Two Year Anniversary: Part I

Happy Thursday Everyone! I feel so out of whack because my week started a day later than normal.

Monday was Justin and my two year anniversary and I decided to take the day of to spend some quality time with him.  I'm very glad I did because I was sorely lacking sleep and wanted to spend sometime catching up {as much as you can} on my sleep.

Our anniversary festivities started on Sunday and consisted of us spending time together doing a bunch of "firsts".  The idea was to do things together that we have never done either just us two or had never done before.  The original plan was to go to Frankenmuth, but since Justin was not feeling well, we changed our plans up a bit.

The day started with us going to get breakfast at our favorite breakfast place, The Stuffed Bun.  I got myself the French Toast and Justin got this HUGE omelette.  I swear the thing was larger than my head.

After The Stuffed Bun, we made our way over to Canterbury Village.  Because we did not get to Frankenmuth, this was the next best thing and it turned out to be pretty awesome.  We spent several hours walking around and enjoying some of the neat trinkets that they had to offer.

We also enjoyed some of the beautiful leaves on the property.  It's hard to believe that October is practically over and we will officially be merging into the Holiday Season.  While I love the Holidays, I'm a bit sad to see them go so quickly.

From Canterbury Village, we made our way to Partridge Creek.  It's an outdoor mall in our area that Justin had never been to before.  We spent a great deal of time shopping around and I ended up getting some really pretty sweaters from H & M.

1. Green Sweater | 2. Gray Cardigan | 3. Beige Sweater

After Partridge Creek, we stopped by the house to feed the kitties and to get changed before dinner.  We ended up going to Sagano for dinner because it is one of our favorite restaurants for a fancy and delicious meal.

We both ordered the steak & shrimp and enjoyed the company of another couple celebrating an anniversary also.

Our evening ended with us carving pumpkins together.  I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought I would try it since Justin has a drill and it's less work.  I was wrong on the less work part.  I ended up picking the largest pumpkin I could find and it turned out to have a very thing rind which make drilling the pumpkin a bit difficult.

Either way, Justin's pumpkin still turned out pretty awesome! And he hand drew the Superman symbol himself.  Pretty great, huh?

Up Next: Two Year Anniversary - Part II

Saturday Stirs

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I trust that you had a wonderful, fun-filled weekend! I had a three day weekend due to our anniversary being yesterday, but I will share with you some of the fun things we did in a separate post. 

Our weekend was super busy, but also very fun.  Saturday started with us heading out to see our nephew play soccer chase the ball around.  Since he is three years old, they do not have a game so much as they have a practice.  It was super cute watching him with his team mates and seeing him get his award.

It was very cold and windy when we were there, so Justin and I ended up shivering under tons of layers while we watched JP play.

Overall, JP is pretty quick to get to the ball, but he does not seem to quite get that you do not take turns for soccer.  He is very good at understanding that everyone should get a chance to take their turn but he could not understand why they were not taking turns.  It was super cute and I look forward to watching him get the hang of playing in the future.

Because this was JP's last game, everyone on the team got an award certificate and a sticker.  Well... JP got two stickers: one for his certificate and one for his ball.  I wish I had grabbed a picture of his ball because it is covered in stickers.  According to my sister-in-law, this allows for him to quickly find his ball in the pile.  I honestly think it is just because he really loves stickers.  Either way, it was super cute to see his ball covered in stickers.  

The afternoon ended with us heading to Boston's for pizza and appetizers.  JP even got to see Spiderman while we were there {the server was all dressed up and came to give him candy}.   Such a fun morning with my nephew! 

Our Saturday ended with us heading to an engagement party for my cousin, Courtney and her future husband Ronnie.  I neglected to take any pictures because it was all so much fun.

Next Up: Anniversary #2 Celebrations!

Josh Groban Concert

Happy Friday Everyone! Are you so happy it is the last day of the work week? I know I am!

On Wednesday night, my mom, Amelia and myself all went to see Josh Groban in concert, and let me tell you, he was fantastic!

The funniest thing happened for the concert... Amelia and I wore the same shirt! We went shopping with my mom a few weeks back and we both ended up buying the same sweater, but I never imagined that we would end up wearing it at the same time.

The concert started with Judith Hill performing.   If you watch The Voice, then you know her.  I loved her music because she covered a wide range of genres and she moved effortlessly between each one.  If you have not had a chance to hear her sing, I would definitely take a minute and check her out.

I loved listening to Josh Groban singing and it was amazing to see how much his singing calmed me down.  Music has always had a calming effect on me, but there was something in the purity of his voice that I would not help but completely relax while listening to him sing.

