Traditions.. we all have them. Perhaps, they're not quite consistent but I'm sure there's something that occurs in your life more than once and with the same people? My tradition is our vacation in Maine. It's our 21st year going to Old Orchard Beach. We've stayed in the same.. one of two cottages each year. We love it.. I love it. I feel at peace when I'm there, especially with my family.
Things have changed over the years. The town has 'upgraded' so to speak. Making additions, renovations, adding condos, souping the place up for tourists, removing some cute shops. With all of these changes though, it's like an old friend that will always be there and you're eyes open wide and you approach with the biggest smile on your face.. and of course.. open arms!
This view gives me goosebumps every year. It may not seem like much, but see the ocean in the background? Driving down what I call 'the hill' immediately removes any stress, aches and worries from my body. I feel it's like a mat at the front door. 'Leave your shoes here before walking in'. Well, Maine is like that. So here is my view, what I crave all year long...
We headed on down to The Pier tonight and I enjoyed a fairly new tradition. Last year my father, Charlie and I gathered for some yummy alcoholic beverages on The Pier. I had what they called 'Pier Punch'. I prayed it still existed. Well, it does and I got 2 free cups out of it! See for yourself..
Last but not least before I call it a night. Walking home I was paying close attention to all of the cute signatures in the sidewalks. You know.. when they lay out the cement and hoodlums (just kidding) decide to draw the date, handprints or their name in the sidewalk? I truly adore the 'hoodlum' who chose to write this.. Out of all the sidewalks in the world.. I happened to walk on yours! I thank you from the bottom of my heart ♥
I'm cheating a bit by sharing a photo from the past. ♥
Awkward:
-I'm recently a new addict of the show 'The Dead Zone'. I know.. it's no longer on; however, being a new Netflix lover I am able to watch all 80 episodes. It's bad enough I crave watching the next episode the moment I walk in the door.. and being more observant of my surroundings and what may happen.. but now I'm finding myself touching objects wondering what story they could tell... I reached out today and almost touched a ladies arm...
-If you own cats you'll know how they have their tendencies to be pretty hyper at night. I was trying to sleep, tossing and turning.. throwing things at the cats on my dressers so they'll rest. I finally fell asleep and woke up immediately to two cats staring at me...
-Going to dinner with Charlie and friends.. and unsure if our waiter was a man or woman. It kept my interest the entire night.. (PS. It was a woman... I think)... ;)
-Our neighbors got a new hot tub. One they can stand up in.They don't like to wear clothes..
Awesome:
-Striking a pose (as in photo above) and feeling good that you shaved your armpits ;)
-Cleaning like crazy and already packing just so I can have a full nights rest before we leave on vacation.
-Yes.. vacation.. we will be in Old Orchard Beach, Maine pretty soon ♥ I promise to share tons of photos with ya'll!
-I can't remember the last time I went on a Slip-n-Slide. One of my besties who recently moved up the street from me, had her housewarming party this past weekend. We had such a blast doing all the fun youthful party traditions. A new one was the Slip-N-Slide fully clothed (don't worry). I still can't move or laugh without my left hip hurting. It was so worth it!
-Having a half day at work because we're closing early for a company picnic, on a Friday of all days. Woohoo!
Since my husband is military, I don't use his real name in anything. He is referred to as GI Joe.
It was a simple bet that brought me and my love together. GI Joe and I had known each other for a little while but never said more than a couple words to eachother. We had a mutual friend so GI Joe would come over to my house every once in awhile. This mutual friend and I decided to make a little bet. Little did I know, this bet would change the rest of my life. My friend bet me that there was no way I could ever get with GI Joe. Me being my cocky self, had to take the bet. I gave him my number that night and we started talking. There was an immediate connection between the two of us. However, I had recently got out of a long relationship that hadn't ended very well. I was more than hesitant to give this boy who dressed in silly baggy clothes a chance.
However, that didn't stop us from hanging out. We had been talking for about 2 months when we took a little roadtrip together to Eureka, California. Without this trip, I really don't know where GI Joe and I would be today. I was always the type to say that something big, something I couldn't refuse, would happen when I found the right person. And that's exactly what I got in GI Joe. This may sound cheesy, but it was real. You know those movies that show a kiss that is perfect, intoxicating, and filled with more emotion that can be described in words? Well, I've lived that. GI Joe and I shared one moment of pure perfection, pure emotion, that neither of us will never forget. It was the moment I had been knowing would come when I found the right one.
