Our Adventure Down the Toothpaste Aisle....

Have you ever walked down the toothpaste aisle and taken a look around you? I don't mean just walking down the aisle, picking up your regular toothpaste and just throwing it in your cart; I mean start at the beginning of the aisle and take a look at all the different products that are "dentist approved", "dentist recommended", made to "whiten your teeth in just 5 days", or made to "fight off cavities, strengthen your gums, kill gingivitis, wipe away all bacteria and give you minty fresh breath all at the same time". You probably think I am crazy right now but I'm not....I promise!!!

This all started last week when Brian and I were talking about how we don't visit the dentist often enough and we really need to get better about keeping our pearly whites healthy and strong. We've vowed to maintain our brushing daily (which hasn't been a problem!) while maintaining our daily mouthwash routine (which happens more like every other day or so) and floss daily ( I'm REALLY bad about this). We also decided we should change our toothpaste to one that would help whiten our teeth gradually. We didn't really think that this would be such a difficult decision or one that would turn a quick trip into an adventurous discovery while at Target.

We had a couple of items that we needed to stock up on so we made our typical trip to Target. Brian and I went through all the aisles and, of course, picked up more than what we originally had intended to buy. All that was left on our list was to pick up a new tube of toothpaste. We didn't do any research before we went....we figured this would be pretty straight forward. We knew we didn't want our usual Aquafresh (which has been great but we felt it was time for a break so we broke it off for a bit). We were SO wrong!!

I had no idea that there were so many different types of toothpaste. I guess I never really paid a lot of attention to all the different kinds. We were totally overwhelmed.....we really were! There were toothpastes that "made you mouth sparkle", toothpastes that "strengthens your enamel", toothpastes that had confetti like strips in it, I could go on and on and on. Brian and I probably looked absolutely ridiculous standing there comparing the backs of the toothpaste boxes and having intense discussions as to what was better and the different percentages of fluoride that each package contained. We talked and compared any extra "active" ingredients and I'm pretty sure we discussed the pro's and con's of each toothpaste that was for sale at Target (which was probably around 50 different types). Let me put it this way....we were there so long, I had to take a bathroom break in the middle of our board meeting. Customers continued to walk by and stare as we pulled up the internet, on our phones, and did some online research for our toothpastes that were lucky enough to make it to the final round before approval.

After much consulting, we finally decided on our new toothpaste................... and the winner is:

Crest Pro-Health Whitening Gel Toothpaste in Fresh Clean Mint

We are so confidant in our decision that we even bought two boxes.

Next time you make your trip to go purchase toothpaste, take a look around and look at all the products that are being sold to us. It is absolutely mind boggling. This blog clearly shows how random Brian and I are but it really did open our eyes to all the different items out there for consumers and honestly, they are all so different. Seriously....take a look next time you're out!!

Mama's Fudge....well not quite!

My Mama (my grandmother) was the BEST cook/baker!! She loved to cook for us all the time and she always spoiled my brother, sister and I with sweet treats. Cookies, brownies, cakes,....you name it....she baked it. And, we ate it! Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember, she would make pounds upon pounds of fudge. Chocolate and peanut butter were our favorites and I am telling you that she made the richest, most sinful piece candy that I have ever eaten (and I've eaten a lot of candy)!

Needless to say, last year, which was our first Christmas without Mama we all sat around and shared our holiday filled memories of her. Of course, I brought up how much I missed her fudge during that time of year....very selfish but so true! Mama knew how much we loved it and she would send over who knows how many tins full of this holiday tradition. Last year, we didn't make any because no one knows her recipe. She never wrote it down...never told anyone. It was her big secret. Today, I decided to crack it and I was determined to make her peanut butter fudge (my brother's favorite).

