Change is in the Air!

We all need a little change every so often right? Well, I am so excited to give my blog a facelift! I came across an avid blogger....Leslie (Lambert's Lately on the Blog List)....I instantly was interested in following her because she is an Alabama Alum and native Tuscaloosan. She had the custest blog and is so fun to keep up with. She also does blog design! And is very reasonable! So we have been in contact and she will be designing a permanent layout for me. Can't wait! It should be up and running by September...that is if I get the pictures to her soon. If any of you were thinking about change and can't do it yourself either..... click to see her designs .... so cute!

http://designedbyleslie.blogspot.com/

Date Night

Zach and I had our August date night tonight. We went to Nagoya...the Japanese Restaurant here in Snellville. Not quite the same yummy yummy sauce as Hokkaido's in Tuscaloosa...but it will do.

I must tell you all about my amazing good luck today, too! I made my list this morning of things to do today and went along my way. I love making list and checking things off....LOVE IT! First stop ... CVS to pick up a prescription. As I walk in, I see a little machine that says to scan your CVS card for coupons....and me being absolutely obsessed with all things coupons right now, took advantage. My coupons printed and to my surprise.......the coupon was a free $25 gift card with a new prescription....WHAT LUCK! Needless to say, two other things on my list could be purchased at CVS....so I picked up my $5 prescription, received my gift card, got my calendar (#99 from my 101 in 1001), got printable mailing labels to get a jump on announcements (I know it is a ways away but I don't want to have to think about it when the baby is here) and got 2 new honey softlips just because.....and I still had $10 on the card! So, I guess you could say....I got paid at CVS today.....I LOVE COUPONS...and checked 3 things off my list in one stop.

SHOW US YOUR LIFE

This week is favorite vacation destinations. I have two.

First, is the absolutely wonderful city of New York City! I love this place. I have been a million times since my family lives there, but it never ceases to amaze me! There are so many wonderful things to do and see and EAT!


One of my favorite places that I visited this last time was Serendipity 3....this little dessert cafe has such personality ( http://www.serendipity3.com/main.htm ) and the desserts are to die for!

One thing I would suggest to anyone who visits New York for the first time is to plan! The city can be very overwhelming if you haven't geared yourself up for it ahead of time.

One thing I will not be planning ahead though from now on are the shows I am going to see when I visit. You can pay an arm and a leg for show tickets!!!! The center island of 47th Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue is the home of TKTS....a booth full of discounted Broadway tickets for the week on most of the best shows. Now, if you have your heart set on seeing one of the biggest shows....one of the "sold out" shows....don't wait until the week of....PLAN. But, if you are like me and could see any show because you just love the experience....use TKTS. They have Broadway and Off-Broadway show tickets...and they do have many of the BIG show tickets....but not always a guarantee. TKTS opens every afternoon at 11 and there is always a line....but well worth the wait and it goes quick!

The other place I can't wait to go back to NYC for is the visit FAO Schwartz again....but now I will have a baby to spoil with things from it!

AND....it is just wrong to go to NYC and not have one of the following.....a dirty water dog, a huge slice of pizza, a yummy bagel covered in smear, and a divine cannoli!

My 2nd favorite vacation spot is not specific but I love going to the LAKE....any lake. I love being outside and enjoying the water. The best is when there is a boat and you can play water sports all day long! I am more of a "lake" person than a "beach" person....I just love that the lake entails....RELAXATION! Growing up, I always visited Lake Hartwell and Lake Lanier in Georgia.

Crazy Week

My, O My has it been a crazy week. It all started with me finding out I didn't actually have a job with the family in Loganville, news to me. She let me know she would rather have someone take care of her child steadily without breaks and maybe it would be better for me to just start in January. We will see. I understand what she is thinking completely....I just wish she had voiced that to me in the interview rather than the day I was supposed to start. So the day ended up being another restful day with lots of boredom! I hate being bored!

Yesterday, I read a ton.....I love reading on rainy days! Zach and I also had our 2nd Showing & Glowing Class. This week had a lot to do with communication and how vital it is to talk about things NOW and not when the baby arrives....I could not agree more! I obviously have way more anxiety than Zach...but it is important to me for him to understand why. I have been told that most of the anxieties I have now will fade away once the baby arrives....I sure do hope so! One of the exercises in the class was a list of different things and Zach and I (separately) had to agree or disagree and then compare. We agreed on almost everything! Yay for us! One thing on the quiz that I was worried about was the situation of having the baby sleep with us. I am strongly in favor of routines and conditioning the baby to sleep on its own as soon as possible. And he agreed....Things are so much easier when you agree! We also did an exercise for relaxation....Zach of course fell asleep...gotta love him! I think most of my concerns come because of the time of year our baby will be born. November is at the peak of flu season and colds are everywhere! I just worry about the little one and its brand new immune system having to travel and be out of its environment for too long so soon....once again....I hope these things fade!

Today.....oh what a day! Zach woke up last night in a ton of pain in his mouth....bless his heart. We have been looking into dentists and saving for visits....but he needed help IMMEDIATELY. Luckily, we were able to get in with a dentist, now our family dentist, this morning! From 8:30-12:00, Zach and I sat at the office and he had work done to alleviate the pain. Now he is up resting and on some great painkillers :) I have a happy husband!

Soooo.....updates on my 101 in 1001! I have been doing really well!

