:: Five Things Friday ::

I have not done one of these in what feels like FOREVER but I have 1 thing I want to share with the world and then I need to scrounge up 4 other things.  the 1 things want not enough to write a full post, but big enough to share with the world.

so… without further ado.

#1: My husband got a promotion and a killer raise this week!! YEAH!! You have no idea how excited I am for him and how proud I am of him.  He has worked his butt off and has wanted this position for over a year now. So, my husband is now an official Staff Accountant!  ….and the raise doesn’t hurt either! =)  Big smiles in the Shanahan house this week!!!

#2: We had such a slow key New Year Eve.  Watched The Great Gatsby while drinking milk and eating taquitos. Watched the Texas A&M / Duke Game {what an embarrassment for the SEC}.  Played some Candy Crush.  And barely made it till midnight to watch the ball drop.  Living on the edge kids.  Keep your jealousy in check.  I can teach you my ways later!

#3: Another Alabama football season has come to an end.  And it was a sad, embarrassing, depressing end to the season.  But… if going 11-2 is a bad season and only losing 6 games in 5 years is bad, then I don’t know up from down.  And now, Bring on September.  And for the record,  No.  No.  I will not be cheering for Auburn in the National Championship.  I don’t want to “keep it in the state” … I dislike Auburn and the “Gus Bus” and Gus’s sweater vest and his double bubble gum and the fact that he laughed {yes a coach laughed} at a hurt Alabama player during the Iron Bowl.  So.  Go ACC – Go FSU – Roll Tribe Roll!

#4: This weekend is going to be spent taking Christmas down.  We gotta get our house back to normal and the ornaments and stocking put away.  Is it just me or was the holiday season just a rush and a blur this year!? I feel like once it started it was over and that I just put our tree up.  Maybe it is because I spent all of December on the road or maybe it is because I am getting older and life just moves faster when you are older.

#5: I don’t really have any goals for 2014.  Just to make it to 2015 in one piece.  I would like to read more.  and work out more.  and be less stressed. get the house a little more finished.  grow in my career.  keep my marriage strong.  find a church.  go on more dog walks. spend weekends doing things. guess I have some goals but nothing definitive. hello 2014!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!! I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A FABULOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND YOUR 2014 IS AMAZING!! =)

guest bedroom // reveal

warning: this is a really boring post.  BUT. Our guest bedroom is like 80% done.  And this is really exciting news on the Shanahan front because that means we will never have to worry about this room again and our house is one room closer to be finished, furnished, and a big kid house.  I know. I know. but for us it really is the little things in life.  We have this huge house made for adults with all these empty rooms and I know this is a room that is very rarely used – but to have it {almost} fully decorated is a win in my book.  The blue and gray walls look really good with the gray curtains and gray bedspread.  All the steel accents {top of bed. lamps. curtain rod} all just really tie together.  The candle holders are in route to Alpharetta from Pottery Barn.  But… on the need to buy list:  a large, horizontal mirror to hang over the dresser and then some sort of “art” for over the bed – but I have a vision of what I want, but cannot seem to find it.  I want  something round and simple over the bed, but not a round decorative mirror because there will be a mirror over the dresser.  But – there is really no rush on either item since the room is rarely used and just having real life, big kid, not embarrassing furniture in that room is a total win.  And now we are in debt to Havertys since we got new furniture for our bedroom.

Next rooms to decorate: living room needs new furniture. Luckily, the living room is decorated and we really like it. And the couch in our living room will be moved to Kyle’s man cave – then need to decorate the man cave.  The love seat in our living room will be moved to our awkward weird sitting room off the foyer with the coffee table and end table.  We also need to get a table for our formal dining room.  Then the other 2 rooms upstairs will be decorated as bambinos are added to the family.  Plus we want to replace all 5 out of the 6 ceiling fans upstairs.  And add granite to the kitchen. And evidently spend all our money on this house.

Seriously.  Home buying and decorating and making it our own is expensive.  We will always accept Havertys and Home  Depot gift cards for holidays and birthdays.

