Perfect.

Happy Tuesdsay! Ahh ladies, it truly was the most perfect weekend!! And the "special taxi" was more amazing than anything I could have ever imagined. The whole weekend was a whirlwind full of surprises and LOVE. Here's what happened! Friday morning started off with breakfast and a massage (SO AMAZING!!) followed by lunch with my parents. It meant so much to me that they still made the trek up to come see me for the afternoon, even though we already celebrated the weekend before. They never cease to amaze me! After lunch I relaxed and started to slowly get ready for the evening. I was so anxious about what was going to happen! My stomach was full of butterflies as I nervously waited for everything to unfold. When the doorbell rang at the exact time my "special taxi" was to arrive, I jumped up and ran to the door...standing there before me were two of my bestest friends from college - I was speechless - my husband had them come in from out of town and surprise me!!! Walking in behind them was my sweet hubster, holding a bottle of wine and telling us to sit, chat and have a glass while he got some things ready. That's why he was gone until then, he had to go pick them up! Sneaky. Shortly after, he whisked us away (sexiest taxi drive I've ever had!! haha) to the most amazing Italian restaurant where he wined and dined us. He even visited the restaurant earlier in the week to make sure he thought it would be a place I would love. Now THAT is some serious planning! After that, we went to my favorite spot for cocktails and when we got there, all of our neighbors were there waiting as a surprise. The night was SO perfect and an absolute BLAST!! On Saturday, we relaxed, went to see a movie and then went to dinner and back home for movies and presents. I couldn't believe the amount of time and work he put into the whole weekend. I am so blessed, and so happy, and feel incredibly special for the amount of love I received on my special day. And it truly was, perfect. Thanks again for all of your sweet comments and sharing in the suspense with me! This picture is of my amazing lovies, C and K, who came all the way to be with me and celebrate. I LOVE YA'LL SO MUCH!! Gosh, friends are THE BEST!!! And so are husbands!!



Okay, more than enough about me. I hope every one else had an amazing weekend too!! Did you do anything fun or relaxing? How is your week starting off? Work here is still pretty busy, but hopefully will calm down soon. Have an amazing start to your week!

Blessings,

Real Quick

Sorry so short! I wanted to quick jump on here and tell you about my mysterious husband. I can't wait to come back on Monday and share everything with you! He is being SO secretive. He said tomorrow at around 7pm a "special taxi" will be picking me up at our house. My first response was, "Wait, where will YOU be?! You're not coming with me?", and he wouldn't answer me. He also said to expect a surprise on Saturday. And that's it! He isn't budging with any further information. I can't help but feel giddy. He is GOOD! I can't wait to come back on Monday and fill you in!!

Okay, back to work.

Have a happy Thursday and an amazing weekend!

Early Weekend Wishes

Hello, friends! Sadly, I really don't have too much time to write and fear this may be my last post until Monday. Work is pretty busy right now and I have Friday off, so I told myself I am going to stay FOCUSED and diligently get everything done on my list. Phew, hope I can do it all in time! I just want to say thank you to all of your sweet comments below and birthday wishes, they really mean a lot! I am eager to tell you about the "magazine fiasco" that I mentioned below and promise I will do so next week! I can't wait to also show you lots of pictures on Monday from the weekend. Is it really only Wednesday? Weekend, please hurry up! I don't want to leave this post empty handed so I'm going to insert an action snapshot that I love. I took this a few months ago when my hubby and I took my niece to the Crayola Factory. My sister wasn't there and when she saw the picture afterwards she nearly had a heart attack! I love her dainty little pose in the air. I hope everyone has an amazing rest of the week AND weekend! Sorry I will be MIA, but I know everyone has weeks like this at times. Blessings to all of you!

XOXO,

Mouth Watering Favorites

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I am sooo happy with this weather we're having! Warmer weather gets me in the mood for all sorts of fun and summery fruits. I just bought a fresh mango and am sitting at my desk eating it and typing this. So yummy!

In this post, I am going to brag a little bit about my mom and an amazing meal she prepared. We had a great weekend! We went to my parent's house on Saturday evening for a pre-celebration. My mom is an amazing cook, and every year for our birthdays she cooks a meal of any and everything we are dieing to have, all of our favorites! Not just one or two, but ALL of our favorites. Her cooking is beyond amazing and I, of course, had to take pictures of the beauties. The pictures below are of my favorite foods - the ones that make my mouth water and the ones I am willing to work out at the gym for fifty hours just to make sure I can still have them. My mom is so incredible and I am so thankful for her generous heart. Thank you for spoiling me!

Here's what we had...

You may think I'm crazy, but I am obsessed with steamed artichokes. AMAZING!

