Weekend Fun!

Many weekends you'll find me hanging out, and just relaxing from a long work week. However, this weekend I decided to act like I was in my 20's, and have some fun this weekend.

Yesterday started off by sleeping in, and going house hunting. I have to say house hunting was pretty successful, because we found a house bigger house on a bigger lot that is in a better location that both Sam and I really like. So we pulled our other offer off the table, and today we hope to put in a new offer on this new house. (I'll post pictures if we are lucky enough to get this house.)

After house hunting, Sam and I stopped off for a quick lunch before he had to head to work. It was nice to just sit down and talk about the different houses we saw, and how the houses compared to the first house we made an offer on.

Once Sam left for work, I decide I needed to get my workout on because I'll be on my honeymoon in less then a week! I would have had a new weight in for you today, however, the scale at the gym wasn't there. I've known that scale was broken because you could get on the scale it would say one weight, step off and get right back on at it would read another weight. So I guess I'll have to use the scale at the gym by my mom's house for this week's weight in.

After a quick workout, I got ready to head out for a "Girls Night Out". First stop, dinner at Flat Top Grill.

If you never been to a Flat Top, it's a make your own stir fry place. It was good, and it was nice to go some where a little different from your average restaurant. For me, I had them bring me "lettuce wraps" with my stir fry, however my only issue was the lettuce was soaking wet. So I had to shake off each piece before I could use it.

After dinner we were off to see our friend Tommy's band play at a local bar. Tommy has been a staple in our group of friend since he was in Jr. High, and he was even one of the groomsmen in my wedding.

I haven't seen Tommy play in many years, so it was nice to go out and support a friend in what he loves to do. Also, I have to say I was really impressed with the band. They were really good.

Other then the ringing in my ears this morning, last night was a good time with great friends!

Recap: The Wedding Rehearsal

I realize I've been married for over 2 months, but I never really did any recapping on what happen. So I figured better late than never.

In true girly fashion, the day of the rehearsal I went with a few of my bridesmaids to get our nails done.

(The girls got gift cards to get their nails done and the guys got flasks)

It was nice to take a break from the wedding craziness. One of my friends had just gotten in from Florida the day of the rehearsal, so she also came with us to get our nails done. It was nice to get to hang out with friends and just enjoy our time together. 

After getting our nails did... it was time to start getting ready to head to church for the rehearsal. With my bow bouquet (which I made) in hand, we were off to the church.

I'm not sure what a "normal" number of people would be at a rehearsal, but we had at almost 40 people at ours (including family and guests). So needless to say to took awhile to get everyone settled and started.  But we got it together, and they got us to the alter.

I don't know how common it is to do your real vows the night of the rehearsal, but our pastor had us do ours that night. And this wasn't the first time she made us do them. The first time we said our vows was at one of our counseling sessions, so by the time the wedding day came around it was the third time we had said them.

Once we got through the vows, we did our walk out and then we were off to dinner.

The rehearsal dinner was so close to the church that we could just walk down the street and we were there. It was set up buffet style with pizza and salad so everyone could have their pick of what they wanted. However, I think we under estimated how many people were going to be at the rehearsal because by the time my family, Sam, and I got to dinner there were no places for us to sit.  Oops!

Of course the restaurant was nice enough to bring in another table and chairs for us. Also, we had to have them bring out more pizzas because we had a lot of hungry people who beat us to them.  (Even though I didn't eat a thing that night.)

After dinner, it was a race to finish to get everything done and ready for the next day. (Which you can read all about here.) However, I had a great group of girls who were all willing to help.

We spend a few hours on getting the centerpieces done, the candy buffet ready, and just everything packed so it could be moved in the morning to the different venues. However, once that night was over, I woke up that next morning with just a little stress, but more excitement that the big day had finally come!


Have you ever seen people say their real vows during a rehearsal? (because I did think it was pretty strange)

My First Week of 2012

Well 1 week down, only 51 more to go till 2013. So far 2012 has kept me busy and a bit stressed.

Work has been CRAZY! I had a student end up crying in my office because she so stressed about school. I had a student call me 13 times in a 45 minute span. And I left my office yesterday with more work to do then when I walked in. I just hope next week will clam down (but I highly doubt it) and I'll be able to get caught up on all my work before we go on our honeymoon (which is in less than 2 weeks!).

