.JPG" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-17130903005746873512014-09-22T14:04:00.001-04:002014-09-22T14:04:48.535-04:00May The Force Be With Me <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UUtrTZwH1Rp9uVDHtk156wT808kYNT3YPTIDIgaZsZvDsKXm06_6L0TK9B19dx_pVTyGVzSbc30xa6RbRf_S-RUONxBi0BdxCAWm9mhWXWR6FSdI1eYZJVInn0qP83We6qlWKidT6sc/s1600/EPI_TPM_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UUtrTZwH1Rp9uVDHtk156wT808kYNT3YPTIDIgaZsZvDsKXm06_6L0TK9B19dx_pVTyGVzSbc30xa6RbRf_S-RUONxBi0BdxCAWm9mhWXWR6FSdI1eYZJVInn0qP83We6qlWKidT6sc/s1600/EPI_TPM_poster.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I made Chris a very proud husband this weekend. I finally started watching the Star Wars movies. He has only been trying to convince me to watch them since we started dating, and his persistence finally paid off. Or I got tired of listening to him. Chris dictated that I would watch them in order 1-2-3-4-5-6 (why did they release them backwards again??) so we started with episode 1 on Saturday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I kinda liked it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That being said, the entire Star Wars universe is very confusing to me. Being married to such a nerd, I know many of the characters names, the plot twists, who will die, who turns evil and which siblings accidentally kiss without knowing that they are related yadda yadda. This vast amount of knowledge makes watching the movies interesting. More than once, Chris told me to stop asking questions during the movie and to just pay attention. I didn't listen to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The following is a brief list of things I may or may not have said during our inaugural showing of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh hey look it's the words.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why did they write the words slanted, it's hard to read.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They don't look very happy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Those are Jedi's right?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What's with the rat tail?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Why are they fighting?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He's a dumb hut.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What do you mean he's not a hut?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's Jabba the hut right?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, well fine he's a dumb Jar Jar Binks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love Jar Jar!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I bet she's really the queen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who's this kid?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I bet he's some important character.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">HA! Told you.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Aw baby Darth Vadar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hate this guy.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jar Jar is stupid.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't get lost Jar Jar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ugh I hate you Jar Jar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He's a bad guy right?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheater.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Obviously Anakin is going to win.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't trust this guy. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spoiler alert, he wants to be the new chancellor.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This movie is so predictable. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh hey Queen Padme.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This kid is a little shit.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wait, where did Qui-Gon go?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">HE DIED?!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">REWIND IT!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ugh I literally looked away for 5 seconds and Liam Neeson dies.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Liam Neeson NEVER dies!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Get it Obi-Won!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At least he dies too.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Surprise, he won the election.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Creeper.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiVQTzrGKuS06N22AhlT_2gKygSw1allj_9vdTYFkFK8oQKaeH2xR_hc4P9k6OnZM2Ht-RVy8ksAWXm6KIWciDBSKM6uEJaS4Fp2wSBsPYqkIhZb_bncg4pVAi6dklHUsNdqrNFrwsLw/s1600/Liam-Neeson-in-Star-Wars-Episode-1-The-Phantom-Menace_gallery_primary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiVQTzrGKuS06N22AhlT_2gKygSw1allj_9vdTYFkFK8oQKaeH2xR_hc4P9k6OnZM2Ht-RVy8ksAWXm6KIWciDBSKM6uEJaS4Fp2wSBsPYqkIhZb_bncg4pVAi6dklHUsNdqrNFrwsLw/s1600/Liam-Neeson-in-Star-Wars-Episode-1-The-Phantom-Menace_gallery_primary.