Getting Sweeter

6/5/2010..what can I say??  Our wedding day was just strange.   Don't get me wrong, I am happily married to my best friend and wouldn't change that for the world..and as much as I try to want the same for our wedding day (meaning I wouldn't change it for the world either), I just can't say that's honestly how I feel :).  Maybe sometime I'll reflect back on our wedding day..but not today.  However, I will say that I have never felt so humbled by the outpouring of love and service from a variety of people than on our wedding day and the week leading up to it..what a picture of Christ and the church that I will never forget!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, the one year anniversary, Clay and I wanted to do something fun!  Although several people told us to splurge since your one-year only happens once, we went the middle road and headed to Hershey, PA, for a weekend away.  Obviously this trip may have been geared a little more toward me with my love for almost anything chocolate, but we both had a great time and the weather could not have been better!

We arrived into Hershey late Friday evening  to a room with a king size bed (highlight #1..which is more than we can say for our honeymoon room..still not sure how that mix-up happened) and awoke to a complimentary breakfast that included a pancake maker (highlight #2)!  I think we were the only ones treating this hotel as a resort for the weekend but we then proceeded to take advantage of the gated pool (if I were going to continue 'highlighting' aspects of our trip, this would be #3). 

Anyway, our trip consisted of Chocolate World (which included a tour of the factory, a trolley ride around the town of Hershey, and a chocolate tasting class), Hershey Park (amusement park), and Hershey Gardens.  Enjoy some pictures below!

Lamp posts in Hershey with wrapped and unwrapped Hershey kisses!

The singing cows on the tour of the chocolate factory!

I graduated from Hershey University after our chocolate tasting class :)!

Inside Chocolate World where you can find just about any Hershey product.

One Year and Getting Sweeter..this was our souvenir :)  If anyone goes to Chocolate World, look for us as a display product!

Outside Chocolate World..always ask Asians to take your picture..they're the best.

Clay ready for the one roller coaster he had to ride alone..I felt so bad for him but I just couldn't do it!!  Isn't he just the cutest?!?

At Hershey Gardens..so pretty!

Us together at Hershey Gardens..we had great weather!

So, to end this I figured I would give you a quick peek into our life together and share a few things we've learned over the past year:

One of us...

-likes to hog the bed

-doesn't like to finish something off if a new one is there (ex: milk, toothepaste, etc)

-doesn't always enjoy cooking as much as expected

-steals covers

-loves to take care of our love plant

-doesnt enjoy using a filing cabinet

-often refuses to use a glass when (s)he can drink from the juice container

-does laundry only when low on underwear

-likes the pillows to be in their spot on the couch

-snoozes at least 3 times before getting up

-has an obsession with dessert that has now become both of us

-has difficulty throwing things away (ex: cards, ribbons from presents, etc)

-has no difficult throwing things away (ex: cards, ribbons from presents, etc) when the other person isn't around

-is always willing to take the trash out!

I'm sure there are others but just a few off the top of my head :)  I can honestly say though that I love Clay more now than I did a year ago..can't wait for the many more years ahead!!

we love each other

Just a quick post to show one of my favorite crafts so far!!!  I made this a while ago for our bedroom and just haven't gotten around to showing it.  Back in January I discovered a little quilt shop about 35 minutes from where we live that carries Amy Butler fabric in the store (if you aren't familiar with Amy Butler..this is a fabric line you can't find at Joanne's so finding a store that carries her is a big deal!!!).  I had wanted to instantly buy some of the fabric just because it's so pretty and girly and fun but decided to hold off until I had a reason for some..which brings me to this project :)

Don't laugh at the way the bed is made:

This is a close-up of my favorite letter in the sign.  I just like the way it turned out with the pattern on the fabric:

This was easier to make than expected.  I got the idea from this pattern on Amy Butler's website but I modified it quite a bit.  In a nutshell: I cut out the letters from computer paper, pinned them onto the (freshly ironed) fabric, cut around the letter the best I could, sewed the letters onto the background fabric (used a neutral color for the L,V, and E, and a bright pink around the O), layed the fabric onto a canvas, glued the edges, tucked the corners in neatly and glued those down as well.  Walah!

vacay in may

May meant it was time for Savannah and Hilton Head!  The plan was to spend a long weekend in Hilton Head with Clay's family all to the credit of Patty and Stu signing up for one of those 'listen to us try to get you to sign up for a vacation plan and we'll give you a place to stay.'  Rather than flying into Savannah, Georgia, on Friday with the the rest of the fam, Clay and I headed down to Savannah Thursday afternoon to meet up with my cousins Tausha and Chris who live nearby on Wilmington Island. 

