House Hunting

I'm still sick. I am so sick of being sick that I don't even want to talk about it. So instead, let's talk about some exciting news!

While we were in Grand Cayman we had to turn off email and internet on our phones so that we didn't incur a million dollars in roaming fees (or whatever they are called these days). When we landed back in the states, we turned everything back on. One of the emails AJ recieved was from our landlord asking us if we could move out at the end of May. Our initial reaction was to freak out, but we talked about our options and adjusted our time line. I think it is all going to work out.

The most exciting part? We are heading back to NY this weekend to look at houses! We have been browsing online, sending my parents to open houses, and have my mom and our real estate agent looking at houses today so that we only have to look at the best on Saturday. So far there are two that we are really interested in seeing. Hopefully we will find something we love!

Any house hunting or house buying tips?

A Plan

By now you have probably forgotten that I had some exciting news I wanted to share. Yesterday we finally received the documentation we were waiting for....so I can officially share the good news with all of you!

AJ was offered a job at the law firm where he worked this summer! He worked very hard and put in a lot of hours, so I wasn't too surprised when he called me the morning of his last day at work and told me the good news. We made a lot of sacrifices this summer (long distance marriage, living with my parents, etc.), so we were very happy when he received the offer.

Unfortunately, this means we will be leaving DC next summer. This is a bummer for a few reasons. I have met some wonderful people here and I will be so sad to leave them. I have a pretty great job and am just getting into a groove where I feel comfortable and appreciated. I love city life and am a tad scared of moving back to a suburban area. Ahhh! Those three things are enough to induce a small anxiety attack.

On the other hand, I am so excited to be moving closer to my family (and even more excited to not be in the same quarters!). I grew up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins by my side and am grateful that my children will have a similar close-knit family experience. I am also thrilled that we can afford to buy a house. And yes, I have already been looking. Also, I am so happy that my husband has a job. Period. In this economy, we just didn't know if he would find one. Even better, he will be working at a firm that doesn't require 80+ hours a week. That just wouldn't work for our family. Plus, he genuinely liked the firm atmosphere and the people that work there, so it really is a win-win situation for him!

As for me....hopefully I will make new friends (but, keep the old!) and find a new job back in Upstate NY. I know it will all work out in the end. For now, I am just happy that we have a plan and am so proud of my husband!

Summer Blurbs

While writing this post, I realized that I had lot of things I want to share. I tried to keep each event short and limited myself to one picture per blurb so that I (hopefully) don't bore everyone to death.

Here are the highlights of my summer!

We celebrated our second anniversary on July 5th. We attended the wedding of one of AJ's college roommates that weekend, so we couldn't do a big anniversary getaway. However, it all worked out in the sense that the wedding was an excuse to get a hotel room and get out of my parent's house for a couple days. Here we are at the reception, which was held at a beautiful country club in Rochester:

Instead of a vacation, we went wine trailing down Cayuga Lake on our way back from the wedding. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun tasting wines at a bunch of different wineries. I think we came home with 12 bottles. Oops!


AJ and I ran in a 5k the second weekend of July. I finished in 31:15. It was so humid and I wanted to die during the last mile, but I ran the whole time so I guess that isn't too bad. I was hoping to be under 30 minutes, but in the end I was just happy I didn't come in last place!


I successfully hosted a bridal shower and attended the wedding of one of my best friends. Her wedding was very unique and the trip to Charlotte was another mini-vacation for AJ and I. Here we are at the reception:

Image via Kristin Vining Photography

We also spent a few days here and there at my grandparent's cottage, which is on a small lake in Northern Pennsylvania. I love going to the lake because I feel like I have gone back in time when I am there. We play games, read, chat, swim, drink, and eat....and that is pretty much it. There is no TV, cell phones don't get service, and you are forced to relax. And honestly, how can you not relax with this view??


While at the lake, AJ also had his first experience holding and feeding a baby. My youngest cousin just turned one and we thought he should get some practice since we are hoping to have a baby sometime in the next year. I love this picture because he looks clueless and so scared. Hahaha, poor thing.


The first weekend of August my girlfriends and I road tripped down to Wrightsville Beach for a bachelorette weekend. It stormed on Friday, but we had beautiful beach weather on Saturday and had lots of fun both nights. This was my first girl's only trip and I really enjoyed myself!


