La Petite Chic

In the home stretch of wedding season!

Jon and I leave for Philly this afternoon for our very last wedding.  Well, the last scheduled one at least.  After this weekend, all of Jon's friends who are in a relationship will be married.  This last wedding is for Jon's college roommate...they lived together all four years!  It's so rare to actually stick with your assigned freshman year roommate, but he is such a great guy that it doesn't surprise me that he and Jon stayed together the whole time.  His fiancé is just as sweet so I can't wait to see the two of them tie the knot. 

Jon is a groomsman, as his friend was for ours, so that means I get to navigate the city of Philadelphia all by myself!  It always makes me nervous to drive around a city I don't know, but add in driving in a dress and high heels and it makes me even more nervous!  The bride and groom actually arranged for transportation to and from the reception from the hotel though so I'm stoked that I won't have to worry about that.  Not to mention that neither Jon nor myself will have to be the DD so you can bet I'll be consuming mass quantities of champagne!  Have I mentioned how much I love champagne?

In other news, Jon might be able to salvage our computer.  He thinks it might have just been our power source that died within the CPU so he can probably fix that if that's the case.  He hasn't had the time to look at it yet with grad school classes and homework increasingly taking up his free time.  But cross your fingers nonetheless because I want my pictures!  And my e-mail back.

Oh, and remember that table runner I bought back in August?  I had to return it to Crate and Barrel last night because it was too short for my table.  We have this set and the glass top is only 50 inches across.  The runner I bought was 60 inches but I hadn't really thought about how it would fit when I purchased it.  I planned to just exchange it for the next longest size, but the next size up was 90 inches and way too long.  Sigh...it was so beautiful.  I guess I could have put it on my coffee table, but I really wanted it for my dining room table.  So I came home with an ice scoop and a C&B credit instead.  Someone out there with either a smaller or bigger table should totally buy it though because it is too gorgeous not to have! 

P.S.  I just now learned that one can set multiple categories for their posts.  I'm really not that dumb, sometimes it just takes me a little longer to figure things out.  And I'm so glad I did!  Now I get to go back and assign more categories to all of those posts that could have gone in multiple ones! 

It's Beautiful...Of Kors*!

I've got good news and bad news.  I'll share the good news first:

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Introducing the newest member of our household...

The Michael Kors Brookville Satchel

Isn't she pretty? :)  I almost went for the luggage color (tan), but decided that I would probably get more use out of a black bag.  And since I paid more for this bag than I have ever dropped on a purse, I think that was a wise decision.  I would like to get a lot of wear out of it! 

And now, in depressing news, our home computer finally kicked the bucket last night.  Meaning a lot of our pictures (including the ones I took on our anniversarymoon) are lost.  Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck!  I'm holding onto a shred of hope that if we take it somewhere, they will be able to extract the data from our hard drive.  We shall see.  We have one of those external hard drive things that I was supposed to be saving stuff to, but I haven't been (oops).  Lesson learned.  So now we are in the market for a new computer.  Since I can't check my personal e-mail accounts at work due to the sites being blocked, I'm hoping we get one soon.  I feel out of touch already!  I apologize in advance if I'm slow on the e-mail response.

*Pun!!  (GROAN)

My Favorite Tan Line

Today, for the first time since being engaged and married to Jonathan (and my promise ring before that), I forgot to put on my engagement ring and wedding band.  I walked right out the door without them on but it didn't take me long to realize they were missing because I felt NAKED.  So very naked.  With a panic, I noticed they weren't on my finger, but then quickly remembered that I didn't put them on at all.  I take them off at night and put them on my dresser and then replace them the next morning after I lotion up.  I skipped my lotion routine this morning, however, and I think that threw me off. 

Not having my rings on gave me the opportunity to see the loveliest little tan line ever.  It's pretty faint now, but I'm sure it was probably more visible during the knock-em down sun and heat of mid-summer.  Also, notice how my finger seems to be indented now.  So weird!  My rings aren't even tight; on the contrary, they're usually just loose enough to tug off my finger when I want to take them off.  They're a perfect fit, but I guess my finger has been molded to their shape.  And I think that's divine.

Our Kitchen Renovation...Almost Complete!

Our new kitchen countertops were installed today and I am already so in love with them even though I haven't even used them yet!  When I came home for lunch, the workmen were just leaving, but since they sealed the granite we weren't allowed to wash them or put anything on the surface for a couple of hours.  I really had to resist getting my sponge out and washing the counters off so that I could put all of my kitchen junk back.  While the toaster does fit quite nicely on our dining room chair, I think it's place is definitely in the kitchen.

