Friday, December 31, 2010

2011 is almost here!

Happy New years eve everyone! Let's ring in the new year with a bang! I am not looking forward to the gym being packed, but cannot wait to start a new, exciting year filled with adventures. This year, don't make resolutions you aren't going to keep. Set some fun goals for your year. Some of mine: travel somewhere new, celebrate 1 year of marriage, keep working out so I can eat yummy food(lol), try new restaurants, get pregnant (smile), settle into my new job, continue to build our nest egg (money represents stability to us) and live life to the fullest!!!

Whoop Whoop, can't wait to ring in the new year kissing my honey. 2011- I can't wait to see what you have in store, hopefully it is good!

CHEERS EVERYONE!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Envy...ever felt it?

Envy (also called invidiousness) is best defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."[1]

Envy can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been he or she who had the desired object.[2][3]

Bertrand Russell said envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness.[4] It is a universal and most unfortunate aspect of human nature because not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his envy, but also wishes to inflict misfortune on others. Although envy is generally seen as something negative, Russell also believed that envy was a driving force behind the movement towards democracy and must be endured to achieve a more just social system.[5]

So today I was thinking about a time in highschool where this girl who liked my boyfriend became very envious of me. I didn't know why, I was a normal girl in a normal highschool relationship. She started asking me where I got things like my purse or my outfits and started trying to work where I worked and just became almost like obsessed. It was weird, but I understand when people are very unhappy with their lives and they want what someone else has, their envy for that can become oddly obsessive. We all envy others, of course, but there is definitely degrees of envy. Maybe you are single and you envy your friend's marriage. That is the type of envy that isn't bad, it just shows your goals- one day you want to be happily married. Or maybe you have an uber successful friend and you envy her career and hope one day to be that successful. Those are things that are natural. When it becomes weird is when you follow someone around or track them down, you try to become just like them. You change your whole life to model theirs thinking it will make you happier. This type of envy creates lies and unhappiness and just isn't healthy.

I am super happy. I am very happily married to a kind, successful man, super successful in my career, have an amazing group of family and friends, a beautiful home and a lot to be thankful for. Do I have it all? Of course not, no one does and life is definitely not always easy.  Do I wish I was a sz 2 supermodel- sure of course, that would be awesome. Do I wish we were rich? sure, again would be awesome. Do I wish it was super easy for us to have a baby? Sure do! Would I trade my life? Of course not, I love my family, I don't want anyone else's life but my own. The point is, be happy with what you have and who you are. Make your goals your own. I believe you have to have a plan. Map out your life goals, know what you need to do to get there and be yourself, don't try to be someone else.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My Christmas




[caption id="attachment_529" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Otis opening his stocking"]




 












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[caption id="attachment_527" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Allan opening his hoodies from Dad and Jennifer"]





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A New Year is about to begin- Another chance to get it right!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

This New Year, make a commitment to a project, a life goal, reforming a bad habit, or a lifestyle change that will generally interpreted as advantageous.

Tradition dictates that every 365 days, you should try to kick bad habits and start your life anew. So sit down with a cup of coffee, a paper and a pen, and reflect: What kinds of New Years Resolutions will you make for yourself this January 1st?

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

Jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey!

Oh what a wonderful day! EVeryone be safe and SMILE!!!

[caption id="attachment_515" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Looking back at a wonderful 2010, God is good!"][/caption]

Friday, December 24, 2010

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas eve to all!

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday filled with love and happiness!!!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Opening up

As a child, I always loved to write, I even used to want to go into journalism and do it as a career. I realized my passion for numbers and business and writing became something I missed. I have always been better at writing feelings than talking about them and that is the main reason that about 6 months ago I started this blog. I was just married and my life was changing and I wanted to document it. Then, I had some weird followers and began to worry about what I was blogging about. I came to a point where I said screw them, if they are that crazy, whatever, I will just ignore them. So now, I am just really starting to try to get back into my blogging and document my life, my feelings and my random thoughts. You can love it, hate it, or somewhere in between...because as words I like to live by, "to each is own."

I got this idea from another blogger and I love it. Pick 1 word to describe your year in 2010 and the 1 word you would like to describe your life in 2011.

My life in 2010 was Scarey, but also Amazing! I began the year marrying my husband, this was amazing, but also very frightening. My parents were married for 23 years and then divorced, it was one of the hardest things I delt with in my life, and I did not want this to happen to me. Taking the leap of faith and promising forever to someone when you know in reality that promise is broken about half the time is scarey as hell, but worth it. We love eachother and in my heart I know we will be forever. Then, I changed jobs, change is always scarey. I was leaving my job of over 3 years, somewhere I was very comfortable and moving up very fast, somewhere I had built a solid reputation and proven myself to go somewhere brand new & completely different. I was going to a much, much larger company with better benefits, a fantastic commute and a place that was a huge resume booster, but my title was going from Regional Finance Manager to Senior Financial Analyst, I was taking a small pay cut and my bonus was going from about 15% a year to 2% a year....what the hell was I thinking right? Well, wrong, I feel like at my age, in my career the resume booster and the change is what I needed, I needed to mix it up and widen my experience, because ultimately I want to be on top so as scarey as making this decision was, I did it. Right after changing jobs Allan and I found out that having a baby isn't so easy, but we are ready for the challenge. We will begin 2011 with open minds and open hearts and our hopes of starting a family this year, if it doesn't happen, it's ok, when God is ready it will and until then we have a very strong marriage we will build upon. Chances are very high and on our side that we will have a baby, but to go through this has always been my biggest fear, so overall my 2010 has definitely been scarey!

In 2011, I am hoping my year will be successful! 2011 is a year that I feel like will be a trying year and more than anything I want to come out victorious. Now, what does that mean? To me it means Allan and I sticking together through our fight to have a baby and getting great news from the doctor. For God to get us through the pain and stress of treatments and to let our marriage prevail and grow stronger. For Allan to find happiness in his career and for me to find it in mine too. To happily celebrate 1 year of marriage and to move towards a 2nd year and build our stability. We have a lot of goals and are still figuring out marriage, I am one who doesn't believe your first year of marriage should be your best, I think each year after in a successful marriage should get better and better. So as someone who always craves stability, I am hoping 2011 will continue to be a year of change, but that at the end of all the changes we can say it was a successful 2011 and maybe I can go into 2012 with my hope to build stability!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

2 years since I said goodbye to my Colon

This month marks the 2 year point when I said goodbye to my colon. It is unusual and no I don't have a bag, but it is something that every December I will always remember. I have had my fair share of health problems, mainly all focused around my stomach. It was awful, first my appendix, then my gullbladder, then pancreatitis, then after years of severe constipation (gross, I know), finally I was left with the option to contiue to hope the FDA will come out with new drugs and 1 will finally help or get my colon out, because after MANY tests it was determined my colon did not work. I could literally gain 12 pounds within a week from being backed up, it was not fun. Plus, I am anemic so you can imagine how tired I felt.

It was an extremely tough decision, it is a new surgery and there is only about 10 years of history on it, plus they compare it to open heart surgery where you just really don't know how your body will react, but I finally decided to go through with it. At this point Allan and I were dating pretty seriously for a few months and I was like oh my god, how is he going to react, am I going to need a bag? Am I going to be getting sick and running to the restroom, what is going to happen to us?? It was a lot to think about, but he was the most supportive boyfriend ever. He encouraged me and gave me strength to go through with the surgery and when I did, he did not leave my side. He was at the hospital waiting for me during surgery and then he was there every day after. He was there when I threw up and pooped all over myself (YES, it is gross, but real), he was there when I was all drugged up, he was there afterwards when I had draining blood clots. He has not left my side since. I had a wonderful outcome and I am finally feeling normal again, but still he is here and I am so thankful for God's timing, because not only did this surgery leave me stronger, but left our relationship stronger as well. My stomach makes crazy noises sometimes and I have to watch my alcohol intake, my immune system is much weaker and I catch the stomach flu a lot, but other than that 2 years in I can say I am happy I decided to do this. I had 1 of the best surgeons in the world and for his skills and the science that allowed him to do this procedure I am also thankful.

Favorite things about the holidays!

O my geez, Christmas is less than a week away now and while I am super excited, I am also sad it is almost over. This is our first Christmas as a married couple. It is our 3rd together, so we have already started building some traditions, but it is super exciting that we are Mr. & Mrs. now and next year there may be 5 (or more) of us in our little family for Christmas!...maybe, lol (that is including Otis & Oreo). So, I love so many things about the holidays that I wanted to share:

1) The holiday spirit - yes it is in the air, not everyone has it, but I do. It is such a wonderful time to focus on your family and the less fortunate, to give, to be happy and cheerful!

