As we have mentioned before, the previous owners of our house did not take great pride in their immaculate (or lack thereof) landscape. We've had to do quite a bit to get our landscaping presentable and are still working quite hard to keep it presentable. We had some major overgrowth that was taking over our yard, if you recall, and our trees hadn't been trimmed in over 15 years! We had a lot of deadwood and overgrowth, so today we decided to nip them in the bud...literally.
We had an arborist come out and prune and trim our Linden which is leaning quite tauntingly toward our house. (If this baby decided to go, it would probably take the entire house with it. Well, except for the sunroom.) We also had an Ash and a Maple in the rear that had a few large branches that needed to be pruned, a Magnolia that had a double leader that needed to be removed, and a Maple in the front that seriously needed to be shaped.
When I returned home from work, all was complete, and the transformation is wunderbar!
See for yourself!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Roseum Elegans
We purchased the most beautiful rhododendron yesterday! We bought six plants and think we will be planting them in two groups of three in the yard. One set on the north side by the shed and the other on the west side by the fence. (At least, that's the plan for now!)
We are both very excited to get them in the ground, and, as Brian has reminded me, 'have a little bit of Augusta, GA in our yard'! (He sees all the azaleas and rhododendron blooming while he is at the Masters Golf Tourney in April. Now he will have his own little Augusta sanctuary!)
Click below to see a few more photos!
We are both very excited to get them in the ground, and, as Brian has reminded me, 'have a little bit of Augusta, GA in our yard'! (He sees all the azaleas and rhododendron blooming while he is at the Masters Golf Tourney in April. Now he will have his own little Augusta sanctuary!)
Click below to see a few more photos!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Eviction Notice
Dear Dust Bunnies,
You are hereby given an eviction notice and are politely being asked to vacate the premises as soon as possible.
The reason for this eviction notice is: your failure to remain in your specified areas.
A demand for your seclusion beneath the couch, under the bed, in the far reaches of the corner behind the entertainment stand (aka: where our guests won't see you and, consequently, think that we don't clean our house...) has been ignored.
In addition to trespassing into non-dust bunny friendly areas, you also do so no more than five minutes, five minutes, after either Brian or I has so diligently swept the entire house in an effort to rid you of 'our areas' and transport you back to 'your areas'. This we are not pleased with. We try our best to keep our areas clean and dust bunny free. You continue to make our efforts seem useless. Therefore, we have decided to take the necessary action.
You are hereby notified that if you stay in your obligatory areas from this date forth, you will be able to remain on the premises. This is met with the understanding that you will continue to remain in those areas and will not trespass into non-dust bunny friendly areas (aka: the entire rest of the house.)
We appreciate your speedy assistance with this matter and look forward to living with you in peace or living without you entirely.
Sincerely,
Management
Hendricks Hotel
(One of the many joys of living in a house with hardwood floors and animal hair!)
You are hereby given an eviction notice and are politely being asked to vacate the premises as soon as possible.
The reason for this eviction notice is: your failure to remain in your specified areas.
A demand for your seclusion beneath the couch, under the bed, in the far reaches of the corner behind the entertainment stand (aka: where our guests won't see you and, consequently, think that we don't clean our house...) has been ignored.
In addition to trespassing into non-dust bunny friendly areas, you also do so no more than five minutes, five minutes, after either Brian or I has so diligently swept the entire house in an effort to rid you of 'our areas' and transport you back to 'your areas'. This we are not pleased with. We try our best to keep our areas clean and dust bunny free. You continue to make our efforts seem useless. Therefore, we have decided to take the necessary action.
You are hereby notified that if you stay in your obligatory areas from this date forth, you will be able to remain on the premises. This is met with the understanding that you will continue to remain in those areas and will not trespass into non-dust bunny friendly areas (aka: the entire rest of the house.)
We appreciate your speedy assistance with this matter and look forward to living with you in peace or living without you entirely.
Sincerely,
Management
Hendricks Hotel
(One of the many joys of living in a house with hardwood floors and animal hair!)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Evolution of a Name
We talked for months on what we would call our new puppy.
We decided on Jack. He was born on Halloween, after all. (Jack-o-lantern...get it?!)
It fits him perfectly!