I then spent a week staying with a friend in DC because I had to get in a few summer days at work and our renovation project was not (and still is not) completed. We had a nice time cooking together and I watched more trashy reality TV that week than I did all summer. It is so much more fun to watch while drinking wine with a girlfriend.

Last weekend I headed back to NY to pick up AJ and Kona. What happened that weekend deserves a post of its own! Don't you just love a cliffhanger?? (Unless we are Facebook friends...then you already know our news!)

Feeling Grown Up

Tomorrow we are flying to Buffalo for a wedding. Our flight leaves the airport at 10:50 and we arrive in Buffalo around 12:30. I believe the wedding is at 2. Talk about cutting it close. Anyway, we are only going up for the night, so we are planning to carry-on and take a cab to the church as soon as we land. We will then put our bags in a friend's car and ride with them to the hotel, which doubles as the reception site. On Sunday we will take a cab back to the airport (unless someone is awake and offers to drop us off) after what I imagine will be a night of debauchery. We have another direct flight around 12:30 and will be home in time to make dinner.

Something about this trip really makes me feel like a grown up. Maybe it is that we are flying instead of driving. Maybe it is the direct flight. Maybe it is that we will be dressed for the wedding when we are on the plane. Maybe it is that we are seeing AJ's college friends for the first time since our wedding. Maybe it is that I finally am out of grad school and have a real job to talk about. Maybe it is the briefness of the trip.

It could also be any combination of those things.

I guess I don't know what it is, but I like it!

Side note: The hotel is right next to Niagara Falls. I am from Upstate NY, but somehow I have never been to the falls. Expect lots of pretty pictures upon our return!

Wedding Recap!

I think my body is finally letting me know that I need to slow down and take it easy. We have traveled the last three weekends and it has finally caught up with me. I am not sure if I have a cold, allergies, or something else, but I am so congested and I know I need a good night's rest ASAP. Before I venture to bed way early tonight, I wanted to show you the few pictures I have from the wedding this weekend!

AJ and I were the only people from our grad school crowd that made it to the wedding, so I was really glad we made the trip and I know my friend was happy we were there. Here is the dress I decided to wear. I bought it at Banana Republic a few months ago and wasn't sure if I loved it, but after wearing it the other night, I have decided that it was definitely a good choice. 

There was a 4 hour break between the end of the ceremony and the cocktail hour, so AJ and I holed up in our hotel room (it MONSOONED during the entire break) and watched the Harry Potter marathon while drinking some Blue Light and playing cards. 

Here we are at the cocktail hour. Ignore my red nose, this was when I was first starting to feel sick! 

We had a lot of fun this weekend, but now I am ready to slow down and spend some quiet time in DC until we have to begin the process of moving!

Trip Recap (or Why I Waffle About Moving Back to NY)

I am way too lazy and unmotivated to write a full post about my vacation, so I'm resorting to a bullet point recap. And I forgot my camera so I have no pictures to break up the bullets. Sorry!

• Our first full day back we spent the afternoon following my dad while he played golf in the pro-am of the Dick's Open. It was nice to get outside and enjoy the sun, but walking four miles in flip flops really tired me out. I know my dad was happy we were able to watch him play, and I get to spend time with my mom and my grandparents, so it was a good way to start our vacation. Also of note, this was the first time AJ and I were out in the community of my hometown since being married, and a real small part of me missed the small town camaraderie and "who knows who" jabber that takes place between strangers. I also really enjoyed how cheap things were. This started my "we should move back to NY" thinking that took place most of the week.
  
• On Thursday I played golf at the town country club with AJ, my brother, and my grandfather. It was hot as hell out, but we had a nice time and this again made me miss spending time with my family. After golf we had lunch in the club house and I spent most of the time looking out at the pool at all the moms with their kiddies. I think you know where this is going....
  