A few fun things happened during the concert:

1. In our row, there was one empty seat which ended up being filled by the mayor of one of our local cities! His name is Dave Coulter and he was a pretty awesome guy.  To be honest, I have never met the mayor of any city until then and I was a little awestruck.  He seemed like a pretty normal guy with passion and excitement for his job.  It is always nice to see local politicians out in the everyday world.

2. Josh Groban had a little boy come up on stage to sing with him.  Apparently, you could write into the producers and ask Josh Groban a question and if you were lucky he would call out your name and answer you question.  Well, one little boy got super lucky because Josh Groban called his name, brought him on stage and sang a song with him.  It was so sweet to see Josh Groban sing with him and make that little boy so very happy.

Our evening ended with us running out to the car as quickly as possible, since winter is settling in here in the Mitten State.  If you ever get the chance to see Josh Groban live, I would recommend taking the opportunity because he is wonderful.

Question of the Day:

Who is your favorite person you have seen live? 

Allegiant

Hello everyone! Happy Hump Day!

It is hard to believe that this week is officially half over because it seems to be just flying by!  This morning started off with the kitties driving me up a wall, yet being so adorable at the same time.

I was trying to get ready and they kept scratching at the door for me to let them in.  I had to grab a picture of them really quick because they were just looking like, "What do you want? Did we say you could look at us?".  Such a silly pair those two.  Also, this picture makes me laugh because Leilah literally looks huge compared to Frye which is not the case.  She is about half his size in real life so I giggled when I saw this picture.  It is amazing what perspective can do to the size of anything.

I am excited because the third book in a series that I absolutely love came out yesterday and Justin got it for me!  Have you read Divergent or Insurgent by Veronica Roth? If you have not, I would make sure to put it on your list of books to read for sure! The third book to the series, Allegiant, was released yesterday and so far it has been a good read! Once I am done with the book, I will make sure to share my thoughts with you all.

This Wednesday is not going to be a typical Wednesday for me because I am going to see Josh Groban with my mom tonight! She was able to get us tickets from Groupon for about $25 a piece which is a great deal.  Plus, the concert is at The Palace of Auburn Hills which is right by my apartment.  I cannot wait to go see him live, I have heard he is amazing so this will be a real treat.

Question of the Day:

Who is your favorite artist (singer, musician, etc) to see live?

Catching Up Again - Apple Picking Fun

Hi All! This post is a post to catch up from the beginning of October.  I've been playing catch up with the blog for a while and am trying to keep going.  This post is going to be about us heading to the orchards to pick some delicious apples.

A few months ago, us girls talked about how fun it would be to make our way out to the orchard to pick some apples and pumpkins, so we started planning.  Well, this plan finally commenced a few weeks ago in early October.

A group of us met at Justin and I's apartment before heading out way down to Westview Orchards.  We picked this orchard because there was a wide variety of things to do there.  You could pick apples, pick pumpkins, see cider being made, go to the bakery and enjoy the local petting farm.

When we got to Westview, we had to go in and pay for our "bushel", which happens to be two very large plastic bags {Caroline is holding one of the pictures below}.  We also took this opportunity to buy our cider and donuts as well as any other sweets we wanted for the day. 

We quickly hopped onto the hayride which took us on a ten minute trip through the orchard where we got to see their crops.  One of the many blessings of living in Michigan is having the ability to have a wide variety of crops.  This particular orchard has strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, pumpkins and corn.  It is always nice to know that I can go out to the store and buy produce that was grown not too far from me.

Once we got into the orchard, we made our way around trying to grab a wide variety of apples because everyone had a different favorite type of apple {green, red, yellow} and we quickly filled up both of our bags.  I had to laugh at the picture of Justin in the tree getting the apple for Caroline because he usually does not get so into things when we do them.  However, he got himself up in the tree and picked several very delicious apples for Caroline and I. 

We had originally planned on getting pumpkins as well, but by the time we finished apples it was getting cloudy and we did not want to risk getting rained on while out in the Pumpkin Patch.  I am hoping that Justin will take me to pick a pumpkin this year so I can carve one {since I have not yet}.  Fingers Crossed! 

I had such a fun time apple picking this year and look forward to picking some next year! Maybe it will become a tradition like strawberry picking with his family in June.

Monday Morning Madness

Happy Monday Everyone! I trust you had a great Sunday and were able to enjoy some quality time with your families.

Our Sunday was rather uneventful outside of getting some chores done and grabbing dinner with some friends.  Justin got up early to head out for a round of golf because he is reaching the last few available weeks of the year that he can really get out and play.  I was excited that he was going to be out of the house for a few hours so I could work on his anniversary gift.  

Right now, that is all I can show you because I know Justin checks in on the blog every now and then and I'd hate to ruin the surprise a week early.

