Sincerely Shannon

Wednesday Hodgepodge Love

2012-02-15T11:45:00.001-05:00

1. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?
Thomas Jefferson- he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, had a lot to do with drafting the Constitution and I think he'd have some choice words for the people in office today...

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?
I like Chili's and Peter and I go there every now and then. I dislike it more these days since they started adding the calorie counts to every item on the menu (who's idea was that?) which only makes me feel guilty for ordering their insanely tasty skillet queso.

3.When you look back on your life do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say it was good?
My goals and plans for my life have changed countless times over the years. What I thought I wanted "back then" is drastically different from where my life has taken me but I have no regrets because I know that God is in control and he has way better plans for me than any goals I could set for myself!

4.Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?
I'll take it anyway you serve it! I love the tartness of grapefruit cut with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top for breakfast!

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?
I actually cleaned out my bedroom closet not that long ago (before my mom came to visit-so she wouldn't see how messy I'd let it get). I will definitely be cleaning it out again as the weather gets warmer and chucking any winter clothes that I didn't wear this season. I actually love spring cleaning/ purging!

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?
I never can come up with a good/original answer- Princess Kate (I think we would just be the best of friends), Giada deLaurentis (she makes yummy food and her husband works for anthropologie and I bet she could hook me up!), Jim Rayburn if he was still around today (founder of Young Life- aka the man!)

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?
I give myself a 5. Which means it could go either way. Some days I can whip it into a spot in one shot. Other days....

8. Peter absolutely spoiled me yesterday. We don't really do the whole big Valentines experience but that didn't stop him from buying me beautiful roses (which I hauled into work today so I can enjoy them longer), and chocolate covered strawberries!

Heart Day Treats

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

I came home from work yesterday to find a sweet package from my mom spoiling me with valentine's day treats!

1. A sweet Valentine's card from my parents
2. A subscription to Relevant magazine
3. Sweet heart napkins
4. Candy, of course (my love language)
5. Fuzzy polk-dot socks
6. Conversation hearts- it's not Valentine's day without them!
7. Cute tissues to carry in my purse
8. A new bracelet
9. An iTunes gift card

My mom is the best at sending little holiday treats! She even sent goody bags for my two roommates. She is incredibly and consistently thoughtful and I want to be more like that- more creative and intentional on showing my family and friends that I am thinking of them! Is there anything sweeter than real mail, a real letter or little treat to unwrap? I don't think so! Thanks mom!

Be Creative

2012-02-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

So I recently received a comment asking if I still do blog designs because she was looking for a revamp.

Well... I do!

Mostly just my own though, hehe. {but if you're also interested leave me a comment or head over here}

I am working on coming up with a design for this little ol blog of mine that I can live with for a long time. Something streamlined and simple that fits my [blog] style. I want to add some more features like a custom logo, tags, and a horizontal navigation bar, all that jazz. Basically this is me trying to fill the void left by art classes and designated time in my day to be creative! My "corporate" schedule has left me feeling absent from my artsy, hippie-ness and I'm trying to reclaim it any way I can. Oh, Pinterest. How you inspire me....

{source}

Waiting Game

2012-02-02T11:23:00.001-05:00

When I started this blog over 2 years ago it was a way for me to document my last year of university. To capture all the memories and the thoughts I had as I transitioned from college girl to whoever I would be in the "real world." There were so many big moments that I didn't want to forget, my camera was attached to my hip and I had no problem finding stories to share or words to express the roller coaster of emotions that comes with any shift in life.

That first year out of college was still full of newness. Nothing felt settled or permanent, I knew my situation was temporary and I was anxiously waiting for whatever was coming next. For me that would mean a job change, and a move to a new city.

Now I have been in this no-longer-new job in a no-longer-unfamiliar city for 10 months and for now I am settled. I'm settled but I feel oh so restless. For so many years I have had something big on the horizon. Starting college, graduation, getting a job- experiences ripe with blog posting material. Now I am waiting, again, and I have lost my blogging enthusiasm.

I think this is the curse of winter. I am at work all day and when I come out of my office it is dark and the day is over, nothing to report. I could tell you what I wore to work, or how many emails I answered, or what I had for lunch but that hardly seems fair to y'all. I like my job and I like having a job because it allows me to live here and it's providing me opportunities to do (more fun) things in the future. I have a fabulous summer on the horizon and I am working my tushy off to get there. Saving vacation hours and working overtime so I can afford to do all that I want to do. Is it too early in the year to start talking about summer?

I find myself comparing my blog to others. Why can such and such a blog make the everyday run of the mill stuff sound exciting and I can't? Why would people want to read about what I did yesterday? Why don't I have a niche? Where oh where has my blogging passion gone?

Maybe this time just has to be experienced. Maybe there isn't a way to put it to words or document it with photographs. I need to simply enjoy the day to day and the rest will follow. I want to relish this simple time of routine and stop waiting for whatever is going to happen next.

Monday

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

I had a lovely lazy weekend. Friday night Peter and I went to see Contraband which was just ok but entertaining. It started snowing on our way home from the theater so I was expecting to wake up to white winter wonderland and was a little disappointed when I only saw a couple inches but a couple inches is all the excuse I need to stay bundled up in the house all day.

My house has gotten ridiculously cold! I woke up Saturday morning and the thermostat read 54 degrees!!! ugh! Our landlord brought over some space heaters which helped not at all. In other news our energy bill is going to be astronomical.

I was supposed to help out with a Young Life "Work Crew" training class but it got cancelled due to the weather until next week. Instead Peter and I drove into Potomac, MD to get lunch at a pizza place he used to go to as a kid. Peter used to live in Potomac until he was 11 years old. It was fun to drive by his old house and his old school and to get a better picture of little Peter growing up there.

On Sunday I had Campaingers/bible study with some Young Life folks. I love being in fellowship with these awesome people and it always is such good nourishment for my soul. We read through the book of Jonah and I love that story and seeing how God still uses us for his purposes even when we run away and do the exact opposite of what he asks of us. His forgiveness and love knows no bounds!

It was also nice to be in a warm house. I came home from that to find my roommate chopping vegetables for her salad while wearing her parka! Don't be too worried about us though. Our landlord is coming back today with the heater-fixing people! Yay! Maybe tomorrow morning I wont have to put my clothes in the dryer to warm them up before getting dressed!

top: here pants: here

Five

2012-01-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

1. Peter and I went to a Caps game on Tuesday. We had amazing seats! Right behind the glass, right in front of all the action. It was my first professional hockey game. Sadly the caps lost and there weren't any crazy fights that I thought hockey games were known for but I still enjoyed the players slamming into the glass!

2. Last night we met a friend for dinner at American Ice Co. It satisfied my craving for southern BBQ. I've been missing my Mike and Jeff's from back in South Carolina. Good food, better company!

3. I've been having so much fun wearing something new everyday to work! And the great part is that all the new pieces I got can be mixed and matched. Here is my outfit of the day (sorry the picture isn't great).

4. This morning I set my alarm to wake up at 7am. I got up and dressed quickly. Then I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat at my kitchen table for a solid 40 minutes of quiet time. I read my bible and the day's passage from My Utmost for His Highest. I had time to journal and relax before heading off to work. I am hoping to make this a more permanent part of my morning routine. I do it some days but not every day and it makes such a big difference in my attitude for the day. Today good ol' Oswald talked about finding freshness and joy in the mundane. Not just being enthusiastic about the big moments with God but also about the little (sometimes not so fun) moments of everyday life. Letting God be a part of it all!

5. My car got towed this morning...

My Favorite Visitor

2012-01-19T16:57:00.000-05:00

My mom left on Tuesday. She was here visiting for a solid week and it still wasn't long enough. I don't think I believe there is such a thing as a "long enough" visit with her! It was so nice seeing her every morning on my way to work and knowing she'd be there to greet me when I arrived home. The words "see you after work" are just great in my opinion!

It's hard to encapsulate all that we accomplished in a week!
We did some serious shopping at Loft for new work ensembles. My fridge and pantry are totally stocked. And my car had a full tank of gas for the first time in a long time.

But aside from completely spoiling me we just had so much fun! Seriously aren't moms the best of friends? We had nice dinners out where we solved most of the world's problems. We had lazy dinners in front of the tv watching Miss America and Real Housewives. Poor Peter, though. I totally left him to his own devices all week. He did meet us for lunch one day at our favorite french bistro before we hopped back on the metro onto our next activity. We blogged and drank tea. We saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D:

We went to church and worshiped together. We visited family where we got to be silly together playing "Just Dance":

Again, it was just not nearly long enough.

Oh well, it just means she'll have to come back and visit again soon. And she can bring my dad and the dog and maybe sister can come up too! Hey, here's an idea! Why don't we all just agree to live closer to each other? I think I've mentioned this a time or two before....

Dreamland In Progress

2012-01-09T10:00:00.007-05:00

My mom comes tomorrow to stay with me for a whole week!!!!! I cannot wait!!!

I am planning all kinds of fun things for us to do together. Most of them involve eating, shopping, and lots and lots of talking!

There are also a few little things that we have to take care of while I have her around. For instance, my parents got me a new queen-size mattress for Christmas! I haven't actually gotten it or even picked it out yet. I am also in the process of picking out new bedding which is so much fun although expensive (as I've gone through 3 different sets of bedding in 5 years because of switching from dorm room to sorority hall to apartment).

My plan in selecting this bedding is that it will one day be in the guest room of my future house when I am a Mrs. I want something classic and timeless and sweet-dreams inducing. I suppose I should also keep in mind that when I am a Mrs. there will inevitably be a Mr. so I am trying not to be overly girly (kinda tricky).

I LOVE an all white/neutral bed. It looks like a dreamy pillowy cloud that I just want fall into at the end of the day. This is the bedding I'm planning to get from Pottery Barn:

Of course I will girly-it-up with my shabby chic, pink, green and ruffly throw pillows!

Hello Home Organization

2012-01-05T11:02:00.001-05:00

Happy 2012! Hope everyone had a great start to the new year! I love this time of year. I feel so productive and motivated. Not like in December where all I wanted to do was go home and eat cookies.

This year is all about getting my grown up life organized/simplified/de-cluttered! Here are a few areas around my house in need of attention:

I have got to start keeping better track of my finances, my insurance, my benefits. I am now totally responsible for too many important documents. It's time to implement a filing system. I want a file or folder for banking, benefits, doctor/dentist, cell phone, vehicle, etc. I love Emily's office featured on her blog Cupcakes and Cashmere. She has no clutter and a great color coded system:

(source)
I'm embarrassed to admit that there is still a box that I have not unpacked (pushed into the corner so it doesn't taunt me). I moved in April.... uh... that is not ok!
There are also drawers in my desk that I never open (which means the contents are likely not important and could therefore make room for the pile of stuff on top.
My laundry room scares me-literally, I worry a murderer is going to jump out at me from the clutter! Something must be done!
I have too much stuff! Too many clothes that I don't wear any more. Too many bottles of old nail polish. Too many nick-knacks that get in the way and then get shoved into cramped desk drawers. Time to go!
I hardly ever wear jewelry except for my standard earrings or pearls because it's such a pain to actually get to it all and then I have to detangle! I want to put together something like this for my closet:

(source)
I got a sewing machine for Christmas and I would love to have space to actually use it. My crafting in general has taken a serious hit since I lost my craft closet from my old apartment.
I just ordered this cute trunk from Target (thanks family for the gift cards!) and I am going to use it to hold extra blankets and sheets that take up too much room in my closet. I am either going to put it at the foot of my bed or use it as a coffee table. I can't wait for it to arrive!

I realize I never did a Home Tour after I moved up to DC. After I knock out a few of these projects I will definitely do an update!

Ringing in the Hodgepodge

2011-12-28T10:20:00.001-05:00

1. Share something you loved about your Christmas Day.

I loved being with my family. We had a full house Christmas weekend and so my sister and I got to have a sleepover and I just love waking up and having everyone in the house with me!

2.You get to put five items in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, what items would you choose and why?

My hot rollers: I love my hot rollers (and my curling iron, straightener and hair dryer) and maybe in 100 years they'll still be around (I mean they've lasted this long) but it's probably more likely that they will look about as strange as this:
My cell phone: pretty sure it's not going to take 100 years for it to be obsolete. Probably wont even take 5 years.
A DVD: unless we can all agree to collectively ignore whatever they try to force on us after blueray, these things will be ancient history!
A favorite book: I am anti Kindle/E-reader. I want to own a million books and have a floor to ceiling library with a rolling ladder and comfy plush chairs by a fireplace to read and read for hours and hours. Sadly, though, I have to wonder if books will still be printed in 100 years :(
A note written in cursive: I only write in cursive! I wonder if they'll still teach it in school 100 years from now?

3. What do you like on a cracker?
Baked brie en croute (recipe here)

4.Do you make resolutions? How'd that work out for you this past year?
I generally have some goals that I'd like to accomplish over the year. For instance I really want to put together a filing system for all those important documents that are piled up on my desk. I also have to start dancing again! This one has been a resolution for the past 5 years but I just know this is going to be the year it sticks!

5. What song or song lyric will you associate with 2011?
Take Heart by Hillsong United. Here's a snippet of the lyrics:

"All our troubles
And all our tears
God our hope
He has overcome

God our justice
God our grace
God our freedom
He has overcome

God our refuge
God our strength
God is with us
He has overcome"

6.How will you ring in the new year?
I am going to Peter's house in Ocean City. I love the beach in the winter (or any time at all) and I am so excited to be with my honey on New Years. This will be our 4th one as a couple but our first one spent together!

7.What is something you look forward to in 2012?
My cousin Anna being completely healed of cancer!!

8. I want a fun sparkly dress like this one to wear on NYE:

(from here)

The Giver

2011-12-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

I wrote a little bit about my cousin Anna's story here but haven't really mentioned it since. Not because it hasn't been the number 1 thing on my mind, but because I don't think this silly little blog could contain what Anna and her family, my family, have been dealing with. Life for her has been put on hold while she goes through this trial. Plans, holidays, normalcy has been swapped out for a new plan of simply making Anna healthy again.

And today is a big day, a huge step forward towards total recovery!

Today a complete and utter stranger is giving Anna the most awesome gift! This stranger, whom we have been affectionately calling Nigel (because the one thing we do know is that he's a man living overseas), was identified as the best match for Anna's bone marrow transplant. He has taken time out of his week before Christmas to give Anna the healthy stem cells that she needs! The harvested cells were flown across the pond and will today be given to sweet Anna.

Please praise God for this wonderful, selfless giver, shower him in thanks. And pray for Anna to stay brave and for her body to receive this gift with no more sickness and no more complications.

Gift Time

2011-12-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight Peter and I are exchanging gifts! I am so excited to give him mine and somehow I have managed to keep it all a secret. I only have to go a few more hours without giving it away! I think I can make.

Since I can't show you what's inside yet, I'm going to show you some DIY gift-wrapping details I tried out!

I made these gorgeous paper snow flakes using these instructions. The funnest part is unfolding them and seeing the final flake. I put a big flake inside the box and one on top, and a smaller one on top of the little box.

I used the ribbon and a bell left over from my hot chocolate jar project
To the big box I also added a bow that I made with scrap wrapping paper.

How to:
1. Cut 9 strips of paper 3/4 inch wide.
2. Make three of the 12 inches long, three more of them 11 inches long and two of them 10 inches long and cut one 3 1/2 inches long (this one you simply loop into a single circle, add a dot of glue and set aside.
3. Then you take the other strips and loop each end as shown below. Secure in the middle with a staple or glue.

4. Beginnning with the longer strips, layer them in alternating directions, securing with glue each time.
5. Add the final loop to the middle and voila!
The final produt:

I know Peter doesn't really care about how I wrap his presents. Nor do the presents really even matter. But I am still anxious for him to open them up! Although with all the super glue and ribbon he might have a harder time than he expects...

