Holy Crap! I haven't updated in 9 months

I can't believe I have not updated my blog in 9 months. Clearly, life is busy. I planned on updating in November after our trip to Italy, but I never made it on here. I have thought about updating many times but never seem to make the time to sit down.

Italy was AMAZING!!! I definitely want to go back sometime in my lifetime. I have a day by day account written down somewhere in my bedroom that I will need to find but for right now I will go off memory. We got to Rome early in the morning. We finally figured out how to get to the van area for our hotel. Once we got to the hotel, we were able to drop our bags off and go into the city. Driving in Rome (well really anywhere in Italy) is Insanity! People drive like maniacs. I am so glad we had people driving us around. I think if one of us were driving we would have died without ever getting to see the wonderful city. We spent time walking around Rome and looking at places. We took a ton of pictures. My parents then headed back to the hotel while my brother and his girlfriend and my husband and I stayed to walk around the city some more. We ended up wandering down streets with cute little shops. It was just gorgeous. We had such a great time. We finally headed back to the hotel to hang out with my parents. The next morning we got up and got all of our stuff ready to leave to hotel. We took a shuttle bus to the port to get on our cruise. We arrived early so we had plenty of time to explore the little port town. Every little place we went to was so cool. We shopped around at a little open air market. When we finally got back to the terminal we had to wait for about 30 minutes before we boarded the boat. Once we boarded, there was a cocktail waiting for us :) while we filled out all the necessary paperwork. The cruise was a small ship with less than 14o people. It was awesome! Our rooms were nice and spacious and we were right next door to my brother and his girlfriend and my parents were right across the hall. Our steward was awesome and knew our name before the end of the first day. On the first evening we had the safety practice where we had to get our life vests and get to our spots. At that point, they gave out seasick pills in case you wanted them. I picked a pack up and decided to take them so I didn't take a chance. That was a mistake! Apparently someone later told my dad that you should only take one of the two pills because the pills can actually make you sick. Well they definitely didn't make me feel very good. Later that night the captain hosted an hors d'oeuvres hour which was not too bad. I was starting not to feel great, but I tried to enjoy it the best I could. We then headed to dinner where I had this amazing prime rib. Too bad I wasn't able to finish it because I started feeling very sick. I walked around on the deck a few times to see if that would help, but in the end I just went to bed. That was the one and only night I didn't feel good. We had some crazy weather through the trip, but all in all it was awesome. I would definitely take another Wind Star cruise again. The food was amazing, the staff was amazing, and our rooms were amazing. FYI Our server at lunch and dinner (same guy) knew who we were and what we liked to drink and would have it ready for us when we came in to sit down. Now that is service!!! Once I find my day by day account I will post more about the different ports. Our last day we got to tour the island of Ischia where my grandfather's family was from. It was so awesome to feel like you were connected to a place. Once we got back to the port we had a driver who took us around Rome to see all the tourist places. We got lots of pictures and had an amazing time. We were able to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum, The Roman Forums, etc. The next day we had a tour of the countryside of Umbria where we got to see beautiful country, Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi (a beautiful church), and many different cute shops. On our last day, we toured the Vatican and walked around Rome to explore some more. I left out a ton of places we went to on the cruise, but I will update again soon. All in all it was a trip of a lifetime and I hope to go back some day. It was amazing to get to spend so much quality time with my family. We really missed having my sister and her husband with us and I hope someday they will travel back with my husband and I.

Christmas was fun. We spent Christmas eve and morning with my dad and my brother. We went to dinner at some family friends' house that evening. A few days later we headed out to California for a week. We got to spend New Years with my extended family and Rod's mommy. We had a great time :)

Once we got back from Cali, life has been BUSY. We just seem to go go go. Last week we went to MO to visit my sister and brother-in-law. We had a fabulous time hanging out and going to see lots of different places. We went shopping several times which I'm sure my husband just loved :)~ Although it was a long drive there and back, we had a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back. Now it's back to work for a few weeks then off to the Dominican Republic for a wedding! We seem to be world travelers this year and I love it. We'll see if I can ever get my husband to go overseas again after this year! Well back to work I go hopefully I'll start updating this thing a lot more often :)

Where Did 4 Months Go?

Life is crazy! I feel bad I have not taken the time to update this blog, but by the time we get home at night, walk the dog, make dinner, and give the cat medicine, I am exhausted. I have been extremely tired lately. I think a lot of it has to do with all the driving I do every day, but who knows. We have lived in our house since January and we love it. I think I am still adjusting to the time I have to get up in the morning, but I'm getting there. Rod and I commute together most days and it is working out great. Rod loves it because he can sleep in the car. I, on the other hand, am having to get used to driving in all the traffic. It's nice we get to spend that time together.

I love my job and I love the people I work with. I have almost been there a year and it's great. I definitely do not mind the commute for this job. Once we decide to have a family, the commute may be long, but it's ok right now. If I do decide to look for a job closer to home, I probably will try to find something in the post-secondary area. I really enjoy working for the college. In the fall I will be teaching 3 classes at the community college. I am very nervous but very excited. We'll see how things go. My classes run from August to October. My life is going to be crazy at that time because I will be busy with work and teaching and grading assignments.