• Later that night we had a barbecue at my aunt's house, and this kicked off the family reunion festivities. Not many people were in town yet, so it was mostly our immediate family and some of the sisters*. It was kind of lame, but I think that is mostly because my cousins invited all their friends from high school to come to the party too (why? I have no idea), and I felt 100 years old and like a chaperon. This made me not want to move back home....I don't get along with many people from high school.
• Late Thursday night my BFF from high school (who also doubles as my college roommate and now my {younger} brother's hook up) met up with us and we had a couple drinks at a local bar. I love hanging out with my BFF, but it is kind of strange seeing her and my brother touching, holding hands, etc. This apparently first began at our wedding and has been on and off ever since. We shall see how his develops.
  
• Friday morning my mom and I went to the spa while the boys golfed. It was nice to spend time with my mom and I love getting pampered, so this was definitely a highlight of our vacation. I got a traditional massage and an anti-wrinkle facial that included a chemical peel, and since a few of you showed interest when I mentioned the facial on twitter, I figured I would talk about it more in depth tomorrow. Stay tuned.
  
• Friday night my parents had a clam bake at their house. AJ and I manned the cooker for the clams, which initially was not a great success. We put wayyy too many clams into the pot and had a hard time steaming them and fishing them out once they were done. Once we got it figured out though, we were clam cooking machines. We were cheating too and ate a few from each batch. Yum.
  
• Saturday was the actual reunion, which was at a church hall in the middle of the afternoon. My dad hails from a ginormous Italian family. My grandmother has 7 sisters and the sisters have 857 kids resulting in 3290 grand kids. And now some grand kids are having kids, but I think there are only like 10 great grand kids. Okay, maybe some of those numbers are inflated, but there really are 7 sisters and there are so many cousins and second cousins that I have no idea how many there actually are. AJ and I have not been able to attend a reunion since being together as we used to live in NC and last summer we were getting married. We had some of the family at our wedding, but it was nice to see the people who didn't attend the wedding. AJ, my brother, mom, and cousins played Apples to Apples for like 3 hours. I am now obsessed with this game. I am heading to Target ASAP to buy this so we have it for all the parties we will have at our new house. And yes, our parties will involve board games, because we're old like that.
• Saturday night we went to dinner with my parents and brother to one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Seriously, I cannot get enough Italian food when I am home. If there is one thing I hate about DC it is that there are very few authentic Italian restaurants.
  
• Sunday we headed up to Ithaca to visit AJ's parents. AJ golfed with his dad while I hung out with his mom. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I was super uncomfortable the entire time. I hate to be the bitchy DIL, but we are just so different and we have nothing to talk about. I am also still desperate for approval, so I get nervous about being around her and that she is going to oust me from the family. AJ reassures me that it is just her personality and that she actually loves me, but when she constantly criticizes and makes me feel like a spoiled brat, I can't help but wonder. I was so glad when the guys were done golfing, and the rest of the night wasn't nearly as bad. AJ does a good job of appeasing any tension and is better equipped to deal with his parents. Not that they are crazy or anything ;)
  

So overall we had a great time in NY, but we were definitely busy. Throughout the vacation I waffled back and forth about whether I want to move back there, but I think in the end I like where we are in our lives now, and don't plan to move right after law school. After a few more years in DC we will have to reassess again and see where things will take us...

*The "sisters" refers to my grandmother and her 7 sisters. I feel like this makes them sound notorious, which now that I think about it, suits them.

Back from Vacay!

I'm back! I didn't plan to take a week off from blogging, but I'm not gonna lie....it was kind of nice to disconnect from the computer.

After a week in NY we are finally home in DC. Our vacation was nice, but not very relaxing; the entire week was full of parties and plans, so I am actually pretty tired and ready to relax this week before heading back to work on the 7th.

I have lots to blog about, but instead of being able to sit down and spend some time on the computer, I have to deal with insurance and a trip to the Toyota dealership today. No, my car troubles did not end here.

A quick synopsis...

We were driving on 95 N near Baltimore during rush hour in a middle lane, when all of a sudden we heard the loudest smack EVER. I was driving, as I had picked up AJ from work, so I looked in my rear view mirror to see if something hit us. Sure enough there was a black rectangular-like thing bouncing around in the road behind us. Because we were on 95 in the middle of a million cars, we couldn't exactly pull over to check out what happened. When we arrived at my parent's house a few hours later, we found this:

We are guessing we were hit by a stray piece of metal, probably a muffler. We called our insurance and they are going to pay for the entire bill, which will likely include a new driver side door because this doesn't look repairable to me...

