New year, new home.

My little house is all packed, besides a few left stragglers waiting to be picked up and wrapped. I wandered through each room today; just looking and letting it completely sink in that we will be leaving this tiny little place we claimed as our home the past 1.5 years. There were many memories made here. It is purely bittersweet. 

David and I are making our trek to San Antonio, Texas, to start the next chapter in our lives this week. Yikes. We have been so caught up in everything that has been happening over the last month-- it has been extremely overwhelming yet very exciting-- (once my brain has processed it all...and then my heart! ) . 

I decided it's time I pay a little more attention to this blog over here. It is the perfect place to document this adventure we are about to embark on ...and the timing cannot be more perfect for all of the changes we are encountering as of late.

Wedding planning got the very best of me a couple months before that magical day happened. We also were in the middle of interviewing for new jobs in San Antonio and traveled there a couple weeks before the wedding. 

San Antonio Riverwalk 

La Cantera, San Antonio with Niya : ) 

 After the wedding (post coming soon!), we took a mini little break for ourselves and went to Miami for a few days -- we relaxed by the beach and the pool, wined and dined ourselves, savored every sweet memory from our wedding day, and even got a little bit of a tan before we headed back to face the holidays head on. 

The holidays, our birthdays...they were a bit of a whirlwind for us -- the last one we'd have here in our place with our families before we packed up and made our way to our new home 1800 miles away. They were special as always - filled with family, food, laughter, and dancing. 

David traveled to Texas right before the holidays to start his new job and look for a new home -- which we were lucky to find pretty quickly, after  countless nights of searching the internet. The wonders of face-time-- he walked me through each home he went to see until we found the one that we loved. 

So here we are...all packed and ready to go. We will start this new year in a new home, new state, with new jobs...as husband and wife. It's surreal, scary, yet exciting. Keep posted -- I promise this time, I will do my very best to document all of it. 

Happy holidays and a happy, healthy, and exciting New Year from our little fam : ) 

xoxo

Taking Stock.

I like this photo...and can't wait to pick some of my own pumpkins. October is here!

I took the following from one of my favorite blogs-- thedaybookblog . 

making: a finalized guest list for this big ole wedding coming up in the next couple months! YIKES!!
cooking: well, baking...these healthy little granola, banana, and chocolate chip bites. did i mention healthy? meaning....no sugar, etc...but they are satisfying the small sweet tooth I have at the moment.
drinking: lemon ginger tea -- my nighttime/before bed drink.
reading: the new nicholas sparks book, the longest ride. yes, i love them all. and yes, i finished the book in two days. i highly recommend it.
wanting: more fall-like weather to settle in. i want to wear my new military jacket that is sitting in a bag in the corner of my closet.
looking: at kelly rowland on the cover of my magazine. holy abs.
playing: a playlist of our favorite songs on itunes.
wasting: precious time when i should be writing thank you cards, writing e-mails, finishing laundry, and so forth.
sewing: absolutely nothing. i guess i should start?
wishing: another new episode of betrayal was on tonight because i loved it so much on sunday night.
enjoying: the quiet, in bed all by myself, blogging, and being comfy.
waiting: for david's show to be over, for romeo to fall asleep, and for myself...well to get tired...hopefully soon.
liking: that it is chilly in the mornings when i take romeo for walks and it's chilly in the evenings when i get home from tutoring some of my favorite kids.
loving: romeo's face.
hoping: that saturday is a beautiful day.
needing: a haircut.
smelling: the sweet smell of my tea that i have neglected while trying to write this blog tonight.
wearing: sweats, pajamas...whatever you'd like to call them AKA sweat pants and a baseball tee...and my trusty eyeglasses for the computer. it is very attractive, let me tell you---(just kidding, you really don't want to see)
noticing: the sky more so now than I had in a long time.
knowing: its just better to smile and let it go.
thinking: that life can be so crazy sometimes and that I need to take a step back and take it all in before it passes by.
feeling: content.
bookmarking: cowgirl boots. i'm in desperate need for the perfect pair.
giggling: thinking of the kids calling 'ear wax' , "ear whack" today, haha!

