Good Afternoon & Happy Monday! The Thanksgiving holiday flew by as usual and here we are, well on our way to Christmas. Christmas--I cannot believe it. This year flew by! Thanksgiving didn't have too many exciting events to write about so instead of a holiday post, I thought I would take the time to answer some commonly asked questions I get these days for all of your curious minds. Here goes:
Q: When will we know something about the house we have a contract on?
A: The house inspection was completed the week before Thanksgiving and the appraisal was completed on Saturday. We are now awaiting the results of the appraisal and that is the last "hurdle." After that we should be good to go to move in mid December!
Q: Are we going to find out the sex of the baby?
A: Jury is still out on this one. We have our 20 week Level 2 sonogram on December 20th and we are going to have the technician write the gender down in a SEALED envelope. I figure this way once we make up our minds we will be able to know without having to wait until another appointment. I struggle with this decision daily for some reason.
Q: When will I start doing weekly pregnancy posts?
A: I thought I would wait until I started showing to do a post with a pic each week. My doctor seems to think it will be any day now that I "pop" out!
Q: Am I having any cravings?
A: I am not sure I would use the term "craving" yet but it is very clear each day what I do want and what I don't want. I am wanting more foods that are full of flavor and spicy. I do not want anything to do with sweets.
Q: Have I started wearing maternity clothes?
A: I am entering 17 weeks and so far no maternity clothes. I did just order my first set of clothes on Black Friday to get some good deals since maternity seems to be rather expensive. On a side note, I did try on a pair of jeans that were in regular rotation in my wardrobe on Sunday and eek.... they were definitely too snug for comfort. The good news: I just moved on to the next pair and they fit just fine (thank God or meltdown may have started).
Q: How are things living back at home while in transition?
A: There are way more pros than cons. That's the best way to sum it up. John and I are both looking forward to having our own home again and getting back into our normal routine however, I am desperately going to miss coming home to meals being cooked!
Until next time, xoxoxo!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
A fail and a few (BIG) updates...
Its no surprise that I have completely FAILED at keeping up with blogging, hence the date stamps on this post and my last. EEK! I thought about blogging quite frequently, and the nice casual reminders from my friends about my lack of blogging hasn't quite provided the motivation I needed. However, can I throw out a few excuses to make me feel better about the lack of dedication --- sure I can! To top that, I will disguise my excuses in the form of updates to really showcase my sense of denial:
Updates since April:
--We put our house on the market in late August--it sold in record time (woohoo) and we began the crazy-mad hunt to find our next home. (Insert Drama Begins here) We sold our home the end of October and had a few contracts on other homes fall through so needless to say we are shacking up with my parents for a few weeks.
--The good news is that as of last night we have a ratified contract on a home that we love and we just need to keep our fingers crossed that no unforeseen issues come up and this home falls through like the others! Fingers crossed that we will be in our new home before Christmas!
-- I am 15 weeks pregnant today! Whoa, yes, there ya go, this is where you can lift your jaw off the floor to continue reading. I feel like there is so much I could write about this update but here are just some quick thoughts: yes, we were trying; no, we didn't think it would happen as fast as it did; I will be 20 weeks right before Christmas and we can find out the sex if we want; we are still unsure about whether or not we want to know the sex; our families (and friends) are super excited and so are we!
-- I will be starting weekly pregnancy update posts as soon as I start to "show." I mean come on, who wants a weekly update without a photo--not me! ** I promise that is not all I will post about, I am still utterly obsessed with the idea of decorating our new home and weddings. Super excited for all the fantastic weddings coming up in 2013!!
So there you have it, a re-cap of whats been going on. Things have been really crazy with the move out, the move in, the hunt for our new home all while being pregnant for the first time! Lots more to come, seriously, I promise!
Updates since April:
--We put our house on the market in late August--it sold in record time (woohoo) and we began the crazy-mad hunt to find our next home. (Insert Drama Begins here) We sold our home the end of October and had a few contracts on other homes fall through so needless to say we are shacking up with my parents for a few weeks.
--The good news is that as of last night we have a ratified contract on a home that we love and we just need to keep our fingers crossed that no unforeseen issues come up and this home falls through like the others! Fingers crossed that we will be in our new home before Christmas!
