Anniversary Recap

So this definitely happened a month ago, but bear with me I'm still getting use to this whole blogger thing... This trip is actually one of the reasons that I wanted to start blogging. Mike and I will be moving somewhere where we know NO ONE, other than the people in his office, so I see many side trips in our future, “exploring” if you will. I want to document all of the fun things that we do in Virginia and the surrounding areas so that everyone will want to come visit us!! Until then, our one year wedding anniversary recap in Virginia Beach, VA.

My friend Alissa, whom I know from high school and college moved to Virginia Beach when she was in the NAVY, her husband is still a Chief in the Navy so the lucky ducks live life on the beach! Mike and I wanted to go somewhere beachy/relaxing and not too pricy, so I hit Alissa up one night for her "reviews" on VA Beach. We ended up staying a few nights with Alissa & George, and a couple of nights in a suite in the VA Beach town center. We had a blast meeting all of their friends, (NAVY people are awesome/crazy!) we hung out at the local hot spots and even got to go out on a friends boat for a day!

Alissa & George

One of our favorite bands, O.A.R. was playing at the American Music Festival which is held right on the beach, no shoes allowed! We’ve seen this band a dozen times; from Texas to Louisiana, now in Virginia. Every show is better than the last! They are such a fun, rock out, reggae, “I’m feeling good” band. A must see!

 

We had a boat day on Alissa’s friends AWESOME boat!!! We went to an “island” with an outdoor bar called the Tiki Hut. Pretty popular place apparently. We all eventually swam ashore, had some drinks, played corn hole, and listened to a band… great day in my book! Our sunset drive back to the mainland included MULTIPLE dolphin sightings!

 

Chief George took us to the Navy base one day. IT WAS AWESOME! I’ve never been to any sort of military base, so I was truly surprised to see that it’s basically a little city within a city. The HUGE Navy ships are everywhere; it’s just like the movies! Ha. We got to get up close and personal with the spy planes that George is in charge of, personal items weren’t allowed, so no pics, sorry!

Monday, our actual anniversary we hung out at a local beach and just lounged… it was nice and relaxing. Our dinner that night at Mahi Mah’s, was probably the 5th time we ate crab on our trip, but we never got sick of it! Mike and I are huge foodies; and when I say foodies, I mean WE LIKE TO EAT! Everywhere we go we try the local cuisine and end of gorging ourselves. Needless to say our anniversary dinner was delish! 

For dessert, of course, we ate the top of our 1 year old red velvet cake. Now, I had several people warn me that this was going to be bad, disgusting actually... Including everyone that asked me about the cake as I CARRIED IT THROUGH TWO AIRPORTS, sent it through the metal detector and sat it on my lap the entire way to Virginia! We were gonna eat our dang cake on our anniversary! Well I’m here to say, it wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely very sugary! 

yep, I'm the dork that took one of my table numbers to take our 1 year anniversary photos!

Now, PRESENTS!!!!!!! The paper anniversary. I put a lot of thought into this gift, I scoured pinterest for ideas, and even Etsy… nothing! I was super frustrated, until I remembered that Pastor Larry asked Mike and I to provide him with 5-8 words describing what we loved about one another and he would present them to us during his sermon. Words + paper = perfect gift! My gift to Michael was a canvas covered in newspaper with the words we used to describe one another. The newspaper was from our wedding day that my dad saved for us, so it had special meaning. I loved how it turned out! 

Michael, being the good listener that he is, got me tickets to the Lion King, I’d been talking about it nonstop for months!!! And don’t worry, there is a tutorial coming for the Paper Anniversary Plaque. Until next time...

Pieces of We

No, I’m not going to break out into an Ashley Simpson song.. unless you want me to. “Pieces of we” was actually a contender for my blog title, and my husband’s first choice... I figure I have to use it, so let’s get that one out of the way ;) 

First and foremost, the person I spend absolutely most of my time with is little Miss Dakota! Yes, I did call her a person… she thinks she is. Mike moved away in November of 2010, so what’s the first thing any girl would do to replace her guy?! Get a puppy! Yeah well I didn’t want to replace him, I just needed someone to cuddle with during those cold Texas nights :/ She is now 2 years old and I truly believe she has her mom’s personality… I mean she’s adorable, really smart, but one of THE most stubborn dogs I’ve ever come across. She’s super curious and always has to be in the middle of everything… THE center of attention! Who does that sound like?!