2) The lights- I LOVE driving around and seeing all of the Christmas lights. I must say my husband did an AMAZING job on our house, it looks like a little gingerbread house and I love pulling up to it every night.

3) The tree- it is such a perfect addition to any household. We do real ones, but the fake ones are just as great. Every year we buy a meaningful ornament and we try to get them sometimes when we travel too, so it is always nice to pull them out and think about all the wonderful times. My first ornament from my husband was a ball with a girl in a wheel chair handpainted on it. Our first Christmas together wasn't in the hospital, but a lot of December was and the rest was spent recovering from surgery and during this time is when I knew he was the one! This ornament is the most special.

4)Family time- Thanksgiving dinner with the family, christmas tree shopping, christmas shopping, taking the dogs to Santa, family photos, Christmas movies, Christmas parties, Christmas Eve Church, Christmas morning, New Years...ah, there are just so many wonderful moments to share with your loved ones.

5)Presents- yes, admit it, we all love them! My greatest is all the love from my family, most of all my husband.

6) The time off work- The days off & slows days are a nice break!

I don't like: scruges, all the people coughing and sneezing, the cleaning up of the lights and trees, the break in my tv schedule and the shopping traffic, but the rest is all worth it. Now, if only we could all have the holiday spirit all year round. This year, whatever is going on, remember things could always be worse, focus on the positive and be cheerful. Love those who matter and make sure you tell them. This time of year is so much more than just presents and christmas carols, it is a truely magical time!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Rise Up!

So, I am not a huge mega football fan, but I enjoy it and I understand what's going on. Every Sunday the hubby and I go watch the games during lunch, and I am pretty good at making my bets each week. I personally am a Falcons fan, again, not a huge mega fan, don't know all the players names or anything, but it has always been the team that I support. My husband is a Falcons and Miami dolphin fan. We enjoying picking our weekly games and it is kind of a little competition between us.

So by this time, you pretty much know which teams are good and not so good and our home team, the Atlanta Falcons is AWESOME this year. 12-2!! Now, I have been saying it since game 3, but I really do think it is our year to go to and win the Superbowl! I still haven't made my guess for who we will be playing against, but I am betting we will be there.

I think if your husband is into sports, this is a great little fun way to share his interest. We start with $100 in Sportsbook and each week we get $5 or $10 to bet and then you see who does better. So far, I am definitely kicking the husband's butt, but that is usually the case. He likes to pick the over/unders or the spreads, I usually go for a 3 or 4 team parlay.

Anyways, who do you think will win the SuperBowl this year??

Friday, December 17, 2010

TV is crappy this week

So I don't know about anyone else, but I love watching TV, lol. There has been many great new series this year plus all the usual ones I love. I have been really enjoying Hawaii 5-0, The Event, and Life unexpected . Then, of course there is the usual fall fav's like 90210, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, and all my reality TV garbage (haha). These past couple of weeks have been mostly reruns and I hate it. I always hate those off times in between seasons and during holidays :( I miss my shows! We are thinking of signing back up for Netflix, because we missed  season of smallville and I want to see the show Dexter as well. I am so glad the husband shares my TV watching passion, although some of our taste in shows is different, there are many we enjoy together, like Keeping up with the Kardashians, haha. Anyways, just wanted to share how frustrating it is to have no good shows on.

Tonight- headed to dinner and movie place where you do it all at once, then desert at the delicious Cafe Intermezzo...YUM!!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Card

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hard to focus

Man, I am sitting here at work and just cannot focus. I have been feeling this way for a while now. With the holidays and everything else going on I just have so much on my mind. I am loving this holiday time and I just want to be cozied up in bed with my husband, eating yummy holiday treats and watching movies and TV, lol. I am looking forward to all of our festivities and cannot wait to start 2011!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Christmas Shopping

So, I am pretty much done with all of my christmas shopping with the exception of 1 or 2 small items that I will pick up here and there to add to gifts and I even got everything wrapped and under the tree this weekend. I just love the holidays and I can't believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away! It is sad that it goes by so fast. This year Allan and I had budgets for eachother, because lately we have had some very large expenses including medical bills from ourselves and Otis's $6k leg surgeries. I am excited about the items I was able to purchase for him with a smaller than usual budget and hoping he likes them. So here are a couple of my christmas shopping tips:

1. Listen- throughout the year or even just the few months leading up to Christmas, listen to your loved ones, you never know when they will mention something they have been needing or wanting

2. Make lists- making a list of the people you have to buy for, what you are getting them and checking them off when complete is so helpful

3. Have fun with it- you don't always have to get people something extremely meaningful or useful, go for the fun gift from Brookstone or the cute sweater - just make sure to include a gift receipt, nothing worse than being sstuck with a sweater that doesn't fit

4. Look at magazines for fun ideas- I subscribe to a few different ones and I always love looking at their holiday gift giving ideas.

5. Send personalized cards- Sure most people trash them, but it is so much fun going to take a family holiday pic and sending it to all your friends (we are hoping there will be an addition to our 2011 holiday card :)

6. Look at the items in the check out lane- While waiting in line, check the small gifts toward the registers, sometimes there are little fun items you can add to your gifts

7. Stick to your budget- Yes, Christmas is all about giving, but don't go overboard, stay within your budget and stick to the task, it may be hard to pass up all those cute items you see that would look great on you, but unless you went out with intentions to shop for yourself, try not to

8. Take advantage of free shipping- why pay an additional $10 to have your stuff shipped, monitor the store for a week or so and try to take advantage of a free shipping deal

9.  use coupons- I have used GAP cash, NY&CO cash, Kohls Cash and so many other great coupons this holiday season.

10. GIVE- buy at least 1 toy for a good cause or volunteer your time. This season is all about giving and while it is fun to shop for your loved ones, remember there are others in need and if you can help, do so!

Happy Holiday Shopping Everyone!!!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Lately

So Otis is now at the doctors having surgery on his other leg. Poor baby boy, I love him so much and cannot wait to see him in the morning. Please say a little prayer for him. I have totally been slacking on writing since I have been back. I have tons of personal things to write about again, just waiting on the right time.

I am excited about this weekend. My dad's birthday was Thursday and we are having dinner tomorrow. We were going to get him a gift card to go sky diving, but we chickened out...him and Allan have talked about going together, but we weren't sure if it is something he would be scared about from now till May or excited about, so we decided to get him some sports gear that we know he will like and ask him about the whole sky diving thing. Allan loves that kind of stuff, me- you couldn't pay a million bucks to jump out of a plane. No way Jose!

Sunday we are going to the christmas concert at church and I just LOOOVE it! Cannot wait. Then, we have our neighbor's 1 year old's birthday party :)

I cannot believe there is only 23 days until Christmas. I love Christmas so much, I love this whole time of the year. All the lights, the holiday spirit, it just truely makes you feel so thankful for all of the wonderful blessings in your life.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, Allan and I successfully hosted another thanksgiving, our 2nd, but our 1st annual Changar Thanksgiving (as a married couple). We had 13 of our closest family and friends including my whole immediate family, Allan's brother and sister-in-law and our baby nephew, plus our great friends Jamie and Keith. It was perfect, we made tons of food and had a great time. Friday, we took our guests to the mall of GA and did some good shopping, then we found a great new restaurant right down the street from the house for lunch, watched christmas movies and called it a night. Guests left this morning and we have a busy busy day ahead of laundry, cleaning and christmas decorating- including going to pick out our christmas tree! I LOVE the holidays, they come way too fast and leave too soon. I have soooo much to be thankful for- my amazing husband, wonderful friends and family, my beautiful home, my fabulous career, our loving pups, Otis's leg doing better and us being able to afford to help him, all of our health and all of the love in my life. I truely am blessed and wish I could feel the spirit of the holidays all year long. I hope you all ate too much, enjoyed your company and soak up all of the holiday spirit.

xoxo- Glori

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Oh my geeez!

Last week was an awesome week, it was my birthday of course.  We had so much fun from a friend filled dinner, to a romantic date night, to a family day with the whole gang - then to top it off my besty had her baby on Sunday. Emma is her name and yes, it is a girl!!! I was finally right!!! Now this weekend I have the CPA test and it is our great friend Keith's birthday bash weekend. I am really looking forward to the awesome night out on Saturday- whoop whoop!!

