Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for a mother-in-law who called and asked if we wanted to go to dinner tonight.. I have packed almost everything in our kitchen, so I am very limited on what I have to cook with right now haha.

 

I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday and I only have a half day of work before leaving for the airport to visit my family. I am thankful that it meant a lot to my sister that I come up for her prom, it made me feel special that she wanted me there :)

 

I am thankful for online check-in for flights, it makes it so much easier at the airport especially since I am only bringing a carry on.. so I can just walk straight to security and skip all the crazy check in lines.

 

I am thankful for a husband who hasn't complained once that I am leaving him this weekend to deal with moving the rest of our furniture to storage without my help.

 

I am thankful that after a few cold and rainy days it is back to being beautiful again

 

I realized yesterday that I am thankful for barnes and noble.. I could spend hours walking around sipping starbucks and checking out a bunch of different books. (I spent awhile tehre after work last night.. haha)

 

I am thankful that my in-laws are letting us add dvr to their cable subscription when we move in, because I seriously don't know what I would do without it. (pathetic... I know)

 

and lastly I am thankful for all of the wonderful comments and advice you all left me last week about the house hunt.. I really appreciate everyone's feedback :)

 

 

I am not going to be posting again until after I get back from Missouri, so I hope you all have a great weekend! :o)

Top 2 Tuesday and House Update

This weeks topic:

Top 2 Favorite Things about Summer

1. VACATIONS. We always take a summer vacation and I always anxiously countdown the days until we go. This summer we are going to Florida for the first week in June and then I am sure we will make a couple long weekend beach trips later on in the summer too. Gosh, just thinking about it makes me smile :) Come on.. who doesn't like the beach?

It's just so relaxing (summer 2009)

Plus we always go with lots of family and friends:

and we always get a good tan ;)

2. Summer Concerts! Every year we try to go to as many concerts in the summer as possible. We always just have so much fun getting to tailgate in the summer sun all afternoon and then relax all evening listening to some of our favorite artists. 

The Kenny Chesney concert last summer was such a good time!

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I posted on Thursday about all the house stuff so I just wanted to keep you guys updated... 

We have been talking things over with Kings Grant the past couple days. Getting things finalized, going through different upgrade options and all that.. and THEN today we found out that Applecross is going to be having a BIG cut on pricing in 2 weeks. SO that would then make both of the neighborhoods pretty close in price and that now leaves us back to being confused and indecisive. haha.. but I guess it's a good thing to have 2 great communities to choose between, things could be worse.

I am going out of town this weekend to visit my family and we don't have time to get anything done before then.. so we are going to wait until I get home and then get back to making a decision. I know it probably seems like we are really procrastinating on picking out a house.. and I am normally NEVER like that, but it's a huge purchase and we want to make sure we make the right decision. So as soon as we know what we are doing, I will make sure to let you all know ;)

Getting to Know You Sunday..

Vince and I have been packing ALL day long. So while he is taking another truck load to the storage unit I decided to take a little break and join in Keely's Getting to Know You questions.. you can join in here! 

The questions..

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action?

hmmm.. well my first instinct was to say romantic comedy because those are usually some of my favorite to watch, but I think playing an action hero would be a lot of fun ;)

2. Do you recycle?
YES!

3. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Nope... I actually don't have a problem with them, I just haven't ever personally been to one.

4. Do you have a nickname?
a few actually.. friends from college called me JT, my mom always called me ladybug, Vince has called me BG since high school (short for baby girl)... the list could go on..

5. What's a name you can't stand to be called?
Jen. It's not that I don't like the name Jen, but for some reason it has always bothered me when people shorten my name... don't really know why haha.

6. What are your Summer staples?
flip flops (rainbows specifically), sunscreen, sunglasses, a bikini with a cute sundress/cover-up and a good book to read on the beach :)

7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
I ordered shoes last week for a wedding I am in this summer

8. Are you happy with your boob size?

Yes. 

OOOK guess I have to get back to packing.. hope you all had a great weekend!

Decisions, Decisions...

As you know by now, we have recently sold our house and have to be out in a few weeks (May 12th to be exact). We are very excited about it, BUT now we have to make a decision about where we want to live! 

We started looking at houses in February (before we even put our house up for sale). I feel like we have basically seen every house in our area in our price range. So after looking at those and looking at the new construction available, we have decided that we would like to build new. Right now with the housing market the way it is, builders are throwing in so many great incentives that we will be able to get more for our money so it just makes more sense. Obviously our new home will not be built by the time we move out so we are staying at Vince's parents house while we wait (should be interesting... haha).

