"Fall down 7 times, Get up 8"

I know this is the time of year to give “thanks” for everything we have and I am very thankful for so many things, but right now I am just having a hard time being truly thankful and I know I should be. This is such a hard thing for me to admit, but I feel like I am not doing everything I can to be a good wife and life partner to my husband.

My husband is working full time and going to school full time and I am not giving him enough credit for his hard work. He broke down to me and told me that he feels like I am always checking up on him and nagging him to make sure he is getting everything finished for school and at home. It is so hard for me to admit when I am wrong for something, but I find myself pushing him more and more and the man is burned out.

I found it hard to sleep last night thinking about all the things I am doing wrong as a wife and a best friend. I found myself crying uncontrollably at the thought of not understanding my husbands feeling. I found myself lost in thought wondering what I can do to help make this easier for him and I found that I am the only one who can control my actions to make our relationship stronger.

Our baby will arrive in 5 short months and I want us to be prepared as best we can for the upcoming joys and trials of being parents and still managing to be a strong couple who can take on anything.

We have been through so much in the last couple of years and it has been far from easy….I hope that one day we will look back and think about how much love we had for one another to get through all of this “stuff” in our lives and how much we have grown from everything we have been through.

I hope and pray that I can be a better wife, best friend, partner, and mother.

I know I will fall, get up, fall again…but I hope in the end I always get up.

Snow Bunnies

This weekend was like absolutely-totally- CRAZY! (valley girl was the only way to go with this)

Why you ask? We had SNOW!!!! It was October…hello?!? So not cool. And it just wasn’t a little dusting…we had over 5 inches of snow and it caused so many problems.

Tree’s were down, roads were closed, electric was out, everything was closed around us because of the electric…it was just crazy. This is PA not upstate New York mother nature..k?? thanks!

Despite all this crazy weather…our snow bunny friends decided to still visit us and we had a blast with them.

Andrew’s best friend from the Marine Corps and his wife were making their rounds while he was on leave and could not miss seeing us…so they drove from New Jersey to Southern PA on Saturday and we still managed to find a restaurant opened and made the night perfectly sweet.

They are just the cutest things since new Fall Coach—they brought us our first baby gifts and we just adore them.

Here are some lovely-bright pictures of us during our brave outing in the cold.

What happened to fall? I sure hope this isn’t the end for us because this is my favorite time of year.

XOXO

Fall Days

Fall is by far my favorite season and for so many reasons:

1. Weather is gorgeous (not too hot, not too cold)
2. Trees are beautiful
3. Football games and sweatshirts
4. Pumpkin Spice latte's
5. Apple Cinnamon
6. Picking apples and pumpkins
7. Baked goods
8. Everything burnt orange, brown, and yellow.
9. Cute boots and clothes
10. My wedding was a gorgeous fall day in October (3 years ago)

This weekend we decided to enjoy one of the many fall activities and pick apples and pumpkins...I was a little exhausted because we moved on Saturday and I already wasn't feeling well (like everyday for the last 3 months), but getting outside in the cool weather was just what I needed....at least for the time being.

We had fun and picked the cutest/ugliest pumpkin ever (pics to come when we carve it)


Here are some pics from apple picking:

I will be so sad for fall to end...I am so not fond of the next season :)

XOXO

Love Bug

Bentley is by far the best gift I ever received….I just absolutely adore that little fur baby of mine.

Lately, my spoiled little guy just sits by the closet where we keep his food and treats and stares at it until it is opened. It cracks me up (in pieces and halves).

We had my family over last weekend and in the middle of all the laughter and fun he is over by the closet just sitting. My mom asked me if he did something wrong and we told him to sit in the corner…it actually looks pathetic and sad.

I had to take a picture of this. Of course we never feed him so he sits and waits for his monthly meal.

After he ate dinner and I was cleaning up I looked in my living room and in the middle of all my pillows on the floor was my little love bug peaking out….he is totally saying please do not make me move…this is so comfy!

I just can’t get enough of him and his cutie little bootie ways :)

XOXO

GOOD THINGS COME IN small PACKAGES!

Hey Hey!

Feels like forever and a day since I blogged last….things have been pretty crazy lately. Life just seems to keep getting more and more intense and with every set back there is something that seems to bring us joy and happiness. I feel like it is a sign from God letting us know that he loves us and answers our prayers when he feels we need them most.