Knowing what its like to live far from family, we definitely wanted to make the effort to see Tausha and Chris and their two boys.  We had a great time catching up and eating lots of lasagna and waffles.  The boys were so sweet..although somehow I didn't take any pictures with them.  Tausha showed Clay and me around Wilmington Island Friday morning and we even got a quick peek at Paula Deen's house :).  Below are a couple pictures of us on Tybee Island:

Friday afternoon Patty, Stu, Nick and Kristin got into Savannah where we met up with them.  We had lunch at a favorite local restaurant and then took a trolley to cover the city's history.  I have to admit I'm not much into historical pictures so I'm only showing two..the rest will be people-oriented pictures.  Below is a large catholic church that was very ornate.  To be honest, I don't really remember the details and I'm not even sure why I'm including it because I don't really have any association with the catholic church but I think I feel obligated to show some history:

And the second historical monument: the Forsythe fountain?  I'm not even sure if that's what its called but I think it is.  Patty and Stu are there with the fountain and then the bicycle taxi is on the left:

Friday evening we all headed up to Hilton Head in the family (rented) mini-van.  Clay and I had the pleasure of sitting in the very back seat continuously..I guess it just comes with being the (nicest?) youngest siblings :).  We didn't take a lot of pictures here either but below is definitely one of our best photo op's.  This was in Sea Pines out by the lighthouse one evening before dinner: 

I had thrown around the idea of a coordinated family picture but didn't follow through on it.  You can see that is part of the reason in couples pictures rather than a group picture. Maybe sometime we'll get a big family picture and Stu can submit it and give an update on the fam to the Air Force?  We'll try to make it happen..

On our last full day, we rented some bikes to take out on the beach.  I think Hilton Head is one of my favorite beaches.  I had never been on a beach where the sand was hard enough to ride a bike.  It's also one of those remote-ish beaches that doesn't have a boardwalk.  I prefer the more remote beaches to those that are right on the edge of town.  Anyway, so we took the bikes out one morning and then Clay and I went back out in the evening. 

Look how cute he is riding along :)

 Us using self-timer out on our bike ride:

Me trailing Clay as he made a game out of how many jelly fish he could run over.  The jelly fish were everywhere.  I had never seen so many (well, actually, I'd never seen jelly fish).  All of those little bumps in the sand are actually jelly fish.  How many times can you use 'jelly fish' in one picture description?

Here's a close up:

That about wraps up our mini family vacay.  Thanks Patty and Stu!!! 

Easter Basket Weekend

For Easter weekend we headed down to Delaware!  In the Spring when everywhere seems to be getting warmer and New York just seems to be hovering in the not-quite-warm-yet, we always welcome a trip just a few hours south :).  And this year it meant getting to see a couple of Clay's cousins from California!!

Friday afternoon we headed down and spent some family time hanging around.  I think some people played cards but I just remember falling asleep on the couch (Friday evenings are not quite what they used to be for me..).  Saturday was a beautiful day: the guys played golf and us girls got to spend the day walking around the shops on the boardwalk at the beach and getting to know this little guy better..meet Van (not Nick..we already know him)!

Everyone met up for dinner and of course we took advantage of the photo-op out back of the restaurant!  Almost everyone..Joe and Breanne are on the right..so glad we got to meet you both!!

Cousins!