We are soooo thankful it didn't hit my tire, or the window, or the windshield, because we could have been seriously injured. We are also shocked that I didn't lose control of the car. But still, this sucks!

I'll blog more about my trip later today, or tomorrow, so stay tuned for happier posts. And because I was gone for a week and I subscribe to a million blogs, I think I am going to have to click "mark all as read". Sorry!! If something exciting, important, or read worthy happened, please let me know so that I can read your posts!

Schooooool's Out For Summer

Okay, school in my district actually ended on Thursday, but today is the first day of MY summer. I stayed up until 1 in the morning last night and slept in until 10 today. Heaven!

The sad part is I don't get off the entire summer, but hey, at least I get a small break, right? I have off until July 7th, and then I go back to work for all Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in July. I have off again the first week of August and then go back for good on August 11th. Why the crazy schedule, you ask? I have to work 15 days over the summer, but I get to choose which days. Most people choose to take off the entire month of July, but since AJ is working all summer, I decided to take off the weeks at the beginning and end of summer and work in the middle. This allows us to head back to NY this week and maybe take a beach trip in August. Plus, a three day work week isn't bad.

So, first up in my summer plans.....

We are heading back to NY tomorrow to visit our families and attend my dad's family reunion. We've got a lot planned over the next week so hopefully I will get a chance to blog while we're away. In between the multiple family gatherings I am hoping to get some sun, play some golf, read The Beach House by Jane Green and The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and maybe squeeze in a few runs. Gotta love vacation!

Surprise!

This weekend we traveled up to NY to surprise my dad with a 50th birthday party. My mom planned a dinner cruise on Skaneateles Lake with our family and some of my dad's friends. We had a great time and it ended up being an awesome, quick get away for AJ and I.


The day began with my dad, brother, and two of my dad's friends from work golfing at a course near Syracuse. My mom and the other wives then surprised them at a restaurant in town and told him that the 7 of them were going to take the dinner cruise and spend the night on the lake. We arrived on Saturday afternoon shortly after they sat down for a late lunch. My dad was so excited to see us and literally jumped out of his seat!

We then spent the afternoon in my parents hotel room and on their balcony. This is where all the fun started! My dad's secretary and her husband were in the room next store and he almost saw them when we were hanging out on the balcony. People started arriving and had to be shooed away because they were going to ruin the surprise! It was so funny. Here we are hanging out on the balcony. Note our attire. It was only 60 degrees on the lake! Gah, I do not miss NY weather!


We then headed down to our hotel room to get ready, when we ran into some family. They were all hiding out in another hotel room!


Here is my dad when we are heading towards the boat and he realizes all his family and friends are in town! I am so glad the surprise party was a success!

Being on the water was amazing, and luckily it wasn't too chilly on most parts of the boat. I still had to wear a sweater over my dress, but at least I wasn't freezing the entire time.

One of my college roommates is from Skaneateles, so she and her boyfriend met up with us after the cruise. It was so great to catch up and spend time with her! I always forget how much I miss my friends until we are reunited again. I love that we can fall right back into place after not seeing each other for almost a year.

Obviously, I had a great weekend and I hope you all did too!

So Not Ready

One day during our holiday vacation in NY, Alson and I babysat my cousins (2 and 4 yrs old*). It was a last minute request from my aunt; my grandmother usually watches her daughters but grandma was sick and wouldn't be able to babysit. We didn't have anything planned so we agreed to watch them for the day.

I had a dentist appointment in the morning, so I brought the 2 year old along with me. This was quite the experience. Luckily my hygienist is my mom's cousin (gotta love small towns) so she was totally fine with it and entertained my cousin between cleaning, flossing, poking, prodding, etc. My cousin made out with stickers and two toothbrushes (she asked if she could have one for her sister too, haha) so I think she was happy.