I can't belive the CPA test is here, Emma is here and thanksgiving is here. It has been an AMAZING 2010 and I can't wait to make the remainder of it just as great...I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!! Oh- and did I mention that I cannot wait for 2011. I feel on top of the world, great husband, great career, great family, great friends. I thank God each and every day for blessing me with a life that is so fulfilled.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Time to reminisce

Tomorrow I turn 26, I know, I know it isn't 21 or 30 or 40, but every birthday should be a milestone. I am now closer to my thirties than my twenties. I am now married and well on my career path, I have 2 dogs, a beautiful home, wonderful family and I couldn't ask for more. 5 years ago I didn't expect to be where I am today. Even 3 years ago I couldn't expect this. I went from a not so great high school sweet heart relationship to solely focused on my career to meeting a wonderful man and falling in love and working towards my balance- family & career, family first of course. Today, I think about 5 years or even 10 years from now and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store. Am I scared? Yes, of course, but that is what makes it so great. I have fears, I have struggles, but as I turn 26, I am so grateful for everything and everyone in my life. I cannot wait to celebrate many more birthdays!!

Monday, November 8, 2010

90210 words of wisdom

Life is not made up of big moments, it is made up of many small ones. With every small choice and decision we are defining ourselves. Are we proud of ourselves? Or are we disappointed in what we have become. Life rarely turns out as we planned. The unexpected happens and provides us with new possibilities. But remember...reality always hits us in the face.

LOVE this show...great drama and so deep all at the same time!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

My poor baby boy....

My poor baby boy had surgery and is doing well, but now is looking at a 6 week recovery. He hates his cone and hates not being able to play, but his health is our priority so we are keeping him calm. Keep him in your thoughts, he still has a whole leg to go...in about 3 months!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

What are your dreams?

I dream of being a very, VERY successful business woman, but one that also has a tight knit family. One that doesn't work too much, but is a hard worker. Here are some interesting statistics....

Only 15 Fortune 500 companies (3.0%)and 28 Fortune 1000 companies (2.8%)are run by women. Only 20% of topmanagement positions in the U.S. are held by women.– CNNmoney.com, May 2009
Yet...“Companies with the most women in senior management positions had a 35% higher return on equity and a 34% higher return to shareholders.”
– Catalyst Study

I am 25 years old, have already held management positions, currently hold a senior position at a HUGE fortune company. I bought my first house when I was 22 years old (brave, but at the point of the highest PMI ever, so not the greatest move, but was "smart" at the time). I have my MBA. I am moving very quickly up the corporate ladder. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind I will be to 6 figures by 30, very close already and could have been there if I would have stayed at my last job, but made the move for my long term goals. This success doesn't define me though. Are there people my age more successful than me- hell yeah!, but...I have my own measure of success as do all of us and I have my career goals and personal goals. Balance is my key and my ultimate measure of my success.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm back! Sorry for not blogging recently, craaazzzzzy (literally) situation, but going to give it another go. It has been a while, so I will just start with what's new.

My husband and I celebrated 6 months of marriage, going on 7 now and life is wonderful. We are very blessed. We have so much to be thankful for, our beautiful home, our fun and loving family and friends, our professional careers, our health, our love for eachother and so much more.

Our neighborhood is officially full. Friends are done building their house, have closed and are moved in and I guess there was a bidding war on the foreclosed house which is now sold and occupied. Loving the hood, so many great neighbors!

For Halloween my husband and I dressed up as Native American Indians, our friends Jamie and Keith were a part of our tribe also. It was a blast (pictures to come).

This month is my birthday- turning the big 26! Can't wait. It is a very busy month- we have my bday where we will do a friends celebration, family and then a romantic lovers celebration, lol. Then, we have tons of baby's bdays. My friend Taylor's baby boy Ledger turns 1, our friend Dubi and Mariela's boy is turning 2. Our neighbors baby is going to be 1. My best friend Shelley is going to pop any day now. My friend Meredith who thank God is alive today is turning 26 the day after me and is having a miracle birthday bash. Our great friend Keith is having a birthday extravaganza and we have friends and family coming in for Thanksgiving- which we are hosting. It is going to be a very busy, fun filled month that I am very much looking forward to.

So my bestest who is due the day after my bday also is still having a suprise baby. Just for the official record, I say girl husband says boy! Now, we just wait. I have never been right on the sex before, but I think I am this time, lol. Whatever it is I cannot wait to have another baby neice/nephew because as I would say, "Friends are the family you chose".

Our poor baby boy Otis has a luxating patella and will need surgery that ranges from 3-4k per leg. It is very unfortunate, but we are very fortunate that we are able to fix him up without going broke. We love him and he is so young he is our priority. He also recently celebrated his 1st b-day!

That's all for now, more updates and pictures to come.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

LOVE this show...

So last year the hubby and I got hooked on flash forward and they cancelled it! I was seriously sad. This year I am looooving Rookie Blue. I am recording right now and we usually wait until the weekend to watch, but since I am off this week I can stay up past my 10:30 bedtime, lol and I think we will watch it tonight :) Cannot wait! Oh, we also love The Gates.

My favorite season

So I have absolutely been loving my time off....just soaking it up. I have been sleeping, eating, studying and cleaning house and I must say it is going by way too fast. I decided to give the CPA exam a go, so I have been trying to study like 20-25 pages a day while I am off...lol, I know you all are thinking that isn't much, but I seriously hate studying. I have the worst study habits ever! While I have been off I have been noticing how beautiful the weather is getting...Fall is coming, woohoo!!! I cannot wait, it is my favorite season of weather, clothes, fun times, etc, I just love it!! Only thing I don't love is all the leaves that fall in our big back yard. This weekend I think we are going to try and finish the fire pit so that over the beautiful Fall season we can invite friends over & make s'mores :)   and I will throw in this for my husband, it is football time! whoop whoop, go Miami and Georgia!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

My Travel hot spots

So I was reading another great Nest topic about affordable European trips.http://ideas.thenest.com/love-and-sex-advice/couple-travel-ideas/Slideshows/Affordable-Europe.aspx?page=6 and I was thinking about my constantly evolving list of places that I (well, me and AL) would like to visit and thought, I should start keeping a list. Of course this is always changing and depending on time in our lifes, money, etc the trips may change orders too, but I am going to list them in semi order of favorites.

WHERE WE WANT TO GO:

1) Uruguay

2) Europe- Paris, Italy (again with AL), and more

3)Vegas (again with AL- he has never been)

4)Catalina California (hear it is beautiful here)

5)Greece

6)Napa Valley (want to smoosh grapes)

7)New York City (around Christmas time with AL to see the shows and the lights, love it there at this time)

8)Mexico- it is cheap and beautiful

9)Bahamas/Turks & Caicos

10)mini trips to our new love of bed and breakfast's :)

11)Key Largo- we got married here and it is one of our most favorite places

12)San Diego and San Francisco - just because.

13)Ireland

Ok...think this is an ok list for now, but there are so many more places we would love to go. I want to plan 1 big trip out of the country at least every 2 years and then mini ones between in the states.

Some of the coolest places I have been are Hawaii, Italy, Key Largo, Tobago and Jamaica!

Monday, August 30, 2010

My Weekend

So if you are a reader you know that Wednesday was my last day at Gallo. I was supposed to start my new job today, but on Wednesday I got a job offer from 1 of my top 3. The job I was supposed to start today was a GREAT job and I know I would have been happy there and I was super excited to be there, but when I received the new offer, I knew I had to accept. It was not only 8 miles from home, but it was an amazing career opportunity, somewhere I can be long term & a great resume booster. I am so excited about my new opportunity- huge international company and again it IS 8 MILES FROM HOME!!!! :) I felt absolutely terrible about having to back out of the other position, I was literally sick for like 4 days, but I have received advice from a ton of very successful people and I am finally starting to feel better. I am looking forward and trying to never look back. I love my life, my career and my family!

So, Friday after all the job stuff was done the hubby and I left for a Bed and Breakfast weekend. We drove up to Blue Ridge GA, went horseback riding and then checked into our BandB. It was our first time and immediately we were sooo impressed. The place was beautiful and the people were so nice. We went for a walk around town to grab lunch and most places closed around 2, well we wanted a sandwhich so we went to this cafe and the lunch side was closed, but the people still served us- how rare is that? They were very nice! We relaxed and played scrabble and watched TV and went in our personal jacuzzi and it was so amazing. I love spending quality time with my husband. Then, we got some rest and woke up for the breakfast part- sausage breakfast pizza and homemade peach cobbler- YUM! it was delish! Next, we went on a hike. We did the "intermediate" 6.5 mile hike- woooh! It was rough, I am not lying when I say every part of our body was sore about 3 hours after finishing, lol, I guess we need to hit the gym more.