Kind-of Siblings (shout out to the leg pop):

Patty and Stu..so happy :) Patty loved having us all there:

me and clay :)

Easter weekend definitely holds special meaning for us..sometimes I wish we made as big of a deal out of Easter as we do for Christmas.  I have to admit I like getting to pick out an Easter dress and filling Easter baskets but how can I not be overwhelmed when I realize the love that was shown from the Cross.  Christ gave everything..withheld nothing.  He sacrificed on the cross so that we could gain eternal life through Him.  I don't like to even let myself think about the pain that Jesus went through on the cross, and He actually experienced it.  I'm so thankful to have a husband that leads me in Christ and a family that shares in our belief in Christ. 

Here is a pic from Easter morning and then a quick one of our first Easter baskets married :)

Bunny Cake Walk

I hadn't been able to see my family since Christmas so this visit was long overdue!  Mom and Dad came out for a quick visit the weekend before Easter and the visit was once again filled with pawn shops and trains!!!  I really don't like being so far from them..I have to be honest..I think they get just a little more gray hair each time I see them; neither seems to be losing any hair..just graying.  But it never fails that Dad will always want to find one more pawn shop to look at so they're also not slowing down any!

Even though our visits are short, I know these quick trips are making lasting memories.  So for Christmas, Clay and I were trying to get my dad a train DVD.  Well to make a long story short, it didnt work out so we gave him a "coupon" to pick one out and then we would order it..you know how parents are with that..they aren't going to ask directly for a gift.  So one evening in Target, instead of coming out with cute shoes or a random home decoration, we found and bought a 4-disc train dvd set that had hours and hours of trains in each season.  This was a huge find!!  We gave it to Dad when they came out and our weekend was filled with scenery and the sound of a train going by (..take that noisy smoky neighbors!!!).  Eventually Mom came up with the ingenious idea of muting but before that, this is Clay dealing with the ongoing train DVD's:

Anyway, we had a good weekend.  I hope I can learn to serve the way my mom does.  I get so tired of doing dishes and cooking food and refilling plates and doing more dishes..and I've only been at it a year.  She silently challenges me to be a better wife and someday mom.  And she happily puts up with train DVD's..for a while anyway..

Here are a few more pictures from our walk around the park..and the kind of creepy bunny cake.  Thanks Mom and Dad for coming out!!!

Business in Milwaukee

In the middle of March I got the opportunity to go to Northwestern Mutual's home office on my very first business trip.  Although exciting at times, flying alone is still a bit of a hassle.  I went out for a 2-day training seminar so decided to save the company some money and not check a bag..that of course meant lugging my carry-on and laptop around.  But besides all that, the trip was great.  I had warm(er) weather, a nice hotel, and informative training sessions!  Enjoy some pics below..

My hotel room..done in pink for just me :)

 View from my hotel window of downtown Milwaukee:

 Inside the atrium of one of the main buildings where I had my training:

 In the same atrium as the above picture, just lower in the room.  There is water in the center circle pool and it was one of those infinity pools (I think thats what they're called??) when the water goes right to the edge or just barely overflows: 

Northwestern's famous columns:

I am blessed to have a good job and to work for a great company, but I have to be honest and say that I still look forward to the day when I get to work out of our home :).



Some Plants and Things

For those of you that got to see 80 plus degree weather in March, we were not included.  Spring has barely sprung up here in Syracuse but Clay and I took it upon ourselves to bring some Spring indoors!  This is when I want a house with a front porch that can have hanging baskets full of flowers and window boxes and a walkway up to that porch lined with little pretty green plants that bloom.  But for now, we will plant what we can living five stories up in the air.

About mid-March we planted our beloved herb garden and flower pot:

Our herbs include parsley, oregano, rosemary, and basil.  We're a little nervous because the seed packets said to plant some of them a foot apart and we planted the seeds about a millimeter apart..and rosemary can get a couple feet tall.  Oops.  Oh well.  We have high hopes for these little guys!

Then, the favors from our wedding were seed packets (with a cute little note too!) so I wanted to be able to plant some of those flowers..the clay pot.  We'll see how everything works out.

To go back a little bit prior to this planting...these may help you understand why we're so anxious for spring:

Winterfest 2011 featuring a real ice castle complete with ice sculptures.  Yip. Ee.

I genuinely hope Spring is coming quicker for you than it has been for us!  We'll let you know how the plants have been growing!