Last day of September!

one of my favorite months is almost here and one of my favorite seasons is slowly settling in. i am so unbelievably excited for this season and everything that's in store. i won't go into details of everything that i love this season-- no one wants an overdose of pumpkin and halloween yet but i did bake some tasty pumpkin cupcakes this weekend with a cream cheese frosting for the abundance of guests we had staying with us this--to enjoy.

weekend is over-- cleaning up has begun from our fun, entertaining weekend. 

hope your week is awesome.

a beautiful day.

last sunday was an absolutely beautiful day--on a golf course patio overlooking endless green while the sun was shining and a slight breeze was brushing everyone's faces--my mom put together the most intimate and perfect afternoon bridal shower with all the important women and girls in my life!

i can relish in it now -- looking back--it was an overwhelming day and i think the majority of the time i was either tearing up or wiping away tears...happy tears people! it was the best.

David came afterwards with my dad and brother to help bring the gifts home--we were so overwhelmed and thankful for everyone that spent the day with us and that love us. We are so unbelievably blessed. 

2 months to go : ) 

I will be posting more photos from this beautiful day in later posts : )

De-clutter quest and the weekend.

I've been in reorganization mode this week...of my entire house. That is my project this week. It's proving to be a lot more exhausting than I thought it would be. Who knew we had so much junk? Yikes. I swear this is good for the soul sometimes--just to get rid of all the clutter. I've started in the kitchen, migrated to the pantry, and today it's the linen closet and guest bedroom. 

 Initially I did not begin this re-organization quest to de-clutter my home and soul...We are actually having some visitors in the next couple weeks and I can't have this cluttered mess welcoming people.

Anyway, that was my excuse for being away from this here ole blog this week. 

I figured I'd share a little bit of our weekend since our weekends will be pretty jam-packed for the next couple months! 

We took a mini road-trip this weekend and went to State College to visit my brother and go to the Penn State football game. We packed the car and Romeo (our pup) and drove to Penn State. My parents and my uncle's family made the drive as well--so it was one big family reunion in State College. The best part we thought was that Romeo could come as well--because he loves his Uncle Pete (my little brother) : )

Some photos from my iPhone from our trip!

 

Driving to State College at 6am--we are happier than expected. 

Romeo and his uncle -- so happy to see him. 

 

We spent most of the day tailgating for the football game. Barbecuing, playing games, dancing, eating, and enjoying ice cream. The day was absolutely beautiful and the sky was unreal! Look at some of these photos. Excuse my appearance - the weather went from freezing to warm to uncomfortable hot -- fashion nightmare ; ) 

My dad - manning the grill.

 

The kids played games and beat almost everyone in this game. It was a sight....and pretty sad.

We spent the day in the sun and then the rest of the day back at my brother's house: eating, laughing, dancing, playing games, and just hanging out.

That night my brother took us out for some fun -- dancing for me...the entire night. 

As you can tell - we had a great time : ) 

Romeo slept for the next two days...guess he had a good time as well. 

Hope your weekend was fun : )

Woman Crush Wednesday::: Jenna Lyons

(Image from google)

Jenna Lyons, executive creative director of j crew AKA fashion goddess AKA the one woman whom has perfected the tailored pant look in many of our books--has been one of those " fashion celebrities" if you will, that I have googled one too many times, read her bio, scan/PIN/bookmark her outfits, etc.

 I even googled articles on her home (oh wait, you don't do that with celebs you love? Don't give me grief people - I know you've watched celebrity cribs in the past!). By the way her new home- an apartment in soho-HELLO- is beautiful. Can we switch lives for a day? Please?

Anyway, Jenna Lyons is my woman crush as of lately and perfect timing/backdrop-being that NYFW has spread its wings this week. From her brilliantly chic outfits to her trademark deep black-rimmed glasses--she is one of a kind and I'd love to just be her shadow for one day (if I could keep up!). Her days are somewhat busy according to her interview with Harper's Bazaar--check it out.

One of my favorite blogs, Manrepeller posted an article featured in GQ with Jenna Lyons' top essentials. It was quite entertaining and totally reignited my borderline obsession with the fashion mogul. I'll pass it along as well-- HERE 

(Image from google)

If a woman can pull off sequin pants during the day and high top nikes at night-she is a bonafide fashion genius in my book : ) Times Magazine did rank her on their 2013 100 Most Influential People List for a reason, right?!

