October in Review

I have been so bad about updating my blog lately.  Everything is fine here, just waiting for Frankenstorm to hit sometime tonight or tomorrow.  Chris and I have decided to fix a nice steak dinner tonight, just in case the electricity goes out and we can't eat another delicious hot meal for a few days.  (ha!)

I'm not going to write a huge update today, but I will post a few pictures (and a video!) of this month's highlights!

I went to an air show with my two best friends!

After the air show we carved pumpkins!  I carved the middle
(Ariel) but the other two are a dog and an Angry Bird.

Chris' birthday was on the 24th and I made a delicious lemon
cake!  (Can you tell I had to re-write the 'birth' part of birthday?)

We received our wedding video on Saturday!  Due to some miscommunications with Disney it took six months to get it, but it's finally here now and Chris and I are so happy to finally have it!  The above video is the montage, we've only shared the actual ceremony with our family.  

The other exciting thing that happened was that our nephew arrived on the 26th!  There are a ton of pictures of him on facebook (boy is he a cutie!) and I was able to skype with my in-laws twice on Friday to ooo and ahh over him.  Now I have a niece and nephew to love and spoil like crazy.  We are all just so excited!

And that's about it!  It's been such an exciting month and I can't believe it is almost November.  Good grief this year is going by fast!  

Four Seasons of Marriage: Summer Picture Update

Do you remember my post last week about seasonal pictures the first year of marriage?  If not, you can find it here.

Our original idea was to buy pirate hats and have the picture taken at Magic Kingdom while wearing them.  We thought it would be such a cute picture because it would represent us getting engaged in front of the Pirates ride last summer.  But once we got to the park and started looking at the hats we couldn't find any that we liked.  It was fun trying them on though and laughing at how ridiculous we looked though!  I only wish that I had snapped a picture of Chris wearing Jack Sparrow's hat.  Now that was a sight to see!

Chris took the picture, that is why it is blurry! 

Since the Pirate idea was a bust we decided that maybe hats just weren't in the cards for the summer picture.  Since Chris was sick before we left (you can read about that here) he wasn't able to get a haircut so he was wearing his favorite Long Beach hat around the parks.  I figured that our summer picture would look better if he was wearing his "normal" hat and I was wearing nothing on my head.  I also figured that our fall picture is going to be something really fun (hats included!) so it would be okay to not wear a hat this time around.

When we got to Epcot on Sunday we were on the lookout for a photographer to take our picture in front of the ball.  I don't know if they were on their lunch break or what but we couldn't find anybody!  So Chris decided that we'd take the picture ourselves and see how it turned out.  These are the two that came out:

Picture One

Picture Two

Personally, picture number two is my favorite.  

After walking around for an hour or so we found a cast member that was taking pictures.  He was so funny and extremely nice so I felt completely at ease as he snapped away on the camera.  Usually the photographers snap them quickly and are done but he was taking his time.  I looked up the Disney Photopass Pictures online and took a picture of them with my phone.  They're a little bit blurry but you'll get the general idea.

My initial thought was that I liked the ones that were taken by the cast member because all of the pictures will look uniformed when I finally hang them on the wall after our one year anniversary.  But I also really like the ones Chris took on his iPhone.  

So, once again readers, I need your help!  Which picture do you like best?  Help me decide!

A Disney-Filled Weekend

There is something you need to know about me:
I LOVE bragging about my husband.

I'm not saying that everything is perfect every hour of every day but I will give him credit when it is due.  And he definitely gets major points for this weekend.

Last month we decided to use our annual Disney passes and go for a quick visit.  We'd leave on a Friday in September and come back on Sunday giving us just enough time for a few rides, good food, and lots of fun.  But when he came home from work on Friday, we were thrown a curve ball that neither of us saw coming.  Chris was sick.

At first we thought his allergies were acting up and a little medicine would do the trick.  But we later found out that he had a fever, cough, sore throat, and runny nose.  Not a good way to start off our trip.  But we still decided to pack up the car and drive 13 hours down to FL.

We got there at 10am the following morning and checked into our hotel right away.  The plan was to take a nap and then get up, get a shower, and go to the parks.  Poor Chris was feeling horrible by this point that I let him sleep a little longer then we planned to see if that would help.  It didn't.  He was pretty miserable all day but boy was he a trooper.  The Magic Kingdom was open until 11pm so we figured that if we got there around four o'clock in the afternoon and left around eleven we'd still get a solid seven hours to ride all of our favorite rides.

