It's My Lucky Day

John and I walked into Target and found this beauty in the Bath section.

It's going to look fantastic in my bathroom above the toilet. Woo Hoo!

Bathroom Inspiration

There are 2 rooms in our house that have not been touched since we moved in over a year ago....the guest bathroom and the master bathroom. At the time we moved in, we had no idea what we wanted to do in the bathrooms so we just left them as-is. And it was probably for the better. We've had a lot of time to think about what we want and shop around. And of course John and I want different things. So here it comes, the compromise. Shocker, I know. John gets to design the guest bathroom and I get to design the master bathroom. You might be thinking that I'm nuts, letting my husband pick out the decor for the guest bathroom, but let me tell you, he has a great eye. I'm so excited to see how they both turn out.

Because John and I don't plan on living in our condo for the rest of our lives, we are choosing to make easy and cheap upgrades that will give us the most bang for our buck. I'll fill you in on the details as we go, but we're not doing any huge renovations (that I know of).

I've been doing a lot of web-surfing, searching for inspiration for my part of the compromise - the master bathroom. I really want a relaxing, spa-like feel in our bathroom. Pale color on the wall, crisp, clean and white. Here are a few that I really like...

Decorpad

In the above bathroom, I like the sunburst mirror, the gorgeous tile and the large trough-like sink. But I really love the crystal knobs on the vanity. Note to self: start looking for cheap crystal-like knobs. Up next...

Southern Living

The tub would be a wonderful addition, but no major renovations, remember? I love the ledge lined with candles. Candles definitely make a bathroom feel like a spa. Note to self: incorporate candles into the final design. Next...

Good Housekeeping

The countertops in the above picture look a lot like our existing countertops. And don't they go great with the white vanity. I love the towel shelf/rack above the toilet. Does anyone know where to get something like that? It makes me think of a hotel room, which always feels relaxing, like I'm on vacation in my own house. Movin' on...

House and Home

Here it is! This light gray color will go perfectly with the dark gray in our master bedroom. The white vanity with gray marble countertops and gorgeous crystal knobs are exactly what I want. The tile part way up the wall has a bead board appeal, which I love and want to try in the master bathroom! And I also love the thick moulding and the fresh flowers on the counter. Perfection.

So let the fun begin. My task list looks something like this (although it will probably change a million times before I'm done):

- find a light gray paint color

- find new flooring

- look for crystal knobs for the vanity

- look for a new towel rack

- cut mirror down and frame with moulding

- find new bath rug

- find new faucet to match towel rack

- find new light fixture for above mirror

- learn how to install beadboard & moulding

- look for ways to organize the stuff in the drawers & cabinets under the vanity

I'll post "before" pictures as soon as I take some. Promise.

In the meantime, what do you like about these bathrooms? Anything you don't like and think I should stay away from? Any suggestions on paint, flooring or accessories?

A Little Present Just For Us

This little gem was left to us by the previous owners of our condo. Just open the blinds and there it is. Looks easy enough to remove, except that this little gem was placed on the window before the window tint was applied. John's got his work cut out!

Graduation Videos

Are coming soon.

I promise.

And they're good.

Definitely worth the wait.

Organized and Happy

A few weeks ago I had the urge to organize. Do you ever get the feeling that something is just chaos and organizing it is the only way to keep your sanity? I happen to get that feeling more than I'd like to admit. And John usually complies with my urges. So off to Target we went. We grabbed a few of those cheap plastic tubs and a 5 drawer roll-y thing-y. I think the total was about $20. Then I emptied everything out of the hall closet and John and I went to work sorting, condensing and organizing. And Voila! 

New Condo Pictures

On "Our Condo" tab at the top of the page.


Go check it out.


http://thisisthefabulouslife.blogspot.com/p/our-house.html


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Rock Star Graduate

I still can't believe my younger sister just graduated from high school. I remember when she was born and I held her for the first time.....how time flies. 17 years. The real kicker is that her high school graduation also marked the 10th year since I graduated high school. Now that I really can't believe. 10 years ago (very close to the day) I walked across the same stage, shook hands with some of the same people, and tossed my hat in the air. Being back at my high school 10 years later was a bit nostalgic. I saw one of my math teachers and the ceremony was MC'd by photography teacher. The seniors talked about the same events, rallies, dances and football games that I used to go to. It almos felt surreal, like I had been transported back 10 years and was reliving my high school graduation. It's amazing how much things don't really change in 10 years. So many memories, good and bad, are wrapped up on that high school campus. So many laughs and tears that shaped who we are as people today. I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

Enough about me...are you ready for the action?! This first video is Moni's entrance onto the field. She's second from the right in her group of 4.

Next up, walking up to the stage to get her diploma, and posing for pictures along the way.

The oh-so-glorious walk across the stage (she goes right after her friend Tanner - but you'll hear the screaming!)

Announcing the graduates and hats flying everywhere!

Other pictures from that day....

Congratulations Class of 2010!

