Home Sweet Home

Last week was the first time Jer and I have been home together since we made the move to Arizona, over a year ago. I was put in charge of dropping off the pup (for the first time) at the boarders for her "holiday camp". I now get all the emotions when moms drop their babies off at kindergarten or camp and start crying uncontrollably.  Yeah, that was me. Don't judge.

We arrived and hit the ground running. We were all over the place; dinners, football games, meet ups with friends, birthday parties, and late night drinking with family all in 2 1/2 days. We were exhausted. 

We did manage to squeeze in time for my, highly anticipated, ride on my boy Flash. My dad was breaking him in for my arrival and was one of many highlights of our trip back home. 

Unplugged

Living in a digital world, the amount of time we spend behind a computer and on our phones is excessive. 

For me, working from home has definitely increased my usage. Jer will come into my (home) office and remind me that I have not moved for five, six hours(yes, sometimes it is that long). He then likes to boast about all the times he was able to get up from his desk, walk around, and how sitting for so long is not good for you...blahblahblah.  I know, I know. But, when I'm in the zone I find it hard to walk away (working on it). 

It is refreshing to step away from everything. Take a road trip and unplug from it all. 

We drove up north to Flagstaff for a quick getaway. I can't tell you how nice it was to finally feel a cool breeze.

Luna was in her element and was all smiles when she exited the car. Instantly taking the lead.

We were on our way to Bismark Lake. This is such an easy walk with the pine tree covered mountains as your backdrop. Now, finding the trail head is a different story. We ended up taking the scenic, off-roading route. We were praying the granny mobile would not get a flat. She held up like a champ.

We raced to the lake...

{Body Suit-Here}

To quickly find out that it was completely dried up. With only a small puddle to distinguish it's previous existence. So we had to come up with other things to do...sword fight anyone?!?!

Luna was watching intently. Secretly cheering me on. Jer will never admit it but she likes me best. 

I may have taken it a bit too seriously...

He was legit terrified. (It's a stick babe, relax.)

Leaving him in the fetal position, I walked away triumphantly. (Who runs the world, girls!) 

Boys will be boys.

The clouds started to roll in and we felt a few drops so we packed up our stuff, took in one last view, and headed home.

Fall in the Desert

We had such a great weekend celebrating all things fall at the Carefree Desert Gardens and channeled our inner kid at Anthem's Autumn Fest.

Ray Villafane created an "Enchanted Pumpkin Garden" at the Carefree Desert Gardens. The intricate details that he is able to achieve is so incredible. I mean, I have tried my hands at pumpkin carving (ended up with a big whole in the front of the pumpkin) and it is no easy feat. 

Retail Therapy

Retail therapy is supposed to make one feel happy and cheerful. Typically it has the opposite effect on me. I end up feeling guilty and questioning my choices. 

I mean, how many plain white tees does one girl need? (A lot because I tend to spill=the reasoning in my head.)

Do I really need this garbage can? (No, we can just reuse the bags from the grocery store under our sink=the reasoning in my head. Puts garbage can back.)

Since moving from the east coast to the Arizona desert, I can't tell you how much I despise looking at all the big chunky sweaters that line my closet. So I pushed guilt aside and headed to Scottsdale for some retail therapy. With sunshine, palm tree lined streets, kids laughing in the splash pools, fresh fruit smoothies, and the variety of shops, I must say, I was feeling quite chipper.
  

Rest Stop

Happy 4th of July!

The fourth came early as we celebrated with an Independence Day celebration that wasn't too far from us. Food, music, rides, jugglers on stilts, and fireworks; what more could you ask for?

                                  

Desert Vibes

We were on a quest to find an ice cream place that serves up an old fashion banana split. Vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries, pineapple, hot fudge, banana, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Temperatures reach well over 105 degrees here and yet I still can't find an ice cream parlor that serves a banana split within a 30 mile radius. The struggle is real! There are tons of frozen yogurt places where you pick your own toppings which I happen to be horrible at (who would think that Fruity Pebbles and Gummi Bears don't mix). 

I may not have been able to find the ice cream that I wanted but we were easily distracted by breathtaking views. We had to pull over and do a little exploring.

Roadtrippin

We packed up and headed out early Friday. Said goodbye to our old home and strapped ourselves in for the long cross country journey.

The plan was to drive about twelve hours a day switching off and on. I ended up driving about four to five hours a day because my other half wasn't thrilled with my driving nor speed (I tend to have a lead foot and make sporadic jerky stops). He likes to set his cruise control to the exact speed limit and we just sit back and watch all the cars pass us by. 

I am not complaining though since I got to read, watch movies, and sleep my way through Maryland, Virginia, Arkansas and Texas.  

Moving Day

Today is the day that we say goodbye to our first home and buckle in for a very long car ride cross country to settle in to our new home in Arizona. 

All By Myself...On Our Anniversary!!

Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary and I celebrated sans husband who was across the country on business. 

I recently had a conversation with some friends about trying on and wearing our wedding dresses. I insisted that I knew mine would not fit and was not about to even attempt trying. 

Well...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to a fun loving, caring, kind, and gorgeous mama!

I don't know what I would do without your unwavering love and support. 

So grateful I get to call you mom. Have a wonderful day and I am looking forward to our spa day! Love you!