Last week I spent some time cleaning and organizing my crafting supplies {since I bought boxes at Ikea forever ago} and I came across some yarn for a project that I wanted to do this time last year.  So much for knitting myself a scarf to use last winter... at least I will have one for this year (P.S. I will have to do a blog post on my crafting organization).

Knit & Bake Tutorial

Since I was waiting for Justin to get home and waiting for the laundry to dry, I decided to give the pattern a try and it turns out that it is pretty easy to knit.  However, the pattern provided from Knit & Bake was just too darn confusing for me.  Once I get the scarf finished, I will make sure to share with you how I made it and what tutorials I ended up using. 

Originally we had planned on going to Erebus (our local Haunted House) after dinner plans with friends but due to being overly tired, we opted to just stick with dinner.  My friend, Sarah's, boyfriend is home from the Air Force on a ten day leave, so of course we planned a dinner date to catch up and see how things are going.  We ended up going to Bar Louie and Justin and I were super excited because we love their burgers and tater tots! 

Do any of you watch Game of Thrones? If so, then you will get the reference:

Winter is Coming

I checked our local weather for the week and it appears that we are running the risk for snow! I am thinking it probably will not happen {since it is supposed to be almost 50° that day}, but with Michigan weather you can never tell! Once Wednesday comes, I will make sure to let you know if we did indeed get some snow.

Question of the Day:

What project did you get all the supplies for but never finish?

Sweetest Day {5 Simple Ways}

Happy Saturday Night/Sweetest Day Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Sweetest Day!

Our day was a bit different than a normal Saturday because we both had other plans previous to remembering that it was, in fact, Sweetest Day.  This morning I got myself up bright and early to go meet my mother-in-law so we could sell our product at Mom2Mom sale at the high school where I graduated in 2007 {and also where I met Justin}.  It was so fun, yet so strange to walk into a place where I hardly knew anybody but that was also a place that had so much influence on my life.  

It was so cool to go in there an see Justin's name up on the wall for the Top Ten 5000 M Cross-Country.  Not too many people know this about Justin, but he was a very great runner and placed first team all state when he was a junior and holds a few records at our high school.  It's always nice to be reminded of talents and to appreciate them.

For Sweetest Day, we kept things pretty low key because our anniversary is in less than 10 days and it just seemed silly to spend a ton of money on today.  So we just each got each other cards and they both were the perfect cards for each other.  Justin loves Superman so of course I was super excited when I came across this Superman card and his card was so perfect because we both wore converses to our wedding.  Such a sweet memory and such a nice card.

My friend, Sarah, stopped by this evening to hang out and we just sat around talking, eating dinner and catching up.  It is always nice to spend one-on-one time with my friends, especially when it was not planned.

5 {Simple} Ways to Show Your Spouse You Care

1. Write them a Note

Write them a love note, a thank you note, or any kind of note. Put your feelings into words. It really doesn't matter how much you write, all that matters is that you do write.

2. Let them sleep in

Does your spouse usually wake up early to get everyone in the house going? Take over the "morning shift" and let them sleep in.

3. Prepare a meal for them

If your spouse is normally the one who does the cooking, consider cooking them their favorite meal.

4. Help them tackle their to do list

Do something thoughtful just for the sake of doing it (before they ask). Take the car to get an oil change, hang that picture on the wall or help them check off a few tasks on their to do list.

5. Show some affection

Whether it is engaging in a little PDA and holding hands while you're running errands or cuddling while watching a favorite show, touch is a great way to show you care.

These may seem like such simple ideas, but it is always good to be reminded of little ways to show love to your spouse.

Question of the Day:

What ways do you show your significant other affection?

Kidnapping at Work

Hello there! Happy Day Before Friday! I hope your week has been going well!

This week has been a crazy {yet fun} week for me.  Monday night Justin and I spent hanging out at home.  He went to the doctor to go get his physical (first one in years I might add) and it turns out that he is in great shape and does not have to go back for three years.  Color me jealous!

While he was out he stopped and got me some very pretty flowers.  As you can probably guess, I was super excited about the flowers because the Detroit Tigers are playing the the ALS this year and are currently tied with the Boston Red Sox.  I have always been a die hard Tigers fan for as long as I can remember, but it is always extra sweet when they beat the Red Sox because my dad lives in the Boston area and we have a mini feud.

Tuesday was a bit more eventful because we had plans to meet up with some friends for coffee (or in my case hot chocolate).  They went out of town for a few weeks and asked if I would help take care of their kitties while they were away so we made plans to meet so I could give them back their house key.  We went to Dessert Oasis and just spent some time hanging out and sipping delicious hot chocolate.

The funniest thing happened at work this week too!