We started dating shortly after and we had your typical boyfriend/girlfriend experience. A year and a half later GI Joe enlisted into the Army. And I know Tv shows make being involved with a solider romantic, but it's not all that. GI Joe and I ended up breaking up for a couple months before he left for Basic Training. A girl is allowed to be scared when the only boy that has ever matter is getting ready to not only leave for who knows how long, but is joining the army. The day he left for Basic Training I kissed him goodbye and he was gone. We still weren't technically together. The day after he left, I was writing a letter. Telling him he was the one, he had always been the one, and that I had been scared. I told him I wanted him back if he would have me. As soon as I got an address, that letter was in the mail. Little did I know GI Joe was writing the same letter to me and sending it to me.
We became 'official' again through letters. He proposed the next time I saw him, which was at his graduation of Basic Training. I said goodbye the next day and the next time I saw him 3 months later, we were married. The day after we were married, I said goodbye yet again. He had training to finish up. 2 months later, he was home. And we were finally getting to start out newlywed life in Texas. Unfortunately, husband will be getting deployed mid-august. So after spending the last 7 months apart, we are facing 12 more months apart. This deployment will only make us stronger individually and as a couple. The first year of our marriage we will spend apart. Thus is the life of loving a soldier though. No other boy is worth the distance, or worth missing all the 'firsts' together. We can put the newlywed time on hold, but that boy owes me a damn good honeymoon ;)
Love always has a way of surprising us, doesn't it? We live each day trying to work as hard as possible towards whatever goals we may have ahead. We are kind to others and continue to spread our happiness. We do our best to look at the bright side of every situation.
Then one day you stop and look around. All of your effort that you've put into life has been giving back to you in ways you never quite thought possible. There are beautiful and genuine friendships that have grown right before our very eyes.
1. I have an unhealthy addiction to Pepsi.
2. My sister and I will be opening up a shop in less than 3 weeks!!
3. I'm in the process of writing a novel.
4. One way I stay inspired? I people-watch. Weird, but it always helps me to come up with new stuff/features/style.
5. For the past 6 years, I have been working with kids; in church and at my daycare. Blog
2. I love rainbows and have since I was a little girl, so, every time I see one I get so excited and turn back into a little girl looking up at it in awe!
3. I am not much of a sweets, desserts or candy lover, so, they can be around and I won't touch them, but put me in front of some cheese, especially brie, or something salty, like chips and salsa, and it would be tough to resist!
4. I am one of the world's worst spellers, but it seems to run in my family, so, I'll blame it on my genes! ;)
5. I love to take pictures of everything, especially details and food, which my family and friends have gotten used to since I like to document things, and so I always have my camera with me...in fact, if I am not taking pictures people question it! :)
Shawn stole my heart when I was just twelve-years-old, Shawn was eighteen. He was one of my brothers closest friends (he still is!) He would come over and visit with my brother and I would do everything I could to follow them around. I thought he was the funniest guy in the world. He was so sweet to me, too. I had the biggest crush on him and I knew that I was going to marry him some day. I knew I was going to wake up to his beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile every day for the rest of my life. I knew he had to be mine!
At twelve-years-old, I let him know exactly how I felt. My cousin and I made Shawn come into my bedroom one day when he was visiting my brother. My cousin handed him the letter I had written. I was hiding in the closet - I obviously wasn't ready for a relationship! ha! Anyway, Shawn read the letter, smiled at me and replied "If you were older". I took that to heart. Over the next six years, I remembered what he said and I could hardly wait until the day that I turned eighteen. I had other relationships but I always had him in the back of my mind. I was just passing the time, waiting for my eighteenth birthday.
