Last Movie of 2010

Last night, Brian and I spontaneously decided to go see a movie. We both had wanted to see Little Fockers and since Brian has the day off today, and I only have to work 1/2 a day, we agreed to head to the theater.

Initially, we were going to grab dinner and then get our seats, but since there wasn't a whole lot of time and the movie is a hot one right now, we decided to try to do dinner at the movie theater. Silly, yes, I know! But it worked! We had fun and we had never done that before. There's a first time for everything, right?!

(There actually were quite a few dinner options that surprised us! One in particular was a veggie medley with a side of ranch! Theaters are offering healthy options now?! Clearly, we don't get out much. This helped immensely in providing our balanced dinner: vegetables: carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and celery; protein: a hot dog; carbohydrates: uh, popcorn! Of course!)

Did you know this was an option?

Plus, with our wise dinner decision, we had first choice of seats (we were there 35 minutes before the movie started) and were proud of it because the theater filled up fast!

It was our last movie of the year!

We had enough popcorn to feed an army.

Windows to the World

On Wednesday, December 23rd, our window contractor started replacing our old lead windows with new energy efficient windows. We figured since we updated our insulation, we should update the windows as well so all the air we were keeping in the house was not escaping through the windows. Not mention the fact that they were very difficult to open and come Spring I know we are going to want to enjoy the breeze through the house!

Brian turned the heat off and the crew got busy with popping our old windows out and placing the new ones in. Boy, was it cold! The entire house was freezing! And there were wide open window sized holes in our house directly to the outside. It took about 2 1/2 days to complete all the windows, and fortunately the contractor made sure we had windows in at night so we could turn the heat back on. How thoughtful!

We also decided to replace our basement windows with glass block windows. Again, one for energy efficiency reasons, and two for safety reasons. We are well on our way to having a much more energy efficient house!

I say it's time to start spending money on the fun stuff like decorating, and paint colors, and window treatments! Anyone with me?!

Mele Kalikimaka

Is the thing to say on a bright Ohioan Christmas Day!

We are officially on the Christmas rotation and this year we spent Christmas in Ohio with Brian's family. It was my first Christmas here and I got to see and experience first hand all of his family's holiday traditions. It started with mass on Christmas Eve, followed by a gathering at his Grandparent's house. We stayed at his Mom's house on Christmas Eve and celebrated three individual Christmases on Christmas day: one at his Mom's, one at his Dad's, and another at his Mom's. Then, on Christmas night, we headed back home. It was a whirlwind adventure, but really nice to be able to spend Christmas with Brian and his family.

Eventhough I missed my family terribly this year, I know that we will be able to celebrate with them next year, and that doing this holiday rotation thing is just a part of married life. I'm happy to support my love and experience his traditions with him and his family, and I'm so lucky to have someone who is just as happy to support me and my family's traditions too. I look forward to creating our own traditions and bringing our families together to celebrate them collectively with us.

And, in lieu of it being slightly after Christmas, here is a little Christmas rendition that I made especially for all of our family and friends that we didn't get to see this year:

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Ohioan Christmas Day
That's the midwest greeting that we send to you from the land where corn fields lay
Here we know that Christmas will be cold and white
The snow to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Ohio's way to say Merry Christmas, a
very merry christmas, a very, very, merry, merry Chistmas to youuuuuuuuuu!

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!

It's that time of the year: The Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Crawl was last night! The shenanigans began at Bar Louie and ended at Callahan's! (And, of course, stumbled its way to a few bars in between!)

Yes, those are bright shining Christmas lights that Brian is adorned with...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

Date Night

Last Monday I was told that we had a surprise on Saturday night and I had to be ready at 5:00 pm. No ifs, ands, or buts. I wasn't given any hints. None of my countless questions were answered: What should I wear? What are you wearing? Will it be cold? Are we going to eat? What should I bring? Etc. And as each day passed, I was reminded that we had really special plans on Saturday night. (Details were not released, much to my delight!)

When Saturday finally did roll around, I got more and more excited as the hours counted up to 5 o'clock. I was told numerous times not to ruin my appetite, but that was about it.

At 5:00 pm, Brian and I both had cleaned up quite nicely, and headed to...[destination: unknown].

Brian took the long way to get to downtown Columbus. Each turn we made he asked if I had any idea where we were headed. And, like a buzzer on a gameshow, each guess I had was wrong. In my defense, I could only make my guesses based on the available information, aka the direction we were headed, and since we took multiple turns that we really didn't need to take my guesses were slightly off the charts.

At last, we pulled up to the infamously stylish and posh restaurant Hyde Park. Brian had made reservations, dinner for two, at this classy, luxurious locale. His decision: this would be our night to celebrate Christmas.

I just love my husband.

We were waited on hand and foot. The food, the service, the atmosphere were all top notch, folks. (I wouldn't have expected anything less from the reputation this restaurant has!) We both ordered delicious steaks for dinner, and shared quite a laugh after we had to send them both back to be cooked longer! I had ordered medium-rare and Brian had ordered medium-well. Neither were what we expected! We may be rookies when it comes to fine dining but you've got to start somewhere, right?!

Midway through dinner, after thanking Brian profusely for the thought and effort in setting the night up, I mentioned that I had kind of secretly hoped that this surprise night would be tickets to go see The Nutcracker (a BalletMet production that is currently playing at the Ohio Theater), but that I was pleasantly surprised and still loved the night how it was. He brushed my comment off like a crumb on his pant leg and said, 'perhaps we can go after Christmas.' Knowing that this play probably wasn't playing too long after Christmas, I just agreed and in the back of my mind decided that it was something we could do next year.

After our fantastic dinner, Brian mentioned that our next and final stop would be to go ice skating at the capital. (Apparently, this is something that they do around the holidays.) I was skeptical, but decided I would believe it when I saw it, and that no matter what it would be fun!

