Disney

And so the countdown begins! In a week from tomorrow, Hubs and I will be boarding a plane for Disney World! Long story short-we received very large airline vouchers when we want on our honeymoon for allowing other passengers our seats and taking a later flight and the vouchers were set to expire the end of 2009. When trying to figure out what to do with them, we decided that we should go to Disney World as I'd only been once years ago and Hubs has never been. Definitely a must do before kiddies in both of our opinions! We were able to take advantage of the buy three get four free (or maybe it was buy four get three free?) deal and we'll be staying at the Contemporary right next door to Magic Kingdom!

Unfortunately, due to all the recent circumstances we have done ZERO planning. And I mean zero. That is where you all come in! :) We plan to go to the parks in the following order:

Sunday: Magic Kingdom (will be awfully packed but we have to do Epcott on Monday and we wanted to do these two parks first)
Monday: Epcott
Tuesday: Animal Kingdom
Wednesday: Disney studios/MGM/Hollywood studios/whatever they are currently calling it
Thursday: Epcott
Friday: Magic Kingdom
Saturday: Magic Kingdom or Epcott

Now, for the most part, we are not gourmet eaters. I think that we will be happy just grabbing a bite here and there throughout the day, BUT if any of you guys have recommendations on must do's please share! Preferably in the parks, as we don't plan to bother with renting a car.

Also, we have no concept of the rides or can't misses so, hopefully we will get a chance to look at this week but my question for you all is, have you ever used touring with mike or passporter or touring plans? All of them supposedly have nice nice one day/two day plans and I'm wondering if that might be the best route as this point (or is that just a cop out?)?

Any other tips and tidbits, please share those too, I can't believe it's basically a week out!

And....drumroll please!

Well, big big news guys. I know I've been a bit MIA and between my blog post last week explaining the snow and this big news...I've been a bit preoccupied. I can't promise that is going to change just yet but you'll see why in just a moment....

*drumroll please* We have a move-in date! Our furniture will be arriving the last week of March/first few days of April right before Easter! We are super super excited as this means that to be at this point-the floors will be finished, baseboard molding should hopefully be done, the bathroom will be complete and the kitchen will be somewhat underway! And all this means we will actually be able to MOVE INTO OUR NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!! The only hold-up that could possibly occur at this point will be if the water supply pipe cracked and sprung a leak this winter-we won't know anything for sure until the bathroom/hot water heater/laundry room is hooked up and we turn the water but prayers would be immensely appreciated in this area guys!

Currently we're taking measurements for curtains and blinds, ordering fun things like door knobs and closet organizers, making lists of other various needed supplies & preparing to head into storage and start sifting through the MASSES of stuff we have collected over the years along with the mounds of untouched wedding presents. :) It's very exciting!

So much has been on hold basically indefinitely that...the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine a little bit brighter! Ahhhh I am so happy! Hubs is pretty happy too-we've both become pretty big dreamers lately!

More good news-we've found an incredible new church, started to get involved with it and have been having an amazing time! We also have a Disney vacation coming up in just a few short weeks (less than two actually) and we are furiously working to get things down so the vacation won't put us behind!

So anyway, please excuse me if the next couple of posts are all over the place, so much has been going on that I've wanted to blog about but I've been overwhelmed with construction and life. :)

How is everyone else doing? Any signs of spring yet?

Style Inspiration

Well that was a bummer of a post yesterday...I'll try and see if I can do better today! In my quest to pick up my spirits and not get lost in all that is awaiting us down the pipeline, I've been distracting myself with shopping err window shopping, since we are still on our month long spending fast. As much as I try to deny it, I do enjoy shopping...a lot! This year one of my personal resolutions/goals/whatever you want to call it, is to take a picture of my outfit every day and at the end of the year donate/sell whatever I haven't worn. I'm doing this for a couple of reasons:

1. pare down my possessions.
2. take note of whether or not the money that I'm spending on "stuff" is being spent on items I actually use/wear.
3. try and encourage myself to actually put together some semblance of style since usually I'm just too busy lazy to get my act together.

I used to have some sort of style when I was in high school. Then college and multiple jobs hit and I was so busy that it was jeans, tees, sweatshirts, baseball caps and sneakers or boots. Growing up, style wasn't ever an option, you wore what you had and what you had was whatever clothes were given to you by other people or whatever the local goodwill had. That's what you do when you grow up in such a big family. High school was the first time I had the ability to drive myself to a store and buy what I wanted, it opened up a whole new world! But, for me, high fashion at the time was Old Navy and Kohls as I had never been exposed to the likes of Nordstrom or Saks!