I take work home often, but I don't get a chance to do as much work from home now that we have Ryker. He definitely keeps us on our toes. He is the cutest dog, but he is still a puppy. He is getting better about licking instead of biting, but he is still chewing thing like crazy. We have yet to find a toy that is indestructible. Lately he has been destroying toys left and right. Hopefully Rod will be able to find some toys that he cannot destroy.

Life is great right now. I have the best husband in the world. We have a wonderful house, puppy, and kitties. We have great jobs, amazing families, and awesome friends. Life couldn't get much better. We're thinking about adding little ones to the mix soon, but we'll see.

Busy Life

I can't believe I have not taken the time in the last month to update this blog. It's amazing to me how I can turn around and a month is gone. I feel like my life is running 100 miles a minute these days. After the move, we decided it was a good time to get a puppy. He was supposed to come in during the record snow storm, but unfortunately no planes were getting in. He finally arrived on February 13th. The puppy is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and we named him Ryker. This is a picture of him when we first got him. (He has much bigger ears now!)

Ryker is so cute, but he tests our patience. He likes to chew on everything and eat everything and pee all the time! We can't wait until he out grows this stage :) We are having so much fun with him and can't believe he has been here a month. Our lives are so different, but we are enjoying every moment. We have our own little family! Eventually we will add children to the mix, but we definitely have to get through the puppy phase first. Most of our days follow a pattern. Commuting to and from work takes up such a big chunk of the day! Then when we get home, walk the dog, rest on the couch, walk the dog, make dinner, walk the dog, try to get some exercise, walk the dog and go to bed. Then the cycle repeats. This is why I have no time to blog :) I definitely can't complain though! Although I am very busy, I am absolutely loving my life! I have a wonderful husband who does many things around the house including walking the dog when it is cold out, amazing family and friends, and a good job. Right now life is busy, but good :)

Whirlwind January

January was a whirlwind of activity. On January 4th we had our walk through on our house. We didn't find too many issues which was exciting. On the 5th we flew to California. We spent the night at my aunt's house so that my grandmother wouldn't know we were there. On January 6th we surprised my grandmother (mom's mom) for her 80th birthday. It was so much fun! On Friday, January 8th we had a memorial service for my Grandpa (dad's dad) who passed away in December. In the morning we went out on a boat and spread his ashes. Although it was very sad, it was amazing to get to spend time with all of my cousins. We hadn't all been together in over 10 years. The memorial service was very nice and all the grandchildren participated in some way. After the service we had a celebration of my grandfather's life at his favorite Mexican restaurant. On Saturday, January 9th we had a birthday party for my grandmother's 80th birthday. It was a great day! I think everyone had a good time. Our trip to California was great, but very busy and an emotional roller coaster. We flew home Monday, January 11th. Our flight was a bit delayed, but we made it home safely. Then Rod and I drove home. We got home about 2:30 in the morning and got up the next morning at our regular time for work. I think Rod got a total of 2 hours of sleep that night. Tuesday evening we spent some time packing. On Wednesday, we had our final walk through on the house and closing. Unfortunately I had a 24 hour stomach bug, but I still went along for the ride I was just miserable the entire time. The rest of the week was spent packing and on Saturday we had a bunch of family and friends help us move from our apartment to our NEW HOME!!! It was the perfect day for moving. The weather was beautiful for a Saturday in January. Since our move we have been busy cleaning the apartment to return our keys (which we did on Friday), unpacking, receiving furniture, oh and figuring out the best way to get to work. It’s nice going to work together, but it sure is a long drive. I used to get up at 7:30 to get to work by 8:30, now I get up at 5:30. YUCK! Although I hate getting up earlier, I love our house. I can’t wait to have everything unpacked. This weekend was great because we finished cleaning the apartment on Friday, Saturday we celebrated my birthday, and Sunday we spent some time with Rod’s Aunt and went shopping at the Leesburg Outlet Mall. I almost bought myself a purse from Coach, but I decided to wait. Today I am going to try to get my closet unpacked so I don’t have to search through boxes in the morning when I am trying to get ready for work. Hopefully the GE guy will come to fix our dishwasher (which hasn’t worked since we moved in) but I am not sure. He was supposed to be here between 8-12 and it is almost 11 and I haven’t heard from them. This week is going to be very busy. We have a lot of unpacking to do and getting ready for our new puppy to arrive on Saturday. I also have workshops going on at work with my students. Hopefully work will make the week fly. I’ll try to update next week with pictures of the house without so many boxes and the new puppy!

Christmas Has Come and Gone

Wow, I can't believe Christmas is over. The end of November and all of December has seemed like a whirlwind. We spent Thanksgiving with my family and friends and had a wonderful time. During December we got to spend time with friends and family. We had a wonderful Christmas with both my family and Rod's family. I couldn't believe how fast Christmas came. The whole month of December I felt behind in gift buying. We didn't wrap our gifts until December 23rd. It was so crazy how quickly the time went by and I felt like I ran out of weekends to get all I wanted to get done.

