Come On Spring (And a little about airports!)

Y'all…it's been a LONG winter! So long, and so much snow…but not really a lot of snow at once, just a little bit of snow, so often! Often enough to drive me crazy! But, it's the end of March and I think that means spring will be here soon. I'm still sad about the fact that I didn't get a single snow day this year, when back home it seemed like they got about 10…oh well, what can you do?! It's officially spring break, and although I don't get the whole week off (I know, you feel bad for me!) I do get to go to the mountains for my family's annual ski trip. I'm sitting at the airport waiting on my mom to arrive hot off a flight from ATL, and can I just say, I LOVE AIRPORTS!! I think it has a lot to do with my love of people watching. There are people everywhere, all with different stories. I absolutely LOVE watching people reunite. It makes me miss the days of being able to get off the plane and having your loved one standing there to greet you with a big sweet hug. Thankfully Denver does it right and has a certain spot for people to congregate as they come off of a train and up a big escalator. It's always a toss up because you never know which side they are going to come up, and which side of the railing you should stand closest to. So much anticipation! I just witnessed a father and young son dressed as giant oranges, holding a balloon and a sign to embarrass his wife and two daughters as they got off the plane…nothing better!! After that I got to watch a couple's tearful embrace as the arriving passenger was given a bouquet of flowers, and a hug that seemed like it would never end. Y'all I am literally tearing up watching this! Ok so enough about my airport excursions, what I am here to say is that I AM SO PUMPED FOR SPRING!!! I am ready for flip flops and spring colors and flowers and green grass…I literally cannot wait! As I transition into spring, I have to share two of my new favs with y'all.  

One is of course, a new shade of Essie nail polish. Now I've talked before about how it's the best, and it still is…just go get it! It's called Resort Fling, and it's the perfect peachy pink color…it will make you so happy!!

The second is the best lipstick and shade for spring. Now I'm not big into lipstick but as of late I have appreciated having a little color on my lips…it's true when they say the right color will brighten your whole face! I've found a wonderful color for spring that is called Pink Pearl Pop by MAC. Check it out, you won't regret it!

Alright y'all, mom landed! The the reuniting continue!!

So…this happened!

Ok ok, I say this EVERY TIME, I know!  But here it goes…it's been SO long since I've been on here and life has been SO busy!  The last 13 months have been a whirlwind!  Let's recap quick…

Remember that AMAZING guy I posted about 13 months ago?  So, this happened…

It's true!  We got engaged and it was AWESOME!!  It is such a long story and if I wrote it all out here, it would probably be another 13 months until I blogged again so I'll give you the quick deets…I had NO IDEA it was coming because there was no way he had a ring.  But, he did have a ring that had been in his family for a long time, he had planned out the best spot and said the sweetest things and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him!  Of course I said YES!!!  (Actually I said, "are you serious?" because I was in shock and disbelief, but then I said yes and it was wonderful!)  But it doesn't stop there…my best friend was in on it all and had planned a surprise party for us back at my house.  So…we got to celebrate the rest of the evening with sweet friends…and then the wedding planning madness began!  And madness it was, but we survived, and then this happened...

I found my wedding Polly Pocket amongst some of my old toys at my mom's house this day before the wedding.  Isn't it cute?  Ken did not wear a top hat but the bow tie is spot on!

This girl was my beautiful Maid of Honor and I cannot say enough about everything she did for me/us during this season!  I cannot wait until her big day so I can return the favor (and of course try to one up her, because when you're competitive, everything is a competition!)

This is our first look!  I should probably just do a whole post on the wedding…

And…we're married!  YAAAAY!!!!

Ok so that was 5 months ago and life is good!!  Ken is graduating from seminary in August and everything is up in the air after that!  Since its not too far into 2014, I'll list some a few of the things I want to do this year.

1.  Learn calligraphy.  Ok so I have terrible "handwriting" especially when it comes to print.  I think it runs in my family though because my brother and mom also have some pretty tough to read handwriting.  On the other hand, my cursive is pretty awesome!  Maybe that will help me on this venture?  Anyway,  I think calligraphy is so beautiful and although I'm terrible at drawing and painting and other similar art forms, I think I could get into calligraphy.  I ordered supplies the other day and cannot wait for them to come in.  I plan on taking an online class soon because I want to "learn the right way" so…that's in the works!  I'll keep you posted…

2.  Learn needlepoint.  This is a more recent interest, and I'm also going to take a class for this one.  I've dabbled in knitting, sewing, and cross-stitching (a long time ago) but am starting to think more about home decor and things like that, and think needlepoint would be a fun hobby.  Who doesn't love a good needlepoint pillow?!  My grandma has been doing needlepoint for as long as I remember and she just loves it.  I'm excited to learn and hear it isn't too difficult!