OK. So we have decided to build and we have decided to stay at the in-laws (please wish me luck. haha.. kidding) Now we need to decide which development we are building in. There are actually a LOT right around our area and we have looked at them ALL, but we have narrowed it down to 2 choices. 

One is called King's Grant and the other is called Applecross.

Applecross was our first choice from day 1. Some of it's positives are it's in a great school district, it's on a golf course, and the homes and neighborhood are beautiful. Some of the negatives: it's at the higher end of our budget which wont leave us much extra fun money as I like to call it haha, plus on top of the mortgage there are a bunch of other extra fees to consider (the homeowners association fees, the club house fees, and the golf course fees are all separate payments), the average age in the community is in upper 30's so we would be one of the youngest families, they will still be building in there for a few more years so we would have to deal with all of the construction for awhile which can be such a pain.. 

King's Grant was actually not originally on our list... BUT after going there to see the different model options we do really like the layouts AND they have lowered their prices so much that we can get a LOT more for our money than we could at Applecross. It is a nice neighborhood with lots of young families. It's is actually just about 5 minutes from where we live now and we do really like where we live, it's quiet and peaceful, but still not far from everything. (It's less than a 20min drive to work for both us) The only real negative: the school district (it's actually the same we are in now), but we have already decided that we are sending our kids to one of the local private school no matter which school district we are in at least up until high school (Vince went there, his nephew goes there now and there are lots of reasons why we like it.. but thats for a later post after we actually have kids haha).. so that's not really a big concern for us. We don't plan on this next home being our forever home, so by the time we have kids in high school I doubt we will even be at this house. (obviously, we get bored quickly.. we only lived in our current house for a year and half haha)

OK.... so you have heard about the 2 places we are trying to decide between. Choice #1: a smaller house on a golf course, maxing out on price OR Choice #2: a slightly bigger house at a much lower price, but not in an ideal school distirct. 

We had originally planned on waiting until mid may to make a decision, but 2 days ago King's Grant called and made us a really good offer including some of the upgrades we wanted and other things... but the offer doesn't stand for long so we need to give them an answer asap. 

We went last night to look again and I stayed up half the night going over the different models and offers and everything else.. ughhhh.. I don't know I really do go back and forth.... 

I think we will have to make a decision by the end of the weekend, so I will let you know as soon as we know.. 

Top 2 Tuesdays

This weeks topic: 

Favorite items under $15

1. It's a 10! Miracle leave in product. 

My hairdresser gave me this to try about 6 years ago and I have used it every single day since. I spray it in right after I shower before brushing my hair. It makes my hair feel SO soft and I LOVE it... plus it's only $13. (that's for the medium sized bottle)

2. OLAY Replenishing Night Cream.

Yes it is an anit-wrinkle cream and yes I know I am only 24, but it makes my skin feel great! I have always been slightly obsessed with anti aging products and have tried a  LOT of them, but OLAY products are by far my favorite and they are pretty cheap too! I am pretty sure this one is about $14 :)

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Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately! I have been really busy at work during the day and at night we have been packing/organizing and taking things to our storage unit.. last night we didn't even get a chance to eat dinner until after 9pm. So, as soon as things slow down at work and with the move and I can get back to my normal routine I will be posting more frequently again!

Hope you are all having a good week so far! ;o)

Live for 32

3 years ago tomorrow I woke up to what should have been a normal Monday morning at Virginia Tech... but instead it was chaos. 

I was a senior living in our sorority house (which was on the edge of campus) with 30 other girls. For those of us in the house who weren't already up and at class we were woken up a little before 8am by the sound of alarms all over campus going off and the sirens from the cop cars down the road. 

We had no idea what was going on, but it didn't take long to find out that there had been a shooting at one of the dorms, which at the time newscasters were reporting as an isolated incident. Unfortunately we would soon find out they were wrong.

Obviously, everyone is aware of what occurred over the next few hours. To say that it was a horrible time for everyone at Virginia Tech would be an extreme understatement.

At the same time it was something that brought the whole community and school together.

The weeks following the tragedy made me prouder than ever to a part of the Virginia Tech family. It brought even the best of friends closer, teachers and students were all on the same level helping each other cope, and the entire community was healing as one. I had always loved my school before, but I grew an even greater appreciation for what it really means to be a HOKIE. 