The park was all decorated for Halloween with banners and Mickey pumpkins around every corner.  We were really hoping that The Haunted Mansion was decorated as The Nightmare Before Christmas (like at Disneyland) but we were disappointed to find out they don't do that in Florida.

Since the park was moderately packed we were able to ride everything we wanted to with an average wait time of about twenty minutes.  We also tried to get a peak at the new Fantasyland but you couldn't really see too much because of the large walls blocking the progress.  It was fun to try to guess what we thought they were building and then find out we were right!

The next day we got up and went straight to Epcot.  Every time we go we eat in China because they don't fix the food in peanut oil, which means this is the only time in my entire life that I can have Chinese food!  The orange chicken is delicious.

We were so surprised at how empty the park was!  It was a little warmer on Sunday and I ended up getting sunburned (stupid eczema medicine...) but it was still one of the nicest days I've ever spent at Epcot.

We ended up getting our pictures taken in front of the ball, rode all of our favorite rides, and then left to head back to Magic Kingdom to ride Pirates one last time.

Chris was such a trooper.  I usually don't like to brag publicly (because he'll have proof of what I've said) but I really have to give him credit.  Even though he had a fever and probably wanted nothing more than to be asleep in a bed, he let me drag him around the park for some fun in the hot Florida sun.  Luckily the nyquil seems to have knocked the worst of whatever he had out of him and now he's just left with a cough.  Let's just hope I don't end up getting what he had.    

Last, but not least, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.  Enjoy!

There was barely anyone at Epcot.  We were
trying to get a picture of us with the ball in the
background but failed.

The Finding Nemo ride is one of our favorites! 

Probably my favorite picture from the trip! 
We were waiting in line for Pirates the first night!

He was excited for Philar Magic!

Panoramic with the new iPhone.  The sunset was gorgeous!

We love Michael Jackson!

So cute in his 3-D glasses.  :-)

Four Seasons of Marriage

I came across a pin on Pinterest a while back of a newly married couple who took photos every season the first year they were married.  I fell completely in love with the idea and started scheming of ways to make it work for me.

Chris and I are Disney people.  I'm pretty sure that by now everyone knows that about us though.  We go at least twice a year, got married there, and now have annual passes.  Since we're pretty much obsessed, I thought it would be really cute to do our four pictures at the Disney Parks. And since we've spent a lot of time there this year, the idea just fit.

First I had to look up what days the seasons started on, just to make sure I could make this project happen.

Spring: March 20, 1:14 a.m.

Summer: June 20, 7:09 p.m.

Fall: September 22, 10:49 a.m.

Winter: December 21, 6:12 a.m.

We have our wedding photos that were taken in April so that could be our Spring photo.  But, Chris and I did not go during the extremely hot summer months so I'm going to have to be a little creative with this one.

Since Chris and I are leaving Friday night (the 21st) for Disney, I'm hoping that traffic will be light and we'll be able to get to the parks early Saturday morning.  My goal is to run in, take the picture, and then go back to the hotel for a bit.  I'm hoping that works out the way I want it too!

But, I want to do something cute for the picture.  In our spring photo we're wearing the Bride and Groom Disney hats, and I was thinking that maybe we could wear different hats in each picture.  However, those hats cost at least $20 a person, even more if you get them personalized (which I want to do!).

My question is, what should I do?  I've found some really cute ideas on Pinterest but I can't pick which one I like the best!  Can you help me decide?

Buy regular ears and get our names (or the word newlyweds)
embroidered on them?

Put this on the front or back of a t-shirt? 

Buy Pirate hats!  This would be cute since we got
 engaged in front of the Pirates ride! 

I'd never wear a sweatshirt when it is 80 degrees
out but this would be cute on a t-shirt!

We already have these hats but we could always bring them again
and get our names put on them...

I need some help deciding because they're all such cute ideas!

Photo Storage

My mom moved out of her house a few weeks ago and she gave Chris and I a ton of stuff.  I thought we didn't have room in our apartment before but now we really don't.  So please excuse me if I don't invite you over for dinner and drinks anytime soon.  The mess is slowly taking over and I just can't handle the idea of people seeing it this way right now!

One thing she gave me (that I am really excited about) was all of our family pictures.  They are in two huge bins, all categorized, but I am not able to store them in a friendly space-saving way.  I looked on Pinterest, Office Depot, Ikea, and Staples but did not find what I was looking for.

What did I want?
I wanted something that held a ton of pictures but was easy to store, and you could easily find what you were looking for.  Was that too much to hope for?  