We neared the capital and I begged Brian to make sure it was there so that we weren't wandering aimlessly around the capital ... in the cold. However, much to my dismay, he pulled into the parking garage beneath the capital...and parked. He assured me that we would figure it out.

When we exited the parking garage and turned the corner, the Ohio Theater was right there! Brian explained that we weren't going ice skating. We were going to see The Nutcracker! I was thrilled! (I admit, I was a tad sad because ice skating sounded like fun, but I was way more happy to be able to be sitting in a warm theater watching a 'what I would think would be incredible' play!)

It ended up being just that! The night was fantastic! The surprises were awesome! And our first married Christmas together will not be forgotten!

Winter Solstice

The glistening snow under the moonlight was completely magical. The millions of delicate snow crystals twinkled like stars in the sky, and the pristine, untouched blanket of white glimmered like a rare, but extraordinary oddity. It resembled an entirely different world, one in which only few are permitted to enter.

And I was allowed.

This moment, this parallel universe, where our entire existence was merely brought to a standstill while Pup and I explored the precious sparkling snow, was completely and utterly ethereal.

It was rare. It was unique. It was brilliant. And I hope to never forget the beauty and simplicity of this ephemeral night.

Snow Beards

After our walk, we played frisbee in the snow laden yard until our chinny chin chins were covered and our paws were frosty:

It was wonderful. Simply wonderful!

Ivy League

When Brian and I went to look at our then potential new house, one of the first things I noticed was the English Ivy. It was everywhere! (Still is, for that matter.)

Being a landscape designer, I notice those sorts of things. Brian didn't really mind the ivy either way, but once we moved in it was a priority for me to have it removed. At least from taking over the trees. We had two large trees that were just covered in ivy: one was a Spruce tree in our front yard and one was a Magnolia in our back yard. Both trees were, and are, great additions to our landscape, and I definitely didn't want the ivy to conquer either tree. I'm not planning on removing either of them. (And to be quite honest, I absolutely cannot wait to see the Magnolia in bloom next Spring! That's the plant geek in me!)

Years of growth sent ivy growing all the way up the trunks of these two trees to the point where you couldn't even see the bark anymore. In some areas, this ivy reached 35 feet in height, at least! We were told that ivy grows approximately one foot each year, so after about 35 years of growth, we put a stop to it today. Adiós, Hedera helix!

We hired an arborist who came out, shimmied all the way to the tippie top of both trees, and cut the ivy, removed the ivy, and hauled the ivy out of our yard. It's amazing to see the bark and trunk of the trees again. They look renewed, healthy, and come Spring, I'm sure they will be thanking us!

Even Brian ended up thinking removing the ivy was a fantastic call! I try to use my landscape expertise every now and then, but sometimes it's easier said than done! For those of us who are slightly more visual people (ah hem, Brian), it's nice to have someone in the fam (ah hem, your wife) that can envision the spectacularness that would result in removing the ivy, isn't it?! Oh, and it doesn't stop there! After envisioning the multitude of greatness that would result from the removal of the ivy, making an educated decision to complete the task at hand to allow the more visual one of the two of us to actually see the end result!... And still be impressed!

I'm starting to build some leverage here, folks!

(Unfortunately, I don't have any before photos, but here are our after photos! Enjoy!)

Mamma Mia!

My Mom and Stepdad, Scott, drove into town from Maryland on Friday night to share an exciting weekend in Columbus with us! They arrived around 11:30 pm and after we poured a few drinks and gave them the grand tour of Hotel Hendricks, we relaxed and enjoyed each others company. It is always so nice to have visitors in town, especially those that mean so much to you!

On Saturday, we took a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. It really is a pleasant area to saunter about, so we showed them a few sights by foot and found ourselves a Caribou Coffee shop where we just had to make a stop! We shared a few slices of holiday bread, warmed up with a bit of coffee, and chatted before we began our trek (it really wasn't that far...) back to the home front.

Before Mom and Scott arrived, Brian and I purchased some surprise tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets Ice Hockey game for Saturday night. So, before we headed to the game, we met Mary and Tom at Buca di Beppo, a family style Italian Restaurant right next to the hockey arena for a little family gathering and dinner. We shared sangria, ensalata, pizza, pasta, and we really-a had-a great-a time-a! It was nice that we all got to hang out while my parents were in town. Fortunately, Mary and Tom were also headed to the game to watch the CBJ trounce the New York Rangers, so after dinner we all went to our respective seats and watched the action! After the game, we headed to Easton to get a quick glimpse of the Holiday decor and stopped by Fadó, the Irish pub, for a little after game celebrating! It was quite an eventful night!

On Sunday, we awoke to a rainy morning that quickly turned into snow. The ground was covered in a matter of minutes and it just kept coming down! This was our first official snow this year, and it was so picturesque watching the snow fall from our living room window! It started accumulating quickly, and since Mom and Scott were driving back to Maryland that day, we decided to have a quick Christmas celebration before they started on their way.

As usual, it was just so wonderful to see them! It makes me feel so good that my family is willing and able to travel to Columbus (even in the rain and snow) to visit. I was the one that made the decision to move to Ohio, and I really do miss my family and friends greatly. I get homesick much more often than I anticipated, and it really makes me cherish the moments that we all have together that much more. Distance does make the heart grow fonder, but I certainly wouldn't complain if it were slightly easier to make the journey from Ohio to Maryland, or Virginia, or New York, or Germany, or Switzerland, or anywhere else in the world where there are people that mean so much to us! For now, probably a pretty long now, we will continue to keep our lives updated in this bloggeriffic world, keep up the constant communication with all our loved ones, and continue to arrange weekend trips where we get to fully enjoy the love that we all share!

'Tis the season! Merry Christmas, Mom & Scott!