My coworker left his coffee mug in the bathroom and someone has kidnapped it and held it for ransom.  Over the last week, someone has been leaving ransom notes at his desk for his coffee mug, but that have not posted how much they want or when the exchange will be. 

I had to laugh when I saw this ransom note and noticed that the coffee mug was "blindfolded" in the picture.  Such a funny situation, hopefully he will get his mug back soon and all in one piece.

Question of the Day:

What funny things happen at your place of work?

Blog Topic Idea Series: Part I

Happy Tuesday Readers! Did you have a great start to your day? I sure hope so!

I've been trying to come up with some great ideas for topics that I can cover on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis and I was amazed to find a wide variety of ideas that people have suggested on their blogs as great topics to cover.  So I thought, why not? I'll share some of the ones that inspired me most and look forward to including on my blog!

+ {This Moment}: This idea is inspired from Little Miss Momma.  The idea is to take one picture from your week and just share it.  No description. No words.  Just a moment that you will relish for the rest of your life.

+ Hello Monday: Again this idea is inspired from Little Miss Momma.  The idea is to do a blog post in pictures and describe them with "Hello...".  Could be a fun way to have a text minimal post and share your day with your readers.

+ My Life {Bucket} Life: Also inspired from Little Miss Momma.  I look forward to doing this post because it will be a great opportunity for me to share about myself in a fun way.  Plus, it will give you all some inspiration for things you want to do with your life 

+ 15 Minutes Friday: Inspired from Organizing Made Fun.  The idea is to take 15 minutes out of your day and to organize a small space.  That way after so many days, you are feeling much happier and much more organized! The catch? You have to post before and after pictures.

+ Things I'm Loving Friday / Friday Favorites: Inspired by PB Fingers & Little Baby Garvin.  The idea is to share your favorite things that week (or month).  I look forward to doing this series because I have a ton of favorite things that I would love to share with you all! 

So are you feeling inspired yet? I know I am and cannot wait to get to doing these ideas here on the blog!  The idea is, once I get things going, I will host a linky party where everyone can share their posts as a way to connect.

Thanks for checking in today and hopefully we can get things rolling in the next few weeks!

Catching Up Again - Line Dancing Birthday Celebration

Here's a post I typed up yesterday but never published... it was a bit crazy yesterday!

Oh look, it's Monday again! How is everyone enjoying their first workday of the week? I hope well!
This post is to catch up from a few weeks ago when we celebrated Caroline's birthday! We originally had planned to go to "Painting with a Twist" again, but they ended up selling out of enough seats for all of us to go. So we did a girls night out instead!

The plan was for us to meet up at Toby Keith's: I Love this Bar and Grill for dinner then hang out until the line dancing started and that was exactly what we did.  The service was rather slow because they were so busy, but it ended up working out perfectly for the timing because we got there at 7:30 and the line dancing did not start until 9:00.

For dinner I got the All American burger (which was so delicious I forgot to take a picture) and had fries and a hard cider with that.  Danielle and I also split an order of deep fried Twinkies.  If you can remember from Justin's Birthday, I love deep fried Twinkies so I was very excited they had them on the menu.  After dinner (and dessert) we made our way to the dance floor where we attempted to do a few of the dances.

There was a live band so it was fun to go to a free "concert" and do some dancing while we were at it.  The night ended around 11 because we all had plans early the next morning.  Such a fun girls night out!

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Painting with a Twist

Happy Sunday Everybody! I hope you have had a wonderful weekend and have had the same beautiful we have been having here in Michigan.

I wanted to share with you a little bit about this totally awesome event I did with a group of ladies that I met while planning my wedding.  Have you ever heard of "Painting with a Twist"? If you have not, you should totally check to see if there is one in your local area! The whole point of Painting with a Twist is to go and recreate a painting and the best part? You can bring alcohol!

For the evening we signed up for a private class where we were able to get our own room and bring in our own snacks.  Plus, we were able to pick the picture that we wanted to paint.  It was so neat to have a wide variety of pictures to choose from.  

They take you step-by-step on each layer of the painting and give you a break in between to eat a snack and stretch your back/legs.  To be honest, I was a bit worried about going because it had only been a week since my surgery, but at that point I had been in the house so much that I was ready for the break.

Caroline and Danielle picked me up at my place and we grabbed dinner at Panera before making our way to Farmington Hills for our painting class.  It was so fun to walk around and see all of the different pictures that were hanging on the walls from the wide variety of people.  Plus, it was fun to see how different everybody interpreted the painting that we were doing.

If you are looking for a fun night out with friends or a fun date night, you should definitely check out your local Painting with a Twist! It's a fun night and you get to take your picture home at the end of the night.  I look forward to going back with my girls and possibly Justin in the near future!