So this year and every year on April 16th, I will take time to really remember all 32 of those bright and talented individuals who lost their lives on that horrible morning... and I will also take time to remember how truly honored I am to be a Virginia Tech Hokie. 

"I ask each of you to take the time to be a Hokie this week. Appreciate life a little more, take in every moment around you, count your blessings, tell the people around you that you love them, slow down, remember what's truly important in life. And live for those 32 that do not have that chance." 4.16.07 ♥

"While 32 of our friends and classmates are in heaven trying to explain what a Hokie is, I stand here sure in the fact that I wouldn't want to be anything else." 4/16/2007♥

Wishful Wednesday

 Today's Wishful Wednesday topic is.. 

'I wish' .... I had never-ending funds to donate to a charity and it would be         !

 

 I really liked this weeks topic and I knew immediately which charity I would pick.. 

 

I LOVE this foundation. Just reading the stories about all of the great things they do for those kids easily brings me to tears. Ever since I was little I can remember my family sending in checks whenever things came in the mail asking for donations. It is most definitely a charity that I will continue to support. 

(make sure to join in the Wishful Wednesday posts at Kelsey's blog!)

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This morning for work I had to get up at 4 am (and I am NOT a morning a person) so that I could be at a trade show by 6am. So, since I was exhausted when I got home I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner... so I went through my cabinets to see what I could come up with and I ended up making a pretty good and SUPER easy casserole.

ingredients:

2-3 boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces

2 cans cream of chicken soup (use low sodium so it's not too salty)

1 cup uncooked white or brown rice

1 can light sour cream (16 oz)

chopped celery (about 1 cup)

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 sleeve of ritz crackers

salt and pepper to season

directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees. boil chicken, then mix all ingredients together (other than the crackers), next crumble the crackers and sprinkle on top. bake for 40 minutes. This made enough for at least 4 people.

I forgot to take a picture before I served it, but it was SO good!  

 

Give it a try sometime! :o)

Happy Wednesday, the week is more than halway over!

Weekend Recap..

After the very long Monday I had at work today (nothing bad, just long), I don't feel much like writing a lot right now.. SO instead I am going to show you pictures of what I did all weekend :)

Friday Night: 

We went out with 4 couples to meet our my friend Angela's new boyfriend. He was really nice and we all had a lot of fun!

(please excuse the picture.. it was from my blackberry. Some how out of all of us NO one had a camera!)

Saturday afternoon:

 We went to our nephew Pierce's very first soccer game (and Vince's brother was the coach)

He was SO cute and he LOVED it!

(giving his dad a high five after scoring his first goal!)

I love this picture!

I'm not going to lie.. I can't wait until I am taking these type of pictures of our kids one day ;)

Saturday night - Sunday afternoon:

Packing. LOTS of packing.

We finished boxing up the guestroom, guest bathroom, office, linen closet, and about 1/3 of the kitchen. 

These are just about half of the boxes that we packed so far.

Then on Sunday night my friend Steph's dad invited us over for dinner and we actually ended up not getting home from there until around 11 (and after a couple bottles of wine split between me, steph and her stepmom haha). It was a nice end to the weekend :)

Now I have to get off the computer and spend time with my my hubby and my puppy because right now Ty is staring at me over the top of the couch and making me feel like a bad mommy for ignoring him..

Have a good rest of the night!

words to live by..

So tonight I thought it would be a good idea to get started on packing (since we only have 1 month left until we have to get out and I don't think the buyers would appreciate me leaving a bunch of crap here haha).. and I decided to begin with my winter clothes and also organizing all the random things we keep in our office. 

Well, while cleaning out a big box of random papers/letters/etc I have kept over the years I came across something that my Dad (technically my stepdad but I have never thought of him that way) gave to me the morning before I left for my freshman year of college. Looking back over the years, it is probably one of the best gifts I have ever received. 

It was a letter. 

And I know it doesn't sound like much, but it meant more to me than I can even explain. 