I started by researching different peanut butter fudge recipes. Who knew there would be so many different ways to make peanut butter fudge?!?! I just kind of winged it and took note of the ingredients that I used. It was really simple and it turned out pretty good....not the same as Mama's because I think she just had the special touch :)

You'll need:

4 cups of sugar

1 cup of milk ( I used whole milk even though we drink skim....you can't have fudge made with skim milk!!)

whole stick of butter ( I was going to use just half a stick but then I went all Paula Deen and just threw the whole thing in)

about 7 to 8 oz of marshmallow creme ( I just used the jar kind)

12 oz of peanut butter ( again...we eat reduced fat but I used the real thing for this recipe)

2/3 cup of flour

Directions

1. I used a 9 x 13 in baking sheet and put wax paper on it to keep the fudge from sticking.

2. Mix your marshmallow creme and peanut butter together in a bowl.

3. In a saucepan, mix the milk, butter, and sugar.

4. Bring these ingredients to a boil and let it boil for a few minutes. ( I boiled mine for 5-6 minutes).

5. Remove saucepan from the heat and pour in the peanut butter/marshmallow creme mixture. Stir.

6. Gradually add in the flour.

7. Once everything is mixed well, spread the mixture on the baking sheet and let cool. I actually put mine in the fridge to cool.

I think next time I'm going to add a pinch of vanilla extract to give it something a little extra.

I can't wait to share this with my family and next up I'm going to start working on Mama's chocolate fudge. Yum!

My First Blog Award!

How cool is this?!?!? My very first blog award....I'm so excited. Thanks to Courtney from, The Nitz Family, for this great award. I have known Courtney for a few years now and she is a glamorous young woman....a newlywed, a strong woman grounded in her faith, and a former beauty queen (we used to compete with each other in Miss KY and we were even co-queens one year....yay talent awards, haha)!!

Sooooo....I guess it's my turn to nominate some of the blogs that I think are glamorous. And the nominees are:

Always in Training

Small Town Crown

Mostly MEllen

Thanks again Courtney for this sweet award!!

Let's Go Generals!

So proud to report that my girls received 1st place this past weekend and I was awarded with the Best Choreography award. I can not be any happier for my girls and for all of their hard work. They had one of the highest scores out of the ENTIRE day!!

Way to go Lafayette Generals!!!! Looking forward to our next competition :)

My New Hobby

Well....I've found a new hobby! I am going to take up knitting and I am so excited to take on a new challenge. I was actually inspired by one of my dance students, Lauren H., and I am officially signed up for a knitting class. Lauren is oh so talented and so well rounded and she shared her love for knitting with me and I've finally got my supplies and I'm ready to go!

I'm looking forward to making gifts for others....mittens, scarves, hats, baby gifts, etc,....

I guess I shouldn't jump ahead of myself...I should probably learn the basics. Haha :) I found a great knitting store, here in Lexington, KY, called Magpie Yarn. Their website is great and that's where I found a class that was perfect for me...Basic Knitting. I'll learn all the things I need to know for basic knitting...how to cast-on, knit, purl, and bind-off. After this, I should be able to do a number of different, easy patterns.

They have a wide variety of classes that range from beginner ( like me!) all the way through advanced. They even have specialized classes where you focus on how to make a certain item, such as mittens or even sweaters. I can't wait for my first class and spending some of my down time, over the holidays, exploring my new hobby!

Y'All Ready for This?!?!?!

We're ready for this!!! "This" being the Winter Jam Dance Competition that is being held here in Lexington, KY. My dance team girls have been working EXTREMELY hard this week and the hard work continues until Saturday.

This past summer, we qualified for UDA nationals. This will be held the first weekend in February and we started our two routines in September. We are competing one of our dances, for the first time, this weekend at a local competition. I am anxious to see how we do and to get the judges opinion on our routine. The girls usually compete a pom routine but when I signed on as coach I felt it was time for a change so we are taking a jazz and hip hop dance. This Saturday we will be competing our jazz dance.

This dance is....well....I guess the best word to describe it is.....unique. But....in a good way!! I choreographed the dance myself and of course I just can't help myself and I turn it into some bizarre dance with crazy music and with a crazy concept. But....that's what I hope will help my girls stand out. This is not your average, cookie cutter dance team!! These girls are here to leave a mark and to tell a story. Isn't that what dance is all about....expressing emotions and telling a story to captivate your audience??? That's how I grew up and that's what I hope to pass on to my students. Dance isn't just a bunch of movements thrown together ( well, it can be). To me, it's so much more than that and I'm looking forward to my team's first performance of this routine.

I'm keeping certain details to myself such as song choice, costumes, and choreography. I can't give all our secrets away!!! Maybe I'll post a video before we leave for nationals....don't want other teams getting any ideas right now ;)

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week. I'm praying all the girls stay healthy and confident this week and perform to the best of their ability this Saturday.

I can't wait to report back about how we did!!!!

Many Blessing to You and Your Family

My New Favorite!

