ARTSY FARTSY

Last night, Steve & I took a walk around the pond at Johnston Memorial Park across the street from our apartment before dinner. Check out the "artsy fartsy" photos I captured!

IT'S FRIIIIIIIDAY

Can you tell I'm ready for the weekend? It's supposed to be BEAUTIFUL!!! We have a bit going on but it's not packed like it normally is. I feel like we have some breathing room & downtime which will be very nice! Our weekend consists of possibly the PawSox game, packing, relaxing, a spa week facial @ Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in Providence w/ Amy, dinner w/ Amy & Jacob, Steve's niece Avery's baptism & our engagement photo session w/ Stacey M Photography!!! (Hmmm, did I just say it wasn't packed? Too funny!).....I am PUMPED for the photo shoot! I talked to Stacey today (who is sooooo sweet & awesome!!!) & we came up w/ a plan. She has some fabulous location ideas in mind & wants us to bring a few outfits to change into! Fun fun! I can't wait to share the final prints w/ all of you! Check out her blog in the mean time if you haven't already! (http://staceymphotography.blogspot.com/)

On a side note...Has anyone seen the new show "Southland"? I only saw the 1st one last week, but I am already obsessed! I can't wait to watch last night's episode when I get home from work this evening!

VIRGINIA TECH: 4-16

SIMPLY STATED

.TODAY we are ALL Hokies.

"On this day, the Virginia Tech community reflects on the vibrant lives of the 32 students and faculty who were tragically taken from us a year ago. Through light, art, and music we pay tribute to each and every person we lost."

IN REMEMBRANCE...

Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee
Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O’Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White

MOISTURE SURGE

Clinique's oil free "Moisture Surge"...it just might do the trick now that Spring/Summer is approaching! On top of this though, check out all of the free gifts I recieved w/ my purchase! I recieved all of this for roughly $30 @ the stand in Macy's! Crazy huh?

MY FAMILY

I love my family...I can't wait to see them...7 more weeks till they come & visit us!!!
L--->R: Roy, Linda, lil Madeline, Ashley, Louis & Me! (YES, it was National plaid shorts day)

TRACY VS. MICHELLE

Who wore it better? ;) HA...Check it out! Natalie's cousin Tracy has the same dress as Michelle Obama! This cute lil number is also from H&M! COOL STUFF! Natalie has informed me that Tracy wore it first!

I'M OBVIOUSLY AHEAD OF THE GAME

Notice anything? I totally wore this blue checkered dress from H&M several months ago to Rebecca's baby shower. Apparently I’m ahead of the game when it comes to fashion! ;) American Idol contestant Allison Iraheta wore the same dress last week when she performed! Too funny! When I was watching I yelled "that's my dress!!!" HA!....Carrie-Not sure if you watch AI but if you do I’m sure you noticed this!

EASTER WEEKEND

I'll work backwards for this one....

SUNDAY: Steve & I slept in, headed out to Waterplace Restaurant in Providence for Easter brunch & then came home & packed! No, we didn't go to church...yes, I know...we are "bad". The brunch was sooo yummy! There was so much to choose from! Their French toast & chicken marsala was to die for!...I am so glad we checked it out! The weather was a bit chilly for us though to dress up but we did it anyway. Too bad I haven’t mastered taking "self portraits" of us. I should have asked someone to take a photo of us in front of the bridge. Steve had a dress shirt, dress pants & a tie on & I had a cute pink ruffled top w/ black dress pants on. It was just way too chilly to take off our quotes for a quick photo op! I'll have to settle w/ the one below... oh well. And yes, I do have hair. Even though it was a lovely outing together, next year I definitely want to be w/ family. Maybe one day we will have the opportunity to celebrate this holiday & other holidays with BOTH of our families! I would love that.

Providence...to the left of the water is where Waterplace Restaurant is.

The Easter bunny made Steve work for his basket of goodies! He had to hunt for 16 eggs! Each of them was filled w/ an "I love you because....". Who know the Easter bunny was so clever & romantic? ;)

FREE pampering sessions @ the W Salon for eating at Waterplace Restaurant Easter Sunday! SCORE!

SATURDAY: We woke up early & headed out to Plainfield, CT in the pouring rain to check out Amazing Furniture w/ Bryan & Sue. We were a bit disappointed w/ this place. We thought it was cheaper then Bob's where we are eying a few pieces but it was definitely not. Bob's definitely has better prices & displays their furniture a whole lot better then this warehouse. Afterwards we went to Mary & Joe's son's 1st birthday party. There was a ton of family & friends there. Lots of food & lots of gifts! We ended up getting lil Joey an alligator blow up swimming pool for the backyard & some swim shorts! Mary & Joe seemed to LOVE our gift!...Afterwards we stopped by Matt & Nichole's house (Steve's bro & sis-in-law) to catch up for a bit. We brought Steve's nieces Easter stuffed animals. We gave Leah a big soft yellow duck & lil Avery a small blue bunny. Leah's reaction was priceless when I handed it to her! She had a big smile on her face when I told her it was for her. Too cute! About an hour or so later we headed back to our apt in RI & had a low key evening...the rain continued throughout the evening.