-- I am 15 weeks pregnant today! Whoa, yes, there ya go, this is where you can lift your jaw off the floor to continue reading. I feel like there is so much I could write about this update but here are just some quick thoughts: yes, we were trying; no, we didn't think it would happen as fast as it did; I will be 20 weeks right before Christmas and we can find out the sex if we want; we are still unsure about whether or not we want to know the sex; our families (and friends) are super excited and so are we!
-- I will be starting weekly pregnancy update posts as soon as I start to "show." I mean come on, who wants a weekly update without a photo--not me! ** I promise that is not all I will post about, I am still utterly obsessed with the idea of decorating our new home and weddings. Super excited for all the fantastic weddings coming up in 2013!!
So there you have it, a re-cap of whats been going on. Things have been really crazy with the move out, the move in, the hunt for our new home all while being pregnant for the first time! Lots more to come, seriously, I promise!
Monday, April 30, 2012
April Birchbox and face rant...
I was actually in CR when my April Birchbox arrived and I was super excited for my little pink box to be in in the mail when I returned. That being said, I think my excitement over the "delayed" Birchbox added to my overall disappointment in this months beauty products.
I will admit that currently I am battling my first ever case of acne--yes ladies and gentlemen, at almost 28 I am now having to deal with acne and IT STINKS! **Interject me yelling "where the hell is all of this coming from!!!!" While I used to be devastated when I would get the occasional pimple here and there, I have now come to realize that was nothing compared to the countless imperfections I currently have appearing on my face.
Besides the usual TMI, my point in referencing the above issue is that this months box contained mostly natural skincare products. You would thnk that I should be excited, however, given that most items are in trial size--I am currently in a phase where I need to start a regime and stick with it to see improvements. Thus, I will be holding off on giving any of these products a try until I can gain some form of "normal" back to my face.
There were two products that will be trying out and that is the Amika Obliphica Nourishing Hair Mask
and Zoya "Lotus" nail polish from their 2012 True Spring Collection. I think the nail polish may be a bit over the top for work so I will be trying it out this Friday to have for the weekend! I'll post a picture this weekend.
One last product (not contained in the Birchbox) but that I received this week as part of my acne panic, was the Clarisonic Mia 2. I have actually been wanting a Clarisonic face cleansing system for quite some time and now that I actually need one, I splurged and made the purchase. Today is day 1 so hopefully by this time next week I will have some positive news. Anyone else have any acne clearing products that they would recommend? I am up for suggestions at this point.....
I will admit that currently I am battling my first ever case of acne--yes ladies and gentlemen, at almost 28 I am now having to deal with acne and IT STINKS! **Interject me yelling "where the hell is all of this coming from!!!!" While I used to be devastated when I would get the occasional pimple here and there, I have now come to realize that was nothing compared to the countless imperfections I currently have appearing on my face.
Besides the usual TMI, my point in referencing the above issue is that this months box contained mostly natural skincare products. You would thnk that I should be excited, however, given that most items are in trial size--I am currently in a phase where I need to start a regime and stick with it to see improvements. Thus, I will be holding off on giving any of these products a try until I can gain some form of "normal" back to my face.
There were two products that will be trying out and that is the Amika Obliphica Nourishing Hair Mask
and Zoya "Lotus" nail polish from their 2012 True Spring Collection. I think the nail polish may be a bit over the top for work so I will be trying it out this Friday to have for the weekend! I'll post a picture this weekend.
One last product (not contained in the Birchbox) but that I received this week as part of my acne panic, was the Clarisonic Mia 2. I have actually been wanting a Clarisonic face cleansing system for quite some time and now that I actually need one, I splurged and made the purchase. Today is day 1 so hopefully by this time next week I will have some positive news. Anyone else have any acne clearing products that they would recommend? I am up for suggestions at this point.....
Sunday, April 29, 2012
CR Trip Report!!
Costa Rica was amazing!! I am about 2 weeks behind posting but my goal was to at least complete in April (mission accomplished).
Of course the end of the post will contain a few photos but I will admit it was very hard narrowing down what to post here and on a Facebook album as all together we took over 400 pics. Costa Rica is such a beautiful place and while we were there in the dry season, we heard that the rainy season is an even more beautiful time to visit. There are lots of things that I could write about our trip, but I thought I would use this trip report to give you an idea of what vacationing in Costa Rica (CR) is like as opposed to other beach destinations you could choose from--here goes:
1. CR is the jungle, period. I think I wasn't prepared for the bugs, wild animals, morning AND evening noises. However, after the first few nights the bugs are still bugs, the wild animals are fascinating and you appreciate getting up early before the intense heat so the noise isn't ALL bad.
