.long.overdue.wordy.i blogged.

i would first like to make it known that i am alive. kyle and i are still living. breathing. and having a good time. we are still enjoying our patio furniture with a bottle or two of pinot grigo on the weekends. we LOVE having a pool in our neighborhood {we actually have two but go to the same one. every time}. i am constantly missing sunscreen in spots and getting sun burnt – kyle makes fun of me and laughs. i am traveling A LOT for work. and i mean A LOT. Spent time in Greensboro & Winston Salem 2 weeks ago – then spent time in Birmingham – now I am off to Sarasota. Then I go to Oklahoma City, followed by Langhorne PA.  I have an awesome new girl on my team and I feel like I am neglecting her training & growth since I am out – and I want to promote another girl on my team amidst all my traveling which is a GREAT idea for her and maybe not a fabulous idea for me and my sanity levels ... I feel like the whole team that i manage needs a little bit of love once all my traveling is done.

...but i digress...

Life update for K and me.  A few weeks back we headed home to Northern VA to celebrate the wedding of Kyle’s good friend JL and his new wife Kelly.  What a fun wedding and it was so pretty and just laid back. Kyle had a VERY good time – not only because I was his designated driver – but because he got to catch up with some of his friends that he has not seen in YEARS! Plus... it was fun to just get dressed up and GO OUT.  ..something that K and I do not do nearly enough.  And look at us ... we clean up well! :) HA!

While we were up there we always make time to see our families. My parents were not in town, but Kyle’s were so we of course hung out with them and saw his little sister.  Sadly, the drive up and back down were 10+ hours a piece and we are just getting tired.  We are talking about cutting out our summer trip to VA. My parents are normally gone and it is just SO much traveling and traveling around northern Virginia for not a lot of down time.  Instead – we will take those 3-4 days and vacation together, somewhere low key but away from Atlanta to just RELAX!!

...in between our trip to VA and then me going to Greensboro and then me heading to Birmingham I spent an afternoon at the spa and it was GLORIOUS and so very very needed! ....thanks for the 15% off birthday deal from the spa I LOVE! #highfive #gooddeals {why am i using hash tags in my blog?!} ... Kyle dragged me to some legit boxing/kickboxing class at TITLE Club Boxing where they had to wrap my hands & I had to put on boxing gloves. I pretty much complained about needing hand sanitizer the whole time and my hands probably still smell like those boxing gloves.  Kyle however, loved it and he will be back and i told him that if he joins and buys gloves he needs to Lysol wipe the insides every time because dark damp spaces = mold and i am pretty confident those gloves were growing mold. yuck

Today Kyle and I headed to Montaluce, a vineyard in the North Georgia mountains for a hike, wine tasting, lunch, and me crossing something off my 30 before 30 list {visiting a vineyard}.  And we legit had PERFECT weather – not too hot for l gate June in the southern summer & pretty much NO humidity. We got lucky. The hike was about 2 miles – 2 fairly easy miles, minus 2 killer hills through the vineyards at the end.  The “tour guide” was super nice and educated about the river, the area, the vineyard, and wine. We really enjoyed it. The North Georgia mountains really are rich with history. I think K was a little nervous that I would talk all about the wedding I had wanted to happen there  {since we looked at Montaluce as our venue & it was my top choice, minus price} and I talked a little bit about it, but not too much. Nothing unbearable. Didn’t beat a dead horse. I think K was  shocked.

At the end of the hike we got to taste 5 of their wines and then have a full glass of our favorite and they had some pretty good wines that I had never heard of.  I tried a Viognier for the 1st time and it was amazing – we tried a Mead and it was just too bubbly for us. And we are non-red wine drinkers and were surprised when we liked the Risata. Granted, it was more of a blush, but it was still good. 

Overall. the Hike & Wine Tasting was fun. We talked to some really interesting people {who were for sure vineyard and wine lovers – but they were not pretentious} who made the day just that much more enjoyable.   ...And we capped our “date day” off by dinner at a cute little town near by. 

