Greetings from Denver!!

I'm writing from Denver today. I've wrapped up day one of Pure Barre training and am relaxing in my hotel. Day two kicks off early tomorrow and then it's back home. It was a long day and I am sure I will be sore tomorrow, but overall I am having a great time. We learned a lot of material and it was definitely overwhelming in a sense, but not as bad as I had imagined. Best of all, I am handling the elevation difference without any problems. My biggest fear was feeling nauseous or faint - I survived without either of those feelings.

Outside of prepping for training I didn't make a lot of time for other things. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of practicing, taking classes, working and finding time to sleep. I have a feeling this upcoming week will be the worst, but then it will be smooth sailing.

Of course, I am way behind on Christmas and holiday planning. I know there is still a decent amount of time left before Christmas, but I feel like the time is slipping by quickly. Maybe it's the 50* weather. Or the lack of mall shopping. I did get the inside of the house decorated. We're slacking on the outdoor lights, but maybe we will get them up soon. I was planning to upload some pictures of the tree, but I of course forgot the cord. I will try to remember to post a couple in the next couple of days.

Well, this post isn't as exciting as I had originally planned. I figured with some down time I would finally be able to put something together and fill you in on the latest news. However, I keep getting distracted and now I am getting tired. I will do better next time :)

Thankful

There is so much to be thankful for this year.
Just in the last couple of weeks we've celebrate a number of milestones. Drew reached 10 years in the military and last weekend was officially promoted to Captain. I had the honor of being a part of the ceremony by switching out his badge. Of course, his sisters attended the ceremony, as well as his two uncles whom Drew is close to and his two cousins.

 He was also surrounded by a number of soldiers who he has grown close to in and outside of the armory. Major Moore then gave him the rest of the drill day off to celebrate. Traveling Drew even made an appearance :)

It was a great way to enjoy the Sunday, especially with the number of days we will spend apart as the holiday season nears.

If you can believe it, Monday marked our sixth month anniversary! Six months already!? Time is flying. We are having a blast in the process and definitely staying busy. May 2013 will be here before we know it.

Speaking of busy, this week has been one of the most draining weeks at work. We are gearing up for two projects to go out on Monday and in the process I have been spending most, if not all of my time, researching for both projects. Add all of that on top of prepping for Thanksgiving and Wednesday felt like Friday. The good news is Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. We pulled through with a bit of teamwork and hosted our first Thanksgiving. Our two main priorities included recovering the dinning room chairs and the turkey. Holy cow did I not realize how long it would take to cover the chairs! My hand was raw from de-stapling them. Then, our staple gun wasn't strong enough. Luckily, I was able to borrow one from a friend. Needless to say, we got them done (recovered and re-paded) before guests arrive - even if it meant recovering chairs at 1am!

We both got up early to finish preparing. I worked on the turkey and Drew spent some time with his cousin and uncles at his uncle's farm. It was good for him to get out and enjoy the day without having to think about work at all.

Thankfully, all of our guests were willing to help in the food department - a big thanks to Mom, Dad, Matt, Kevin, Jill and Gayle! We had tons of side dishes and desserts to top off the turkey.

Overall, it was a fun and relaxing (yes, I said relaxing) day with family. The 60* weather didn't hurt either. Lexi spent nearly the entire day outside from greeting our guests to watching the neighbors.

Personal Artwork

As promised, here is the post on the homemade artwork I created Monday. I had hoped to create a second one this evening, but some other things came up that I needed to take care of ASAP.

I came up with the idea after seeing a post on another DIY blog. Not wanting to spend a lot of money, I figured I could create a similar art piece using burlap and stamps. Once I got to the craft stores I had difficulty finding the stamps I was imagining so I opted for stencils and fabric paint. Then, using a sponge brush I "stamped" the paint into the stencil. Of course, I messed up at the end so this is actually take two of my project. I'm sure you already guessed that the numbers are dates. Each one is special to us. (Our first date. Our engagement. Drew's return from Iraq. Wedding.) And, since 19 has turned into our special number I decided to highlight it in red. I should point out that I didn't have any intentions of showcasing one date per year. It just happened to turn out that we have had one very significant date each year since we've met. Of course, I could add buying the house to it, but I didn't want the numbers to get too squished.

