Here it is!

Okay, so if you haven't noticed yet, my blog is completely  "undone", header stretched and skewed, background doesn't match anymore - it looks nothing like the blog it used to look like.  Sad.  But, as stated in a previous post, I accidentally deleted my html for this blog when creating my other blog - and I haven't found the energy or time to fix this one, considering I am now on to my new one!  Forgive me.  :o)  So, don't stick around here - please come on over and check out my new blog!  I hope you like it!
~~~> http://pocketfullofpink.blogspot.com/

GET READY!

Here it comes!! I am on the last bit of decision making to get this thing going (my new adventure, my new blog). I'm excited! I found myself way too obsessive and realized I need to just chill out and get it going. I changed my blog design seven times! AH! Sweet Ashley from According to Ash (www.drewashleyporter.blogspot.com) tagged me in the Honest Scrap, and I'm excited to be a part of it! I thought it would be fun to do it on the new one and help start it to get going. So, my sweet friends, tonight and tomorrow it will be FINISHED! I hope you're excited because I definitely am. :o) See you soon in my little "pocket"! ;o)

soooo.

I am working on my new blog, as stated in my previous post, and while doing so accidentally deleted EVERYTHING for this blog!  AH!  I know my header up above is a bit skewed and stretched, and the yellow on the sides doesn't really go, but this all just to hold me over until I finish the new blog.  I had to think of something fast!  I didn't write down the coding for my last layout (lesson I learned, ALWAYS keep a copy of your codes!) and don't want to take the time to figure it out again, when I am more interested in the new blog!  SO, there you have it.  I hope to have the new blog finished SOON.  I am working on it in all of my spare time, but still have some work left to do.  I love designing and creating, but it's hard because when it is for myself I tend to be a perfectionist and take WAY too much time.  I can't wait to be done!

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll let you know as soon as the new one is ready!  xoxo

change of plans.

So I have been doing some thinking.

I want to make my "creative world" a priority. I love the idea of having this creative outlet that can be shared. I haven't been good at keeping up with my blog in the past, mostly because of time, but I also find it sometimes scary to convey personal opinions in fear that they will be shut down. On a different but related note, I feel like I have lived a lot of my life in a hurry with tons of energy being expelled from my soul daily. I told my husband that this year I am going to focus on being HEALTHY. I don't just mean exercising and eating right, although that is a huge part, but also mentally striving to be healthy. If you could look into my thought processes at any given minute, you would see a bazillion streams of conversation going ninety miles a minute. My brain moves faster than anything in my life. My imagination is wild, and with that comes a whole boat load of busy planning and eager desires waiting to be fulfilled. What a shame that I think I am too busy to write. If I enjoy this, I need to make time. But what I have decided is to start a brand new blogging journey. And on this new journey, I won't feel compelled to need to talk about anything in particular. My greatest love in my life is my husband, so obviously he is something I will talk about a LOT. And I know that's okay - even if no one wants to read about it! But, there are so many things I am passionate about and enjoy, and even if I can only touch on a few of them, that's still better than nothing. I love, love LOVE to cook. I am always trying to find new recipes and plan our next dinner party. I love entertaining and the creativity that comes into planning a special and unique dinner party. I think I have some really great ideas to share! I love decorating. My challenge right now in our new house is to find those rare finds that are PERFECT for the look and feel I am going for, but are also AFFORDABLE. I am constantly on the look-out for sophisticated and stylish little knickknacks I can incorporate into the themes I am going for. I love traveling. Although I don't do as much now as I have before, we still have some amazing trips planned for the future. In fact, we're going to Italy in May for 10 days! I am ECSTATIC. I love books. But I am PICKY. I have to be caught up in the book enough to not want to put it down, or I probably won't finish it. I have found a few MUST READ books in my lifetime that NEED to be shared and read by everyone (in my opinion). I love designing! Everything I know I have taught myself, so I am by no means a professional, but I love getting on my macbook and letting the creative juices flow and do their thing. The list goes on. So, I will be starting a new blog that I am EXCITED to pour into. I love this blog. I love that it was my first. And really there is no need to start a new blog, except that I find it an exciting and intriguing desire to accompany my fresh start to a new and creative world for ideas, thoughts and writings.

It is in the works! So, stay tuned. :o)

lame. lame. lame.