Hot Toddies and R-Values

I awoke this morning to my fav local radio station broadcasting the weather forecast. This is what I heard, 'The current temperature in downtown Columbus is 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The windchill makes it feel like it's around zero...' (ZERO?! This is not helping me get out of bed.) '...Highs today will be around 22, so bundle up! It's going to be a cold one!' (Clearly. Nearly 20 degrees F lower than the averages around these here parts during this time of the year, mind you.) At that point, I turned the radio off, rolled over in the warm covers, got a little bit more cozy, and went back to sleep. I figured I'd wake up again later to some hopefully warmer news...

I didn't. It's still cold. But it got me thinking of a good way to warm up: a hot toddy! It's the perfect day for one, or two! I've found what sounds like a delicious recipe and may have to test it out after work!

Speaking of cold, we had insulation installed in our attic yesterday and it brought our R-Value up from R-7 to R-42. For those of you that aren't aware of R-Values (I wasn't either before this endeavour), they basically are measurements of the resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-Value, the greater the effectiveness of the insulation, the greater the resistance to heat flow. In other words: higher R-Value = less heat escaping through the attic and then through the roof, keeping us and all our toes warm and cozy! Well, warmer and cozier then they would have been!

When our inspector went through the house with us, he said that it looked like the insulation hadn't been updated since the construction of the house in 1936! Therefore, the tenants (for the seventy six years before we moved in) have attempted to heat the outside during the winter and cool the outside during the summer. We are not huge fans of wasted energy so we decided to put a stop to that right away. We weren't sure that we would really notice a difference but we have already! It actually felt quite warm this morning when we woke up, despite what the radio was saying.

 Take that, Weatherman.

Holly Jolly

We sent our Christmas postcards out on Wednesday. (Warning: They are not your typical Holiday cards.) Brian and I have had this tendency to get a bit creative with our holiday greetings. This year we used a picture that was taken on our honeymoon in Mexico. We doctored it up a bit to make it more festive, added some text to the back, and called it a day!

We're wondering how many people will think it's junk mail...

2010 Holiday Card

Take a look at some of our Holiday cards from years past:

2009 Holiday Card

Brian's 2009 OSU Holiday Card

Bun & Erin's 2008 Holiday Card

Brian's 2008 OSU Holiday Card

¡Felices fiestas, mis amigos!

Christmas Tidings

When I left for work this morning, our front door looked like this:

When I returned home, it looked like this:

And no, this was not a 'Welcome home, Honey' surprise.

I knew about it.

I absolutely loved our old door. It had so much character and really fit the house perfectly. I loved the arch. I loved the window. I.loved.the.door. But it had a gap along the entire door jamb that you could literally look through and see directly outside. And the window was not fool proof. I think a strong wind may have been able to blow it in, leaving access to our house available to everyone. And it was so bowed in the middle that unless you put all your weight behind it while attempting to close and lock it, you would be left with a door ajar, and the public staring. (We barely know our new neighbors. We figure there's no sense in pissing them off.) So, for safety and energy efficiency reasons, we replaced our front door. It was our first major home improvement project. Major as in we had to hire outside help to do it. (Tom, this is not a degradation to your extreme handyman help that you have provided us thus far. It has been fantastic, and we sincerely appreciate it!) I believe our new door going to be painted that same hunter green color tomorrow, and even though I loved our old door, I am already enjoying the new look! Plus, the feeling of safety that accompanies knowing that no one will easily be able to get in is worth it.

In other news, we decided decorate our Christmas tree tonight. We put a bell around Jack's neck so we had that holiday jingle in the air, turned on some Christmas music, and danced our way around the tree as we placed all our ornaments and candy canes. Christmas is truly a magical time of the year!


And last but certainly not least, we also Elfed ourselves! If you've never 'Elfed' yourself before, you must! Ridiculousness at its finest! Click the link for a good laugh! Whoever decided to give everyone the opportunity to upload their human head on to silly dancing elves was a genius. Genius!

I wish I could dance like that in real life.

Happy Holidays!

The First of December

The month of December just screams Christmas. So does snow. And, today, being the first day of December, and the birth month of non other than His holiness himself, we experienced both signs of the most wonderful time of the year!

We awoke to the first of December to a lightly snow dusted lawn, our first official 'snow' of the year. After we both got off of work, we headed out to purchase our Christmas tree. It was 31 degrees Fahrenheit, blustery, and snow flurries were swirling all around us. We decided to get a real tree this year, but decided against cutting it down ourselves. We headed to the superb, local, gourmet grocery store that just recently opened. And we found the perfect tree!

When we got home, Brian cut the bottom of the tree trunk off so that it would have plenty of healthy water soaking veins to keep it alive for the next 31 days while Jack and I turned on the Christmas music, prepared the spot for our tree, and stayed warm and cozy indoors! Once Brian finished his task, he brought the tree inside (that strong and burly man of mine!), and placed it in our tree stand. We set it up straight and we spread out all of the branches that were neatly tied into place.

We decided to let our tree breathe for a night, fill the air with the lovely frasier fir pine smell, and allow all the branches to neatly fall where they should be before we decorate. (I think that's on the plan for tomorrow night!)

It's a beautiful tree. It's December 1st. And it's still 'snowing'! It's the hap-happiest season of all!

Stickey Buns

I just remembered that I left the stickey buns that I was supposed to bring back to Ohio in the freezer at my Mom's...

Uh oh.

Trouble does not define what I am in now...

Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving holiday Brian, Jack, and I drove home to Maryland to see the family. It was lovely! We piled in the car on Wednesday afternoon after we both got off of work and drove the seven hours or so to Mom and Scott's house. It was like Christmas when we arrived!