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>RIP Qui-Gon. You were my favorite.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-6198962218986119502014-09-19T13:04:00.003-04:002014-09-19T13:04:56.028-04:00Book Club<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each month, a group of us girls get together to eat, drink, be merry and talk books. It is so nice to have a designated night away from the stresses of work, husbands, kids and school to just unwind and have quality time with the important women in my life. I thought it would be nice to chronicle what we read and how we like it. So up first: </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWpdquNmvSxE3eJdlZhFcX00v_-JUR76eVk9k2gMvjk7pHmbtTzRpYfWnyLUiIgcCe-hhoX8nLTwJHPKrYci9zKKbh9LWdrLC8MnsAHNbOjToI1Y5_7rfZGutqJUBbdRkQCCvxpDMPRw/s1600/husbandsecret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWpdquNmvSxE3eJdlZhFcX00v_-JUR76eVk9k2gMvjk7pHmbtTzRpYfWnyLUiIgcCe-hhoX8nLTwJHPKrYci9zKKbh9LWdrLC8MnsAHNbOjToI1Y5_7rfZGutqJUBbdRkQCCvxpDMPRw/s1600/husbandsecret.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>The Husband's Secret</i> by Liane Moriarty</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Synopsis:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">Cecilia Fitzpatrick, devoted mother, successful Tupperware business owner and efficient P&C President, has found a letter from her husband. ''For my wife, Cecilia Fitzpatrick To be opened only in the event of my death'' But Cecilia's husband isn't dead, he's on a business trip. And when she questions him about it on the phone, Cecilia senses something she hasn't experienced before. John-Paul is lying. What happens next changes Cecilia's formerly blissful suburban existence forever, and the consequences will be life-changing for the most unexpected people.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">This book was a hit with everyone. It was a thrilling, fun read that I didn't put down for 2 days. It was a great book for discussion since we all were able to put ourselves in Cecilia's shoes and try to imagine how we might behave in her situation. The entire book is so thought provoking and emotional that is was almost overwhelming, but wonderfully so. The best part for me was the epilogue...a full chapter of what destiny had in store for these characters. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">What's your favorite book? Any suggestions for our group to read next month?</span></span></div>
</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-6917873480515717712014-09-18T19:14:00.002-04:002014-10-08T14:33:04.788-04:00Flu vaccines<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Flu Season!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have you been vaccinated yet? As a health care provider, I am passionate about ensuring everyone I know is educated on the importance of vaccines. Choosing to get your vaccine not only protects you from potentially coming down with the flu, but it protects those around you as well. Let's run through some common excuses of why you may not want to get the flu vaccine and why they are total baloney. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1pOE0J3USxYUfDtLUh3koYh1PiHnlYbl990DBolt3g_s_5NKjt92C3NL9_ybwGz_gMIEQdu1sz4ICMGAKTr0ytYMlEapx-m-3fVdRZ9Iq6nxcrVr45ySfh36ugPdl_jLLw6A3pzW-_Q/s1600/iphone4+257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1pOE0J3USxYUfDtLUh3koYh1PiHnlYbl990DBolt3g_s_5NKjt92C3NL9_ybwGz_gMIEQdu1sz4ICMGAKTr0ytYMlEapx-m-3fVdRZ9Iq6nxcrVr45ySfh36ugPdl_jLLw6A3pzW-_Q/s1600/iphone4+257.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>giving flu shots in Costa Rica</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But I've never had the flu!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b>Well guess what, it's a new year! The CDC reports that an estimated 5-20% of the US population will come down with influenza each year. Of those infected, over 200,000 are hospitalized each year with complications. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's a huge gamble to take with your life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But I've had the flu before, it was no big deal!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Maybe that one time you had it was NBD, but there are hundreds of different strains of the virus. Having the flu once does not prevent you from getting it again later in life like some other illnesses (chicken pox, for example). The flu can range from mild cold like symptoms to a devastatingly fatal illness. With complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections and even sepsis, its no wonder that an average of 36,000 people die each year in the US. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><b>But last time I got the vaccine, it gave me the flu!