Work was crazy at the end of November and the beginning of December. I worked long hours and even worked from home at night a few times. I love my job so I didn't mind it too much, but it's nice to have a break for a couple of weeks.

Our house is almost complete! We have our inspection on Wednesday and I can't wait. On January 4th we have our walk-through and our closing on January 13th. I am so excited!! We are planning on moving on January 16th. If anyone would like to come help us move, we would more than welcome you ;)

Our New House!!!


We spent a lot of time in December buying furniture. I really enjoyed shopping for furniture. I can't wait to see it in the house.

Here is the guest bedroom set we bought


This is the circle chair that we bought for the sitting room in the master bedroom



The dining room table we bought


The living room tables to go with our light bluish/green couches we already own


The new couch that will go in our family room. We got it in a chocolate brown color with 3 blue pillows and 3 pillows with a blue/brown/beige circle design pillow


January is quickly approaching and it is amazing how 2009 just flew by. This year was filled with the death of one of my friends, my graduation, the building of our house, the birth of our godson Griffin, the birth of my(adopted)niece Aubrey, my first real job out of grad school, and the death of my grandfather. Although there has been some trying times this year, I am loving my life. I have the best husband, family, friends, job, and coworkers anyone could ever ask for. I hope 2010 is a wonderful year for everyone and brings new opportunities, excitement, and memories!

Holidays Are Upon Us

I cannot believe that the holiday season is now upon us. If you go into any store there are Christmas decorations everywhere. I normally don't start thinking about Christmas gifts until after Thanksgiving, but this year we sent my sister and brother-in-law Christmas gifts when my parents went to visit them. I still have a few things to get them, but it definitely got me in the holiday spirit. I was hoping to be in our house by Christmas so we could celebrate with Rod's family, but that will not be happening. Our house is supposed to be done in the beginning of January. I really wanted to decorate for Christmas and put up our own Christmas tree, but I don't think it would be smart to unpack any boxes at the same time we are trying to pack our whole apartment. We'll just have to visit my parents' house often. I love spending time with family all the time, but especially during the holidays. I really couldn't ask for a better family. I probably talk to someone in my family at least once a day. We all have this weird connection and tend to get phone calls from other family members while on the phone with a family member. It's really strange but makes me realize how connected my family is. I love my in-laws too. I know some people who have horror stories about their in-laws, but mine are absolutely the best. I couldn't have married into a better family :)

We don't have any major plans for the holidays. We'll spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family this year. Thanksgiving is not enough time for us to travel. I HATE traffic so I do not want to spend hours in the car driving and we don't have enough time off to go to visit Rod's mom in Arizona. Christmas time is a different story, but we went to Arizona last Christmas so we'll stay home this Christmas. I'm not really sure what our plans are for the next month, but I do know a lot of time will be spent finding stuff for our new house. With our moving date fast approaching, we have a lot of stuff to get done. We are moving from a one bedroom apartment to a four bedroom house so we definitely have a lot of furniture that we need to purchase. We also have a lot of packing to get done, but I must say my wonderful amazing husband does most of this. One great thing about packing during December is I can listen to Christmas music while putting things in boxes :) All in all this holiday season is going to be quite busy.

Although I don't have to much to say, I really can't complain. I am so thankful for everything in my life right now. I have a wonderful loving husband and amazing family and friends (who I may not see as often as I like but I can keep in touch with online), we both have great jobs where we enjoy going to work, and we have a new house which we will move into shortly. Life is great right now! I hope all is well with everyone. Have a great Thanksgiving!!!

LIFE

I feel like such an adult. I have a husband, a job, and soon a house. Life seems to be falling into place. I thought life would slow down a bit once I was out of school, but it seems to go faster. I can't believe it is almost November. I have no idea where October has gone. Every weekend we have been busy. The weeks are filled with work and going to see the house. It's incredible watching the house go up and seeing it come to life. Last night the house had drywall. It made it seem so real because you could actually see the rooms and how it will really look when it's finished. We were given a date of January 7th, but I hope it moves faster than that. I would be bummed if it takes that long. The two weeks before closing, we cannot go see the house. I think it's a weird rule, but I understand. They don't want us to spill anything or break anything so we can't go. On the nights we go to see the house we try to find a local restaurant (not a chain)to try. Last night we went to this interesting restaurant. I don't really know how to classify it, because I had braised chicken and Rod had a steak wrap. The food was delicious. I have never had such flavorful chicken. In the same little area there were three other restaurants that we want to try. We want to be able to take people to local restaurants when they come to visit instead of chain restaurants. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are great at finding cute little local places to eat when we visit them and we want to do the same. Anyway this is my life lately. It's filled with house stuff, work stuff, and family and friend stuff. Although it is very busy I am loving life right now and having a great time! I'll try to post again soon :)