....despite being exhausted.... I now get to pack my bags! I am off to Sarasota for work tomorrow! 

Super Quick Trip Home

Kyle and I just got back from a super short trip home to VA for his little sister’s college graduation.  We originally were trying to figure out how to get home – fly, drive, just send a really nice gift and say sorry we couldn’t make it since we’re both low on PTO.  But we decided it was something we needed to do,  cashed in our free stay at the Hampton Inn, and trucked home.

The trip started off the normal way – take the dogs to daycare, they act like the crazy dogs that they are and then I head to work and we work a full day.  Per the usual, we drove in rain – heavy heavy rain and by the time we got to the hotel it was late and we were zonked.

As normal – I had the “honor” of reading a book to Kyle and I chose “Bad Dog (A Love Story)” by Martin Khin simply because it was about a dog, had a cute dog on the cover and was likened to “Marley and Me”.   But seriously, if you’re a dog lover this is a quick, must read easy book.  Kyle and I really enjoyed it and we laughed a lot.  We mainly laughed because the dog in this book reminded us a lot of our dogs and we painfully laughed because we then realized that we are legit bad dog owners.  But the book was seriously good and (I know I said this) but I do highly recommend it. And Kyle and I decided we’re going to pull back out our dog training guides and work on making our dogs not so crazy.

So.  On the topic of crazy dogs. Kyle and I were at Katie’s graduation or her graduation dinner and got a call from Doguroo.  We were notified that “Mulligan shredded Kennesaw’s bed”.  So, I of course call back and ask them to define shredded because I am thinking he spotted a hole and went to town.  But no. He shredded the bed. The bed went into the trash.  Kennesaw’s first ever bed, her home and the thing that makes her “safe” was destroyed by Mulligan the menace.  Oi.  And then the next day Kennesaw got sick.  Needless to say, the pretty pretty princess had a hard few days when we were gone.  Kyle and I (of course) stalked our dogs on the Doguroo Web Cams on my iPhone and his iPad every chance we got.  And we made sure to find their daily pictures.  Like the book – I highly recommend Doguroo if you’re looking for a daycare/boarding place in Atlanta.  They really are simply the best and we know our bebes are in the best of hands when we are gone.

It was good to see everyone and celebrate with Kyle’s sister and family.  It is crazy to think that Katie is now a college graduate.  I think she was just graduating high school when Kyle and I first started dating and she was entering college when we were moving to Atlanta.  Of course, I don’t have any pictures because I still do not have a digital camera, but oh well.

We ate lunch at THE Logan’s Roadhouse where Kyle and I met – hoping to see people that we worked with since we knew they would have thought it was unreal that we got married… but no one was working the lunch shift, just the night shift so we learned that we have to do DINNER there which we know will never ever happen with our busy dinner schedule when we go home. We tried to have lunch one day at Kyle’s most favorite place ever “Chicken Out” … but it was gone!  Kyle of course was devastated but I was more shocked at how much that shopping center had changed.  No more Chicken Out, no more Bagel Bakery – all sorts of changes.  AND we have decided that Virginia Department of Transportation fell into some money because all the roads are under major construction.  I looked up at one point when on the Parkway and had to ask where we were.  Major changes to our home area.  Cray.

It was a really quick trip home – a good break from reality, but I am glad to be back home with my pups and comfy bed.  Next trip home: my first thanksgiving with Kyle’s family.

:: foto friday :: 2011–Our Year. The Recap.

I saw this floating around on different blogs last year so I wanted to steal it and do it here.  This year has FLOWN by.  Even though wedding planning was a big part of this year, we tried our best to mix in things that we’re unrelated to wedding planning and just enjoy each other’s company.  I tried to include pictures as much as I could…. but Kyle hates cameras and is not photogenic so it made it harder than I thought.

January:  Um…. I am not so sure if we really did anything in January other than house hunt and look at 4 million houses and decide to not move into a house with a pool (which I regretted once the southern summers came), we packed to move, played the Wii, and watched Auburn unfortunately win the National Championship. 