We decided on Uba Tuba granite (you can see the color here) because we wanted a dark color to offset our maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances.  And since we're trying to keep resale value in mind (since we'll be moving in a couple of years), we figured granite would be the best way to go.  It's actually the same granite we went with in our bathroom remodel too.  And the end result?  Gorgeous.  Absolutely gorgeous.  I took some "before" pictures this weekend and took some "after" pictures at lunch so I'll upload them tonight.  Notice that we extended the countertops out so that we will now have a bar area and more counter space.  We bought a new, deeper sink too, which is so very exciting to me.  Gone are the days of me trying to wash a baking sheet in the shallow sinks and ending up with water everywhere!

We still need a new paint job, but that would involve actually picking out a paint color, a task that I seem to be miserable at.  After two different colors on the bathroom walls, I'm still not happy...and that's why I haven't shared those pictures yet.  The problem with picking a kitchen paint color is that it has to be a color that will look nice in the living room and dining area as well.  Our condo has an open floor plan so everything just kind of flows right into each other.  The current color is light tan and I'm thinking I'll probably go with another tan sort of color.  Again, being mindful of selling it in a few years, we would like to keep the color neutral.  I'm very open to suggestions though...lord knows I need all the help I can get!  Keep in mind that we want to keep our red accent wall in the living room though so the color we get has to compliment that. 

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, this former pack rat would just like to say that I cleaned out all of my holiday decorations this weekend and cut my Christmas decorations down to two large Rubbermaid containers (one of them is all ornaments) and my Halloween decorations down to one container.  This means that one can actually walk into our little storage shed on our balcony now.  (Translation: More room for man junk.)  If that doesn't convince and inspire my husband to buy me a designer handbag, I don't know what will!

Before:

Jon and his Dad knocked down half of that wall on the left there and tore out the extremely high (and ridiculously nonfunctional) bar that backed up to our sink.  We wanted to tear that whole wall down but unfortunately there are pipes in there.

During:

After:

Oh, how shiny and pretty!!

Q&A Time

As I mentioned earlier, I recently participated in a fun little Q&A with Jennie over at She Likes Purple.  If you would like to play along too, leave me a comment saying that you want in and I'll send you five unique questions of your very own.   Come on and play; it'll be fun!!

And now, without further ado, here are my answers to Jennie's questions: 

1) A drink that you wish you could sip on and enjoy but the taste is horrid.

A Dirty Martini simply because I love olives, but can't handle that much vodka.  And also it seems dirty martinis have the "only crazy people would drink that" reputation and I secretly think that's cool. 

2) The hardest you've ever laughed. 

I tend to get fits of giggles quite often because it really doesn't take much to make me laugh.  One memory that comes to mind though is when my friend Taylor and I mudwrestled two (male) soccer players at a party in college.  They outweighed us by almost a hundred pounds each and the one I wrestled against had about 12 inches on me.  Of course, there were some drinks involved so we didn't really feel the body slams until the next day.  And we had to explain to our coach why our legs were all scratched up (the mud pit had a bit of gravel and rocks in it).  Still, we laughed hard about it then and we still laugh hysterically whenever we reminisce about that night. 

3) Do you want kids? 

If you would have asked me this question a few years ago, the answer would have been a maybe or quite possibly, no.  Since falling in love with and marrying Jon though, the answer is YES, YES, YES.  Sometimes I think I want them right away and other times I think it would be good to wait a bit, but I most definitely know I want girls because good lord, what would I do with a boy?!  I also blame amalah for my change of heart.

4) Favorite memory from the year you were 16.

Winning two state championship titles at the Maryland State High School Indoor Track meet.  I won my first in the 1600 meter race (1 mile) and later that night I won the 3200 meter race (2 mile).  It was like a dream.

5) Favorite memory of your wedding day.

Oh my gosh, this is a hard one.  Since I have to pick just one, I'll say walking down the aisle on the arm of my Dad (such a Daddy's girl) and seeing Jon at the end, a little teary eyed, but with a huge grin on his face.  Since our ceremony got started an hour late due to the hurricane, I was just so ready for that moment to happen and to get on my way to marrying Jon.  And when I finally got to take that walk down the aisle and see him there, it was pure bliss.  Definitely a favorite memory.

6) Favorite film/song/book/TV show (of all time).

Favorite film: Gone With the Wind

Favorite song: Stay by Lisa Loeb

Favorite book: Memoirs of a Geisha

Favorite TV show: Sex and the City

Sniff, No New Handbag...

Well, my trip to Target last night was unsuccesful in that I did not come home with a new handbag.  In fact, I didn't even see any of the bags that I singled out in my post yesterday.  Perhaps they haven't put out all of their new fall merchandise yet?  Disapponting, nonetheless.

