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Friday, April 29, 2011

Oh How I've Been Sucked In

How in the name of the Queen am I supposed to be concentrating today? It’s Friday, the weather outside is gorgeous and the Royal Wedding of Will and Kate was this morning. I’m on emotional excitement overload.


[Photo courtsey of Eonline]

To be quite honest, I was planning on boycotting the noble nuptials, because I tend to get overly involved in things of this nature. It must have something to do with the fact that not only am I a hopeless romantic, but I also believe my imagination got stuck somewhere around the ages of 13 or 14. (Yes, I watch and enjoy the Disney channel and am in love with the musical stylings of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez…feel free to poke fun, everyone else does!) Thanks to some co-workers gushing about their excitement for the special day, I decided what the heck. So I turned the TV on this morning as I was getting ready for work and watched the absolutely sweet and stylish couple profess their love and adoration for each other. Feeling inspired by the beauty of the event I decided to break out a little something special from my wedding.
  

My wedding shoes :) Flats, because the Prince of Mechanicsville aka my husband Bubba, isn’t much taller than me, but I still love them. Why not get a little use out of them in honor of Will and Kate’s special day.

Seeing the beautiful ceremony, location, traditions, and guests really sent my inner wedding planner into full swing. I absolutely love planning events, weddings, parties, meetings, anything you can think of, and today has only ignited my flame even higher. Need some help planning a pretty party? Call me! ;)

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Perfect Backdrop

I am really sad and disappointed in myself that I did not take a single picture this weekend.  It was Easter and it was a beautiful day, with temperatures well into the upper 80's.  I like to think that the reason I didn't get any pictures was because we were so busy having a good time.  When you are too caught up in the moment to stop and take a picture those sometimes end up being the memories you never forget, so you snap a mental picture instead.

This past weekend was Easter Sunday, the day that Christ rose from the grave and saved us from sin.  I sometimes feel like a failed Catholic because I certainly don't attend Sunday mass on a regular basis like I should.  I always said that all of the religion I was taught in 10 years of Catholic school should add up and count for something, but I don't think it does.  Attending mass every Sunday should not guarantee you a spot in Heaven, but that's a whole other tangent that I won't get into right now...

Holy Angels Church, about 5 minutes up the road from Colton's Point, holds their annual Sunrise Service at the St. Clement's Island Museum every Easter.  Since we've moved to the Point, Bubba and I have made it a tradition to invite our family to join us at the mass and then come back to the house for breakfast and a few fun games.  Because Easter was so late into April the weather was perfect, especially compared to years past where we were bundled up in blankets and coats.  As you've seen many times on this blog, our side of the Point is blessed with some of the most gorgeous sunrises you will ever see, and there is just something about sitting through a service and being able to watch the sun come up over the water and hearing the birds that is just so calming. 

These pictures aren't from Sunday's service, but they were from last week so I thought I'd share.  Like I said before, I wish I had of taken a few Easter pictures, but I just didn't get around to it.  Maybe I'll steal some from other family members...For now, enjoy these few pictures I snapped before leaving the house for work one day last week.




Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Pups

If you know me at all, you know I am somewhat afraid of dogs.  I'm not even sure I would say "afraid" so much as I'm really just not a fan in general.  Growing up I had a golden retriever named Megan.  She was the best dog in the world.  She was so pretty and had such a wonderful disposition, maybe that's why I haven't been too keen on any other dogs?  They just don't live up to Megan?  Who knows...

Anyway, I seem to have befriended two unlikely souls...Eve and Samson.  First let me tell you about Eve.  She is a supermodel.  Well, I doggie supermodel.  There isn't a day I see her and don't tell her what a pretty girl she is.  Not only that, she is so laid back.  The only time I've ever heard her bark was when she caught a glimpse of the neighbors horse.  And even then it wasn't much of a bark.  She really is such a sweet dog and she wouldn't hurt a fly.  In fact, she was trying to show some love to our handicapped cat, Max, gave him a playful lick and when he hissed back at her she cowered behind a tree.  Did I mention she is a pitbull?? Yeah, it seemed odd to me too.  ;)  Here she is, my pretty girl, Eve:

[She sits like a human]

[And drives like one too...]

[So pretty]


Now on to Samson.  He is a new friend of mine since he's only several weeks old, but how can you not love this little guy.  Adorable is the only word I can think of to describe him.  Eve's half brother, Samson, kind of fell into my sister Marci and her boyfriend Adam's laps.  The breeder who they got Eve from called and said they had a puppy for cheap because he had fallen as a new born and broke his leg. (just imagine this little fella in a splint...)  Once they saw him they couldn't say no.  Though from the same bloodline, Samson certainly has a personality all his own.  Already much more vocal than Eve, he lets you know when he's around and has never ending energy.  I watched him carry a large kickball around his tiny jaws a few days ago and wrestle a stick away from Eve.  Try not to say, "Awwww!" when you look at this handsome little guy, I dare you!