It has sinced morphed into: Pooch, Pooches, Poo, Puppy, Puppy-Poo, Lu, Lu-La, Moo, Mooches, Waggles, Doggie, Doggie Doo, Bob Barker, Christopher Columbus, Dora the Explorer, Smash, Smash Box, Socks, Jingle Jangle (personal fav!), Huff and Puff, Grumble in the Jungle...I could keep going...
But we noticed that he responds particularly well with Lu, which we now may have to respell to 'Lou'! When you call our puppy Lu, or Lu-la, you get a smile and waggles! Any other name and you get a 'what now?' expression. No waggles.
So, in lieu (no pun intended) of our recent revelation, meet our new dog, Lou:
We decided on Jack. He was born on Halloween, after all. (Jack-o-lantern...get it?!)
It fits him perfectly!
It has sinced morphed into: Pooch, Pooches, Poo, Puppy, Puppy-Poo, Lu, Lu-La, Moo, Mooches, Waggles, Doggie, Doggie Doo, Bob Barker, Christopher Columbus, Dora the Explorer, Smash, Smash Box, Socks, Jingle Jangle (personal fav!), Huff and Puff, Grumble in the Jungle...I could keep going...
But we noticed that he responds particularly well with Lu, which we now may have to respell to 'Lou'! When you call our puppy Lu, or Lu-la, you get a smile and waggles! Any other name and you get a 'what now?' expression. No waggles.
So, in lieu (no pun intended) of our recent revelation, meet our new dog, Lou:
What a happy puppy!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Think Pink
We will run and we will walk until we find a cure. Yes, we will.
Yesterday, Brian and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with Than and Darcy and Than's parents. (Along with quite a few other supporters!)
Than's Mom, Mary, was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall, and we are all in support of her making a fast, full recovery. There were over 50,000 supporters in downtown Columbus fighting the war against breast cancer. The turnout was incredible. There are so many people affected by this type of cancer, and they are all taking a stand against it. It was truly inspiring and made both Brian and I proud to support our friends and this wonderful cause.
In addition to the walk, we hosted a little gathering (our first official!) at the new pad. It was a great day for a cookout, not too hot, not too cold, and we enjoyed the rest of the night hanging with some very good people!
It was wonderful to see Than and Darcy! We can't wait to see you guys again soon!
Yesterday, Brian and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with Than and Darcy and Than's parents. (Along with quite a few other supporters!)
Than's Mom, Mary, was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall, and we are all in support of her making a fast, full recovery. There were over 50,000 supporters in downtown Columbus fighting the war against breast cancer. The turnout was incredible. There are so many people affected by this type of cancer, and they are all taking a stand against it. It was truly inspiring and made both Brian and I proud to support our friends and this wonderful cause.
In addition to the walk, we hosted a little gathering (our first official!) at the new pad. It was a great day for a cookout, not too hot, not too cold, and we enjoyed the rest of the night hanging with some very good people!
It was wonderful to see Than and Darcy! We can't wait to see you guys again soon!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Jailbird Dog
Our Operation Block the Dog in the Backyard is becoming a success! Today, we had a fence contractor install some old wrought iron fence that we inherited to block off the two access points to the front yard. Tomorrow, they will hang the gate on the left side to complete the mission!
We are now functioning under Operation Safe House, for we can't have any unsafe conditions for our dear sweet Puppy Poo! (We are secretly wondering how long it takes before Jack freaks out about this new 'thing taking over the yard' and just starts barking at it. We have no doubt that it will probably be at a very inopportune time!)
Either way, the fence looks fantastic, better than either Brian or I had envisioned, and we are incredibly happy that we can now let our pooch out to roam as long as he likes!
Ahh, the life of a very lucky dog!
 |
| I wonder what the visitation rights are?! |
 |
| Hopefully that ball will end up on the right side of the fence! |
We are now functioning under Operation Safe House, for we can't have any unsafe conditions for our dear sweet Puppy Poo! (We are secretly wondering how long it takes before Jack freaks out about this new 'thing taking over the yard' and just starts barking at it. We have no doubt that it will probably be at a very inopportune time!)
Either way, the fence looks fantastic, better than either Brian or I had envisioned, and we are incredibly happy that we can now let our pooch out to roam as long as he likes!
Ahh, the life of a very lucky dog!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Amazeballs!!!
Yes, we booked with the most incredible photographers in Columbus, OH - Picture the Love - for our wedding.
Yes, we received the most unbelievable engagement and wedding photos.
Yes, Kim & Eric, the Love in Picture the Love, were FANTASTIC!