My husband has been out of work for a year and a half and it is been so stressful for us. He is currently in school studying his little butt off trying to make a better future for us and our family, but his unemployment runs out in less then a month and we are not financially able to live on one income. He is a veteran so we receive so much help from the VA and we are lucky his tuition is 100% covered….but unfortunately he is going to have to work and go to school.

In the middle of all this stress and uncertainty we were given the best news we could have received…we are having a baby!!!! I know most people would probably scream at this point considering the financial burden I have already discussed, but I know we can make it through anything and I am putting all my faith in God to lead us in the right direction….he is truly amazing and I know my prayers will be answered…just not in the order I had thought :)  But who am I to understand or try to fix his plan? He is the master mind behind all of this…I am just the pawn.

We are beyond elated for our news of joy and excitement and also a little scared and nervous for what the future holds.

So here is my first ultrasound picture (I tried to scan this in and it didn't come out the best)…I am 10 weeks pregnant and my due date is May 2^nd!

God is so Good!!!!

XOXO

Friday Favorites

I think this quote needs no explanation...I think just about every girl just adores this movie and the amazing love of two people.

I cry everytime I watch this and maybe it is just the sappy romantic in me, but part of me just feels like this kind of love is beautiful and I hope that over time the love I have for my husband will grow and grow like it did for Allie and Noah.

XOXO

Fair Days

So every year we have a town fair….it lasts for 10 days and it’s pretty much a big deal for everyone in town. I was never much of a fair girl because I was way too cool for anything that involved live stock, fried food, and pie judging. The last 2 years my husband begged me to go so I have been going with him and I actually had an ok time.

Here are my pros and cons of the fair to state my case.

Some advantages of the fair from my point of view:

1. You get to see the strangest people I have ever seen all in one place.
2. You can buy really cute dog treats for my fur baby.
3. You always know someone and enjoy catching up.
4. You can get amazing ice cream.
5. You can see baby pigs (they are so stinkin’ cute)
6. You can buy just about any cheesy thing you want and need.

Ok so now my disadvantages of the fair from my point of view:

1.      All the strange people you have ever seen all in one place can be a little scary.

2.      Weight Watchers nightmare…fried food heaven

3.      Carnival workers that stare you up and down like you’re a piece of meat.

4.      Animals in one small location=very very stinky

5.      You have the chance to run into all the people you were hoping never to see again.

6.      Peoples clothing choices or lack there of (What Not to Wear could have a field day for sure)

7.      Money---it is so expensive to go to the fair (food, games, parking, admission, rides, merchandise (the list can go on and on, but be prepared to break the bank)

So anyways this year we decided to go to the circus at the fair and I was actually pleasantly surprised…I only took 2 pictures because I was on the edge of my seat, but it was actually pretty good…I felt like a little kid again :)

Prepping to be shot from the cannon

This guy is crazy and I  was beyond scared for him and the pop was so loud!

I know my husband loves the food and fun so I am pretty much suckered in to going every year for him so I am making the best of it and attempting to enjoy the craziness of the fair. I also set a $50 limit for us and we actually came home with $10 so I am pretty happy.

We all do things for our loves that we may not always enjoy to the fullest and it is such a good feeling to know that something so small like going to the fair can make someone else so happy.

XOXO

Friday Favorites

So much truth to this and I so need this on days like today. Today has been--just to put it simple--terrible. I know there are better days and I am surely hoping they come soon.
Right now I know there is a reason for all these trials and tribulations and I know the Lord would not give me more than I can handle...but my arms are getting tired and my knees weak.
Praying for new beginnings and being exactly where I am suppose to be.

XOXO

Letters to No One

So I feel like I am being a complete b w/ an itch when I say the following, but really it’s one of those days and frankly venting never hurt anyone (who didn’t read my thoughts) so here we go.

Dear Co-Worker,

I do not need for you to tell me time and time again what you are doing every second of the day. If I wanted to know I would def. ask and to be honest as long as you are getting your work finished so I don’t have to clean up your mess then kudos to you.

PS: can you clean up your office because you were off yesterday and I could not find a darn thing and I am pretty sure there are dust balls flying through the air as we speak…no wonder I keep sneezing.

Dear annoying neighbor,

Really?!?!? Like you have to slam your front door every time you go in and out of your apartment so much that my dog barks…don’t you ever wonder why right after you slam your door at 2 am…my dog randomly barks? I am pretty sure he doesn’t suffer from some rare barking disorder.