It was a short, but wonderful trip and we headed home to go to dinner with my best friend for her birthday. Happy Birthday Shell! We went to Mary Mac's Team room, it was our first visit and it was pretty good. Sunday, we woke up and watched some True Blood on the DVR- which I will say is getting weirder and weirder, but we are still hooked. Then, we went and got lunch and took the dogs to the dog park where we wore them out playing fetch. We were so proud of Oreo, she got along with all the other doggies. :) Last night, we went to dinner and a movie with our amazing friends Jamie and Keith and today, I begin my 2 weeks off. Sent in all my paperwork, doing laundry now and then dry cleaners, grocery store and Lowe's to pick AL up a new lawn mower belt....I think I can handle 2 weeks as a stay at home wife :) I want to soak them up, because while it is not my cup of tea, I must say I am going to enjoy these 2 weeks.

Oh- and as a side note, I will be picking up my new droid in a couple weeks and will be posting more pictures to my blog then to catch you up on our B&B weekend, dining room makeover, etc. :)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

My last day at work...

So today was my last day at work- it's just a job right, I mean why o why am I so extremely emotional right now?!! I am feeling sooo emotional today leaving my job. Yes, I am very comfortable there, I have been there 3 years and worked hard to have people at all levels respect me. I have moved up and proven myself there, but more than that, I met my husband there and for the past 2 years we have driven to work together, eaten breakfast together, had lunch together, went to Dr. appointments together, drove home and hit the gym together- we have done everything together. Some people may say gee, so much time together and we definitely had moments where we felt that way also, but we are husband and wife and we love each other...I am also leaving behind my best friend. My best friend lives an hour away and for so long we didn't see eachother enough because of living so far from eachother, then I got her a job there and we saw eachother daily, it was so amazing being able to spend each day with not only my husband, but also my best friend. I am really, really going to miss those times and feel like I didn't soak them up enough while I could and now all of a sudden, just like that, they are actually gone. I am so sad, but also happy, nervous, scared, and more. This has been a big day for me and will probably take me some time to adjust and feel "normal" again- because I can say for sure, right now and for the past week, I have just been a sobbing, emotional wreck!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Oh, the weekends...

Did anyone else's weekend seem to fly by extra fast?? Mine sure did, it was a busy weekend. Friday was my step mom's bday so we went for dinner and hung out over there. Saturday we woke up and did errands, went for breakfast and came home to paint an accent wall in the living room (I will have to post pictures). My dad and step mom came by to have Allan work on her new birthday present- a brand new laptop, then we went for dinner and yogurt with friends.

http://www.yoglimogli.com/

You guys have GOT to check this place out- it is delish and healthy!! They have about 8 flavors and you go in, grab a cup, chose as many or as little flavors as you want and then pick all your toppings. Then, you weigh it and enjoy! It is a fabulous idea and very yummy.

Sunday, we woke up and went to church with my mom. 2 people were baptized and I didn't know them, but I started crying when they were telling their stories, I don't know what is going on, but I have been very, very emotional lately. The rest of Sunday we relaxed, went grocery shopping and worked a little bit in the yard. It was a great weekend, but just flew by too fast. I am looking forward to Friday when the hubby and I leave for our bed and breakfast retreat.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

One of the most frightening things in the world to me...

So it is no secret that the hubby and I cannot wait to expand our family. We are patient and having fun being newlyweds and just practicing, but it seems lately the topic of infertility is all around me and I know it shouldn't, but it freaks me out! Not being able to have a baby would be absolutely devastating to me. I have had quite a few health issues with my stomach and I know it is 2 different areas, but I always worry maybe I won't be able to have babies. We have seen friends and friends of friends struggle and it is just terrible. In my latest magazine there was a huge article about infertility and how 20 % of couples that is 1 out of 5- are not able to have a baby, between those couples, 40% is the females problem, 30% the males, 20% is the combination of the male and female and 10% is unknown....how scarey that 1 out of 5 couples are not able to have babies. The article goes on to describe how infertility is like cancer was 20 years ago. People are embarrassed about it and they don't like to talk about it, so no research efforts are being able to really dig into this. Then, on the view they dedicated a whole hour to this topic. I just happen to be home from work this day and catch this episode as well....again, they discussed how it is so much more common then people think. Most insurance does not cover baby efforts of infertile couples, so couples will spend ten thousands and thousands of dollars trying to have a baby, each time getting their hopes up and then getting let down over and over again. My heart goes out to these people and I pray every night that one day Allan and I will be able to have a happy, healthy family of our own. Would I adopt? I don't know...maybe, but I would be one of those people who would go through every other option before even thinking about it. I just feel like we are meant to be parents and cannot wait to see our baby one day- but all this infertility talk did freak me out. We have time and we are in no rush, sometimes I think wow how our life will change when we have a baby and it makes me be a little more patient, but then I think wow how our life will change and I get excited, so I definitely hit my baby want times and ok, let's be patient times, but overall it will happen when God wants us to be parents and we will be in love until then :)

What about you? What are your biggest fears?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

1/3 of a year Anniversary with the HubbY!

Tuesday was our 4 month anniversary- 1/3 of a year!! Some people think we are corny, but why not celebrate. We tried a new restaurant, I ordered him cupcakes and he sent me beautiful red roses! It was a great day!!!



YUMMY!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Put in my resignation on Friday!

So on Friday I resigned. I got offered a great job opportunity and cannot wait to enroll in their benefits. I have been at my company for over 3 years. I met my husband here, I recruited my best friend here and have made many new great friends. Although I have my reasons for leaving, I am a little sad to go. I have been very fortunate, constantly promoted, received raise after raise and even turned down a "what can we do to have you stay" talk. It was hard, but I feel like in my gut this is the right move. My new job is close to  home- don't even have to get on the interstate, it has great benefits, it is an international company (which to me is exciting), it uses great accounting/finance software and should be a great experience. Starting over always makes me nervous, but I am definitely looking forward to a change. Wish me luck!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Our Love Story...How we met

I met my amazing husband at work. He worked in IT and I was in Finance. I had just got my best friend a job at our company and he was hooking up her computer and we were chatting and started saying hi and noticing eachother in the halls and such. Then, over the next several weeks, I got emails about Friday happy hours from him, but declined. During these few weeks every time there was a problem with my computer or email, he would be there to fix it and he had been there 6 months at the time and I didn't even know his name, so this was odd. Finally, one week I told my best friend "please just let's go to this happy hour so he will quit asking us" (LOL). We get there and it was him, me and my friend, haha there was no real happy hour!!! We went and didn't really hit it off, but I knew he was a very nice guy and funny. So then the next week we went to lunch with a group and chatted more and went out for another happy hour- this is when we REALLY hit it off. I had butterflies! :) From then on, we began dating and going to more lunches and chatting on BBM ( Black Berry messenger) and it was fun. About 2 weeks in from just hanging at work and lunches, he asked if it would be ok for him to call me- HOW SWEET, RIGHT?!?! and I said yes and we chatted all night like highschool and then he finally asked me on a date and the rest was history! We quickly fell in love... <3

Monday, August 2, 2010

My Weekend

So we didn't make it to spin class Friday, because there wasn't spin class on Friday, but we went for a nice dinner at Cinco and went home to relax. Saw a couple movies with friends over the weekend. Inception- which was a great movie, it was kind of weird, but good and who doesn't like staring at Leo for a couple hours. Dinner with the Schmucks, not so great, pretty dumb actually. I mean there were definitely funny parts, but overall it was just too long.

We started leveling out the top of the hill for our fire pit area and it looks great so far. Well, I say we but actually, we picked some workers up from the corner and they knocked it out in an hour. Allan had a man's day with his friends son and I thought it was really cute- he even bought him his own work gloves. :) They cut the grass, trimmed the hedges and put in a new drain from our AC to our french drain outside to prevent it from getting all muddy over there.

Saturday we cooked pork chops, mac and cheese, green beans and strawberry shortcake for dinner and it was delish. Last night, we went to a friends house and had tacos. Oh, we also bought a new walk through gate to keep Otis out of the dining room and a new rug, but it is being returned- too small!

Overall the weekend was good and productive, but it just flew by way too fast.

Friday, July 30, 2010

YAY, Spin here we come!