And, of course, macaroni and cheese! This year we used whole wheat pasta and it was devine.

Insalata Caprese!! Mmmm.

Steamed crab legs!!

For dessert, funfetti cake with fresh strawberry icing. Perfect. I love funfetti cake so much that I thought of having it for our wedding cake! We didn't. :o)

I feel a little funny broadcasting about birthday stuff, but I'm also excited about it and wanted to share the pictures from the amazing meal we had. I am incredibly thankful to my parents for making each year's birthday as special as the last, no matter how old we get. I am one blessed lady!! This Friday will be my 25th and I am truly excited about this age. I am even more excited to spend it with my amazing and precious husband. I would have never guessed that on the day that marks the first 25 years of my life I would be celebrating with the most amazing man in the world. It feels so good to be so blessed!

Happy Monday!! Oooohh, I have to tell you about our MAJOR magazine fiasco that is happening. I'll post about it 2morrow or Wednesday. :o)

Have a great day!

Ohhh Thursday!

Oh my goodness...how did it become Thursday already?! This week is flying by for me; I hope it is for you too!! Bring on the weekend! Today is rainy outside which is not helping my ongoing fatigue this week AT ALL. BUT, I am a total and complete sucker for rainy days. I find them so relaxing and romantic. It makes me want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with my hubs or hide myself in a blanket and read a good book. If only I weren't sitting at my desk at work!

I mentioned in my previous post that I had a fab weekend and would have posted a few pics on Monday if I hadn't forgotten my camera cord. I want to stay true to my word, so here are a few! I feel like the desire to view them may be less enthusiastic considering we are well on our way to THIS weekend. But, here they are, nonetheless!

My sister and niece visited while my hubby was out of town on a business trip over the weekend. My niece was SO excited to have him come home on Saturday night. Shortly after he walked in the door he plopped himself on the couch next to her and she crawled up on his lap and fell asleep. This picture makes my heart melt.

On Sunday we went to the Sixers game and sat courtside. It was AWESOME! There's my sweet hubbo's head! It was crazy being so close to the players that we could talk to them. When they were standing right in front of us we would say stuff to them and they would turn around and laugh and respond. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I would like to point out the guy upside down in the air below - he's actually jumping and flipping from a trampoline. Great half time show!

Hip Hop

Can't wait to see what fun memories lie ahead this weekend!

I want to say a HUGE thankyou to Amanda and Life in the pink lane for giving me the Kreativ Blogger award!! It truly means a lot to me and I couldn't be more thankful! I'm honored, ladies!

Award Details:

List 7 things that you love and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love. Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won.

7 Things I Love

1. My awesome God

2. My amazing husband. I can't get enough of him.

3. I adore my family, they are everything to me.

4. My lovies and bestfriends!

5. Anything that makes me feel nostalgic

6. Creativity and Imagination

7. the Seasons

I tag:

Gretchen and Jimmy

Europafox

Miss Jody

Naturally Caffeinated Family

The Life & Times of Team Taylor

He & Me + 3

Life As We Know It

I need to be honest and admit the likelihood of me posting again before Monday is pretty slim. Our weekends are so busy these days! I hope everone has a fabulous time with their families, friends and loved ones. I was so saddened to hear about Natasha Richardson passing away. My heart aches for her family and loved ones. There are so many reminders around us that our time on earth is limited and that we need to enjoy each day's blessings to the fullest and with a thankful heart. I pray your weekend is full of fun and countless blessings!!

Happy Thursday!

Ode to green

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I certainly had a fun time and will have to post some pictures later when I have my camera cord. My sister and niece came and stayed with me while my hubs was on a busines trip until Saturday. And yesterday my hubs, sister, sister's bf and I went to the Sixers game and sat courtside! It was AMAZING!! Unfortunately, I have been feeling so tired and exhausted lately. I want it to go away! Last night I crashed as soon as we got back from the game, around 8:30, and still had a hard time getting up this morning. My body keeps telling me to SLEEP, and I am, but it doesn't seem to be enough right now! Grrr. It's frustrating. Okay, enough complaining. :o)



Tomorrow is St. Patty's day! Are you doing anything special? Every year I am flooded with memories of St. Patty's day back in college. It was a HUGE day of celebration and always SO much fun. It's a little different now, here in the post-grad world, having a job to wake up early for the next morning. Yet, quite honestly, I still wouldn't trade it for anything. I am definitely counting my blessings!

My mind is heavily thinking about spring wardrobes right now, and in honor of St. Patty's day I decided to do an ode to green. All of the following are from a store near and dear to my heart: Nordstrom. I loveeee myself some Nordstroms. Especially their Savvy department. I drool every time I walk by it. I actually don't own a ton of green apprel, but I should! It's such a great color. Here's my little ode to shades of green! The first four are my absolute fave. Ohhhh if only!