I know, I am lame. Lame for never posting anything these days and even more lame for never putting up any pictures when I do post. I thought about making it a New Year's resolution, but then that would actually require me to expense the time and energy for this blog, when, honestly - I just don't have the time and energy. Things right now are so fun and so wonderful, but so BUSY. I thought it would get a lot calmer once January came around, but I was oh so wrong. So, therefore, I'm not making any promises right now to post more. And I'm not promising to post pictures with every post. In fact, I think for now it is wise for me to go on another little posting hiatus. But this I do promise - when I return, you better be ready for the outpour of posts, stories and PICTURES. This blog will quite simply KICK BLOG BUTT! But not yet. :o)

We love you all and wish you an outpour of blessings as we start of this new year!! God Bless!

AH!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted! Where did the time go?! Thanksgiving has already passed! I have so many cute pictures from Thanksgiving, but I am at work right now and don't have them on this computer. OH - there's some news! I HAVE A NEW JOB! I started on Monday and it is FABULOUS. I am so important here! Haha. I am the US marketing manager for a European company that sells journals, handbags and a plethora of sassy and fun accessories. Check out the website! Once you get to the english page, click on the boxes and you will get a description of our designers and such. http://www.miquelrius.com/

I am so busy here, but everything I do involves such interesting stuff. I just sent out a whole box of samples and a presentation to Oprah's magazine! I contacted their Publicity manager and we're in the running for 2009's O List. How cool is that?! The stuff here is so cute and fun. And it's so neat because I if I need anything, a new notebook, etc., I can just run into the warehouse in the back and grab something. And the super-duper plus side to my new job, is my new boss. He is SO nice and has really taken the time to make me feel welcomed and at ease. Such a change from my first week at my last job! I was practically thrown to the wolves there in my first week! God has really blessed me. One of my favorite parts of my last job was traveling to so many amazing places. Well my new company's headquarters are in Barcelona! How's that for an amazing place to travel?? I can't wait! And we have a tradeshow in California in March. It has been a whirlwind getting back into the working routine, but it has definitely been worth it.

I know there are so many other things to catch you up on, but I just don't have the time right now to type it all out! I hope you and yours are enjoying this holiday season to the fullest. Christmas is right around the corner! Ohhh I can't wait. Hopefully I will get up some pictures soon. Love and blessings to all of you!!!

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

I know, heavy topic. A few years ago when I was a junior in college, a friend and I were having a discussion about my "faith". She didn't understand what I meant when I said I was a "Christian" and that to me being a Christian meant nothing about religion but about the relationship I have. We then proceeded into a pretty deep conversation about God, Jesus and the world we live in. I have often replayed in my head the question she asked me that day. She said, "If the God you believe in is so good, then why did He let the Tsunami (of 2005) happen and as a result kill 1,000's of innocent people?" All I simply said at the time was that we have to remember that with the good in the world comes the bad. I wondered why so many people automatically blame God. I figured if someone believes in a God to blame then they must also believe in the opposite, which is evil, or Satan. I thought, doesn't it then make perfect sense that the evil in the world is capable of killing 1,000's of people? I know that's a lot harder to understand when we are talking about nature. Which I suppose is why most people blame God. But even a death to someone you love, or a heart wrenching experience that you feel you can't overcome, God still gets a lot of that blame too. I told my friend that what I was sharing with her was merely based on what I felt in my heart, but that, who was I to try and prove this belief of mine? And honestly, I didn't know where on earth to go from there.

I'm reading The Shack right now by William P. Young. It's a fictional book that is nothing short of amazing. It touches on the question my friend asked me. As it says on the back of the book, "In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, 'Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?'" It has become my new bathtub and bedtime read. There are so many quotable chapters in the book, but the one I read this morning really stuck with me. I want to share it - and I'll try and shorten it and take out the narration parts. It's important to note that the book is a fictional piece. It is about a man's personal experience with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit after experiencing one of the most tragic events one could go through. I won't go into further details in case you want to read it. And I do hope you get a chance to read it.

Mack, the main character, ask's God a series of questions about evil in our world and if God uses pain to try and force people back to Him or as punishment. God tells Mack how sad He is people even comprehend He could be that way. He says, "I understand how difficult it is for you, so lost in your perceptions of reality and yet so sure of your own judgments, to even begin to perceive, let alone imagine, who real love and goodness are. True love never forces." Mack then proceeds to say, "But, if I understand what you're saying, the consequences of our selfishness are part of the process that brings us to the end of our delusions, and helps us find you. Is that why you don't stop every evil?"

