Puppy of the Day

Friends, if there is one thing I know how to do, it’s running a successful campaign. My interest in politicking began my junior year of high school, when I ran for the position of District Ambassador to the state 4-H cabinet. I won easily. Yes, it may have been because there were three positions to fill and only three people running, but that was really just a practice run. The real test came two years later when I threw my hat in the ring for Virginia 4-H State Reporter/Historian. This time the competition was real, and I took out said competition with two key moves: 1. myself and my team distributed badges made out of foam flowers, as well as candy packets to the voters; and 2. I quoted Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite in my speech, which as you may well remember was all the rage back in 2005. This was the last time I ran in an election, but not the last time I quit campaigning! After I served my term as Reporter/Historian, I threw my support behind a Virginia 4-H President candidate from my home county. How did we win this race? We handed out kazoos labeled with “Don’t Blow Your Vote. Brad for President.” Landslide!

What does all of this have to do with puppies? I promise I’m getting somewhere.

I have been waiting for at least three years to get a puppy, and of course the timing was never right. Matt and I discussed it numerous times, and we always agreed that it would be best to wait and get a puppy until after the wedding was over and we had settled back into a normal routine.

While I completely trusted Matt and his insistence that we would one day get a puppy, I figured a little encouragement couldn’t hurt. So, almost every day I would search for a cute puppy picture on Pinterest, and then I would email the picture to Matt. Thus, the Puppy of the Day Campaign was born.

Here are a few of my favorites:

A van full of puppies!!

Chocolate labs, always a favorite.

Too cute to even be real!

Finally, the efforts of my campaign paid off. After we returned from our honeymoon, we started researching puppies right away. Our search led us to Staunton, and come tomorrow morning we will be bringing this little angel home:

Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Meet Millicent Abigail Thomas (Millie). She is a Goldendoole and we are head over heels in love. We've been waiting almost a month to bring her home, and that day has finally arrived. Just fair warning though, this blog will likely become dominated with pictures and videos of that furry little face.

Wedding Wednesday: The Guestbook

Of all the wedding planning secrets I kept, I played none of them closer to the vest than the guestbook. I told a few people, but only because I could not keep such a great idea locked up inside myself for so long. And, I needed to hear others tell me what I great idea it was, just to stroke my ego.

I did my best to keep it under wraps because I did not want to see it all over Pinterest before the wedding could even happen. Maybe that sounds silly, but I just wanted to have one element in our wedding that was completely our own idea.

Early in our wedding planning process, I thought about our guestbook and the myriad of possibilities that lay before us. Guestbooks have come a long way from being an actual book, and there are tons of creative ideas out there--champagne bottles, finger paint, etc. Like I said, for this one aspect of the wedding, I wanted to come up with something that I had never seen before.

To start off the brainstorming process, I thought of all the guestbook ideas I really liked. Basically, I loved the ones that could easily be displayed in a home. To narrow that down, I thought about our wedding theme (winter chic, remember?), and as I considered this, the greatest guestbook idea EVER popped into my head (well, maybe not greatest ever, because it obvi would not work in certain seasons). We set out Christmas ornaments and sharpies, and instructed guests to sign or write a message on the ornament, then hang it the Christmas tree that was set up in the ballroom.

This idea went over really well. Everyone loved coming up with a message to write on the ornament, and it fits with us as a couple because Matt and I LOVE the Christmas season. It's also a tangible way for us to be reminded every year, when we decorate our tree, how special that day was and how loved we truly are.

13 for '13

I'm baaacccckkkk!!!! Matt and I have been back in the states for two weeks now, and every day since then I have tried to imagine the warm, Costa Rican sun on my face during this miserable winter weather. Usually, all that does is make me depressed.