But… in other news.  Look at this ham that is our dog Kennesaw.  We got a new bed {upgraded to a King from a Queen} and after a little bit of uncertainty, Kennesaw embraced the new bed and decided it is really comfortable and had made herself at home.  At the top of the bed. On my pillows.  And I am pretty sure she only left the bed on Saturday to go to the bathroom, drink water, go on a walk, go outside, and have dinner.  This bed is WAY taller than our old bed and Mulligan {thinking he was small} didn’t know if he could jump up.  Needless to say.  He can.  And now we have two dogs who love our bed and my nap on  Sunday was surrounded by puppies.  I am glad those kids of ours love their new bed.  Because of course, it was bought especially for them.  But seriously, how cute is Kennesaw snoozing in luxury.  and, for the record – there is so much room that it feels like kyle and I are sleeping on different continents and there is plenty of room for 2 dogs in bed, but kennesaw does move to the floor for her egg shell bed. Spoiled.

well. I am out.  I am in Asheboro, NC for work – headed back to Atlanta tomorrow – and need my sleep.  I have been exhausted lately.  just exhausted.

Oh December.

Can you believe that the year is almost over?!  I decided to do a little update on the old blog since I am sitting here watching the SEC Championship {rooting for a Mizzou victory – even though it seems like it will be another win by the barn school down to road from Tuscaloosa} and Kyle J is painting our guest room in preparation for our current bedroom furniture to move into the guest room. Oh the life of a domestic couple living in the burbs.  Picking out paint colors.  House projects pretty much every weekend.  And lots of time spent at the local Home Depot.

I am actually really excited about decorating the guest room – I have lots of ideas.  the room got painted with one gray accent wall and then 4 light blue walls … and well, the walls are a little too blue for my vision – they remind me of a baby’s room blue – but we will make it work.  We have gray curtains to hang and then a charcoal gray comforter for the bed.  My Dad will be VERY happy to know that he will have bedside tables, with lamps, so he can finally put his belongings places. I am trying to decide if I want to put mirrors behind the lamps {like something amazing I saw on Pinterest} or just decorate above the headboard.  Then we have other walls to decorate and what not – so I am hoping the blue will just fade in the background.  You know?

I decorated our Christmas Tree today while Kyle painted.  Pause.  I went to Home Depot to rent a truck to bring Kyle’s Christmas present home …. and they were out of trucks {say what} … so I drove up the road to Lowe’s and got one of their trucks, took it back to Home Depot, and then got Kyle’s grill home.  Needless to say – that was terrifying.  I was driving a BIG Ford F250 around Alpharetta and could not figure out how to “open” the side mirrors on one side.  For real – dangerous and I now believe the average Joe does NOT need a truck that big.  I basically needed a ladder to get in it and then would roll myself out of it.  And, I drove like 15 miles per hour home with a larger than life grill tied to the back.  DANGEROUS.

Back to the tree – I decorated for Christmas even through we will not be in Georgia Christmas – but we still need the holiday spirit in Alpharetta.  Our mantel is REALLY bare and even Kyle thinks it is bare.  So I will be adding Home Goods and Target to my list of errands tomorrow to get more mantle decorations.  But I think our tree is really pretty and that next year we will need to buy one that is a little bit bigger – only because we have a higher ceiling and more room in the corner where we are going to put the tree each year.  Plus – ours is a cheap Walmart tree from like 5 years ago and there are too many big unnatural holes – so I think we will splurge next year and get a new tree that is higher quality.  Oh homeownership – a never ending battle of saving and spending money. …..but at the end of the day, it is all worth it.

I am travelling again for work.  Spent most of last week in the great state of Alabama between both McCalla and Montgomery.  Best part: I got to have dinner with my bestie Heather.  I always love seeing her any chance I get.  This week I am off to Augusta.  Then next week I am off to Asheboro, NC.  Then home to Northern VA for Christmas with Kyle’s family. 

But. I will post pictures of the guest room as the furniture gets moved in and as it is fully decorated…. or I will show the work in progress!!!

 

 

and in other news….

I feel like I did a good job of covering the life events that kept us on our toes {and the road} this fall.  but then there are the other things that are new and exciting in our world.