So my hubby has had gout for almost a month now. I cannot believe that we have not been to the gym in that long. We usually go on our way home from work, so since he has been rehabilitating, I have just walked or jogged at home, but I miss my good workouts! I miss spin class! Ahhh, I just love leaving there covered in sweat, knowing that we have burned a solid 600 calories for the day. So relaxing and a great way to de-stress. He says he is up to going back now, so maybe, just maybe we can catch class tonight!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Update on front of neighborhood

After A LOT of complaining, the neighbor edged the front. It looks better, but still crappy. It is probably 85% weeds up there. I mean these people paid over $300k for their homes, you'd think they would care a little more, but o well, what do you do. Allan's month is August, so I told him we will do a good job when we do it, but we won't do it every week- the whole month of July- which was a long, rainy month- he cut it 2x, so why should we do anymore than that, afterall there are no expectations or standards....now I am going to try to get this off my mind and just let it be, but I am glad I was able to vent.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Entrance to our neighborhood



Look at this! Our Prez of the HOA decided on his own to have a neighbor rotation of the entrance instead of the professional service we agreed to. We were paying professional $50 per visit, so this is what we are now paying a neighbor $40 per visit to do. These pictures don't even do the terrible job justice, it is awful. I am soooo frustrated, but at this point I have complained and complained about it, so we will see what happens next.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Allergies

I have lived in GA my entire life, yes, ever since I was born and I still have these bloody allergies. Spring, Summer, Fall, it never fails, I always seem to be sneezing and get a runny nose and soar throat. I ate it! I take medicine and it helps slightly, but then when I try to sleep at night things always seem to be worse. My throat has been itching so bad for the past few nights that I haven't slept a wink. A couple of people I know take allergy shots- maybe I should try that?! :(

Thursday, July 22, 2010

1 of my new Summer Fav's



OMG- we picked this up from Walmart Sunday and just tried it last night. The hubby and I both agree- it is our new favorite. It is sooo good, you must try it. Oh, and it is slow churned, so 1/3 less fat, which is always a plus (lol).

What is Luck?

I heard this great quote last night.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity".   This is so true, I mean without being prepared you cannot take advantage of a good opportunity when it comes your way.

What do you feel Lucky for?

I feel so incredibly lucky for:

1) My Husband - he is a great guy, he is smart, loving and kind and would do anything for me.

2) My Family- they are amazing,  always there when I need them and very supportive.

3) My Health- I have faced some major struggles with my health, but I always realize it could be worse and I am lucky to have had the great surgeons that have made me feel better.

4) My career- I wasn't the college grad with straight A's, but I did well and went on to get my MBA all while working full time. I have moved up very quickly and am very proud of my career success.

5) My friends- I have the best friends in the whole world. From friends since kindergarten, to new friends, I feel truely blessed to have this extension of family.

6) My pups- of course my pups, they are so loving and always glad to see me, how could I not love them.

7) My home and other tangibles- I am so thankful to have all of these nice things. I try not to take them for granted.

All of these things that I am thankful for make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. My parents have been preparing me since I was a baby to be ready for opportunities as they come my way. Wether it was P.C. in grade school which really began my creative thinking and I am sure has something to do with my career today or showing me the values that I want in friends and a husband. All along life's way, I have been preparing for the amazing opportunities I have been so lucky to have.

Ok, well that was kind of deep, but I must say, I am a very lucky lady!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Who will Ali choose?

So are there any bachelorette fans out there? I couldn't believe last night's episode. Frank goes home to Chicago to get closure from his ex-girlfriend and then he realizes he still loves her and he wants to spend the rest of his life with here. From there he goes to the island to tell Ali what happened and that he needs to leave the show. Of course, she is devastated, it was obvious Frank was one of her favorites, but she realized he wasn't for her and she asked the other 2 guys, Chris & Roberto, to accept her roses. They did and in 2 weeks they meet her parents. Who will she choose? I cannot wait to find out. I am voting for Chris, he is such a genuine, family-oriented, all around good guy. Oh, and did I mention he told Ali he loved her last night?? It was so sweet!

Tune in on Monday August 2nd, at 8pm.

[caption id="attachment_380" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="http://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette "][/caption]

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Sad to say goodbye



So as of Tuesday, July 13th 2010 MTV's hit show The Hills is no longer with us. May it R.I.P.

I have been a dedicated fan and follower of the show since it began in Laguna Beach over 6 years ago. I am about the same age as the girls and so I have kind of felt at times like we grew up together. I know some of you may be laughing, but it is true and this being the real last episode makes me sad, very sad.

I remember when Lauren first came to LA and ironed her skirt for her Teen Vogue interview with her hair flat iron. I watched her go through relationships good and bad at the same time I was transitioning in mine as well. I watched her career take off and while mine is much different, I also went through that time where I began to really become successful also. I saw her and Heidi's friendship completely fall apart. I am going to miss the show and following along with all the drama, real and fake- since we now know some of the show was scripted.

Let us all please take a moment of silence in rememberance of the Hills. Goodbye L.C., Speidi, LO, Audrina, Brody, Stephanie, Justin Bobby, and everyone else...Goodbye "The Hills"! You will be missed.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Have you ever heard of Gout??

My poor hubby started complaining last Tuesday that his foot hurt. His big toe was swollen and he literally could not walk on his foot. We did some research and found out that he has gout. So if you are like me you are thinking, what the heck is that?? Well, it is caused from having too much uric acid. Your big toe is the most common place for it, but people get it in their feet or hands. Things that cause it are:  seafood, low carb diets, and scotch...well we had just got back from Canada where he was eating lots of seafood and drinking a whole lot of Johnney Walker Black- Scotch! He never drinks this, but he is paying the price now. I joke with him about being an alcoholic, but I really feel bad for him. He is in a lot of pain I know because for the past week almost every night between 2 and 4 am I don't sleep because he is up groaning. Hopefully he will feel better soon, but just wanted to share this very painful, accute disease with you all.

Monday, July 12, 2010

My best friend's ultra sound

So on Friday, I got to go to the ultra sound with my besty and it was soooo cool. It is so amazing looking at the baby. You can see the brain, the spinal cord, the little arms and legs kicking. Only thing we didn't see were the goodies. :( I tried to not bring it to her attention, but she remembered to mention that she didn't want to know the sex right before the tech began, I could tell she wanted to know a little bit, but she stuck to her guns and said she wanted it to be a surprise....boooo!!! I want to know, I want to have a welcome gift ready for my baby neice or nephew. I have a feeling it is a girl, but I have been wrong many times before. It is just that everyone we know is having baby boys, so someone is bound to have an adorable little baby girl. One thing is for sure, I cannot wait to find out, it is so exciting for them and I am so happy to have shared such a special moment with my best friend. Now, I have to start planning her shower...exciting!!!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Friday

It's Friday, It's Friday, it's the end of the week, it's my day! Wohooo, so happy for the weekend (as always)!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Baby Cohen

One of the blogs I follow is www.inthiswonderfullife.com and I have been truely touched by Megan's very emotional story. She is about the same age as me and even has a boston terrier. She recently had a baby, Cohen, and then Cohen went through a series of surgeries and past away only being 12 days old. It is a very long story, but Cohen had heart problems and Megan and her husband did everything they could to help him, but he ended up going to heaven. This is any families worst nightmare and I admire how brave her and her husband have been. She carried him for 10 months and fought and prayed for him, but there was nothing else they could do. No one deserves this and all anyone can do is pray for a healthy baby. My thoughts and prayers go out to Megan and her family and baby Cohen in heaven.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

My 1st Hindu- West Indies Wedding and my 1st trip to Canada...

So Thursday the hubby and I left for Canada. Our trip began with a flight to Buffalo. We boarded the plane, then we were told the plane's computer was not working and we needed to exit. We waited at the gate for about an hour and they told us to go to another gate that we would be catching a new plane in about an hour. So...we ended up getting there pretty late, but better to be safe. We picked up our rental car, which was sooo expensive for some reason they had all these little extra fees and the lady talked us into getting some insurance crap that she said we would HAVE to have to cross the border (and we did NOT need it).  So we started driving on our way to Ontario and then we are at a dead stop....Border Control!! about an hour and half later we made it to the front of the line and it took us 2 seconds to go through. The hubby was GREAT! He did all the driving while I slept, I was soooo tired.

We finally made it to our hotel around 1 am and we were pooped. Next day we went to spend time with his family, then off to the Hindu Ceremony. It was nice, very casual, nothing fancy except all of the outfits and LOONG, but a great experience. The bride's outfit was AMAZING, red & gold and beaded all over. It started at 4:30 and ended at 1:30, but we left around 11:30. It was a long day and we made it through the ceremony, dinner and a little dancing, so we headed back to get some rest.

