Our New Bedroom!

It's been a long time coming, but after almost three years of living in our house we FINALLY completed our bedroom.  We have gotten sidelined by other projects along the way (carpeting, new doors throughout, paint in every room, pergo in the kitchen and entry, etc, etc, etc....), but we finally have a bedroom that I LOVE!

Here's a little progression from when we first moved in until now...

These were taken a few weeks after we moved in, pretty bland...huh? (July 2007)

OK...get ready to be really scared.  Here are some pics right before Kevin painted the room...hence the painters tape and Spackle on the walls. (Don't mind the comforter that was completely flattened and destroyed by Mr. Bono...) (August 2009)

Ok, at least we have painted walls, new window coverings and bedding, and wainscoting up. Also, Bono is no longer allowed on the bed! :) (October 2009)

Yay, new furniture, TV, ceiling fan, and decor!  We're moving up in the world :) (May 2010)

We love our new bedroom so much that we came home on Friday night, and just ended up watching TV in our room.  We were asleep by 10:30. :)  That's ok though.  Of all the work we have done on the house, I think this was our most dramatic transformation.  We still want to do tile in the bathroom (and get rid of the last of the hideous linoleum), but it will all happen in good time. 

Although Kevin says that he enjoys projects, I think we have both decided that we want to build our next house, so we can have more say in everything.  But, all in all, we can't complain.  We're finally getting our house close to where we want it, and I'm ok with that!

***Side note, the cherry wood dresser, chest, and nightstand are still for sale!***  ;-)

RIP Renee Walker (and 24)

The show '24' is one of my absolute favorites of all time.  Kevin and I got hooked on it during season 3, (it's now on season 8), and are disappointed this will be the final season.  (After last night there are only 6 episodes left).  :(  The first half of this season moved a little slow, but has gotten REALLY good the past couple weeks.  I think they are pulling out all the stops for the final episodes.  There is also rumor of a feature film being made, which I can't wait for!  We will most definitely be seeing that in the theatre.

Kevin always gets mad when one of our favorite characters dies, and ends up throwing remotes across the room.  So, in honor of Renee Walker, who died in last night's episode...this is for you, Kevin!

Scrapbooking

I LOVE to scrapbook. I think I'm 'OK' (at best) at it, but would really love to get better. Scrapbooking, I realize, is something you get better at the more you do it. I truly am a left-brained person at heart, so I am much more analytical than 'artsy'!

I made my first scrapbook right after college. It still isn't finished, but what I have is HUGE (I have pictures from my entire Junior year, and half of my Senior year in it). I pulled it out a couple weeks ago, and was laughing at it. Not only have I gotten much better since then...I really think scrapbooking materials have improved greatly since 2001!

When Kevin and I were getting married, we wanted to get a gift for our parents that was special. We decided to each do a scrapbook for them. We took the same pictures and got the same materials for each page, but made them uniquely our own. It was a big hit! Both sets of parents really liked them. My parents still have theirs sitting in their living room (almost 5 years later).

I started a wedding scrapbook, but it has sadly been MIA since we moved into our house almost three years ago. I most likely am going to make another one at some point! I also did a recipe scrapbook for my friend Gail's bridal shower last year. I emailed everyone that was invited to Gail's shower and had them send me their favorite recipes and pictures if they had them. This was actually probably my favorite scrapbook that I've done. It was so much fun working with all the different materials, pictures, and recipes. Not to toot my own horn, but it turned out really cute!

Last year while working on the recipe scrapbook, I also did one of Kevin and my trip to Disney World in 2008. It was actually nice working on two projects at the same time. It kept me from getting bored working on the same thing. I also started a scrapbook from our Myrtle Beach trip (in 2007) last summer. Then we got busy. We went to Disney World in September, St. Pete in October, and before we knew it we were in the midst of the holiday season!

