RIP Uno

Sadly, one of our fish, Uno the little orange one passed this evening. Such a good day ended with a bitter moment :(

Check back tomorrow for a full recap of my day today.

A look Back at 2011

A lot happened in 2011!! It is amazing how much can happen and change in a year. While I had a great time in 2011, I am very excited for 2012!!

I got to see the besties a bunch this year. We all saw each other twice, I saw just Charlotte twice and I saw just Bri once. That is pretty impressive considering we live in Orlando, DC and San Diego.

I vacationed in California and drove down route. Hence one of the reasons I saw Bri.

Jay and I got engaged!! Well he asked and I said yes.

My little brother graduated college.

Jay and I ran a marathon!

Here is to 2012 and all it will bring!!

Happy New Year!

Be Thankful

When I asked Jay what I should be thankful for, he immediately said ME!

And yes sweetie, I am very thankful for you! Jay definitely brightens my day, he makes me laugh and makes me feel pretty. What more can a girl ask for?

Besides my love bug. I am also thankful for friends.

And family.

Plus what more can I ask for when I am healthy and accomplished so many goals this year?

ps: click on the pictures for a look back at some of my favorite posts this year!

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

Wedding Wednesday: Jack + Sarah

As I read through all these wedding blogs, I began to realize I never told y’all about how Jay and I met.

When I transferred to the University of South Carolina, I promptly became involved in any organization that interested me. This included churches. I grew up in the Episcopal church, but realized that just because I liked my childhood church did not mean I would like every Episcopal church. I tried the episcopal church associated with the university, but did not find it to my liking. After a very positive experience with religion at Boston University, I continued to seek a house of worship in other protestant religions. Finally, I settled with the Methodist group on campus.

That fall I attended my first Fall Retreat with the group and quickly became friends with Irene, Jay’s sister. Ironically, when I rode with Irene and Jay to the retreat we stopped by his parents house in Summerville. Little did I know that I would visit that house again.

As the semester continued on, I continued to attend church, seeing Jay on the occasional Sunday. It was not until we both attended the Winter Retreat over MLK weekend that the sparks started to fly. Once we got back to campus from the retreat, we started Instant Messaging (remember that??) each other outside of church.

Originally the conversations revolved around me getting him a job at the on-campus pizza joint I worked at. After an interview, a job offer and a few dates, Jay and I started dating on Super bowl Sunday 2006. The blunt person that I am, I quickly told Jay that as much as I enjoyed him visiting me while I was at work, I would not work with him, so it was me or the job. Thankfully being a pizza boy did not intrigue him as much as I did and he choose me!

Five and a half years later, a bunch of jobs, apartments, trips and life changes later we are engaged and planning our wedding. I hope y’all enjoy the ride as much as we are!

How did you meet your significant other/spouse?

Welcome Preston!!

Jay became an uncle yesterday!! (which makes me almost an aunt?)

Welcome Robert Preston!! (he will go by Preston)

Born yesterday at 11:31 am, 8lbs. 3oz. 21 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing great!

How many nieces and nephews do you have?

Preston is both Jay and my first niece/nephew!!

Look at that Beautiful Smile!

Let me start with Happy 29th Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

I had to laugh last week when my dad e-mailed me about my post on The Wedding. And I quote "Please rest assured that, unlike the husband character in the book, I will not forget my 29^th wedding anniversary on Monday!" It made me smile.

Don't they look so young and happy?!?! While they may not be as young (my mom wants you to all know she is still young and my dad is young at heart), they definitely are still very happy!!

My parents anniversary also marks the one month count down to my 25th Birthday!!!! I maybe a little excited. I even took the day off afterward to "recover," I mean go hiking in Shenandoah.

So I have had a lot to smile about today!

And a clean smile at that. Today, after almost two years, I finally went to the dentist. I was a little nervous that I had about a billion cavities, but in the end I only received complements. No cavities here and only beautiful clean teeth. The dentist was even impressed with the lack of tartar build-up and then reminded me that I should come back in 6 months.