How cute is he?

FRIDAY: Steve's old work buddies invited out for a mini reunion since Michelle was in town from PA. We met up w/ them at the funky & unique hotel NYLO. It was so nice to see everyone. When we found them in the back of the bar you could tell they had all been drinking for quite a while! Too funny! They were all up dancing around, singing & having a great time together! Of course my shyness took over; I ended up just standing back & hanging out w/ Steve & eventually w/ Missy & Joe when they arrived. If I ended up having a few more drinks I’m sure I would have joined them! We hung out for about 2 hours, chatted (even though it was VERY loud in there) & then eventually went on home. Steve realized the drinks were a bit pricey so we took it easy & just chilled. Thanks for the invite girls! It was good to see you all....until next time!

Girls, girls girls...

Me & Missy!

Sue, Joe & Missy...

Sue, Steve & Me...

eHARMONY & PACKING

1. I am now a fan again of Lindsay Lohan because of her recent eHarmony ad. LOVE IT.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/0d646e2edb/lindsay-lohan-s-eharmony-profile

2. PACKING SUCKS.....I will never move again. UNLESS, we move back to Virginia later on in life! ;)

"SAVE THE DATE"

Check out the final product of our "SAVE THE DATE" photo booth film strip!
***(click to enlarge)***

HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope you all have a lovely weekend w/ friends & family. Mom, Dad, Ashley & Louis-I'll miss you guys on Sunday with whatever you do!


Here is what Steve & I are doing...

FRI: NYLO hotel bar w/ Steve’s old work peeps!
SAT: Lil Joey’s 1st birthday party & furniture/appliance shopping in CT!
SUN: Easter brunch @ Waterplace in Providence & packing up the apartment!
This...(see below) is what we will be eating on Easter! YUM! :)

BALD GUY GREETINGS

Bald Guy Greetings (http://www.baldguygreetings.com/) = the funniest & most sarcastic greeting cards you'll ever find! I just ordered a bunch more since my collection ran out. If you are lucky, you might receive one from me in the near future. Check out the website! And tell Ian I directed you there! ;)

SKIN, HAIR & NAILS

A few months ago I started taking "Skin, Hair & Nails" to hopefully improve the strength & growth of my, get this...hair & nails, before my wedding day. The thing is I haven’t really seen much of a difference. Today I looked at the pills & examined them a bit in my hand. I thought to myself...for all I know these tiny little things could be filled w/ saw dust!.....Does anyone out there have any other suggestions to replace this type of vitamin?

WATERWORKS

Gary, Joe Don & Jay of Rascal Flatts did it again...they made me cry. HARD! That obviously means they delivered in my eyes. Of course their new CD is amazing. As always. I wouldn't expect any less. My top tracks so far after listening to their album on the way home from running errands last night are...

1. Love Who You Love
7. Things That Matter
8. Summer Nights
11. Why (my tear jerker song...)

"WHY"
It must’ a been a place so dark, couldn’t feel the light
Reachin’ for you through that stormy cloud
Now here we are gathered in our little home town
This can’t be the way you meant to draw a crowd

Oh why that’s what I keep askin’
Was there anything I could have said or done
Oh I had no clue you were masking the troubled soul, god only knows
What went wrong and why you’d leave the stage in the middle of a song

Now in my mind I keep you frozen as a seventeen year old
Around for when you scored the winning run
You always played with passion no matter what the game
When you took the stage you shined just like the sun

Oh why that’s what I keep askin’
Was there anything I could have said or done
Oh I had no clue you were masking the troubled soul, god only knows
What went wrong and why you’d leave the stage in the middle of a song

Now the oak trees are swayin’ in the early autumn breeze
The golden sun is shining on my face
The tangled thoughts I hear a mockingbird sing
This old world really ain’t that bad a place

Oh why there’s no comprehending
And who am I to try to judge or explain
Oh but I do have one burning question
Who told you life wasn’t worth the fight
They were wrong
They lied
And now you’re gone
And we cried

Cause It’s not like you to walk away in the middle of a song

Your beautiful song
Your absolutely beautiful song



*There's not one day that goes by that I don't think about you Uncle George...not one.

4 THINGS

1. MILK: It does a body good! Even for Molly...

2. FEAR OF STAPLING: When I was a lil girl back in Elementary school we used to have to bring in & present current events. After we presented them to the teacher & the class we had to staple them up on a board that was in the classroom. One fine day I went to staple my current event & ended up stapling my thumb! NO JOKE. It hurt like hell! It was the worst feeling in the world! I remember staring down at my thumb w/ a staple sticking out of it. I had to go to the nurse & have it removed. Not a fun process let me tell you! NOW...every time I use a stapler at my desk I think about this not so fun memory. It seriously haunts me, I can't be too careful!.....So, to all of you people who staple out there...please use caution!


3. WONDER HANGER: My new closest sooooo needs this.

4. HE WON: Steve that is! Steve won a baseball/softball glove at work yesterday! He brought it home for me to start using. It's been forever since I've thrown a ball around. I can't wait to break the leather in! Thanks babe!