My brother and his lovely fiancée were already there. There was music, and wine, and cooking, and laughing, and hugs, and it was like 11:30 at night. It was the warmest, coziest, loveliest welcome we've had in a while! (I suppose the holidays may have something to do with that.) Jack got to see his Uncle Marl, we all got to see each other, and it was just so nice to all be together, under one roof. And, as Scott would say, be at '100% Kid Capacity'!

On Thanksgiving day, we went to my Grandma and Grandpa's house. They had three folding tables which sat perfectly in their living room. The tables allowed all 17 of us to sit cozily around one big table instead of being scattered about the place. We ate, we drank, and we were merry! And we were reminded of everything that we are thankful for.

Six and a Half Minutes

That's how long we sat like this.


We're making huge Bun and Pooch relationship strides here, folks.

History in the making, I tell ya!

A Week of Firsts...and Lasts

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

We said our final goodbye to our townhouse. We packed everything up. We moved everything out. We left everything as it was before the place was moved into. And we said goodbye. We had our last dinner there on Wednesday evening, on the floor in the middle of the living room, with nothing but the bare walls around us. We slept there for the last time last Friday night. We came 'home' for the last time last Friday night as well. And we said farewell.

I know that Brian had a much stronger connection with our townhouse. He purchased it in 2005. (I came into the picture in 2008, and technically didn't move there until 2009.) But it was still hard to say goodbye. The melancholic ambiance that we both felt as we placed the last belongings in our cars was hard to ignore. It was an emotional mixture of sad to leave but happy to move on to the beautiful house we just bought. It truly was a bittersweet experience.

I can't help but remember some of the things that I will miss most about our townhouse, as is apparent by the following photo album:

And even though there are probably quite a few other things that I will miss about our townhouse, I am positive there will be many things that I will love more about our new house!

With our week of saying goodbye to our old townhouse, we have also said 'hello' to our new home! We slept there for the first time last Saturday night. I came home from work for the first time last Monday night. We've let Jack out, we've let Bun slide across the floors, we've hung pictures, we've done laundry, we've watched our favorite shows, all for the first time. It's a completely new experience, and it's a great one! The yard is fantastic! I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands dirty! The rooms are all filled with natural, airy light. AND, we still have a laundry shoot! Except this one has a funny looking bird cage sort of contraption in the basement that collects all the clothes and keeps them neat and tidy! Incredible! It's getting better already!

We have so many more firsts to experience. We're moving forward, making our new house our new home, and it feels marvelous!

Bienvenidos! Willkommen! Benvenuto! Croeso! Baruch ha-ba! Welcome to our new home!

Unpacking the Boxes

We are officially moved into our new house. We've still got a ton of boxes, in every room, that we need to go through. And we still aren't 100% sure what home project we are going to tackle first, but we are all settling and becoming much more comfortable with our new surroundings. With each passing day, it is starting to feel more and more like home, even with the boxes!

Click below to see a bit of our moving adventure!

63 Signatures Later...

We got in the car.

We drove here.

We left homeless.

Then we drove here.

We didn't leave homeless this time!

63 signatures later...(63 each, that is!)

Please sign here...and here...and here...and here...and here...

Ladies and Gents, it's closing day!!

In nearly an hour and a half we will be signing on the dotted line and closing the sale on our current townhouse. Immediately following, we will be signing, once again, on the dotted line and closing the sale on our new home!

It is so, so, SO exciting! (And that doesn't even do it justice!)

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees

It's an old adage that we have all heard many times. We may have even used it once or twice. And, in most circumstances, it's true; no matter how many times we all wish it weren't: money doesn't grow on trees.

The other day while Brian and his Uncle Joe were visiting our new house, assisting the radon repair fellow, there was a folded dollar bill in the lawn, just waiting to be discovered. Sure enough, it was. Surely this could only be a sign that we have just invested in an extremely high earning property, and that our decision to purchase this house will be a profitable one. (I suppose this could bode disaster if you interpret the dollar bill on the lawn as 'throwing money away'.) Fortunately, Brian and I are both optimists and choose to believe that this dollar bill laying in our yard is a fortuitous sign.

Our parents were right when they rattled off the old saying to us, and we believed them. Money doesn't grow on trees. Of course it doesn't.

It grows in the grass.

So Long, Rn!

Dear Radon,

I'm not so sure how long you've decided to inhabit our new home. I'm not sure where you are going to go next. I'm not sure what damages, if any, you have done, what you look like, or if we will run into you again in the future, but I do know that you are no longer dwelling in our basement. (Thanks to the lovely radon eradicating system that was installed in our new home today.)

We certainly thank you for your short lived time with us, the various amount of knowledge about yourself that you have brought our way, and the comfort that you now provide us knowing that you are no longer there. You are not welcome in the future, but should you so choose to appear again, we will be sure to take the necessary action to eliminate your presence. We do appreciate your natural tendencies and hope that you maintain a steady presence in our Earth's environment. (For getting rid of anything natural, completely, has its consequences.) But we do hope that you decide to keep you and your radioactive self far away from us, our family, and our friends.

Thank you for your time. Best of luck with Uranium and the infinite decay process that the two of you together create.

Kind Regards,
Your New Landlords

Pack Rats

This weekend Brian and I got down with our packing skills! We packed the kitchen, we packed the office, we shredded a million 'not really that important anymore' papers, we started packing the bedroom, the closets, the basement. We packed! And our living room now looks like a storage room:

Our lifesize game of tetris.

But in that process we also had some fun! I brought up the trampoline that we have in the basement. Jack and I got a little workout in:

Actually, we got caught taking a break.

Then, Jack claimed his new throne.

We got so much accomplished with our packing (probably because of the daylight savings change), and we are well on our way to moving into our new house. It's a bittersweet process, but definitely way more sweet than bitter! Plus, we are so excited to show Jack his new yard. (He's not going to know what to do with his space!)