Let The Good Times Roll

Here she is! My beautiful sister....the 2010 high school graduate!

Graduation isn't complete without a P-A-R-T-Y! My dad hosted a great backyard fiesta with tons of Mexican food and even a pinata. The whole family came out to celebrate the new graduate!

 

Congratulations Moni!

Our Sweet Pup

Keeping watch.....

Chillin' with dad.....

Giving kisses.....

Ready to pounce.....

Waiting for a treat.....

Dreaming of a Cooler Place

because it's too dang hot outside

Whoa!

Before:

During:

After:

Who goes 9 months without getting a hair cut because their stylist moved 3000 miles away and they are paralyzed with fear about finding a new one? Oh yeah, that's me. I still haven't found a new stylist in Orlando. My sister did the color and I went to a stylist in California for an emergency hair cut right before my sister's graduation party. Who does that? Well anyway, it will buy me some time while I keep searching. If you've got a lead on a hair stylist, drop me a line.

Anniversary Vacation - Day 6

Day 6:  The final day! We managed to pull ourselves out of bed around 9am. Patti and Jonathan made us breakfast and I tried hash for the first time. Definitely edible :) The bags were packed and the car was ready for the ride home by 11am. John and I were sad to leave Chattanooga. We enjoyed our time with Patti and Jonathan so much.

For the next 9 hours, this is all we saw....

Cars, cars and more cars. We headed down through Atlanta and hit some heavy traffic around the Turner Field exit. Good thing the Braves won against Philadelphia 9-3 that day, or else we would have been upset.

The ride home was fairly uneventful. We ate Chic-fil-A for lunch and I had an Oreo cookie blizzard from DQ for an afternoon snack. Yum! Those are my favorite. We made it home about 8:30pm and I think we were just as excited to see Layla as she was to see us. She was jumping and running around so fast! We missed her so much. Next road trip, Layla will definitely be coming with us.

Overall, our Anniversary Vacation was awesome! We had so much fun driving around the Southeast, visiting new places and hanging out with family. Thank you so much Danny and Angie, and Patti and Jonathan for hosting us. We can't wait to see all of you again.

Anniversary Vacation - Day 5

Day 5:  Back on the road again, we headed for Chattanooga, TN to visit John's cousin Patti and her husband, Jonathan. It was only a 2 hour drive north across the border of Georgia into Tennessee. We arrived tired and hungry and Patti and Jonathan graciously cooked dinner for us while I took a shower and got into comfortable clothes. We had a chance to talk and catch up and play with their boxer, Babe, while they cooked. After dinner we stayed up playing card games (girls v. boys, of course). The girls were ahead when we finally called it quits, but we planned on finishing the next night.

The next morning, Patti and Jonathan took us to their church which was held in a huge, old, traditional church building. It was really fun to experience the church that they are a part of. After the worship service, they took us to the Farmer's Market that happens every Sunday afternoon. Patti's mom and dad (John's aunt and uncle), Debbie and Barney Joe, came up and met us at the Market, along with Patti's brother, Robbie. It was so fun to see all of them and get a chance to hang out. I ate Mexican food, quesadillas, and John ate BBQ, pulled pork. Then we walked around looking at all the different craft and vegetable vendors while live music played from the stage. The best thing about the Farmer's Market was the plant vendor that was selling different types of fruit trees. They were selling a "Fruit Cocktail Tree" which grew 4 different kinds of fruit on the same tree! I think it grew nectarine, peaches, plums and pears. It was seriously the coolest thing we had seen. In the future, when John and I have a backyard, we are going to get a Fruit Cocktail Tree...along with a garden and many different kinds of flowers. :)

The Market was so much fun and great way to spend part of the afternoon. We headed back to Patti and Jonathan's house and ended up hanging out inside because of a huge thunderstorm. John learned about Jonathan's job as an engineer and Patti and I talked about a million things (the way that girls always do when they get together). We had another great meal at their house, jumbalaya with sausage, and we ended the night finishing our card game. Us girls were able to squeak out a win, but only after the boys gave us a run for our money. :)

The time we spent in Chattanooga was so refreshing and relaxing. We had a great time hanging out with Patti and Jonathan and can't wait to go back and visit again. And we can't wait to meet their son when he arrives! :)

Anniversary Vacation - Day 4

Day 4:  After dinner in Atlanta, we drove a hour and a half north to John's aunt and uncle's house in Ball Ground, GA. Their house is set on about 10 acres (I think) of land, most of which is woods. It is absolutely goregous up there. John's family has talked about this place for so long, I was so excited to experience it myself. John's cousin, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Sarah, also came up to hang out with us. We spent the night chatting away and before we knew it, it was after midnight and we were exhausted.

The next day we woke up and ate a good 'ol fashion, Southern breakfast. Stewed tomatoes and biscuits with bacon. I wasn't quite sure about it at first, but it turned out to be pretty good. :) After breakfast, Kyle, Sarah, John and I went on a little hike in the backyard down to the creek.