Next morning, we woke up bright and early and headed down to Niagra Falls, Maid of the Mist. It was such a wonderful experience. We got there early, made it in the first group & just so happen to pick the best spot on the boat. I LOVED it. It was soooo cool, we were so close to the falls and the mist from it was pouring down on us like rain. I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

Here we are at the falls!

Then, back to the hotel to nap and get ready for wedding day 2. This was the more american version and the "reception". I was immediately more impressed when I walked in, the place was nice, there was an open bar and nice decorations- Oh, and did I mention 500 people! Yeah, it was crrraazzzzy!!! So from about 5-10:30 they did entrances and speeches along with appetizers & dinner. Then, from about 11:30-1:30 everyone danced the night away.

Around 1 o'clock fights started breaking out...yes, fights. I was scared at first and think I said several times, "this is so ghetto, who comes to a wedding and fights, how rude". Then, Allan and a couple other people were saying that this is normal for a west indies wedding, so I calmed down and continued to enjoy myself. It was a really nice wedding and I was so happy to be able to meet all of Allan's family.

So when the night was finally over we walked across the street to our hotel and went to sleep. Next day we got up early to head to the airport as we were not sure how long border control would take and it took no time at all, so we stopped at the outlet. I got some new shades and AL got some new sneakers, then we headed to the airport and caught our flight home. We were pooped from all the traveling, so we picked up the pups, went to dinner and hung out at the house with friends.

My 1st West Indies/Hindu wedding was a good experience. It was a long experience of 2 8 hour wedding days, but I enjoyed myself and so happy we made it to the falls while we were there. I got to meet a lot of Allan's family members, so that was nice.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Facebook pet peeves

So I was reading one of the blogs I follow and there was a post about the love hate relationship people have with facebook and I thought it was funny. I had my facebook page for a long time and very rarely got on- even when I do now it is for 5 minutes b/c I am bored and just want to see if there is any new pics of friends. Sometimes I think I should just get rid of it, but then I lose my connection to so many old friends. But, facebook is quite frustrating sometimes. Some of the many things that frustrate me are:

- How it sends me all these silly game updates for games I am not even a part of- I mean I don't care if you milked a cow on farmville this morning

-People who post 10 status updates a day. "Went to the store, bought milk, came home, took a nap, cooked dinner, ...." I mean really?? Who Cares?! Thank goodness for the hide button that is now available to hide people's status updates who you really don't care to read

-People who use it to be mean to other people- why? It is to connect with friends, not act like a 12 year old and start drama

-People who constantly make comments about their political views and put down others...I mean I get it, I am a firm believer in To Each is Own, but c'mon, you know all your facebook friends don't have the same beliefs and that is fine, but if all your posts are about politics/religion, etc then facebook probably isn't the right platform

Those are just a few. Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with facebook/myspace/twitter??

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A proud wife

Today I feel amazingly proud of my husband. I am always proud of him, but today I just want to tell you all how great of a husband he is. He is such a hard worker, such a good daddy to our puppies, such a good friend to me and all of his friends, a great brother, a loving son to his parents and son-in-law to mine, brother-in-law, co-worker, and so much more. I am proud of all he does and how hard he works. I know sometimes I can nag him or be hard on him, but I just want the best for him and have high expectations from him. Honey- I am very proud of you, thank you for all you do and I love you...now get back to work- can't wait to do some more home projects, lol.

Monday, June 28, 2010

My weekend review

So Friday as I was on my way to my hair appt and less than a 1/2 mile from the exit, I get a speeding ticket :(  It was sooo disappointing and heartbreaking, but I guess now I have to move on. It just freaking sucks, I was only speeding up to get around the slow line of cars to my right and over to the exit so the cars behind me wouldn't hit me. I was soo nervous that my hands were shaking and I could barely find my I.D. I guess the cop was nice enough to lower my speed by 3 mph so that I wouldn't get any points (according to him), but now I just have to wait for it to be submitted and see how much it is going to cost us $$. I was so upset, it is such a freaking waste of money, I know, I need to slow down, but I really wasn't going very fast. Ugh! :(   I am still sad about it. Anywhoo- I did end up making it to my hair appointment, but I was late, so they dyed my hair and I had to leave with it wet. It is definitely dark, not quite black, but close. Friday night we went to o'charley's with a few of our friends, it was a fun time, then Allan and I continued the fun at our neighbor friend's house. So as we were cracking open the cold beverages, there was a knock at the door- it was this creepy woman across the street saying "I saw a bunch of you hanging out so I came over". (She had a beer in hand)....so she sits down and begins to play cards with us. Since day 1, this woman rubbed me the wrong way and tonight was no different. I cannot count the # of smart comments she had to say. Saturday, we went to bike class and just relaxed, watched the World Cup then went to see Grown Ups- VERY funny by the way. Sunday, my mom came up, we watched some more soccer and cooked dinner last night. Other than the speeding ticket it was a nice weekend.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Today I am going back to the dark side...

So, I always go back and forth, but each and every time I get nervous....it has been I guess about a year since my hair has been fully dark (all one color), but I have decided (like I always do) to give it another try and to keep it dark. I am naturally very dark, near black, so I figure why not. I mean it is so much less expensive, less maintenance, so much more healthy looking and shiny, but yes, I am currently very pale. I used to go to the tanning bed and go to the pool and lay out, but now as an adult I care about my skin and want to protect it, not to mention, I HATE being in a bathing suit. After my colon surgery I was left with a little perma-pooch. Not that I loved my tummy before, but now I hate it. Anyways, back to the subject, today I am going to get my hair done and I am dying it all one color- DARK DARK BROWN. At first, until it has faded a bit, it will probably look almost black. Then, it will fade and probably too fast since the highlights were pretty light and I will have to go back and have them do it again. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Drinking beer good for you?!

So I personally cannot stand beer, but my husband is definitely a fan of the beverage. I was reading SELF.com and found this interesting article.

5 Healthy Reasons To Have a Beer Today
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 10:25 AM

  |  posted by Jenny Everett

It's Cinco De Mayo, which means one thing: Happy hour will be packed tonight. I'm usually a wine drinker because it's the healthier, less-likely-to-make-me-feel-bloated-tomorrow option. But tonight, in honor of Mexico's heritage (and, of course, $1 drafts!), I'm going with beer.

While drinking until you're smashed is linked to all sorts of badness (including breast cancer), beer in moderation (two drinks or less) actually has some real health benefits. So steer clear of the beer bong and have a couple of pints with a clear conscience-- here are five legit ways to justify tonight's Coronas:




1. IT MAY PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of California took on the very tough job of analyzing 100 commercially-available beers. They found that most of them contained enough silicon to benefit bone health (past studies have found that women who are light to moderate beer drinkers have better bone density than non-beer drinkers). Recommended daily dose: No more than two cold ones. And opt for Ales and Pale Ales, which have higher levels of the bone-bolstering silicon than darker varieties. 
2. IT MAY LOWER RISK OF HEART DISEASE

A number of studies have shown that moderate consumption of alcohol--beer included--may lower your risk of heart disease. In one Harvard study, healthy-minded types who rated their alcohol intake as moderate had 40 to 60 percent lower incidence of heart attack. 

3. HOPS MAY LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Research has found that hops--the bitter flavor that balances out the sweetness of beer-- is a great source of polyphenols, which lower bad cholesterol, fight cancer, to give your immune system a boost. This particular study was funded by a beer association (And, fun fact: The subjects were nuns!), but its findings have been backed up by unaffiliated experts who agree that, in moderation, the polyphenols in beer may have a positive effect on HDL and LDL.



4. IT'S A BRAINY BEV

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that moderate drinking may be associated with better brain function. Women who consumed up to two drinks a day scored 20 percent higher on a cognitive functioning test than those who had less than one drink.



5. IT CAN KEEP YOU HYDRATED

Researchers at Granada University in Spain say that beer beats water when it comes to hydration. Subjects ran on a treadmill in 104-degree temps until they couldn't take it anymore, then their hydration levels, motor skills, and ability to concentrate were measures. Half of the runners were given two half pints of Spanish lager while the other half were given good ol' H2O. The beer drinkers scored slightly better--a result that's attributed to sugars salts, and bubbles in the beer enhancing the body's ability to soak up water. As a bonus, the carbs replaced the calories they just sweated out. I'm going to stick to water post-workout, but at least I can feel confident that a few drinks tonight won't completely sabotage my workout tomorrow.