I am a total sucker for candles! Our home is filled with candles.... I have at least one in every room but I have found some new favorites. We have a great store, here in Lexington, called the "Gift Box". I stopped in the other day to look at some of their Christmas decorations and of course found myself standing in front of 50 different scented candles,made by The Candleberry Co. I smelled them all...I'm being serious! I went down the row and smelled each one and they were all so fragrant and "homey". I fell in love with so many of them but narrowed my choice down to two. "Vanilla Crumb Cake" and "Home for the Holidays" (which is burning right now, as I write, and it is divine). These are pretty affordable and you can find them even cheaper online.

Candles are always so welcoming when guests visit and great to use when you just want to relax. This company has a scent for everyone!!

My mom surprised me with a little "Halloween treat" a few weeks ago and gave me a Scentsy. I had never heard of these before but it is a wickless candle. You get your Scentsy ( which is what you melt the wax in) and just flip the switch and you're ready to go. The wax melts and slowly releases the scent....my favorite is Mochadoodle. The wax never gets hot. You can, literally, stick your finger in the wax and it won't burn you. I know this because my mom showed me....I didn't believe her so she proved me wrong (mom's always right)! This is great if you have kids or pets and they have a TON of scents to choose from. These are totally affordable and last so much longer than a usual candle because you can keep re-using the wax. Scentsy's are great for gifts and they have a lot of designs for the upcoming Holiday season as well as designs for everyday use. Just go to their website and take a look! The picture below is my pumpkin treat, from my mom, and I'm so glad she introduced me to these.

I'm looking forward to getting my Winter Scentsy and setting it out as a decoration!

Looking forward to Spring!

We have a busy Spring ahead for us and it is time to get busy! Brian and I have come up with this crazy idea to run, not one.... not two..... but THREE half marathons. Like I said, this is a crazy idea. However, we are really looking forward to doing these and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. First up is a half marathon in our town, Lexington, Kentucky.

This half marathon is at the end of March is a month before our other half marathons. We thought this would be a great way to find out where we're at before these other two big races. March seems so far away but I know that it will be here before we know it!

Next up.....the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon/ Marathon. I'm really urging Brian to run the full marathon. He's already to the point where he can run 13.1 miles, comfortably, once a week. ( I'm a little jealous of this)!! More than anything, I'm so proud of him because he just does it....no complaining, just goes for it. I need to be more like that! I really think he could pull off running the entire length of a marathon.We'll see what he decides. As for me, I'll be sticking to the half.... I'm just hoping to make it through that.

And last, but not least, the Flying Pig Marathon, in Cincinnati, Ohio. This half marathon/marathon is the weekend after the KY Derby race. ( I told you.... this is a crazy idea)! Who knows if Brian will run the half or the full. I know I will be doing the half and hoping that my legs don't fall off!

We're really looking forward to training for these. It will keep us busy and hopefully we'll burn those extra holiday calories in the midst of all this running! We have a lot of friends who are also running these races so we know we will have a lot support and some motivational shoulders to lean on. It's going to be hard, stressful, probably painful....but in the end....it's going to feel great to cross that finish line!

By the way....I started my training today and I only made it 30 minutes.... I have a lot of work to do!!

Finally....

About six weeks ago, Brian took the first part of his board exams so that he can become a board certified radiologist. I can not even begin to tell you all how much time he spent studying and reviewing for this important test. He spent months and months and hours upon hours making sure he was prepared for this exam. In July, he even went to Miami, FL for a week long intensive review session. When I say intensive, I mean intensive!! 5 days of review courses that lasted up to 8 hours....and that didn't even include the time he spent studying on his own. His commitment amazed me and I tried to encourage him each and every day. I can not imagine devoting so much time to just one test but he did it and Brian's hard work paid off.

I checked the mail yesterday and there it was....the letter we had been waiting for, with the test results. I could hardly contain myself. So...I just opened it!! Don't worry, Brian said it was fine that I did...haha. I was just so anxious/ nervous/ excited/ worried, etc,...

When I saw the word PASSED, I screamed! Literally...I was so overcome by happiness and relief. I knew how hard he had studied and how much time he had devoted to this. We knew the results were coming soon and the past couple of weeks have gone by so slowly! He was so excited to learn of his results and I could tell a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

I was so impressed by Brian's dedication, calmness and perseverance throughout this entire process. I am so amazed by his hard work and he continues to amaze me every day.