Karen Kane Ruffle Halter - $98

Tory Burch Ella Patent Trim Canvas Tote - $225

Juicy Couture Enamel Icons Bangle - $48

Tarnish Romantic Vest - $78









Tory Burch Astor Moccasin - $475





Velvet Torch Maxi Sundress - $58







Juicy Couture Wish Necklace - $48



Kate Spade Sullivan St. Melita Vertical Tote - $595





Sam Edelman Lanna Flat - $99.95





Juicy Couture Key & Shell Satchel - $350





Happy St. Patty's day eve!

PS. What is your favorite color to wear?

OH.MY.GOSH

Last night I nearly had a heart attack.

I was in the kitchen getting things ready to cook dinner. Any time I chop up onions, or anything else smelly, I always take off my wedding and engagement rings and put them in a specific spot on the counter so they won't get all messy. I, like every girl, am head over heels in love with these two pieces of jewelry. I still find myself getting into near auto accidents because I'm staring at them (partially kidding). Last night I took them off and was on my way to putting them in their spot when I realized my pot on the stove was spewing water all over the place. I set my rings quickly on the bar and started to run over to the pot. And that's when it happened. It was like out of a movie. I set them down so quickly and must have knocked my engagment ring while I was turning around - I watched it in slow motion go tumbling down the drain. OH.MY.GOSH. Okay, I told myself not to panic yet. I put my hand down the drain and started pulling out every single thing I could feel. I know, ew. This is our disposal too, so I knew the holes weren't THAT big because other wise we wouldn't have to use the disposal as much as we do to get food to go down. I think a good, solid five minutes went by and I still hadn't found ANYTHING that resembled my precious ring. The tears started flowing. I called my husband hysterical asking him if he was almost home (he was actually in our driveway), and the poor guy couldn't understand anything I was saying. I have never seen him run into the kitchen like that - he thought he was going to find me on the kitchen floor dying! All I could think was, "Okay God, if You're trying to teach me a lesson here on material possesions, I get the picture. It's just a ring. But it is still SO special to me and I would REALLY like to still have it!" Before my husband got ready to take the sink apart I put my hand back down the drain and suddenly felt something hard. I prayed so hard that I had fount it. I pulled it out, saw it was my ring and then nearly fainted. I had really come to the point where I thought I would have to accept that it was gone. It was honestly the biggest feeling of relief. I've only been able to wear both of these rings for a little over a year and a half and I really want to have them on my finger for a WHOLE lot longer. My stomach was down at my feet. I hugged him and cried and he laughed and just told me how thankful he was that it was only my ring that something happened to and not me. He had a much better perspective on the whole situation than I did. He picked out my engagement ring ALL BY HIMSELF, without knowing anything about my desire for what I wanted in a ring or asking my mom's, sisters', or girlfriends' advice. It is so special to me and I am so so SO thankful that I have it on my finger today!! I don't think I'll care if my rings smell like onions again, they are STAYING PUT. If I hadn't noticed that my ring fell, I know I would have turned the disposal on a few minutes later while I was chopping everything. I am so thankful that God blessed me in allowing me to find it and still have it. Thank you, Lord!

WHEW! Have you ever lost a piece of jewelry that is incredibly special to you?? I think that must be one of the hardest things to accept. Knowing that God knows exactly where it is, but you don't!

~ In other news! ~

Little Woman, Little Home gave me the Cute Blogger Award and I couldn't be more grateful! Thank you SO much!! It's always an honor and makes me feel good when someone likes my little blog world!

Also, Miss Jody tagged me in this fun picture game:

1. Go to your desktop and in your file folder for pictures, pick the 6th folder with the 6th picture.
2. Tell a story about that picture.
3. Tag 5 others and pass it on. Make sure you let your 5 know!

My sixth file folder for pictures happens to be the fam folder. Here's a pic of my nephew, B, when I think he was about 2. He's now four and has changed SO much!! I'll have to do a post soon on B and his sister A, my lovie and oldest neice. These lovebugs of mine live in TX.

I tag:

Amber

Miss Lemonade

Erica

Christina

The luckiest Mrs

Hope everyone has a fabulous Wednesday!

XOXO,

Success!

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments below. My dad's surprise trip was a huge success! We spent the weekend celebrating his 60th birthday to the fullest. Recap: We "kidnapped" him on Friday and took him to Gettysburg for two nights. We had so much fun exlporing the city and spoiling our birthday boy. On Sunday when we came home, we had a surprise party for him. It was so special and a weekend full of memories I will hold for a lifetime. Sadly, my oldest sister and her family weren't able to be there - they're in TX and couldn't make it. WE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!

