To New Beginnings!

Call off the search party! I'm here, I'm here.

I know what you're thinking...

'girl, how you gonna move 1/2 way across the country and not check in with us everyone once in a while?'  

I KNOW! Terrible!!!

 

I have been here for over 3 weeks now and NOTHING is complete. I know, it takes more than a few weeks to get things how you want them. My mom came to visit (sent like a little angel from heaven) for 10 whole days. THANK GOD! Mom always makes everything better. You wouldn't believe what we were able to accomplish...

 I have the entire downstairs painted with exception to the powder bath, but its behind a closed door so it can wait. Remember how the previous owner was OBSESSED with pastels?! GONE! ewwww 

THESE ARE NOT FINISHED ROOMS, SIMPLY BEFORE/AFTER UPDATED COLORS!

Dining Room

Office

 Front door/ Railing/ Shutters
Yes, we've only done the bottom so far, but it already looks so much better than that awful green!

My mom was determined to get something up on the walls, so here is the beginning of my gallery wall in the living room.

The largest task I took on: removing the pantry.
Yes, i did! It was way too small and took up a lot of potential cabinet space. I took my little hiney on over to THE Home Depot and bought myself a sledge hammer. We got back home and I went to town, only it wasn't working well, Mike gave me a few swinging lessons and I tried it again. I followed his instructions and "followed thru"...
*the events that are about to take place are all Michael's fault, since I was following his instructions.
I took a huge swing, followed thru and BAM hit the pantry, RECOILED and smacked THE GLASS STOVE COUNTERTOP! (hanging head)
NOT my proudest moment...
I did want to upgrade the appliances to stainless afterall! ;)

After much debate and my hubby actually agreeing to stainless, I decided not to upgrade. I think our kitchen will still look beautiful with all I plan to do, so I decided to save the money for something else. So long story short here are the progression pics.

My mom, Michael and I hung the new cabinets and now they are just all waiting for the stain. Eeeeekk!!! That's my goal for next week. We've already priced out new countertops and have decided to go with granite, hopefully that will be in by the end of next week too! The kitchen will seriously be unrecognizable!

Amongst all the work around our home, we did have an awesome Christmas just us three. We attended mass at the beautiful St. Andrews Catholic Church.

Seriously GORGEOUS!! We took an afternoon off to prepare the most amazing Christmas dinner: turkey, dressing, squash casserole, green bean bundles and mashed potatoes. It was PERFECT!

On today's agenda: finish caulking the crown molding in the dining. As for the hubby, he's been obsessed with getting the hot tub ready!

Everyone have a FUN, SAFE New Year's!!!!
 

Thanksgiving is OVER?!

WOW! So you know what I realized this past week?

I am terrible at this whole blogging thing!

Especially when I have 1,000 boxes to pack, I’m organizing everything for my last days at work and moving next week. YIKES! Plenty of excuses…

So let's finally recap my turkey weekend.

My cousins and I woke up bright and early to run our annual 10k turkey trot. Michelle and I always stick together and really push one another AND we actually did pretty good this year with a time of 1:09!

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my aunt’s house where there were casseroles on top of casseroles. Delish! We were able to watch the Texans game & strategize our Black Friday shopping adventures.

So, I know you're dying to know what madness was endured for Black Friday, especially since Sears was my number one stop! Ha. Guess that's what happens when you buy a house! 

To my surprise Sears Black Friday sales started online that morning!!

Jackpot!

I was able to order everything I wanted and ship it all to Roanoke for free!!! I was happy and so was the hubby because now he didn't have to go wait in lines with me. We (and our neighbors) are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new lawnmower...

I can't wait to bust out the miter saw and nail gun and spiff up the new place with crown molding EVERYWHERE!! I may even allow Michael to use it on the deck ;)

And of course, a wet/dry vac has MULTIPLE USES... we HAD to get one!

Now one would think, awesome I don't have to go shopping now! Wrong!!!

Now I get to choose a NEW “door buster” location.

Insert: Walmart!

The madness!

Some say, “girl, you cray for doing that”… BUT, I look at it as a challenge!

Two years ago my work gave me an iPad, unfortunately I have to return it. So that's what I was after! Two hours later.... I had a voucher! Ha. Trust me though, the people watching was soooo worth it! So I'm still waiting on the iPad, but I think the $75 gift card was worth it! 

Next stop, Target! The line to check out was around the store! I was NOT waiting! What's a girl to do?! Grab everything you want and hide it!! Bhahaha.

Hey, it worked!! 

Our final event for the weekend was the last UH game at Robertson Stadium.

UH is designing a $105 million dollar bigger, better version ;)

So of course Michelle and I had to take one last photo from our tailgate. Go Coogs!

Packing is FUN! (said no one EVER)

Holy cow it’s Monday! 

With that said, I’m a little relieved because it gives me a break from packing…

Needless to say, I’m exhausted! 

I have to give props to my superstar mom for spending her weekend doing the same!

This is what my weekend consisted of…

 

  (cue frightening nightmare music) 

When Michael moved to Virginia 2 years ago, we packed up our apartment and shoved nearly everything we had into a 15x10 storage unit. 

I only kept the necessities: clothes, tv, shoes… you get it! 

I then moved in with a friend that I was a nanny for during my college days. 

(When I met them Harrison was 3 months old; Lexi was 2). Now 8 & 10! 

I adore these rug rats! They are like my little brother and sister.