God responds...

"Nobody knows the horrors I have saved from the world because people can't see what never happened. All evil flows from independence, and independence is your choice. If I were to simply revoke all the choices of independence, the world as you know it would cease to exist and love would have no meaning. This world is not a playground where I keep all my children free from evil. Evil is the chaos of this age that you brought to me, but it will not have the final say. Now it touches everyone that I love, those who follow me and those who don't. If I take away the consequences of people's choices, I destroy the possibility of love. Love that is forced is no love at all. - Let me tell you one of the reasons that this makes no sense to you. You and this Creation are incredible, whether you understand that or not. You are wonderful beyond imagination. Just because you make horrendous and destructive choices does not mean you deserve less respect for what you inherently are; the pinnacle of my Creation and the center of my affection. Also, don't forget that in the middle of all your pain and heartache, you are surrounded by beauty, the wonder of Creation, art, your music and culture, the sounds of laughter and love, of whispered hopes and celebrations, of new life and transformation, of reconciliation and forgiveness. These also are the results of your choices and every choice matters, even the hidden ones. So whose choices should we countermand? Perhaps I should never have created? Perhaps Adam should have been stopped before he chose independence? What about your choice to have another daughter, or your father's choice to beat his son? You demand your independence, but then complain that I actually love you enough to give it to you. My purposes are always and only an expression of love. I purpose to work life out of death, to bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light. What you see is chaos, I see as a fractal. All things must unfold, even thought it puts all those I love in the midst of a world of horrible tragedies, even the one closest to Me." He means Jesus. :o)

This was on my heart and I wanted to share it with whoever (whomever?...hmm. no, I think it's whoever) is interested. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend. God Bless!!

sweet November.

I just realized it's November.  When did that happen?!??  Every month since we've been married, I recognize when it's our "anniversary".  Today I looked at my blackberry and saw it was November!!!  Phew, this year is going fast.

Okay, SO much to be thankful for in the world of sports.  The Phillies won the world series!  It was so cool to watch the parade.  And for my favorite sport, college football, Penn State is dominating!!  In fact, as much as I love UT (so many of my friends and family went there), I had the best time watching the UT vs. TT game.  I honestly got excited when TT won!  Sorry sweet friends, please no hard feelings.  It just means that much more of a chance for my Nittany Lions to shine.  We are going up for the last home game in a few weeks.  I CAN'T WAIT!!!  And if we make it to the National Championship game...my hubs and I are going!  Ah, too excited to even think about the possibility.

Something else I am extremely thankful for...I have a second job interview 2morrow for the most AMAZING position in the most amazing company.  I will write more about it later, but for now prayers would be great!!

Not really any pictures to post right now.  I haven't been feeling that great lately and therefore have been slacking.  But this weekend my sister and niece are coming to stay the weekend.  I know I will have plenty of precious pictures to post of little Addy Bear!!

I hope everyone has a great week.  Don't forget to vote 2morrow!!!  (Especially if you're voting for McCain! haha)  I am pretty nervous about the election, but I am resting in the fact that God is in control.  He already knows who will win.  Enjoy your day!!  :o)

truly blessed.

My amazing lovies. 

My sweet husband, me and J-Dub.

Robbie and his crew.

Me with Shannanigan!