I finally turned eighteen in November of 2001 and that's when the phone calls and emails between Shawn and I began. Of course it was all behind my brother's back at first. Neither of us wanted to hurt my brother, so we prayed hard that he would be okay with his baby sister dating one of his friends. Before our first date on February 16, 2002, Shawn called my brother and asked his "permission" to take me out. My brother gave him his blessing, wholeheartedly. .... & Well, Shawn & I have been together ever since. <3
Shawn and I have been married 8 years, April 5, 2011. It doesn’t seem like it has been that long. But, it has been the best 8 years of my life. We have had mostly ups but a few downs and through it all we have grown together, learned from one another and shared a love that only comes around once in a lifetime. I thank God everyday for giving me such an amazing man to share my life with. I couldn’t live this life without him. There are not enough words in this world that could explain my love for him. It feels so good to know that he feels the same way. We both know our love will last an eternity. <3
Awkward: * Someone left a message on my work voice mail a little frantic, saying they were trying to reach a child's parents and it was extremely important that I call her back. I thought to myself I better let them know they have the wrong number in case they're just waiting around for a call back. So I did, being the nice little gal I am. A woman with a completely different tone answers as if I just ruined her entire day. I expressed who I was and why I was calling. I told her the child's name and that this number did not belong to his parents. She said okay and hung up on me... Geesh! * My Boy Blue, also known as my car ;) .. has been under the weather these past few weeks. Long story short he went to the dealership, or should I say.. I drove him there last week. They did what they needed to do and sent us on our way. The same noise that was there when I brought Blue in was STILL there! So we shimmied on back to the dealership this week. This time.. we asked the nice gentleman, also known as the guy who ignored the noise the first time around to come along and we'd point out the noise. I think a light bulb went on, because suddenly he knew what was wrong. Let's just say a very important part of my car that keeps My Boy Blue driving and KT out of an accident was about to fall off! * My mug shot up there. Many imperfections. My teeth, the freckle in the middle of my forehead, my big ole' pointy nose.. just to name a few ;) * I found these cute capris I had buried away in my closet and new that today was a great day to wear them. I put them on and realize... eeeh... these are a bit snug. I did a few stretches in them and they seemed to be staying together pretty good. On my way to work I went with my snug pair of capris. Halfway through the day I went to reach down and the top button popped off. Even though, my parents stay on I still felt a bit naked around my waste line..,
Awesome:
* My Boy Blue is now 100% and ready to drive us all to Maine in a few weeks.
* Oh.. did I mention we are going on vacation at last? It's our 21st year going to Maine. I'm so antsy to be there, on the beach, getting sun, running in the iced cold water, eating Pier Fries, playing setback.. and most of all being with my family!
* Hearing 'Rhythm of the Night by DeBarge for the first time in SO long and just rocking out in my living room to it. Here.. you can too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQSZhazYk8
* Have I mentioned I'm no longer a nail biter, once again? I probably have,, just a time or two? Very proud of myself!
* It's the weekend and so much in store for me! A lovely dinner with my girlfriend at her new place tomorrow night. Then it's off to a housewarming party and a fundraiser. Perhaps, Sunday will be a beach day? I don't know - feeling pretty spontaneous! ♥
Ooh la la! It's Wednesday which is my ab-so-lute favorite day of the week! So here I am, sitting, after opening a new bottle of wine I bought this past weekend at Hopkins Vineyard with Charlie.
A few thoughts came to mind.One is how much I LOVE wine. Two, being how much of wine I actually drink. Three, I would consider myself to be a good wine critic (said with a little giggle). With that last thought.. why haven't I given any reviews on some yummilicious ones I've tried?
Consider this my first "I'm Loving Wine" Review. It'll be short, sweet and simple! ♥
To begin I found a cute little wine glass and had a bottle opener handy. Cracked it open which was pretty dang easy! I'm not sure if it's because it's been a few rough days with work and my arms were crying out for that bottle or if they just made it for people like me who seem to have difficultly opening wine bottles? It poured out smoothly, like silk. That's the best way to describe it. You can immediately smell the sweet fragrance of Peach! It's not too strong but enough to make your nose tickle. As smoothly as it poured into my glass, that's how it went down with the first sip. It was niec and cold after being refrigerated for a day! Even though I'm trying this wine for the first time without food.. there's a few things I'm craving. Chicken Parmesan with Garlic Bread. Yes! That's what my stomach is grawling for at this moment. It must be the Peach!
If you're far away from CT and want to purchase it click here. I'm unsure what stores they sell it from. For me, I purchased it directly from the Vineyard (which is extremely beautiful by the way).
Thank you for being apart of my first Wine Review! ♥
Let’s start with this - I love food. I know most people say that they “love” food, but I love food. I think about it pretty much constantly, I dream about it, and I can pontificate for hours on topics such as the proper way to roast a chicken and vinegar v. tomato based barbecue sauces.
Green Eats Blog originally started as a class project. I was enrolled in the Sustainable Agriculture program at Central Carolina Community College here in North Carolina (after finding my liberal arts degree oh-so-useful in this economy) and we had to do a final presentation for my Intro to Sustainable Agriculture class. I chose a blog, and the rest, as they say, is history.