While I toot her horn a little more - did you see j crew's lineup this week? They were already debuting spring 2014 looks---but they were gorgeous! Some of my favs:

xoxo

Helllllo Hair.

I'm dying over these hairstyles lately. I don't know how else to put it. If only I had the stylistic expertise to be able to create these works of art.

My creative hair styles extend themselves to 10 minute youtube tutorials on how to create a side braid for those days you really just don't feel like washing your hair. (yes I'll admit it. Come on you've had those days too.) I watch the youtube about 4-5 time before I can master these hairstyles and by "master" I mean - complete them to the best of my ability with only a few mere bobby pins shoved in the mass of hair on my head to keep said creative hair experiment from falling out. 

Which also brings me to the matter of the bobby pin mysterious disappearance movement. Have you heard of it? Millions of bobby pins and hair ties disappear from bathrooms, handbags, cars lately with no trace. Story for another day. I'm waiting for the day the bobby pin bandit dumps buckets full of missing bobby pins on my doorstep : ) 

Anyway on to the hair styles that I currently drool over....which all surround the braid...I'm obsessed. 

      

                Side view of this beauty.

                    And the front. 

      A braid headband and not one of   those you buy that never quite matches the color of your hair....yes I'm guilty of such an occurrence. 

And my favorite to end! I love this hairstyle. I love the big braid and...wait...are there a few bobby pins in there?!? Keepin' it together Julianne! 

This may be my next project. 

I'll be sure to post tutorials on how to work these master pieces - that is if I ever "master" them which will be unlikely...but I'll try : ) 

xoxo

Things I love - Thursday

1. I have gotten myself out of bed early early each morning, gotten dressed, brushed my teeth, and driven myself (yep) to the gym. That is a major feat for me. Don't get me wrong - I like working out - at home. I love working out in the privacy of my own home, I walk A LOT with Romeo, and just try to keep in shape but...sometimes that routine gets boring - and so I decided to hit the gym this week. Major points for me- for actually leaving my house early early to be around others-sweating. Woo hoo?

2. I have cleaned/dusted every window, shelf, knick knack, and corner of this home. Talk about an arm work out. I am ashamed to say this but my back sliding doors had been severely neglected lately (I know, gross). They are clean now, thankfully. 

3. Kelly Ripa's new hair cut. I had to add this one in here. Since I have been waking up at the crack of dawn and spending the entire morning at the gym- I have missed Kelly and Michael - so I record it. I watched some of it today and her new hair cut is pretty spectac-ular. I wish I had the guts to do something like that - although my head would most likely look like an oversized cantaloupe with that haircut. A girl can dream I guess. 

 

4. That I had a Starbucks date today with my long lost friend Lex. Iced latte, coffee, breezy sunshine-y weather, and girl talk/gossip/hair color talk/fall boot talk = perfect day and timing. 

5. One of my favorite months is coming up and my favorite season is here! Chilly weather, almost time for boots!, caramel apples, pumpkins, hayrides, flannel, HALLOWEEN (I have already started planning our Halloween costumes for this year...), candy corn ( I have already bought a bag) and ginger snaps (almost have gone through a box already....sadly), and I'm sure I'm missing a ton of things that I'm excited for but you get the idea!

6. Being impulsive AKA my impulsive nature. I know the stigma - being impulsive can lead to bad decisions and even worse consequences BUT sometimes...being impulsive can lead to great outcomes...so I am choosing to embrace/love my impulsive nature this week. Just go with it - I've been telling myself. 

7. Shoes. I have caught myself daydreaming about shoes one too many times this week. Signs of a problem? Probably.... You would be daydreaming about shoes too if you saw the shoes I just chose for my wedding. Ahh, Manolo has stolen my heart and my mind this week. 

8. Romeo and David. Duh for the sake of being cheesy...but honestly how cute are they?

 And...on that note... I am done : ) 

Happy Thursday- week is almost over!

xoxo

My favorite dress shop.

One of my favorite shops online is .... Free People's dress shop.  I have a severe love obsession with a lot of their clothes but mainly their dresses. Whimsical, bohemian, comfortable, angelic....I can keep going with the adjectives...but you get it. I jumped with joy when I received their fall catalog in the mail the other day. I couldn't contain my excitement or my bank account for that matter when I hit the online shop and found the prettiest dresses a girl could imagine. If you want to be pretty, shop at Free people - no I'm just kidding (that's kind of mean)....but I'm in love and so I am sharing some of my favorite dresses. 