Puzzle Pieces

In t-minus one week Brian and I will be closing the sale on our current home and signing the papers to our new home. Literally in the same day. One right after the other.

And we are very excited!

We have managed, with the impeccable help from Brian's Uncle Joe (our realtor), to fit all the pieces together and to close on both of our houses on Friday afternoon. It's so surreal. In one week, we will be homeless. And, in one week, we will have a new home!

It's time to get packing!

Nonna e Nonno

We all had a lovely weekend with my Grandparents in town. We celebrated Halloween, Jack's Birthday, Grammie's Birthday, and absolutely wonderful company! (Not necessarily in that order!)

On Friday night when they arrived, we headed to Marcella's for dinner for some authentic Italian cuisine. We also received an 'especially made for Grampy' Vodka Penne dish, compliments to the Chef! (Our waiter overheard Grampy talking about the delicious Vodka Penne a friend of his made and had the chef make one up for him! ...Well, us! It was delish!)

Then, on Saturday, after stopping by the new pad, we took Pupster to the dog park (in honor of his birthday weekend), gave Pupster a new chew toy (compliments of Grampy & Gram), headed to Katzinger's for lunch (to enjoy the infamous Columbus deli), and relaxed at the homefront. It was so nice to just enjoy each other's company!

Saturday night we found ourselves with two bottles of wine, dinner at Barrio (one of the best restaurants in Columbus), and then to Highball - the notoriously wild Halloween Party on High Street in downtown Columbus! We certainly weren't as decorated as last year's Halloween, but we came up with a creative way to incorporate four people and a dog: we were the calendar year. (A stretch?! Possibly, but sometimes you've got to think outside the box...) We each wore one costumey item, and picked a holiday. Here was our list:

Gram - Item: feathery mask; Holiday: Fat Tuesday

Gramps - Item: bunny ears; Holiday: Easter Monday

Brian - Item: pirate eye patch; Holiday: Columbus Day

Erin - Item: tiny red, white, and blue hat; Holiday: President's Day

Jack - Item: pumpkin sweater; Holiday: Halloween

Ok, fine. A HUGE stretch. But we all enjoyed it!

It was absolutely wonderful to have my grandparents in town and all to us! We were able to catch up, laugh, chat, eat, and above all, celebrate!

We love you guys so much, and can't wait to see you soon!

Supervised Visitation

This is how we allow play time at our house:

We warn them both that curiosity killed the cat...

(And, yes, that is my shirt that Jack is so tenderly gripping onto.)

Bookworm

Books. I just love books! Especially new books! And I love bookstores! Especially Barnes and Noble!

I went in to that specific store today to grab a new book because I just finished the one I was reading. (Side note: I hardly ever buy new books because they are so expensive, but I'm nearly out of good reads, and new books just smell so good!) Anyway, so, I went into Barnes and Noble and was flabbergasted at the breadth of literature that sparked my interest! Seriously, folks, I could've filled a library with the amount of books that caught my attention. Brian and I would've been poor and on the streets at the amount I would've spent, but at least we'd have a library over our heads! From magical to historic, from fiction to non, from beachy romantics to self help, I was enthralled at the selection! There were more books there that interested me in the short 5 minutes (5 minutes, mind you), that I could possibly read in a lifetime, and in a strange, odd way, it felt comforting.

Books, to me, are escapes. They allow you to dive into a completely different world. They allow you to relate, and work through, and reminisce, and sympathize, and fantasize, and imagine, and the emotions are just limitless, as are the plots! If you can think of it, you can write about it, and that is an amazing gift that we are all given. (Note: I'm not trying to escape life with my dear husband, bunny, and pupster, sometimes it just happens!) It just amazes me the different worlds that can be created through reading. Books are interesting, enlightening, captivating, and you can learn so much about so many different things!

I am officially a bookworm. I will continue to be an advocate of reading. I will continue to be a spokeswoman for Barnes and Noble. I will continue to explore the world around me with books (ah hem, be a bookworm). But this post is quite winded, and I will not continue ranting about how much I love books aside from this quick quote from William Hazlitt: "Books let us into our souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own." Now, if that is not charming and romantic, I don't know what is!

Amen, Billy H., amen!

Jack-o-lanterns

In lieu of the upcoming holiday, Jack's birthday (and Halloween), we decided to get into the holiday spirit and carve a few pumpkins of our own! Yesterday, we picked out three pumpkins and got busy with our designs. (I know you are wondering why we only picked three when, technically, there are four of us. Bun, you see, eats pumpkin seeds for treats. And when we decided to get to carving, we decided that three would be enough for the four of us, especially since Bun celebrates the holiday by munching on the seeds...That's a believable story, right?! To be quite honest, I completely forgot to get a pumpkin for Bun, and now I feel terrible.)

Nevertheless, we had three pumpkins and last night we got to carving! I cleaned the pumpkins out while Brian and I both did our own designs. Jack's pumpkin was so difficult to cut into so instead of losing a few fingers in the carving process we decided to get creative and paint his. That was the much wiser and easier decision for both of us. We created a 'Jack's worst nightmare' pumpkin where his dearly beloved treat is stuck in a spider web with the spider on its way to capture its prey (Jack's bone)... This seriously would be Jack's worst nightmare. Brian's pumpkin is a mixture of goofy and drunk, and mine is a rendition of Jack Skellington, aka, 'The Pumpkin King', from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

We had an awesome time carving, and what satisfaction to add the candles! Our pumpkins looked awesome on our porch, lit with candles, illuminating the holiday for all the passersby! Check out our photos below!

Just Your Typical Buckeye Saturday

The Ohio State Buckeyes destroyed the Purdue Boilermakers today with a 49-0 win. Even though we didn't attend the game, we were able to make it down to the tailgate to enjoy a few good laughs before the obliteration began. It was wonderful to honor the game day traditions that have triumphantly set the precedences to a great many victorious OSU games.