My parents got me a Cricut for Christmas and it renewed my need to finish the Myrtle Beach scrapbook and start on some new projects. Unfortunately, the fact still remained that I really didn't have a good place to scrapbook. I have a nice roll-y scrapbook bag, but after a while it gets really annoying packing it to the brim, rolling the bag around, unloading it, re-loading it, etc. Over the summer, I was taking my bag with me when I went in with Kevin to do his radio show, but I can’t take my cricut with me when he is on the air, so I was back to pulling everything out at home, bringing it downstairs, then putting it away when I was done and taking it all back up. Kevin had been thinking about it for a while, and a little over a month ago he decided to make our fourth bedroom into a scrapbook room. He closed the room off for a week and worked on cleaning it up, painting, and putting together a great room for me. The only input I had was the paint color and the desk :). He did an amazing job! Here are some pictures of the room:

The Room!

Even Mullen loves it!

Now, I have the space I've always wanted! I usually spend a couple hours a week in here. I just plug my iPod in and get a chance to clear my head.

Last weekend, my parents came down because my mom was going to the scrapbook expo with me. We had a blast (and bought too much!!). They have it at one of the buildings at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. A bunch of companies have booths there full of all different types of scrapbook stuff. It was so nice to walk around to all the different booths and get new ideas. There was a booth we went to that had a product that allowed you to make your own paper from junk mail. How great is that?!? It was actually very cool. There were also a lot of new things I learned, like how to work with chipboard and glitter. My head has been spinning since then with all kinds of new ideas.

My favorite booth by far was Creek Bank Creations. They have a lot of their own products, and so many great ideas. My mom and I visited that booth twice, and although I didn't buy anything there at the show, I will be making many purchases from them soon! One of their ‘Take Home a Class’ albums will be my next project. (In addition to the Disney scrapbook I am going to start working on from our anniversary trip last year.)

Also, another one of my favorite websites for scrapbook stuff is Scrap Your Trip.com! They have a huge variety of products including personalized papers. I've used them for my Disney and Myrtle Beach scrapbooks!

I will try to post some layouts and new projects I'm working on so I can have documentation of my 'scrapbooking progression!' :)

Travelin' Duo...

Kevin and I are very excited, we're actually taking TWO vacations this year!  (Well, actually one real vacation, and one mini-vacation)! 

In May, we're headed back to Orlando!  We went to the AAA Great Vacations Expo last month, with the only intention of meeting Adam Richman from 'Man vs. Food'!  We saw his presentation and the hot dog eating contest (yuck!).  After his presentation, we headed over to meet him....then...HELLO LINE!  We would have been waiting forever.  We said hi to him, and then proceeded to check out the rest of the show.  It was a great time actually.  We ran into the lady who works at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, and they had an amazing rate for Memorial Day weekend.  After about four days of thinking about it, we decided to book it!  We can't wait!

We're headed down in about two months.  We were talking about not doing WDW at all, but decided we could not be that close and not go!  Our plan is to hang out at the resort on the first day, go to the Magic Kingdom on the second day, Epcot the third, and then play it by ear on the fourth day.  We are very excited!

We also have decided to do something completely different to celebrate our 5th anniversary in September.  We're crossing our fingers for no hurricanes, and are headed to a Sandals all-inclusive resort in Jamaica!  We can't wait!  The last time I was to a Caribbean island, I was 18 and on a cruise with my parents.  Kevin went to the Bahamas when he was 21.  We've never done anything like this, and are really excited!  Six months and we'll be saying "No problem, mon!" :)

Happy Valentines Day!

I truly think I have the best husband in the world!  We just spent our 7th Valentines Day weekend together. 

Kevin came home with a dozen red roses on Friday night, which are my absolute favorite! 

On Saturday, he told me he was going to start working on my scrapbook room (we're transforming our forth bedroom), and brought in some paint swatches for me to look at.  We went out yesterday and bought a desk and some paint, and he's been up there working all day!  I've been told, I am not allowed to go into the room until it has been completed. :)

Last night we went out for our Valentines Day dinner at the same restaurant we always go to - Cameron's.  It was wonderful as usual.  Here's a picture of us at Cameron's last year (I forgot the camera this year). 

Then we came home and cuddled up on the couch.  Kevin made us both some coffee, which for some reason had the opposite effect and we both passed out! 

This morning we woke up and exchanged presents.  He got me a Beauty and the Beast figurine named "Love Conquers All".  I absolutely loved it!  He's such a sweetie. 