With so many fun events coming up this fall - I have been an online shopping freak trying to find the perfect outfits for each and every one of them. I have nailed the rehearsal dinner outfit (I know, I am planning ahead!). I am now on to the bridal shower outfit, as well as a few other events coming up. My goal was to "window shop" online today but I ended up spending more than my bank account can handle at this point - it's at the expense of looking pretty, so YOLO - right? 

Here are some pretty dresses Free People has to offer and I am salivating over until I get them in the mail! 

 

This Floral Maxi is by FAR my most favorite. Stay tuned for an outfit/styling post once I receive this bit of happiness in them mail.  The dress is named "The First Kiss Dress". How unbelievably fitting/adorable is that? 

 

The Paqueta Island Dress.  I am starting to see that I have a thing for long dresses lately. I am not exactly sure why but there is something so demure and elegant about a long, whimsical dress that elongates the body --worn with the right shoes--  and creates this classy look. The great part about this dress besides the subtle polka dots and the fact that it's on SALE right now - is that it can be dressed up or down! Love it. 

The Eyelet Indian Enchantment dress. This dress is simple and long...again, I know. You can dress it up with jewelry and shoes or simply through sandals on.

These are just a few of my favorites. There are TONS more and so many beautiful options on sale as well. Go crazy!

New season, new look.

September is here! I absolutely LOVE summer time; being outside, barbecues, swimming, ice cream, etc., BUT I love love love when September comes. Going back to school always used to be exciting/scary for me. I was super excited to wear all of my new school clothes and shoes (of course) but was always nervous to go back to school all day and get back in the mode. I distinctly remember lying on my bed the night before the first day of school- just looking at my outfit options for the next day. It was the first day of school - you had to make a good fashion impression - am I right? I'd pick out my outfit, take my shower, go to bed with butterflies in my stomach - unable to sleep most of the night. 

I miss those days (sometimes), so I decided that since I am not starting school and didn't have the opportunity to pick out my new first day of school outfit- I decided my blog needed it's own new outfit. So..... VOILA - new face on the ole blog over here. I decided it needed some life, colors, and a sprucing up. I found this awesome template from Bella Lulu Ink - please check their etsy shop out - it's awesome! I couldn't contain my excitement last night as I sat there editing my page for hours. David thought I had gone a little crazy.

Here's some new life to my blog. Hope you like it as much as I do : )

Oh and Happy September : )

This is what happy looks like - part 2.

In honor of the book title I just blogged about - I am starting a weekly "This is what happy looks like" blog post - only because I really like the title of that book and....we should all relish in something that makes us happy each and every day. Why not blog about it? 

1. My new kitchen color (dazzling daffodil) and shelf. I have been telling David for ages now I wanted to paint the kitchen a happier color and add some shelves. The process has begun. Thanks to my wonder woman of a mother - she helped and painted my kitchen this beautiful and happy daffodil color and then I went on one of my home decorating searches and found this perfect shelf to add a little 'umph' to our kitchen. It is looking so much happier, which makes me happy : ) 

2. Spending time with these little people! I get to spend the rest of my summer with these awesome little people. On Friday we went to Linvilla, fed the animals, played, had lunch, walked, and had a fantastic day.

3. My farm animal cupcakes. They made me pretty happy, as well a special five year old girl celebrating her birthday!

4. New shoes. My mother is the worst influence when it comes to shopping. We went out over the weekend and somehow I came home with two new pairs of shoes, sunglasses, and more. Her response every time I show her something " Just get it, you only live once." YOLO Olgs. Anyway, I love them, they make me happy, and they match my bridal shower outfit : )

5. A couple weekends ago my mom and I spent the day at Peddler's Village and then went wedding shoe shopping. We found a cute little candy shop AKA heaven where I loaded up on these goodies that instantly reminded me of my childhood. Chiclets were my favorite as a kid. What was your favorite candy? 

This is what happy looks like today. 

Happy Monday : )

This is What Happy Looks Like.

This Is What Happy Looks Like. 