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I will say this once: <i>the flu vaccine does not cause you to get the flu. </i>It is impossible to guarantee 100% immunity against the flu, even with proper vaccination. It goes back to there being hundreds of different strains of the flu. Scientists and physicians do their best to predict which strains will be most prevalent each year to develop that season's vaccine. However, most vaccines only predict against 3-4 different strains. Just because you are protected from those 4 doesn't necessarily mean you won't still get a case of the flu. Getting the vaccine simply decreases your chances of catching and spreading the virus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But I'm afraid of needles!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Unfortunately, needles are a very common tool used by doctors and nurses to keep you healthy. The good news is that if you are between the ages of 2 and 49, you qualify for the intra-nasal spray version of the vaccine. Those between the ages of 18-64 are eligible for an intra-dermal version which is injected in to the skin as opposed to the muscle. This intra-dermal shot uses a much smaller needle since it doesn't have to inject the vaccine as far. The standard dose intra-muscular vaccine is available to anyone 6 months of age or older (infants under 6 months are still protected by their mothers' antibodies and are not recommended to receive the flu vaccine).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But I got the flu vaccine last year!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b>As previously mentioned, the vaccine may change slightly each year to protect against the most prevalent strain. Even if the vaccine doesn't change at all from the previous season, your immunity to the flu diminishes over the course of the year. For optimum protection, the CDC recommends annual vaccination against the flu. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>But it's too late to get the vaccine, the season is almost over!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> While it is best to get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available (usually by the end of September/early October), it is never too late to protect yourself. The vaccines are beneficial as long as the virus is circulating, which can be well into the new year. Illnesses have been known to occur even as late as May. Besides, better late than never. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How do you feel about the flu vaccine? Will you be protecting yourself and your community by getting vaccinated? Do you have any concerns about the vaccine that I didn't address? Let me know in the comments and I will try to address them! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-69866877079845054322014-09-17T12:00:00.000-04:002014-09-17T12:52:58.921-04:00Fall In Love <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What are you doing this weekend? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let me rephrase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Come save a life this weekend!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.talgov.com/animals/AnimalsHome.aspx">TLCASC </a>is hosting their Fall In Love adoption event THIS WEEKEND! The event will take place on Saturday September 20 from 10AM to 4:30PM and Sunday September 21 from 1PM to 4:30PM.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During this event, <b><i><u>all adoption fees will be waived on all animals!!!</u></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All dogs, puppies, cats and kittens will be free to loving homes! Chris and I will be there from 3-5PM Saturday afternoon...let us help you find your </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">new family member!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3Ny3RL3eJ2kcx3KMDf41jkZnV7o3Akx7-uoOY8JqChEal6cPM69ktwY0RLZC5UkQmyhTZhvrj_2FLxgHxqqb_Mgh9RE5mAWGEssPjOciMbjW0r9a-l8hIEpqC4v5aqBgYXWOvgW92u8/s1600/image003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3Ny3RL3eJ2kcx3KMDf41jkZnV7o3Akx7-uoOY8JqChEal6cPM69ktwY0RLZC5UkQmyhTZhvrj_2FLxgHxqqb_Mgh9RE5mAWGEssPjOciMbjW0r9a-l8hIEpqC4v5aqBgYXWOvgW92u8/s1600/image003.jpg" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-9369447819878299882014-09-16T12:39:00.002-04:002014-09-16T20:25:07.534-04:00Am I Skinny Yet?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWOV5SoY6EUkTH1sHD6FWu9ysgMdXfl1yWRJiNXNP6I6iKBsrotN_jc5Cf6ZLV0MaR6l1WzQbP407ktcHFl29f5A3n-1dVBtMXt_4UyEfXW2xXdSsjJ4l-wUkJ41b9I1flHBvNECAWdw/s1600/rr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWOV5SoY6EUkTH1sHD6FWu9ysgMdXfl1yWRJiNXNP6I6iKBsrotN_jc5Cf6ZLV0MaR6l1WzQbP407ktcHFl29f5A3n-1dVBtMXt_4UyEfXW2xXdSsjJ4l-wUkJ41b9I1flHBvNECAWdw/s1600/rr.jpg" height="400" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">if only</span></i> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hate to break it to you guys, but Chris and I may be getting a divorce. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not a real divorce, just the silly kind where I scream profanities at him for awhile and then make him sleep on the couch. Why you ask? Oh I'll tell you why. Just you wait until you hear what he did. What he made <i>me </i>do!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He made me wake up at <i style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">5AM</i> and go to the gym with him!