This past weekend was beyond amazing.  Whenever I'm with my old roommates, my amazing best friends, it feels as though no time has passed since we last all saw each other.  I really feel so blessed to have such amazing women in my life.  Some day I will have to post our "love story" on here.  We have an awesome God story on how we all met.  It was also so great seeing all of Robbie's buddies.  They all have so much fun together and always make me feel like part of the gang.  Well, actually, I am part of the gang!  I married in.  :o)

Starting this weekend, I (we) have something going on EVERY weekend until the second weekend of December.  Isn't that crazy?!  But it's all so much fun.  NYC for a weekend (yay!), my sister and niece visiting us for a weekend, Nate and Shannon visiting, taking Michelle to State College for our last home game one weekend, THANKSGIVING weekend....and the list goes on.  This time of year is the best.  I have yet to visit a pumpkin patch this Fall, but Robbie and I have that on the agenda as well.  We found an AWESOME place right near where we live, complete with hayrides, corn mazes and everything else Fall-ish and wonderful.  I am seriously in love with Fall.  Every night while I cook dinner, I light our lovely fall scented candles, turn the fire on and put a good movie in the DVD player.  I love that our kitchen is open to the family room.  It's so cozy!  I also love how this time of year makes me want to cook all of the typical 'warm and fuzzy' fall meals.  This is where my amazing crock-pot comes in super handy.  Homemade chilli and meatballs have been on the menu.  Gosh I'm getting hungry just typing this.  I love to cook, but what I love even more is EATING.  I think that's why I like to cook so much - it's an excuse to have all of the awesome food!  Last night I made marinated beef cubes with sauteed mushrooms and onions and for on the side I made homemade sweet potato fries.  The sweet potato fries were AWFUL!!  I have no idea why, and plan on making them again soon to see what went wrong.  My mom said it's hard to get them to cook evenly, so maybe that was my problem.  I put on all the right seasonings (according to my recipe), but nonetheless, AWFUL.  My sweet husband poured ketchup on them and ate every little bit.  Next on my list to make is Split Pea Soup, and I have been dyeing to try a homemade Curry dish.  I cannot say I am a great cook, but I can say that I enjoy trying to be.  Okay, now I'm hungry.  If anyone has some awesome recipes they love, please let me know!!  I love exchanging recipes.  Haha, I sound like such a wife!  But I'm sure Robbie doesn't mind.  Have a great evening and enjoy the rest of your weeks!!

 

making progress!

I took a picture of our cute front porch so you can see it.  And the mums I planted!  I'm kind of proud of them.  :o)

This weekend is PSU's Homecoming!!!  Robbie and I both took the day off Friday so the festivities can start early.  My girls are going to be there, Rob's guys are all going...simply said, it is going to be an absolutely AMAZING weekend!  Not to mention that we are currently ranked #3!!!!  That's huge considering what we were ranked at the beginning of the season.  Man I love my Nittany Lions.  And Grandpa Joe.  :o)

Have a great week!

artistic flare.

Things have been awesome around here lately.  God has REALLY been guiding me in a direction vocationally that is a huge surprise and also a dream come true.  I am still trying to follow Him earnestly and wait patiently to see how, and if, this fully unfolds.  Until it does, I would like to keep it within a close circle and not divulge details on here.  But prayers are REALLY appreciated right now!  

I have been doing something on the side for a while now - graphic designing and web art.  I did a website for a private company and have been doing a few blogs for people.  It's so fun!  I don't think I'm THAT good at it, so it is strictly a hobby.  But one that I really love!  I think it's about time I change my blog up.  I made my header above in Adobe Illustrator a little while back and it took me forever.  I have since then been using photoshop and various websites like scrapblog and html feed.  I feel like I'm cheating when I use these websites, but MAN, it sure does make it go a lot faster!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  Over the weekend I put up our Fall decorations and planted colorful mums in our front yard.  I am so in love with how the house is coming along!  I really do need to post some pictures soon.  I want to wait until it's all finished, but in reality I don't think it's ever going to be FULLY finished.  At least not for a while.  :o)

Enjoy your Wednesday!  God Bless!

PS.  Please feel free to post a little comment!!  I miss them.  :o(

Oprah tomorrow.

I have to make this quick because we are walking out the door, but I want to mention that tomorrow on Oprah there is a segment on the Whitakers and the horrible tragedy Sugar Land went through six years ago, one many are still facing and healing from.  I went to school with Kevin and can't express enough how great of a guy he was.  Every memory I have of him includes him smiling.  The story that unfolded after that tragic evening is indescribable.  I know a movie has been discussed, but no movie can do justice to the portrayal of forgiveness and faithful humility Mr. Whitaker has displayed over the course of the past six years.  It was such a hard thing that people went through and part of me is not looking forward to it being relived on television tomorrow, but yet, it is something Mr. Whitaker has been going through EVERY SINGLE DAY since tragedy struck.  His wife and youngest son are gone and his only other son is now on death row, sentenced for the plot of the murders of his family.  Yet through it all, Mr. Whitaker has shown only forgiveness and spoken of God's faithfulness and love.  Please watch it.  To get the full story you can look at the article I'm providing below.  Please pray for the Whitakers, their family and friends and the alumni of FBBA that knew Kevin and loved him dearly.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/18/48hours/main3381002.shtml

I know!!