After spending a great morning together, he's been working on the mystery room, and I've been doing my normal Sunday stuff (grocery store, and laundry). But it has been a wonderful day anyway.  I know that I am incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life :)  I can't wait to spend many, many more Valentines Days with such a great husband....

Us (circa 2003)

Fear of Parking Lots

Ok, so this happened about a month ago (exactly one week before Christmas to be exact). I haven’t written about it so far because I was slightly embarrassed and somewhat appalled. I try to keep my page lighthearted, but this event is still somewhat plaguing me a month later. Since it has had such a great effect on me, I thought it may be helpful to get it off my chest.


I had an appointment in Dublin, Ohio on a Friday afternoon. I was planning on stopping at the grocery store on my way home since I was going to be making bunches of Christmas cookies that weekend. I decided to save some highway / sitting in Friday afternoon traffic time, and go to the Giant Eagle in Dublin. That way I could just take back roads home from the grocery store and get to work on those seven (yes, seven) batches of cookies! I was in such a great mood. It was the weekend, I was about to start baking (which I love to do), and Kevin and I were going to start (and finish) our marathon Christmas shopping session on Saturday. I was just leaving a voice mail with Kevin to let him know what I was up to, and then was going to head into the store. I was in a turn lane to go into the grocery store plaza, when I hung up the phone. I happened to glance in the rearview mirror and noticed a small red car behind me. I pulled into the parking lot and parked towards the back since it seemed that everyone had the same idea as me and was doing a little Friday afternoon grocery shopping. I looked again in my rearview mirror and noticed the little red car had parked behind me in the next row over. I threw my cell phone in my purse, made sure I had my list, and stepped out of the car. A man (who was shorter than me, probably in his late 50’s with grey hair) stepped out of the red car at the same time and yelled “That was SO STUPID”. I looked around thinking that this man had to be talking to someone else. I noticed that there was no one else around, and he was walking directly over to me. This isn’t good at all, I thought to myself.

“Excuse me?” I said.

“I can’t believe you are so stupid”, the mean man responded to me.

“Excuse me sir, do NOT call me stupid.” I responded, trying to maintain composure. By this point he was walking right next to me, no one else was in the parking lot (of course), and I was starting to shake.

“You were on the PHONE in a TURN LANE. YOU ARE SO STUPID!” The man repeated.

“HUH?!?” I replied, absolutely dumbfounded. At this point the guy looked to me like he was about to start raging. His face was beet red and every vein was popping out of his neck.

“You think you’re pretty cool, don’t you???” He said. I was at an absolute loss. Here this guy comes at me out of nowhere, and starts screaming, calling me stupid, and then making some comment like he thought I thought I was some kind of hot shot teenager. I am 30 years old….I am WAY past the point of thinking I am “cool”. I needed to do something to make him back off, since he was so blatantly ignoring the concept of personal space.

“No, I don’t think I’m cool.” I said sarcastically. “Are you going to hit me or something?!?!?” I asked in a much louder voice, trying to attract attention of anyone else that may be able to help me. I really didn’t think he was going to hit me, but I needed him to back away from me since I was starting to get scared. I also had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. I was thinking back to what I did when pulling into the parking lot. He was behind me, so I obviously didn’t cut him off. There was also no one else coming towards us, when I made the left turn, so I hadn’t cut anyone else off. I was at a complete loss as to why this man was flipping out on me.

“No, I’m not going to hit you” the man responded. He lowered his voice and backed away a little. (May I emphasize “a little”.) Then he got mad again and waved his hand at me and said “GET THE *F* OUT OF HERE.” Ok, who was he to tell me to get out of here. Wasn’t he aware this was a public place???

At this point I was so frustrated with this guy. He was yelling at me, but not really giving a good reason why. He swore at me, which I don’t appreciate, nor have I ever had anyone do before. Even if I had done something to him (which I 100% swear I didn’t), no one deserves to be talked to like this. I was out of ideas.

Finally I we were almost to the entry of the grocery store, and he was keeping pace with me. I wanted him to speed up or slow down and just let me go on my way. I was done with this conversation.

“You go ahead, I am done talking to you.” I said as I stopped walking. He slowed down and gave me a nasty look and muttered something like “stupid *b-ch” under his breath. At this point, I lost all control of the composure I had been keeping for the last two minutes. I raised my voice and said. “Get a *F*ing life, *a*hole”.