At first the answer was yes.  I seriously thought I would never find anything.

Where did I find my solution?
The Container Store.
It's no surprise that this is now my favorite organization store.  As Sarah puts it, "it made me want boxes for my boxes."

What did I find?

12-Case Photo Storage Carrier

This little beauty is a 12-case photo storage carrier that can hold up to 1,000 4x6 photos.  You can buy either the 12-case ($32.99) or the 6-case ($19.99).  I opted for the bigger case because we have so many photos.

I only bought one (on sale!) to start out with because I wasn't sure how I'd like it.  But, since I love it I will be buying another one in the near future.

Why do I love it?

  1.  It's lightweight.  Even with photos in it I can easy move it wherever I want.

  2.  It's see-through so you can easily find what you are looking for.

  3.  It's versatile.  It's also a good way to store recipes!

  4.  Easy to label.  

  5.  Photos will be well preserved for a very long time.

  6.  They're stackable so they don't take up a lot of space (score!).   

In a matter of days I went from this:

To this:

Big difference, right?  And I still have another box sitting in my car that is filled to the top with photos. 

Professional Engagement Pictures

A high school friend of mine just recently started her own Photography business with her neighbor and was so excited when Chris and I got engaged because it was her chance to do our photos.  We planned to do our photos in Washington DC near some of our favorite monuments.  The main attraction was that two days after we started dating in 2009, we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival and toured the city.  Chris, my mom, Sam and I went around to numerous monuments and had a great time doing it.  So..when Chris and I were deciding where to do our pictures, there was no question.  DC was the place to do it!

We were hoping that the leaves would start changing in mid October, so Ashley and Gail met us at our apartment and we all drove into DC together.  Unfortunately, only some of the leaves had changed so mid October wasn't the best idea but the pictures turned out great so we can't complain!

Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

I don't know why but I absolutely love this photo!

I love the chalkboard idea for pictures!

What a great picture of the ring!

                                                  

 

 

This is my favorite picture.  <3

Chris doesn't like his face in this one but I love it!  :-)

Ashley and Gail thought it would be cute to do a reenactment of the proposal.  I was acting a little over dramatic but it was fun!  You could hear a lot of people say, "She's not even crying!"  or "Is this for real?!"  haha

California Fun

Chris and I spent the last few days out in California with his family.  We got out there midday on Wednesday (the 19th) and came back to Virginia on Monday (the 24th).  While I spent most of my time with his mom and sister Jessica, he was off having fun at Blizzcon with his World of Warcraft buddies.  

Kelly, Jessica, Amelia, and I spent some time crafting, making my wedding invitations, favors, decorating for our engagement party, looked at reception locations (and found one I'm in love with), and even had time to do a little shopping!  At night, I went and hung out with Chris and his friends, spent lots of time with Shiva, and got to eat some really amazing food!  We had a really fun trip, and I was sad to come home.  But at least I know that I will go out again in the near future to help with more wedding stuff, hang out for my bridal shower, and go to Vegas for my bachelorette party!  (I can't wait!!)

And now....I thought I'd share our trip in photos.  Enjoy!

At Downtown Disney we ate at the Rainforest Cafe and looked at flower girl dresses for the wedding.  Amelia did not like putting on Cinderella's dress at all!

The Monarch Room at The Grand in Long Beach is where I am considering having the reception.   This was everyone's favorite room!

Some of the photos Jessica and I took of Amelia!

Kelly made the mickey ears for us!

The Mickey ears read, "FINALLY ENGAGED" (inside joke) and the tables were decorated pink and black.  These two photos were taken with my Hipstamatic app on the iPhone!

More Pinteresting Ideas

I am obsessed with Pinterest.  If you haven't gotten an invitation to the website, you need to get on that.  It has a little bit of everything on there, and you can find so many great ideas for your home, wedding, kids, etc.  I honestly can't talk about it enough.  It's a great way to share ideas and designs with other people from all over the world.  And now that I'm getting married, it has really helped me gather ideas for what I want!

I want to share a few photos from some of my favorite categories.  Let's start out with engagement photos.  (Ashley...these are for you!)

Next are the Wedding Photos I love!

Here are some wedding decorations I like:  

Calla Lillies for the bridesmaids!  So simple and elegant!

I like the wrap on this one!

I like the colors for this one for me to carry down the aisle! 

Ahhh...pop of color with a bridal gown.  Gorgeous!

I love peach and coral!

I love the sign!