I know, I know...I have been terrible at this.  I'm sort of working on a big project right now and it's consuming a lot of my free time.  I pray that it will come to fruition soon and I will be able to tell you about it!  Robbie's birthday was a blast and our one year anniversary was BEYOND amazing!!!  I'm working at an awesome boutique right now since the job market is so slow, so there's a little update to share!  Pretty much, right now, Robbie and I are soaking in the pleasure of being married for a year now and we're enjoying every second of this Fall weather.  I love it!!!  My parents gave Robbie and I two rocking chairs we picked out to put on our front porch so we can sit and enjoy this awesome weather.  Haha, I know you're thinking we sound like grandma and grandpa, but in our neighborhood a lot of people have rocking chairs and sit outside and watch the kiddies play and sip lemonade or apple cider.  It's amazing!  AND, I'm putting out all of our fall decorations up tomorrow.  We decided to wait until October instead of rushing and putting it out on the first full day of Fall since it was on Rob's birthday and his bday decorations were still up.  Okay, this was a super quick update.  I hope everyone is having a great week and has a fun weekend ahead.  Blessings!

Happy Friday!

I wanted to post quickly and wish everyone a Happy Friday - I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!  Robbie and I will have our hands full with fun.  Addy turns five this weekend and we are going to her birthday party tomorrow.  She is SO excited!!  It is the cutest thing.  Also, my handsome hubby turns 25 on Tuesday so we are going to his parents house this Sunday to celebrate with them.  We have a weekend full of birthday celebrations and spending time with our families.  It's going to be a blast!  I can't wait to take pics of the chaos tomorrow and post them next week.  A party of four and five year olds is bound to be crazy.  I don't have a picture to post right now, so I will leave you with a joke that the cutest little boy told me a few months ago.  Happy Friday!

What did George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Christopher Columbus all have in common?

They were all born on holidays.

:o)

here I am.

Jena and Justin with the cutest little flower girl.

Jena and Addy with Karen and Steve.

My dad and Addy.  Precious.

Phillies game!

I love them both SO much!!

I think it's about time I sit down and post.  I can't believe it has taken me this long.  I vowed to write once a week!  So much has been going on that I don't even know where to start.  Right now I am sitting and waiting for my sweet husband to get home from work.  I spent the day cleaning the house in preparation for our visitors this weekend!  We are going to have a fun-filled weekend with friends and parties.  Last weekend we were in Philadelphia for a wedding (my sister was the maid of honor and Addy was the flower girl - so cute!!!) and we also took my niece to her first baseball game (that she remembers).  It was so much fun watching her observe the whole thing, she had so many cute questions.  The weekend before that we were in Reading.  We actually have something every single weekend from now until October 1st except for ONE weekend.  Can you believe that?!  It's crazy!  Everything is fun, but still oh so busy.  One of the weekends I am most excited for is the last weekend in September.  Robbie and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary!!  I am in awe of the fact that we have been married already almost a year.  I love Robbie so much more now than I did on the day I married him.  And if you had told me that it was possible to love him any more, I would have laughed at you.  We had all sorts of big plans for the big occasion, but as it turned out, one of the big home games this year is that weekend vs. Illinois.  We don't want to miss the Illinois game!  That weekend and the weekend of October 18th are the big weekends where all of our friends are going up for the festivities and MASSIVE tailgating.  So here are our plans: State College for the weekend to wine and dine and TAILGATE, and then on Sunday we are leaving from there to go camping in the mountains until Tuesday.  I am SO excited!  I love camping so much, and Robbie and I have never been camping together and I have never been camping as a married woman.  :o)  The mountains, a campfire and wine...it is going to be FUN!  Oh, and another weekend I am excited for is in two weeks, my hubbo is going to be a quarter of a century year old!!  WHEW!  Haha, Grandpa!  Babykins, this is the veryyyy last 12th day of a month that you will ever be 24!!  :o)

I could go on and on with other various topics in this post, but I don't want to bore anyone with a ridiculously long set of words.  So instead of writing, I will post pictures!  But of course, they will appear BEFORE this entry because for some reason my computer does NOT cooperate on this.   

