Introducing My Family!

There are many names that I mention on the blog. I thought it would be appropriate if I did a formal introduction of all these people! Today I'll start with family...

This is my husband, Matt. We have been married since May 2008 and I love him more and more every day. His hobbies include riding dirt bikes, skiing, wake boarding and spending time with me. He is a general contractor.

This is my Mom, Sally, and my younger brother, Mitch. My Mom is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! She's is not only my Mom but also one of my dearest friends.

Mitch is three years younger than me. We've always had a pretty close relationship. He works for a company that manufactures cranes and automotive bodies. I'm very proud of him!

This is Matt's family. His sister, Carrie is on the far left. She and I have become very close over the years. She's married to a great guy Zach, I'm not sure as to why he isn't in the picture!! Then there's Matt's Mom, Chris. She is a nice lady and a wonderful baker! On the other side of me is Jeff, Matt's Dad and his wife Helen (Matt's step-mom). These two are so fun to be around. Finally, there's Matt's paternal grandmother, Nada. I freaking adore this lady.

Here is Matt's siblings. Catherine is on the left, Carrie I've already introduced, and finally there's Alex and Marc. Alex, Catherine and Marc are Helen's kids making them Matt's step-siblings. We don't really think of it with that type of separation though : )

Baby Henry is our nephew. He is Alex's son and turned one last December. Is is a smart, funny, happy little boy and we love him to pieces!

Baby Laine is our "niece". Really, she's my cousins daughter. Laine's Mom, Jordan and I grew up being very close though, and now I'm Auntie Lindsey to Lainey. We spend the afternoon together every Friday. I love having that time with her.

And I can't leave out our doggies!! Cash is our Doberman and he is five. He enjoys chasing birds, snuggle time and the hose game. Macy is our black lab and she will be three next month. She likes fetching anything, swimming, and licking your face.

So there you have it!! Our family!

WILW

Hello!! Go over to Jamie's blog here to join in on the loving!!

I'm loving...that today is payday and we also are receiving quarterly bonuses!!

I'm loving... that my friend Tandy and I walked 45 minutes yesterday and are planning on walking again today. Riding my bike to her house helps too.

I'm loving...that one month from today will be the first day of summer break.

I'm loving...that I am married to a wonderful man who loves me unconditionally and is my best friend : )

What are YOU loving?

Getting to Know Me!

And yet another picture less post...I'll get better - I promise!!

Current Job: Bookkeeper and student.

Originally From: California!

Married In: May 2008

Siblings: 1 - brother-Mitch. Then there's my siblings-in-law and Matt's step-siblings. We won't go there today.

Natural Hair Color: Blond-brown

Childhood sports?: Basketball, softball and golf

Mountains or Ocean: Ocean for a trip in a hotel room, mountains for camping : )

Sports Car or SUV: SUV. Though I currently drive a Honda Accord. Go figure.
 
Favorite TV Show: Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy. I'm also a reality TV whore. You can read about that here.

Favorite Color: Red

Favorite Board Game: The Game of Life.

Favorite Fast Food: Weinerschnitzel - YUM!

How Many Times Did You Fail Your Permit/Drivers Test: Zero!

Pens or Pencils? Pens

Driver or Passenger: Passenger

Favorite Actor/Actress: Kate Hudson or Reese Witherspoon and Anthony Hopkins (not because he's hot - because I like his acting!)

Favorite Movie: Lots.....Forrest Gump, Anne of Green Gables, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Yours Mine and Ours (the original), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Valentine's Day, all the Twilights (because there is still a 13 year old trapped inside of me), Peyton Place, Wild Hearts Can't be Broken the list goes on....

Pop or Soda: Aren't they the same thing? If you're wondering the terminology I use, I say soda.

Tea or Coffee: Neither.

Hand shake or Hug: Hugs!

Magazines or Books: Usually books. Though I love a good magazine while on the elliptical or an airplane : )



Hope you're week is off to a wonderful start. If you put this on your blog leave me a comment so I can come get to know ya!

Weekend Recap!

Happy Monday everyone! We had quite the weekend...

Friday night we had dinner with our neighbors. They're always a good time! I made this great pasta as a side that I'm sharing on my recipe blog today.

Saturday we helped our friends Tito and Rachel move. It was a day of mixed emotions as they moved about 30 minutes away....hopefully they will stick to their plan and it will only be temporary! That afternoon when we got back home, we cleaned the boat in our driveway for about two hours in preparation for the next day...

Sunday was a fun day! After doing some final cleaning and maintenance things on the boat, we took it to the river for the afternoon. I came home with a slight tan line. We stopped at a bar and grill on the way home and Matt and I shared a sampler platter that consisted of french fries, onion rings, chicken wings and BBQ pork sliders. Oh so good for the taste buds but not so much for the Weight Watchers plan....especially after having a couple of beers! Oh well, I still need to live life, right? Thank goodness I rode my bike and walked yesterday morning : )

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

P.S.
I must apologize that my posts NEVER have pictures!! I'm simply awful about that and I'm sorry if it makes the blog boring. One of my goals is to begin posting with at least one picture per post. Stay tuned!!!