3.  Tennis lessons.  This is something I've wanted to do FOREVER it feels like, but I've never been in a position to be able to do this for a handful of reasons, but I think 2014 could be the year!

I'm sure this list could go on for a while but I think this is a good start!!  Should I add "blogging on a regular basis" to the list?!  I don't want to jinx myself but I am going to try to do it!  Now think of a hobby or skill you want to learn, or find time to do more of something you already love, and make a plan to do it!

Catching Up

Hey y'all!  It's pretty ridiculous to look at my blog and realize it's been almost 6 months since I've last posted.  How in the world did that happen?!  So why the return after nearly 6 months?  Basically, peer pressure!  My roommate started a blog (she's awesome and you can follow her here:  www.tidbitsfrompaige.blogspot.com) so I decided it's time to get back on that blog train!  So, I'll pick up where I left off last time!  Lots of change goin on in my life the second half of 2012, starting with a move from the great city of Fort Collins, down to the Mile High City of Denver.  It was SO hard to leave my job and Fort Collins but luckily my roommate moved with me so I didn't have to figure it all out alone!  Getting to know a new job in a new city proved to be quite the challenge, but after a while we settled in and started to appreciate life in Denver.  (More on that later!)  But first, by far the best thing about Denver would have to be, meeting this guy!!  His name is Ken, he went to Clemson (can y'all believe that?!), and he is without a doubt THE BEST guy out there!  Sorry girls, he's mine!!  I know, breaking hearts all over the world...but really!!  Ok, you can tell I'm super excited about this!  That's all I've got for now, but hopefully with Kim blogging now too, I'll be better about posting more than every 6 months!

Summertime in Carolina

Blog post number two in one day...that's right, I'm just gonna keep this up and make up for lost time!  Summer break rolled around and boy did I need it!  If you work in special education you know that Spring is busy busy with IEP Annual Reviews and lots of other paperwork type things that I won't bore you with.  Anyway, I was so excited to get to go back to South Carolina for over a week!  This trip was filled with time at the beach, hanging with sweet baby Sofia, and of course, walking around the best college campus EVER!

Tillman Hall  

Sweet little Sofia...can't believe she is 6 months old already...time slow down!  When I was there she had just learned how to clap her hands and it was adorable!

The beach at Litchfield; pulled pork BBQ (really is there any other kind of BBQ worth talkin bout?  This was SO good! From Jim and Nick's on King Street in Charleston; Pralines from Market Street Streets...this is another Charleston must!

I'm back?

Woah!  January 6th?  That's just pitiful!  Those were my thoughts as I clicked on my blog page.  Now just because I haven't posted since then doesn't mean I haven't been *thinking* about posting...that counts right?  I guess I don't even have an adequate excuse for waiting 6 months forever since my last post so I'm just jumpin in and going for it.  I guess I'll start with:  another road trip!  The beauty of working in a school district is that you get so many breaks...seriously, SO MANY!  The third best break (third only to Christmas and summer) is Spring Break!  So what did I do with a whole week off this year?  What else besides a road trip to none other than Jackson Hole!  You might remember a previous post about a road trip back from Portland with a stop in Jackson (if I could figure out how, I would link to that older post but let's be honest, it's a miracle in an of itself that I'm writing this now, so figuring out that whole linking thing is just gonna have to wait! :)  Anyway, this trip was nothing like the previous one.  This time around we stayed with a good friend from home and it was so nice to have such a great place to stay, and to have someone show us around town!  Thanks Zach!!  So now I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Wyoming State Line...you know that sound about the wind whippin across the plains in Oklahoma?  The original version is actually about Wyoming!  (Or at least it should be) 

If you go back and read that older post I was talking bout, you'll find out about this awesome hotel...I just had to go back and make sure it was still there!  Also, proud to say, I'm no longer a stranger!

Kim bout to take her first run at Jackson Hole

If you've never skied there just know...this mountain is STEEP!  Also, you will feel like you're going to ski off the face of the mountain because you can't see the bottom from the top but don't worry, this is just an optical illusion!

No offense Wyoming but y'alls snow ain't got nothin on Colorado!  The day we went was nothing but slush, rocks and patches of grass everywhere

Our host for the week and tram operator extraordinaire representing all the way from Clemson, SC!