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Today's work meeting

So today the CEO of our company decided to finally give the corporate employees an update on the business. Are we going bankrupt? Is he leaving the company? etc. He begins by saying no, he is not planning on leaving the company and we are not just going to roll over and file bankruptcy, that the cuts are just cleaning house and they are needed. Then, he proceeds to ask employees over and over to step it up. Step it up, or there is the elevator. Step it up people, complacency will not be allowed! Ok, I mean yes, I agree that the people who stink at their jobs should probably be let go, but to the others who were listening and are working their asses off, this was probably not the best thing to boost their morale. We already only have a handful of employees who I would  consider valuable. The rest- you could go grab someone semi intelligent off the streets and replace. I mean I hate to say that, but do believe it is true. So why would you want to run the good ones away? It makes no sense. I would already bet that 80+% of the good employees are looking for new jobs and don't think today's meeting helped. I am been fortunate at this company, I have been moving up, receiving raises and treated pretty descent, but my husband hasnot been treated as well! He works his ass off- and is SOOOO Smart! Weird, being with him made me realize 2 things: 1. How good I have had it here and 2. How bad some other people have had it. Stay tuned....

Monday, June 21, 2010

My weekend review

Friday the hubs and I worked from home which was nice. That evening we had our neighborhood block party. Our prez decided we couldn't use HOA funds b/c of some non sense, so Adrienne (VP) and I (treasurer) ended up paying our own money to host the party- which is absolutely ridiculous, but you know...whatever. I mean we have 8 houses in our neighborhood, I think the HOA could have paid $50 to support the summer kick off, but it's over now, so I will move on. The party was fun, until our dogs got in a big fight over a raw hide at our neighbors house. Poor Otis was hurt once again. Saturday we woke up and spent about 7 hours helpnig our friends move into their rental...well Allan mostly was the one helping, but I was there too, lol. It took forever...but that's what friends do. We came home, rested, then went to Lowes and to get Allan's hair cut. At lowes we picked up some around the house projects (cabinets for the laundry room and a new ceiling fan for the office). I am really starting to love these little home projects, next weekend we are going to start our built in cabinets in the living room! :) Saturday night we had dinner at apple bee's...yummy, chocolate molten cake is my FAV! Then we rented some vampire movie that I cannot remember the name of- it was gross but a good movie. Sunday, Allan completed the new projects- which look great! I have the best hubby ever!!! oH, and we did the usual IHOP run for breakfast...I wanted to make him breakfast in bed, but we still had guests in our house, so I had to postpone until next weekend. Then, my Dad, step mom and sister came over and we cooked out for father's day and played a little lawn darts. It was a good weekend, lots of hard work, but I enjoyed spending so much time with my husband. Looking forward to him being a daddy next year on father's day (we hope).

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

No Baby this month...

So as you all know when Allan and I find out we are having a baby, we will be super, duper excited. My dad- probably not so much, lol. Anyways, we are not in a mega hurry, but we will be thrilled whenever it does happen. Not this month though, so now we just try, try again. And the trying part is the key. Although we are newlyweds, lately we have been soooo stressed out with work and everything else going on that we are neglecting eachother, but we talked about it and we know our marriage is our #1 priority- so that being said, we will give it another go and a month from now see. For now, we are leaving it in God's hands to decide when is the right time, but in about 6 months or so if we still haven't had any luck, we will visit the doctor to get their opinions also. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

People at work dropping like flies!

Man, we have laid off 100+ people this year, HR is sending out emails to let people know they can take unpaid time off and making it sound like a benefit, people are just on edge here. While we already are not a company filled with talented efficient employees, all the good ones are trying their best to get the heck out of dodge. Are we going to get paid? Is our name on the list this week? I mean this is just soooo stressful. Oh, and did I mention my husband and I work for the same company? Yeah, not the smartest thing in the world, we know, but this is where we met and so far we are both still here....stay tuned.

Congrats to our friends!

So I think I have mentioned that we currently have a packed house. Allan's good friends from Florida and Albequerque have moved to Atlanta and bought a jewerly store. So they along with their pregnant wives, adorable son and Moo Moo the dog are currently staying with us. They signed on the store yesterday and we toasted to champagne last night. How cool is that?! They dropped everything, quit their jobs and took a huge risk, while I am very very hopeful it will work out for them, I think it is cool either way. How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to do this, I mean I am just in envy. I wish them the best of luck...and hoping they find an awesome place nearby to raise their expanding families!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Today is my Mommy's birthday!

So today is my Mom's birthday and it just makes me think about how much I love her. She is such a great mom and although at times she gets on my last nerves and I may not be as nice to her as I should, I love her very much and would do anything for her like I know she would for me. She is a special education teacher with a huge heart. I have always admired her patience and understanding. Mommy- Happy Birthday, I love you!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

A successful 2 months, and a lifetime to go!

Today is me and my hubby's 2 month anniversary since we got married. Some people think we are silly for celebrating the months, but this is our first year being married and we are having a blast celebrating each and every moment. I couldn't have imagined marrying a better man. He is so loving and so kind, but yet so strong and manly and able to do anything from kill a bug to put up a garage door opener. He is so smart and intelligent and just absolutely everything I could ever ask for in a husband. Happy 2 months honey, I love you!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Going to start saving up for a Boat!

Do you remember the days when you couldn't wait till summer? No School, sleeping in, fun vacations...Ah, those were the days! Now, summer just means more things to do around the house, outdoor projects, hot sun, weddings, and a packed as usual calendar. Neither my hubby or I work for the greatest company right now, so I know I can't get too excited and go dig into our savings tomorrow, but I am going to start right away saving up for a boat. Nothing brand new or fancy, just a nice boat that can hold about 6-8 people that is affordable, runs well and looks descent. We live only about 15 minutes from the wonderful Lake Lanier, so what a great way to have those summers back that you look forward to. I can picture myself now relaxing out on the boat with my hubby, sitting on a raft near the boat and soaking up the sun.

Monday, June 7, 2010

My weekend review...

Friday my hubby and I worked from home which was nice because we got to sneak out and have lunch together. Then, we had dinner at a mexican restaurant with friends and went to see "Killers"- which was very cute. Man, Ashton Kutcher is so HOT! Saturday, we ran many errands, went through DVD's, took a big truckload of items to the goodwill, got some new silverware, which we love, went to the gym and did some clean up around the house. We also had our usual Saturday breakfast at IHOP. Saturday night was date night! We were celebrating 1 year since we got engaged so we went to an AWESOME italian restaurant and then we went to the Diner and got desert to go. We rented a movie and ate our cake in bed, which was delish and called it a night. Sunday, Allan made me breakfast in bed, LOVE our new waffle maker, we did more errands and clean up, went on a walk and went to our friends for a cookout. It was a great weekend! This week our friends are moving to Atlanta, so begining on Saturday we will have a very packed house. It is definitely going to take me some adjusting, but that is what friends are for.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Otis and his terrible habit

OMG, We cannot get Otis to quit eating poop. Overall he is a good boy, he holds his pee and poop in his crate all day while we are at work, which is amazing, but he has a couple of really gross habits that are driving me CRAZZZY!

1) he keeps pooping in the dining room. We don't use that room very often and there is a bamboo type rug in there. Not sure if he is getting confused and the texture reminds him of outside or if he just knows we don't use that area so he thinks he can get away with it, but it is driving me bonkers!

2) When he poops in the house, he keeps eating it! AHHHHHH, it is sooo gross. I don't know what he is thinking- maybe he doesn't want to get in trouble, not sure.

This little guy is sooo freaking adorable and so loving and I feel so bad for him the way Oreo is always attacking him, but we have got to break him of these horrible habits, they are just gross. He is only 7 months old, so I am hoping if we keep a better eye on him we can stop him from doing this.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Oh How I miss thee....

So as you will learn, I like to have everything on a schedule. My career, my marriage, my day to day life. I know, it is not good, but it just makes me feel focused and on track. It isn't extreme, I don't go walking around with a calendar or anything, but I do like to plan slightly ahead of time. Every Tuesday, my husband and I have been going to Hot Yoga class. Occassionally we would miss class due to having to work late or being out of town, but it was ok, because I knew class would be there next week. Well, the freaking gym went to a new summer schedule and bye bye 6:15 Hot Yoga. No...... How could they do this without consulting with me first? This was my 1 hour a week to put all my worries in a balloon and let them go. Of course, we had to pick our balloons up on our way out, but I was really starting to enjoy being able to completely relax and stretch out my body for an hour a week. Now- well now we have to wait until August for it to come back on the schedule.