Oh and PS: I work.

Dear Lady Gaga,

I am so confused by your new song…I checked my radio like 10x since it aired and I still can’t believe it is you. I am still trying to figure you out…MTV awards had me perplexed and now this. You def. keep me on my feet.

PS: you look better as a women…just saying.

Dear Facebook Status Queen,

I am sure you are a beyond wonderful person and a great mother to your 5 adopted children, but I really do not need to know what you have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every dayt. It is clear that you switched to strictly organic food and that is absolutely amazing, but when you tell the world you had organic banana pancakes, organic syrup, organic butter with a glass of soy milk and all this was eaten on your new recycled dinner ware you just purchased from a strictly organic store in Organicville, PA…it gets just a little annoying.

PS: your children are a-dorable.

Dear guy in front of me everyday,

We apparently leave at the exact same time 4 out of 5 days. I swear you completely groom and eat breakfast on your way to work because driving behind you is not the best time ever. You swerve everywhere and the speed limit is 55 not 25 so please fix yourself at home and leave like 5 minutes later because I bet you 10 dollars that if you did your hair at your house and left 5 minutes later you would actually make it to work at the same time because you might actually drive like a normal human being.  K thanks bye!

I just adore people some days….at least they give me a reason to laugh or cry…lol!

XOXO

Friday Favorites

I will be thinking and praying for all those that were and are affected by 9/11. These are truly admirable, noble people. 9/11 was one reason my husband decided to serve in the Marine Corp and I thank God everyday for him and our troops and there incredible desire to serve and willingness to put our freedom in there hands. They are truly amazing.

I think that day will forever be etched into everyone's head...we know exactly where we were, who we were with, what we were doing...and even though we were all over the country....the time seemed to stop and everyone seemed to have the exact emotion of shock and sadness.

I think this quote and the thoughts of 9/11 truly have me thinking. We are just a small part of this world, but there is never a moment that we can not do something extraordinary for someone or something. A chance to be noble and admirable is what we should strive for.

This weekend I am going to strive to make some sort of difference to someone or something (whether big or small) to show my appeciation and love for our country and all those we lost.

XOXO

Reality Check

Back to reality on this rainy Tuesday….Vacation was absolutely amazing and much needed. After such a stressful couple of months at work I was  beyond ready for Vacation.

We left on Saturday during the crazy hurricane and drove the entire way through it…..my husband is crazy :)
The weather was beautiful! We went to the beach everyday and then went out every night. We were about 20 minutes from South Carolina so we hit up Myrtle Beach 3 nights and then the other nights we stayed a little closer to home.

I only have one picture from my phone so that is all I can upload today, but I promise you will see a few more pictures in the days to come.

Coming home is always bitter sweet for me…..I love the beach, sleeping in, going out, getting tan, shopping, shopping, shopping, and not having to think about work---but I always miss my puppy…so much that I cry when I have to leave him (sad! I know)

I am hoping soon we can actually find a house or rental that allows my fur baby because then I would never leave :)

Oh and on a very happy note…I hit my 100 lb loss so on vacation I bought my reward. Brand new Coach purse!!!!

I am in love….now I am ready for the next milestone (hmm what to get?)

FYI: this picture does not do the purse justice

XOXO

Friday Favorites

T.G.I.F

This week has been incredibly long and today will be a another crazy work day--trying to get everything finished before I leave for VACATION! it will be simply blissful to have a week off without work!!! My workload just keeps increasing so this will be amazing :)

Here is my quote for the day! I have this quote hanging in my office and I absolutely live by it.

Have a great week everyone!!!

XOXO

Shakedown

So we had a little earthquake yesterday and it was just a little scary. I was working and my entire desk started to shake and some of my cute little pictures fell from my shelves. I am pretty sure if that never happens again…I will be just fine…. (California, you got that…we are just amateurs on the East coast). I think our entire office jumped out of our chairs and gathered together to talk about what we were doing at the exact moment when it happened (kind of similar to that car accident skit by Dane Cook)

Apparently we did not follow proper protocol and were sent an e-mail about what we should do in the case of an earthquake (ummm this hasn’t happened since the 90’s here so chatting about it seemed pretty logical at the time…opps!)