[Seriously, look at those eyes!]

[How could anyone not love this little guy?]

[Looks like a little old man with his wrinkles.]


And a few pictures of them together :)


[Eve is a good big sister!]

[Attacking, I mean playing with, Auntie Mindle!]

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Escaping Reality

These past few weeks of my life have been especially grueling. Without getting into the nitty-gritty details I’ve been stressed to the max and a little unsure how to get out of my funk. I have found a comforting solace in an unusual outlet: Hawaiian Music. I’ve been draining the battery on my little blackberry by pumping The Hawaiian Radio station on Pandora at all hours of the day: Getting ready for work, to concentrate while at work, and even while working on our house or my sisters newly purchased home that is currently undergoing some renovations.


After slipping away into “Mindyland” while listening to it yesterday evening I realized why it is so comforting to me. I’ve never been so at peace and relaxed as I was during our honeymoon in Kauai’, HI. And it wasn’t just because I was away from work and enjoying the bliss of being newly married. It was the whole lifestyle of the island, the way the locals carried themselves, the entire atmosphere. Laid back, beautiful and relaxed. I think I need to go back, asap.






Monday, April 18, 2011

Out to Sea

Since its April I really can't complain about the rain.  It's just something you come to expect.  What I wasn't expecting or ready for?  The wind storm that rocked our socks on Saturday. We've seen the wind knock one or two of the boards off during the winter when they were covered in snow, but this is the first time we've seen THIS much damage.  The wind turned the normally calm river into a raging rapid.  The waves were crashing against the rocks sending water flying in the road in front of our house, as well as beating all the local piers to death.  Luckily between Bubba, my Dad and our neighbor, Bo, we were able to recover most of the boards, but it's still going to take a lot of work to get this baby rebuilt.  Check out the damage:

[This is where the extended part of our pier was...it got hit the hardest]

[End of the pier, missing quite a few boards]


Quick Updates
Here is a peek at the status of our current projects...

Front Porch - from this:

[Minus the snow]

 To this:

[Yucky screen be gone!]

To this:

[Please note the posts have a fresh coat of white paint, as does the blue trim around the bottom, and there is fresh white lattice to keep the varmints out!]


We are almost done!! We've got some flowers to plant and some stain for the floor of the porch and then our curb appeal project will be complete.


Now check out the slow progress we're making on the bedroom/closets:

From this:

[Plain white walls and non-matching closets with tiny, unusable space inside]

 To this:

[After knocking out the wall]

 To this:

[About 50% of the way finished...looking and feeling so much better already!]


Stay tuned for the final reveal of both the front porch and the bedroom and closets!! (Hopefully coming soon)

Monday, April 4, 2011

A Great Start...

The title of this post can be taken both literally and sarcastically.  Let's start with the sarcastic first.

Obviously today is Monday, a very obnoxious day if I do say so myself.  It started off fine, I woke up on time (for once), washed AND dried my hair (which is certainly no quick task if you've ever seen or felt my hair), picked out a cute outfit and headed out the door with a positive outlook.  Shocked that I was on time I decided to reward myself with a Starbucks breakfast.  I haven't been to Starbucks in MONTHS and honestly I almost jumped back in my car instead of going inside, but I figured what the heck, screw the calories counter today, I need a coffee.  Coffee and oatmeal in hand I made my way to our building and as I opened the door to my office my jaw drops and I realize...I left my laptop at home.  And I live about 45 minutes away. Pissed off and hyped on caffeine I made the hike home to retrieve my laptop.  Good thing gas is so cheap these days..........

Ugh, I'm glad I got that out of my system.  Now for some positivity :) This weekend was a great start for Bubba and I in regards to our bedroom renovation.  The body of the new closets are set, the wisteria snow colored paint is double coated on the walls, and most importantly, our mattress is no longer on display in our living room!  (Pictures to come soon)

I've been slacking so badly on my photography, so to make myself feel better here are two pictures I snapped with my cell phone during our crazy busy weekend.

[Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk ice cream cone from Brewsters.  The perfect ending to a day of cleaning, painting and building.]


[A very bright spot in my weekend, our wonderful neighbors returned from FL this past week.  LouAnn was doing a little maintenance to her flowers around the house and snipped a few of these beauties for me.]