Five Question Friday

To join in the fun and give your 5 answers, click here!

1. What is your favorite sign of spring?
Sunny skies and flip flops being broken out of the closet! There's also a lot of flowering trees where I live, so when the buds bloom I always know Spring is here.

2. What was your best birthday ever?
Thus far, my 21st. Matt and I went on a cruise to Catalina and Mexico. It was a blast!

3. What is your favorite dessert?
Not a huge dessert person. I much prefer appetizers to sweets. That being said, any type of gummy candy does the trick for my sweet tooth.

4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?
I have NEVER gotten out of a ticket, so I'll tell you about my husband instead. He was 16 years old, driving his Chevy truck down one of the main roads in our town. After being at a four way stop, he gassed it pretty good, peeled out, and roared through the intersection. A cop saw the whole thing and pulled him over for "showboating" or something like that. The officer approached the driver window and told Matt why he had been pulled over. He then asked why in the world Matt would feel the need to do something like that. My husband's response? "Testosterone." He was let off with a warning.

5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?
Definitely the latter of the three. It physically hurts me to wake up every morning to the alarm. I usually hit snooze once or twice. Then I turn on the news and watch that in bed for 10-15 minutes. THEN I begrudgingly get up and start my day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Weight Watchers Wednesday

It's Wednesday again, and since I did a random post yesterday I thought I'd shy away from that today. Instead, I'm going to talk about another popular Wednesday blog subject - Weight Watchers Wednesday!

I have been "on" WW since the first week of January. I say "on" loosely because that's the truth. Generally, I don't count points Friday evening through Sunday. I don't splurge either though. Monday through Thursday I'm pretty diligent: count points, exercise, etc. To this point, it has worked and I've lost 12.5 pounds!!! I know, can you imagine if I counted on the weekends?!? BUT, that's why WW works for me....it's easy, it's not overly restrictive. Overall, it's just a good lifestyle!

Exercise is a major factor of my success. Since January, I've exercised at least 3 times per week, but it's often more than that. The other night, Matt and I played tennis. It was fun to do something outdoors with my husband, and I earned points for a glass of wine after! A win-win situation I'd say.

So, this post has kind of turned into a random rant about WW. I basically just wanted to say I like it. It's a healthy lifestyle, not a diet. I think I'll keep it up!

Tuesday Happenings

Not a whole lot to report - mostly just little tidbits here and there. I think I'll just make a list, consider it an early version of WILW : )

1. I bought three necklaces at Target today for $20.12 and I can't wait to wear them!

2. I've been studying my a$$ off for my pharmacology exam that is tomorrow. This instructor only grades based on tests, and there are only four tests. You'd better do well, or else you won't pass because there isn't any labs/homework/quizzes/projects to offset a bombed exam. So far, we've had 2 tests and I got an A and a B - keep your fingers crossed that this trend continues for this exam and the final!!

3. We are taking the boat out for the first time this year on Sunday and I'm EXCITED! Definitely ready to work on the tan and drink a beer or two in the sunshine on the lake!

4. The remodel process continues. I've been meaning to upload before pictures to do a before tour of the house. Someday this will actually happen!! In the meantime, we've been sorting, organizing and packing.

5. My boss is bat crap bananas. That is all.

The Weekend and Some Disappointing News

I'll start with the latter of this post title. I found out last week that I did not get into one of the nursing schools I applied to. Even through I knew my chances were only 10%, the news is still a bitter pill to swallow. I'm still waiting to hear back from two other schools. And, I keep reminding myself that I DID get accepted to one program already - it's just a matter of waiting for my number on the wait list to come up. Anyway, enough of that!!
Last Saturday was Anika and Cody's wedding day!!! It was so. much. fun. The bride was gorgeous as always and the groom looked very handsome. It was a touching, emotional day full of kind, thoughtful toasts, warm exchanges, good food and of course lots of dancing and fun. I hope the bride and groom had as much fun as their guests!! Here's some stolen facebook pictures from the occasion.....


The beautiful bride...


The bride and groom after the ceremony...


I think 'Shout' might have been playing....

WILW

Head over to Jamie's blog to tell everyone what you're loving!

I'm loving...that I just had sushi for lunch with my wonderful husband.

I'm loving...that I am either playing golf or tennis after work today.

I'm loving...that this Saturday I am attending the wedding of two great friends.

I'm loving...that I found the perfect cardigan to wear with my dress for the aforementioned wedding.

HAPPY HUMP DAY EVERYONE : )

Five Question Friday

Go join the fun here!

1. Have you ever had surgery?
When I was 19 I had a laparoscopy. I've also had my wisdom teeth removed - it required anesthesia, but I still don't know if that counts?

2. Ever ride in an ambulance?
Nope!!!

3. How are you in a medical emergency? Panicked? Calm?
It really depends on the severity of the emergency and who's involved......typically, I'm pretty calm I guess.

4. Do you have a garden? Flowers or veggies?
No, but I want a vegetable garden really really bad! Maybe next year when the addition is done.

5. When did you move out of your parents house?
When I was 22. I stayed for as long as I did because I didn't have to pay rent as long as I was in school, and because my Mom is freaking awesome : )