I bought the frame a long time ago at Kroger for a couple of bucks. (*Yes, that is a price tag/sticker you see through the back of the burlap. The frame is two pieces of glass back to back - originally meant for a floating picture and the glass around the sides.) I need to find Drew's goo be gone to take the stickers off. Overall I think the entire project cost less than $10.

I still have a decent amount of burlap leftover so I am planning to do the same thing with a bible verse from our wedding and hang it in the bedroom. We desperately need some wall art in that room.

*Once again, I took a really good picture of this, but it keeps loading on to the site facing the wrong way. And, I too lazy/tired right now to go back downstairs and take another picture. So bear with the first shot with all of the TV wires and distractions in the background.

Never a Dull Moment

I joke with Drew all the time that there is never a dull moment between the two of us, and today was one of those days. After what seemed like a week of things going against me - my face breaking out and me burning my forehead with my curling iron so bad I've been wearing hats - but things seem to be looking up. For nearly a year now I have been taking Pure Barre classes. It's a workout that mixes ballet and pilates. I started taking classes after buying a Groupon last December and have been hooked ever since. It's the only thing I've done consistently on my own. I was taking classes nearly everyday before the wedding and noticed big changes. right now I've cut back a little bit taking classes 3-4 times a week. My goal is always 5, but you know how life gets in the way. Well, a couple of months ago I asked the owner about the process of becoming an instructor. At the time she didn't need one, but was glad we talked for future openings. See, each owner pays for the training of all his/her instructors so it's a big investment. Fast forward to today and I am signed up to get trained! Yes, the owner of the local studio and I talked today and everything seems to be aligning. One of the instructors is moving on and has created an opening. Plus, all PB instructors must get trained at the corporate headquarters in Denver and there just happens to be a training session next month for Pure Barre 1 certification.

Lea, the local owner, and I will continue to meet over the next couple of weeks to prepare me for training, but I am overly excited about this opportunity.

I know I promised a homemade art project, but if you don't mind I will post it tomorrow! 

Gobble Gobble

I have been feeling quite crafty over the last week and couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive to get started on a project - which first meant a trip to Hobby Lobby and Michaels since I do not have a lot of items at the house. I really am a novice at DIYing, but my recent  interest in Pinterest and DIY blogs has me wanting to try. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I have so many ideas that it was hard to decided where to start. I opted to begin with a Thanksgiving themed project. As I wrote last month, I didn't have a lot of inspiration for a Halloween wreath, nor did I see one I cared to buy. Originally, I planned to update the R for Christmas and or make a similar one. Well, I was inspired to create a special one for Thanksgiving, especially since we will be hosting family at our house this year. (*More on that later.) After a bit of tulle, yarn, styraphome and paint and I came up with this:

 

Mr. Turkey is now hanging outside our front door. And, despite all the rain and wind we've had over the last 24 hours, all of his feathers are still intact :) I have to say, while parts of the process were tedious, I had a lot of fun creating the wreath. It turned out just as I had hoped and it adds a bit of color to the front.

My second project from this weekend is currently drying. Once I put it together I'll take a picture and share it. I'm really happy with how it turned out and may even do another version. I really should be focusing on covering the chairs in the dining room since they really need to get done before Thanksgiving, but I am having a lot of trouble finding the right fabric. The current fabric is cream with TONS of gross stains. Drew got the table set from one of his mom's neighbors back in the day. I'm pretty sure the fabric has never been changed out. I'll also probably need to add new padding as well. Needless to say, the seats should probably be a priority, but there are so many other fun things I want to work on in the meantime that it is hard to focus.