Congratulations Brian :)

Hoping for Seattle!

I have lived in Lexington, KY for my entire life. My family is here as well as my friends and my work. I've got deep Kentucky roots and I'm a southern girl at heart but I knew that there was a big chance that a move was in the near future, when I married Brian. When Brian first told me, that in order for him to do a neuroradiology fellowship, we would have to leave the state, he was worried about taking me away from my hometown but I was very excited about the opportunities that other cities had to offer. I'll never forget when Brian came home from work a few months ago and asked how I felt about Seattle,WA. I don't remember exactly what I said but I wasn't really thrilled about the idea. We had already visited Charleston, SC and I had fallen in love with the area....and like I said, I'm a southern girl! Plus, one of my close friends lives there and I was being totally selfish about that.

After some more thought, and listening to Brian speak so highly about the University of Washington program, I decided that I needed to be more open minded about this potential place to live. After all....after we visited we probably wouldn't like it and not really consider it. Haha....joke was on me!!

Brian had an interview at UW a couple of weeks ago and we decided to make a week long trip out of it....and I'm so glad we did. We flew out of Lexington bright and early, at 6:00 am. We changed planes in Detroit and then we were Seattle bound! After a 3 1/2 hour flight we had made it. We immediately went to our hotel ( which is one of the cutest places!) and found out that we had been upgraded to a bigger room. Hey, we weren't going to argue that! We stayed at Hotel Vintage Park on 5th Avenue and it is right in the middle of downtown Seattle. We were in walking distance to just about everything.

We got up to the room, dropped our bags and started our journey! First stop....Pike Place Market. I've seen this place a dozen times in pictures and movies but it was so cool to be there and experience the hustle and bustle firsthand.

It was so much fun to walk through and see all of the seafood, fresh fruit and veggies, crafts and most impressively all of the fresh bouquets of flowers. We ate at a fantastic restaurant for brunch. Etta's made such an impression that we went back later that week for lunch. We spent our first few days walking around downtown and exploring new stores and restaurants....and drinking A LOT of coffee! Haha!

Later that week, we rented a car so we could drive around some surrounding cities. We found some beautiful scenery along the way. We stumbled upon several lakes throughout the area.

After a few days of being on a caffeine high and eating ridiculously good food it was time for Brian to get serious and go to his interview for the UW neuroradiology fellowship position. The drive to UW was absolutely beautiful and the campus is a picture of perfection. Everyone was so friendly and we ended up spending more time, than we had expected, because one of the fellows took so much of his time talking to us about the program and Seattle. We were very thankful that Brian's interview went well...I'm so proud of him!!

The rest of our trip was spent going shopping, taking an Underground Tour of Seattle (which was so cool!!), drinking coffee, taking a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (gorgeous!), walking through more beautiful neighborhoods, drinking coffee, going to the top of the Space Needle, visiting the Seattle Aquarium and finally... drinking more coffee!! I think I'm still having jitters from all the caffeine I consumed.

On our last day, we found ourselves a little sad about leaving Seattle. I know that sounds cheesy but there's just something about it that feels like home to us. There's so much to do there. We love being outdoors and this is a perfect place to hike, cycle, kayak, camp, ski, the list could go on and on. It is full of the arts and has a wonderful dance and performance community. We are anxious to get back out there soon and hopefully maybe move!!

This trip was so much more than I expected it to be. We had a great time and Brian is relieved his interview is over with. Of course...now we play the waiting game. We won't find anything out until later this spring. Ooooohhhhh the anticipation!! Haha. There's more pictures below from our trip.

Enjoy!

The above picture is of the public library in downtown Seattle. AMAZING!!! It is huge....11 stories tall and one of the neatest buildings that I have ever seen. This picture does not do it justice! If we move, one of the first things on my list is to go sign up for my membership there :)

Back to Reality...

Well...it's that time of year again. Classes are starting back up at the dance studio and Brian is back to a normal schedule, at the hospital. We had such a wonderful time on our honeymoon. We got home on a Friday night and started working again Saturday! We were back on the road the next morning. Brian had to work a clinic in Hazard, KY and I was judging a pageant in Corbin.

We meant to post pictures sooner but we haven't really had a chance to slow down and do so! We will have them up in the next week or so. We enjoyed the time we were able to spend with each other and we really enjoyed not having to be on a schedule. 