Weekend Brief

2011-12-19T10:10:00.002-05:00

(Peter and I at the tacky Christmas sweater party- not sure either of us looks that tacky, especially Peter in his cute Christmas flannel but it works.)

On Sunday I ended up making the red velvet whoopie pies to take to the Young Life party. They were actually super easy! I followed this recipe. I suggest dolling them out onto the baking sheets in 2inch scoops and baking for 7 minutes. Try to make them all the same size. They turned out pretty good! I used cream cheese frosting instead of the filling the recipe suggested.

(post baking. Aren't they pretty. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the completed pies before I ate them all!)

Five Things Friday

2011-12-16T11:12:00.001-05:00

1. Adorable and simple Peppermint Hot Chocolate gifts for my co-workers. I got the idea from pinterest/my mom. I then used this free printable and added ribbon and a little bell to jazz it up.
2. A big bag of delicious Clementines sits on my desk. They are my favorite winer snack. Plus they're good for you during this cold season- lots of vitamin C.

3. Last night was our firm's holiday party that my manager and I have been working on none-stop! I am so pleased with how it all came together! We worked with a red, black and white color scheme for a Frank Sinatra Holidy theme. *pictures to follow soon.

4. I have 2 Christmas parties this weekend. A tacky-sweater party tomorrow and a Young Life party on Sunday. I don't know where to find a tacky sweater. Any suggestions on stores that still cary them?

5. I also am bringing a dessert to the Young Life party. I'm debating on what to bring. I'd like to make something seasonal like these pretty red velvet whoopie pies

but this just looks sinfully delicious:

(Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie and Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar)

Happy Friday everyone!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

I am linking up at my mom's blog for the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special to make your house guests feel welcome? How long should a guest stay?
This year I am still technically a "guest." I will hosted at my parents along with my mom's side of the family. It's strange to think that one day (in the very distant future) I may be hosting Christmas at my own house and this time of year would make me feel more crazy as I prepared for a house-ful of family and friends. But for now I like being the one coming to visit. My mom always buys cereal that she knows I like and usually puts a couple good magazines and a little treat for me in my room. And as far as how long should a guest stay? Well I'm pretty sure my parents would be ok with me moving back in forever.

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week back in (Dec 5) 1905...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.
My favorite Disney movie of all time is The Little Mermaid. Hands down. No questions about it.

3.What's the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?
I bought a pair of shoes once and thought they fit just right in the store but the first time I wore them my feet were like "NO WAY girlfriend- this is not happening!"

4.What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?
I do probably 60% online. It's easier than braving the parking lots and shopping malls.

5. Amaryllis...snowdrop...poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?
I like snowdrops. Their name is darling and sounds like a wintery candy. And that's pretty much what they look like as well.

6.What is one thing on your personal wish list this year? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this an actual item.
This may not seem that fun but I asked for a queen size mattress.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?
Positive. I am going to be positive today, about my job mostly. It's been frustrating me lately so in the words of Barney from How I Met Your Mother:

Not that I'm sad but like I said I'm having a tricky time staying positive about my job this week so instead of being negative I'm just going to be awesome/positive instead!

8. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my house:

Last night my roommates and I decorated our tree, listened to Pandora Christmas radio, and had some eggnog. My one roommate and I both have a large collection of ballet ornaments so our tree is covered in glass ballerinas and tiny ballet slippers. All three of us went to the same university so there are also a couple ornaments from there. I think it looks beautiful and I was pretty pleased with how full it is!

That boy

2011-12-01T16:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday after work (seems like all my posts and all my fun happens after work...) I walked to Peter's apartment to meet him for dinner. When I came through the front door I was so wonderfully surprised! Not only had he bought me my favorite flowers (daisies and hydrangeas) and a bottle of wine for us to share, but he had cleaned his apartment! That boy sure does know the way to my heart!

He had also "lit" the fireplace for us. Aka. turned on the "fireplace" app on his laptop and connected it to the tv, complete with crackling logs and popping embers minus the fire hazard.

We ended up going to delicious sushi restaurant for dinner (Current Sushi). We have a special fondness for sushi since our first date was to get sushi! We had debated going ice skating but put it off since I was freezing at this point. Instead we walked to Melodie Records and bought a movie to watch that night (Garden State, I'd never seen it- soo good). We also decided to hit up Whole Foods for some movie-watching snacks: brie, manchego, crackers and olives.

Basically it was a perfectly lovely evening! Please excuse me as a gush on and on about how lucky I am to have a most loving and thoughtful boyfriend.

Goodbye November

2011-11-30T10:40:00.001-05:00

1. Do you send out Christmas cards?
My parents send one every year, usually along with a Christmas letter detailing the past year's exploits. I love getting Christmas cards and will definitely send one out when I have my own family. Doesn't this below picture look like a Christmas card though?

2. When do kids become adults?
Hmm... most days I don't feel like an adult. But I really don't feel like a kid either. I'm not sure. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

3.Does your beauty regimen change with the season?
Not really. I wouldn't even say I have a set "regimen" in the first place. I do use more lotion in the winter and I wash my hair less.

4. What is something you like to eat that might cause other people to turn up their noses.
I LOVE crabs covered in Ole' Bay (probably my favorite food). Mussels and clams and oysters and escargot- love it all! I find that not everyone enjoys seafood like I do which I just can't understand!

5. Gloves or mittens?
I love mittens because they are cozy and keep my little hands warmer. But if I'm out with Peter he doesn't really like holding my "mitt" so I wear gloves because I like holding his hand. Anyways, he keeps my hands just as warm as any mittens could.

6. What is the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth the wait?
I feel like I've spent a lot of time queue-ing so it's hard for me to remember a single line that stands out as the longest. England has mastered the art of the queue. I waited in super long lines for the London Eye and Madam Tussauds- both very touristy but still worth the wait. I have always waited in too many security/immigration/and customs lines at airports. Always worth the trip!

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to this December?
On Saturday Peter and I are going to see A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater. I lucked into two free tickets from a hotel that I work with in my job. I've never been to Ford's Theater but Peter used to go to this performance when he was a kid. I just love this play! I think it will really get me into the Christmas spirit to get all dressed up for the show and go then out for dinner afterwards and just enjoy being together this time of year!

8. My random thought:
I never shared any pictures from my time at Young Life camp a few weekends back so here's one now: I got to go zip lining with these awesome girlies! Love em!

Baked Brie en Croute

2011-11-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I shared a picture of Peter and I hard at work on a tasty treat for the holidays. And today I am sharing the recipe for: Baked Brie en Croute with dried cherries, and pecans. It's not my recipe, I got it here. It's super easy and sooo delicious! Your family, friends, holiday guests, strangers, will love you for serving this!

Ingredients:
1 package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (package comes with 2 sheets, you will only need one)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup dried cherries, softened
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves (optional- I didn't have any when we made it last week and it's still divine)
1 (13.2 ounce) round Brie cheese

Directions:
1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle.
2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork for egg wash.
4. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square.
5. Stir the cherries, pecans, honey and rosemary in a small bowl. Spread the cherry mixture into the center of the pastry square. Top with the cheese round.
7. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides of the pastry over the cheese. Trim the remaining two sides of the pastry square to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese. Fold the sides up onto the cheese and press the edges to seal. (Basically just cover the cheese with the pastry and try not to have tons of extra dough).
8. Place the pastry-wrapped cheese seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.
9. Decorate the top with pastry scraps or additional rosemary, if desired. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.
10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour (uh... yeah right. I guess this would make the cheese less melty but I don't have the patience to wait that long).
11. Serve with the crackers or bread or apples slices.

*Peter and I made this together. Doesn't food taste better when it's made with your sweetheart?

Still Thankful

2011-11-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

I am not going to limit the season of thanks to just one day. I am still thankful for so much and want to celebrate my blessings everyday! I am especially thankful that I got to spend the past week at home! It was a great little vacation and a wonderful holiday! It was also extra special because Peter got to spend it with my family. This was our first time celebrating a big holiday in the same place. We've been together for over 3 years now but have always been apart on the holidays. He fits right into my family and that makes my heart so happy.

Peter and I baking together. I'll share the recipe for this yummy treat tomorrow!

The five of us all gathered, ready to enjoy the feast we prepared.

We went to Wawayanda State Park one day- had to walk off all those starches.

Peter and my sister and I outside the Jets stadium. Peter, being a Redskins fan, was maybe feeling conflicted but we all enjoyed the nail-biter of a game, the great box seats, and the company!

Time with my mom and dad is hands down my favoirte part of being home, duh. I hate living far away from them (even though where they are living now is closer than we've been in 4 years, it's still not close enough).

I simply do not get enough time with my family- what really qualifies as enough time?

We went bowling, baked and cooked, went on a hike and to the football game. Forced Peter to watch home videos and Gone With the Wind. But when it all boils down I feel like all we really did this holiday was eat. Even when we were doing something else there was food present. Oh and we took A LOT of pictures which I'm pretty sure is not something Peter is used to quite yet, but in our family it's a requirement! I don't mind one bit, even though I do roll my eyes when the parentals whip out the camera for the zillionth time.

This morning I missed walking down to the kitchen and chatting with my mom and seeing my dad first thing in the morning. And don't even get me started on my sister time. Fortunately Christmas is right around the corner or I just could not bear it!

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Tonight

2011-11-17T10:55:00.001-05:00

Tonight after work I am meeting my roomsky and some of her work friends for dinner and a happy hour before heading to the special early release showing of Breaking Dawn at 8pm.

In the past, I'll admit it, my girlfriends and I did go to see the other Twilight movies at the midnight opening. This was mostly becasue our university student activites group rented out a theater and sold tickets for only $3. How could we not go then? But now I'm old and I never stay up past midnight anymore- except for Harry Potter, and I'll probably go to the Hunger Games midnight showing, but that's besides the point, this is just Twilight. Still I am really glad that my friend was able to get me a ticket to the special 8pm showing- it will be a fun girls night!

Back to the Hunger Games now... This new trailer was released a couple days ago and I could not be more excited! If you have not read this book do it. I promise it's nothing like Twilight!

Hodgepode

2011-11-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

I am linking up at my mom's blog today for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Hop on over to share you answers!

1. What song reminds you of a specific time in your life and what is it about that song that makes you remember?
The first 2 Needtobreathe albums (Daylight and The Heat) take me back to my college days every time because that's where I first heard them. They used to play at fraternity functions and at the Handlebar downtown. And I can still picture myself dancing on the patio of the Polynesian Hotel with all my favorite people singing We Could Run Away sophomore year. Or crying whenever I heard the song More Time senior year because I was almost out of time.

(Sophomore year)

(Senior year)

2.What's something that you've given up on?
Washington D.C/ Politicians- they always fall short of their promises.

3.What's something you'll never give up on?
God's love for me and his promises for my life- He never fails!

4. If you had to cook something from scratch in the next hour what would it be?
The other day Peter and I bought all the ingredients to make this yummy Garlic Parmesan Edamame that I pinned the other day. It wouldn't be that much of a meal but looks like a delicious side or snack dish to me:

5. Have you started Christmas shopping? Decorating? Listening to Christmas music?
I have started drafting my shopping list however no purchases have been made. Must get on that I suppose. Decorating I tend to wait until after Thanksgiving since I have a lot of cute fall things that I'd like to get more use out of. And as for the Christmas music- well, it's pretty impossible not to listen to it since they pump it out of the speakers in every Starbucks and place that I stop for lunch.

6. What do you know about your parents wedding?
I love listening to my mom talk about their wedding. It's so fun to get a better idea of what my parents were like when they were at this stage in their life. I know the year they got married they were also in 10 weddings between the two of them! My mom went with my grandma and her sister to a wedding show/fair/whatever and was very decisive about what she wanted- bouquet, photographer, etc. (I hope I can make clear decisions when it's my turn- I am notoriously bad at that.) They got married in a church in Maryville, TN where my dad is from. I know my mom's bridesmaids wore peach colored dresses. My dad still had a mustache and looked very handsome and my mom was absolutely beautiful. Their reception was at a hotel and they went to Florida for their honeymoon and that was the second time my dad flew on an airplane.

7. I can't believe I: will be at home with my family in less than a week! Get here now!

Blog Lovin'

2011-11-14T09:55:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my absence. I don't really have a reason for my infrequent posting- just laziness and a lack of creativity.

I feel a bit like I'm relearning to ride a bike- I think getting back into the rhythm of writing is going to take me a few posts but I really actually miss it. I feel left out when I read my favorite bloggers daily post and I don't have one of my own. I've hit a wall but I'm going to just keep plugging away and hopefully it will take back off.

I have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks- plenty of blogging material.

This weekend I am going to Young Life camp with some awesome high schoolers. I am so excited to spend the weekend with these friends and to get to know them on a deeper level- plus have a ton of fun! I think I've made my love of YL camps pretty clear (see here and here).

I have been battling an annoying head/throat/chest cold for a week now and I'm really ~~starting to get~~ irritated by it. I am hoping it's completely gone by the time I leave for camp on Friday because a weekend of late nights and early mornings and running at full power is not going to help! Fortunately, after this crazy fun weekend comes a relaxing holiday!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?! I am taking some nice vacation time and heading out of town on Tuesday after work. Anndd... Peter is coming home with me. This will be our first big holiday together. I am really excited for him to see some of our family seasonal traditions and to sit down to dinner for some of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes- and experience Angel Pie (yes, it is a treat that you don't just eat, you experience it) but more on that later.

Just want to quickly share that I signed up for Bloglovin which is a site/app that allows you to read you favorite blogs on your smart phone. That was always my complaint about blogger- that their website couldn't be navigated on my phone. So now if you're on there Follow my blog with Bloglovin!

Gettysburg & Snow?

2011-10-31T10:11:00.002-04:00

On Friday Peter picked me up from work and we drove to Gettysburg, PA for the night. It's only about an hour and a half away and the traffic wasn't too terrible. We stayed at the historic Gettysburg Hotel which is right in the center of town. Friday night we just walked around the town a bit and then got dinner at a delicious Italian place called Mama Venturas. Peter had gone there before with his family and they were mighty jealous of our visit.

We had heard they were calling for snow on Saturday but I didn't take it too seriously, despite what my iphone was telling me:

We were quite pleasantly surprised by what we saw when we woke up Saturday morning:

The snow fell heavily throughout the day, making this small town even more beautiful! We couldn't do too much since it was freezing so we hopped from door to door to stay dry. We had breakfast at the Lincoln Dinner. We went on a tour of the David Wills House (where Lincoln finished writing his famous address and where he stayed the night before he delivered it). We popped into a really neat antique shop. And then hopped in the car and drove out to the National park and the battle fields. If we had been prepared, it would have been fun to trek through the fields in all the snow. Instead we stayed mostly indoors, visited the museum and took pictures of the battle fields from the warmth of our car.

It's pretty crazy to think that almost 200 years ago these fields were littered with soldiers. Couple things I learned from the tour was that I am very grateful for warm shoes and socks and I would rather have died in the field then face war surgery back then... ugh.

Peter acted as my tour guide when it came to all the artillery and gun stuff. Did you know the Sharps carbine rifle really affected the outcome of the war due to it's longer range and greater accuracy? I do now!

Afterwards we headed to the Dobbin House Tavern for lunch. It's one of the oldest homes in Gettysburg, built in 1776 and is so charming with low dark wood beams on the ceiling and fireplaces and cozy couches.

Can you believe this much snow in October? It felt more like we skipped right over Halloween and Thanksgiving and were gearing up for Christmas!

These poor mums are totally freaking out! Who else saw snow this weekend?

Feels Like Home to Me

2011-10-25T10:08:00.002-04:00

Hello! I'm back from Homecoming. The weekend was wonderful and I had so much fun reconnecting with everyone, but most importantly, I loved getting to have lots of time with my closest girlfriends!

On Thursday my roommate and a friend we had in town visiting, drove down to college town. I flew down that evening after work and they picked me up from the airport. That night we stayed on campus in my sister's apartment. We were so excited to pull onto campus and see this sign. Someone in our car may have teared up...