The honeymoon was absolutely wonderful--seven days of sun, delicious food, and delightful drink. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back, so I'm going to stop before I get too depressed. I promise to do another post later (complete with pictures), but for now I'm going to let you in on all the goals Matt and I have made for 2013. I figured I should get on this and get it posted, since January is coming to a close, and New Year's Resolutions are SO three weeks ago, but we've been a little busy so I feel like our lateness is justified.

I have never been much of a resolution making person, but this year I was inspired by Melissa at The First 500. She recently made a list called 99 in 999, which was basically a list of 99 goals to complete in 999 days. Now, she and her new husband have made a list of 99 goals for their first 500 days of marriage. I was a little intimidated by doing that big of a list, mainly because I don't know if I can come up with that many goals all at once. So, Matt and I are taking it easy this year and have come up with thirteen goals to complete in 2013 (clever, right?). Our aim is to accomplish them all together, and we'll see how that goes. We may not finish them all this year, and we may not even get to some, but I love the idea of us working towards something together, during our first year of marriage. So, without further ado...

1. Lose 13 pounds.
I'm only eating foods with less than 30% calories from fat. I really wanna lose 3 pounds. Is butter a carb? Whatever, I'm getting cheese fries.

2. Participate in a 5K
I say "participate" because that means I don't necessarily have to run, I can walk/stroll/be carried.

3. Travel to two new places together
This will be just a little bit difficult, because it has to be a place that neither one of us has been. Challenge accepted.

4. Eat at home 5/7 nights per week.
So far, so good. This only applies to dinner, lunches don't count. That may seem like a cheat, but the whole dinner rule will actually be quite the accomplishment for us.

5. Get a puppy
THIS IS HAPPENING!!!!! OHMYGOD IT IS HAPPENING and I promise I will write a separate post devoted to this topic.

6. Start looking for a house
Also happening, starting this weekend! My two requirements are a bigger kitchen and a soaking tub.

7. Learn 15 new recipes
I'm hoping to make this a feature on the blog, where I try out recipes...wait for it...on camera! I feel like my charm and personality will attract millions of viewers. Also, I've learned two new recipes already--BOOM.

8. Visit three restaurants featured on a food show
This one is ALL Matt's idea.

9. Read at least six books each
This is going to be a lot harder than I thought, now that we're off the honeymoon and we other responsibilities that get in the way of lying by a pool and reading all day.

10. No more than two fast food meals/month
I know many of my friends will doubt my ability to do this, considering my undying love for Taco Bell, but we have been quite successful for the month of January!

11. No soft drinks more than twice a week
I really shouldn't drink soda at all, but sometimes a girl just needs a coke over ice.

12. Get accepted into a Masters Program
This one is mostly for me. I have just started my first ever grad school class, on applied organizational psychology. It's online, so I can still work and whatnot. I'm planning to apply to the program (Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Colorado State University) in the spring, and begin in the fall. This goal IS for both of us, though, because Matt supports me 100%--just another reminder of how blessed I am!

13. Open to reader suggestion
Now you see what I couldn't even attempt a 99 in 999--I had trouble enough coming up with thirteen goals! So, dear reader, if you have a suggestion for our lucky number thirteen, we'd love to hear it!

I promise to give you updates on how well or how horribly this goes. In the meantime, here is a teaser picture from the honeymoon. Enjoy!

This was my first time in the Pacific Ocean. We celebrated this momentous occasion with a drink at the swim-up bar.

Welcome to Twenty Thirteen!

Hello friends, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a magical holiday filled with glitter, loved ones, and champagne (in that order). Husband and I had a delightful NYE in Atlantic City with his friend Phil, and Phil’s girlfriend Rachel. We stayed at the Borgata, ate way too much food, and even won a good bit of cash. Now, it’s back to work and back to reality.

Oh, except in two days we will be here:

You are looking at the AH-MAH-ZING Riu Palace in Costa Rica, the destination for our long awaited honeymoon. This, dear reader, has been the light at the end of the tunnel. Through all of the stress, Matt and I have been longing for this one week when we have nothing to do but lie around on the beach and eat food. 