One of the hardest parts about moving is finding new doctors. I found my new dentist via ZocDoc.com and loved her. She was nice, straight forward and didn't waste my time. I was in and out of there in 30 minutes. Needless to say I already scheduled my next check-up in September!

Oh and a few more reasons to smile include returning to Yoga. My instructor even complimented me on my progress. I haven't seen her in a while and honestly haven't been to class because of the complexities of life. It felt good.

And only 4 more days until Vacation!!!!

What made you smile today?

How do you feel about the Dentist?

Happy Birthday Opa

Today is my grandfather's 91st birthday! To celebrate, I am heading over to their retirement community this afternoon for a Birthday dinner.

In honor of an amazing 91 years, I give you a few family photos. A few years ago, when my grandparents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary party, my mom and I put together a PowerPoint presentation of family photos. Yesterday morning I finally got the chance to upload some of those photos to my external hard drive.

What does this means for y'all? Old family photos!!! I know y'all are excited!

The first photo is my grandfather, whom we call Opa, in 1932. He is just 12 years old.

My grandparents met as teenagers. Below is a photo of them on Skyline Drive in 1941. Of all the old photos of them this is my favorite because they are laughing. As you can imagine due to the times, most of the photos we have of them are "posed" and therefore they are not smiling. Boy have things changed.

Opa served in the Army. Below is one of the few photos we have of him in service. Captain Jeffers, 1946 preparing to jump in Japan.

Jumping ahead 30ish years, below is another priceless photo. My grandparent's ice skating at their river house in the 1970's. I think this picture really captures their relationship. My grandfather adores my grandmother and still does to this day.
At an early age, my grandparents were bit by the travel bug. As a military family, they traveled and lived in various countries. Below is a picture of them on a Folks March in Germany 1986. Folks Marches and hiking were among their favorite activities when they retired.

And while my grandparents have had a very adventurous life. When I think of Opa, I only remember fun and games. Whether we are playing Parcheesi (maybe that is where my love of board games came from).

Battling pirates on the high seas.
Or, just hanging out on the pier.

This Opa will always be celebrated for his fun and games, no matter his age!

How do you celebrate your grandparents birthdays or memories?

I have to say, I am very blessed. I had all four of my grandparents until I was 21. While we love to celebrate the birthdays of my 3 remaining grandparents, we always remember those we've lost. R.I.P. PopPop. You will never be forgotten.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Today my foot felt much better. Thank you for all your kind comments!

For tonight, I have a simple healthy dinner. Greek Quinoa


Ingredients:

• 1/2 Red Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 8 oz can of Black Olives (whole pitted)
• 1 cup sliced Mushrooms
  
• 2 tbsp Canola Oil
• 1 tbsp (a few shakes) Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 8 oz can of Garbanzo Beans
• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 cups Water
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

• Greek Dressing
• Italian Cheese Mix ( a mix of Mozzarella, Provolone, Romano, Asiago, and Parmesan cheeses) Feta would also be delicious (I just didn't have any).

1. Rinse Quinoa. In a pot, add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile chop your vegetables. In a fry pan, add 1 tbsp of Canola Oil, Red Onion and Garlic. Let cook through until the Red Onion starts looking translucent.

3. Add sliced Zucchini and Mushrooms. Let saute for about 5 minutes, tossing the vegetables occasionally.

4. After the Zucchini begins to look translucent, add the Garbanzo Beans and let simmer until the Quinoa absorbed all the water or 5 minutes.

6. Pour the Quinoa in the fry pan with the vegetables and add your olives.

7. Serve and top with cheese and dressing if desired.

Enjoy!

Happy 5 Years

Today, Jay and I celebrated 5 years together!! And, boy was it an exciting day. More on that tomorrow.

Tonight, you get to enjoy pictures of us, over the past 5 years.


2006: We start dating on Superbowl Sunday and visit Disney for the first time together.


2007: Jay becomes acquainted with my other favorite bird. We also meet our best friends!

2008: We learn to ski and visit Europe.

2009: We both graduate from USC (Go Cocks), move to DC and celebrate Jay's sister's wedding.

2010: Snowmagedden, visit with friends and we start running and hiking more!

Here is to many many more years of laughter and love!