Thank You Veterans

A big thank you to all of our veterans and service members supporting our wonderful country. I know I've learned a lot through Drew's involvement in the military and deployment to Iraq. I am so proud to call him my husband. I think the hardest thing about being an "Army wife" or a family member of a service member is never being able to fully understand the things Drew goes through, and or does for our freedom. I will never be able to relate to boot camp or his time overseas, or ever fully imagine the people he worked with and or met during his deployment. But, I do know I can make up for that through showing my support and willingness to try and understand. And, speaking of Drew, it's hard to believe, but as of the 9th, he has been in the military for 10 years! What an accomplishment. Other than school, I have never been a part of something for 10 years. I know I talked about it months ago, but next weekend he will officially be a Captain. His promotion ceremony is set for Saturday! This will be my first promotion to attend, so I'll give you an update next weekend.

Red, White and Waiting

I have been stalking news sites all day, anxiously waiting for preliminary results. I think it's the news junkie in me. Although, it is nice not to have the stress of producing a show on my shoulders. (This is also the first time in the last 8 years I have not been a part of the media. In 2004 I was writing for the school newspaper and in 2008 I was working at an ABC affiliate in Washington.) While election newscasts tend to write themselves, they are extremely stressful given how quickly result percentages can change. I do not envy my news friends in that regard. I do envy their ability to get the information first.

I think we are going to be waiting longer than usual to learn who will be the (next) President of the United States. My guess is that the results will be close and therefore there will be numerous re-counts, etc. Not to mention candidates/parties proclaiming voter fraud due to the "inaccuracy" of some of the voting methods - email (in places Hurricane Sandy hit hard), electronic, mail-in, etc.


This election year has been an interesting one, to say the least. I will not miss the commercials (TV or radio) mail fliers, or people knocking on our door, but it is exciting to read and hear about how many people are utilizing their right to vote. Maybe this will be one for the record books. In Northern Kentucky, voting locations are running out of ballots. I've read comments to articles and Facebook of older adults suggesting this is the most important election of their lifetime. I read another story about a pregnant Illinois woman whose water broke early this morning, but she waited to go to the hospital after the polls opened so she could stop and vote first.While I am not suggesting anyone give birth at the polls I find it unfortunate that people have not always taken advantage of their right to vote.

I will end my election day rant post with a funny story from my voting experience today. As the lady handed me my ballot she got extremely excited as my ballot was number 21, meaning I was the 21 person from our precinct to vote. Her excitement was due to the fact that she assumed I was also 21 years old, and this may have possibly been my first election. Unfortunately, I had to burst her bubble as she was off quite a few years. She and her worker friend seemed slightly stunned and responded that I must get carded often.

Bad News Bengals

It was another disappointing loss for the Bengals yesterday. I had high hopes for them at the end of the third quarter/start of the fourth, but things went down hill fast. I shouldn't have been surprised though considering I have never attended a winning, regular season game. In the past, Drew and his sister's banned me from coming, but with an extra ticket and a losing record, I couldn't do much damage. Overall, we had a good time and stayed relatively warm when the sun was out. We kept laughing at Jill who was wearing 50 shades of orange between her scarf, gloves, socks, etc.

 

Of course, Lexi slept the entire day away and was ready to play at bed time. I think I saw every hour last night (she didn't settle down until 5:30am) and it has made for a VERY LONG day. To my neighbors, yes, my dog was the one running around the outside of our house at 3:30 am. As much as I didn't want to have to take her to daycare this week, I knew if I didn't she would sleep all day (having been up all night) and the vicious cycle would continue. I've been watching her on the webcam at the facility and she hasn't sat down once! I am looking forward to having a very tired pup. She and I will be in bed early.

October wrap up

Halloween at the Rothmeeler house wasn't quite as exciting as I had hoped. I have an entire bag of candy leftover, plus some other pieces from the first bag - and I was generous. We probably had about 30 kids. I blame the rain. It was fun to go home early and attempt to participate, though. Lexi got in on the fun and was quite the entertainment for some of the trick-or-treaters.