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ugh.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hate exercise. I hate being sweaty. I hate being sore. I do not get a runner's high. I think those people who claim they do are flat out lying because they are miserable and they want to entice other people into being miserable with them. <i>Running sucks.</i> But today, I got my ass out of bed before dawn and ran. And lifted weights. And got both sweaty <i>and </i>sore. AND I ate a salad for dinner last night. Being sexy is hard work. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris and I have started a new healthy living routine where basically we stop gouging ourselves on junk food every night in front of the television without moving for seven hours. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't judge us, you've done it too. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've never been very consistent with our gym routines. He loves working out once we get there (which in turn pumps me up because I always want to win at everything. Period.), but its the talking ourselves into getting off the couch after work/walking dogs/dinner/housework and going the 2.4 miles up the road part that is tough. Thus Mr. SmartyPants decided we would just go in the morning. Before work. Before coffee. Before the sunrise. <i>Ughh. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today was the first day, and in all honesty...it wasn't that bad. Except for the fact that we drove 2.4 miles up to our gym only to find that our key cards had become inactive. (whoops) No biggie. We'll just go to the nicer of the two gyms that are in our apartment complex. Except then we couldn't find the door that our amenities key will unlock to let us in after hours. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(At this point I tried my hardest to convince Chris that obviously we were not meant to exercise today and please could I go home and go back to bed. No luck.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We finally decided to just go to the tiny joke of a gym near our building. We did a little weightlifting and then moved on to our Couch to 5K app. If you are new to running, you should definitely try it! The app assists you in training for a 5K in 30 minute sessions, three days a week, for eight(ish) weeks. You can repeat days as necessary before moving on if you're <i>really </i>new to running like I am. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XVJNQ0wy6DVJBmU3F8l9nGbdhUH3Eo8sxL11_9IXAxjyIV2yxt4V55ExBPyF0dYExssW7bfKERBeZ7HuL99f0PFjYpYrOFAzdGv9t9_09zniTkRe02KM_Y3jfwn0zMoVVc3OCODgLlU/s1600/gymm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XVJNQ0wy6DVJBmU3F8l9nGbdhUH3Eo8sxL11_9IXAxjyIV2yxt4V55ExBPyF0dYExssW7bfKERBeZ7HuL99f0PFjYpYrOFAzdGv9t9_09zniTkRe02KM_Y3jfwn0zMoVVc3OCODgLlU/s1600/gymm.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4ZsCfBFbcaqOxJmgm7wCnq6EbSfffdiz1wx8XT1zMHjymLK-ClknSNUjGGeJZsi1aDafXTkNPvaxLvCTQ9l-pSMirP-vOIO63QYQXsp_yWGhhWXssY0ZQkGQrVmnPH0ONUz0elNHD1s/s1600/photo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4ZsCfBFbcaqOxJmgm7wCnq6EbSfffdiz1wx8XT1zMHjymLK-ClknSNUjGGeJZsi1aDafXTkNPvaxLvCTQ9l-pSMirP-vOIO63QYQXsp_yWGhhWXssY0ZQkGQrVmnPH0ONUz0elNHD1s/s1600/photo+(1).jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />The first day had us do a five minute warm up walk, alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking, and then a five minute cool down. I'm not saying it was pretty, but I managed to get through it in one piece. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris can run the full thirty minutes no problem, but we aren't speaking to him right now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Supposedly we are going to wake up at that horrid hour at least three times a week for more of this torture. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbsZJq9OpXjdyeVq1GcbAN4SfXIPVO2LqHaT7HxZVGaalFVHyTV2qf_VVTMihQTlK9nvp9RWNLgiby77S9fKZ3C39TwDFoR3MzqPLFFIx8ivDGyZR5j9hnMU8cEBUKzuE4mhhzococik/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbsZJq9OpXjdyeVq1GcbAN4SfXIPVO2LqHaT7HxZVGaalFVHyTV2qf_VVTMihQTlK9nvp9RWNLgiby77S9fKZ3C39TwDFoR3MzqPLFFIx8ivDGyZR5j9hnMU8cEBUKzuE4mhhzococik/s1600/images.jpg" height="268" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But maybe it will end up being a good thing after all....</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNJd_AeKpDd7b4-Y9CFQ6Ns33SHD2z4QWFHKwxdaD_0hIBkJFV7D4A8sPOZe7RDfo80x_4KmeZTf0gwGQJDzyl1_LOxLNT7IdjyvqsPhGVSfdq52Vw735YMbdbb2WpasxarUAyPVcFCA/s1600/meme500calories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNJd_AeKpDd7b4-Y9CFQ6Ns33SHD2z4QWFHKwxdaD_0hIBkJFV7D4A8sPOZe7RDfo80x_4KmeZTf0gwGQJDzyl1_LOxLNT7IdjyvqsPhGVSfdq52Vw735YMbdbb2WpasxarUAyPVcFCA/s1600/meme500calories.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: no husbands were harmed in the writing of this post</i></span> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-81464826704053181422014-09-14T15:09:00.001-04:002014-10-08T14:30:30.823-04:00Going Out With My Boots On<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Y'all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Y'all. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can I please tell you how amazing my girl Miranda was in concert? Homegirl came to party. Mrs. Blake Shelton came out in her typical little-bit-country-little-bit-rock-and-roll form: cowboy boots, leather hot pants, black tank top and <i>pink guitar </i>lookin' hot hot hot<i>. </i>She sang her heart out for two straight hours without leaving the stage a single time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Get it, girl. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hL0426W3hlDLnLZqJToKpBrRw-dvuWCWorckWv1rPneT2eyAKW4_gwHQWBqHOMqUFYvFz-_T9W6nQFZSfAlSCy2Z71zSLgWQ-Bwf3tCo5QC9CMRyhLJxbfxC6P3Mc7fi0VUDUf9iOsM/s1600/1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hL0426W3hlDLnLZqJToKpBrRw-dvuWCWorckWv1rPneT2eyAKW4_gwHQWBqHOMqUFYvFz-_T9W6nQFZSfAlSCy2Z71zSLgWQ-Bwf3tCo5QC9CMRyhLJxbfxC6P3Mc7fi0VUDUf9iOsM/s1600/1011.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGLfEO-OLs9DkpIuMgab_J0IBBA6jHAst57X-HRFXe_inN3cnsJgGr6JxTotlEyD2jIgmSyzUX7C6ofc2QmeidA2QsdTx5uwrcbNLItk88ODczm8SyRseaQrDVoswGC6cezU2LlZS83I/s1600/1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGLfEO-OLs9DkpIuMgab_J0IBBA6jHAst57X-HRFXe_inN3cnsJgGr6JxTotlEyD2jIgmSyzUX7C6ofc2QmeidA2QsdTx5uwrcbNLItk88ODczm8SyRseaQrDVoswGC6cezU2LlZS83I/s1600/1006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chris and I had so much fun on our musical date night. I dusted off my own cowboy boots and cutoff shorts for the occasion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9J7x0e6GuI9Vy2Qofsi11Wxc0Bs0wcwlwZAJcTrIKU7UeH4oqYx6N_5BDpqX8hqF6eOMvEe3YoYRo0M2b8sF8WXYPAVx6S8GidVLXDtVjJRQo4SKvpDtHcQuBZ6SZMhGXcM__FFtuH5o/s1600/997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9J7x0e6GuI9Vy2Qofsi11Wxc0Bs0wcwlwZAJcTrIKU7UeH4oqYx6N_5BDpqX8hqF6eOMvEe3YoYRo0M2b8sF8WXYPAVx6S8GidVLXDtVjJRQo4SKvpDtHcQuBZ6SZMhGXcM__FFtuH5o/s1600/997.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thomas Rhett and Justin Moore started the show off great, but Miranda was definitely the star. By far one of the best concerts I've been to. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywKAgcuxpJezF9OBSf3XujMZgW_TvtcyBijF38qUTjmwXx9QMPbhPxqJhFUHDYiwCIbETqUgv0jS8sBcbAag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photos and video are my own.</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-9283571538544917052014-09-10T10:53:00.000-04:002015-03-06T16:15:20.522-05:00101 in 1001<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This list. Oh my how I love a to-do list! I love any type of list really. Grocery lists, packing lists, lists of things Chris needs to do around the house. <i>Lists of the types of lists I enjoy. </i>I've never really been one for New Year's resolutions, but when I saw <a href="http://www.emformarvelous.com/101-in-1001/">this idea</a> on <a href="http://www.emformarvelous.com/">my favorite blog ever</a>, I just had to do it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Essentially, these are the rules:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px currentColor; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Mission:</strong><br />Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px currentColor; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong><strong style="border: 0px currentColor; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Criteria:</strong><br />Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong style="border: 0px currentColor; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why 1001 Days? </strong><br />Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Magical! I absolutely loved the premise so of course I sat right down and made my own. My first 101 list was created in September of 2011 and concluded in May of 2014 -- I completed 52 of my goals, which included donating $1 to charity for each item not completed (I rounded up to $50) and creating a new 101 list. I brought some of my incomplete goals forward to my new list, but also came up with new and exciting goals for the future. With my second list, I decided to group goals together based on what category they fall in to. <i>Lists within a list, y'all! </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So without further ado, my second 101 in 1001 list:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Start date: July 27, 2014<br />End date: April 23, 2014</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strike><b>Crossed out</b></strike> is complete<br /><i>Italics </i>are in progress </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentColor; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Financial::</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">1. Buy a house</span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">2. Save $10,000 for emergencies </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">3. Pay off credit card</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">4. Pay off student loans </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">5. Pay off Mazda</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">6. Pay off Dodge</span></i><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">7. Create a household budget</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">8. Create a personal budget </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">9. Read a financial book to learn about investments/retirement etc.