These are waffles at the top of the tram.  It's a place called Corbet's Cabin and if you go to Jackson Hole, this is a must...these are SOOO good!! 

I recommend the brown sugar and butter combination.  Super healthy too!  Ok only kidding but after a day of shredding gnar pow, who cares?!  I'm always so dang hungry apres skiing! 

These are found in the square in the town of Jackson (I'm pretty sure this is 1 of 4).  Now that's a lot of antlers! 

The Grand Teton mountains...pictures just don't do it justice...this place is beautiful!

This is Moulton Barn known as the most photographed barn in America 

My roommate is a pretty stellar photographer!

Life as of Late

The last two months of 2012 we really super busy.  I guess that's to be expected, with the Holiday season and everything.  So here is what I've been up to as of late:
1.  Pinterest!  If you haven't heard of pinterest, you're probably gonna want to check it out.  It's an online pinboard that you can use to save pictures with embedded links to everything from recipes to home decor to style and everything in between.  If you're not careful, you can spend waste a lot of time on there but it can be really useful for new ideas, planning events, a good laugh, and organizing things you see on multiple websites in one place.  It can seem a little confusing at first but you'll get the hang of it and you'll probably get a lot of really cool ideas there!
2.  My birthday!  I LOVE birthdays.  Growing up, I loved having my friends over for birthday parties and recently I've been celebrating for an entire week if possible!  On my actual birthday, my amazing roommate woke me up at 6:30 in the morning with a homemade cake complete with lit candles...it was quite surprising and the best way to start the day!  I also went to see the Lion King which was so great (if it's ever in your area, it's definitely worth seeing...the costumes and talent are really something!), and, enjoyed a surprise birthday brunch with some of my favorite people at my favorite breakfast place.  My burrito came complete with lit candles, which was awesome.  And...to top it all off, TCBY (my absolute favorite fro yo place) opened right here in Fort Collins!
3.  Sweet Miss Sofia!  I'm happy to announce that I have another new niece and she is beautiful!  Her name is Sofia and she is a laid back sweet little peanut.  She lives pretty far away but I finally got to see her over Christmas break.  We hung out a lot (which consisted of her sleeping in my arms) and I loved every minute of it.  Can't wait to watch this little one grow!
4.  Christmas!  Oh Christmas break...it came so abruptly and went by in the blink of an eye it seems.  I made the trip home to South Carolina and was able to spend time with lots of family members that I don't see often, which was really great.  Thankful for sweet memories.
5.  The Orange Bowl.  So, it's been a while since I've talked about Clemson football but here's how it all went down.  We went 9-3 in the regular season, with two terrible losses at the end there, one to NC State and one to our biggest rivals South Carolina.  I hate losing to them but by then we knew regardless of the outcome that we would be going to the ACC Championship because we won our division so it made the loss a little less painful.  We went on to beat Virginia Tech (for the second time this season!) in the ACC Championship game which was a great accomplishment! With that win, we were guaranteed a spot in the Orange Bowl, which is one of 5 BCS bowls (and kind of a big deal!)  My mom decided if we made it to the Orange Bowl that we should make the trip to Miami, so when we beat VA Tech, we made our travel plans.  Sparing you the painful details of the game itself (we lost and it wasn't pretty), all in all it was a great experience and I'm so glad we made the trip! It's games like these that remind me of a quote one of my favorite high school teachers/coaches sometimes used. It goes like this, "You win some, you lose some, some get rained out!" So, as a Clemson football fan, we hold our heads high because we will always love Clemson regardless of how good or bad our football team performs, and we eagerly await the next football season where we hope that it will be better than the last!
So I think that pretty much sums it all up!  And now, for the pictures...

TCBY and it's self-serve...win and win!!

Kim and I rand the Turkey Trot 4 mile on Thanksgiving...the weather was beautiful in Denver!

Look at this peanut! She's so little and perfect!

Me and my nieces...I'm a lucky girl to get to hang with these two!

On our way to the airport on Christmas Eve...these two were superstars on the long flight!

My little Bear on Christmas. Oh how I love him!

ACC CHAMPS BABY!!! What what!

New Pictures

Here are some updated pics of my favorite little ones...

It won't be long before my other sister-in-law has baby Sofia and these three have another cousin!  In other news, it's true...Clemson lost a game.  But, God is still God, were still 8-1 and I still love my tigers!!  We'll get em next week boys!