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I want to send my love to all of our friends and family and a big 'thank you' for being patient while this blog has been a tad dormant lately.  I also want to let my loved ones in Houston know that Rob and I are praying for you all earnestly while you prepare for Ike!  I rest in the fact that God is in control and will be looking after you!  Delaney, Big D, Alden and Baron ~ I love and miss you guys so much!  I wish you were up here with us instead of in H-town.  Be safe!!

where has the time gone?!

Ah, I will post soon!  I promise!  So sorry, things have been so full and plain right BUSY.  I hope and pray everyone is doing amazingly well.  I can't believe we are already in September!!  Happy Tuesday - check back soon!  Xoxo

live'n in the country.

One of the things that amazes me the most about where our house is, is that I can leave all of the windows open, and our patio door, and hear throughout the house birds chirping and the sound of the wind through the trees.  Seriously, I am in awe of this.  It is the most amazing thing ever!  Before this I lived outside of Philadelphia and before that I lived in Chicago.  The noises that frequented my ears the most were car horns, trains and basically just NOISE.  Granted, I loved all those noises at the time and actually missed them the first few nights in our new home.  BUT, as I'm sitting here on my laptop and feeling the cool breeze run through the house, I can't help but feel total amazement at the beauty and stillness I have found here.  And what's really awesome about it all, is that I'm not REALLY in the country.  I mean, I am - but, we're also right next to everything.  So it's a win-win!  God is so good.  

The house is coming along slowly but surely.  One of my mom's best friends does professional decorating as a side business and hobby.  She came over yesterday with my mom and showed me all sorts of fabrics - she wants to make us curtains for our great room!  I am beyond excited.  And my mom came in the door holding decorative vases and a rug she thought would go great with my guest-bathroom colors.  It did look great!  I am so grateful to my mom for all of the love, time and help she has been through everything.  I'm so grateful to my whole family in general, and to Robbie's family!  We were able to get everything moved in ONE day, and had the muscles of Rob and his brothers to make things go smoothly and quickly.  It was total success.  I don't have pictures yet of the rooms in the house because I really want to wait and show it when it's more finished.  But I do have pictures to share!  This past weekend we went to Reading, PA for a wedding Robbie was in.  The bride and groom were more than exquisite and we all had a blast.  I've left you with a few pics from the occasion.  Oh, one more thing, I would really appreciate prayers for me as I'm trying to find a new job in this area.  It's so weird not having my job and something to do every day.  While I am grateful for the time it allows me to spend unpacking and working on the house, I'm definitely ready to go back to work.  I'm too young to not work right now!  Until babies come along, I want to spend my days contributing to our household.  So please pray God will guide and direct me in the direction he wants me to go.  I'm wide open, God!  Show away!  :o)

Lots of love and blessings to all of you!

home sweet home.

It feels so good to be in our home!!!  I almost have everything unpacked, and I emphasize almost, because I'm not all the way there yet.  BUT, it's unbelievable how easy it is finding a place for everything.  We have so much more room now!  I realize now just how much we out grew our  sweet little apartment.  I couldn't believe how much stuff we acquired from only a little less than a year.  It has been a whirlwind these past few weeks, but everything has been SO worth it.  I am so excited to upload pictures of the progress, but first I have to find where I packed my camera cord.  I also vow to start updating the blog AT LEAST once a week.  No more of this continuous slacking on my part.  Today is Thursday and my mom is on her way over to help me with some decorating (fun stuff!!), tomorrow Robbie and I are leaving for reading for Dale and Lindsey's wedding.  It will be a fun and full weekend.  Christine may be coming over Sunday to spend the night.  I'm so excited for our first over night guest!  Guess I better get the guest bedroom under control.  :O)  I hope everyone has an amazing weekend.  Please be safe and enjoy yourselves!!

a billion days later.

Buddakan in Philly during the AAJ Conference.

Maine!

A girls night.  :o)

My little lovies.

They loveee their Uncle Robbie!

Mmmm, lobster.