(I actually borrowed this picture from Hugs From Hannah, she's a freshmen at my school now and I follow her blog so I can relive the good ol' days. Hi Hannah! You don't know me!)

Friday we met up with the rest of our crew and went to our favorite local place for lunch. Afterwards we went to check into our hotel downtown. We did the economic thing and got one hotel room for 6 girls. We brought an air mattress and a power strip (not kidding) and piled in. 6 girls bring A LOT of stuff. Anywho... we just chilled out and caught up with each other for a while before making moves to head out for the evening. Of course we tried to take a ton of pics:

All the D.C. girls looking super patriotic together.
My favorite people!
After a night out on the town we slept in and then headed back to campus to tailgate. I love being on campus and seeing all the lucky people who get to still be in college. It's sad to know that one day I'll go back and not know anyone still there. We opted out of the football game and grabbed lunch and a nap instead. You know you're not in college anymore when one late night out forces you to need a nap the next day...

After resting up we started the getting ready process. (It takes 6 girls a LONG time to shower, blow dry and roll there hair, do their make up and commit to an outfit). We made dinner reservations with a bigger group at a delicious restaurant downtown before meeting up with the rest of the homecoming crowd.

Sunday my roommate and I got up and went to the service at the church we used to attend. It was so nice to be back there as well and I really miss it! Unfortunately we then we had to start packing up. The weekend was over way too quickly. Before heading out of town we grabbed lunch at another favorite-there were not enough meals in the weekend to eat everywhere we wanted. It was a tearful goodbye but fortunately we have new years and wedding get togethers on the horizon to look forward to! It was a looonng drive back to D.C for my roommate and I, and while I'm already missing my besties, I am glad that I don't have to share my bathroom with 5 other girls this week!

Family, Friends, Fun

2011-10-17T13:50:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I went home again. This time my darling sister was also in town! I love when all 4 of us get to spend the weekend together- although it always much too short. Why do weekends always fly by??

I went apple picking for the first time! It was so fun and such a beautiful day to be outdoors. I will say that my height works against me in the apple picking department...still such a good day!
It would have been have really hard to head back to D.C if I didn't have something to look forward to....Tonight one of my bff's is coming to town!

She is on fall break for the entire week and she is coming to stay with my roommate and I until we all head back to South Carolina for Homecoming this weekend!
We can't wait to be here in just a few short days....

Catch Up

2011-10-11T10:18:00.001-04:00

On my honor, I will try, to be a better blogger this week.
Here's some random things I need to get you, my patient readers, caught up on:

1. Fall has exploded in my house. Really what I should say, though, is pumpkins have thrown up in my house! Big ones, small ones, felt ones, glittery ones- stay tuned for a fall decorations extravaganza!

2. My lovely friend came to town for the weekend- it's a known fact that girl's weekends are the cure for most of life's problems.

3. I am obsessed with The Hunger Games. I read book one and two in less than 48 hours- I stayed up way too late finishing the 2nd one last night! It is soooo suspenseful, nerve shredding, adrenaline pumping, wonderful (probably not the best book to read at bed time- oh well). OBSESSED! I am literally tingling to get my hands on the third (and final book) but it's bittersweet because after that it's over. Seriously. Read. These. Books. Today (or at least before the movie comes out in March)

4. Young Life has been going soooo well! I feel so encouraged and excited by it all. I have loved getting to lead music again and I am loving all the great people I get to hang out with every week!

5. I had Columbus Day off. It is a wonderful thing to not have work on Monday. What cruel person decided that weekends should only be 2 days? Do you think we could get everyone in the whole world on board with changing it to a 4 day work week/3 day weekend? I don't think I would get much resistance. Oh, well. At least this will be a shorter week.

Weekend Recap

2011-10-03T09:00:00.009-04:00

I cannot believe it is October. Outside this weekend it felt like we kinda skipped fall all together and went straight to winter. My closet and I were not prepared.

Both my roommates were gone for the weekend and I can't handle too much time on my own these days so I did my best to keep myself busy. On Saturday my friend Catherine and I met two guys for high tea at the Willard Hotel. It was such a nice time! Lovely hotel, champagne, tea and scones . Of course being that we are all only about 23 years old the conversation remained "high tea appropriate" for only a short time...oh well.

Afterwards Catherine had planned the perfect cold, rainy, fall afternoon of homemade bread pudding with rum sauce followed by homemade hot chocolate- all enjoyed in comfy sweaters and yoga pants- aka perfection!

On Sunday I took myself on a much needed trip to target! I recently ordered a pair of new pants from gap that I am eagerly awaiting and I decided I needed some new tops to go with them and to get ready for the colder days ahead:

Gap

Target

(I also got a new dress, and a basic white long sleeve top- I can never leave target with just one or two items...)

Sunday evening we had Young Life team dinner and planning time! Tonight is our first official club! I am so excited/nervous, so say some prayers that lots of kids come and that it all goes smoothly! Today is going to be an absolutely crazy day work-wise so also pray that I make it through the day without any breakdowns and have plenty of energy for club! Ah Mondays...

Happy Birthday Anna- Hodgepodge

2011-09-28T11:38:00.002-04:00

I guess I have to break my blogging silence at some point. Maybe at some point I'll share what's been going on the past couple of weeks. But for now answering some of my mom's hodgepodge questions is a much easier way to get back into my groove.

1. What's your favorite memory of Summer 2011?
My weekend spent with all my closest friends at one girl's lake house-which I wrote about here and here.

2. What's your favorite nut?
(My mom is sucha nut sometimes!) My favorite nut is these Blue Diamond Wasabi Soy almonds that parent's got me hooked on. Seriously so tasty!

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?
Heights. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights but there is something about standing on the edge of a high place that just makes you wobble...

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?
Well, I think I'm funny! I have a tendency to be pretty blunt and sarcastic, funnily enough though, I'm not great at picking up on other people's sarcasm... I also fail at retelling funny stories. I usually start giggling part way through and then lose the momentum and it just falls flat. Total amateur hour. I will say that having a sense of humor and being able to laugh when things aren't so great can make a huge difference!

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day...what's your stupid question?
What is a sesame? Does the seed ever grow into something besides decoration for burger buns? (watch Mitch Hedberg- Sesame Seeds video on YouTube for a laugh)

6. Roller skates, hula hoop, jump rope- which activity would you choose?
HULA HOOP! I could be a professional if there were such a thing!

7.What's your most sentimental possession?
Yeah... can't pick just one. A couple letters from my parents from confirmation, birthdays, life. An all my old journals. I love reading over the letters and my journals and reminding myself of how much I have changed and grown over the years!

8. September would have been a total bust if not for all the birthday celebrations. September really is birthday month in my family and today is no exception. Today my sweet cousin Anna is 17! Happy Birthday girl!

I last wrote about Anna here. But this next lil bit I stole from my mom's blog:
Anna will spend her birthday in the hospital recovering from her second round of chemo as she waits for a bone marrow donor match to be identified. Becoming a donor may not be something you've ever thought about but I am asking you to consider it today. I know it all sounds a little bit scary so here are a few facts taken from their info packet about the process-

•You must be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any patient in need, and meet the health guidelines.
•Donors never pay for donating and are never paid to donate. Medical and travel costs are reimbursed.
•Every person who registers provides hope...you may never be identified as a match for someone or you might be one of several potential matches. You may also be the only one on a registry of 8 million people who can save a patient's life!
•To register or learn more please visit Be the Match. After you register you'll be sent an easy to follow packet of instructions. A simple cheek swab is all that is needed to put you into the system. Further testing would happen should you be lucky enough to match someone on the wait list.

I'd love to know if you end up registering or if you already are. And even if you don't, feel free to keep on praying for Anna during this journey and lift up a birthday wish to her today!

Happy Needtobreathe Day Y'all!

2011-09-20T09:40:00.000-04:00

The new album is finally here!!

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-09-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was my mom's birthday!

On Thursday I made the snap decision that I needed to go home for the weekend so I ended up getting to be with my mom on her birthday- I don't know who was happier about that? It's been quite a few years since I've been with her on the actual day of her birthday. It was a fun treat to go out to breakfast with her and my dad watch her open presents. And of course we all enjoyed the cooler fall weather and another evening together around their wonderful fire pit!

I am so thankful to have a mom like her who knows when her girl needs a weekend of tlc at home!

Happy Birthday Mom! I. Love. You!

One of those Days

2011-09-14T15:41:00.002-04:00

Fun This Fall

2011-09-13T10:45:00.001-04:00

I have decided I really want to take advantage of all that the surrounding D.C, Maryland, Virginia area has to offer. There are a lot of things I want to do this fall!

Washington's largest and oldest Greek Festival is this weekend- Greek food, beers and wines, live music and a Greek marketplace with free admission- I think my Greek boyfriend would be up for that! (more info here)

The Renaissance Festival- My family used to go here every fall when sister and I were younger. And Peter's family did the same. Funny to think we could have both been there at the same time... I'm hoping to eat a giant turkey leg, watch some sword swallowers, and I'm hoping it's as fun as I remember! (more info here)

Redskin's Game- Peter's family has season tickets to the Redskins and I have never been to a professional football game before. So this is definitely on the top of my list!

Along those same football lines... My favorite place to get crabs does a Monday Night Football special: all you can eat crabs for $22.95! Must do this before it gets cold!

Old Rag Mountain- Peter has been visiting his sister in Colorado since last Tuesday and he gets home today. From the sound of it and from the pictures he's texted me to make me jealous, he's pretty much gone hiking everyday! I love hiking and I love being outdoors, especially this time of year as the cooler, nicer fall days are moving in. A friend at work said Old Rag Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park was the funnest hike with the best views. I definitely want to check it out!

I also really want to go camping this fall! Maybe we'll make a trip out of the Old Rag hike and stay the night in the park there. I'm ready to throw on my flannel today!

This is just a handful of the things I'm excited to do this fall. This is definitely my favorite season!

Happy Birthday Sister

2011-09-12T10:41:00.002-04:00

My beautiful sister turned 21 this past Saturday!

It's hard for me to believe that she is a SENIOR in college. I am thankful that I got to celebrate with her over labor day weekend and can't wait to see her in October and celebrate some more! I so wish we lived closer to one another....

Happy Birthday! I hope you had an amazing day and that this is an amazing year for you!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-09-07T10:00:00.001-04:00

Head on over here to link up with this week's questions!
1. What is one piece of advice you would give your just turning 21 year old adult?
The advice my parents gave me was pretty simple: don't drink too much, don't drive, don't be that girl!

2. Besides cooler weather, what is one thing you are looking forward to about fall?
I can't pick just one: Going apple picking this weekend with some girlies, high school football games with the young life folks, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, wearing boots again, Homecoming!

(Last year's Homecoming with some of the girls- can't wait to be reunited again!)

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?
Last night I feel asleep to the pouring rain and it was lovely.

4. September is National Preparedness Month- do you have an emergency kit or a disaster plan in place?
Not that I'm aware of... unless "lock all the doors" or "quick get out of the house" (depending on the type of emergency) counts as a plan.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging?
Aside from the number of changes made to the layout and style, I think my blog has become more and more personal- I feel more comfortable sharing more about myself with y'all. Plus I think I've finally got a rhythm going and writing posts is definitely easier. All positive changes!

6. What is something you recently learned to do on the computer?
Thanks to pinterest I learned this:

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate?

Yes! A single picture can bring a million memories flooding back. For instance, below I see my first dorm room, one of my best friends who I'll always think of as my forever roommate, and I am instantly taken back to freshmen year of college. Our coordinating bedding, our small closets, the green chair that was ideal for napping, getting ready to go the fraternity house together, cup o noodles, the mini fridge, and the million memories made that year!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-09-01T09:50:00.001-04:00

Today is my dad's birthday!

I am so thankful to have the most amazing dad in the world. A dad who puts himself second to his family.

He has always told me, from day one, how much he loves me, how proud he is of me. He's supportive and encouraging of everything I do! He's the kind of dad who always tells me to drive carefully and try my hardest!

I have him to thank in large part for helping me get a job in D.C.- between the interview tips and the resume help and the fact that he could put up with me when I got hysterical! My dad has also helped me move a dozen or so times, in and out of dorm rooms and up and down apartment stairs and across country and ocean.

I can't wait to see him the day after tomorrow and give him a big birthday hug! And spend the weekend out on a boat, on the water, with our family- probably one of his all time favorite places to be!! Happy birthday dad-I love you!

Hah!

2011-08-31T09:00:00.002-04:00

I would like to take this opportunity to gloat, just a little bit.

My university was finally recognized, nationally, for something more than it's beautiful campus! It was named #2 Most Rigorous University by Newsweek's The Daily Beast!

That's right! Take that Harvard! Take that, Princeton, and Yale! Y'all may be harder to get in to but we are just plain HARDER! Hah!

And yet, the really funny thing is... most days I miss it!

One Thing

2011-08-29T15:21:00.001-04:00

"The most severe drought in decades is threatening the lives of more than 11 million people- especially young children- in the Horn of Africa. Famine has been declared in parts of southern Somalia, and threatens to spread if nothing is done to prevent it."

World Vision is challenging us to face facts about this tragedy, asking us to no longer stand back and watch a people fall away in pain and suffering because of circumstances out of their control!I have never experienced real hunger in my life. Nor real poverty, starvation, or need. The word "need" has replaced the word "want" in today's language. I say that I need Starbucks or I need to go out for dinner, I need new, I need more, I need now! But what I really mean is I want all those things-things that I'd like to think are necessities, that I trick myself into thinking I can't live without! Needless to say I am little dramatic and my priorities and perspective are quite out of whack!

So, now World Vision has asked me (not personally but through twitter, although it definitely spoke directly to my heart) to look at the ONE thing I typiaclly spend $10 on that I could give up this week. And instead of spending it on a Grande Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte and Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake at Starbucks (which technically only adds up to almost $7 but I get it more than once a week) I will text FAMINE to 20222 to send in a $10 donation. It's a small but important way to fight the unfathomable hunger in the Horn of Africa.

If you are a blogger, what is the ONE thing you will give up? Share about it on your blog and link back to the World Vision blog here. Can you imagine if everyone one of our followers, and if everyone of the blogs in our readers did this? And if you don't have a blog, go on and blow up all the social media networks with this easy way to make even the tiniest impact!

Sing With Me Now

2011-08-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

I didn't post about this yet but last weekend I went to the Hillsong United concert with my roommate Liz.

This was an amazing concert. It was a very different crowd from the last concert I saw at this venue, but just as big!! My favorite part was watching everyone in this huge crowd lift their arms to the Lord and sing praises to Him! Nothing is more encouraging, nothing makes my heart sore more than voices raised in unison, in worship!

If you haven't already, run now and buy or download their newest album, Aftermath. I hadn't heard but one song off the album before the concert and it is amazing! My favorite tracks, it's a toss up between: Like an Avalanche, Bones, and Take Heart (which you can only get off the album).

This past weekend was even more glorious. I spent it with 13 new leaders, now friends, at the DC Metro Region Young Life leader weekend at Rockbridge camp! We spent the weekend lifting each other up and preparing to go into the new school year refreshed and ready to share our lives, and God's love, with high schoolers.

I am so thrilled to be getting back into Young Life. I have so missed being a part of a mission bigger than myself. I have missed watching kids meet Christ in the greatest ways and growing in my own walk with the Lord. I have also missed going to camp! Young Life camps are the prettiest places on the Earth. Although I've only ever been to two of them (I wrote about the other one here) I'm pretty sure that is a fact and not just my opinion!

I am so excited that, instead of coming home from work and plopping myself on the couch in front of the TV everyday, I will get to hang out with high schoolers, go where they are, play silly games at "club," lead music again, plan organized chaos, meet girls for coffee dates, be intentional with my time, and reveal to them the awesomeness what God has done for me and has planned for us!