February:  We moved into our 1st house.  Yeah… it is a rental house, but it is still our 1st house.  It has a great big backyard for our dog, with doggie doors so Mulligan can come and go as he pleases and it feel great to have so much space and not be on top of each other.  Our neighbors are nice (even though they’re Auburn fans) and the neighborhood is nice and quiet which is a good change for living right off of Peachtree.  We signed a 2 year lease so it is a good thing we like it. HA!

March:  I got my wedding dress and probably kept it on for close to 45 minutes.  I love it.  It is gorgeous and in 3 months everyone gets to see it.  YAY!  It has the vintage, romantic feel that I wanted, but it has a touch of youngness to it.  I ended up getting a veil since my mom wanted it, but that is fine.  I plan on ditching it right after pictures and only wearing it in some pictures.

We also celebrated our “365 days till we’re married” day.  And we of course went to Medieval Times because we (or me) love that place and because that is where we got engaged.  Once again, our knight lost. We always have the yellow knight and he always loses.  What a let down.  We kind of talked the whole way through because if you have seen it once you have seen it a million times, it does not change. So we have decided to not go back for a few years or until we have kids old enough to go and appreciate it.

April:   ….I cannot think of anything we did in April. (Yeah… I started this midway though the year – that is why January and April are LAME!!)  OH – we did get a minister.  That is exciting right?! 

May:  Kyle and I LOVE Zac Brown and I had always said that I would love to see him in concert.  Well, I was given the opportunity to go see him and sit in a VIP box from one of our vendors.  We went with 2 other couples from my office.  We of course had a good time, but it was a total bummer that we had to leave early.  Note to self: once we have kids and go out with friends who are kidless, don’t suggest to go home early… the kidless couple won’t want to bow out early, but they will. =)

Kyle and I also took a trip to Tuscaloosa to help with tornado relief efforts.  We helped with the animal shelter and sorted donations in a warehouse/distribution center.  Though we felt like we did a lot and accomplished a lot… in the grand scheme of things, I feel like we did very little.  It was a great trip and a great experience.  That town needs a lot of support and help and will need it for awhile.  I hope the volunteers continue to flow in.

Oh. And we started our wedding registry at Crate and Barrel.  Kyle acted like a child because he got bored and I realized that registering for wedding gifts is a lot more overwhelming than I thought it would be.  Plus it is kind of weird asking for SO many things.

June:  Kyle and I got dressed up all fancy schmancy and went to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year Gala. It was fun to get dressed up and go to a big charity function to support a cause that means a lot to me …. and we were celebrating my friend Mitzi being in remission for 10 years!  YEAH!  We participated in the silent auction (and didn’t win anything), people watched, and I learned that the dress I chose for my bridesmaid can be worn again.  There were about 4+ girls in the black version of it. 

We also continued registering for wedding gifts.  This time at Target.  It was chaotic and Kyle as on horrible behavior so he became uninvited for future wedding registering events.  Rawr. But we registered for a lot of useful things and things that will be much needed.  And I really hope someone gets me the Magic Bullet {{update :: i got it for christmas}}.

AND!!  We sent our save the dates out to all our wedding guests (with a little bit of panicking thanks to them being magnets and mailboxes being metal). This was a total accomplishment since we (well, I) had been dragging my feet on them since I couldn’t decide on what picture to use. I knew which save the date I wanted, but I couldn’t decided on a picture. But, with Kyle’s help I made a decision they came in, and they got mailed out.  When they came in the mail I was so so so excited with the final product and so excited to send them out to our guests that I sent them out a month early!  Whoops! And I was really excited about the custom cupcake stamps and the personalized Kyle and Barbie return address stamp. I was so excited to hear the positive feedback from so many of our guests (and to know they were not stuck in USPS purgatory)! We hope everyone liked them and that they’re still on your refrigerator!

July:  We took a REAL quick trip home to Northern Virginia to see Kyle’s parents and mine.  It was a good break from reality and it was good to see Kyle’s parents since we rarely get to see them.  Lots of chatter about wedding decisions – didn’t share my dress with them – and the wedding in general.  I got to go run Burke Lake which could be one of my favorite running spots.