I bought this bumble bee costume last year because it was the only XL costume at Target. I think we had a volleyball game that night so we weren't around, but it made it to the new house and I knew just where to keep it until the big day. Lexi, surprisingly didn't mind the outfit. She just didn't like the antenna things that went around her ears. A couple of shakes and they were off! overall, Lexi did great. She greeted all of the kiddos at the door, and gave them all a good sniff. One young girl even commented that her dog would be barking and trying to eat the kids! A mom with her daughter said that Lexi was the funniest thing she had seen all night :) I think the rain helped keep Lexi in the doorway and from running out into the yard. I can bet that a number of kids wouldn't come up the driveway with her running freely.

I also tried to spread some Halloween cheer at work. I made some gluten free chocolate chip cookies and these Monster fingers :)

Pumpkin Party

Last night I had a little pumpkin party by myself. I figured it was one of the last nights I could carve the pumpkins out front so I picked up some carving utensils and got to work while watching Hocus Pocus on TV. It's not Halloween without Hocus Pocus - It still cracks me up that Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the Sanderson sisters. But back to pumpkins. Drew bought three pumpkins a couple of weeks ago, and while we usually carve them together we just didn't have the time this year. Not to mention, usually I get all excited about carving and half way through I'm frustrated or tired of scooping out the insides. So this year I decided to go the semi-easy route. In pumpkin one: I poked a bunch of holes and after seeing it lit up, I think I need more.

I actually used Drew's power drill to start the holes and then went over them with one of the carving tools (and still ended up breaking the cheap tool in the process).
Pumpkin number two: I attempted to carve an "R".

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as great as I expected (it's a little skinnier than I'd like), but I guess that happens when you carve free hand. Pumpkin number three is still uncarved. I was tired of carving by the end of the second one and I have broke half the tools. If I have some extra time tomorrow I might try to carve something quickly, but at least two of them are finished.


Lexi of course wants nothing to do with the pumpkins and wasn't much help :) She did seem to enjoy Hocus Pocus, however.

One quick note, for the first time, I decided to cut the bottom of the pumpkin off instead of the top and it was so much easier to scoop out the insides. I had a lot more room to dig around and while I was poking pieces through from the outside it just landed on the plastic bag underneath. I didn't have to scoop the pieces out later. As you can see, the pumpkin sits nicely on the front porch, right over top of the candle. I will definitely do the same thing next year.

Feels like Fall

Just as it's starting to feel like Fall outside, I've started to spruce up the house with some Fall decor. Last weekend I worked on adding a little Fall to our lanterns: a few leaves, a pumpkin and an acorn and they were good to go.

Once again, I can't get the image to flip!

It helped too that everything Fall related is 40% off at Hobby Lobby right now. I've been wanting to add something homey to our front door, but haven't seen anything I like, or that isn't too expensive. I opted for a wooden "R", some black spray paint, and orange and black ribbon. After a bit of primer, and the spray paint I came up with this:

I decided to use a magnetic hook instead of an over-the-door hook, to keep the door from getting scratched. Drew suggested putting some of the felt pads you put on the bottom of chairs on the back of the R to keep it from making marks on the door if it swings from the wind or the door being opened and closed. 

What is great about this door decor is I can update the ribbon as the seasons change. Plus, I can always tie on a little acorn or bell to jazz it up a bit for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And, the whole thing cost me less than $10.

And yes, that is an angel to the left of the door. One of Drew's friends left it on our porch as a joke and it's way too heavy for me to move myself. I need to get the dolly to move it to the back, somewhere! It's a little creepy out front. Drew suggested putting a costume on it, but I thought that might be a bit inappropriate - it is an angel!

Blog Stalker

Over the weekend I had one request... I wanted to attend a book fair and meet two bloggers who I follow pretty religiously. I know, dorky, right? I've been following the blog Young House Love for quite some time now. I originally came across the blog way back during wedding planning mode when I was looking for wedding DIY ideas. Through my search I landed on the blog and read all about how they (Sherry and John are the bloggers) hosted their wedding in their backyard, which included re-modeling their backyard, cooking for all the guests, creating the invitations, centerpieces,etc. etc. It's very impressive. Eventually, I moved on and found some other sites. Then, through playing around on Pinterest I came across the site again. Around that same time I read about bloglovin, a site where you can sign up your favorite blogs and get a compiled email each night that lets you know when the blog(s) is updated. This was around the time that we moved or were planning to move so needless to say, I was hooked on Young House Love.