Oh, and order drinks at the swim-up bar.

Sorry to make you all insanely jealous, especially those suffering the brunt of winter. But, I’m really not sorry—Matt and I have not been on vacation together in FOR-EV-ER, so this is well deserved.

I know that my posting has been sporadic since TBD, but I promise to be more consistent when I return—in fact, it is one of my New Year’s Resolutions! (The only resolution so far, since I kind of came up with that one on the spot.) I've got all kinds of topics swirling in my head, not to mention there are loads of things I have to say about TBD.

When I return, there will be wedding pictures, New Year’s Resolutions, guest posts from Matt, and much more! Until then, please enjoy this one picture of our wedding I painstakingly picked out for you to enjoy. 

Via SOHO Photography

Somewhere in my Memory

It's hard to believe it is almost Christmas. It seems like it was just yesterday that Matt and I were becoming husband and wife!

This year, Christmas was a little different. I have never, ever spent Christmas away from my family. Unfortunately, it just couldn't be avoided--both of us only get a few days off for the holiday, then it is back to work, since we need to save our vacation days for Costa Rica. That means there is no time for travel.

I have, at times, been quite sad about this. I'm a girl who holds fast to her holiday traditions, and all of a sudden everything I've remembered about Christmas is out the window. No more last minute shopping with my dad, or watching Christmas Vacation with the whole family at night. Christmas eve mass and visiting with old friends is out of the question, nor will we be traveling to Williamsburg the day after Christmas to spend time with extended family.

Despite all this, I have had a wonderful holiday. Matt and I have just started a new life together, and right away we get to start new Christmas traditions together. We love both of our families very much, and will always try to be with them on holidays, but for us we have to start looking towards the future, and not dwelling in the past. I will always look back on my Christmases past with love and fondness, and I can only hope that I can make future holidays with our family as special as my parents always made it for me.

Sorry to be so atypically sentimental. Matt just walked into the room to find my sobbing and watching clips from Love, Actually. So, for some holiday cheer, I will leave you with a clip from one of the best Christmas movies of all time. If this doesn't warm your heart, I can only assume you are a cold, unfeeling person, and probably a robot.

Merry Christmas.

Walk Humbly, Son

Words continue to fail me, so this is all I can do:

"For a life well spent, on this earth we're lent, will be marked by the void you have left. May you walk humbly, son."

--Eddie from Ohio

Confessions of a Married Woman

Hello, dear readers! This is my first blog post as the old ball and chain. This past week has been so surreal. Matt keeps calling me "wife," and I just continue to stare in amazement at our wedding bands.

Our mini-moon dinner at Bella's in Charlottesville. Our first non-wedding picture together as husband and wife!

I feel a little overwhelmed, because I'm still reeling from the intensity of emotions I felt this past Saturday. So, for today, I'm linking up with A Blonde Ambition to give you a neat list of all the thoughts that have been swirling in my head this past week.

I confess:

• That our wedding was beautiful and perfect, just like Matt promised. Yes, there were things that went wrong and didn't turn out as planned, but at the end of the day we were married and sobbing with tears of joy, so none of that mattered. 

• That I cried multiple during the wedding day. So many feelings!!!

• I wish I could have another wedding reception, just to party with all of our friends and family one more time. One day is just not enough.

• That I plan to continue writing wedding-related posts. Mainly because I love the attention, but also because there were so many details to our wedding week, and I just want to share them with you all.

• I am going back to bangs this weekend. I grew them out for the wedding, and of late I have not been a fan of the way my forehead looks without a shock of hair across it. I will probably tire of them instantly, but at least my face won't look so huge. 

• That I cannot wait for our honeymoon to Costa Rica. I'm so excited to spend a week doing nothing but eating, drinking, and laying out by the pool. Did I mention the pool has a swim-up bar?

That's all I have for you today. Please enjoy this teaser picture before I start posting on all the wedding details.