Bitter Sweet Easter Holiday

I don't know about you guys but I completely indulged this Easter. Every year I receive a gigantic milk chocolate Easter bunny. I sank my teeth in the chocolatey goodness and next thing you know half the bunny was gone. I just consumed half of a life size chocolate bunny and was feeling a bit ashamed; I had to get rid of it. But I couldn't bare throw it out so I rationalized with myself and decided to eat the entire thing so the temptation was no longer there. It was a holiday after all. Makes sense, right!?!?! Chocolate is my weakness. 

This Easter was bitter sweet because it will probably be the last Easter/holiday spent in our current (first) home. We tried to soak it all in but it seemed to go by so fast. 

The boys came and dove right into their gifts and the candy Nanny brought them. Owen, very hesitantly, let me have a bite of his chocolate lollipop.

Philadelphia Flower Show "Lights, Camera, Bloom"

This year the Philadelphia Flower Show was celebrating the movies with a huge Disney influence.

I was back and forth if I wanted to make the drive to attend and finally experience what so many have been raving about (mainly my mother). Last minute I made the choice to go and I brought dragged Jer with me. He is such a good sport. 

When we arrived we were not expecting the overwhelming amount of people that were there. It was insane. 

Our first mistake (and we made many) was that we did not purchase the tickets online before we left. We would have saved a little bit of money (a whopping $2.00) but would have saved so much precious time by not having to wait in line for our tickets. 

When we entered the actual "show" I was a bit disappointed because I thought I would have been overcome with smells of spring and all I could smell was popcorn. 

I was, however, impressed with the time and effort it must have taken to pull some of the exhibits together. The Cinderella Wedding exhibit was truly stunning. I was drawn to the English gardens and could totally see myself living in Serendipity. 

The crowds, for me, though were just too much and it was difficult to really appreciate all of the exhibits because you were constantly being pushed and shoved. I so wanted to see the Nightmare Before Christmas but the line was ridiculous. If you are planning to go next year I would highly suggest to go during the week when it may not be as crowded or try going early morning.

Dreaming of Spring

It has been ungodly cold here the past month or so and feels like every other day it decides to snow. I, personally, love the snow but on the other hand despise the cold. 

My perfect scenario would be 70 degree weather with a picture perfect layer of snow on the ground. I had a dream the other night of just that and it was heavenly.

Destination Wedding: Turks & Caicos

When it came time to take the plunge and finally get hitched after many years together we knew exactly the destination where we wanted to say our vows. We wanted a very small intimate wedding with just close family and friends and zero hassle.

We visited Turks and Caicos three times before and we absolutely fell in love with the island. It was the perfect location for us.

We chose the beautiful Seven Stars Resort on Grace Bay to stay and exchange our vows. I can not say enough great things about this resort and their wedding department. They made planning a breeze.

The day of the wedding we just lounged at the beach until it was time to get ready for the main event. 

For hair and makeup I heard so many great things about Sheque Perfection and she did not disappoint.  I had a major situation happening on my forehead (every brides worst nightmare) and she made "it" virtually invisible. 

Photo by: Brilliant Studios

Happy Birthday Jer!

I have a confession...I really suck with words. Especially when it comes to the mushy I love you, you mean everything to me type of words. Even when we get into arguments Jer will say "I think you meant to say it like this." Really, did I? 

Every birthday I always try and come up with something deep and meaningful to describe how much I love this man.

This Used To Be My Playground

Over the years Jer and I have been trusted to watch others pets when they are away but for some reason when it came to watching kids it was another story. We were always on the bottom of the list. 

So when we got the call that we were actually going to be trusted with watching little humans (our nieces) overnight we were at a loss. 

We stocked up on nutritional food; cheese curls,m&ms,chocolate chip cookies,and ice cream. 

I was all set for movies since I heard Frozen was like every kids favorite. These kids had another idea...Annabelle. Um, no. The previews alone had us all trembling. 

We had games and a list of different activities we could do. 

We were set to be the best fucking babysitters ever. 

When they arrived they had their snow gear and sleds and said that they wanted to go sledding. Um, okay, wasn't prepared for that but I knew just the place to take them.

My childhood home has the best hills for sledding. So we headed to my dad's and I relived my glory days.  

Skiing vs Snowboarding

I have been trying to get Jer to snowboard for years to no avail. We don't get to go often so when we do he wants to do what he knows he enjoys; valid point. 

I, on the other hand, will try anything (well almost anything) once and gave his beloved skiing a try a couple years ago and it did not go well. 

I sucked and kept wrecking with ski poles flying this way and the skis flying off the other. Then I had to walk all over creation picking up the pieces of my disastrous falls. What a big pain in the ass! Now I just stick to snowboarding.

Goodbye Girl

"If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." 

Jer's sister has decided to ditch the cold temperatures and move out on her own to the Sunshine State. She is packing up and starting a whole new exciting adventure.

Before she leaves in two weeks, friends and family gathered at her uncle's bar to bid her farewell.

Some things to keep in mind when living on your own for the first time:

Marlboro Man

When asked by my dad if Jer and I would enter a cattle sorting competition we said, "Sure". 

We had no clue what exactly a cattle sorting was and there is also the minor fact that Jer has only rode a horse four times his whole life, but carpe diem.

We arrived early to try and get an idea of what exactly we were supposed to do as the more experienced riders went before us. 

We entered the arena and took a glance around and gave each other the "we are in trouble" looks. 

We felt like Vinny Gambini and Mona Lisa Vito when they first arrived to Beechum County for the first time, totally out of place. (If you have not watched the movie My Cousin Vinny please rent it straight away; it is hilarious).

We warmed up our horses and then the competition started. Jer was up first.