2. CR is hot and steamy from January to May and I mean STEAMY! There was no point to do your hair, put anything on your face other than some suntan lotion and maybe a touch of bronzer. I didn't even bring a hair dryer and good thing because it was useless. This was a little frustrating as you are in this beautiful place and then you go to take photo's and um..... frizz central! John (and his new tan) of course, looked great--grrr.
3. Mal Pais and Santa Teresa are still very non tourist CR destinations as opposed to other coastal locations in CR. This might be the most important point to this post, if you wanted to go to a resort, have paved roads, lots of US amenities, etc there are coastal places/beaches that offer that in CR. We, however, did not choose to go to those locations. Mal Pais and Santa Teresa are (in my opinion) still an up and coming tourist attraction so its a very relaxed, surf town at its best..
-- roads are terrible, ATV is the best way to get around if a rental car is not in your budget
-- restaurants are amazing but not cheap as they know that they are the only options in those two cities
-- beaches are out of this world and deserted; we were maybe 2 of 10 people we could see for miles in either direction and we were there during Easter (very busy time).
-- when the sun goes down, the whole town stops to grab a beer and head to the beach for a sunset celebration, EVERY NIGHT!
-- after the sun goes down, its the darkest place I have ever been and to look up the sky is so clear and the stars seem thousands of miles closer than I have ever seen in the US.
4. Adventure: CR was probably one of the best vacations we have taken that offered a little adventure everyday and equal relaxation time at the beach or pool. We had something planned every day (zip lining, surfing, ATV off road tours, snorkeling, etc) that we would do either in the morning or afternoon and then had the other part of the day to explore, spend at the beach or relax by the pool with a nice cold beverage. This was my favorite part of this vacation is that there is ALWAYS something to do and for every age and family type.
5. CR is no frills, its easy, the people are friendly and the basics are offered wherever you are: grocery stores, banks, medical attention if needed. Most of my sundresses that I brought I was over dressed compared to the rest of the population. All you really need is plenty of swimsuits, cute cover ups and flip-flop options, literally.
__________________________________________________________________________
All in all we had a fabulous time and if we ever went back it would be when we have elementary age children (we think it would be such an adventure for kids that age) or with a group of friends, and 100% we would stay at Villas Hermosas each and every time we go to CR!!
Here are some photos from our adventures in CR.
Of course the end of the post will contain a few photos but I will admit it was very hard narrowing down what to post here and on a Facebook album as all together we took over 400 pics. Costa Rica is such a beautiful place and while we were there in the dry season, we heard that the rainy season is an even more beautiful time to visit. There are lots of things that I could write about our trip, but I thought I would use this trip report to give you an idea of what vacationing in Costa Rica (CR) is like as opposed to other beach destinations you could choose from--here goes:
1. CR is the jungle, period. I think I wasn't prepared for the bugs, wild animals, morning AND evening noises. However, after the first few nights the bugs are still bugs, the wild animals are fascinating and you appreciate getting up early before the intense heat so the noise isn't ALL bad.
2. CR is hot and steamy from January to May and I mean STEAMY! There was no point to do your hair, put anything on your face other than some suntan lotion and maybe a touch of bronzer. I didn't even bring a hair dryer and good thing because it was useless. This was a little frustrating as you are in this beautiful place and then you go to take photo's and um..... frizz central! John (and his new tan) of course, looked great--grrr.
3. Mal Pais and Santa Teresa are still very non tourist CR destinations as opposed to other coastal locations in CR. This might be the most important point to this post, if you wanted to go to a resort, have paved roads, lots of US amenities, etc there are coastal places/beaches that offer that in CR. We, however, did not choose to go to those locations. Mal Pais and Santa Teresa are (in my opinion) still an up and coming tourist attraction so its a very relaxed, surf town at its best..
-- roads are terrible, ATV is the best way to get around if a rental car is not in your budget
-- restaurants are amazing but not cheap as they know that they are the only options in those two cities
-- beaches are out of this world and deserted; we were maybe 2 of 10 people we could see for miles in either direction and we were there during Easter (very busy time).
-- when the sun goes down, the whole town stops to grab a beer and head to the beach for a sunset celebration, EVERY NIGHT!
-- after the sun goes down, its the darkest place I have ever been and to look up the sky is so clear and the stars seem thousands of miles closer than I have ever seen in the US.