1. Kyle J is turning into a runner!! And he will probably kill me if he knows that I put this picture on the blog, but I cannot tell you how proud I am of him.  He gets up pretty much every morning before work and runs 3 miles throughout the neighborhood.  When we were in Sanibel, he got up 2 mornings and ran alone.  he is really becoming my little runner and has even asked when our first 5k will be as a couple.  So…. I am scouting.  But as prep for the upcoming race … One recent Saturday I finally got his running butt into Big Peach Running Company to get professionally fit for running shoes.  he had been mentioning running pains and needing new shoes and I somehow talked him into getting the fit test.  And…. he actually liked it and admitted that I was right and that he should have gone sooner. {mind you – he wanted to go to DSW and get a regular pair shoes because he didn’t want to shell out serious money.  I lured him in with a coupon I thing.}  ….if you’re in Atlanta and need a good pair of running shoes – the fit test at Big Peach is well worth the time.

2. We got up one Sunday morning and went to hike the waterfall at apalachicola state park.  And let me tell you, despite the gorgeous weather in the fall – it was hard and rough.  When Kyle asked me if I wanted to go on a hike followed by brunch I didn’t know that I would be HIKING.  My fitbit almost exploded – 1 day, 1 hike = 100 flights of stairs.  Kids.  That hike was legit – we pretty much climbed up a mountain and that is no exaggeration.

3. We had our 1st Halloween in the house and it was not a total let down, but a let down.  I would have thought we would have had zillion of kids, but not really.  Well – we know for next year that we do not need 12 bags of candy.  I am in the process of giving my office a major sugar high.

4.  The dogs are cute and they are good.  you know. just being dogs.  Kennesaw has turned Mulligan’s old bandana into her baby blanket and she takes it everywhere with her and loves on it.  it is a bandana that was around mulligan’s neck.  She is a goofball.

5.  Work is going good for Kyle and me.  Not too much on that home front. For once, I do not feel so overwhelmed that I cannot breathe or move.  being able to get out of the office and hit blast900 has been amazing.

I think that is about it, to be honest – I feel like life is just moving so fast.  can you believe the holidays are around the corner?! I am so so so behind on the holiday shopping.  I gotta get on it – especially for those people who we need to have their gifts home by Thanksgiving!!!

….and I continue

I feel like I am pretty much almost caught up on catching you all up on my life.  a few weeks back one of my friends from college got married in Birmingham – and when I say this was one of the most fun weddings I have ever been to – I mean it. I don’t know if it was the fact that it was (1) a beautiful wedding + reception (2) a reunion from my time in Tuscaloosa (3) the band (4) the amazing food – hello fried green tomatoes with pulled pork on top and mashed potato bar.  or if it was everything wrapped up in one {which I think is the real answer} …. so much fun.

Lindsay literally was so pretty – and so happy – she was radiating, that is the only way to describe it.  The wedding 100% screamed her personality.  The party was too fun.  And the exit to all of us shaking our super sparkly Alabama shakers was a perfect ending.

I spent a lot of the night catching up with girlfriends from college and a lot of the night dancing with my old roommate Ashley Jo.  And her mom was there and her 2 little sisters which made my night catching up with her mom and wondering how the sisters are now college grads or in college.

We danced to Miley Cyrus “Party in the USA” and “Jesse’s Girl” and “Sweet Home Alabama”.  We laughed and I met boyfriends and husbands.  And seriously had too much fun.  Of course – we all thought we were in college again and talked about going out after the wedding for the “after party” and yeah.  that didn’t happen.  after party at the Hampton Inn, in bed by 10:45 PM.  What what! Party Animals!

Kyle won husband of the year and he just followed us crazy girls around and then drove me back to Atlanta the next morning in one piece. but it was just a really really good time – with most of my best girl friends in Birmingham, I do not get a night with the girls very often.  so it was great to just relive those college days, let loose and have a good time.  it is simply crazy how you get caught up in life and things like weddings bring you back together. 

Congrats to Lindsay and Dom!! Enjoy countless years of happiness and laughter and good times.  I hope you love the food chopper thing and the pink yellow hammer cups. ROLL TIDE! =D

Chapter Three – Tuscaloosa Bound

Another 30 before 30 accomplished!  Kyle and I went to Tuscaloosa for the Homecoming Game Weekend and for once, during football season in Tuscaloosa, post-graduation we went inside Bryant Denny for the game.  Normally: we are in Tuscaloosa and just watch the game at a bar with friends.

The trip to Tuscaloosa took pretty much forever and a day due to construction traffic so when we arrived in town, we were exhausted and just wanted major catch up time with my bestie Heather and her momma. Plus – kickoff was at like 10:00 AM or something crazy like that so Friday night was super low key. 