"The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full!" John 10:10

More Driving Drama & Weekend Plans

2011-08-26T14:56:00.001-04:00

Yesterday my mom wrote such a sweet story about when I was born and that magical first year as a mother. I feel bad now because I have managed to chip away at the magic with these past couple of days....Daughter 1 has totally failed and, while I could blame it on the DMV and the special awful place that it is, I know it's my fault. I know I procrastinated and hoped for the best when I should have prepared for the worst and taken care of this months ago.

Fortunately my parents are rock stars and my family loves me so much. They love me so much, in fact, that my amazingly selfless uncle went twice to the DMV in South Carolina on my behalf. They fed-exed, faxed and got it together when I couldn't. I will be going back to the DMV on Monday equipped with everything I can possibly ever need ever, and I will be prepared to duel (cry and beg and plead my case) with any agent there who tries to deny me my vehicle registration or a Maryland license! And hopefully this will be my last post about the DMV!

Fortunately I don't need to drive anywhere this weekend. In fact, I will be heading out town (on the run from Irene??) and heading to Young Life camp for the DC Metro Area Leadership Weekend! I am so excited but also really nervous because I really don't know but one person going (that I'm aware of- you never know with Young Life, it's totally 3 degrees of separation).

I have been praying a lot about getting back into leading YL and on Wednesday I met with the area director. He reassured me that it's totally possible to be involved and still have a full time job, multiple leaders do! In fact, the people who I'm carpooling with are all in the same boat. I will be meeting them at the metro after we all get off work and I am sure we will be fast friends by the time we get to camp!

Wish me luck! Hopefully the fact that I'm the new girl and don't know anyone wont be too intimidating for me! Heck, I've been the new girl plenty of times before- I can handle it!

Nautical Event Details

2011-08-25T10:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening the wine & cheese event that I mentioned here took place. I was responsible for coming up with the menu, coordinating with caterers, ordering all the food, wine and beer and decorating the space-on a limited budget.

The invite that I sent out for the event featured nautical flags and I decided to run with that imagery and colors for the decorations. I ended up crafting my own flags out of card stock and glue stick and hanging them over the bar. I love how they turned out!

I used sunflowers and red carnations that I bought cheap from the flower vendor right outside the metro to bring in more red and yellow. I know carnations aren't the best but they filled their purpose and the amazingly huge sunflowers more that made up for them!

I wrapped all the vases in rafia and placed small ones with floating flowers on the bar and larger ones on the high-tops around the room:

Finally I used the same image from the invite on the buffet cards:

The firm "colors" are green, so all the table skirts we own and the carpets are that color which makes it tricky to transform a space. The decorations were simple but then so was the event- just a casual get together for the attorneys after hours. The food was yummy and overall I was quite pleased with how it all came together!

So There Was This Earthquake

2011-08-24T09:55:00.001-04:00

I'm sorry if you've missed me this week. I've been at the DMV. I don't know what was worse, the DMV or the traffic getting home from work yesterday.

Yesterday was a day of annoyances and weirdness. The DMV was annoying, the earthquake was weird. I happened to be at my desk on the 6th floor of my office building. I thought they were moving furniture above me when my cupboards first started rattling. But then my desk started moving as well and I almost climbed under it. Instead though I hustled down the stairs and met everyone in DC in the streets. And being the good blogger that I sometimes am, I remembered my phone and was able to take some pictures of the bit of chaos:

Then we were told to move away from the building and head to the park which looked like this:

My work friend and I decided to take advantage of our time and we walked over to the White House. They had the road right in front of it blocked off and a whole handful of snipers making sure no one did anything crazy:

Our building was shut down for the rest of the day and it took me 3 hours to get home since I had to take the bus and like I said there was insane traffic. Fortunately my phone battery died so I got to have a fun time wandering around trying to find Peter who was picking me up. All in all it was a very strange day!

Did you feel the earthquake wherever you were?

The DMV and Me

2011-08-19T13:37:00.000-04:00

We do not get on!
But really does anyone ever have a good experience with the DMV? I have yet to hear of such tales. They are total fantasy.

I have put off going to the DMV because, well, do I really need to explain why I've put it off? Anyways, it's really been a logistical issue. The DMV offices do not make it easy, big shock there! They are only open until 4:30 during the week and on the weekends they don't offer all their services- i.e. they don't offer the services I need!

I need to get a MD drivers license (the one thing I can do on the weekend) and I need to get my car titled and registered in MD (the main thing I need to do but can't do on the weekend).

There is a lot of pressure to get this done because my tags expire THIS MONTH! And I wont tell you what happens when you don't renew your tags on time- it is not pretty! ugh.

I've resigned myself to the fact that Saturday morning at the DMV is not going to be nice, and I've also accepted that a second trip there will likely have to take place during the week but I will get through it! Because... I have my Sunday night Hillsongs concert to look forward to!!!

Off to Work I Go

2011-08-18T17:00:00.005-04:00

Just thought I'd share more about what it is that I do up here in D.C when I'm not blogging, pinning, tweeting or facebooking....

Back in April I started a new job. I am the Meeting and Events Assistant at a BIG law firm in the city! I basically organize all the daily goings on with catering and conferences and client meetings, and on top of that I plan larger firm wide events and functions for outside groups, in our space and off-property. It's a big job, and my boss is currently on maternity leave until July so I am busy- but I really do enjoy it!

Next week we have a wine and cheese type of event that I am responsible for putting together. I came up with a Nautical/Chesapeake Bay theme! These types of events are my favorite part of my job because they are just for fun. That means I get to more be creative! I am currently trying to come up with simple, not over the not, non-tacky decorations for this event.
I started with the below image and incorporated it into the e-vite that went out:

I really like these sailing flags and am considering crafting some to string across the bar. I plan to stick with that color theme-red, navy, white and yellow/gold- for flowers and table cloths as well.

(all images from pinterest, where else?)

I'll be sure to post pictures of the final decorations after the event. Any cute and classy little nautical touches you come across, send them my way!

Over at My Mom's Blog

2011-08-17T10:23:00.002-04:00

Go here to link up with this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. Using what's in your fridge right now, what sort of meal would you be able to make for guests who show up right now?
Um... not a whole lot. They could have a turkey and cheese sandwich (but on a bagel) with a pickle and sweet potato fries.

2. What is something about yourself that you hope will change but probably never will?
Never say never, but I'm pretty positive I will never be able to break the compulsion to re-write my notes or letters or lists over and over until it looks perfect (in my eyes). I waste so much paper and give my hand cramps. In school this was a real problem because I would spend time in class re-writing yesterday's "sloppy" notes. Most of the time now, I try to use a pencil first and then write over it in pen once I'm satisfied. Still though, jotting down a quick, "went to the store be back in a minute," takes at least 3 tries.

3. What is something about yourself that you hope will never change!
I love to try new things, be adventurous, and attempt to be spontaneous. So, I really hope I never get so stuck in my ways that I'm too scared or too lazy to do something different or go somewhere new or meet new people!

4. Do you usually send serious or funny greeting cards.
It obviously depends on the occasion, and the receiver. I've started picking up cards in stores that I like even if I don't have an occasion to send them. Good cards are hard to find when you need them. I love Curly Girl Designs for cute, fun and unique cards, both serious and funny. Also, the other day I ordered some super cute blank note cards (and some adorable address labels and some other goodies) from Erin Condren.

5. Bird watching, shell seeking, or star gazing, what is your preference for willing away the hours?
Shell seeking! I could easily walk up and down the beach for hours, with my feet in the water and my eyes on the ground looking for pretty shells and chatting with a beach buddy.

6. Do you double or triple check things? If so what?
I think you know from my answer to #2 that I do. And yet still somehow I let blog posts go out with typos....

7. What's your favorite place for people watching.
The mall, with my sister, while eating an Auntie Anne's pretzel.

8. Have I mentioned that I love my roommates??

Cousins

2011-08-15T10:00:00.004-04:00

Saturday I spent the day at my aunt and uncle's house. They live about 45 minutes away from me, the closest we've been in a loooong time! It was such a nice day, being with family, not having to try, no effort necessary-just family. And of course I love any excuse to be silly with my cousins!

Speaking of cousins, my sweet 16 year old cousin Anna is dealing with something that I just don't know how to blog about. I don't know how to write it out in words that adequately express what I'm feeling, what the family is going through, what Anna is facing. But at the same time, how can I not blog about it? I can't just go on and post about my weekends and share pins and talk about going to the movies with girlfriends and pretend that everything is the same as it was last week!

Last Wednesday we got the shocking news that Anna has AML Leukemia. No warning, no real signs, nothing can ever really prepare you for this kind of news. Anna, though, has been amazingly positive, upbeat, and has shown faith unwavering. I am fully confident in the Lord's strength and I know that he is using Anna and this crappy situation to glorify Him! So I am going to be positive, praising God and remain unwavering in my faith, like her! I know that God can remove all the cancerous cells with one breath! So I ask you all to pray for her by name and pray confidently!

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours!" Mark 11:24

(The blogging world is really amazing at rallying together and lifting people up in prayer. Both my mom's blog and the above mentioned aunt's blog have written about Anna in more eloquent words than me.)

TGI(pinnable me)F

2011-08-12T13:50:00.001-04:00

It has been a looong week... and I am ready for it to be over.
Tomorrow I am driving out to my aunt and uncles house to spend some much needed time with the family. I hate that we all live so spread out from one another. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by relatives, don't forget to count your blessings. Time with family is spirit-lifting/smile-restoring/laughter-inducing and totally necessary!

And then on Sunday I am meeting up with some of my sorority sisters for fro-yo and then to see The Help. My "big" in my sorority also lives in D.C but we have yet to meet up since I've moved up here! I know that is terrible but every weekend it seems I have somewhere to go or be and she is equally swamped with work. I can't wait to catch up!

Now I am linking up with Paw Prints and Pastry Bags for another Pinnable-Me Friday and sharing some prettiness to go into the weekend with:

I am starting a collection fund for these riddiculously beautiful, perfect and perfectly expensive Tory Burch boots. Feel free to make donations. And speaking of donations I am planning to grow my hair out and then give it to locks of love. If you look in the above picture, my hair was insanely long and I should have done it back then. But I'm almost there again so I'm committing 10 inches to this great organization. The thing is, I want plenty of hair left over to style it really cute. Like these girlies:

(Reese)

(Jenn)

(January)

Brain Dump

2011-08-09T12:01:00.002-04:00

My roommate and I just bought lawn tickets to see Hillsong United on August 20th! I am sooo excited!

This past weekend Peter and I "discovered" the wonders of a little service called Take Out Taxi. It's a 3rd party delivery service that lets you order from restaurants all over town and they deliver it for you. Often they are restaurants that don't do delivery. It's just a whole 'nother way for us to enjoy lazy weekends! We enjoyed California Pizza Kitchen while watching Grumpy Old Men.

The rioting in London is just breaking my heart. It's completely out of control and I am scared for the places that are dear to my heart. I've been following it pretty closely today and there are rumors and threats against the burrough where I went to school. Hopefully they stay as rumors.

I semi-watched Bachelor Pad last night. It's a whole new low for this show. I don't think I'll be following this season. There is no one I like on it! (But I guess that's never stopped me before).

Yesterday I re-read The Help in preparation for the movie coming out TOMORROW! I first read it at Christmas and it's was just a fabulous the second time around. I cannot wait to get a group of girls together and go see it!

Lately I am really, really missing Young Life. My favorite team has been blowing up my facebook newsfeed with tagged pictures from their trip to Crooked Creek Camp with my favorite high-schoolers. I praying about ways to get involved and volunteer with YL up here.

And that's all folks!

"Nap" Town

2011-08-08T09:00:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday Peter and I went to Annapolis for the (late) afternoon. It wasn't particularly sunny and the breeze coming off the water made it not quite as hot, perfect for an afternoon out! I was excited to spend some time there since it's been 8 years since my family moved away from Maryland.

Peter "encouraged" (forced) me to drive there. I need practice driving on these busy, scary DC highways and it wasn't as nerve wracking as it could have been. However I did start to panic and he then "encouraged" me to pull over and switch seats with him when it came time to park. He found us a great spot on the main street right by the water and perfect for walking around. We popped in some cute boutiques, he had to drag me out of Kilwins, (which is a chain and I learned that the Maryland Kilwins does not make pralines, which the Charleston Kilwins is famous for), and we checked out all the great boats docked along "Ego Alley".

Peter was such a good sport about my picture taking. He didn't complain when I asked people to take our picture together and he even suggested this below pic of me in the middle of Main Street.

After our leisurely walk around town, which included a lot of me saying "I used to love this place" or "this wasn't here back then" we started noticing some ominous clouds so we headed to McGarvey's for dinner!

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants in Annapolis. It's a little hole in the wall type pub. When I lived in Maryland, my dad used to take me there every year for lunch on my birthday and it was always a family favorite when we came to town. So, like in the past, we ordered yummy mussels (my all time favorite) to share and Peter may have raised an eyebrow at my neat and orderly way of stacking my shells. I also had awesome crab dip and Peter had a crab cake, it was a very Maryland-ish meal.

We of course had to go back to Kilwins after dinner so I could get ice-cream and then this time Peter drove us home. We both agree we want to go back for a weekend trip since it's not even an hour away from me and such a nice change from the DC scene. It was lovely day, spent walking around, visiting a town that I used to know better, holding hands and enjoying a day out.

Coconut Cupcakes

2011-08-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Last night I made myself a little indulgence.

Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. From the grocery and from a box. So easy and sooo yummy!

My favorite part of making these was I got to use my new Pampered Chef decorating bottles!

This wasn't entirely necessary since I was covering the top with coconut but I couldn't resist!

Before the coconut. Don't they look pretty?

After the coconut. Don't they look lovely?!

I was one happy girl!

Mimosa Mani-Pedi

2011-08-04T10:00:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday evening I had plans to meet up with some girls to celebrate my friend Catherine's birthday. Her sister was coming in to town to surprise her and we had organized a dinner out. The plan was to meet at her house around 7:30. Since I get off work at 5:30 I didn't feel like metroing all the way back to my house just to turn around and come back in to the city. So I decided to kill some time and treat myself to a mani/pedi!

I went to Mimosa in Dupont Circle and it was fabulous! I just walked in and got seated right away (after I'd spent about 10 minutes trying to pick out my colors, of course) even though it was really busy. Then, the best part, they give you FREE champagne!
Is there a better way to end a day of work/a better way to get a manicure or pedicure? I only wish I'd had all my girlfriends there along with me! I ended up getting Essie Mademoiselle on my nails and Essie Peach Daiquiri on my toes!(Please excuse this incredibly close shot of my freaky feet...) Do you want to know the second best part of Mimosa? It was under $40! And, I also saw a sign that said "Happy Hour 2-7 $25 for Gel Manicure!" I've never gotten a gel manicure before (Shellac is one brand) so I will definitely be going back for that! For those of you in D.C, it's such a fun girly place. And they're not even giving me free mani/pedis to say this!

A Melodious Hodgepodge

2011-08-03T09:45:00.002-04:00

I am linking up over at my mom's blog for the Wednesday Hodgepode. Feel free to join in and link up as well!

1. Share a favorite song lyric.
"Looking on, she sings the song. The words she knows the tune she hums..."

2.When was the last time you yelled at someone?
I yelled at the TV alot during the Bachelorette finale.

3. Money, fame, happiness. Are they mutually exclusive?
I don't think you need money or fame to be happy. And I don't think that they can buy happiness but I do think you can have money or be famous and still be happy.

4. What is your favorite dish to prepare for for family or friends that doesnt require turning on the stove, oven or grill?
I've only made it once but it is definitely impressive and would be so fun to show up at a dinner party with and it requires no cooking, just cutting. Found the inspiration on pinterest, where else?
5. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life and will you do it? I suppose I could take care of getting my car registered in Maryland and getting my new Maryland license. I suppose that checking that off my list would simplify my life.... but is it just me or does it the thought of spending all Saturday morning at the DMV make anyone else feel nauseous??