Additionally, I think I found myself  relating to the authors a lot as they originally started blogging to share their kitchen remodeling stories with their family and friends. Overtime their site has become one of the top DIY sites. It's also turned into their business. Over time both John and Sherry quit their jobs and work full-time on the blog. They aren't experts. They are just two people who aren't afraid to try new projects in their home and write about it.

Okay, back to the book fair. Drew agreed to get up early (I picked him up from the airport at midnight and it was definitely after one before we went to bed) and join me. I should mention, that when I read they were doing a book tour for their DIY book that comes out next month I figured they would hit the bigger cities and never make it to here. Low and behold this was their first stop! In addition to handing out and signing books, they shared a PowerPoint presentation. Luckily, we arrived early and got a seat. While I don't think Drew was thrilled be up early and at a book fair, he was quite surprised by how many men were in the room. And, I think he enjoyed the presentation and learned some fun tips. I definitely heard him laugh quite a few times.

Since they were running out of books and I already pre-ordered mine on Amazon (supporting the hubby!) we didn't stick around for the book signing portion. But.... that didn't stop me (or us) from inching our way up to the front to talk to them before they left the presentation room. Thanks to some nudging from Drew (who said I was being too polite) we made our way up and had a short conversation with them. I had seen on Facebook the night before that John tried Skyline, and so my stalker/journalistic self wanted to find out his impression. He liked it. I then continued to have a conversation with Sherry about her Skyline and general thoughts of Cincinnati, etc. Drew asked them if they ever get tired of doing projects and then he took our picture. I know, I am a total nerd. And the picture is quite blurry. And not my best look.

Not to mention, I felt quite stalkerish. I told Drew on the way to the book fair that while I have never met these two people before, I feel like I know them. I read their stories and have watched their videos they post. Now I have a picture with them and they have no idea who I am. I guess that's just how things work out. Overall, it was a fun morning and I am looking forward to my book arriving soon. In the mean time, I will continue to read Young House Love and try to be a little bit more creative with our home.

Big News

Big news, means big changes when it comes to the Rothmeelers. The news actually revolves around Drew. He got a job with Amazon as an Area Manager! We are both very excited about this opportunity as it came out of the blue. He actually applied last year when he returned from Iraq. The company didn't have any opportunities available so we forgot about it and he decided to get his real estate license. Last month a recruiter for Amazon called and asked if he was still interested and would want to interview. Using it as a learning/practice experience he said yes, why not. He interviewed and a couple of days later he was offered a job. The company offers great benefits, pay, and above all, they know he is in the military and may need time off here and there for drill. Let me tell you, that is HARD to come by these days. That was one of the things that was nice about Drew being his own boss and making his own schedule.

Another unique thing about the job is he works four 10 hour shifts a week, so he can continue to do real estate on the side.

There is one catch... the job isn't in town. However, considering what we've been through, it's totally doable - which is why we are excited. Drew and I have been through a lot, and through it all we've learned some important things about our relationship. We know how to communicate with each other and therefore we communicate very well. We trust each other and we support each other. We're also very comfortable on our own and have learned to be much more grateful of the time we share together. We also realize that we are young and it's important to take these types of chances or try these new things while it's just the two of us. We do see a family in our future and we want to be as financially prepared as possible. Why not have a little fun and live a little crazy right now :)

Oh yea, I should add, we/I am not moving :) Our new home will continue to be our permanent home.

26.2 miles...shoeless

I know I usually write about things going on in my/our life(s) but I came across this sports article and I want to share.