Pictures to come soon :)

It's Almost Here...

Brian and I got married this past April but we have yet to take our honeymoon! Well...it's almost here...only 10 more days. We have been looking forward to this for so long. Just the two of us...on a beach...relaxing...it sounds so nice! 

We had originally planned on going to an island, down near Florida but we decided to go somewhere a little more cost efficient. We are going to spend a week in Hilton Head, SC. Brian has never been but LOVES South Carolina so he is excited about seeing this part of the state. I fell in love with Hilton Head the first time I ever visited. It is such a fun town filled with great shops and WONDERFUL restaurants...oh...did I mention the beach?!?!? 

Instead of spending money on 2 airplane tickets, a rental car and an overpriced hotel we opted to drive our own car to HHI. We have a great room, close to the beach, and we're excited to take our bikes with us and do some cycling while we're there. The trails are absolutely gorgeous! 

We are going to take a day and drive into Savannah, GA. It's only about 30 miles away and we have never been. I've heard it's a great town and that there is lots to do. I'm excited to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant...that's why I want to go! Haha :)

I'm really looking forward to our trip together and spending time with my wonderful husband!

Our Goal for the Summer...

What ever happened to the days of indulging yourself in a good book? Or, sitting down and really enjoying a good home-cooked dinner? We are all so guilty of over committing ourselves to countless things at once. Well...Brian and I have decided that, for the next month, we are going to SIMPLIFY our lives. 

We are lucky that, over the next month, Brian does not have to take call and my schedule at the dance studio is much lighter than usual. So, we are really dedicated to committing ourselves to this new goal of ours. We want to simplify our home and our lives. It's time to throw out the stuff we don't really need and time to de-clutter!! No more scheduling twenty different appointments in one day. We want to spend more time with each other and with our family and friends. We get so caught up in our day to day lives that we sometimes forget about our relationships with others so we really want to make sure we are staying focused on the right things. So far...so good! July is going to be a wonderful month.

 I've already enjoyed being able to read more and spend more time with the Lord than I usually do. This has been very rewarding for me and helps me get through the day with a lot more enthusiasm and energy. Brian and I now read TOGETHER...EVERY night before bed. We both read and study the bible on our own but it is so much fun to spend that time together. Speaking of reading...we have a pile of books that we've been putting off reading...we are looking forward to taking some time for ourselves and do things that we really enjoy doing! We have been working out so much more and the pay off has been wonderful. It's so great to feel more energized as we tackle our day. Brian and I look forward to finding more ways to simplifying our lives and we are excited to take advantage of the time that we get to spend together this month...before everything gets busy again!!

We Gave In...

Well...we joined the rest of America and got an Apple iPhone!! We feel pretty lucky that we were even able to get one considering so many stores sold out pretty quickly within the first day that they were released. We've been looking forward to getting these and we've saved our money so that we could get the new version of the iPhone. Our AT&T store ran out of phones the first day so we made a day trip to the Apple store in Louisville! We know...it may seem crazy but we enjoyed the drive together and had a nice dinner while we were up there. June has proven to be a busy month for us and we really hadn't spent a lot of time together until our impromptu road trip so it was great to spend the day together. We are still in awe of our new gadgets...we are so amazed at how advanced technology has become over the past few years...it's pretty awesome! 

Home Sweet Home?

Only 18 more days and we are headed to Charleston, South Carolina. We are so excited and for so many different reasons. 

First of all...we get to sneak away together for a few days and spend an ENTIRE weekend together. If you know us than you realize that this rarely happens! We are really looking forward to just relaxing with each other and enjoying our 8 1/2 hour drive with just the two of us.

We are also excited to visit one of our good friends while we are there.  Brandon was accepted into the dental program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He's going to show us around campus and the city of Charleston.

The reason that we are really excited about this trip is because...we could eventually live here! Brian is looking into places for his fellowship in neurointerventional radiology and MUSC is way up there on our list. They have a great program for him and we both love South Carolina so this is really the main reason for our "weekend getaway". To meet some of his potential colleagues and to see if this truly a place that we could possibly call home. Brian starts the interview process this fall so we're trying in squeeze in some visits to places that he is really considering.

We are looking forward to see what Charleston has in store for us!!