Kyle and Sarah had to leave after the hike (they weren't on vacation, like John and I). We said goodbye to them, but we weren't quite done learning about Danny and Angie's property. They showed us their garden, their trees and plants, the coy pond and told us all about the plans they have for a new deck and a new workshop. It was so peaceful and relaxing as we walked around enjoying their property.

Danny and Angie also took us to the cabin that Danny was hired to restore. They ended up tearing it down completely and building it from scratch. Danny does most of the work himself after he gets off of work. He's been working on it for about a year and has come along way! It looks so great! We can't wait to see it when it is finished.

We left Danny and Angie that afternoon and headed north once again. Next stop, Chattanooga, TN. We had such a good time with Danny and Angie at their house. It was so fun to get to know them better and see where they live. We can't wait to go back and visit again...hopefully the hot tub will be installed by then. :)

Anniversary Vacation - Day 3

Day 3: We had to say good bye to Hilton Head, South Carolina on day 3. Hilton Head, we will miss your relaxing swings, beautiful beaches and lovely weather. We hope to see you again soon!

Our next stop was Atlanta, Georgia. It took us about 5 1/2 hours to drive from Hilton Head, SC to Atlanta, GA. We hit some unexpected traffic out in the middle of interstate 16 and also some heavy thunderstorms. These thunderstorms were pretty vicious. In fact, most people pulled over to the side of the road to wait it out. John and I chose to drive cautiously through the rain. Both of us are used to driving in heavy rain - we live in central Florida!

Our destination that evening was Ray's in the City, an upscale restaurant that my sweet husband found and made reservations for. This was our "anniversary dinner" and our present to each other. Ray's in the City is known for their seafood and everything is made fresh by the chef himself. I had crab cakes with a delicious mustardy sauce served with green beans and mashed potatoes. John had corn crusted Georgia mountain trout - the best fish meal he's ever had, he says. It was pretty spectacular! We had so much fun getting dressed up and eating at a fancy restaurant. Thanks darling, for making that such a special evening!

Anniversary Vacation - Day 2

Day 2: My internal alarm went off around 8am and I couldn't fall back asleep. What's the deal with that? I'm supposed to be on vacation and I'm wide awake by 8am. So much for sleeping in. I tried to lay quiet and still to give John some additional sleep time, but after a few minutes I just couldn't resist waking him up :) I opened the patio doors and let the warm breeze into our room.

John and I decided to go back to the beach again. We love walking along the shoreline, watching all the people and enjoying the water. It was a beautiful day and the water was so refreshing! Even the jellyfish came out to play :)

Since we were on vacation, we actually left the hotel room carrying only enough cash to get us through the day. Can you believe it!? We went the entire day not knowing what time it was, not checking our email, and not checking up on Layla. I felt so free! We went to look for a place to eat lunch when our tummy's were hungry and ended up at the Bamboo Cafe. It was up on the second floor of the shopping center and it felt like we were dining in a tree house. The roof was made to look like a grass hut and there was wood on all the walls. An older gentleman serenaded us thoughout our meal and they served a bowl of popcorn with the menus. That's my kind of place! The food was decent, John's rib eye wrap was better than my friend shrimp wrap, but the $4.95 lunch special made it worth it.

After a few hours in the sun and a full belly, we were pooped! We spent the afternoon napping and watching a movie in our hotel room. Not very exciting, but oh so relaxing.

Dinner was slighty less exotic since we decided to save some dough and hit up Taco Bell. Those new tortadas are surprising delicious :)

Anniversary Vacation - Day 1

 John and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on May 24th. I can't believe it's been one whole year since we said "I do." It honestly doesn't feel like we've been married for a whole year. I think that's a good thing :) For our one year anniversary we planned a road trip which included 4 states and 1300 miles in 6 days. We had a blast!

Day 1: We hit the road about 10am and headed straight to Hilton Head, South Carolina. My mom and step dad hooked us up with a free hotel room for 2 nights. Thanks Mom and Alan! We arrived in Hilton Head about 4pm. 

After dropping our bags in the room, we walked across the street to a shopping center to look around. We did some window shopping and also scouted out all the restaurants. A local cafe called The Frosty Frog caught our eye. It turned out to have a daiquiri bar inside! Daiquiri's are my favorite! You could even mix and match to create the perfect daiquiri blend. I mixed strawberry and pina colada. John mixed "Hurricane" and "Jump Start." Interesting how the flavors in John's daiquiri were secret flavors. We're still not sure what exactly was in his drink - but it sure tasted good! The food was really good too. I enjoyed a turkey wrap while John scarfed down a talapia sandwich.

After dinner we walked over to the beach. The sun had already set but it was still light outside. We walked along the shoreline, enjoying the peacefulness of the ocean and the sand between our toes.

Aren't these swings the cutest! We took full advantage of these public swings while we were on Hilton Head island. It was so relaxing to sit and swing with my husband. It made me realize how much I enjoy swinging. Maybe John and I can get one sometime. :)