UNSTOPPABLE

Rascal Flatt's new CD "UNSTOPPABLE" comes out today! GO GET IT.

BANGS

Ashley did it! She got bangs.....& more highlights! Love the new look sis! :) It definitely resembles Katie Holmes' recent hairstyle!.....PS: Cute necklace!

ANOTHER VIRGINIAN IN RHODE ISLAND

Saturday, while Steve was out in CT I went to this (pretty) new shopping center in Smithfield, RI. My goal was to run in GAP to pick up a few of my body mist’s (Dream, Dream More, Heaven & Just Petals) since I am running low on them. I walked into the GAP BODY side & started looking around. A dark haired women in her 40s asked me if I needed help but I turned her down since I pretty much knew what I was looking for. When I couldn’t find my Just Petals I asked her if she had any in the back. She was a bit cold at first stating that GAP doesn’t’ make that name of body mist. Politely, I told her that I swear they do since I have one at home…After chatting a bit & looking at the other bottles she asked me where I got the one I was looking for & how long ago…I laughed & said well, it was probably about a year back in Virginia. She laughed & said oh really? I am from Virginia actually. As soon as she told me that a huge smile approached my face. No way!!! What part? Thinking she would say somewhere far from NOVA….Reston, VA she said…I about died! Reston! I’m from Herndon!!! The lady tells me she went to Herndon HS back in the day & I shouted back, I went to Chantilly! I was standing there in GAP BODY chatting w/ this lady who started to warm up quite a bit since we realized we had something very big in common. It was as if we were both competing with each other by asking millions of questions all at once…She ended up telling me that she moved up North 12 years ago & has been married for 10. Her hubby was the reason for her move…funny I told her, we have the same story. She said she has 2 kids & misses home every day…..Then she proceeded to tell me how much she hates it up here since its certainly no Fairfax County……HA…but then she reassured me a bit when she noticed my smile started to disappear…It’s not the area she said, its just that its different…everything is different…obviously I would leave if I was that unhappy but the love for my husband & family keeps me here. Right about that time, my eyes fill w/ tears…I understood what she was saying & I understood the sacrifices she made for love. After she rang me up & walked me to the door she introduced herself & said her name was Sara. She told me that if I ever felt homesick or just wanted to chat w/ someone from the “neighborhood” to please stop by & do so…. I think I just might.

Oh & by the way…since GAP's Just Petals isn’t offered up here in Rhode Island I went w/ So Pink...So far…I think it’s yummy.

STACEY M PHOTOGRPAHY

STACEY M PHOTOGRAPHY

http://staceymphotography.blogspot.com/

Oh my gosh! I am so excited to share this with all of you! Steve's High School friend Stacey owns her own professional photography business. She reached out to us last week asking for some help...she wanted to know if Steve & I wanted to have an engagement photo session so she can get some new shots for her up & coming website!!! I am so incredibly pumped for this! I fell in love with her work & her style right off the bat! Sooo as you can imagine I said YES to this opportunity as soon as she presented it to us! We can't wait to meet with her! She has so many fun & unique ideas for us! Not to mention a wardrobe change! ;) I promise to share the final shots w/ you later on down the road...in the mean time check out her blog & the amazing photos Stacey took below....WOW is she talented & WOW are we lucky to be able to do this!

P-P-P-POKER FACE, P-P-POKER FACE

I cannot get this song out of my head! Ever since her performance on American Idol last week. LOVE the lyrics & LOVE her video! And her style? It's just the coolest EVER! Ch-ch-ch-check it out!

"Poker Face" ~Lady Gaga~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d27Hj8Gg9o&feature=PlayList&p=F065523782700AAB&index=0&playnext=1

ACCENT CHAIRS

Accent chairs are a must!!! ;)………For the past 6 months or so I have had my eye on 2 fabulous fabric accent chairs @ Burlington Coat Factory. They were a bit pricey when I first noticed them; so as you can imagine I was in hopes for the price to drop before they could be mine…After checking on them every few weeks I can finally say that as of yesterday they are officially ours! I am sooo excited! Perfect timing to move them into our new house in a few weeks! They are very similar to the chair below…the fabric though is a teal & brown damask pattern that matches our bedroom bedding PERFECTLY! Once we move in though, our current bedding & the fabulous new chairs will be used in our large guest room! Steve & I will be getting all new furniture & décor for our room in a few weeks! YAY…I heart Burlington & great deals!

A similar print example....

A similar looking chair...

SOOO EXCITED...YET SAD

Over the next few days.....Our house inspection!!!...Relaxing!!!...Packing!!! That is all! ;) We plan to stay in RI (for the most part) this weekend...we only have a few "free" weekends left in our apartment to actually get things taken care of & have some down time. I thought it was going to be beautiful weather but it looks like it's going to rain until Monday or Tuesday....Here is a shout out to my VA family & friends: I miss you all dearly!!! Some days are harder then others...the past few days have been a bit hard. I know I will see you all sooner then later though...HUGS!!!