As predicted, however, I did come home with some new Halloween items, including this shirt:

Only $6!

And the dollar spot had a lot of fun little Halloween things, among which I picked up Halloween sprinkles, scrapbooking paper (Heather, they have a bunch of other themes too!) and autumn themed recipe cards.  I send out Halloween cards every year, so I thought it might be fun to stick my favorite autumn recipe in with the card this year.

Coming up in my next post, my Q&A with Jennie over at She Likes Purple.  In the meantime, you should go read her fabulous answers here.  Oh, and to make it really fun, the questions she was asked are not the same ones she asked me.  Stay tuned!  She asked some really good ones!

Reflections on my Birthday

Rather than feeling melancholy as I usually do on my birthday (I hate getting older), here's a list of things to remind me of all I have to be grateful for on my 26th birthday. 

1.  My remarkable husband who stands by me through every up and down and loves me just the same.

2.  Finally having a job that doesn't leave me in tears at night nor wakes me up with anxiety in the morning.

3.  Owning our own cozy, little home. 

4.  Having the means to make said home beautiful.  Plus, renovations are fun!

5.  My loving parents who have always been there for me and who treat my husband as the son they never had.

6.  In the same vein, having loving in-laws who treat me as the younger daughter they never had.

7.  Being mommy to a dog who never ceases to make me laugh, even when she's been naughty.

8.  Still being best friends with three of my dearest friends from growing up.  One of those friendships is now 23 years old and the others are 13 years old!

9.  My best girls from college who have seen me through the good times and the bad.

10.  This blog that has given me an outlet for all of my thoughts and ramblings.

11.  And more so, all of my wonderful blogger buddies that I have met through it.

12.  Having the self-restraint and poise it took to be the bigger person on several difficult occasions this past year.

13.  Really learning who our true friends are.  Very, very eye-opening.

14.  Making it through the first year of marriage with an even deeper and stronger love than ever. 

15.  And getting to celebrate my first anniversary with my husband on a Jamaican beach at sunset.  Total bliss.

16.  My long walks around our neighborhood with Lola.  It's our little ritual that gives us each fresh air and me, quiet time to reflect on the day.

17.  Being there with my old dog Holly during her final moments.  I feel honored and blessed to have been a part of her life.

18.  Having good health and being able to hopefully share it with a person in need by becoming a bone marrow donor. 

19.  Our soldiers who are far from their homes and families and having the priviledge of knowing some of these brave people personally.

20.  Being married to a guy who appreciates buying a 25 cent shirt at a yard sale as much as I do.

21.  Completely being medicine free for the first time in a long time.  I feel great and it's all me!

22.  Being able to find joy in simple things, such as stepping on crunchy leaves.  It truly makes me happy.

23.  Graduating from college and not having any student loans.  As hard as it was to be a Division I athlete, bottomline: it paid for school.

24.  This beautiful day, my birthday.  Seriously, the weather here today is perfect.

25.  My big and wonderful (and sometime crazy!) extended family.  There is never a dull moment, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.

26.  My life.  I'm completely happy and I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

When the cat's away, the mice will go shopping...

Well, the husband left for a business trip this morning and won't return until tomorrow afternoon.  This leaves me and Lola to our own devices, and that, in turn, inevitably results in a shopping trip to Target! 

I love going there by myself because I have all the time in the world to just walk through the aisles and browse to my heart's content. It's guaranteed that I will find something that I just have to have that I didn't even know I was looking for.  With Jon, we only go to Target on a mission to buy something specific and he nags me to hurry and reminds me, "we only came here for this."  That's borrrrrrinnnnngg!

Today, however, I am in the market for a new fall handbag.  While I'm in love with this bag, I don't think I'll be able to convince Jon of the worth of a $1,935 handbag.  Hell, I don't think I can convince myself!  It sure is pretty though.

   

Lo, we are on a Target budget and not a Burberry budget, but I'm hoping to find something there tonight that excites me just as much.   Sometimes I wonder if I would stop buying a lot of cheap handbags from Target and Marshalls and their counterparts and instead save my money for a really nice handbag from Coach or Michael Kors and the like, would I finally be happy with my bag and not have the urge to buy a new one every couple of months?  Or would I just find myself unsatisfied and bored with a $500 bag versus a $50 bag?  That would be an expensive experiment, one that I doubt Jon would be willing to fund!

This one is kind of pretty though.  It has a good shape and nice fall/winter color.  I was kind of looking for a deep chocolate brown bag though, and this one only comes in red and black.