1. Join a Bible Study.

Well, it isn't exactly a Bible Study....although I do want to join a Bible Study (especially one by Beth Moore), I am looking into taking a Apologetics class on Thursday nights from 7:30-9 starting in September. I have heard wonderful things about these types of courses. This course will teach me to convincingly defend my belief in God, in Jesus Christ as His unique Son, and in my Catholic Faith. Who could ask for more?

7. Run 3 Half Marathons.

I have looked into our first 1/2 marathon....The Country Music Half Marathon! It is in Nashville on April 24th! Call me crazy....but I crave running! When I see someone running....I just want to be out there too! I am going to register before the end of the year and training will begin in January! Can't wait!

18. Do something nice for my husband on the 6th of every month.

On the August 6th, I wrote Zach a sweet message and when I went to the grocery, I saw that his favorite Gobstoppers were 10 for 10....no I didn't buy 10....I bought 5 for him and then 5 of my favorite candies that were also part of the deal....but He was thrilled. Needless to say, I will not be buying candies for some time due to the Dentist visits!

39. Go to the dentist at least once a year.

Check for 2009! I have scheduled myself for a cleaning on September 1st! I can't get X-rays due to the growing one inside me, but have planned another visit at the beginning of next year for that. I have heard that getting your teeth cleaned during pregnancy can be a good thing....I heard one story though about a woman who went after she had her baby and had 10 cavities due to calcium loss in her teeth....Have any of you had this happen???

54. Start a Coupon Binder...and actually use it!

Last week, I picked up a mini binder from the Target $1 Isle (it can fit in my purse....perfect) and it has one coupon in it....YES! I joined Publix Baby Club which sends coupons in the mail for various baby products each week. Come November, I am joining Costco's or Sam's and can't wait....just thinking about how much I will save buying in bulk makes me glow! I also have heard a lot about various websites like Coupon Mom that I want to visit more often and get coupons from for grocery visits. It just blows my mind away at how much I spend for 2 people to eat every week! I want to make a lasting budget that I can easily stick to and feel comfortable with....a big goal!

50. Get a massage.

I WISH!

55. Wear heels once a month.

So bummed! Planned on wearing heels for Kaitlin's graduation on Monday (but of course brought my rainbows just in case) and totally left the heels on the Kitchen floor!

86. Finish the Twilight Series.

Halfway done with Eclipse. I so wish I had read them all back to back. I should have read the last couple of chapters of New Moon before starting Eclipse to refresh my memory, but too late.

Not too Shabby...I hope you all are having a great week!

Who is she looking at???

Hmmmm......Could it be anyone other than her favorite Uncle Zach :)

Graduation Weekend!

This weekend we celebrated Kaitlin's Graduation from Auburn. My parents hosted a party for her on Sunday and the ceremony was on Monday. Let me just say....I have not been that tired since preparing for the wedding last year. My stomach felt like it had been punched ten times and my feet were definitely swollen. But it was a very fun day seeing all of our closest family and friends. I love that every year or couple of years, there seems to be some reason to get everyone together again. I grew up in the same town and have grown up with the same families my whole life. I love that about my childhood!

Monday morning, we got up and headed to Auburn. The graduation ceremony was.....a graduation ceremony....but I am so glad I was able to go. We ate lunch first at Momma Goldberg's and had to leave right after to drop PopPop off at the airport. It was a very eventful weekend! I slept like a little baby and finally caught up on my sleep last night.

SHOW US YOUR LIFE

It's Friday....that means Show Us Your Life. I didn't realize the theme for this week last week and posted some pictures from the reception....but oh well. From what I gathered, this week is reception and honeymoon. So here we go.

For anyone who has been following the last couple weeks, you know that our wedding was at a vineyard in North Georgia. At Wolf Mountain Vineyards, they made everything so EASY....which is a must on your wedding day! I didn't worry about one thing the entire day. This was the first vineyard I visited in our search for reception halls and the LAST...I got that feeling the minute we walked in.

While we took pictures around the vineyard, the guests had a cocktail hour in the lower deck at Wolf Mountain. People could also take a small tour and learn about the beginnings of the vineyard and the family that owns it.

Then let the reception begin! We had the traditional first dances, the cutting of the cake and toasts. I choose to have a buffet rather than sit down dinner. While everyone ate, Zach and I went around saying hi to everyone. AND THEN DANCING! I always have so much fun dancing at weddings and I wasn't going to let mine be any different. The dance floor (or should I say deck) was packed the entire night!

Zach and I's first dance was to Michael Buble's "Everything"...one of my favorite songs and "our" song.

My dad and I danced to Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl"....even though we didn't hear the song due to crying the whole time...it was a beautiful moment for me that I will always remember!

Zach and his mom danced to "Have I told you Lately that I love you".

I showed a picture of the wedding cake last week, but here is the Groom's cake toppers...I love them! My husband is a huge lover of all things Golf and I thought this was a perfect tribute to him.

And dancing! This day was truly a dream come true for me. On to the Honeymoon!

Zach and I had the best of both world on Our Honeymoon....we relaxed in the mountains and then traveld to the craziness of NYC. We had so much fun!

In the mountains, we went hiking, got pedicures and massages and RELAXED! Then off to NYC...

In New York, we took a carriage ride around Central Park, ate amazing food, saw The Lion King and Altar Boys, and saw some friends and family....such a fun time!