6. On a scale of 1-10 how tuned are you to your country's national political scene? I guess I'm a 7- being that I am in the captial for work everyday, I am surrounded by hill staffers and by people worked up about something. I get stopped and asked things like "do you know that congress just voted for fascism?" and I see crazy picket signs outside every metro and national building. I figure if I'm going to have it forced in front of me all the time I might as well watch the news, read the paper and follow @whitehouse, @washingtonpost on Twitter.

7. What are your final parting words to the month of July?

Goodbye July, you were really too hot!

8. Shout out- Happy Birthday to my dear friend Catherine! Can't wait to celebrate some more this weekend!

Blog Goals and The Bachelorette

2011-08-02T14:30:00.002-04:00

66 more posts by January 1, 2012

13 posts per month

3 posts per week

300th post on 1/1/12

That's what I'm aiming for.

I like milestones to fall on significant days. 300 posts on the 2nd birthday of my blog is very pleasing to the OCD side of my brain. Plus its good to set a goal for consistent blogging each week- and this leaves room for some weeks to have more or less posts.

Now on to more important things like The Bachelorette!

Who watched the train wreck that was this season?? The finale was equal parts cheesy and gut wrenching-ly painful. I was never a fan of Ashley and I definitely think it was so wrong of her to let Ben get down on one knee and spill his heart out before she rejected him. NOT NICE! But I do think JP is so cute and I hope they can make it work. What do you say, over or under 1 year?

I enjoyed reading the minute by minute hilarious commentary that my mom found here. So if you missed it this is a great recap. Now I wish they would get somebody totally NEW to be the next Bachelor. Some guy that has no past history on this show, please.

Silver Balls

2011-08-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

Here are the thumbtack balls that I made the other week. You can see where I got pinned idea from in this post. I'm debating coating them with some sort of sealer so the tacks stay put. And I still may end up painting them but overall I think they turned out pretty darn cool.

To make these I bought styrofoam balls from Michaels (so cheap) and a ton of tacks from Staples. Each ball took about 200 thumbtacks. There are pretty clear instructions linked to my previous post.

Old Friends

2011-07-29T09:55:00.000-04:00

Today after work (that's how all my posts begin, right?) I am going to visit with an old friend. I first met this girl in the 2nd grade, we both had Mrs. Arnold. We stayed friends through elementary, middle and high school, even when I moved to England. Unfortunately, the last time we got together was the summer after freshmen year of college! 4 years ago!

Back then I didn't have a drivers license, wasn't in a sorority, hadn't declared a major, or decided what I was going to do with my life (not that it's all that clear now either). We were still underclassmen, new to college and life on our own, oh, and she wasn't engaged. It's crazy to think how much has changed in just 4 years! I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden we're no longer teenagers, we're done with school, she's getting married, and I've somehow ended up in Maryland again after 8 years of being elsewhere.

I've planned to stay the night at her house tonight, or what I used to refer to as a sleepover. Just like in elementary, middle and high school days. It will probably involve less time on AIM, talking about mean girls and crushes, and a little more time catching up on the past 4 years, wedding plans, and life now.

Old friends are comfortable. They knew you before life got a little more complicated, back when our only responsibility was homework.

Hump Day Hodgepodge

2011-07-27T10:01:00.000-04:00

Half way through this week, which means it's time to share more random stuff about myself over at the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. July is National Ice Cream Month. What is your favorite flavor?
I love homeade peach ice cream. But it has to be homemade, other wise my favorite is Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

2.When you travel do you tend to pack too much or too little?
I have to be honest and say I tend to pack too much. If I going somewhere and I don't really know what I'm going to be doing each day I tend to just throw in clothes and shoes that I may potentially end up needing and I usually don't need half of it. If it's just a short weekend jaunt to my parents I can usually keep it under control. It always looks like more when you throw in a hair dryer, hot rollers, and a curling iron though, so that's really not my fault.

3. What is your favorite cleaning product?
Clorox wipes! Such a cleaning lifesaver!

4.Which is a greater tragedy an innocent person imprisoned or a guilty person set free?
An innocent person imprisoned (which basically means that the actual guilty person is free). I can't imagine how frustratingly unjust it would feel to be sitting in prison for something you know you did not do. And ultimately a guilty person will be judged.

5. What's the longest trip you've taken by car?
Does a bus trip count? Yes, I think it does. I was on an 18 hour bus ride from Budapest, Hungary to Lupeni, Romania. Technically, in mileage it shouldn't take that long. But if you figure in sitting at the border for no less than 4 hours, and winding your way through the precariously narrow roads in the Translyvanian Alps, on a charter bus from the 1960's, with 40 other high school students hopped up on way too much caffeine and adrenaline, having to make bathroom breaks in the middle of no where, it adds up. It was also the funnest trip. Ever! Because at the end of it we got to get our hands dirty and do some real service for a deserving community.
6. Tennis, golf, canoeing, biking.

Biking. I want this, except maybe in green:

7. What sound drives you crazy?
Listening to other people chew/ smack their food loudly. Gah... makes my skin crawl.

8. Earlier this month my dear friend got engaged to the most wonderful guy. They have been together for 4 years and I am so excited to stand up at their wedding next August and watch them tie the knot. One of the best parts about them getting engaged is that now I have an excuse to stalk wedding websites, pin pretty wedding photos, and looks a wedding magazines. If anyone asks it's for my friend ;)

Plans Change

2011-07-26T09:52:00.000-04:00

I didn't get everything checked off my list this weekend. (I did make those styrofoam balls and they turned out better than I expected and look like something you'd buy from Pier 1-I kept them for myself rather than taking them to work, hehe). But I didn't really clean my room, and I obviously didn't plan out this week's blog posts.

Plans change. I think I've said this before but I'm a big list maker. I like the satisfaction of writing down a task and then crossing it off when it's completed. It's sometimes hard for me to not have a plan, to not know what's next on the to-do list. But I know God probably gets a kick out of my plans and just smiles and shakes his head and sighs, "oh Shannon, when will you learn?"

There are things you can't plan for.
Peter's grandfather passed away on Friday. It was something the family had expected but something you can never be prepared for. I am so thankful that I got to know him for a short while and that I'll get to hear stories about him for years to come. Peter is actually named after his granfather but they share more than that. Peter got his papou's kind heart and for that I am so grateful. I know his grandfather had such a huge role in making Peter into the boy that I love.

This Weekend

2011-07-22T15:02:00.002-04:00

I have simple plans for this weekend but mostly I plan to stay cool. I wish I had a pool to swim at or a boat to go out on.

Deep clean my bedroom and bathroom. And I am embarrassed to say this... but I still have some boxes that remain unpacked. Taunting me. I have got to do something abou that.Buy new ballet slippers and maybe a new leotard. I'm hoping that purchasing these items will give the kick in the butt that I need to get myself to ballet class. I don't know why I'm dragging my feet (probably because I haven't worked out in 5 years and I'm going to pay for that at the first few classes...) but I am dying to dance! Plus the school I'm planning to take adult classes at is soooo convenient: on my way home from work on the same metro line. And they are drop in and therefore fit with my changing schedule.

Go to Barnes & Noble. I am out of things to read and I don't know what to do with myself.
Make time for quiet time, maybe while I'm at B&N.
Set up/ plan out blog posts for next week so I don't have to bore you all with any more lists trying to mascarade as posts.
I also am planning to make these: Thumback covered styrofoam balls! (courtesy of Landee See Landee Do blog):

**I plan to fill all these glass vases with them and then use them as centerpieces for a casual anniversary celebration at work. I like the metallic gold and silver look but also think it would be fun to spray paint them the company's colors. I'll post pictures of the final product!

Hope you all have more exciting weekend plans than me!

Such a Tease

2011-07-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

These short weekends at home are annoying!

But I love them!

But they are too short!

But I need them!

It is such a tease to spend just two nights at home, to see my parents for just two days and then to head back so soon after I arrive. It's never ever enough time! I so wish I was still in my house instead of at my office. Monday's after a trip home are the worse!! My mom already posted about day one of my "drive-by-visit," so I'll just share one of the great pictures from my visit home and you can read about it over there.

I don't know if maybe you've noticed, but my boyfriend is very tall...

I'm Going Home!

2011-07-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

Harry Potter was epic by the way!

Yes those are themed 3D glasses- what else?

Moving on...Today, after work, I am hoping on the Amtrak for yet another weekend away! Peter and I are headed up to my parent's house for a relaxing weekend at home!

I am so looking forward to this. It's been so hard to pin down a weekend when my dad isn't out of town or Peter and I aren't out of town or a million other things aren't going on. But this is coming at just the right time (really any time is a good time to visit the parents)!

What I am most excited about is this is a no fuss weekend. It's not built around any big event. No schedule. Nothing we absolutely have to do. We can just relax and enjoy being together! I am also pumped to see the new patio and fire pit my parents have put in and that my mom keeps posting about on her blog!

(I am planning to sit out there with everyone and enjoy some good catch up time!)

Peter hasn't been up to their house since the first summer they moved in! We still had boxes to unpack, there was no tv, and we were all still getting our bearings.

And speaking of BEARings both (or at least I am) hoping to see one of these as well!

But I don't want it all to end!

2011-07-14T09:28:00.000-04:00

Tonight (at midnight) I am going to see the final Harry Potter movie! I'll admit it's bittersweet. I am so excited to watch this epic conclusion but I can't help but feel sad. What now? What will I look forward to now? I grew up with HP and now it's over. Sigh...nothing will ever be this amazing, or this good!

I am actually going to be standing in line at the theater around 7:30 ish. Not because I need to be there 4 1/2 hours before part 2 begins but because my friends and I, being the ~~dorks~~ true Harry Potter fans that we are, bought tickets to the "Double Feature." Starting at 9pm, I will get to watch Part 1 AND Part 2 of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows! Could you think of a better viewing experience? Not me!

Actually, the one thing that would make it better is if my sister was up here to watch it with me. I think we've seen every Harry Potter midnight showing together and I'm sad we wont get to experience the last one together. I guess that means we'll have to do an epic Harry Potter marathon when this new one comes out on DVD. Sound good, Sis?

A Wine Tasting and a Recipe

2011-07-12T09:00:00.006-04:00

On Saturday Peter and his family and I drove to Middleburg, VA, about an our outside of D.C. and did a couple of wine tastings. The first vineyard we "visited," The Boxwood Winery happened to the owner's private residence so we couldn't go in for a tour but there was a tasting room in town that we checked out.

Then we drove a little further and came upon this view:

This is Barrel Oak Winery. It was more my kind of winery. (Not because the wine was better-and I know nothing about wine.) I just loved the laid back feel, live music, just chilling on their patio looking out at the grapes. Earlier in the day they apparently served delicious bbq! On and they're dog friendly. Such a relaxed environment, perfect for enjoying a bottle of wine with friends!

Sunday Peter and I went to his mom's house for a cook out with his relatives. But I don't have any pictures because, unlike my family they don't insist on documenting everything. Maybe it's because none of them write a blog. I guess I'm just going to have to be the girl who makes everyone stop what they're doing and smile for the camera.

Moving on... I've been eating out a lot and buying my lunch everyday and so I finally decided it was time to go grocery shopping so I can make my own meals more often. Last night I made this yummy salad, my own salad dressing and a sandwich. It was light, fresh, healthy and cheap!

Pear, Apple, Cashew Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing and a Tomato Sandwich

For the salad I use romaine lettuce, I chop up a green apple, a pear and chunk up some ementhal cheese (swiss-so yummy and nutty). Then I add cashew pieces and dried cranberries. Basically the proportions are up to you.

For the dressing (this makes a lot so I bottle it and save it for future salads):

Blend 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of lemon juice, dash of salt, spoonful of dijon mustard. Add 2/3 cup of olive oil (in stream) then lightly pulse in about 1T of poppy seeds (but not too many or it will change the color).

ENJOY!

Mondays in My City

2011-07-11T12:21:00.001-04:00

I guess I can call it my city now. I've been here since April, that's past trial initiation period. So, yeah- this summer, every Monday evening, in MY city there is an Outdoor Movie Festival that I think would be so fun to check out!I saw a poster for this on the "tro" (that's what I'm calling the metro now that's it's my city) and even though I don't really live in the Crystal City area but it would be so fun to grab dinner with my honey then head to one of these showings. Or we could picnic-it-up!

Also, how fun would an outdoor movie party be at home? Or for a kid's birthday?

(sources: pinterest)

Pinnable Sides

2011-07-08T10:50:00.001-04:00

I love meals with lots of courses or components. I like variety. But when planning usually I get an idea for the entree and then I'm stumped with the sides. Finding something that complements the main dish is not always easy. It can't be too heavy and the flavors need to not compete too much.

I am always on the look out for side dishes to add to my "repertoire". Yesterday while pinning I found some great ones that I can't wait to pair with summer meals.

Broccoli Mac & Cheese I love Broccoli and Cheese Soup and I love Mac 'n' Cheese. Therefore this is warm cheesy perfection in a bowl. (Although it may be in contradiction with my comment about sides not being too heavy.)

Avocado Fries Avocados. Parmesan Cheese. 'Nuff Said.

Watermelon, Kiwi and Feta Cube Salad Is there a prettier salad in the world? I don't think so!

I'm double-dipping with my link ups this week and joining Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life:Side Dishes" and Paw Prints & Pastry Bags "Pinnable Me Friday." Feel free to do the same!

Family, Friends and the Fourth

2011-07-05T10:48:00.001-04:00

This was such a fun weekend y'all! Friday after work I flew to Houston, Texas for a dear friend from high school's wedding! My parents were already there and met me at the airport. I just love that they now live on the same continent as me and it's so much easier to get together for the weekend.

The couple, Sam and Kallie, were getting married on Sunday and so we had all day Saturday to "explore" Houston. I'm pretty sure my mom is going to touch on our not so educational, slightly stressful, but still fun trip to the Houston Space Center so I wont go there but I will say that one thing I noticed and continued to comment on for the entire trip was "OH MY GOSH IT IS SO HOT!" Seriously a new level of heat!

Later that evening we met up with one of my best girlfriend's mom. My friend Fiona unfortunately couln't make the trip over but it was still such a nice treat to catch up with her mom and dinner! We reminisced over high school days and times shared together in England, and places we miss and people we love. We definitely got ourselves all pumped up for the wedding/mini-highschool-reunion.

(Above: with Fiona at our high school graduation- how I wish she could have been there this weekend!)
Sunday arrived and since the wedding wasn't until the evening we headed to this great shopping center. It had the coolest Tommy Bahama with a bar inside of it and I actually got a new dress and pretty necklace from JCrew that I can't wait to wear to work: I just love coral and aqua colors together and you'll notice I wore that color combo to the wedding as well! And here we all are: The 5 Hillingdon alumn who could make it to Sam's wedding! It has been 5 years since I've seen any of these friends (with the exception of the blonde boy in the back row-I got to meet up with him and introduce him to one of my friends when I went home to England for spring break sophomore year of college.)
5 YEARS!!! And it was like no time had passed! Please notice how big Sam (in the bow-tie) is smiling. He was seriously beaming the entire evening! It was just so surreal that the first time I saw Sam in 5 years was when he walked down the aisle and became a married man. And even though the ceremony was outside, in July, in Texas, I was so thrilled that I got to be a part of the start of his new life and reconnect with these old friends.

Unfortunately it was a very short visit. My flight back to D.C. was Monday morning so I had to miss the brunch at his parent's house. I got in to Reagan around 2:30 and metroed to my office where I dropped off my suitcase at my desk. Then I slapped on some sun screen and headed to the National Mall with my roomie!

We definitely got our work out in and walked from the White House, to the Washington Monument, to the FDR memorial (very cool, peaceful place that I'd never seen before), past the Jefferson memorial and back to the Washington monument. We had hot dogs and listened to the amazingly talented Air Force Band with guest Jo Dee Mesina. It was so fun to be in the hub of the city's festivities and the crowds weren't nearly as bad as I was expecting! Plus how cool do the fireworks look with the Washington Monument as their backdrop??