So yes, I have pretty well grown up with them and they are my family. I’m practically a nomad and stay with them Mon-Thurs (I have my own side of the house) and then on the weekends I stay at my mom’s house or with my cousins. Gotta get that quality time in!

When Michael and I got married last September, we never even unpacked our wedding presents… well, it’s not like we even had a place to unpack them!

so for the last year and a half they have been stored in my mom’s guest room (storage unit #2).  This weekend I brought all of my clothes to my mom’s house, so now my closet looks like this… 

i cant find $#*&!

And Storage Unit #2 is now ORGANIZED and looks like this!

I’m pretty proud! ;)

You want fun photos?! Well sorry, I don’t have any… packing is NOT fun!

I did, however, get a fun photo from the cousin’s at the TEXANS game that i had to miss out on :( 

(*cough, 9-1!!)

Not to worry, I promise to capture interesting photos from the Black Friday crowds later this week! Yes, I am “one of those!” I LIVE for BLACK FRIDAY!

Thank Goodness for the short week ahead! 

Fredericksburg Shopping Trip

I really look forward to our annual girl’s trip to Fredericksburg, TX. My mom, aunts, cousin (Taryn) and I scour the shops of the little ole town until we drop, quite literally.

  

We curse the shops that have tape across the big comfy chairs when our feet are pounding… how am I supposed to test out and see if I want to pay $2K for your cow hide chair if I can’t sit in it?! JOKING! But not at the prices… place has gotten PRICEY! I’m usually very much a Forever 21, H&M, Target kind of girl; but something about these little boutiques makes my heart pitter patter. Plus it’s nice to NOT have the same clothes as every other “trendy” girl in town.



Taryn & I

We were all so excited for our shopping weekend, not to mention the below 90 degree temps we were expecting! Mr. Weatherman said we were going to have beautiful sunny days, high around 68. WRONG! No way, weathermen don’t lie! The high was 56, BIG DIFFERENCE to this Texas girl. What’s a girl to do?

                                                       Drink up, until you warm up!

They had Pink Margaritas too, to promote Breast Cancer Awareness… of course, we HAD to get one!

There are always "characters" in the town and it never fails, you will always see something picture-worthy. This guy had EVERYONE talkin..

The best part, the Food and Wine Festival was in town. Needless to say, we ate AND drank, A LOT. I swear I gained 10lbs. You try leaving Fiesta Winery without buying 3 bottles of vino after trying nearly every wine on the list! Impossible! But I always say… PROMOTE small businesses!

The décor is always so beautiful and I always get great ideas for decorating and DIY. Look for these upcoming pinterest-worthy projects:



LOVED this unique chandelier!

"Hello Sexy" ha.

 

Spray branches, add mirror... easy enough.

I see a headboard in my future.



AND.... THE most swoon-worthy item of the trip… the zebra stenciled acid stained cowhide WITH gold accents!!!!!!! Ahhhhh.. she can be yours for $750.



Wedding Weekend... #1!

Wedding #2, my little brothers, is this upcoming weekend. Until then, a photo dump of Michelle & Matt’s wedding. I know a lot of people attend weddings and say “oh she was the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen!” Well, they haven’t seen Michelle… she was drop dead gorgeous and cool as a cucumber! She has a very calm personality, she's extremely happy go lucky and a go with the flow kind of girl. That did not change on the most exciting day of her life. She was so happy and excited with no fear in sight.

This is the 5th time I’ve been a bridesmaid and although I have lots of friends that are easy going… on their wedding day is another story. They turn into HIGH STRUNG/BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY TO ME OR I MIGHT CRY types of people. I was waiting for this to happen to Michelle & to my surprise it did NOT! 

The sisters fluffing her dress and getting it ready.

We had lots of projects, one of which was the streamer backdrop that I intend on giving a tutorial on later when I have better pictures. 

 

All in all, we had a blast helping plan Michelle's  wedding, and it turned out beautifully! I don’t have a lot of pictures (it’s a little difficult when you’re standing AT the altar, but ill share what I’ve got!)

Party Bus on the way to the venue after the wedding!!!

I cannot wait for these two to get back from their 10 day excursions in Italy and the Greek Islands. I may steal a few of her pics to share with you ;) Until then, I still have 7 days left with my honey!!

 Have a great week!

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Let the festivities BEGIN!

I'm uuber excited for this weekend. My hubby gets into town tonight for 9 WHOLE DAYS! I haven’t seen him that much since our honeymoon, hopefully we both come out alive ;) My next two weekends are wedding filled! Festivities begin tonight with a rehearsal dinner for my BEaUTIful cousin Michelle and her fiance Matt!

Great couple, aren't they?!

Yes, Michelle is family, but she is also one of my best friends and partner in crime. She also happens to have a twin sister, Stephanie, who is my personal life coach, ha!     

Steph, ME, Michelle

Steph, Michelle and I are a year apart and are closer than ever. I honestly feel like a triplet between these two. Since Michael moved away, I have literally spent every weekend with my twins. We are all completely different, yet very similar. Steph and I share our love of CrossFit and anything competitive. Michelle and I share a brain when it comes to clothes, style, partying, or any social gathering for that matter! We finish each other’s sentences and rarely get tired of one another. Since we are family, it's nice to know we can't fight about petty things, we are always honest with each other and speak our minds, it helps- trust me. I’ll miss my twins dearly when I leave…

Michii,

I’m so excited that you have met your perfect match. You and Matt could not be more perfect for one another. I cannot wait for you to experience your big day and I couldn’t be more proud to stand by your side!!! Love you, cousin!!! 

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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...