Our New Experiment

How many times have you gone to prepare a meal, only to realize that you didn't defrost the meat you needed or you had forgotten to pick up some of the ingredients at the store? If you're like us than this has happened countless times. And also, if you're like us, than you'll just hop in your car and drive to the grocery to pick up what you need. If you perform this same routine quite frequently, eventually your pantry, cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer begin to overflow and you run out of room to store everything. I don't know how many times we've gone to the store and brought back something only to find that we already had it and that we had just forgotten about it. Well...no more!

Inspired by another blog that we keep up with, Keeper of the Home, we have decided that we were going to create our menu plan, for the next TWO WEEKS, using only the items that we already have in our kitchen. That means NO trips to the grocery store...except for our "essentials". We consider these to be our milk, eggs, bread, orange juice and of course...Diet Pepsi. If you know us than you realize that we can not function without our Diet Pepsi :)

At first, we didn't think it would be that hard to come up with our menu ideas. When we looked in our cabinets and freezer it seemed that we had plenty to choose from. After sitting down and beginning to make our menu, we realized that this may be a bit more challenging than we had originally anticipated. We came to find that we may be cooking things and creating meals that we may have never thought of.

We're hoping that this little experiment of ours disciplines us and we're also hoping that this will lower our overall cost of groceries.

Breakfasts will consist of cereal, fruit or toast on most weekday mornings. Lunches will be eaten at home or taken to work. Lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers. That is another thing we are working on...eating our leftovers and not letting our food go to waste. We have gotten much better with this.

Here is our dinner menu plan for the next two weeks:

Saturday: Chili Dogs with Mashed Potatoes (Very healthy...we know!!)

Sunday: Turkey Melt Sandwiches with Asparagus

Monday: Eggs and Toast

Tuesday: Vegetable Soup with Cornbread

Wednesday: Chicken Swiss Bake with Green Beans and Corn

Thursday: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Friday: Chicken and Corn Chowder Soup with Toast

Saturday: We are cheating this night and going out to dinner but it is for a good reason...we're celebrating our April Birthdays!

Sunday: Cheeseburgers with Homemade Hash browns

Monday: Pancakes ( can you tell we're starting to run out of ideas?!?!)

Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Soup with Toast or some sort of sandwich

Wednesday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Peas over Pasta with Light Alfredo Sauce and Garlic Bread

Thursday: Egg Sandwiches

Friday: Taco Night!

Saturday: Ravioli and Asparagus with Garlic Toast

We think we did a pretty good job at making this menu plan. Now let's hope we can stick to it!

Making It Work

So last Tuesday I decided to pay my mom a quick visit at her workplace. I was driving on New Circle Road, two exits away from where I was supposed to get off, when a chunk of wood, about the size of a brick (a little larger), came flying out of the bed of the pick up truck in front of me. I was so worried it was going to hit my windshield...I couldn't swerve into the other lane because of the cars traveling so quickly and I couldn't swerve off the road because there was a ditch. I slowed down as much as I could but ultimately the wood hit the front grill of my car and continued to bounce and hit underneath. The lights on my dashboard flashed for a moment but my airbag light remained on. I pulled off to the nearest exit because I was so scared that the airbag was going to go off. Luckily...it didn't! I called my dealership and had my car towed to the body shop. They told me that I was smart to pull off and not continue to drive because anything could have set off the airbag. I'm so grateful that my airbags didn't go off...it would have made the situation so much worse.

After waiting for about an hour, the tow truck finally arrived! While I waited, I called my mom, who came and stayed with me, and told Brian everything that had happened. I was also two and a half hours late for work. I was on the phone so long that afternoon talking with the insurance people and the workers at the body shop...I was exhausted! There wasn't a whole lot that they could do so I had to wait until Wednesday to get an estimate. The girl working told me that she would call me back by noon on Wednesday with the estimate and we would take it from there. We were pretty sure insurance would cover most of it but we just had to wait and make sure. Sooooo...Wednesday rolled around and I hadn't heard anything so I called and left several messages...nothing! I was so frustrated! Thursday rolled around...still nothing! Again...I called and left several messages with the woman I had been in contact with. Friday rolled around...FINALLY, after I called, I got some information. They still hadn't completed my estimate!

All this time, Brian and I have been carpooling to and from work. I will get up early and take him to work and he will stay late, until I'm done at the studio, and then I will go back and pick him up. It was pretty rough the first few days but we've gotten used to it and it's nice to spend some time together in the mornings.