All in all a very celebratory focused weekend! Hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did!

About Dang Time

2011-07-01T10:08:00.006-04:00

I have rejected Twitter for some time. It seemed pointless, I didn't understand it and I just wasn't interested. I still don't entirely understand it but now I have seen the benefits of connecting it to my blog so that's what I went ahead and did- it's about dang time! You can now follow me/this blog on Twitter:

I have also become a Pinterest fiend! I love it- if you have been making fabulous boards let me know so I can find them! Feel free to follow mine as well!

Speaking of Pinterest here are some seasonal pins that just too cute for this Indepence Day Weekend. If I wasn't going to be in Texas for most of the weekend (huh? where's she going?) I would totally be throwing the most patriotic party:

Happy Hodgepodge

2011-06-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

1. What makes you stand on your feet and cheer?

Hearing a huge crowd sing the National Anthem, like at a baseball game or at an Olympics Medal ceremony in another country- so powerfully patriotic! (I'm sensing that's the theme of these questions).

2. What is your favorite patriotic song?

God save the Queen... Just kidding! My Country Tis' of Thee!

3. Do you believe that opposites attract? If you have a significant other are you opposites?

Initially, yes, sometimes. It is nice to have someone who balances out your personality. You're stubborn and they're not (Peter and I are both stubborn for the record, that was just an example). You're shy and they take you out of your comfort zone. But I don't think it always applies where interests or beliefs are concerned. I think you have to share the same the core values and general interests. Peter and I are pretty similar in that we both love to try new things, we're outgoing and personable and social. Where we are opposites is I "wear my heart on my sleeve" and Peter tends to keep his feelings to himself. But I think that's more of a "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" kind of difference.

4. Where would you want to get a "behind the scenes look?"

I would love a behind the scenes look into a ballet company. The furious rehearsals and classes, the backstage frenzy of pointe shoes and tutus. All the effort that goes into making the final production look effortless.

5. How far would you have to travel to ride a merry-go-round?

I can't say I'm that familiar with the distance to my local merry-go-round. Not sure we have a local merry-go-round but I'm not all that far from a Six Flags.

6. When was the last time you saw fireworks? What was the occasion? Do you enjoy fireworks?

Last 4th. I saw them from my car as I was driving home from work. The past 2 July Fourths I have spent working. This year that will not be the case! In fact I am going to spend it our nations capital! I am banking on some stellar fireworks!

7. Of all the beauty products you own, what item do you consider to be the most overpriced?Nail polish. That tiny little bottle of pretty paint that costs almost $10. Maybe if I stuck to Wet n' Wild it wouldn't feel so ridiculous but I am a bit of a nail polish snob and prefer O.P.I or Essie. In fact yesterday I got a new color: Essie's Clambake. If I'm being honest I bought it partly for the name!

8. I recently ordered some solutions to the storage problem in my bathroom (there is no storage). It was delivered the other day and last night I got around to assembling it. It would have probably taken me less than an hour had everything been sent to be correctly- but when does that ever happen? Fortunately I'm good with a drill and was able to make new holes to correct the mis-alignment.

Lake Weekend: Part 2

2011-06-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

Picking up where we left off yesterday....After a fun night celebrating in downtown Hunstville we still managed to get up at a relatively decent hour. We popped some Sister Shubert rolls in the oven, threw on bathing suits and lathered on the SPF. After breakfast we hurried down to the boat-not wanting to waste a minute of the sunshine. We decided to go to "the cliffs" and 3 of us decided to tube all the way there. However it was more of a leisurely ride rather than an extreme tubing experience.

When we reached the cliffs I was feeling a little less fearless than I may appear in the above photo. I don't know what was more scary-climbing up slippery wet rocks or actually jumping off. I wore my life jacket which made for less cute pictures but a less paranoid me. There was a lower ledge to jump from but my thoughts were if I'm going to climb all the way up here, I'm going off the high one. Trust me it's a lot higher than it looks-the girl taking the pictures was quite a distance away. (Parents- aren't you glad I'm telling you about this after the fact?)

Later I got to water ski! I first learned to do this when I was about 9 or 10 and it's been quite a few years since I've done it, so I was pleased to learn that it came right back to me!

That evening, when the sun started to drop, we went for a boat ride to this bat cave. Basically when the sets, hundreds of thousands of bats flood out of the cave for their night time hunting. It was pretty cool and pretty creepy at the same time. I'm not the biggest fan of bats since my dad always said "they'll get in your hair and make you go crazy."

The ride there was the best part. Can't beat this view:

Or the company:

That night one of the girls made a yummy frittata and a salad and we ate outside around their fire pit. We also roasted marshmallows.

That night we just relaxed (I was definitely a little sore from skiing) and then we called it a night. Our flights out the next day were thankfully later in the afternoon so we had time for a little more sun. Enough time for me to get sunburned and soak in as much time with my friends as possible.

I hate saying goodbyes so it was more like a "see you soon." I definitely hit the jackpot in the friendship lottery! Every time I see these girls I can't believe how blessed I am to have such loving, fun, loyal friends in my life! Hopefully some of them can come stay with roomie and I in D.C later this summer. *Hint hint*

Bikinis, Boats and Besties

2011-06-27T09:00:00.003-04:00

It's hard to do justice to a most wonderful weekend! I left work Thursday, hopped on the Amtrak and then an airplane and in no time I was in Hunstville, Alabama with six of my best friends! We did so much in the too-short time we had with each other but most importantly, we caught up on each other's lives!

A weekend with my besties was just what I needed. I took no less 150 pictures! Not even exaggerating!

We spent most of the weekend in our bathing suits-soaking up some much needed sun and enjoying the beautiful lake. (I semi-promised not to include too many bikini pics so I am a little limited. hehe). I asked myself no less than a hundred times "why do I not live at the lake full time?" Friday we were out on the water all day. We cruised around for a while, and did some rope swinging.

That's me flying through the air!

In the later part of the afternoon we heard a little thunder and decided to head back to the house. We put the petal to the metal but didn't quite make it....

Even our fearless driver couldn't handle the pelting rain.

So we hunkered down under a bridge and waited for the hurricane to pass. (We may have had a few dozen missed calls from the girl's dad...)

After we survived our storm we had dinner and got ready to go downtown Hunts-vegas to celebrate a friends 23rd bday! It's so much more fun curling your hair and getting dolled up, with a few friends to laugh with!

More to come-stay tuned for part 2! I'm still uploading photos!

Early Weekend

2011-06-23T11:53:00.002-04:00

As of 5:30 pm today I will be on my way to the airport to start my self-made 3 day weekend. Please excuse my absence as I will be...

First Hodgepodge of the Summer!

2011-06-22T09:57:00.000-04:00

I am always so last minute with the hodgepodge. And today I made the mistake of reading my mom's answers before writing my own- she always has the best answers!! Maybe it's because she comes up with the questions... oh well, I tried!

1.Summer's here! What's your favorite sight, sound and smell of summer?
Sight-The ocean at the end of the day, when I'm still sitting in my chair with a good book and the sun is getting a little lower and it's not as hot and I just don't want to go inside. Ever.
Sound- The waves washing in and out over millions of shells.

Smell- Sunscreen and sand. Did you know smell is the biggest memory trigger? One whiff of sunscreen when I unpack my summer wardrobe from storarge and I'm back to last year's vacation. Or that vacation from 10 years ago. Ok I will move away from this question now.

2. Fireflies or lightning bugs-what are they called in your neck of the woods?Lightning bugs- and I can so clearly see myself running around the neigborhood with tupperware in hand with holes in the lid trying to capture them.

3. What is something from this past week that reminded you of your childhood?
See above answer- the lightning bugs are out in full force and so is the honeysuckle- takes me back to simpler days.

4. Define the good life.
Easy as that right? Please refer to Kenny Chesney's song "The Good Stuff."

5. Tell us what we'd see if you took a snapshot of your desk/ work space.
At home my desk is covered in picture frames and postcards and pretty notpads and a trinkets from England (like a red telephone box that doubles as penny bank). It's all very cute. My desk at work is all business. I try to jazz things up by using pink highlighters but I definitely need to bring in some pictures or a cute mousepad. Something that's girly but coordinates with all the yellow legal pads scattered about.

6. Peaches or watermelon?
Peaches- I love them! I even love the fuzzy texture.

(via we heart it)

7. Ever been skinny dipping?
I honestly don't think I have. And that makes me kinda sad. I feel like that's something everyone should do at least once.

8. Tomorrow I will be on my way to the lake!

Missing the Family

2011-06-20T10:33:00.001-04:00

Sadly it did not work out for me to go home this past weekend and I sorely missed spending father's day with my dad. I so wish I could have told him in person how important he is in my life and it would have been nice to have given him a big hug-squeeze-kiss!

But he had just returned from India, they had a work friend staying with them, and I wouldn't have been able to get in until quite late. Hugely disappointing. There is nothing better than a couple days at home to refresh my spirits and to trick me into thinking I don't miss them so much. Sigh... so we plow forward and we will have to plan for another weekend.

Our family and extended family have NEVER lived close to one another. It's just normal to me that vising a relative requires planning and a long car trip or a plane ticket. I have no idea what it's like to live in the same town as grandparents and cousins and parents. I'm pretty jealous of people who have the luxury of seeing their relatives more than just at Christmas time- sadly it's something I've gotten used to.

Ok. I am getting off my pity party now because I've remembered that I have a second family!

Dear friends who are like sisters to me (and in some of us are "sisters")! And I am so excited because I get to see them this weekend!! Girls trip to the lake!! AH! Details to come...

Sometimes D.C. Scares Me

2011-06-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

This creepy, gross, inflatable giant rat greeted me as I came out of the post office on my lunch break. From what I gathered he was being used to "stick-it-to-the-man" by the angry protest group that was marching around him. Um.... yeah. I wont pretend to understand what they were all worked up about- or why they chose a rat as their mascot.

At least I can say D.C is never boring!

Date Night

2011-06-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

The other night Peter and I had an actual, semi-spontaneous, perfectly lovely date night! I am still glowing and smiling about it- he was just so sweet. Since moving up to D.C we don't see each other during the week as much as before/as much as I would like to- in fact when we got together last night I hadn't seen him since the previous Wednesday!

Now getting together requires actual planning. For instance, I might have to bring a change of clothes if I plan on staying in the city for dinner and I don't want to be in my work clothes all night. And we have to keep an eye on the metro time table so neither of us misses the train back to our respective homes.

I was nervous about moving up here and what affect it would have on our relationship-which had never been tested outside of the college "bubble". What I've realized is the positive side of our geographic distance, is that I no longer take our dinners out and our time together for granted. It's something that I really look forward to and get excited about rather than something I expect.

In other news... today is my parents 27th wedding anniversary! I am so amazed and inspired by the example of their marriage over the years! Congratulations mom and dad! Love you both!

Lazy Sunday

2011-06-13T08:00:00.010-04:00

Actually it was a lazy Saturday too. I don't know why but I did not change out of my pjs for the majority of the weekend. And yesterday I stayed in bed and read and caught up on blogs well into the afternoon. Maybe it's because Peter was out of town this weekend and my roomsky was visiting her family sunday afternoon but I hd no desire to be active.

As you know the previous weekend was chock full of time with friends and family and just super busy. Then I had a lousy couple days last week health wise so I think I just needed this weekend to be a bum. I wasn't totally unproductive though. I did manage to unpack my entire closet and check that off my list. Plus during the last few hours of the day roommate and I got the redecorating buzz and began moving furniture around and ended up completely reorganizing the kitchen cupboards!

Roomsky and I have also been working our way through Army Wives season 1 on Netflix. We both share a love for men in uniform (who doesn't) and I think I would be an excellent military wife! We pull out the trundle on my day bed, fix ourselves bowls of ice cream and settle in for drama and deployments. I am so hooked, which is why it's good news that Netflix has all 5 seasons!! I am, however, having a hard time waiting for roomsky to get home and not skipping ahead without her...

I have also discovered Pinterest (late in the game I know). Here are some of my favorite "pins" from this weekend:

Peaches, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Summer Salad

Source: mybestdaysever.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Cute little sheeps: My mom would love these!

Source: oprah.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I am in LOVE with this shabby-chic mantle form PB:

Source: potterybarn.com via Shannon on Pinterest

This pallet garden would be perfect for my patio:

Source: lifeonthebalcony.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Birthday and House Update

2011-06-08T08:10:00.000-04:00

First of all, thank you for all the wonderful birthday comments I received on my blog yesterday! And a big thank you to my mom who sent all that happy traffic my way!

Well as of yesterday I am officially a year older-23 to be exact. Unfortunately I didn't have the most eventful day. I ended up not going in to work, but it wasn't because I was playing hookie on my b-day. It was because I woke up sick Monday morning and still wasn't feeling better yesterday. Ugh. Perfect timing right? It ended up being ok though. Peter came over and brought me chicken noodle soup and lime popsicles (my favorites) and watched movies with me all day. Besides I had kinda already celebrated my birthday over the weekend with my parents. After spending most of Saturday moving we went out to a great restaurant for a yummy meal with roomie and Peter as well. There was champagne and oysters and creme brulee- now that's my kind of birthday!

Back to the moving bit. I know I left you with a cliffhanger there in the last post so here are a few post move-in pics! Since I was out of commission the past 2 days I still have plenty of unpacking and organizing left to do but you can see we've made progress. I am loving my new space and how everything is coming together. Please look beyond the clutter. At least I know I'll have plenty of "before" pictures.

And since I didn't get to dress up cute yesterday I am today! My darling sister gave me this darling skirt for my birthday and I love having something new to wear! It's so perfect for work or a date night or I can dress it down! I love it! Thanks sis!

"Sadly" it's not raining so I don't also get to wear my awesome new Coach rain boots from my parents!

Moving Mayhem

2011-06-03T10:04:00.003-04:00

I will be moving all my stuff for what is basically the 4th time this weekend. I moved my stuff from South Carolina to a U-Haul. From a U-Haul to a storage unit. Now it's going back into a U-Haul. And then down the road to it's final destination, for now.

I know my parents can't wait to help! But in all honesty, I am so lucky to have parents willing to drive back and forth, and rent trucks, and do the heavy lifting and the heavy sweating to make me comfortable in my new place.

Moving is never simple especially since my dad claims that I have accumulated more "crap" in 5 years than he has in 20. Add in the 95 degree weather and you just know it's going to be a blast! I am so ready to get settled though. For over a month I have been living in my friends room, trying to keep all my stuff contained in a couple of suitcases in a corner of the room. She's been so sweet and flexible and even cleared out part of her closet for me. But it is definitely time to give her back her space. And as the temperatures have risen her bedroom has gotten a little bit too stuffy- no offense roomie!

So in preparation for my move to my newly vacated room I have quite the to-do list. My bedroom is really the entire basement level of our house, which means it's a huge space (17x19ft) and deliciously cool. It also means there is no carpet. Roommate and I had quite the adventure at Lowe's the other night in search of carpet. Basically After driving all the way out there it turned out they didn't have 20 ft of the carpet I wanted in stock. So we called a different Lowe's "negotiated" a delivery charge and then I proceeded to give them my info over the phone. Then they asked me for directions to my house and I promptly handed over the phone to roomie who was shaking her head saying "can't they just google map it?"

After having to spell out each street name and repeating multiple times "no, not left, right on Maple," I then heard roommate say "are you kidding me?" She handed the phone to the carpet man standing next to us and explained that they couldn't deliver it until next week!

(this is roomie's "are you kidding me face?")

Long story short, we got the carpet delivered yesterday and I was up until 1 am rolling it out and cutting around all the corners.

Carpet pad is a success!

Carpet down, making progress!

But don't even get me started on my painting progress....