When my husband met me, I may have spent some time putting in a bit more thought into my clothes than usual....I'll claim the fifth on this one. But then I had some health problems that really knocked me on my butt and made me loose a lot of weight that I didn't have to loose. I looked like a walking skeleton! On top of that, anything that was tight or restrictive in anyway was uncomfortable, I had to be prepared to lie down anywhere at any time. That non-wearing list included the likes of any kind of heel, dress, skirt, jean or pant that wasn't elastic, dress shirts or anything tight....basically everything but cashmere sweaters and yoga pants (oh and flip flops!)! Super cute combination by the way. So anyway, long story short, when I started this challenge I found that I really didn't know what my "style" was. I have plenty of basics and my typical wardrobe consists of a tee, sweater or cardigan, jeans and some sort of boot/flat/heel (weather dependant). But I realize that is a fraction of what my "look" or style would be if I could afford to create a whole new wardrobe.

After giving it some thought, I have decided that my look would be a contrast of a 1950'sish housewife (ala Laurie Petrie of the Dick Van Dyke show) or a 1960's executive wife (ala the likes of the women on Mad Men) combined with a rocker chic look (unfortunately I have no exact pictures of what I have in mind but think leather pants, motorcycle jacket etc.).

all photos from google images except the last one which is Molly from Stilettos & Diapers

A bit of a strange combination I guess you could say but hey, I never professed to be normal! The problem results when I look at my wardrobe and there's not much that screams my style. I think the hard part comes from the fact that most of my clothes, shoes, accessories are not very accessible without putting in some effort to locate and get them out and there is never enough time in the evening or morning to pull out clothes like I would like. Even my makeup is packed away and not very accessible! You don't even want to know the last time I wore make-up! *sigh* I'm working on this guys! Any advice, tips, encouraging words or style pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Little something extra

There is a great little giveaway going on at A Blonde Walks into a Blog, definitely check it out! Juliana has a wonderful blog!

*insert interesting title here*

I'm finding it tough to climb back into my "usual" routine of blogging...not for want of subject matter as there always seems to be plenty of that. Rather, I feel like my life is in a bit of disarray and the process of organizing my thoughts into words in a blog post doesn't come easy when my life is in need of plenty of organization as well.

My email inbox is overflowing with emails awaiting replies (so if you're waiting on one from me, I promise I'm working through them all).

My "home" (read room) is currently featuring a massive disorganization which results in me wearing practically the same three items of clothing everyday (not quite but pretty close).

I have packages that are still waiting to be mailed as I've made the trek to the post office multiple times only to find them closed! (so if you're waiting on a package from me, I'm trying!)

I am planning a bridal shower coming up rapidly that I am trying hard to organize but the weather seems to be causing delays on ALL fronts and the invitations still haven't been delivered and the bridal shower is less than two weeks away *sigh*. The post office has been so backlogged from the weather that who knows when they'll be arriving!

We have multiple vacations/trips that are either coming up soon or needed to be planned and reserved for....like...yesterday.

*sigh* This snow seems to be taking over my life, I think I need to hire a personal assistant! Did I mention we are in the process of getting another several inches of the lovely fluffy stuff right now? Yeah...boy am I ready for spring!

Ok, this is a rather depressing post so I'll end it now. I promise I'll be back to normal as soon as the frozen precipitation stops outside long enough for me to catch my breath and rest my aching muscles. On the bright side, I am becoming absolutely ripped from the hours and hours of shoveling I've been doing. I don't think I've ever felt stronger physically in my life. I feel like I could take on just about anyone and beat them up...oh wait, maybe that's just my grumpiness from the weather?

Snow Hilarity

Never has this little "snow funny" ever seemed more appropriate then now...those of you who have experienced this storm should get the hilarity... For those of you who haven't had much snow this year, just use your imagination when reading this because it's pretty darn close to what we're going through!!! :)

December 8: 6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our coffee and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14: Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my rear on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like crazy. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. Boy, do I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20: Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the nasty stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Blasted snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of that white mess fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to use the bathroom. By the time I got undressed, went and dressed again I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the jerk is lying.

December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What, is she nuts?!?! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

December 24: 6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the guy who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his fingernails. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the snowplow.

December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the messy slop tonight. Snowed in! The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. Gee, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to scream.

December 26: Still snowed in. Why the heck did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27: Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.

December 28: Warmed up to above - 50. Still snowed in. That woman is driving me crazy!!!!!

December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30: Roof caved in. The snowplow driver is suing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. Another 9" predicted.

January 2: Weatherman says it's the warmest winter they have ever had, but looks like a cold streak is coming.