 I didn't forget about it, but it's been in that box since we moved in a year and a half ago and I completely forgot that's where it was. So anyways, I'm not going to share the whole letter with you (because  really it would just be too long and probably so many inside jokes it wouldn't even make sense haha) but I do want to share this part: 

"Toward the end of your senior year it struck me that you would be going away soon and I won't be around every day (secretly I know you are glad). Over the past six months I started writing down pieces of advice that I thought would be useful. Some are more serious than others, but all of them have meaning. To be honest, I have not always lived up to all of this advice all of the time (shocking isn't it?), but I hope you would agree that I have been a decent role model for you. You are special to your mother and me and we will miss you, but we are excited for you. I am proud of the person you are and I know I will be proud of the person you will become. "

OK.. so first let me just say that even getting a letter from my dad was shocking. He has never been the type of person to really express his feelings or get sentimental over things.. and to know that he took the time to write out advice for me for 6 months was huge. 

There are about 7 pages of advice... so obviously I won't list it all here.. but I am going to share some of my favorites with you. They are little bits of advice that I hope one day to pass on to my children and they are definitely words to live by... 

Try to do what is right even if it isn't popular.

Offer suggestions when you complain.

Buy things that kids are selling.

Think about the future, but don't dwell on it. 

Find charities with a mission you agree with and support them with your money.

Take the time to travel. Learn to pack lightly when you go. (yea.. I'm still working on the packing part.. haha)

Sing the National Anthem when it is played.

Tip generously when the service deserves it. 

Visit Nana and Papa. They will feed you. (they live only about 20 min from Virginia Tech haha)

Read for pleasure.

Learn to speak in public. The ability to express yourself clearly and confidently will do more for you than any other skill. (I definitely agree with this one!)

Shop at nicer stores. Buy less, but buy better.

Stay out of debt. If you have to use credit, pay it off as soon as you can. (I can't think him enough for this advice, it has really helped me keep good credit!)

Don't watch too much TV. You can find better things to do.

Try different restaurants and different types of foods. 

Register to vote and vote every election.

Smile and say hello to people.

and my personal favorite piece of advice from my dad's list:

Come home often!

Wishful Wednesday

This weeks Wishful Wednesday topic is:

I wish' .... I had the willpower to 

stay on one particular diet, 

and it would be ____ !

I had to think about this one for a minute.. I am not really big on all the different fad diets out there (and yes I have tried a lot of them in the past), but really a lot of the ones that work aren't actually that healthy. 

 

SO I think I would really like to have the willpower to stay on a diet like the Atkins diet... BUT not completely cut out carbs, because there are some good carbs that you need. So basically I would want to cut out about 90% of all carbs. Yea Right. That's why this is called Wishful Wednesday.. because even though I would love for that happen, I know I couldn't really stick to it very long. haha ;o)

(make sure to join in the Wishful Wednesday posts over at Kelsey's blog!)

I'm sorry..

I have been seriously slacking the past week on my posts! I have been crazy busy at work and at nights Vince and I have been out with our realtor looking at houses... BUT I promise starting tomorrow I will be back to posting more frequently! 

So for now I will leave you with some pictures from the past two weekends.. the first couple are from my friend Shelley' s bachelorette party and the others are from Vince's birthday. 

our pretty bride :)

It was such a fun girls night! 

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Out in Philly celebrating Vince's 25th with some of our bests :)

Hope you are all are having a good week and I promise to take time tomorrow to check up on all of your blogs!! 

Now I'm off to catch up on some of my shows.. thank goodness for dvr ;o)

Thankful Thursday

Yes today is Thursday, so obviously that means I am thankful tomorrow is FRIDAY! :) 

I am also thankful for the absolutely BEAUTIFUL weather we are having in PA right now. I love days like this when I can take Ty out for walks around the neighborhood.

And speaking of Ty.. I am very thankful that he is past most of his puppy phase and will finally sleep in with me on weekend mornings ;o)

I am thankful for our friends who are going out with us tomorrow night to celebrate Vince's birthday. We always have so much fun with them and I am love having them around!

I am thankful for my blog friend Susan who gave me the sunshine award earlier this week! Thanks again :)

I am thankful for occasional date nights like this past Tuesday that include champagne... because anyone who knows me knows that I love champagneeee.. haha

I am thankful that our realtor doesn't mind meeting us after work to look at houses so that we don't have to take extra time off... (and on nights like tonight when we are looking at six different houses, it can take awhile)

I am thankful that at the end of this month I will be flying out to Missouri to spend some time with my family, because I miss them SO much..

I am also thankful that even though my family no longer lives here, we do have Vince's family all near by and I am thankful for how close we are with them. 

Hope you all are enjoying your week so far!