When we returned from the tailgate, Jack and I took a leisurely stroll while Brian supported his team. Upon our arrival back at home, we all enjoyed the game together and had a lazy rest of the afternoon!

I just love weekends!

PS: We think we sold our townhouse today!!

A Love Like Woah!

Darcy and Than. Let me tell you about these two.

The very first trip I made to Columbus, OH to visit Brian I had the opportunity to hang with a few of his friends. Than was one of them. We had a wonderful time. We went to dinner, we went out to downtown Cbus, we laughed, we joked, we drank, and by the end of the night I felt like I had known Than for much longer than I really had. (And it wasn't the alcohol talking.) He and Brian are extremely close friends (some would argue too close...), and by the state of Ohio, I think they are legally declared as married for as long as they both have lived together.

When I met Darcy, it was evident that these two people [Than & Darcy] were such a compliment to each other. She is a lovely, easy-going, funny, delightful person to be around. And on top of it all, she and Than together make a wonderful couple.

We are never short of fun when we are all together. Than and Darcy are both so likeable, and accepting, and so easy to get along with, and when they decided to get married (well, when Than proposed), we were ecstatic!

This weekend, Brian and I headed down to the Sunshine State to celebrate the nuptials of these two extraordinary people, and it really was an honor to be there to celebrate such a special day with them! They hosted a happy hour at a bar called Undertow in St. Pete Beach on Friday, their wedding was on the beach in Pass-A-Grille on Saturday, and they held their reception on the rooftop of The Hurricane that Saturday night. It was wonderful.

The temperature was perfect, as was the sunset (both nights), the company we were all surrounded by, the atmosphere, even the little Inn that we all stayed at. It really was a tremendous celebration, and so lovely to be able to get to know some of Brian's amazing friends even better than I do now.

To Than and Darcy: We wish you nothing but the best, and may you always be as happy together as you are today. Congratulations!

To see photos of the ceremony, click here.

To see all the other photos, click on the image below.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

"Brand spankin' new listing available for your immediate occupancy on the remax website!! A lovely two bedroom, one and a half bath is awaiting your company! Updates galore, large kitchen, close to OSU, Columbus, downtown! Easily accessible from everywhere! Truly a delightful home!"

We placed our existing townhome on the market today. It is listed for sale, and we are both a tinsy bit sad that we will soon be saying goodbye to this lovely townhouse. (At least, we think it'll be relatively soon...) After much consideration with renting versus selling, reviewing the pros and cons of both, and pretty much racking our brain about the subject, we've decided that this is the best option for us, even though it may be a bit hard to let go.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, 'when one door closes, another opens', and instead of longingly looking back on our closed door, we are hopeful about the open one, and more than excited to traverse into our new turf, our new neighborhood, our new stomping grounds.

(Forgive me if I'm being slightly dramatic. Our door hasn't closed, yet, and if we can't sell the place we may end up renting it anyway. Besides, you've got to have some sort of drama with a post title like that, right?!)

PS: Radon has dared to rear it's ugly head. It has no idea who it's messing with...

One Red Slate

We had a roofing company by the name of One Red Slate inspect our new home's roof yesterday. We learned that the roof and slate are both in excellent condition, and aside from annual maintenance and the cleaning of the gutters, we are in great shape. Apparently, our roof should last us another 100 years, at least. Ahh, one less thing to worry about!

Another thing we learned about our new house is that the type of slate that we have on our roof is from the upstate New York / Vermont area of our country. We now know that we have stone from the Lake Erie area (MI), slate from the NY / VT area, and residents from OH and MD that will be living there! What's incredible about this thought is how diverse our house is and how diverse Brian and I both are. It is evident in Internationally Known (one of our blog posts) how many incredible family and friends we have all over the country (and the world!), and traveling and experiencing new things means so much to both of us. We really have found our perfect house! It fits us to a 'T'. Our characters, our personalities, and our love are all encompassed in this wonderful home, and that makes it even more exciting to get this show on the road! This new house continues to surprise us and impress us, and while we still haven't officially received the keys, we are ready to move in, get cozy, and enjoy our new home!

(And, yes, for those of you that are wondering, we do have one red slate on our roof!)

Radon

Radon is a radioactive naturally occurring gas that results from the decay of uranium. Uranium is a silvery-white metallic element that is naturally occurring in soil, rock, and water all over our Earth. Uranium is typically found in low concentrations, but because radon is a toxic substance of uranium it can and does cause some serious complications with human health. More specifically, complications with lung cancer.

Upper Arlington has been identified as an area that has higher concentrations of this noxious radioactive gas, especially in older homes. Therefore, we are having a radon test done, as we speak, actually. You see, the radon test requires this big machine that is placed in the basement of a home. It measures the radon concentration in the air over a period of 3 to 4 days. And then we get the results.

Because radon is naturally occurring, odorless, and colorless, there is a strong possibility that it is in the air around us now. There are, however, concentration levels that have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency that are safe for us. And then there are those levels that are not safe. Fortunately, whatever the results, there are ways to eradicate the radon problem from your home. We are hopeful that our results will be within the safe zone, but we are prepared to take all necessary precautions if they are not.

Bring it on, Radon. We are ready to nip you in the bud, if you dare...

Inspector Gadget

We just had our home inspected today by a lovely and knowledgeable inspector. It was amazing. It, literally, was like going on a site seeing tour in your own home. We learned so much! I caught myself more than once wide-eyed with jaw agape at the elaborate, meticulous details that were thought of and built in 1936 (the year our dear home was constructed), and knowing that the roof above the garage is built four times stronger than houses are built today is just an incredible thought. We also found out that the stone that adorns the front, sides, and rear of the house is from Lake Erie, and that a mason sat in the front yard with a pile of rock and had to hand chisel each and every stone whilst construction of the house was being done. Simply astounding.