So after this quake occurred…the phone lines went crazy and my facebook notifications and work e-mail were off the hook with updates and new e-mails. Anyways, my brother sent me this e-mail today as a reminder of the events of yesterday.

Too funny!

Well besides the events of yesterday…the weather is absolutely beautiful and I would much rather be outside right now :(

Hopefully the hurricane stays in the ocean (fingers crossed) we leave for vaca in 3 days!!!!!!

Manic Monday!

Such a manic Monday…not even joking. It is waaaay too hard to go back to work after the weekend and this particular Monday is just crazy.

I mean if I have to go back to work…it would be nice if there was like ice coffee (grande -sugar free vanilla- regular coffee- with extra ice) waiting for me at my desk or something :) Wow I guess I need to stop dreaming…this girl works by herself…no assistant yet ever!….I guess that would def. explain all the paperwork on my desk.

So the weekend was very low key for us. We went to dinner with my family on Friday night, did some grocery shopping, took Bentley for a couple long walks, went to the dog park twice, played board games, cleaned the apartment, and had some much needed QT with my husband…it was a perfect weekend.

Just one picture from this weekend….this was after our long walk on Sunday morning with Bentley. It looks like he is smiling from ear to ear -adorable-

Thank God for beautiful days with my beautiful family!!!

XOXO

Friday Favorites

Isn't this so true....I mean as a child we dream of our future and all the things we think should make a "happily ever after", but somewhere in the middle of growing up, love, and heart break we realize the most important thing in life is being happy for ourselves and after that our very own "happily ever after" comes into play in the strangest of strange ways. We find our soul mate, we succeed in our jobs, we travel the world, we have a family, we help those in need...and all because we let our own version of "the perfect ending" play out for us...not someone elses cliche fairy tale.

XOXO

She's on Fire

The concert was a-mazing….Train and Maroon 5 were both great.

Loved being with my cuties….we danced, partied, screamed, sang…it was crazy!

After the concert we decided to do a little haunted car ride and went to gravity hill. Gravity hill is a hill in PA where you start at the bottom and it pulls you up the hill with the car in neutral…it is really creepy (apparently there is science behind this, but to me it is beyond creepy).

Soooo, there is this whole story that an accident with a bus load of football players happened there and every single player died. Apparently the ghosts of the football players are trying to push your car away from the accident scene….crazy stuff because it worked...our car went completely up the hill backwards in neutral!!

They loved it! I haven’t been there since high school so it was fun to go back.

Anyways here are some pictures from the concert!!!! We had a crazy amazing time!

Husband and I

Maria and I

Haley and Maria

Girls <3

Singing/Screamo :)

XOXO!!!

Trainin' It

So tonight is the concert we have waited all summer to see. Maroon 5 and Train!!!

Flashback…you may recall a certain post a couple weeks ago when I “lost” the tickets…well I really did because they still have not come up….BUT ticketmaster was amazing. I called-waited on hold for like 2.4 minutes- and bam new tickets sent the next day to us (thank the Lord!) They were super friendly and understanding and I was super relieved because I was having a minor major panic attack over this.

Anyways this week when I am not crazy busy…I will post all about the concert because I am sure it will be A-mazing

Oh, isn't this just the cutest dog in the entire world...oh yeah, he's mine! but seriously he had such a long weekend with the all the visits he had from friends and family :)

I just adore him!

Happy Monday!

XOXO

Friday Favorites

Absolutely love this!!!
Have a great weekend :)

XOXO

Love This!

I love this absolutely beautiful day of low humidity and sun, my amazing husband who is working so hard this week for finals, laughter of my co-workers, greek yogurt, flip flops, Starbucks Via, quotes, Bentley liking loving being outside with a giant stick, and God for giving me all these moments in my life that make our journey so incredible.

I so work for weekends :)

XOXO

Possibilities are Endless

Do you ever think about just leaving everything behind and moving to a new place fun and exciting and trying to start over? Crazy for such a control freak kind of girl to think  like this...but just some thoughts on this Tuesday.

Truth is I have been thinking about this sooo much lately. My husband is still in school so this would be something that would take place in a couple of years, but part of me so badly would LOVE to move to a new place, with new faces, new streets, new jobs, new hobbies, and new experiences with the one person who is my comfortable. The other part of me worries about the struggles of a new place, new streets, new jobs, new hobbies and new experiences. Plus the fact that I am incredibly close to my family and most importantly my best friend/sister.