Two years ago I did the Flying Pig half Marathon and it kicked my butt - okay, technically it made my hips ache in pain and thighs and calves turn to jello, but you know what I mean (you can read all about my experience here). My excuse: I didn't train enough. I didn't do long runs. I didn't practice hills. And, I haven't done a marathon since - full or half. Although I did consider running last year's race, but it was the weekend before our wedding, and I thought I might get a bit overwhelmed with the training.

Flash forward to today. I came across this story about a guy who ran the Baltimore Marathon in flip-flops! I can hardly wear flip flops walking around for a couple of hours before getting crazy blisters or sores - y feet ache for him! I should also mention, he finished the race in under 3 hours and came in 29th place out of 3,024 finishers. The thing is, he isn't the first runner to do something crazy for a race. I remember seeing runners run barefoot, and whether or not they did the half or the full marathon is in different. It cannot be comfortable!

You can read the full story here and find out what he says about running another race in flip flops.

Maybe this year I will lace up my running shoes again. If this guy can do it in flip flops, I can at least do the half...

Hanging up our dancing shoes

Wedding season has come to an end in the Rothmeeler house. Since November of last year we have attended three weddings and hosted our own. Now, I realize that is not that many, as some of our friends have attended double/triple that amount, but for us, it is the most either of us have had in one year. As of right now, the next wedding is in February.

A little reminder of the weddings:

Josh and Renae - November 10

Ours May 19!

 

Stephany and Dan - September 22

Drew walking the bride's mom down the aisle

  

Lesley and Nat - October 13 (Isn't the flower girl adorable?! And, yes, they brought me a g-free cupcake)

 

*ughh I still can't seem to get the spacing and pictures correct. I was really hoping to add a lot more - oh well.
**Many of the pictures are courtesy Gayle Rothmeeler - Life Through the Lens Photography

Cincinnati is Special

I have been working on another blog post, but it's causing me some issues as I try to load pictures. In the mean time, I came across this article, thanks to a friend on Facebook. It's the top 10 surprising things about Cincinnati from a non-Cincinnati native. It's a fun read. I actually didn't know about #8 on the list, the Gothic cathedral.

You can read the article by clicking here. Beware, if you are like me, you will be craving Skyline at the end :)

Party Planning = Deadline

There is nothing like planning a party when your house is a disaster. Last weekend marked Drew's 29th birthday and we thought it was a perfect opportunity to have some friends over to the house and celebrate. It also meant having a deadline to get the house in order - which seemed like a perfect plan until it meant spending the last couple of nights up until all hours of the day. We made the decision to have a party about 2 weeks prior to the party. Originally that seemed like plenty of time, until we looked at the calendar and realized our weekends were already jam packed leading up to the party. Drew was out of town for Army training and would leave a again for a day and a half, I had a baby shower/former work get together, we had a wedding (which Drew was a groomsman and also meant a rehearsal dinner Friday night), family gathering in Ripley at Drew's uncle's farm (pictures to come), as well as the usual work schedule. Needless to say, we didn't have as much time as we had hoped to get things together. Luckily when Drew wasn't working he was at the house cleaning.

We did get a decent amount of the anesthetic (painting, pictures hung) jobs done prior to all of this, but we have lots of "grand" plans that we want to accomplish. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time. We had to focus on organizing and cleaning. We figured people will understand if not every picture is hung or room is properly lit. For example, our garage looked like this:  

 

The good news is, it is currently cleared out and can fit two cars inside. We did some tweaking to the dinning room. I think the last time I wrote we were planning to put the re-painted china cabinet in that room. Well, after moving it in there we decided we thought our other cabinets would look better in there and moved the china cabinet to our living room/empty/still trying to decide what to do with room, room. Drew also finally acquired the dinning room table and chairs he got from an old neighbor friend years ago. Add a couple of pictures to the wall and the dinning room looks like:

We still have a couple more things to hang, including a large mirror to go on the wall across from the wall with the pictures. Our living room/empty/still trying to decide what to do with room, room cleaned up as this:

Eventually we are planning to see what it would cost to knock down that wall to the left. The other side is our family room, which would then create one large room. The downside is we think the wall is a weight baring wall, so 1. it could get pricey and 2. we need to make sure the contractor is a legitimate/well experienced contractor. Speaking of the family room, this is where we relax after a long day and watch TV.