Brian and I trailed our inspector like helpless puppy dogs around every corner, every nook, and every cranny of the house, even into the attics, and we were just dumbfounded at the thought and lifestyle of the 1930's. It was an illuminating tour of the past, and having the opportunity to carry out the character of a house that was built 74 years ago just makes us smile with pride. We look forward to the many memories that we will make there, and we look forward to being homeowners.

We are so, so excited, once again! We are well on our way to embarking on yet another milestone in life, and it feels unbelievable!

Go, go, Gadget!

An Unforgettable Day!

Brian and I were fortunate enough to be able to hire the most incredible videographer we've ever seen: Indy Productions. Working with Dustin was simply marvelous. And the final outcome of our video is just fantastic! The attention to detail, the professionalism and the ease of which it was to work with Dustin really made our day. It was a joy to have him around, and we couldn't be happier with our video! What's even more incredible is the fact that we were both able to relive our special day from a completely different perspective. We had front row seats to our own wedding, and we had a blast!

Thank you, Dustin, Devon, and all the support we received from Indy Productions. We cannot thank you enough for capturing the special moments of our unforgettable day!

Our wedding video!

Home Sweet Home

I kid you not, folks, it's official! Exactly two months after we got married, we found out that we are the proud homeowners of a brilliant, charming house on W. Lane Avenue! It's wonderful. It's got a lovely back yard, wonderful nooks and crannies, and it's full of so much character. We have some minor work to do, but we couldn't be happier (possibly a slight bit scared...), and as soon as everything passes inspection we will be moving right along! (Pun intended.)

Happy two month anniversary, Honey Cakes! Welcome Home!

(Image courtesy of real living.)

Wild Yough

In an effort to come up with the perfect Groom's Gift for our wedding, I thought what better than to whisk Brian away to a cozy cabin in the woods with our dearest four legged friend for our first official 'family' vacation?! How could you better celebrate your love than by sharing it together?! Genius!

And this weekend, that is exactly what we did! I booked a lovely house about a mile off the roadway, surrounded by hundreds of acres of state parks and the Youghiogheny River, in Oakland, Maryland. The house was enchanting. There were so many windows that really connected you with nature. There was a fire pit, and a hot tub, and a huge field that we could play endless hours of ball in. There were hiking trails and paths that led us deep into the forest, there were deer feeders for our wildlife viewing pleasure (I think Jack's barking scared all wildlife away for about a 15 mile radius from wherever we were), there were so many stars, there was a wonderful kitchen, and absolutely wonderful company!

On Friday when we arrived, I got dinner started while Brian (and Jack) set up the fire pit for our campfire. (We brought all the fixin's for s'mores, which we haven't had in forever, and they were absolutely delicious!) After dinner, we relaxed with a glass of wine by the fire, played a bit of ball, made some s'mores, enjoyed the hot tub, and watched the stars come out. It really was a nice cool, Fall night, and having access to the hot tub and the fire pit was a necessity if you were outdoors given the temperature in the air.

On Saturday, we got an early start and warmed ourselves up with some scrumptious, hearty oatmeal, and took a brisk morning walk through the woods to the river. Jack was in heaven! He absolutely loved being able to roam, smell everything, and be free. (He also barked away two deer who ran for their lives. These were the only deer we really 'saw' together. And we didn't really even see them they ran so fast!) We were in heaven, too. We had a go with some of our photography skills, enjoyed the feeling of having nothing to do and no cell phone reception, and relished the changing of the seasons. It was quite cool that morning, but turned out to be a beautiful day.

When we got back to the house, we packed our lunches and headed to Swallow Falls for a quick hike, and a scenic lunch by the river. Despite the water being quite cold, Jack was still interested in going for a swim. We weren't too keen on the idea, so we jerry-rigged his leash to a small boulder with just enough slack so that he could run, but not swim. We had such a nice, relaxing day!

That evening, instead of grilling out, as planned, we headed into town to have dinner at Black Bear. (Mainly because we received a text message that our wedding video was up, and we just couldn't wait to watch it!) And, once again, topped the night off with a couple s'mores, a camp fire, and good company!

It was a beautiful weekend, and we feel this is definitely a spot we will have to travel to again!

And to my Groom that prompted this wondrous weekend getaway: I love you! Happy nearly two months anniversary!

A Fall Must-Do

The crisp Fall air is certainly much cooler now than it has been in the last few months. The leaves are beginning to crunch beneath our feet, making us well aware that they are no longer hanging on the branches above us. The colors of the season are making their appearances. Sweaters are being brought out from storage, Halloween costumes adorn the racks in all the stores, mums are a common sight on neighbors' porches, and pumpkins and gourds are used to decorate many a table setting. The harvest moon has made its appearance, and we are all becoming aware of the changing seasons. Autumn has arrived, and with that, so have many of our favorite fall activities. One in particular being apple picking!

Yesterday, Brian and I took Jack to Lynd's Fruit Farm and met Brian's parents, Mary and Tom, for a stroll through the apple orchards. Brian and I hadn't been back to Lynd's since we were there last October with our photographers for our engagement photo shoot, but we were excited to go back. (Side note #1: the craziest thing happened while we were at Lynd's this go round. Kim and Eric (our AMAZING photographers) had never been to Lynd's before our engagement session. Neither had I, to be quite honest. Well, neither of us had been back to Lynd's since then. However, yesterday, we ran into Kim who was at the orchard with her daughter and daughter's friend to pick some apples! It was crazy, but so awesome to see her. We were both thinking of each other because it was the first and last time we had both been to Lynd's, but not in a million years would we have thought we'd see her there on the same exact day that we went back. I mean, this is like a one day a year occurrence and to pick the same day as the other person that reminds you of a certain place is very unusual. We were both shocked to see each other, but like I said, it was really nice to run into her!) (Side note #2: if you need photographers for anything, book with Picture the Love. They are absolutely fantastic!)