But not really. Writing a blog, and being consistent, is hard work. I am employed full-time as the manager for a local cheesemaking company here in North Carolina, and on top of that I am involved in organizing events and doing social media outreach for the local food community. I use Green Eats Blog as an outlet for my obsession, as a repository for my inner food nerd. I post recipes, list local food events, and track my journey through the world of sustainable agriculture.
The basic premise behind Green Eats Blog is simple - that food should be delicious, easy, and above all nourishing, both for you and your community. I support local farms and businesses, fight against the interests of corporate agriculture, industrial food, and the politicians who have sold our health and environment to the highest bidder. I believe that everyone should have access to whole, healthy food. I think that the Big Mac is the epitome of everything that is wrong with the American food system. I want a simple homemade meal to be accessible and enjoyable to everyone.
I’ve known Katie my entire life, we met in pre-school and have been friends ever since. I’ve grown and moved away, and still I know that she is there for me if I need her. I like to think that my blog is like hers in many ways; about love. She expresses a simple, infectious love for life, family, and friends. I hope to capture that love and express it through food. If nothing else, I want Green Eats Blog to be a gathering place for people who love to eat.
#1: If you haven't had a chance already there is a wonderful Giveaway by Lap of Luxury! It ends this Friday so be sure to fill up all of those entries for more chances to win something cute and that you absolutely love from Melody's shop!
Click on the button below to bring you directly to the Giveaway!
#2: There is another fabulous Giveaway going on over at My Adventures in Mommyland. You have a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to The Melting Pot. There are 5 Gift Cards so more chances for you to win! Go here to enter ♥
#3. If you haven't visited Love is Photography lately, you'll be happy to find new photos! I've been working really hard on adding more photos that you all will love!
Click on the button below to bring you to my Etsy Shop!
#4. One of my best friends who I've known since I was 2 is going to be my Guest tomorrow at Love is Everywhere. Be sure to come back and visit to meet Matt from Green Eats Blog.
Charlie and I took a little road trip yesterday. He surprised me with a few destinations. I'll share with you my favorite one!
Our first destination was Hopkins Vineyard, which neither of us had ever been. Talk about a perfect day for a wine tasting. Did I mention it only cost $6?!
The scenery was beautiful! Here, you can see for yourself ♥
Charlie and I tasted a total of 7 different wines. I was good and only walked away with one bottle. It's called Peach Wine, which I've never tasted in my entire life! It's refreshing to try new things, isn't is? ♥
I really love this man beside me. Who still surprises me and enjoys going on little adventures just as much as I do!
I'm super excited for this Giveaway with Melody from Lap of Luxury! The winner will get to choose any 1 item in her shop! She creates the most beautiful accessories. One of these is the lovely headband I'm wearing below that goes perfectly with my dress! You'll fall in love with them all and I can guarantee it'll be so hard to choose your favorite!
She has been so kind enough to share with us a special coupon code that will expire when this Giveaway ends on Friday, July 22nd. To receive 20% off of your purchase be sure to type in: love2 at Lap of Luxury.
*See below for instructions on entries for this Giveaway.
Awkward:
- Being Irish and hanging out with some awesome Irish folks in NYC with the thickest accents ever. I could not understand a single word they said. But they spoke so beautifully. I did a lot of smiling and laughing.. :)
- I probably could write an entire Awkward post about NYC. We got all dolled up.. hair makeup, cute shoes, pretty dresses.. we went to dinner and the weather was perfecto! The moment we stepped outside it was raining. We made it work, but damn those puddles and rain flattening our hair..
- Went to the Beach for the first time this summer. I know, we're already in July (eek). I did a fine job putting lotion all over myself, but of course I missed one spot. No big deal, just my forehead.. you know the spot that anyone who looks at you automatically sees unless you have sweet bangs (which I do not). Needless to say I've had a killer red streak across my forehead...
- Out of all days I had the most meetings today where people were up close to me. Yes.. you got it.. my sunburn across my forehead decided today is the day it would being peeling in the worst way possible..
- Definitely walked out of my shoes in NYC.. more than 3x...
- Went to get an Ice Cream with Charlie. I asked him to order a waffle cone, with soft chocolate ice cream and chocolate sprinkles (mmmm...).. He grabs the order from the woman and hands me my cone. I look down and then at him and said.. ".. this is vanilla.." .. He looked down and said.. "No that's chocolate.."... I then said... "no.. it's white.. it's vanilla..."... He looked up at the woman and said.. "Uhm.. I think I ordered chocolate..." She grabbed the cone and I then I panicked and thought.. "Do they spit in ice cream or is that just at restaurants?"....