</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">10. Buy something that will increase in value over time</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spiritual::</span></b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">11. Find a church family </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">12. Find a charity I am drawn to and donate monthly</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">13. Pay for someone's toll/bill</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">14. Adopt a family for Christmas </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">15</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. <strike>Find an organization to volunteer with on a regular basis </strike></span>(<a href="http://ashleymilheim.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-longest-time-chris-and-i-have-been.html">TLCASC</a>)</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">16. Plant a tree</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">17. Buy a modern version of the bible</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">18. Read the entire bible</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">19. Donate $10 to charity for each item not complete on list</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Personal::</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">20. Get a raise</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">21. Aquire a DSLR camera and learn how to use it</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">22. Have boudoir photos taken</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">23. Save up and buy a pair of Louboutin pumps</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">24. Purchase a classic trench coat</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">25. Make a list of things I dislike about myself</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">26. Make a list of things I love about myself</span><br /><b style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">27. <strike>Start a blog</strike></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">28. Subscribe to a magazine I enjoy</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">29. Complete 10 DIY Pinterest projects</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">30. Get a facial</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">31. Try Shannon's eyelash extensions</span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">32. Try ten foods/dishes I've never eaten before (lobster roll, gnocchi, creme brulee)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">33. Order Personalized stationary </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">34. Try a drastic new hairstyle (cut or color)</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Marital::</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">35. Watch the Godfather trilogy </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><strike>36. Watch Star Wars (1,2,3,4,5,6 done!)</strike></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">37. Take dance lessons with Chris</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">38. Stay in a bed and breakfast</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">39. Go unplugged for an entire weekend with Chris</span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">40. Try five new restaurants (Vertigo, Backwoods Bistro, Food Glorious Food, A La Provence, )</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><strike>41. Visit the grandparents in North Carolina</strike></b></span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">42. Do something random and sweet for Chris on ten occasions (Titanfall, Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, Baseball season tickets)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">43. Sip coffee with Chris and watch the sunrise </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><i>44. Complete the FSU newlywed study</i> </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Educational::</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">45. Have another stick shift lesson</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><strike>46. Change my own oil</strike></b></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">47. Read the Chronicles of Narnia series</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">48. Take a class</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><strike>49. Read a biography of someone I admire </strike>(Mindy Kaling)</b></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">50. Learn how to French braid my hair</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">51. Vote in the presidential election</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">52. Develop a skill to barter with</span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">53. Read ten classics I haven't read before (Currently reading Pride and Prejudice) </span></i></span><br />