I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend as well! How about this weather?! I am LOVING it. I hope it was as beautiful where you are as it was here. Happy Monday!!

A few pictures to share!

XOXO,

My Original Valentine

This Saturday is my dad's 60th birthday. I can't believe he is turning 60!! I have been so blessed in my life to have a mom and dad like mine. They mean the world to me and are SO special. My dad was my knight in shining armor as a little girl, the love of my life. He was also my date on every special occasion; my mom was nice enough to share him with her three little girls. I remember going to Valentine's Day dances with him and feeling like a princess. I can't imagine a day without him and am so excited to spend the weekend celebrating him.

** Real quick: Dad, if for ANY reason you are reading this...PLEASE STOP, NOW!

My mom has the whole weekend planned and it's a huge surprise. My family, hubby and I are "kidnapping" him tomorrow and taking him to this amazing hotel in Gettysburg where we'll spend two days and nights exploring the city and wining and dining our birthday boy . On Sunday when we return in the evening, all of my parent's friends will be hiding in the house for a surprise party. I can't think of anyone who deserves a whole weekend like this more than him. I love him so much!!

I was looking through my wedding pictures trying to pick out my favorite snap shots of the two of us. I can't look at them without getting tears in my eyes! I dreamt my whole life about the day I would get to dance with him at my wedding. We danced to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland and it was the most amazing moment in the world. It was honestly magical. I prayed my whole life for a man that would treat me the way my dad treats my mom. And we both knew that even though that dance signified his letting go of me, it was something even greater in reminding us that love is a blessing in every form, and God was blessing me by providing a new love, one that my mom and dad had prayed for since the day I was born. I am so blessed to have a father like mine.

Happy 60th Birthday, Daddykins!!!!!

My dad's reaction when he first saw me all dressed and ready.

(That's my hot mama behind him!)

The youngest of three girls, his littlest lady. :o)

Handing me over!
First time hugging me as a married woman.
Starting our dance.
The love and respect I have for my father is indescribable.
LOVE.

Thank you for letting me share this with you! Have a great weekend!

XOXO,

Awesome Sale!

J. Crew is having their Sale of the Season gig going on right now. They have SO much stuff on sale at their website! Everything from winter stuff to bathing suits. If you're in the market for some new, less-expensive clothes (who isn't ever?) then you should check it out! Some of the stuff is RIDICULOUSLY cheap, under $20!

Here are a few items that caught my eye...

Crisp Cotton Plisse-Strap Dress: $49.99 originally $78

Sparkle-Metallic Capri Sandals: $39.99 originally $58

Ringspin V-neck Tee: $4.99 originally $32.50 (these are SO comfortable!)

Embossed-Cotton Lorelei Dress: $78 originally $98

Cashmere-Silk Glass-Button Henley: $59.99 originally $198

Primrose Garden Bracelet: $39.99 originally $78

Yoga Bag: $39.99 originally $65 - with straps for your mat

Petite Solid Kayla Blouse: $19.99 originally $68

Happy Shopping!

Tomorrow will be my last post for the week because my hubby, family and I are going on a long weekend get-away to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday! I'm going through my wedding pictures right now, picking out my favorite shots of my dad and I to use in a present for him. I'll post them tomorrow! Can't wait to share! :o)

XOXO,

Crazy Finds

I hope everyone had a fabulous Monday!

I was going through a database of accounts yesterday while working on a project for work, and found this company, Baron Bob. I had a blast looking through all of their crazy and random stuff. I think this may be a gold mine if you ever need a gag gift idea. Take a look at these...

Origami Sticky Notes - How funny is this?? Re-cycle your old sticky notes and turn them into fun 3D models with these these Origami Sticky Notes. They're just like regular post-its, but on the back of each one is a different origami diagram so you can turn each note, after you're finished with it, into a work of art. I love this.

Bullseye Laser Target Alarm Clock - When the alarm goes off in the morning, you have to pick up the laser remote and shoot the alarm clock right in the center for it to stop its annoying sound. By that time, you're probably wide awake and don't need to press the "sleep" button. Pretty clever!

Guitar ice cube tray - ice and a stirrer to add some rock'n roll to your beverages.

Bacon flavored jelly beans - For the meat loving men in your life. (Ew!)

Shaking salt and pepper dispensers: In case your Carpal Tunnel acts up at the dinner table, these shakers have a string that when pulled activates the shaking motion. Point the shaker over your food, pull the string and watch them go to work.

Definitely a good site to check out if you're in need of a random, themed gift!

Happy Tuesday!

XOXO,