Then there's this one which I really actually quite like.  It's feminine, yet roomy and I think the jacquard fabric will carry nicely through the seasons.  It also comes in black and purple, but I think I'll have to see them in person to see which one I would prefer.  And it actually kind of reminds me of the Burberry bag above, except this one is only $19.99.    I think Jon, and our budget, could live with that. 

I guess we'll see what I come home with tonight.  You can bet that there will be some Halloween paraphernalia in my cart though!

Grown-Up Things

You know what really makes me feel like a grown-up?  Being requested to bring my Hot German Potato salad to my uncle's retirement party this weekend. 

Coming from a large cookout and party loving family, I've attended many potluck type events in my lifetime.  Everyone always just brings something along so that the host or hostess doesn't have to spend their day in the kitchen.  Over the years, some family members have become known for their "signature" dishes.  My mom and my Aunt Pinky both make a mean potato salad and my dad is known for his large, juicy onion burgers and crockpot baked beans.  My Aunt Debbie makes the best homemade strawberry shortcake and my Aunt Dale puts together a great broccoli salad.

And apparently, now, I have my own signature dish!  In my opinion, I'm a stronger baker than I am a cook but I enjoy each equally the same.  Whenever I visit my parents or Jon's parents, I usually bring a baked good along only because I enjoy inventing a new bread or dessert and sharing it with the people I love.  But after making my Hot German Potato salad for my parents last winter, I guess my Dad has spread that word that I make a delicious one and it's presence was requested at the latest party.

This may sound silly, but I feel like I'm part of the in crowd now!  No longer am I a kid who tags along with her parents to parties, but now I'm one half of a married couple who receives her own invitation and brings her own dish.  With my birthday looming ever so close, this is just one more thing that makes me feel like I'm an adult now.

So what makes you feel like a grown-up?  Do you still feel like you're playing house sometimes like I do?

Dentist Schmentist

I would like to go on the record as saying I would rather pay a visit to my gynecologist than to my dentist.  That is how bad my fear of the dentist is.  My fear is not unfounded.  I rarely escape a visit to the dentist without having to plan a follow-up visit to fill a cavity or two. 

You might be thinking that I have a history of poor oral hygiene, but that isn't the problem.  On the contrary, my oral hygiene is quite good.  Granted, I could be more frequent with the flossing, but I brush my teeth at least 3 times a day and always get compliments on my straight, white teeth.

The problem is that I have soft teeth which means they are more susceptible to cavities.  Even when I was very good about visiting the dentist every six months, I still ended up with cavities that were undetected at my last visit, yet formed at some point during those six months.  I can't even begin to count how many cavities I've had over my lifetime but I can remember getting teeth filled at a very young age.

If I'm just having a cleaning done, I'm usually fine and somewhat calm.  It's a different story if I'm actually having work done.  I tremble as soon as I sit in the dentist's chair and end up with fingernails indentions on my hands from digging into them so hard out of pain and fear.  By the end of my visit, I'm usually exhausted from shaking the whole time. 

So as you can imagine, I was not thrilled about my 7:00 AM dentist appointment this morning.  It has been over a year since my last dentist appointment (I know, I know) and I wasn't expecting anything good to come out of it.  Besides just needing a good check-up for my teeth, my crown (from my root canal) got chipped a few weeks ago and I knew it needed to be checked out plus I suspect that I've been grinding my teeth at night.  I wasn't happy with the dentist that I've been seeing since I moved to Virginia and I think that's part of the reason why I haven't been in so long.  I just never really trusted the man!  Jon really loves his dentist and has been going to him for several years now so I decided to give him a try.   

And guess what?  It actually wasn't too terrible!  The entire staff is wonderful, from the receptionists to the hygienists to the dentist himself.  They knew I was Jon's wife so they asked about him and us.  They even gave me a tour of the office and sat down with me for quite a while prior to my exam to learn more about my oral history.  What I really liked was that the dentist himself spent a good amount of time examining my entire mouth.  He screened for cancer and checked my jaw alignment and lips, tongue and cheek for any abnormalities in addition to the usual tooth exam.

I'm actually quite pleased with the outcome of my visit...NO CAVITIES!  I deserve some balloons or flowers or something for that!  I was honestly shocked but so proud of myself.  I did learn that I will eventually need to replace my chipped crown, but he certainly didn't pressure me to get that done rightthisminute.  He also recommended a night guard for me because apparently my teeth grinding is pretty bad and my teeth are starting to show premature wear and tear.  But no painful fillings or anything are needed!  And replacing my crown will hopefully be pretty simple since the tooth is already sealed and just the porcelain needs to be replaced.  Hooray!

I'm pleased as pie :)