We just recently moved the couch to this position. I like it better along the wall where the blue chair currently sits, but Drew likes to watch TV straight on (whereas I like to lay down and watch it sideways). A couple of weeks ago we finished the bedroom, ie. hung the curtains. I don't think I ever posted a picture, so here is the "final" product. *ps. The coloring still doesn't look right in the picture. The walls are not purple. They are a grey color. It also looks really small/warped. Weird.

 I'd eventually like to get a large standing mirror to lean against the wall, but we have plenty of time for that. We still need to paint the bathroom the same color as the bedroom, but I am not in any rush. Maybe in the winter? The guest bathroom. We haven't done anything to this other than I hung up an old shower curtain and towel, and put stuff in the cabinet. Guest bedroom number one is ready for guests. Again, other than filling it with furniture we didn't do anything.

Second bedroom: AKA Drew's ironing room. I didn't take a picture of that because it's just a room with an ironing board. Pretty boring. Bedroom number three is now an office.

For some reason this picture won't turn the right way!

The basement still needs some TLC. Drew has A LOT of ideas for this space. Once we decide how we want to repaint it and what Drew's grand plans for the bar consist of we'll hang some pictures. Until then, it is extremely useable and cozy. Perfect for having friends and family over.

I think that covers most of the house, other than the kitchen and bathroom on the main floor. As you can see from the pictures Lexi is enjoying all of the space. She practically photo-bombed every picture! The former owners also seem to like what we've done to the space. Drew told them to stop by on the night off the party and they thought the colors in the living room made it look larger. They were also amazed by how large the bedroom looked. The entire time they lived in the house they had their bed on the other wall and never considered putting it on the wall we chose. We laughed as Drew and I disagreed about which wall to use and I eventually gave in and we used his idea :)
* I have no idea why some of the pictures look warped, or are different sizes. I think my camera is getting old and tired

Family Comes First

I started this post back on the 26th, but just didn't have the heart/motivation/desire, etc. to write. My uncle (dad's brother) Tommy passed away suddenly on Sept 13 at the age of 65. Now, it's almost a month later and I am just taking the time to share the event. My uncle's death was hard on me for a number of reasons. It was unexpected - and I had just seen him not to long ago laughing, joking and being his usual self; Drew was out of town; I felt helpless because there wasn't anything I could do; and above all, it's been a long time since someone close to me has died. Last year, one of Drew's soldiers was killed in a motorcycle accident shortly after returning from Iraq. I remember it was emotional, but I never had the chance to meet him personally so it didn't quite set in the same way. I will say, the day of my uncle's passing I left work early and had dinner with parents and brothers and it made a world of a difference. I am so glad I did. It helped to spend time with my dad not only to support him, but to see that he was doing okay. Sure, he was upset, but he was strong and sharing fun stories about his brother.

When it came time for the visitation and burial I was grateful by the support from family members. Drew got his flight changed and was able to come home early for the funeral, both of his sisters came to the visitation, and my mom's brother, sister and sister-in-law also showed up, as well as friends/co workers of my parents. Seeing so many familiar faces of both friends and family reminded me just how lucky I am. Not only have I grown up surrounded by loving and supportive family and friends on my mom and dad's side, but I married into a loving and supportive family circle as well. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

I know I could have skipped over this event to post more upbeat, happy stories, but it didn't seem right. Plus, it feels better to share and reflect on the good things that I took away from my uncle's death. He was a great man and will be missed. I know he is with my grandparents, looking down and watching over his family.

Mad, bad dog

This was the scene I came home to Monday night.
 