4. Adventure: CR was probably one of the best vacations we have taken that offered a little adventure everyday and equal relaxation time at the beach or pool. We had something planned every day (zip lining, surfing, ATV off road tours, snorkeling, etc) that we would do either in the morning or afternoon and then had the other part of the day to explore, spend at the beach or relax by the pool with a nice cold beverage. This was my favorite part of this vacation is that there is ALWAYS something to do and for every age and family type.
5. CR is no frills, its easy, the people are friendly and the basics are offered wherever you are: grocery stores, banks, medical attention if needed. Most of my sundresses that I brought I was over dressed compared to the rest of the population. All you really need is plenty of swimsuits, cute cover ups and flip-flop options, literally.
__________________________________________________________________________
All in all we had a fabulous time and if we ever went back it would be when we have elementary age children (we think it would be such an adventure for kids that age) or with a group of friends, and 100% we would stay at Villas Hermosas each and every time we go to CR!!
Here are some photos from our adventures in CR.
Monday, February 20, 2012
It's the Little Things...
It's the little things below that have brought me such happiness and content lately. No frills, no extravagant planning, just simple pleasures:
John picking up a RedBox movie on his way home on a rainy night (not to mention his movie choice was the latest Twilight) * Thai dinner at a small local favorite for Valentine's Day * Sunny day spent in DC with John and family * and.... BIRCHBOX.
Okay, I'll admit it, I have a slight obsession these days with beauty products. I think its the excitement of throwing something "new" into my make up routine. There is no better way to satisfy my product craving than Birchbox. For those of you who aren't familiar with Birchbox, its the most amazing idea EVER! Once a month, a cute little box is shipped (no charge) directly to your door with a handful of the latest beauty products in sample size. So simple, so fun!
I will be posting, starting in March, reviews and photos about the items I receive and how they worked out. I highly suggest that you stop over to check out BIRCHBOX.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Costa Rica!!!
So... we booked Costa Rica for April! I am super excited and couldn't wait to post about it. I will be sharing more details later as the trip is finalized but the first leg of the trip is booked. I am pretty proud of myself, usually pushing the "go" button on trips takes me a few days to decide, but I got a call that a spot opened up at the place we wanted to stay and I took it immediately on the phone...EEK!
Thank goodness John was free for those dates--who am I kidding, he would have made himself free!
Thus, with any tropical destination, the pressure to really get back in shape is on. I am almost disappointed with myself that my immediate excitement after booking was pushed aside by the guilt I give myself for not keeping up with my fitness routine.
Either way, today is officially Day 1--GAME ON! The photo below is my reminder each night:
Anyone have any recommendations for must do adventures while we are there??
Thank goodness John was free for those dates--who am I kidding, he would have made himself free!
Thus, with any tropical destination, the pressure to really get back in shape is on. I am almost disappointed with myself that my immediate excitement after booking was pushed aside by the guilt I give myself for not keeping up with my fitness routine.
Either way, today is officially Day 1--GAME ON! The photo below is my reminder each night:
Anyone have any recommendations for must do adventures while we are there??
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Snow & One Happy Pup!
Yesterday we had our first official snowfall of the year! It was so relaxing to come home, get cozy inside and watch the snow fall. We ended up getting less than an inch but it did stick around overnight. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some snow pictures...
I actually got a new lens for Christmas and we have been dying to try it out. I didn't use it for the above picture as I didn't want to take it out in the weather, but I was HIGHLY tempted!
I came home and Jackson was the most excited I have seen him, this was his FIRST SNOW experience and boy was he excited! John got some great shots of him enjoying the snow....
I was so inspired by the snow that I even whipped up a batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. As they were cooking, I reminded myself about how counter productive the cookies would be to my diet, so I promptly encouraged John to take them all to work today (he took some but not all--darn it!).
I hope that we get a little more snow this winter, although it seems as though winter has been very mild thus far. Besides, who doesn't love a snow day???
I actually got a new lens for Christmas and we have been dying to try it out. I didn't use it for the above picture as I didn't want to take it out in the weather, but I was HIGHLY tempted!
I came home and Jackson was the most excited I have seen him, this was his FIRST SNOW experience and boy was he excited! John got some great shots of him enjoying the snow....
I hope that we get a little more snow this winter, although it seems as though winter has been very mild thus far. Besides, who doesn't love a snow day???
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