<b style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adventure::</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">54. Visit a u-pick-em farm</span><br /><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">55. Visit two states I've never been to (California Aug 2014)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><strike>56. Play in snow (in NC!)</strike></b></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">57. Go camping</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">58. Go fishing</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">59. Play paintball</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">60. Go sailing</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">61. Attend an opera </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">62. <b style="text-decoration: line-through;">Go to a concert</b><b> (Miranda Lambert, Sept 2014)</b></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">63. Attend the Kentucky Derby</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">64. Ride in a helicopter </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">65. Go on a hot air balloon ride</span><br /><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">66. <strike>Fly somewhere</strike> (California, Aug 2014)</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">67. See the Ellen show live</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Health::</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><i>68. Have a successful, healthy pregnancy </i></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">69. Weigh 140lbs</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">70. Run a 5K</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">71. Buy a bicycle </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">72. Floss every day for one month</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">73. Exercise three times a week for one month</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">74. Drink only water for an entire week</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><i>75. Switch to caffeine free Diet Coke</i></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">76. Adopt meatless Monday </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><i>77. Complete a work out challenge</i></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">78. Do not eat fast food in 2015 (...whoops)</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">79. Take a spin class</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">80. Donate blood three times</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">81. Keep a journal of everything I eat for an entire month</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">82. See a chiropractor </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Friends::</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">83. Host a dinner party </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">84. Send Christmas cards each year </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">85. Send flowers to a friend </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">86. Host a wine/cheese tasting party </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">87. Send a care package</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">88. Send a baby gift to all expectant friends </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">89. Host a board game night </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">90. Babysit for free</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">91. Make a new friend </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">92. Send ten handwritten 'just because' notes to ten different people</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Home::</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">93. <strike>Buy reusable grocery bags </strike></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">94. Buy a filing cabinet and organize important documents</span></i><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">95. Make homemade pickles</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">96. Create a living will</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">97. Start an herb garden</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">98. Go a month without eating out</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">99. Have a professional photo printed on canvas and hang in our home</span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;">100. Invest in a new couch/living room set </span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.11px; line-height: 19.2px;"><i>101. De-clutter house and donate items to Goodwill --ongoing!</i></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-29791498755235196012014-09-09T14:15:00.000-04:002014-09-09T14:17:08.439-04:00A Helping Hand<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGohilvRNda82AagU9zhyphenhyphen3zgLaP-FxLsmt2Pw96EtLv5XMwAGvPuxW5xz9ph4ToxwMpHw096K7DPrNVU3VIPNhtsPmSUgRqlVe_x9xVvp-67-kbF_lcrj4k9QrldSqfojIGmg8Df-8RY/s1600/pup.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ADOPT ME!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the longest time, Chris and I have been in discussion