Not literally. The above is actually a book I just finished reading yesterday - more like consumed in one day. I had the urge to get lost in Barnes & Noble the other day. I wanted a fun read, an end of the summer relaxing read and I stumbled upon this book by Jennifer Smith, whom also wrote the The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, which also is a great read. 

This book; geared more towards the young adult life which is not me (sadly, I had to admit this to myself after shedding a few tears) but it is completely consuming in a good way that a book should be, when you feel like getting lost in someone else's words and not your own thoughts. This book completely captured me from the beginning, It begins with an accidental e-mail being sent from one 17 year old guy to another 17 year old girl which then evolves into a back-and-forth friendship completely born via the web until they finally meet-unexpectedly-and identities are revealed along with TONS of feelings. I know what you are thinking - who continues to e-mail someone they DON'T know at this day and age - with all the loonies out there pretending to be 17 year old guys. My response to you is - JUST GO WITH IT, for the books sake and for a great summer read (that makes you feel like you are 18 again, or 17, whatever). 

Graham and Ellie; the two main characters are portrayed in such a way that I could envision in my mind what they looked like and...so it played as a mini movie in my head as I read along with the book. They had great story lines and backgrounds....and...a pretty sweet chemistry, if you're interested in reading a semi-chick read! 

If you're looking for something light, somewhat romantic in that 17-year old love kinda way with a modern twist, and something to just dive into that you cannot put down - I completely recommend this book. Warning - Nostalgia will immediately set in for the duration of this novel and shortly after... a sweet nostalgia of those easier times (or so we think-they really weren't that much easier!), young love, summer nights, and life before life (if that makes sense!). 

This is what happy looks like by Jennifer E. Smith. 

Enjoy : ) 

That time...

I used mayonnaise as a hair treatment. Yes, I did. 

I typically enjoy mayonnaise on my sandwiches-call me gross. I try to avoid it as much as possible just like I try to avoid french fries, chocolate, ice cream...you get the idea. I don't typically enjoy the smell of mayonnaise and I soon learned that I really disliked touching it with bare hands and smothering it in my hair. 

Let me back up - I was in the kitchen with my two little cousins whom I have the pleasure of spending the rest (all two weeks) of summer with before I start my new job. We were braiding hair, getting ready for karate and as I was in mid-brush, I noticed something in her hair, at the root. It resembled a small bug just cruising along her hair shaft. Next scene- you catch me getting a little closer-to get a better look, keeping quiet and starting to jump to conclusions in my mind. 

Long story short- all of that scratching I noticed that morning between both girls proved to my horror to be .... Lice. Such a terrible word...Lice. It makes you itch just thinking about it. Believe me, I wanted to take a shower right then and there. What ensued that day was an immediate call to Olga (my mother AKA queen of the universe/life saver), and then two little girls with their heads shampooed in the tub, and then...two little girls with their heads covered in mayonnaise and wrapped in shower caps for the rest of the day. Safe to say - we didn't really go anywhere that day, besides a quick trip to Chikfila (drive-thru of course). They had a rough morning which warranted Chikfila completely. 

Anyway, my mom explained that mayonnaise kills the lice bugs and afterwards the eggs need to be combed out of little ones hair and then she made the girls feel better and even had them laughing at themselves in their mayo shower caps - what a woman she is!

She also explained that mayonnaise is a treatment to get shiny hair as well. Who knew!

So this is what my evening looked like: 

Yup. Between my incredible fear of those little suckers some how jumping into the jungle of hair I have on my head and my utter curiosity/desire for shiny hair; I put large globs of mayonnaise in my hair. When I say large globs - I mean it. I have the hair of 3 people on my head. During the summer it feels like a large scarf around my neck. I used the rest of the mayonnaise and it was disgusting. David refused to sleep next to me that evening and I really don't blame him. Romeo on the other hand loved me even more. He apparently likes mayo just like his mama. 

Anyway, since you are all probably wondering - the mayo actually worked. I woke up, washed my hair (4 times - not kidding), blow dried it and it was unbelievably shiny. I even had a few compliments as to how clean and shiny my hair looked that day. If only they knew.....

Oh and no, I don't have lice - if you were wondering that too but I may use this mayo treatment more often - if I can get over the smell of my head smelling like a sandwich. 

: )