At this point we walked into the store, with him ahead of me. I know my face was beet red because I could feel it burning. It felt like I had just gone to the beach and spent all day in the sun. I was shaking so bad, I could barely push the cart. Mostly from the conversation I had just had, but partially because of what I said to that guy. I have never said anything like that to anyone before in my life. I was near tears, but managed to hold them back.

Looking back, I should have just left the store. I walked around in fear that this guy was going to be in the aisle I needed to go down. I somehow managed to finish my shopping, paid, and left. The red car was gone when I got back to my car, and I never saw the guy again. I walked quickly around my car in fear that he may have keyed it or something, he was that unstable. I wished I had just gone back and written down his license plate or something before he left. I don’t know what I would have done with it…but I don’t think it would have been a bad idea to have it.

I told Kevin about the situation on my way home. He was about ready to drive over and hunt down this guy and beat him up (although, I can’t imagine my sweet, good-natured Kevin beating anyone up)! He told me if this ever happens again (god, I HOPE NOT), to take out my cell phone and take a picture of the guy, then walk over to his car and take a picture of his license plate. Good ideas…but I hope I never have to use them!

Now, I would definitely say I am nervous in parking lots. I am always worried that someone is going to go off on me for no reason. I actually was walking out of Best Buy the day after this happened, and heard a man behind me say “Excuse me, miss?” I about jumped out of my skin. I turned around and looked at him and he proceeded to ask me where I had gotten my coat because he thought his daughter would really one like it for Christmas. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, managed to tell him “Macy’s”, and smiled, trying not to let him know that I was shaking like a leaf. He smiled and said thank you, and walked into the parking lot.

I’ve replayed the situation over and over trying to figure out what I did to make the man in the Giant Eagle parking lot SO angry at me, and I really am stumped. Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he had work or family problems. I will never know, but I hope it never happens again. Word of advice, always be aware of your surroundings. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, you never know who you may run into. I know for a fact that I am extra careful now, and will never stop looking over my shoulder….

Winter Blahs...

It’s no secret that I HATE Winter. I hate cold, I hate snow, I REALLY hate ice. Everything is brown, gray, and depressing. For the past two weeks, it’s barely broke 30 degrees, the high temperatures this week have been in the low 20’s, and we’ve barely seen any sunshine. Don’t get me wrong, I am used to winter. After all – I have lived in Ohio almost all my life. (Had a one year hiatus in Baltimore, MD). I also grew up around Cleveland, where they get a LOT more snow than we do here in Columbus. But, when you’re a kid, snow and winter stuff is fun. I would get together with friends and make snow angels, have snowball fights, and make snowmen, and be excited to wake up and hear that you have a snow day!

As an adult, you’re not as lucky, you don’t get “snow-days” regardless of the road conditions. Kevin and I agree on the fact that people from Columbus have no idea how to drive in snow. A word of advice, having an all-wheel drive car or SUV does not mean you can drive 70 MPH on ice! People like to do that here, and often end up on the side of the road smashed into a guard rail or in a ditch!

Winter sports frankly don’t interest me much either. Although, my husband LOVES skiing, we have never gone together. I have been skiing once in my life (about 7 years ago), and was on my butt about 90% of the time. The worst part about it was I was skiing in OHIO. There is no good skiing in Ohio, yet I was still tumbling, sliding, and crashing every chance I got. I even had ski patrol come over when I had gone into some brush on one of the hills to ask if I was ok. Ugh! How embarrassing! Skiing and ice skating are definitely not the sports I should be participating in…

At least the dogs enjoy the snow!

I’ve been working on Kevin for several years now to move down south. And, I think my “winter-hatred” has finally gotten to him. Now, I’m starting to hear the same kind of rumblings from him that I have been saying for years. Hmm, maybe someday I will be lucky enough to be blessed with living by the ocean and even possibly having the Florida resident discount to Disney World. I can always dream, right?!? ;-)

But for the time being, I’ll sit here and watch the snow fall outside my office window.  We’re supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow today and tonight. It should be a fun drive home. Look out everyone, my Pilot has 4x4!!!