Yes, we just received our photo album from our wedding! (It was an incredible surprise to come home to!)
And no, we have absolutely no regrets!
If you'd like to download and see our entire wedding album, click here! (A google account is required. All you have to do is log in!)
Yes, we received the most unbelievable engagement and wedding photos.
Yes, Kim & Eric, the Love in Picture the Love, were FANTASTIC!
Yes, we just received our photo album from our wedding! (It was an incredible surprise to come home to!)
And no, we have absolutely no regrets!
If you'd like to download and see our entire wedding album, click here! (A google account is required. All you have to do is log in!)
Or, if you'd like to just look at the real thing, check out the photo below!
Monday, May 9, 2011
True Love
[Spoken in your best Princess Bride Clergyman impression.]
"Mawage. Mawage is wot brings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam...And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva..."
That movie is an all time fav! One my brother and I could watch a million times over and still not be sick of it! It makes me smile thinking of all the funny one liners that we used within our daily vocabulary after we watched the movie, "...anybody want a peanut?!", and it makes me smile thinking of my brother and his beautiful wife.
We headed to Maryland on Thursday to attend my brother, Travis' wedding. It was spectacular! We got in relatively late on Thursday and spent Friday tying up some of the loose ends. Mom and I dropped off the flower arrangements at Tonic, the rehearsal dinner spot, in Washington, DC, while Brian, Scott, and James headed to the hotel to check in. Once we got everything situated at Tonic, we reconvened at the rehearsal at Mount Airy Mansion, and then we headed back to the hotel to find Brian and get ready for the rehearsal dinner.
A fancy tour bus picked us, the bridal party, grandparents, and, of course, the bride and groom all up and took us to Tonic where we laughed, celebrated, ate delicious food, celebrated, toasted, congratulated, and laughed! The wedding festivities were well underway and we were all so excited for Saturday's shindig!
After the rehearsal dinner, that same fancy tour bus took us on a monument tour around DC. It worked out perfectly. The sun was setting, our bellies were full, the sky was relatively clear, and it was just so wonderful to be surrounded by so many loving family members and friends. Tomorrow was going to be a very special day!
When Saturday rolled around the excitement was definitely high! It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, 70 degree May day! We had our complimentary hotel breakfast, picked up Amy and her friend, Jan, from Amy's dorm in College Park, and got ready for the main event!
We arrived at Mount Airy Mansion around 3:00 pm. The wedding was scheduled to start at 3:30 pm. The mansion was such a pretty sight! There were flowers in the sunken gardens where the ceremony was to take place, and the weather was still perfect. It was simple and so beautiful! Amy and Jan were in charge of handing out bubbles, James was a junior groomsman in the bridal party, and Nico (Shanel's bro) and I each did a reading during the ceremony. It was so awesome that Travis and Shanel incorporated all of their siblings into their wedding. It meant a lot to us, and we were so happy to be a part of such a special day.
I cannot even begin to tell you how important both Travis and Shanel are to me. Travis has been, is, and always will be my brother. And I am so proud to be his sister. He is an incredibly caring, loving, light hearted person, and I would say we have a very special connection. Shanel is his equal. A lovely, caring, generous, light hearted, funny woman who will definitely be keeping Travis on his toes! Together, they are an amazing, inspirational, admirable couple that you just want to be around. Their love is contagious, and we feel (speaking on behalf of Brian and I, and family, and friends) SO special to be a part of their lives.
The ceremony was lovely. It captured both Shanel and Travis' loving, laughing, beautiful personalities, and it was a reminder to all of us there of the special bond that we all share. I cannot speak highly enough of Shanel's family either. They are an extremely special crowd, and it was incredible to be able to share this day with them.
The reception was equally beautiful and fun and special. The flowers were stunning, the music made us all shake what our Momma's gave us, and the people that we were all surrounded by made it a night that we will never, ever forget!
I could go on and on and on about the details and amazing-ness of this extremely special day and these two extremely special people. My words would not do either justice, but I could (and would) try! Instead, since this post is already a bit lengthy as is, I will stop there and let you peruse the photos of the incredible day, the gorgeous bride and handsome groom, and the love that they share. It was perfect! Click the photo below to see the album, and check out this short viddie of the grand entrance!
Congratulations, Travis and Shanel! We love you!
"Mawage. Mawage is wot brings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam...And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva..."