Other than work keeping me busy, I have kept up on my New Year's resolution and I made it to the gym 6 times this week. Success! So what were the results of my hard work...

Not too bad, I'll take a 1.6 pound decrease. I need to keep this up because I have to go swimsuit shopping next week.

Also with the new year, I'm trying to make better choices when it comes to what I put into my body. Both Tuesday and Wednesday I had a salad with my lunch.

 (Wednesday's lunch- salad with egg white, carrot, mozzarella cheese, 1 slice of ham and turkey & leftover chili)

For a girl who could get through a side salad just a few years ago, this is a big improvement. I used to hate the taste of lettuce. However, as I got older, I found out there are many different types of lettuce (not just iceberg) and with the right toppings, a salad can be pretty tasty. Now if I can only find a dressing other than ranch that I like it would make for a lot healthier lunch.


How was your first week of 2012?

Hello 2012!

As a new year begins, I have to say I'm excited for the what 2012 may hold in store for me.

• Finding my routine at my job- now that I have worked one full semester
• Buying a home- which is scary and exciting all at the same time
• Getting used to "real" married life- considering we are still in the same routine we had before we were married. 
• And of course there is always the unknown- the things you can't plan on happening. Hopefully we can roll with any punch that is thrown our way. 

With the ending of 2011- I decided to host a little New Year's Eve gathering at Sam's house. I really do enjoy playing host, and I made sure there was a small spread of goodies for my guests to enjoy.

There was BBQ meatballs & lil smokies, chili-cheese dip, chips & salsa, a party mix, and a veggie tray. However, my friends are great and brought more dips, cookies, and brownies. There is still a ton of food left over; however with a 15 year old boy living in this house- the food doesn't stand a chance.

I also put the Christmas Pineapple to good use.

Did someone say party drinks?

I decided that I couldn't just throw out the pineapple- so I put it to good use. This year the Christmas Pineapple was soaked Malibu rum & triple sec. It was really good. Mix it with strawberry banana orange juice and you have a perfect topical cocktail. (Side note: 20 days and counting till we are on our topical cruise honeymoon!)

It was also great to hang out with my girls. Poor Sam spent most of the night with all girls. Luckily one of his groomsmen stopped by for a bit to cut the amount of estrogen in the room.

Here is the last picture of Sam and I in 2011.

Just before midnight, we opened some champagne and gathered in front of the tv for the New Year's count down. There was no New Year's kissing for anyone at my party. Sam was sick, and everyone else were girls- but a cheers was shared by all, and memories were shared and made.

I'm off to the gym- I can't slack on this resolution the first day out.  I hope everyone has a good New Year's and best wishes in 2012!


What are you hoping to do in 2012?

Why wait til next year...

I know many people make New Year resolutions to lose weight, and I not any different from those other people. But I figured why wait till next year- why not start today. So I went to the gym for the first time in months and I got on the scale to see what type of damage I done over the holidays.

I know I weighed less than this before and just after the wedding, but I'm not getting too down on myself because I'm the same weight as my last weight loss post. I'm basically starting off where I left off , so it could be worse.

So what I did at the gym:

• 32 minutes on the elliptical -which is the length of the "Weight Loss" workout setting.
• 100 crunches

I figured I would start off easy on myself, that way I don't get burned out my first week back to the gym.

Also with the new year here a few more things I hope to do:

• Workout on a regular basis
• Eat more healthy
• Keep up with my blogging
• Treat myself more often- if you know me, you'll understand this one

I hope everyone has a great New Year! See you in 2012!

Tis the Season...

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is ready and enjoying this holiday season. This is the time of year my life gets a little crazy (hence why I haven't been a good blogger). So let me get you caught up with everything Stacy since my last post...

Tis the season... of my birthday!
I turned 26 last week... and with my birthday the husband always reminds me on how "old" I am. Words of wisdom: Never marry a younger man; he'll never let you live it down.

My birthday was nice and lazy. I slept in, worked on "Thank you" cards (yes- the one from the wedding. I've been busy- don't judge me), and then Sam took me out for dinner and movie. Dinner was nice, the movie (The Babysitter) sucked! Don't waste your money, even the dollar from Redbox when it goes to DVD.

Tis the season... of house hunting/ buying!
Last week Wednesday, Sam and I put an offer in on a house. I was completely freaking out, so much so that Sam took me out for a drink after we signed the paperwork. Now, I'm excited and we are just waiting to hear from the sellers.