I know!  It has been WAY too long since I last posted.  It is unacceptable and I do NOT plan on making it a habit.  If only you knew the chaos we have endured these past weeks!  But alas, things are now back on track.  We move into our house this Sunday!!  It's a few weeks past when we had originally planned, and you would think that would mean more time to have prepared and packed, but nope, not the case.  This week I am slaving over boxes and packing tape.  I am so excited to get everything moved in and placed.  We're moving into our first home!  It is SO exciting.  Over the weekend I took my sister and little niece to check it out.  Addy absolutely loved seeing where she will be sleeping when she comes to visit.  She was a little concerned that there was no bed, but we assured her one will be coming.

So much has happened since my last post!  Maine was SO much fun and a total blessing.  It was so amazing having a week with my whole family.  It has been way too long since I have seen my nephew and niece Baron and Alden - it was pure joy having the family together again.  I think I came back 40 pounds heavier though, ha, we ate more lobster than is probably legal and stuffed ourselves with blueberry pie, blueberry muffins and pretty much everything else Maine has to offer.  The weekend before Maine was Julia's wedding.  What fun!!  She was as beautiful as ever, of course, and she and Justin had an amazing time in Aruba.  I'm so happy for them and hope some day the four of us can make it back to Aruba together!

Can you believe it's August?!  Our 1 year anniversary is next month!!!!!!  I absolutely CAN NOT believe that Robbie and I have been married almost one whole year.  The time has flown by so fast, but hey, they say that happens when you're having the time of your life.  :o)

God is so good!  There is so much I am thankful for and so much I have to look forward to in these next months.  I hope everyone has been doing amazingly well and is enjoying their last weeks of summer.  I never mind summer ending because it means FALL is next.  I love fall so much and am even more excited to experience it this year at our home.  It makes me want to drink apple cider right now!  I love you all and can't thank you enough for reading.  Please let us know how you're doing!

(okay, I need to be realistic - this week is going to be so busy getting everything packed and ready to move this weekend.  Not to mention my sister and I are hosting a bridal shower on Saturday amidst the moving chaos.  And next week will be so busy UNPACKING everything, so it may be a little while before I get to post again, but I promise it won't be as long of a wait as this past time.  Promise!)  :o)

nonstop.

Holy cow, the past five days have been a WHIRLWIND!  I've completely lost track of what day it is and feel like I have been in a bubble.  I found out Brad and Angelina had their twins about THREE days ago!  That is a piece of information I would usually know about as it's even happening, lol.  The past few days have been a lot of fun, though.  It really is a crazy thing doing what I do at these conferences.  I'm at the American Association of Justice Conference which is in Philadelphia this time and hosts hundreds of attorneys from around the country.  Last time it was in Puerto Rico and before that it was in Chicago.  The next one is in Honolulu!  I thought it was pretty funny they were holding it in Philly, the city I'm so accustomed to.  The days consist of exhibiting and the whole rest of the night is NON STOP action.  There is a themed cocktail event every day in the exhibit hall, then a reception and party at city monuments, always a dinner we have to attend, and then the late night action is held a different club in the venue's city each night.  It's great getting to really experience so many different places, bands and food within the hosting city.  The Commodores played the other night!  I was bummed Lil' Richie wasn't there.  It's pretty crazy this is what I get paid to do, although not for long, and it has been the biggest blessing.  And I can honestly say I'm okay with the fact that I will be moving on soon.  It's fun, but EXHAUSTING!  I have met so many amazing people and have traveled to some awesome places and have eaten incredible food.  Now I get to embark on a new journey a little closer to "home" - LeHigh Valley, PA.  We're moving in two weeks!  I'm done with the conference tomorrow and then leave on Thursday for all of Julia's wedding festivities.  I am so excited to finally stand up next to my beautiful Jules and watch her say "I DO!".  Rob and I will be back on Sunday and then Monday we leave for Maine.  I can't believe how busy the month of July has been.  And August won't exactly be any calmer.  But life is great and God has really blessed us with all of these great experiences.  I have been staying at the downtown Marriott throughout the conference and was able to have Robbie stay with me and attend some of the parties.  He always hears about the craziness that goes on at these events but has never experienced it.  I felt so proud to have my husband with me and to show him off to all of our clients and my dear friends.  Everyone loved him, of course.  I don't have any pictures to post yet - I don't have my camera cord with me at the hotel, but hopefully in the next post I will have pictures of the conference, wedding and Maine!  That is if I can't post before I get back from everything - which is very well possible.  I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  There are quite a few of you that I will see this weekend and I am SO excited!!  For everyone else, please keep in touch and God Bless!