about volunteering in our community. Like all good procrastinators, we put it
off and put it off. That is until I wrote it down on my official to-do list. The
be-all-end-all of to-do lists: 101 in 1001 <-- this list is deserving of a
blog post all its own, so we’ll get to that a little later. Obviously once it
was written down on an official list, it had to be crossed off. Perhaps one of
my favorite past times is crossing things off a list. Seriously. Sometimes I even
make a list of things I’ve already completed just for the satisfaction of
crossing them off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I digress. So I finally decided <i>yes! We will do this! </i>The problem then became finding somewhere to
spend our weekends that A) would not make us long for our couch and B) actually
felt like we were making a difference. I credit Christopher with the discovery
of such a place (don’t tell him). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.talgov.com/animals/animals-adopt.aspx">Tallahasse-Leon County Animal Service Center. </a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIQx7GkXpugrL3up8P__sndeOqqSbVGAH6aWYskE3C7NipPbcEsNXyrxcws_cW6X0RfwuiqSfA0Pxp0v0b4MWgwKfvVr9t56ECXj70h6Dl9vqXxyvtiI2rahCSRMuhI5PtzPvUt8Sk0/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIQx7GkXpugrL3up8P__sndeOqqSbVGAH6aWYskE3C7NipPbcEsNXyrxcws_cW6X0RfwuiqSfA0Pxp0v0b4MWgwKfvVr9t56ECXj70h6Dl9vqXxyvtiI2rahCSRMuhI5PtzPvUt8Sk0/s1600/download.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not only is it where we adopted our two barking fur babies,
but we were already spending an exorbitant amount of time there anyways. I loved
spending a Saturday afternoon loving on the dogs and cats through their prison
bars. I often left in tears because Christopher would remind me that we live in
an 1100 square foot apartment that has already exceeded max capacity for pets
so, no, we could not bring any more home with us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bingo! If I couldn’t bring any more animals home with me, I absolutely
could use my energy to find them forever homes elsewhere. And let me tell you…I
am LOVING it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We had our first volunteer shift last weekend, participating
in what is called Pack Walk. A group of volunteers meet every Sunday morning to
make sure every dog in the shelter gets a 15-20 minute walk through Tom Brown
Park, play time, baths if needed, and mental stimulation. Because the shelter doesn’t
open until 1:00PM on Sundays, volunteers are able to spend more time one on one
with each animal. We learn about their personalities and behavior traits;
whether they are potty trained, leash trained, good with other dogs or timid. This
knowledge is extremely valuable in helping the dog find the right home with the
right family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is always a need for volunteers and donations at the
shelter. Even more so, there is a need for loving homes for these animals. If you
are interest in volunteering, donating or adopting, please visit <a href="http://www.talgov.com/animals/animals-adopt.aspx">their website</a> for more information. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tallahassee-Leon County Animal Service Center<br />1125 Easterwood Drive<br />Tallahassee, FL 32311</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">850-891-2950</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7535776371931642266.post-84174188321972891242014-09-08T15:17:00.000-04:002014-10-08T14:29:04.158-04:00Welcome<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_F1WS_Is6syon_rT7PhOSmCAWhaSQP-5c_B35qJycxwpvSwouJ-GKa82WeeXw-dvG6J0eKs2KLkCNM2biJKyRR-fu_zvq9-riKW_QlHxM1hyOVRcyd4Y7YvNTBpqMGyAIQC7e6mxKfo/s1600/photo+5+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_F1WS_Is6syon_rT7PhOSmCAWhaSQP-5c_B35qJycxwpvSwouJ-GKa82WeeXw-dvG6J0eKs2KLkCNM2biJKyRR-fu_zvq9-riKW_QlHxM1hyOVRcyd4Y7YvNTBpqMGyAIQC7e6mxKfo/s1600/photo+5+(1).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">A word is dead when it is said</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Some say –</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I say it just begins to live</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">That day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><i>-Emily Dickinson </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Let's get started. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.sharonpickeringphotography.com/">Sharon Pickering</a></i></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681573499289582415noreply@blogger.com0