That movie is an all time fav! One my brother and I could watch a million times over and still not be sick of it! It makes me smile thinking of all the funny one liners that we used within our daily vocabulary after we watched the movie, "...anybody want a peanut?!", and it makes me smile thinking of my brother and his beautiful wife.
We headed to Maryland on Thursday to attend my brother, Travis' wedding. It was spectacular! We got in relatively late on Thursday and spent Friday tying up some of the loose ends. Mom and I dropped off the flower arrangements at Tonic, the rehearsal dinner spot, in Washington, DC, while Brian, Scott, and James headed to the hotel to check in. Once we got everything situated at Tonic, we reconvened at the rehearsal at Mount Airy Mansion, and then we headed back to the hotel to find Brian and get ready for the rehearsal dinner.
A fancy tour bus picked us, the bridal party, grandparents, and, of course, the bride and groom all up and took us to Tonic where we laughed, celebrated, ate delicious food, celebrated, toasted, congratulated, and laughed! The wedding festivities were well underway and we were all so excited for Saturday's shindig!
After the rehearsal dinner, that same fancy tour bus took us on a monument tour around DC. It worked out perfectly. The sun was setting, our bellies were full, the sky was relatively clear, and it was just so wonderful to be surrounded by so many loving family members and friends. Tomorrow was going to be a very special day!
When Saturday rolled around the excitement was definitely high! It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, 70 degree May day! We had our complimentary hotel breakfast, picked up Amy and her friend, Jan, from Amy's dorm in College Park, and got ready for the main event!
We arrived at Mount Airy Mansion around 3:00 pm. The wedding was scheduled to start at 3:30 pm. The mansion was such a pretty sight! There were flowers in the sunken gardens where the ceremony was to take place, and the weather was still perfect. It was simple and so beautiful! Amy and Jan were in charge of handing out bubbles, James was a junior groomsman in the bridal party, and Nico (Shanel's bro) and I each did a reading during the ceremony. It was so awesome that Travis and Shanel incorporated all of their siblings into their wedding. It meant a lot to us, and we were so happy to be a part of such a special day.
I cannot even begin to tell you how important both Travis and Shanel are to me. Travis has been, is, and always will be my brother. And I am so proud to be his sister. He is an incredibly caring, loving, light hearted person, and I would say we have a very special connection. Shanel is his equal. A lovely, caring, generous, light hearted, funny woman who will definitely be keeping Travis on his toes! Together, they are an amazing, inspirational, admirable couple that you just want to be around. Their love is contagious, and we feel (speaking on behalf of Brian and I, and family, and friends) SO special to be a part of their lives.
The ceremony was lovely. It captured both Shanel and Travis' loving, laughing, beautiful personalities, and it was a reminder to all of us there of the special bond that we all share. I cannot speak highly enough of Shanel's family either. They are an extremely special crowd, and it was incredible to be able to share this day with them.
The reception was equally beautiful and fun and special. The flowers were stunning, the music made us all shake what our Momma's gave us, and the people that we were all surrounded by made it a night that we will never, ever forget!
I could go on and on and on about the details and amazing-ness of this extremely special day and these two extremely special people. My words would not do either justice, but I could (and would) try! Instead, since this post is already a bit lengthy as is, I will stop there and let you peruse the photos of the incredible day, the gorgeous bride and handsome groom, and the love that they share. It was perfect! Click the photo below to see the album, and check out this short viddie of the grand entrance!
Congratulations, Travis and Shanel! We love you!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sir, Yes Sir!
Your duty is as follows:
Please click here.
(Note: This message will not self destruct. That's impossible.)
Please click here.
(Note: This message will not self destruct. That's impossible.)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Weekend Shenanigans
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| We went to the dog park. |
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| We purchased a new rug for our front door! |
 |
| We assembled our wheel barrow. |
 |
| Ta Daaaa! (And Jack learns that humans are very strange animals!) |
In addition, we also put the final touches on our Mother's Day cards and gifts, got to see Kevin, Brooke, John & Leah and Tim, Erin, Miles & Ben (which was wonderful!), hung three pictures (one in our bathroom, and two in our kitchen), did the weekend cleaning and laundry (sigh.), ran some errands, played some golf, (well, Brian golfed...), and mowed the lawn! (Brian mowed the lawn too.)
All in all, I would say it was a lovely Spring weekend!
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