After we picked up the 4 year old from preschool, Alson and I took them to Chuck E. Cheese. I hadn't been there since I was a child. Man, that place is overwhelming when you are an adult! First, we had to stand in line and order...which is no easy task when the kids are so excited and certainly don't want to just be standing around when the playroom holds so much excitement! Then we had to try and keep them at the table and have them eat their pizza. Again, the playroom holds too much excitement to sit still and eat. My pretty white jacket also mysteriously got some pizza smudges on it during this time. Note to self: children will dirty not only themselves, but you as well. I guess I should have known better than to wear a white coat to CEC. Alson and I then split the tokens and decided to each take a girl out into the playroom. Alson headed off with my 4 year old cousin while I chased around my 2 year old cousin. The games and rides were the perfect entertainment. I will note that the 2 (almost 3) year old was very insistent on doing EVERYTHING herself. This was hard to deal with because I obviously wanted her to be safe and help her when she needed it, but then I also learned quickly that intervening when she doesn't want help results in a tantrum. I narrowly avoided many of them that day. After all the tokens were gone we hit up the bathroom, which is much more complicated with two little girls, and headed out to the car. Did I mention their car seats? They are such a pain to maneuver! Plus, the shins of my jeans got all salty from leaning up against the car when trying to buckle them in. Apparently I'm destined to be dirty when I have kids.

This whole experience reminded us that we are certainly not ready for the responsibility that comes with little kids. Granted, we wouldn't be thrown into the lives of our own 2 and 4 year olds immediately, but still...I can't imagine the responsibility of having a newborn around either. I definitely have moments when I say I want to have a baby right now, but seriously...this was the best birth control ever.



*My aunt has another on the way. Yikes! That will make 17 grandchildren for that family.

Fun Times with My Cousins

When we were back in NY last week, we spent Thursday night at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Among other things, it was fun to see how they handle their crazy, but so adorable children. And it helped remind us newlyweds that we certainly aren't ready for any of our own. Here are some of my favorite shots of the night.

Everyone loves steak on the grill, especially my husband:


Kona was so happy to be able to run around with their dog:


My cousin drew Alson and I this chalk portrait...she wanted to lay down next to "us" for the picture:

I was trying to get a shot of the dogs playing, when this was suddenly in my viewfinder:

I was so excited for Wegman's bruschetta, until I saw little hands in it:

When I said "ewwww" I got this face (which is why she gets away with everything):

My cousins hamming it up:

They are so cute! I have tons of other pictures because they were always doing something photo-worthy. Boy are they BUSY!

Photos from the lake to come.....

Back to School (This Time For Work) Shopping

I was planning to post about our weekend at my grandparent's cottage in Pennsylvania today, but since I forgot my laptop (which has the pictures already downloaded on it) and my camera cord (which would allow me to download the pictures onto Alson's laptop) at my parents house, I am forced to blog about another aspect of our week up north....shopping.

First we hit up Old Navy and I got these awesome shoes (in a deep blue color) for $16Then I saw this dress at Express, and decided I had to have it because it would go so perfectly with my new shoes (remember they are blue). Luckily my mom agreed, and bought it! I can't wait to wear it out...now I just need something to wear it to...

The next day we went to the mall, and Alson and I hit the motherload at the Gap. My favorite purchase was a pair of the boyfriend jeans (remember the commercials with Claire Danes?) that I got for $7. That is no typo, yes $7...because they are not made anymore and it was the last pair in the store. And the best part, they are a size 0! Now, I don't normally wear a size 0...usually a 2 or a 4, so don't hate me. Because of the price, color, and style (which I love) I forced those babies over my behind, which is quite voluptuous for a girl my size. Once I got them on (I had to make sure I didn't rip holes in the belt loops from pulling them so hard) they looked so awesome I thought Alson was about to have a When Harry Met Sally diner moment. These will be my Saturday jean. They are so casual and soft and kind of acid washed...in other words perfect with a classic white tee.

I also got another pair of darker straight leg jeans for $10 and a pair of khakis for $10. Alson got a pair of jeans for $18, a pair of khakis for $12, a t-shirt for $3, a long sleeved linen shirt for $12, a really nice windbreaker for $28, and a ribbon belt for $2.

Very successful trip to the Gap.