How Shannon Gets Her Groove Back

2011-05-31T09:55:00.000-04:00

I have lost my blogging groove (and I am losing followers and hope left and right). It's not that I'm lacking content, or free time but I sit down to right a post and I just can't make it work. And the longer this writers block continues the harder it is to get back into it. I think my issue is that I have too much content. I feel too much pressure to write about every little thing that is going on in my life that it gets overwhelming and I end up writing about nothing. I also think it's got something to do with how few photos I've taken. It's easier to build a post and tell a story with images to back it up. It's not so easy to get my boyfriend to pose with me for pictures. Hence I have zero pictures from my weekend at the beach and I am so disappointed.

I have no pictures of Peter and I sitting on the dock together enjoying the last few hours of sun. I have no pictures of me schooling him and his dad in Wii bowling. And I have no pictures to document the little tussle his aunt and uncle had with animal control.

Peter even told me to post about that last one as it was completely ridiculous. Basically his aunt and uncle found a sweet King Charles Spaniel loose in the neighborhood. They took the pup over to the gate house to see if they knew which neighbor it belonged to. The guards didn't know and insisted on calling animal control. His aunt and uncle brought the dog to Peter's house and when animal control contacted them asking where they were so he could collect the dog, his aunt and uncle refused to disclose their whereabouts. Animal control threatened to call the police and slap them with a ticket for stealing/ harboring a fugitive or something along those lines. His uncle said they'd have to find him first and nan-a-nan-a-boo-boo! Well, that obviously did not make animal control happy, so he did call police and after a minor hold up they reluctantly handed over the dog, but only after they were assured it was a no-kill animal shelter and animal control promised to contact them when they found the dog's owner. It was the strangest thing to wake up to.

Now, how much better would that story have been if I had pictures of his aunt sparring with animal control on the front lawn??

So my plan to get my blogging groove back is quite simple: take more pictures and chill out!

Memorial Weekend Plans

2011-05-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

I am off to the beach this weekend with my honey! What are your plans?

This morning I dragged my suitcase onto the metro and all the way up to my office. Peter is picking me up right outside. He sold his car when he moved up to D.C since he is living in the middle of the city and doesn't really need one. I kept my car because I'm closer to the suburbs and besides, how else would I get to Target? (My dream is that one day there will be a Metro stop that drops me right inside the store...) So we will be taking my car to the beach. Lucky me, Peter took it to get the oil changed and a break light replaced yesterday (2 annoyingly quick repairs that I have been too lazy to take care of).

Anyways, he was very firm yesterday reminding me to pack my suitcases and not forget them, and to also not forget my phone (which I did yesterday). He also said that if I was not downstairs and in the car by 5:30 he would leave without me. I don't think he really meant this but I do know he means business! (He even told me to use the restroom before I leave work today- because apparently he thinks we wont be stopping along the way. hehe.)

Fortunately for us it looks like we're going to get on the road a little earlier and hopefully beat some of the rush hour traffic getting out of the city because....this popped into my inbox a few minutes ago:

Woohoo! I love my job!

(But I am so ready for a long weeked at the beach!)

Sorority Wedding Weekend

2011-05-24T08:52:00.004-04:00

This is a picture heavy post about my weekend....

I left work and scooted my booty through the metro and the Amtrak station and onto a flight to SC. I got in at 10 and took the hotel shuttle downtown to meet up with my girls. Fortunately I had rolled my hair that morning so all I had to do was through on my going-out clothes and freshen up my make up. We took some pics and headed out!

It's so nice to be reunited with my besties and be able to pick up right where we left off.

On Saturday morning we woke up and drove to campus. Any visit to college town requires a walk around the lake!

Yes that is my campus! Do you see why it's hard to leave here?

After our walk, and a quick stop by sister's apartment so a certain friend (who forgot her dress bag and all her clothes) could borrow a dress, we headed back to the hotel to get ready.

We felt a little rushed but there is always time for pictures.

(Me and my hott date)

The ceremony was beautiful but I don't have any pictures from there because I don't think it would have been very classy for me to stand up in and snap a photo mid vows. But I did get plenty of pictures of the bride! Here is a portion of my extended sorority family-which happens to includes the beautiful bride!

Of course we made the band take a break and put on the Adpi song (or as you might know it, Ain't No Mountain High Enough).

We danced until our feet hurt and the wedding planner ushered us out to say goodnight to the newlyweds...

I went back to the hotel to put on flippy floppys and then headed back out to spend as much time as possible with my friends knowing we'd have to wait for the next wedding or homecoming to all be together again.

(Oh, and Peter was there too.)

So since my roommate had driven to SC on Thursday, I decided to road trip it back up with her instead of flying. We hung around college-town and took our time getting on the road. We had a leisurely lunch at one of our favorite local spots where we mostly talked about how much we love college-town and how blessed we are to have such amazing friends. Then we grabbed milkshakes at another hang out before loading up the car and heading out.

Fortunately there was plenty of traffic to slow us down and to lead us on a wild detour which included roomie's first trip to a Piggly Wiggly- she bought a Frisbee.

Roomie untagged this photo of her Facebook. I don't know why she bothers since I've warned her they will end up on my blog anyway.

Not too long after we passed this crazy-mobile (I believe those are 2 giant stuffed white gorillas), we finally made it back to DC. Neither of us were all that happy to be back. It was such a fun weekend! I'll leave you with one more pic from the wedding...

Cheese!

Coming Up

2011-05-23T10:25:00.001-04:00

I promise to post about the wedding I went to this weekend and I took a ton of pictures that I can't wait to share them with y'all! However due to the fact that roommie and I hung around town for a while yesterday and didn't get on the road until after 1pm, and also due to the fact that there was way too much traffic for my taste, we didn't get back to D.C until after midnight. Hence, no pictures this morning.

I will however share this picture that Peter shared with me. He says it tells a lot about our relationship (and men and women in general):

I think he might be right about this one.

Hello Hodgepodge

2011-05-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I participated in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Actually, it's been a while since the last time I blogged.....let's see if I remember how. It's never too late to join the Hodgepodge!

1. What reveals more about a woman, her purse or her refrigerator?
Well..my fridge might reveal that I haven't been to the grocery store in a while, but my purse would reveal the reason why-I've been eating out too much. So I guess I'd have to say my purse, and all the old receipts, and the extra pair of shoes, and the 10 tubes of lip gloss, in true Mary Poppins form, reveals more about me!

2. When was the last time you went to the zoo? Where? What's your favorite zoo animal?
I honestly cannot remember the last time I went to the zoo, or where? Mom, fill me in on the details if you remember. I can say that my favorite zoo animal is the mingos. Or as you may know them- the flamingos.

3. What social issue fires you up?
National health care. I wont go into any details (because it gets me fired up) but all I have to say is: I lived in a country with national health care.....

4. Are you a coupon clipper? If so, are you extreme?
No, but I kinda want to be! Have you seen that show on TLC? Those ladies make bank when they grocery shop! Who cares if you have to stockpile 300 roles of paper towels under your bed- it's worth it to see those prices just fall off! I get a similar rush when I swipe my CVS or Giant bonus card.

5. What is one of your favorite souvenirs brought back from your travels?
A really great tan!

6. Lemon Meringue or Key Lime?
Key Lime, yes please, thank you very much!

7.What is the most beautiful word you know in any language?

Grace, or grâce (french).

8. I am going to a wedding this weekend in South Carolina! One of my sorority sisters is getting married and I cannot wait to be reunited with all my girlfriends in our college town! This will also be the first wedding that Peter and I attend together which will be a blast since some of his fraternity brothers will be there as well! So, I'm off to Williams Sonoma later to pick up her gift. And I promise to take lots of pictures (and blog more than once a week!)

D.C. Routine

2011-05-11T08:30:00.001-04:00

I am happily settling into my 3rd week in D.C and I am truly enjoying my little routine.

7:20 am- Wake up, curl my hair, get dressed, eat breakfast (except on Wednesdays when my work provided complimentary breakfast-yum), pack lunch.
Out the door by 8:05 am- Walk to Metro, listen to my iPod. I like to get to the station around 8:17 when a completely empty train comes in and I am guaranteed a seat.
At my office by 8:45. Get settled- change out of walking shoes into heels. Open my inbox, check emails, begin my day, ready by 9 am.
9:00-Noon- Office time.
12:00-1:00- Grab lunch and head outside to sit in "park." Usually I call home and chat with mom. I've also been calling Peter during my break now that he's back in the country. I've been meaning to bring a book to read during this time as well.
1:00-5:30- Office time.
Take Metro home and walk back to my house.
Usually go on a long walk with roommate, grab some dinner and relax.
Get ready for the next day- lay out clothes, shower and dry my hair so I only have to curl it in the morning.
Read a little or watch TV then head to bed.

This is a good routine. I like walking to and from the Metro everyday (especially since we've only had one rainy day). I like that I have time in the morning on the Metro to sit and be quiet and listen to music before work (without the hassle of driving my own car). I really like my job and how I feel productive and purposeful everyday. I like having time outside during the middle of the work day. And I like coming home to one of my best friends from college/now roomsky and walking a couple miles in the sun to get dinner at Whole Foods.

My lovely little routine is going to change a little bit though. Because...as of Saturday evening this boy became a college graduate!

And as of last night, he is living in D.C.l!!

While I am now going to have to figure out a slightly different schedule, I am more than happy to do it for him! For instance tomorrow he is meeting me for lunch! Yes, I think this is most definitely a positive adjustment to my D.C. routine, one I have been anxiously awaiting!

First Weeked

2011-05-03T08:30:00.002-04:00

My first week and weekend in the city were such a whirlwind! I pulled into Union Station last Sunday evening via Amtrak, with 2 ridiculously heavy suitcases. I feel like I am already settling into a routine here in my new D.C./ Maryland life! I am loving my new job and all the new people I am meeting. Plus it's been so fun reconnecting with old friends and my new roommates. (Let's see if I can say "new" a few more times...)

This Saturday my roommates and I went for a walk all around my new town. Saturday evening we went to church downtown. It was a really fun, contemporary service with a young crowd and great music and I'm excited to go back. After church we parted ways and I headed out to Alexandria for a BBQ at Peter's mom's house. Peter is still in Belize and I can't wait for him to be up here with me, but I loved spending time with his family even without him there!

On Sunday we woke up to an overcast sky but my roommates had talked me into to the Sweetlife music festival and I was not going to miss out on Walk the Moon, U.S Royalty, Modern Man, Theopolis London, Ra Ra Riot, Cold War Kids, Crystal Castles, Lupe Fiasco, Girl Talk, and The Stokes, just because of some silly rain.

The festival was sponsored by sweetgreen and featured all kinds of yummy organic food (including the delicious hotdog you can see in the corner of this picture...)

As well as treats from Georgetown Cupcake (as in the show on TLC).

Meet my new roommates...For the first few awesome sets we chilled under the blanket we had thankfully brought (I had also fortunately remembered an umbrella).

But when you throw Girl Talk into the mix..

I just can't help it...this is what happens to me:

Oh, and The Strokes were epic.

Oh, Yes I Did!

2011-04-23T18:15:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am almost 23. Yes, I guess that technically makes me an adult.

And yes, I painted some serious Easter eggs today.

Load 'em Up, Head 'em Out

2011-04-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

I wrote this quick little post before I jetted off to the airport yesterday! I said a fond farewell to South Carolina and headed to my parents for Easter! Next stop, hello D.C!

(for a couple of weeks until I come back to SC to get the rest of my stuff...)

Yesterday was last day at my old job- I basically worked right up until it was time to go to the airport. I got up really early today to make sure everything was packed and that my suitcases weren't too heavy for me, and that my hair was rolled-I wanted to look cute for my last day :)

I got the cutest card from some friends at work!

(Curly Girl Designs)

I had wanted to take a picture of me loaded up with all my bags but Sister and our ride were already waiting for me when I got home so blame them. Fortunately though, I had a few minutes to come home to grab some last minute things and to transfer my purse into this great new bag that my friends at work gave me!

Perfect for the airplane; perfect for the beach, or in my case, summer in the big city!

I think I got everything!

All My Bags are Packed (Not!)

2011-04-18T08:30:00.001-04:00

I will be heading home for Easter on Thursday. This means I need everything packed up and ready to go by Wednesday. I'm only taking a couple of suitcases up with me this trip but I still need everything boxed up for my quick trip back in May.

This is my what's on my to do list:

Pack everything!
Pack suitcases for Easter and first few weeks of work.
Have mail forwarded
Cancel cable and energy services
Hang out with people I'm going to miss
Go to all my favorite places around town

I'm getting a little sad. This apartment has been my home for two years and I've been in South Carolina for five. I'm trying to soak it all in before I leave. I am also planning on being attached at the hip to Sister up until I have to leave. I'm glad we'll have a few restful days at home together.

This weekend Sister was actually at a fraternity formal. Since Peter is in Belize I obviously didn't get to go (and I was so hoping to be 5-for-4 at Sigma Nu formals). I honestly think I could have tagged along and no one would have noticed, "Peter? Oh he's around here somewhere..."

Speaking of Peter, he got stung by a scorpion, on his stomach. Sigh...

Yesterday I went over to his apartment to see what needed to be done. A lot. It was scary. About a bajillion loads of laundry, for starters. I've decided he has about 2x more clothes than I do, and about 700 t-shirts. This means (in his eyes) that it's not essential for him to do laundry until he's gone through every single one of them and he has allowed the laundry basket to flood his closet. I also found a few things of mine that I thought I'd lost in his dorm room about 2 years ago shoved into the bottom of a huge cardboard box that he probably hasn't touched since he moved out of said dorm room. Sigh...

Well, clearly I have a lot to do and need to skedaddle. I promise to be a better blogger when I have all the laundry behind me and in boxes!

More Move Details

2011-04-13T09:00:00.001-04:00

Some people have asked me what Peter will be doing next year and I had earlier expressed concerns that we would have to be long distance for a while. But that is not going to be the case because he is moving to D.C. as well! Of course we will not be two building aways from each other like we are now but still... it's better than two states away! I would not have liked that one bit. Peter is actually in Belize (lucky duck) for the next couple of weeks without phone access. And while we are emailing every day I'm already missing him so much. However I told him to have fun and to keep an eye out for Reese Witherspoon, I hear she's honeymooning there. I also told him to wear sunscreen and take pictures.

Without him around to distract me it should be a lot easier for me to get all my affairs in order. And there are a lot of affairs. For the past few days I've been cleaning and clearing out all the stuff I have accumulated over 4 years of college and then some. (For instance my "costume box" is probably not coming with me to D.C because I don't think there are quite as many themed parties in post grad life.) Now basically all I have to do is put stuff in boxes.

My plan is to have everything boxed up and ready to go by the time I head up to my parent's for Easter. I have to be in D.C to start my new job immediately after Easter, which means I'll have to pack all the clothes I'll need for a couple of weeks. I will then fly back to South Carolina for Peter's graduation. My parents will be down there as well to help my sister move out of her apartment and to help me drive all my furniture, boxes and car back up to D.C.- sounds like a fun trip for my parents, huh?

Peter also left me a key to his apartment just in case I wanted to help him get his affairs in order. And honestly the obsessive-compulsive in me really wont be able to leave it for him to do all by himself. Perhaps a cleaner, more organized apartment will be my welcome home present for him.

Big News!

2011-04-11T08:30:00.009-04:00

I have been very M.I.A lately but I have a very good reason...

I AM MOVING TO WASHINGTON, D.C!

Did my new header give it away? I got a new big-girl-grown-up job in the big city!

(Woohoo! This is pretty much sums up how I feel right now!)

Remember how I spent some time up in D.C about 2 weeks ago (you can read about it here)? Well my main reason for going up in the first place was for a job interview. I went back up there for a second interview this past Tuesday and on Wednesday I was offered the job! I am so excited. And while I will be so very sad to leave South Carolina and especially my sister.... I am really looking forward this next phase of my life.

I will heading up there pretty soon, which is pretty crazy. Remember how I mentioned I stayed with my friend L while I was up there? Well... she is about to become my roommate!

Stumbled

2011-04-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

I joined Stumble... last night.