Apparently, miss Lexi was not happy when Gayle left her during the afternoon. What you see destroyed all over the floor is tissue paper. Lexi found the entire package I had just purchased over the weekend and decided she needed to show us she does not like when people leave her. Let me set the situation: Drew and I had to leave really early that morning and usually he is home way before me. Well, in this instance, she was going to be left alone until I got home from work (13 hours later). So, I asked Gayle to stop by mid-day to let her out. I'm guessing that when Gayle left, Lexi was not happy. Not to mention, I/we usually give her a little treat when we leave to keep her distracted in the moment and Gayle did not. Lexi therefore declared war on the bag of black and white tissue paper. She also moved her blue and white blanket from the family room to the kitchen and tossed the kitchen hand towel under the chair.

What's funny is she knew she was in trouble as soon as I walked in the door. She layed down and lowered her head. Once I began raising my voice, she started shaking. Of course, I also sternly told her to stay while I took her picture with my phone :)

In the grand scheme of things, I am glad she destroyed tissue paper instead of furniture, going the bathroom in the house, etc. It could have been A LOT worse!

*Side note, she has been great since that night and did awesome at the vet today when she got her staples out.

What a year

As some of you know, since I already posted it on Facebook, today marks one year since Drew returned from his tour in Iraq. And boy, what a year! We have been through a lot since this time last year, and while the deployment seemed long, looking back on the last year, in some ways, seems even longer. Since this time last year:

* I got a new job
* Drew started in real estate
* Drew started helping with military funerals on a regular basis
* We took a mini trip to Atlanta
* We got married
* We took a honeymoon
* We bought a house
* We moved
* Plus all of the other goodies in between. I think we've been to a few weddings, friends have had babies, etc. Despite how busy and hectic times have been, my favorite part about looking at the list is seeing the word "we". I am glad we got to spend the last year together. Of course, it's only fitting that Drew is off doing Army things today.

Social butterflies

Oh, I have been dreading this blog, not because I don't want to write, but because I feel like I have so much to say, and don't know where to begin. Drew and I have been extremely busy over the last couple of weeks. Not only have we been fixing up the house, but we have also had a lot of social events. I think I have talked about this before that our social life seems to come in waves. We will go weeks without having anything to do and then bam! our weekend(s) are jammed packed. Sometimes it's nice because it means we can do our own thing and be productive for a while and not feel guilty for socializing all weekend. Right now it's tough because there is just so much we want to do at home and the projects aren't quick and easy. The good news, we are making progress and still having fun along the way.

Two weeks ago our neighbors had a welcome and going away party for us and the couple whose house we bought.
 
Drew and his sisters had a blast reliving the old days with the people who lived in the neighborhood when he did 15 years ago and currently still live in the neighborhood. I had fun meeting everyone and listening to the stories. Small world... my 7th grade social studies teacher lives in the neighborhood. I don't think he knows it, but he is the only teacher to give me a writing assignment for talking in class :) I recognized him right away and once he heard my full maiden name he immediately knew my face - said I haven't changed at all. 

Rothmeelers

Me and Drew with some of the neighbors. Actually, the woman on the left in the coral is the former owner of the house we bought

Over this past weekend we attended a pig roast with some friends at their neighborhood. It was our first time attending a pig roast and I have to say it tasted a lot like chicken. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, but we met a lot of great people. Small world again... the owner's whose house was hosting the pig roast (across the street from our friends') the wife is the cousin of Drew's friend, Jack. Jack had a party back in 2008, and it was at his party that Drew and I met/ran into each other, which eventually led us to dating. Did you get all of that? Needless to say we didn't know the connection until late in the evening, but had a good laugh once we realized the connection.

This weekend is busy as well. Drew's sister is having a Tastefully Simple party tonight, and I have a wedding shower and bachelorette party to attend tomorrow. Then, of course, Sunday will be over before it starts.

And, speaking of things coming in waves, we just realized that coming up in October we have a wedding, my dad's family picnic and a picnic on Drew's side all on the same day. Sadly, it looks like we will only have time for the wedding/reception. I can bet that all of the other weekends in October are empty.

Now, it hasn't been all fun and games over the last two weeks. We have accomplished a lot at the house, but I'll save that for another post later today.

*pictures courtesy Gayle's camera