We then hit up JC Penny because they also had amazing sales, and I got some really cute separates that I can wear to work. My favorite purchase was this jacket (in deep red) :

Worthington® Sateen Belted Jacket

My other favorite purchase at JC Penny is this shirt (in deep yellow, which according to the JCrew catalog I received yesterday, is the "it" color this fall...yay!) :

Nicole by Nicole Miller® Peasant Shimmer Top

I won't bore you with my other work outfit purchases I am sure you all have similar items in your closet too. But, the best part about this shopping trip, no sales tax. Ahh I miss NY.

On The Road Again

Instead of sticking around DC for the weekend, Alson and I decided to pack up the car again (we were in NC on Monday and Tuesday) and head back to NY for our last getaway of the summer.

We are going to my family's cottage in Northern PA on Friday and Saturday and playing in a golf tournament on Sunday. It should be a fun weekend!

We rationalize spending money on gas because we won't pay for much else the rest of the time we are in NY. My mom's new favorite quote: "When your dad and I were first married we didn't have much money so grandma and grandpa would always help us out with food and stuff. Someday you can do it for your own children too." Plus, it will be the first time we will be back in NY without a laundry list of wedding related things to attend. I know everyone will be happy to sit back, relax, and just enjoy each other's company. And who doesn't love hanging out with their family!?

Wine Tour

As part of our (prior) weekend of wedding festivities, we took a wine tour along Seneca Lake with some of my family and a few of our friends. Since we moved to NC after graduating college (making some new friends down there) and a lot of our friends who went to college with us moved elsewhere after graduation, it was hard to get a large group together in one place before the wedding, but it was still a lot of fun with the 6 or so friends that were able to take the tour! My family helped make the trip memorable as well....more on that in a minute.

We all boarded a bus the Sunday before Memorial Day so we could enjoy ourselves (i.e. drink lots and lots of wine) at each winery. The tip of the lake is about an hour from my parents house, making for a nice ride on the way up. While on the bus, Alson and I were surprised with some marriage guidelines, each one with an accompanying gift for each of us. I won't go into detail about each gift....but we did get some blindfolds, a feather boa, some advil, massage oil....you get the idea. Taking the bus was a great idea, we were even allowed to drink on it!

Me and My BFF. And yes, I was forced to wear a "Bride" hat.

The tastings at each winery were all a little different. Some were pretty formal where they talk about the winery and the grapes and yada yada yada. Yawn! One winery we went to had a guy playing the guitar, including "Going to the Chapel" for myself and another group celebrating upcoming nuptials. The funnest winery we visited was Hazlitt Vineyards, which is well known in upstate NY for Red Cat (very funny tale of the wine). We had to learn a cheer and all chanted before toasting and drinking our tasting. The cheer goes like this:

Red Cat, Red Cat

It's an aphrodesiac

Red Cat, Red Cat

It will get you in the sack!

HILARIOUS. Some of my relatives were starting to get out of control at this point (it was the second to last winery we visited) and really got into the cheer. I think they also had an orgasm contest where whoever had the most "orgasmic tasting" got a free bottle of wine from the other contestants. Classy, I know.

We ended up buying a few bottles of wine at the many wineries, including a big bottle of Red Cat with a secret Jell-O shot recipe and all the necessary ingredients. I think I may make them when we got home from our trip this weekend in preparation for my birthday!

All in all, the wine tour was a lot of fun, and if you are ever in the Finger Lakes region of NY you HAVE to take one!

Upstate NY Makes for Nice Photos

Since the move, I have not been participating in the Exposaroonie weekly challenges. Sad face. For the first two weeks I didn't unpack my laptop....and Alson's laptop doesn't have the necessary photo uploading programs for the pictures I did take. Plus, I was just too overwhelmed to partake in any challenges.

Recently I looked back to see what the challenges were.....and I was sad to find I missed the chance to submit some really nice nature photos we took while we were back in New York two weeks ago. So although I didn't submit my photos (and Alson didn't submit his....he took some great ones too!), I thought they were pretty enough to share with all of you. If you have never been to upstate New York, this is what you are missing!

Taughannock Falls...as seen from the falls overlook.


A view of Cayuga Lake


Lower Taughannock Creek (taken from the car while driving 55 mph...by the passenger, not the driver)

A winery along the Seneca Lake wine trail.

This area has so many photo opportunities I could waste a whole day taking pictures.

And one last photo to leave you with:

Kona illustrating what she thought of all the traveling we did that weekend.