The husband, Mr. Michael. And yes, he goes by Michael, although when I write about him you will hear me refer to him as Mike. For those that know us, know our story and that I live in Texas and he lives in Virginia. For those that don't, let's make a long story short... Michael was born and raised in the Northwest & attended Oregon State University. While there he worked for the Forest Service as a fire fighter and rappelled out of helicopters... pretty hot huh?! He moved down to Houston in 2001 for a job with the Houston Aeros, which is how we met (read about it in our "Love Story" tab). After spending a few years in crummy jobs he decided that he wanted to do something he was really passionate about, which led him back to his time with the Forest Service. Mike is extremely smart, very well spoken and a much better writer than I am; so he decided he wanted to go back to school to get his Masters Degree in Public Affairs and Disaster Management. During this time, he was accepted into a student program in Roanoke, Virginia. We weren’t sure how long he would be there, so we decided that I would stay in Houston at my job until we knew for sure. It has now been a very LONG two years, but now he has landed his dream job. He is a Public Affairs specialist with the US Forest Service in Roanoke, Virginia. During disasters (fire, flood, hurricane, tornados) he often travels to assigned parts of the country providing updates on the current disaster situation to the news outlets, such as: the radio stations, tv stations and newspapers. He loves his job and just accepted a promotion, so we now know that he will be there for a while… which is why I will finally be joining him in Virginia by the end of the year.

Love that guy!!

My mom. My rock. My best friend. And the single person that can drive me crazy in about 15 seconds of seeing one another! My mom and I are VERY close… sometimes too close and we have to take little breaks from one another, Ha. But I wouldn’t trade her for anything! She is an extremely hard worker, annoyingly honest, but would sincerely do anything for anyone (we have that in common). I spend a lot of time on the weekends with my mom and aunts. Our favorite thing to do together (besides drinking margaritas at La Casona) is spending our weekends looking at model homes. I know, we’re weird. Decorating and design is in my blood! You will often catch me at my mom’s dining table completely spread out working on some sort of DIY project. If I can do something myself, I will try and my mom will be right behind me cleaning up this mess. Love you, mom!

Dad. Mean old fart! Jk. He’s a big bear! He likes everyone to think he’s tough, but I know he’s wrapped around my finger. My dad has always been my number one fan. I swear I could do no wrong by him. I get an MIP floating the New Braunsfels river.. call him crying, he laughs… I still cried. Not to say I never got in trouble, I got more than my fair share of spankings as a child. But I often beat myself up enough as a young adult when things didn’t go right. He’s always been there and a shoulder to cry on. 

what did i tell you?! total softy! ;) xoxo

Stephen! My baby brother, he is 6 years younger than me. He’s also 6'1 and HUGE, makes for a good ARMY guy ;) Love him to death, although he frustrates the hell out of me sometimes. He never really knew what he wanted to do in high school, but then he discovered the ARMY and has shined! I truly believe he was made to be there. He absolutely loves it and in the 2 years he has been there, he has already been promoted 3 times! He is getting married on Oct 12th, so I get to see him soon. Although I think he’s too young at 21 to get married, he will make an amazing husband. He has a huge heart!!

yes, i got married a year ago... i'm still obsessed with the wedding pics!!!

Finally…ME! To understand me more is to know I am a perfectionist and a people pleaser. I always want to be the best at everything I’m doing, whether it be CrossFit or a design project. I am extremely competitive! I’m a planner at heart (not only at work). From my weekly schedule, to meals, parties and vacations; every hour is allocated for. As a little girl I knew I wanted to be a designer, the next Martha Stewart, actually! I was the one that constantly moved my room around and sometimes my mom even let me tackle other parts of the house. I’m very budget conscious. I’m one of those people who thinks why pay full price for something if I can find it on sale?! Don’t get me wrong I love me some Michael Kors and Pottery Barn, but if there is a coupon out there.. DAMN IT, I'll find it! Lastly, I’m extremely loyal when it comes to my friends and family. In the words of Caroline Manzo, "We're as thick as thieves and we protect each other 'til the end." With that being said, I watch way too much reality television...
 

Meet the Swooner!

When I set my mind to something I give it 100%. I tend to become a tad obsessive when it comes to the 1,000 projects going on in my life. I’m beginning this blog to document important events in my life, and when I say events… it’s because I’m naturally dramatic about everything and make everything in my life an event! I’m a perfectionist to a T, which is why it took me so long to get this blog up and running! I write how I speak, so feel free to correct my grammar; however, it probably won’t change… (oh yeah, and those {…} I tend to use them a lot… & I mean A LOT!   

I have been a facility planner/designer for NASA Johnson Space Center for the past 3 years… which is sadly coming to an end, for me, not NASA. I’ll make a long story short… my husband took a job in Roanoke, Virginia to pursue his dream career. He now works as a Public Affairs Specialist for the US Forest Service. We thought he would only be gone a short time… 2 YEARS later we are still apart! Now that we know he will be in Roanoke, VA for at least a year or two; the time has come for me to join my hubby! I plan to move the end of this year, so we can celebrate our “real” first Christmas together! We are currently searching for a home in Virginia, so expect to hear lots on that! Can you say stressful!?

My biggest fear is to lose the people I’m close to… sad but true. My goal with writing this blog is to not lose touch with the people from home (Houston). I don’t want to hear of anyone complaining about not knowing what’s going on with us. Keep reading and you’ll probably learn more than you would like to… until then!

Oh and because posts are usually boring without pics... say hello to Miss Dakota!

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