Well, I finally got my full estimate on Monday afternoon and they have been working on my car since Tuesday. Hopefully I will have it tomorrow!!

This entire situation has been less than ideal but sometimes God puts you in situations for a reason. I've learned to be more patient and Brian and I have made our routine work and we have adapted to our schedules. By getting up earlier I have actually gotten a lot more done around the house and, when Brian stays late at the hospital, he gets his dictations done for his clinics much more quickly. When he does them at home I feel like there are so many distractions so this has actually helped him stay more focused.

I'm just thankful that I, or anyone else, wasn't injured. Things could have of been a lot worse. Brian and I have come to enjoy spending our mornings together!

Happy Easter

We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

A Day Off!

We both had the day off from work yesterday so, after catching up on some must needed rest, we headed up to Cincinnatti, Ohio for some shopping and good food! We did some shopping in the Kenwood area and bought some things for our home. We are in love with our new towels from Pottery Barn...I'm so glad our good friend Diana suggested we check them out. We got some items to organize our bedroom and office and also got a new shower curtain for the master bath. Again...I got very excited about the shower curtain! It really brightnened up the bathroom. I introduced Brian to Crate & Barrel ( that's where we got our shower curtain) and I'm pretty sure he loves it as much as I do. After lots of shopping we headed to one of our favorite restaurants...Cheesecake Factory. Yum! It was a perfect day and it was wonderful to spend some time with each other. When we got back home we immediately started putting our things to use. Once we get everything organized and all of our wedding presents put away we will post some pictures of our place for our friends and family to see!

The Knot Has Officially Been Tied!!

We're finally married!! Yesterday was the big day and we were so blessed to be surrounded by our family and friends as we shared our vows and joined in celebration. More pictures to come soon...we are too tired to write tonight! This past week has been a whirlwind and yesterday was a blur so we are still on cloud nine and can't believe that we are now husband and wife :)

Nap Time...Please?!?!

Only a couple more days and we're going to be married! We can't believe it. So much has been going on this week. Last minute errands and making sure everything is in place for the weekend events. We have both lost sleep and we found ourselves dragging today. I mean...we are absolutely exhausted!! We've been keeping ourselves busy from morning to night but when it's time to go to bed, we find ourselves talking/ texting to who knows what time!

I think it's just because we have so much on our minds and such a wide variety of emotions. We're excited, nervous, anxious, stressed, happy...and TIRED!! Haha.

Actually, I'm writing this right now because I'm still wide awake and can't seem to sleep. It's been this way, for both of us, the past few nights. Any suggestions?

Maybe I'll try to read...that may help! I have a feeling we won't get around to blogging in the next couple of days so keep us in your thoughts and prayers and when we return...we'll be husband and wife :)

Stay Tuned!

We have not blogged in such a long time. We really miss it but the past few weeks have been absolutely crazy! Between our work schedules and preparing for the wedding we haven't had a lot of free time on our hands. After this weekend is over we can't wait to share everything that has been going on with us.

We're looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family this weekend. We hope everyone has safe travels and let's all pray for good weather!

The Countdown Begins!

It's official... only 1 more month until we tie the knot!!! We are soooo excited...now...back to the planning!!

Wedding Update!

We have started to feel the stresses of planning a wedding! The past few weeks have been so hectic. It has been very difficult to stay organized and work around everyone's crazy schedule. But...not too much longer until...our wedding day!!!!!!! We can not wait to spend the day with our family and friends and finally be husband and wife. We have officially decided that we are waiting until August to take our honeymoon. Our work schedules right now are hard to work around so we would rather wait until we know that we can really enjoy ourselves and not be worried about work and everything we have to get done. We just want to relax and August will be a better time for that...plus...it will give us something to look forward to! So much to do and so little time...haha. Keep us in your prayers!

Getting Organized...

When two people get married there comes the task of combining two homes into one. That is exactly what we are going through right now. We are trying to make room for all of our "stuff" and go through and get rid of things that we never use. As stressful and daunting as this is we are slowly but surely making progress. One of the first things we have done is hang shelves in some closets and rooms. This created a lot more storage space for us to use. Instead of spending money on expensive shelving we actually made our own. It was pretty easy to do...Brian was confident that we could do it and make it look it good but I was a little more hesitant! After a trip to Lowe's, to get our wood pieces cut into the size that we needed, we came back home and painted and stained our shelves. We had all of our shelves sanded and painted in one night and hung the next day. It was that simple! These are our pics of some of our shelves in our laundry room and in one of our bathroom closets. I know...this is a pretty random thing to be blogging about but...it was something that we did together and one of our first steps in creating a home together so we are very proud of ourselves! We made shelves for both walls in our laundry room but our other shelf was pretty messy so I decided to not post a picture of it for the whole world to see! Next up...the office! We have started to tackle this monstrous room and should be done with it by the weekend. We'll keep you posted!