Awesome:
- All of my friend Tania and I hilarious music videos on Youtube (still tons more to come). We had a 2 hr car ride home this past weekend and sang from the moment we left NYC to the second we arrived in CT. It was a blast, just being ourselves and being silly! You can watch them here.
- Having a cookout with another couple this weekend. So excited to light up the grill, plug in the deck lights, lounge, veg out and maybe play some ping pong!
- I just bought after work today a beautiful quilt for our bed. I know it's quite a ways into the warm months, but it's so colourful and just simply lovely. I also moved the room around. Moving rooms around is one of my favorite things to do! I will have to take a photo next week when I am finished cleaning it all out ♥ .. It's all a nice feeling!
- Feeling secure enough lately to wear dresses that are low cut on the top. I have scars from my prior surgeries that are very visible, especially in a bathing suit. I spend time trying to cover the scars up so I wear a high enough shirt. I I'm not sure if it's my faux tan or what but my neck seems so much more appealing to me :)
- Went to a Wine Tasting at Cavey's in CT this past Tuesday with some very lovely ladies. We had such a good time, eating their yummy food and OH the Chocolate Souffle! I can't even begin to describe the feeling that Souffle gives me lol! It's so delicious.. so so so delicious!
- Vacation is only 2 weeks away for me. I'm super excited and hope these weeks fly on bye and vacation is in total slow motion ;)
- You'll notice I'm wearing in the photos above, a beautiful headband. This headband is from one of my favorite shops! Lap of Luxury. If you stop bye tomorrow, we'll be having a Giveaway right here on Love is Everywhere!
PS! Here's a little surprise for you! One of your fabulous Karaoke Car Ride Videos! Enjoy :)
Well, I suppose I should talk about how we met. We “met” in Programming I freshman year. By “met” I mean I didn’t think Jim talked to anyone. Steve, Jim's brother, tried to help me during that class because I had a lot of trouble. I honestly thought Steve really didn’t like me at all because every time I saw him he’d either call me “loser” or just glare at me. I mean, anyone else in the world would think he was joking (because he was) but silly freshman Emily didn’t see it as this (which I think is funny now). I recall Steve and his girlfriend (now wife) Kendra telling me to take Jim to KP formals in October. However, I was dating someone else at the time and I actually ended up being out of town that weekend anyway. The only thing I can remember about freshman year is Jim telling me I look awful. I apparently was having a terrible day and looked like I was angry at the world. I mean, we’d say hi and such whenever I saw him but it was never anything more than that.
Moving on. The beginning of sophomore year was a bit rough for me. I just broke up with my boyfriend of 3 years (which was a very unhealthy relationship). I was a mess. I didn’t know who to turn to or what to do with myself. I guess through my desperate cries of help on my Facebook (or just my uber-depresso statuses) made a couple people send me messages asking if I wanted to talk ever. Steve being one of those people. He had gone through a similar situation his sophomore year. He kept messaging me and asking me if I wanted to hang out with him and his group of friends. For a while I was just lame and sulked in my room.
For the next couple of days and weeks, I started hanging out with that group of people (Jim being one of them). I always had such a good time. I had my KP semi-formals coming up and I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Jim. I asked Steve if that was a good idea and both Kendra and Steve immediately messaged/texted me and said to go for it. I had an awesome time.
A couple days later, Jim texted me again and said “we should play guitar hero sometime”. We decided on Tuesday night to do this. Pretty much at this point I still considered him to be super shy and was surprised he asked me to hang out. He came over and (my goodness is this awkward) held hands for a bit. We watched TV for a long time and talked a bit. Then when I thought he was going to tell me he was leaving he leaned over and kissed me. I was soooo taken back. But happy at the same time. Plus this whole time I was thinking, am I going to be the one that has to kiss him first? Hah. He isn’t so shy after all I guess that was our first official "date". This was in January 2010.
He has turned into my best friend and the person that I cannot live without. I have regained my faith through him as well as developed some awesome friendships with his friends. I could not ask for anything more. I know for certain that this is the person that I am supposed to be with (and it helps that both of our families approve as well!) We are huge nerds (as we are both tech/engineering majors) and we love to play video games together for dates! We've been together a year and a half and we graduate college May 2012 together. I cannot wait to marry my best friend (whenever that may be!)
I guess that was our first official "date". This was in January 2010.