Mary, Tom, Brian, and I each picked some delicious apples, enjoyed each other's company, and savored the last few days of 'not having to wear a jacket' temperatures. (I could've easily worn a jacket...) There was a chill in the air, enough to be thankful for the long sleeves that we were wearing, and reminded us all of the rapidly approaching cold temperatures that I'm sure are right around the corner. Jack experienced a sensory overload for the first fifteen or so minutes, but soon calmed down (a little) and became slightly more manageable. Once he realized that he could pick up the apples (aka 'balls' in Jack's world) that had fallen from the tree, he was game. He would drop the apple when he saw you pick another, sit, and wait for you to throw it. (FYI - for safety reasons, we didn't start chucking apples all around the orchard for Jack to chase after, but we may have encouraged one or two slight rolls.) Once Jack realized he could eat the apples, there was no more grabbing his attention. Fortunately, apple picking (at least in our world) didn't take too long so once we all filled our bags we headed out to the tent to peruse the displays of homemade jellies, jams, apple butters, and cider. (Jack had to wait in the car for that part.)

It really was a lovely day. It was delightful to embrace the Fall season, it was fantastic to run into Kim, and it was wonderful to spend some Q.T. with Mary and Tom. Recently, we've both had hectic schedules and it's been hard to find the time to hang with the people who make you smile.

Enjoy the love below!

Bayside Nuptials

This past weekend, Brian and I traveled to Maryland to attend my cousin, Jamie's, wedding on the beach to her (now) husband. It was a lovely day. The weather was a wonderful September-ish day - sunny, crisp, breezy, low humidity; and the beach just looked so peaceful. The guys were dressed in white and the girls were dressed in blue, and our dear, sweet, wonderful bride was just beaming! She looked fantastic!

We had such a nice time enjoying the union of these two people. Oleksii (aka, Lesha) is from Ukraine. After Jamie and he said their 'i do's', they celebrated with a Ukrainian tradition. It was a bread offering from the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom. Basically, the bride and groom are presented one loaf of bread from both mothers. The bride and groom both take a bite, simultaneously, and the one who takes the larger bite is essentially the 'boss' of the family. We all had a laugh when Jamie took the bigger bite!

It was really nice to celebrate with Jamie and Lesha, with our family, their family, and all of their loving friends. It was a beautiful day, a lovely ceremony, and a fun reception. (Click on the photo for the entire album below.) We even got to hang at an after party at Jamie's Mom's house! You can't beat the festivities on a day when we're celebrating such happiness!

CONGRATULATIONS, JAMIE & LESHA!

A True Scotsman

Brian spent a year and a half working and living in Scotland. While he was there, he roomed with one of his coworkers, Matthew. Brian and I met shortly after he moved back to the United States, but from day one, he has always spoken very fondly of his dear friend. He believes that his experience in Scotland would not have been what it was without Matthew, and I believe it too. They learn from each other, they laugh with each other, they pull pranks on each other, they are also two peas in a pod, and it makes me so happy that Brian has such a wonderful friend. (Brian has a bunch of wonderful friends, to be quite honest.)

Matthew has come to the states multiple times to check out Ohio State football games. (Thanks to Brian!) This weekend was the second time he has come into town and stayed with us, and literally the third time that I have met Matthew. I cannot speak highly enough of him now either. He is a wonderful person, and seeing Brian and him together just makes me smile! We are all never short of laughs when he is in town. We are never short of fun, we are never short of smiling, and we are never short of a good time! (Sometimes too good on Ohio State football days!) We had an especially fun weekend with Matt in town (as is evident by the photo album below!), our dear Scottish peach!

You look quite purdy, Darlin'!

In honor of our long Labor day weekend, my Mom and I met halfway to each other in good ol' West Virginia. We met on Saturday and spent the day traipsing around Morgantown. It was a ghost town, surprisingly. We knew that there was a college football game going on, but there was, literally, not a soul in town. It was weird, but we managed to laugh it off and have a good time anyway! We stopped by the history museum (that no one knew about), walked this old railway that is now a walking trail three times (we were a bit turned around), we did a bit of shopping, we stopped by the oldest house in Monongalia County, we went to Oliverio's for dinner, we chatted, and we caught a movie at the historic theater. (Unfortunately, the theater is closing. Fortunately, no one cared at that point and we were able to bring a bottle of wine in to enjoy our movie! Who needs popcorn when you've got wine?!) We made the most of it while we were there, but I can't say that we'll continue to make Morgantown our meeting place!

On Sunday, we were headed to the Stonewall Jackson resort. It was about an hour south of Morgantown. On our way out, we stopped by Coopers Rock and did a quick hike. It was absolutely wonderful! (I highly recommend it for anyone traveling by.) When we arrived at the resort, we immediately noticed that we had just done a complete 180 from where we had stayed the night before! It was a really cool, log cabin kind of resort, and the resort had captured 'cozy' to a T! There was a huge stone fireplace, a wall of windows overlooking a beautiful lake, a pool, a hot tub, a coffee shop: cozy. We rode bikes, hung out by the lake, took walks, enjoyed the view, did a little hot tubbing, we even took a hay ride! (We were the only ones over the age of four who actually took the ride. Not including parents.) We had so much fun!

My Mom is one of the most incredible people I know. I am so fortunate to have her in my life. She is truly an amazing, strong, beautiful woman. Our weekend together was just so wonderful. It was rejuvenating to be together and not have any other responsibilities. It was delightful to enjoy each others company and laugh at the little things. It was relaxing to be in such a beautiful part of the mountains. It was just a great weekend, and I can't wait to do it again soon. I love you, Mom!