We spent part of a Sunday knocking more things off our knot.com “to do list” – my parents came down from Northern Virginia and we all headed to the venue for a “Bridal Extravaganza” to taste food and cake.  We also headed back to McDonough for some major wedding planning and decision making. 

August:  Kyle brought home a cute little dog that had been abandoned by its parents (car drove into neighborhood. neighbors heard a bark. saw car drive off. spotted new dog. sad. some people do not deserve pets) one Monday and left the decision to ME on what to do with her.  I could not put her at animal control knowing her family was not looking for her and knowing that in 5 days she would be put to sleep so we got our 1st and only foster dog and named her Kennesaw (after where Kyle got her). I of course got super attached and cried for hours when I learned that she was finding her furever home and was a hot mess the day I had to hand her over to her new mom.   But not even 24 hours later I got a call telling me that Kennesaw was not going to work out & that she was not getting along with the cats on the farm; therefore, she would have to come back to Atlanta.  Kyle and I just decided to just keep her and make her a permanent member of our family because I couldn’t handle the handing her over again and we both didn’t want to put her through the adoption events again.  So… as of August 30th we are a 2 dog house! =) 

September:  What a lazy lazy month for us.  We really just enjoyed each other’s company, got on each other’s last nerve, tried to get used to having 2 dogs, and watching a lot of football.  It was kind of nice to not really have anything on the schedule, but the month somehow still flew right by.

So many wedding details came together – welcome bags ordered and came to my house.  All the apothecary jars for the candy buffet were bought.  Candy was starting to collect.  Match books bought.  Koozies bought and delivered.  Wedding gift for Mom chosen. Wedding day gift for Kyle chosen. Bridesmaid’s gifts completed. Invitations selected.  September was a REALLY successful wedding planning month.

October:  My good good friend and one of my bridesmaids got married in early October at a gorgeous gorgeous church and the Fabulous FOX Theater here in Atlanta.  I was SO excited to be part of Chrissy’s big day.  She looked fabulous and the wedding was amazing and of course I cried when her dad handed her off to Matt.  Chrissy seriously has the nicest friends and Kyle and I buddied off with another engaged couple.  Kyle and I had a great time dancing and laughing at people and we realized that this is our last wedding until ours. By 11:00 we were EXHAUSTED so I can only imagine how tired we will be on our wedding day.  But…. Yay for Chrissy & Matt – we wish them many years of happiness!!

I also wanted to find a pumpkin patch, so we could carve pumpkins for our house and because when living in Virginia we went to a pumpkin patch and had a lot of fun.  Well, I found one down in McDonough and it was GREAT! It had an awesome corn maze that Kyle ruined the fun in (kidding. kinda) by telling me that you take all right turns. At first we were rock paper scissoring it at each turn to decide who chose the next turn, but since I dressed like “fall” in a sweater and boots I was getting hot. We rode the hayride and went down the slide and the best part was the corn cannons when you had to shoot corn out of a cannon. I hit the target and Kyle did not, so I had fun taunting him and yelling Champion! =D And we of course got 2 awesome pumpkins to carve!

November:  November was rather uneventful.  We went home, of course, for Thanksgiving to Northern Virginia. It was a quick trip as always, but it was sentimental for me because I knew next year I wouldn’t be at Thanksgiving dinner with my family.  you never realize how much your family means to you and how much you love them until you have to think about not doing a holiday with them.  It was the 1st trip home with both the dogs and it was really not that bad.

December: We celebrated our 1st Christmas in our house! And even thought it is just our rental house it is / was so nice to not have our whole living room taken up by a tree.  We of course celebrated our Christmas early (which is going to be weird not doing next year) and then we headed home to Virginia for the holidays.  This was our last holiday apart so it was all just bittersweet.  December was pretty boring as well, but we enjoyed wrapping the presents and decorating our house. 

Ok… I had planned for this to be cliff notes, but it was pretty much a play by play of our year (well, what I could remember of it before I started this in may). next year will be better. promise.