My sister warned me it would be addicting and she was not kidding... she probably shouldn't have signed me up for it! Oh well!

Basically you can organize your interests and then hit the "stumble" button and away you go! It shows you pages and links and images custom to your selections!

So far I have found some great pages and cool DIY projects that I have bookmarked and can't wait to try.

craftgawker

Ruffled

Stumble has also made me really want to go to Croatia to see the Plitvice Lakes National Park:

And I can't wait to make these yummy S'mores Bars

Basically... I have found new ways to constructively waste more time online... but it's worth it!

This is not an April Fools Joke!

It's Question Time

2011-03-30T00:55:00.000-04:00

1. April rolls in at the end of this week and in celebration of that infamous date (April 1st) answer this question- What is something foolish you've done?

In high school, for our "senior prank" on the last day of classes, we all got to school early and then removed every single chair from every single classroom and spelled out our graduating year on the front lawn...

2. What's your favorite way to fix/eat chicken?

Hmm.. I'm lazy and usually just marinate a piece of chicken and then toss it in my pasta or on a salad but I love my mom's chicken with capers and her teriyaki chicken, and her lemon stuffed chicken, and her chicken cordon blue.

3. What is the best museum you've ever visited? Or your favorite? Or the one you'd most like to visit?

I'm going to name the strangest museum I've ever been to: the Theatre-Museum Dali- in Figueres, Catalonia (near Barcelona). This is the museum the eccentric artist Salvador Dali built in his childhood home. It is crazy in there. It's like stepping into Dali's wild imagination with gigantic murals, huge sculptures, 3d exhibits... just crazy. To give you an idea this is what the outside of the building looks like:

(Yes, those are giant eggs on the roof and the spots you see on the walls are actually hundreds of bread molds!)

4. You know what they say about April showers... what's your preference-a shower or a bath?

I like showers for their convenience but I love baths for to relax!

5. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"... fact or fiction? Why?

Definitely fact! Peter and I haven't spent that much time apart since we started dating, just a few weeks here and there, but I can definitely love the reunions that come after a separation! It's just so exciting and fun to finally see each other face to face again and realize just how much you actually missed each other.

6. What's your favorite product made/grown in your home state/province?

Needtobreathe. I have made my love for this local band pretty well know on this blog...

7. What is going on in the world today that affects you the most?

Well yesterday I read this article and it really saddened me and got me pretty worked up. It's obviously a little slanted but I always wonder why the genocide in Darfur and the Sudan, that has been going on for years and has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, is not front page news!!

8. Random thought:

Today is Peter's 22nd birthday! Last year I dedicated the day's post to him and shared 10 things you may not have known about him. The last thing I shared was:

"He is the best boyfriend I could ask for! I am so thankful that he was born today and that I get to have him in my life!"

That is probably even more true one year later today! He is truly a blessing in my life and I can't wait to celebrate today with him!

Guest Post & Part 2

2011-03-29T08:30:00.001-04:00

Make sure to pop over to Tea Time With Tess today to read my first ever guest post!

Anyway... right back to where I left off in D.C.

On the next day I was up there, L dropped me off at the Metro station and I headed into the city by myself while L had to go to work. I had set up a meeting for 11 (more details on that to come) but after that I met up with Peter's mom and sister for lunch. Then we headed over to his sister's new condo to see all the renovations she's been doing. After she headed back to work, Peter's mom and I drove out to her house in Alexandria. (I was seriously all over Maryland, Virginia and D.C those couple of days.) She is also in the process of renovating her home! Boy did I catch the decorating bug!

I then took the Metro back to Maryland and met L at the station for a nice little walk back to her house. We made a wardrobe change and headed out for dinner to this yummy place called Sweet Green, it's like Chipotle for really fresh, customizable salads. We had a lazy night and just lounged around and hung out with her roommates for the rest of the evening.

On Wednesday I slept in while L went work for a little bit (sorry girl). Then we actually did have Chipotle for lunch. Afterwards we decided to wander aimlessly around Target (like you do) for a little while before heading home so I could pack up and get ready to fly back to SC.

L drove me to the airport and we said our goodbyes, with plans to see each other soon... and then of course 4 hours later I was still at the airport, flight cancelled because apparently between the thunderstorm and the man asleep in the air traffic control tower I was not meant to leave that evening. Oh well...

Guess that's it! I'm all caught up on the blogging front. Sorry if my posts weren't as interesting as my actual trip.

D.C. Hiatus Part:1

2011-03-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I did not mean to completely drop off the face of the blogosphere for a week but I have been super busy and super distracted. Last Sunday I took a little trip to Washington D.C to visit a dear friend! My office was closed for the week for maintenance so the timing could not have been more perfect! It was so nice to get away for a few days and not have to fret about getting back in time for work. I'll break this up into 2 parts, because it's kinda wordy... and I didn't take any pictures. oops.

My friend L lives just outside of the city in Bethesda. So on my first full day there she showed me around the cute "downtown" area. We got a yummy lunch a Le Pain Quotidien and browsed through some of the boutiques. After that we hopped onto the Metro and headed into the city! I had planned to meet someone in downtown D.C the next day so I scouted out where I needed to go and how long it took me to get there so I could be on time.

Then we walked. A lot. And in the wrong shoes. It was beautiful and really sunny and warm. We pretty much crossed the entire city! I used to live in Maryland so I've been to D.C many times before but it was still nice to pass the White House and the monuments on our way to Urban Outfitters and other important places like that.

L also took me to see her church which is near Union Station and just happens to be attached to a coffee shop. Our hot, sweaty, achy feet really appreciated sitting down for a rest. Our next stop was Georgetown where we had made plans to have dinner at our friend C's house. We seriously contemplated taking a taxi so we didn't have to walk anymore but our wallets made us see reason and we walked to the bus stop instead, which fortunately wasn't that far and it dropped us off right in front of her house (which is beautiful and old and she shares with 3 other girls and pays riddiculous rent for).

I immediately took off my heeled boots and socks (what was I thinking?) and got the tour of her house before we sat down to enjoy a glass of wine, yummy kabobs on the grill and salad with homemade dressing (courtesy of Ina). It was so fun to chat with her and all her roommates and watch a re-run or two of Real Housewives of O.C.

I absolutely dreaded putting on my boots again but we eventually had to make the trek back to the Metro and then back to L's house. I'm telling you what-I got some great exercise that day! Nothing better for your thighs and glutes that criss-crossing the city in heels! (Hope you enjoy that picture of the fun girls I got to see! It's from our last day of rush ever last year. Hope they don't mind that I shared it with you.)

Part 2 to follow!

Lucky Hodgepodge

2011-03-16T01:15:00.004-04:00

Kiss me I'm Irish and it's time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge!

1. What would you do if you found a pot of gold (apparently worth exactly $1500 and you're not allowed to donate it)?

Is it boring to say I would save it? I wouldn't save it all though. I'd probably treat myself to some new clothes, and tickets to Bonaroo...

2. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way shape or form?

Well, I am Irish! I wear green. I pinch people who don't. I love corned beef and cabbage. One year in elementary school, back when I used to bring a thermos of milk for lunch everyday, my mom dyed my milk green!

3. Have you been bitten by the Spring Cleaning Bug?

Um yes! Big time! I got the new Real Simple in the mail the other day and it was all about Spring Cleaning. Picture me with my pants rolled up to my knees, toothbrush in hand, balancing on the edge of the tub, cleaning grout. I feel so cleansed and my apartment smells so nice!

4. Lime | Shamrock | Sage | Forest? What is your favorite shade of green?

Green is my favorite color! I would say the shade I like the most is best described as "natural" or "stem" green.

5. Thomas Jefferson once said, "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have." So... do you believe in luck or do you believe we make our own luck?

I used to be kinda superstitious. But as I've grown up (and my faith as matured) I know that nothing is about chance. I don't necessarily agree that we make our own luck either, but I do think that the harder you work, the better chance you have of succeeding!

6. Monday was "Pi Day". What is your favorite kind of pie (the edible kind)?

Angel Pie! 'nuff said!

7. What do you think it is more important and/or valuable in life: intelligence or common sense?

I think you need a healthy dose of both, but I'd much rather have common sense! This may sound harsh-unintelligent people can get by on common sense and find creative ways around what they don't know. But I don't think intelligent people can get by without common sense, it's like you can't present your intelligence in an appropriate way without it.

8. Random (HAPPY) thought: I'm taking a little trip to D.C. next week! Can't wait! More details to follow!

What are You Trying to Tell Me?

2011-03-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

This year I am participating in the Siesta Sisters Scripture Memory Challenge with the lovely Beth Moor and Living Proof Ministries. On the first and the fifteenth of each month I have been posting a single verse that I selected.

If I'm being honest I haven't been that thoughtful about my verses, they were just random choices, verses that jumped out to me during my quiet times. Well I was writing them all down (to help with the memorizing bit) and looking at them collectively and I determined that God is definitely trying to tell me something big...

"Humble yourself, therefore, under God's mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you!" 1 Peter 4:6-7

"But He said to me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but rather a spirit of power, love, and self discipline." 1 Timothy 1:7

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of God will also acknowledge him before the angels of God." Luke 12:8

Have you picked up on the big overlying message? Let me spell it out for you like I needed it spelled out to me. In my head and heart I am hearing God firmly and patiently say: "Shannon, why are you doubting my power? Why are you still fearful?" So now I am praying that this year of scripture memory will teach me to not be timid, but to stand strongly and fearlessly with my God, to acknowledge his works in my life and praise him for the plan he has for me, rather than worry about what that plan may look like.

And here is the verse I selected for today:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be given to you as well. Therefore DO NOT worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

Hello! Duh Shannon!

Don't you just love how Jesus COMMANDS us not to worry about tomorrow, doesn't just suggest it... commands. "Do not worry, shannon. Just don't! Why? Because I am your God who loves you, that's why!"

Target-ing Toes

2011-03-12T08:30:00.001-05:00

Another summer fashion post...

I am so excited for flip flop and sandal weather and Target is making it easy to get summer-ready! Yesterday was pay-day, maybe I'll cross one of these off my list...

(I love both these cute patterns!)

(Don't those look just like Jack Rogers? And that price can't be beat!

(Sadly these pretties are out of stock... but i'll be on the look out for a candy colored replacement!)

Public Transportation

2011-03-11T08:30:00.003-05:00

Of all the millions of things I miss about living in England, the National Rail Service and the Tube are probably in my top 5. Aside from the fact that you don't have to gas up your car to go every where, and it's better for the environment, so many fond memories are centered around particular London stations and stops.

(Sister, Mom and I at the train station in our village)

I remember the first time we went into London as a family (and I left my sister's purse that I had borrowed on the tube).
I can still clearly hear the lovely british woman coming over the speaker saying, "the next station is PIC-adilly CIR-cus, change her for the PIC-adilly line."
I miss getting a coffee or a Cornish Pasty in Marylebone station before hoping onto the Bakerloo line or while waiting for the next train back to Gerrards Cross.

I miss my parents always wanting to hold on to the rail cards for sister and I.
I miss walking out of Covent Garden station and seeing the narrower cobbled streets and some of my favorite shops.

(That's sister outside the station below.)

I remember our family of four trying to fanangle our luggage on the tube all the way to Waterloo station and then on to France.
I remember feeling so confident as I breezed through stations and changed lines like I'd been there my whole life while showing around visiting friends or my sweet boyfriend.

As I am considering a move in the not too distant future to a big city I am a excited that I may get to rekindle my love for public transportaion. Since I have finalized/decided/committed to nothing yet, I've just been been playing around with the metro website. I enter in where I could potentially be living and the addresses of all the places I've applied to work in order to calculate convenience and travel time. It's making these future plans more real and tangible in my head. Obviously though, planning for the future is making me nostalgic for the past...

Haircut Chicken

2011-03-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

That title sounds a lil' strange but I am a big chicken when it comes to hair cuts. Hence why I haven't had a hair cut since September! (GASP!)

(In August- the shortest I've had it in forever, and today- it's probably at least 5 inches longer)

I am also a chicken when it comes to doing anything really different with my style. I pretty much just have long layers that are shorter in the front and frame my face. Long, long, long. And that's what I tell the hair dresser every time. But I'm getting a little bored and my hair grows fast so what do you think? Should I try something different? My face is pretty narrow and long so I'm never sure what cuts suit. But here are some styles I like, but am waayy too chicken to try:

**Also make sure to check out the new blog header I made for Mommy's Melodies. I posted about her over on my design blog.

Early Morning Hodgepodege

2011-03-09T01:05:00.002-05:00

I am up way too late and decided I wanted to be the first one to link up with this week's hodgepodge! Sadly I was not quite quick enough. humph.

1. Lent starts today...do you participate, and if so, in what way?

Lent to me is about giving something to help us prepare for the season of Easter. To help us recognize the sacrifice Jesus made for us and to spend this time focusing on Him more. This year I will be giving up sweets. Candy, soda, sugary desserts. I consume way too much of this stuff. (My boyfriend will confirm.) I also recently just bought myself a copy of Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest. I hope this season of self discipline helps me stay committed to this amazing devotional. Yesterday's passage was heavy but appropriate for Lent. It talked about the "surrendered life" which I think is exactly what this season is wanting us to focus on. Oswald asked some tough questions: "Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?"

2. Traditionally pancakes are eaten on the Tuesday before Lent, known as Shrove Tuesday. What's your pleasure when it comes to eating pancakes?

I prefer my pancakes with chocolate chips and a little syrup. I also really like bacon with them for the salty sweet combo (bacon dipped in syrup is soo yummy!) If I'm not in the mood for chocolate I like them plain with fresh peaches on them and whipped cream, no syrup needed.

3. What is your favorite spring time flower and do you suffer from springtime allergies?

My favorite spring time flower is the hydrangea! I love the big balls of blooms and all the different colors. I do however suffer from seasonal allergies. The part of South Carolina that I live in has one of the highest pollen counts and I can already feel it coming on. Time to break out the Claritin!

4. Our opinion of people depends less upon what we see in them and more on what they make us see in ourselves. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree. My close friends and the people I love make me see things in myself that I love. Or they make me confront things about myself that I don't like.

5. Since it's March and also the season of Mardi Gras... have you ever been in a parade? What's the best parade you've ever seen?

It's been a while since I've seen a parade. I don't remember participating in one but I have this feeling that I was in one. Mom help out here? The best on I've ever seen is probably Disney's parade every night in the Magic Kingdom with all the lights.

6. You would jump up and down and shout for joy right now if someone told you you're hired!

7. How clean is your car on the outside? Inside? Is there junk in your trunk?

Relatively clean all around. My trunk is empty. However my dad would probably disagree.

Random thought:

If you need a good cry watch Lifetime's new series Coming Home. Seriously turned me into a bawling mess. But they were happy goose bump inducing tears. It's from the creators of Extreme Makeover Home Edition if that gives you any indication....

Romping Around

2011-03-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

(First off, I just want to say how annoying it is when you accidentally publish a post before you're ready. I do it more often than I'd like to say. Sorry)

I don't know if I can pull off the romper look. Last summer I said "no way"! I was anti-romper. I worried it would make me look too short, or like a little kid. But after seeing Emily on The Bachelor this season make it look breezy and oh-so-cute I decided not to write it off just yet. I think it's about finding the right fit and cut and a print that's not to garish or loud. Here is how she wore it. I think her accessories add just the right touch!

A pale lilac sleevless sweater/scarf softens the look. A simple gold chain is all the jewelry she needs. In the evening she dressed it up with a blazer with cuffed sleeves. I loved how she paired it with tall espadrille wedges and yet it doesn't look too short to me! I think what I like about this romper is that it almost looks like separates. I don't like when they are too fitted and tight. This looks loose and effortless.

Here is a look I've put together that I think is a pretty close comparison:

Up!

2011-03-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

This makes me smile. What a happy sight!

See the whole gallery of these images here from this fun experiment with 300 helium ballons, a cute house, and a curious spirit!