I love the high ceilings and the cut out in the wall. This would be a great first home for us; however, I'm trying to not get my hopes up too high just in case the deal falls through. We'll see what happens. 

Tis the season… of the semester ending/ gradation!
Working at a college you often catch yourself measuring time in semesters, and my first semester at my new job has came and went. It’s crazy how time has a way of passing you by, and I heard it only goes by faster as you get older.

This last weekend I went to my brother-in-law’s college graduation. It was weird being back on my old campus. I can’t believe it’s been over a year since Sam and I moved home. So much has changed around campus in just that year we have been gone.

And of course- Tis the season…. of Christmas!
This year I had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit. I think it’s partly because these last few months have been crazy busy with wedding stuff that the holidays have just snuck up me. Also, I think it's because I’m still living out of a suit case. It’s hard to feel a connection to the holidays when you feel no connection to any place you’re living. The holidays are about being at home with your family. I have the family, just not the home (not yet anyway).  So when I got to Sam’s tonight he had a surprise for me…

He wanted to get me in the holiday spirit so he cleaned, hung Christmas lights, and had hot chocolate (with caramel Baileys) waiting for me.

 
Also, he bought me mix nuts. It has been a family tradition to have nuts around the holidays, so he bought a big bowl for us to have. He also bought some chocolate. Man who knows his way to a girl’s heart.

He also bought us our first Christmas pineapple which was decorated with our wedding cake topper and first family Christmas ornaments.

Sam got the idea of a Christmas pineapple from one of my friends at our Michigan wedding reception. She told us a story about a Christmas she had in college where she didn’t have a Christmas tree, so she decorated a pineapple instead. Well, Sam thought it was the coolest ideas he ever heard, so he made it happen. I can see our Christmas pineapple becoming our first family tradition together. (Thanks Amy for the idea!)

This surprise really has helped put me the holiday mood, and it makes me love my husband even more because he knows how to lift up spirits and make me smile.

How do you get in the holiday spirit?

Weekend Recap- Wedding, House Hunting, Party

I can't believe the weekend is almost over. It went by so quick. Here's a recap of highlights of my busy weekend.

Friday- Wedding!

Friday night I went with one of my bridesmaids, Jen, to her cousin's wedding. I have to say I think I like being a guest at the a wedding more then being the bride. You get to let your hair down, and just enjoy your night with friends and family.

I have to say this was the most beautiful wedding I had ever attended. It was in an old mansion and I love that it was a one party venue.

I used to work at places that were more like wedding factories. We could easily have 5 wedding going on at once. To me your wedding day is one of the most special days in your life, so I've always felt like it would seem less special if you knew you were sharing it with 4 other brides.

However, having your own personal venue often comes with a higher price tag. But can you can really put a price on a brides happiness? Sometimes it's ok to splurge for special occasions and this wedding defiantly did.  The best example- the 12 person band that played during their reception.

Very cool, but I'm glad I'm not paying that bill. All and all it was a great time, and I'm glad I got to spend it with some really great people.


Saturday- House Hunting!

Sam and I met up with our realtor, and we went and looked at five different house.

House #1-
3 bedroom, 2 bath, split level house, corner lot, tiny backyard.

House #2-
A big NO.  It had a lot of work still be done, and we aren't going to do it.

House #3-
Same as house #1, it had the best location, but a lot more updating that would need to be done

House  #4-
3 bedroom, 2 bath- just remodeled, just remodeled kitchen (so pretty!), but not a good location for Sam to go to work. (We are still keeping it on the "Maybe" list because I really liked it)

House #5-
3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 story house, needed some updating, odd lay out.

Sorry no pictures to share from this trip, but our hunting adventures just begun. Sam will be going out again on Thursday (without me) to see a few more place. If he sees something he really likes, then I'll make a trip out to see it later. If that isn't trust- I don't know what is.


Sunday- Party!

December seems to be a big month for birthdays for my family. So today we had a combined birthday party for my brother (in-law) Jimmy and his cousin Josh.

It was nice to see some of the family again. I know I didn't even really get to talk to anyone at the wedding so it was nice to catch up with everyone.

Plus, the food was AWESOME! Did I mention I married into an Italian family. I had 3 helpings of pasta with pesto, shrimp, crab meat, and mushrooms. Also that cake was pretty tasty too.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and has a good week ahead!