So last night we replaced Hot Yoga with a spin class. I just bought my husband bike shoes for his birthday that clip into the stationary bike. First time around, he couldn't figure it out in time for class, but we went back and this time he got them in and loved them. I think it was the most I have ever seen him sweat. It felt good. We are by no means fitness gurus, but I LOVE to workout. I just like getting my time in the gym because it helps me de-stress and feel better and healthier- oh and I did mention that we love to eat right? Well yes, we do, so going to the gym makes me feel "more balanced". I had a really, really good routine and schedule prior to meeting the Mr. and since then we have been off and on- more on lately, which is good, but we are really trying to stay focused and hit the gym at least 4 days a week. Since it is summer time, I am going to look for some fun outdoor activities to get us active as well...Stone Mountain, the local boardwalk, maybe a few 5k's- who knows.

I am really looking forward to this summer with my husband.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My weekend

This weekend Allan and I got to meet our new nephew Aidan and visit my brother and sister-in-law. It started out rocky...we got off the preflight parking van and Allan realized he left his phone on it. Uh-oh! So he was crabby and pissed and wanting to stand there and wait till the guy came back around, keep in mind there are about 3 drivers and they only go to drop off passengers when they have someone flying out on that airline, so we very well could have been waiting all night. I came up with the BRILLIANT idea of going to the pick up area and wait for him there- which worked and he got his phone back. I am such a wonderful wife, I know. I was really happy our trip didn't begin on a sour note and that he found his phone, so off to our flight...well, then we find out our flight was delayed....and kept getting later and later as we sat and waited. Finally we boarded with a 5 hour delay on Spirit Airlines. Have I mentioned how crappy spirit is?? Yes, they sometimes have cheap fares, but their customer service is TERRIBLE, their planes are dirty and if you notice the crowd they attract is not the best either. Everyone was either pissed off or drunk by the time our plane left and the flight attendants were RUDE, that it was just not a good experience. I said I would never fly again and I mean it- well, unless the fare is incredibly, incredibly cheaper than Delta and it is a very short trip. We finally got to Florida and got to meet our new nephew...How cute is he!!!

It was sooo nice getting to meet him and visiting my brother and sister-in-law. We left bright and early Monday morning and once again, we had a delay, only an hour this time, thank goodness. We got to Atlanta, picked up our car and went to pick up our pups. Then, we came home and took a family nap, woke up and went to my dad's house to celebrate Allan and my sister's birthday with a cookout. Allan felt soooo special getting all the son-in-law and brother-in-law cards, it really made me happy!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Today has been a stressful day!

Whew, it has been quite a day at work today. I stayed up until 10:30 last night putting together a power point for an investor presentation today. Change this, change that, I don't like those colors, put it in this order....AHHHHHH, these people were driving me crazy. All of my slides were done by 5 pm, but some how I was the lucky one to be chosen to pull all of everyone else's slides together. I told them yesterday I would be in late today, but the emails began at 8 am to once again update the slide show that I thought was so badly needed to be finalized the night before. I just so happen to be in on time, because I went to sit for the CPA exam and they wouldn't let me since my last name didn't match my notice to schedule. I had my marriage license and my birth certificate, but they refused. I have called and emailed the Georgia coordinator about 10 times and NO RESPONSE! This is the "only person that can help me" and I have basically forfeited my $300 to take the exam according to the 3 people from NASBA that I spoke with. I have had nothing to do with this project up to this point and now I am having to explain other people's numbers...I mean really?!?!! When things don't even foot and they are hard coded in excel, how am I supposed to tell where the numbers came from, sometimes I do think these things just fall out of their ass. Work is getting worse and worse, I try to come in and as I would say it "just smile" and be thankful for my job, but sometimes it is hard. I mean we are all on the term list somewhere and they are getting pretty deep into the list, so who knows. And then, somedays I think I am safe, but then they will make a decision that I just don't get....OH not to mention my husband works here too....Yes, they support it for now, but maybe tomorrow there will be a new policy saying it is not allowed. Ugh, stress....why, why, why. You know the old saying, "don't put your eggs all in one basket?"- that is the saying, right?- well I am completely unboard with that saying. We definitely both want to keep our jobs for now, but probably not a great idea to think of this place as our long term career spot....I mean, I am just saying.

Ok, well that is all for now, I have to get back to reality!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Going out of town this weekend, leaving pups with 2 friends.


So this weekend Allan and I are headed to Florida to meet our new baby nephew Aidan. We decided to fly since we are limited on time and my mom is already booked to dog sit for my sister this weekend, which means we had to find someone else to watch Oreo and Otis. Oreo still doesn't absolutely love the thought of Otis, I mean for the most part she loves him and gets along with him, but every once in a while she just decides she has had enough and goes off on him- which makes me nervous, so we decided we would seperate them for the weekend so that no one else has to possibly deal with the 2 of them fighting. See, Otis is very timid. He cowards down to our neighbors 2 pound chihuahua and rubs up next to her saying, "be my friend, be my friend". He is the cutest, sweetest little guy ever- and thank god for that, because Oreo is definitely the Alpha dog in our house. She does not like other dogs being in her house and boy does she not like them coming near the bed. So this weekend Oreo will be staying with my best friend who does not have another dog in the house, so she should be fine. Otis is staying with a good friend of mine from work, who does have another dog, and I know he is in good hands. I wish I didn't have to seperate them, and I hope they don't suffer any emotional distress from this, so crazy how just leaving town for a couple of days and the thought of our pups not being there makes me sad already...

Monday, May 24, 2010

Today is my Hubby's b-day!

So today is my husband's birthday, happy birthday honey, I hope the coming year brings you all you wished for! This weekend we went out with friends, it was a lot of fun, we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives. Saturday we did dinner at Cantina, a fun mexican restaurant in Buckhead and then went to The Havana Club. It was our first time there and we had fun, but I was tired by midnight, lol, I am so boring! Does anyone else need to be tipsy before they hit the dance floor at a club? I totally do! I just need the liquid confidence, which I did not have on Saturday night. My husband LOVES to dance, he is so outgoing and energetic, so sometimes I feel bad, but he knew that he was marrying a boring old woman at heart. Anyways, it was a fun night, there was a great band playing so I enjoyed that. I can't believe how quick time goes by, feels like we just celebrated his last b-day. I hope this year is as wonderful as the last year was. Since his last birthday, we got engaged, got married, friends got married, pregnant & had babies, we bought a house, my sister bought a house, we got a new puppy (Otis) our nephew was born and so much more.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Baby Fever....we have it!

So I have talked about this before, but does anyone else have the baby itch? Allan and I just got married in April and have only been together for almost 2 years, but we cannot wait to have a baby. Everyone around us is having babies- his friends, which is pretty normal because they are hitting their 30's- but even my friends who are mostly mid 20's. I am begining to think there is just something in the air...and it is spreading like wild fire. We don't know when the timing is right, I mean who does? I think people either reach a certain point or age in their life where they decide to go for it now before they lose their chance, or it just suprises you, but either way most of the time they are in for a suprise and definitely a life changing event. Where we are in our lives we feel like we can handle it, we don't want to say it is going to happen this month or say we are going to wait a year...we just will see what happens, but if it doesn't happen with in 2 years, we will be visiting a doctor, lol. There are many reasons for us to wait and reasons for us to go ahead and do it, so who knows...! My best friend is pregnant and she is letting the sex of the baby be a suprise- who does that right? Well, she does. Her and her husband are care- free and simple, and I think it is so cool how they are going to let it be a suprise, I could never do it, so I envy them and I cannot wait to see what it is going to be- I am guessing girl by the way! They are picking names for both and the initials will be the same if it is a girl or boy, which is cool. For as long as I can remember, I have always known I wanted to be a mom some day and have been picking out my baby names, but my favorites have changed over the yearts, so this has me thinking...what will Allan and I name our babies? I have my favs, but you just never know until you are planning what you will go with.

My top girl names are:
Peyton, Chloe, Adrianna, Avery, Zoe, Sofia, Bailey, Mallory, Olivia
My top boy names are:
Mason, Parker, Logan, Miles, Landon, Owen, Max, Brady, Brody, Nathan "Nate" for short

For the girl middle name definitely Rose- it was my grandma's middle name
For the boy middle name...want to do something with a family name, but haven't decided

My favs are of course based on how they sound with my new last name and other things as well. You will see the influence to the TV shows I love in here, lol, but I think that is ok. I know 1 day Allan and I will be selecting our babies name and I know we will both be extremely excited to do so.