Saturday we got up – ate breakfast at her condo’s clubhouse and went to the sorority house for more breakfast.  Don’t ask. Heather’s little sister’s boyfriend needed to eat and of course my growing husband chowed down on more fun.  Then after a little stroll through the Quad and the required photos in front of Denny Chimes and the Stadium we found our seats. 

The game was boring – we were those fans that Nick Saban is currently complaining about.  It was hot.  It was a blowout.  We wanted Yellowhammers from Gallettes.  We had eaten the required  Denny Dog {hot dog} … so we left right at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.  Bad Alabama Fans – BAD!

But Saturday was less than crazy too.  After a long day in the sun and being up super early after a late arrival Saturday night we were in Heather’s condo – in front of the TV by like 10:30 PM. 

But we were there really to see Heather, her mom, and just to have a little bit of non-crazy, get Kyle in the stadium fun.  I do remember the stadium being WAY more fun and loud as a student – maybe it was the less than exciting game we attended – maybe it is the lame, spoiled student section that didn’t have to live through the Shula days.  Kyle agreed it was “pretty” but then just called it a “stadium”.

We will be back and if you’re reading this Heather – we require a better football game!!!

Life Catch Up–Chapter Two.

{I feel like I don’t even know how to write so much from the past … it is way hard}

About a week after we spent the short weekend in Charleston Kyle and I boarded a plane to Sanibel Island, FL to spend a few days with my mom and dad who were on their long vacation away from the real world.  Needless to say: for me, after a summer of traveling and a crazy workload, the break from the real world for me was much needed.

We had a night flight out of the airport so maximize the sun and pool time.  After an “adventurous” trip to the airport – I forgot my phone at home on the counter, 20 miles later in Atlanta rush hour traffic, I turned the car around to go get it.  Then we had MAJOR traffic until I realized I could drive in the HOV lane. Needless to say – we arrived with plenty of time after I had about 5048059 freak-outs about missing the plane. {FYI – the security line on a Wednesday night in Atlanta is nonexistent}. After learning that Kyle LOVES the moving walkways and turned them into a toy, we had dinner at Café Intermezzo at the airport.  I had never eaten at any of their Atlanta locations and I was not really all that impressed when we went – but it was still “fun” to feel like an adult who flies out at night and has dinner and wine before boarding a plane. Lame. I know.

But – if I had to sum the trip up we pretty much: sat by the pool. read our books. drank wine. and ate food. I read 3 books. 2 of which I recommend (“Summerland” by Elin Hilderbrand & “Fly Away Home” by Jennifer Weiner) and one that I recommend not ever picking up, too slow and boring (“There’s No Place Like Here” by Cecelia Ahern).  I also learned that I have the most uncontrollable obsession with Candy Crush.  I never had enough lives and kept swapping between my iPhone and the iPad.  …. that my friends is when you know your obsession is out of control …..

Meet our view and the huge frog that tormented me.  He was flapping his little legs in the very spot that I would hang out and read my book.

We spent the Friday morning we were there on a boat and in the air parasailing.  We slathered ourselves in sunscreen only to be 100% shielded by some overhanging thing and we got zero sun – which was kinda my mission. Boat = major sun time.  I had been parasailing before and knew what to expect and it was Kyle’s 1st time ever parasailing so we thought it would be cool.  Well – it was cool, but overpriced and kind of meh.  we didn’t see too much from the air – some fish, a stingray, nothing to write home about. Maybe it is one of those things that you just do once and then you do not need to do it again, but hey … we did something with our trip other than lay by the pool and do nothing.  And we got some pretty cool pictures out of it. :)

And of course – we got to take Kyle J to the staple of the Vines Family Vacations – The Lazy Flamingo and as always it was good.  Too much food – but good.   Honestly – we did not do much.  We did was we set out to accomplish – relax, get some fun, and just take a breather from the fast paced world that is our life.  We learned that we are two very very white kids and pretty much used 3 bottles of sunscreen {sorry mom and dad} and a boat load of aloe due to my inability to put sunscreen on my back.  And it was sad to leave the trip.  it only confirmed that we need to vacation more often and get away from the world – if only we had a little more money.  Wah Wah Wah.  But most importantly, we check something off my 30 before 30 list.  Kyle J to Sanibel!!  And he loved it and will be back in 2014 …. if we are invited back.