Ready for Spring!

We are so ready for spring! No more snow, ice, or cold weather! The weather has been quite nice the past few days...yesterday being the exception. We can handle some rain but not 50 mph winds...that was awful. We love cycling and we are itching to get our bikes back out on the road. Hannah took hers out for a little bit last week but it was still a little chilly so she didn't last too long! We're also getting a little bored running on a treadmill...we would much rather run outside where we can really enjoy running. With spring weather comes more opportunites for trips to the dog park. Our "kids" get a little restless when we don't take them on a regular basis. We've taken them a few times during the winter months but it gets so cold and we never end up staying for too long. Nothing is better than taking those leashes off of them and just watching them run! They have a blast and they ususally come home and sleep the rest of the day...which is kind of nice for us! Is anyone else feeling this way? We are so over winter! Let's SPRING forward! haha...we know...corny!

TGIF!!!!!!

Haha...this is how we feel after this week! We are so glad it is the weekend and we are excited that we don't have too much on our agenda. We may actually get to spend some time together...what's that? It certainly hasn't been a bad week...just a long one. We haven't really seen each other a whole lot this week. Between Brian studying for his inservice exam and our work schedules it's really been hit or miss. When one of us is working, the other one is off! Other than our usual Saturday morning errands and a rehearsal Sunday afternoon, the rest of our time is all for us! Who knows what we'll get into...movies maybe? Gym? Dog park? We'll probably just be lazy and lounge around...hey?...what's wrong with that?!?! Haha...Have a good weekend :)

Lazy Days...

The dogs were pretty restless after a few days of not being able to go outside and play. We had to make do with their toys inside. Carson got to the point where he would just hop in his toy basket and play in there! He usually doesn't do that...it was pretty funny! Then there was one day when we took the dogs out and let them run around for a while despite the ice and snow...apparently it wore Carson and Coco out. They were out for the rest of the day. Carson was so tired that he fell asleep in his basket while getting a toy!

We got pretty bored at night and tried find ways to entertain ourselves...one night we set up our camera and took random pictures. Apparently something was really funny...haha. We are thankful that the weather is clearing up and we can't wait for the spring!

Here's some pics from the Snow/Ice Storm...

Ice Storm 2009!!

We survived the ice storm of '09! haha...and today we have another snow day! I was out of work all of last week. The studio was closed because of the weather and the schools, here in town, were shut down all week. We were fortunate to keep our electricity...I know my mom was out for a few days. We did feel blessed that we could have her over and help her and my sister stay warm! The ice stayed around for quite a few days and finally began to melt on Sunday and Monday and today....it's been snowing for the past few hours! My work has been cancelled for tonight and Brian... is still working! He has to go in no matter what...a hospital never shuts down! We took a lot of pictures of the snow and ice but we will have to upload them later for everyone to see...there are some good ones...especially of our dogs...they love the snow!

And They're Off...

We officially started our training for the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon! We are so excited to participate in this event and we are looking forward to spending the day with many of our close friends who are also racing. We were supposed to race last year but between our schedules and overcoming spring allergies we opted to sit out... but not this year!! We are doing it no matter what! The race falls on Hannah's 24th birthday so it should be an exciting day. We'll keep you posted on how training goes... right now we're pretty motivated but I'm sure we'll have our struggles. Haha!

A Very Cold Trip to the Dog Park

Our dogs have been pretty restless since they haven't been to the dog park the past few days. It's been raining off and on and they have had to stay indoors and they were getting bored with us! We thought it would be a good idea to take Carson and Coco to the park so they could get out some of that energy! They loved it! No one else was at the dog park so they had it all to themselves... they ran and ran and ran! They probably could have kept going but it was freezing so we didn't last too long. It was 30 degrees outside so we only stayed about 20 minutes or so. Even though it was a short trip, the dogs loved it and it wore them out. We're already planning  another trip later this week!