January 4: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Emergency Communication

Wedded Wednesday is a collaboration
of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,
anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding
the amazing union of two separate people, as one.
Check out the other Wedded Wednesday bloggers at Marital-Bless

Well, folks, it's been a long time...I had nearly forgotten what it's like to blog! Rather than expound on the hows and whys now, we'll just jump right in to Wedded Wednesday first. :)

Today's Wedded Wednesday post is on communication again, specifically during times of conflict...and crisis! Hubs and I have had the chance to put this one into practice lately so what better time, right?!? Clearly communication is always important, but boy does it really get put to the test in your marriage when emergencies set in! Let's discuss. :)

Things I've learned during the last week:

Your spouse cannot always read your mind!
Expecting your spouse to read your mind does NOT help during a tight situation!
Tone of the voice is as vital as the words coming from your mouth.
Panic and tension do not influence the situation for the better.
There is not always time to carry out a rational discourse on the best way to approach a situation. In these situations, you must trust that each spouse has the other's best interest at heart.
It is not any more work choosing to speak pleasantly instead of barking orders.

:) Can you tell it's been a rough many days for us (really since the last time I blogged!)? In actuality, our relationship is doing great but boy have we had some tough situations come up that we have had to act fast on!

I won't bore you with all the minute details but..we've been stuck in a car in a horrible blizzard for several hours nearly being killed by other motorists on the road (and nearly had to abandon the car and walk). We've nearly totaled a car. We are currently stuck under drifts of snow that varies between 4 to more than 6 feet of snow. We've repeatedly shoveled out a driveway a quarter mile long in length only to have another 20 inches dumped on it. Gas stations are running out of fuel, grocery stores (when open-which has only been a day or two over the course of the several days) have been running out of food, people are without power and Maryland is in a state of emergency. All these things would be fine and dandy until you have to start worrying about roofs caving in from the weight of snow, rain coming in on top of 6ft+ snowbanks and flooding the house, oh and my favorite, snow blowing in under shingles, under tar paper and plywood, straight into your attic, causing drifts more than a foot deep. Resulting in destroyed insulation, plywood and all other sorts of nasty damage. I've heard of this happening to many other houses around so warning to all those dealing with this storm, check your attic or you'll have a nasty mold situation on your hands come spring!

Plows no longer work on the roads as the snow banks are too high and at this point we've basically run out of room to dump it. The state has resorted to dumping it in the harbor and designating parks (and other places) as snow "dumping grounds" for all the bobcats and excavators to drop the snow. They worked for days clearing the roads after the first storm that occurred over the weekend and managed to clear the majority of the roads in time for the snow to start back up in full force yesterday afternoon.

*sigh* Where is Spring? Really, I don't tend to complain about weather too much but this is getting absurd now! How is anyone else handling the snow?

Beat the System!

Yay! Hubs and I were able to snag four games worth of tickets on Saturday to Red Sox games at Fenway Park this summer! For any of you who are baseball/Red Sox fans, you will understand our elation, for those of you who aren't, I will explain...

The Red Sox have the longest sell-out record of any of the parks/teams, more than 500 consecutive games sold out! Since the 2003/2004 seasons it has been near impossible to get tickets at face value...if you tried to log on the second they were put on sale, you would be placed in a virtual waiting room that typically lasted for the next 24 hours (with all of the good tickets going in the first 5-10 minutes). Where does this leave you? Well, you either had to have the right connections or be willing to pay a fortune...blah! Growing up in MD with the Orioles, heaven's knows they practically give those tickets away, so paying 3-4 times the face value (at minimum) is painful. Bleacher seats for $100? No thanks! Three years ago we were able to figure out how to get around the virtual waiting room (at least it's worked marvelously well for the last few years) & each year, I wait with bated-breath to find out if everyone else has figured it out too or the Red Sox management has blocked it. So far so good!

New England will always have a special place in our hearts and we try to go back and visit a couple of times a year, usually scheduling at least one trip around a visit to Fenway (which was actually our first date back in the day). Since Hubs is from VT, we'll road trip up to spend time with his family and friends, then we'll drive down to MA and spend several days gallivanting around the city, eating at all our favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that we "discovered" years ago and shopping our little hearts out! Guys I am so excited to get our vacation plans underway this year we've never had a year like this before with trips seemingly every month! We wanted to pack in as many trips as we could pre-kids (gotta take advantage of it while you can, right?) but, hopefully this year doesn't end up being exhausting! :)

I am planning to post on the upcoming trips soon because I would really love to get some suggestions and recommendations from all of you before we begin to make reservations and hunt for good deals. Any other baseball fans out there?

Oh and one last thing-there is a pretty good giveaway going on over at Fell 4 Fashion if you'll are interested!