Andrew and I have had so many talks about moving lately. We feel for him to get the best possible career--we need to be open to whatever job comes to him and willing to take a leap. I think about all the possibilities of establishing ourselves in a new environment and the thought of possibly having an amazing job that I could have never found if I didn’t broaden my horizons and move somewhere completely out of my comfort zone.

Let me tell you about this comfort zone I have created for myself. I have lived in the same town since birth, the farthest I have ever traveled is Florida, I have worked for the same company since high school (moving up of course since graduating college), I have lived no more than 15 mins from my parents and siblings, and my family does everything together. I am not at all saying that I didn’t have the absolute best childhood (because I did!), but I think it’s about time for the little girl from the North East to move on.
The thoughts of this are actually kind of refreshing and scary all at the same time.

Did you ever think about taking such a leap of faith? Did you actually do it?

XOXO

Friday Favorites

I decided to start my Friday Favorites. I am a quote junky lover and decided to post some of my favorite quotes and also some new quotes I am finding and loving.

Have a great weekend!!
XOXO

Keep Calm and Carry On

Keep Calm and Carry On is my quote for the year….I believe it sums up in a couple words how I feel about all the struggles and tough times I have had to overcome this year.

So because it is my fav quote for the year I have decided to research the meaning behind “Keep Calm and Carry On” and share with those who may not understand the importance.

I think it is amazing so here it is:

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products. There are only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives.

I won’t bore you to tears with the whole history behind this, but there is so much more behind it and it is really crazy to read.

So Keep Calm and Carry On…there are better days ahead! I truly truly believe this!

XOXO

Weekend Recap

The weekend was crazy like always….Friday night the hubs and I went out to dinner together, did a little shopping/grocery shopping, and watched a movie…oh and we ran into Justin Bieber at the mall of course.

The next morning I got up early to clean up the house, make cake pops, and get everything together for a picnic we were hosting.

We were hoping to be poolside all day with our guests, but over night someone jumped one of the fences at our complex and threw all of the patio furniture in the pool :( (lame!) So we ended up cooking out and then we all headed out to do a little group shopping.

Andrew and I found some shelves we loved (very IKEA) and decided to re-do our bedroom--we spent the rest of Saturday and part of Sunday running all around civilization finding lamps, organizing bins, and decorative boxes (I am a little crazy about decorating and such a perfectionist so it took me a little longer then most) End result---we absolutely love the new things we purchased and it looks amazing and very modern (picture does not do this room justice, but I tried--side note: check out Bentley taking over already)

Sunday night we went to my parents for dinner and then went mini golfing…not to brag, but I came in FIRST!!! This never happens because usually I end up losing my ball about 30 times during the game so I was very happy.

 

 Happy Monday!!!
XOXO

In Love.

I saw this on PostSecret this week and absolutely love it.

I feel like this exactly sums up our life right now.....

Have a great weekend!

XOXO

Girls Night!

So last night we had our first ever girls only game night…nothing like wine, laughing, friends, family, food, and crazy games.

It was a blast and we are all different ages so it is really cool for everyone to get together and act like teenagers. We even scheduled the next game night because we had so much fun. I am super a little sleepy today from all the excitement last night.

Here are some pictures to document the occasion.

The funniest part was at the end of the night we yelled Girls Rule! Boys Drool! So felt like we were in 3^rd grade again….I think the wine was proving its purpose.

Almost Friday!

XOXO

Out with the Old & In with the New!!!!

This weekend was nothing short of exhausting. We had a neighborhood yard sale in 105 degree weather and high humidity…talk about crazy.

Positive note: I sold all but, one of my designer purses and made a little over $400…I was a very happy girl! Now it is time to revamp my handbag selection :)

Here are a few pictures from our yard sale craziness...we melt in the heat so the pictures are def. not flattering.

Setting Up for opening.

Prepping for the big day....red balloons for everyone's mailbox

After the yard sale Andrew and I went to the outlets so that I could get sneakers from Under Armour (Best. Shoes. Ever) and of course I stopped by the Coach outlet. My husband was cracking me up and also so embarrassing.
He loves the bags from the Under Armour store (they are like a backpack) so he decided to put one on the front and one on the back and walk around the stores like this.

The boy just loves to embarrass me and when he knows he is doing it….he acts out even more. I was laughing so hard I could not even walk.

Here is a picture of my silly husband:

Here's to another week!

XOXO