Good-bye 2008, Hello 2009!

Another year over and another just starting. 2008 was a GREAT year for me, although there were some down times, it over all was the most amazing year I've had.
So here it goes my top list for 2008:
1) Getting married to Christopher.

2) Spending two amazing weeks in Hawaii on our honeymoon.

3) Philadelphia Phillies winning the world series!!!

4) Barack Obama making history by becoming president:

5) In January the annual cottage winter run.


6) Meeting some of my amazing knottie friends for the first time in person!
7) Having 20lbs of live craw fish coming to the cottage straight from LA!

8) Our friends Greg and Kali got married in May.

9) June, my bridal Shower and my mom retired after 39 years of teaching.

10) July, 4th of July at the cottage, Kenny Chesney concert and I started to DIY our invites for the wedding.


11) August, my birthday of course! Colony day at the cottage, being able to finally drive the Jet-ski by my self!

12)September, my bachelorette party in Atlantic City. Finishing all the wedding projects!

11) Our wedding of course and our amazing honeymoon to Hawaii!
12) November Phillies winning world series!
13) December spending a lot of times with friends and family.

Though there were a lot of good times in 2008, of course we did lose some close people to us and we will remember them.

Christmas Time!

We have been gone for about just about a week. We left last Wednesday and got back late yesterday. It's was a great time, and besides spending it with my parents and family one of the best things was being able to wake up and spend Christmas morning with Chris. This is the first Christmas we actually spent together since we have been together. We started our Christmas with my parents and grandfather, Chris made my most favorite meal ever that he makes Stuffed Chicken Breast and Broccoli with hollandaise sauce. After dinner we watched our wedding dvd and then got ready for church. We went to the candle light service at church. Christmas day we spent the morning opening up gifts, some of our favorites were:
My Garmin Nuvi from my parents, it's super cute and little and also has a pink carry case, yay!

These super cute pug salt and pepper shakers that are kissing:

Dancing with the Stars for the Wii:

And of course a lot of other things, but if I posted pics, this post would be long! Chris also got some awesome stuff, he got Top Spin Tennis for the Wii and Balls of Fury for the Wii which he was super excited for.
After opening presents with my parents, the husband and the pug, we went to visit my Nana at her nursing home. After that we came back and just hung around until the craziness began(the whole family coming over for Christmas). Plus some friends stopped by as well with their gifts. The day after Christmas, we woke up had breakfast with my parents and made our trip to Buffalo to have Christmas with Chris's family. Friday when we got there we opened up our gifts and there too we also got some good gifts, some of our favorites were:
My Cuisinart Stand Mixer:

Guitar Hero Aerosmith for the Wii:

We then went out and bought Guitar Hero Legends of Rock for the Wii:


Saturday we hung out did some after Christmas shopping, played guitar hero and had Christmas dinner, Sunday we spent the day watching football and the Eagles making it to the playoffs! Monday we got up early and came home. Today is really our only day at home again this week, because tomorrow we are off to a NYE party and then to my parents for New Years Day dinner and then off to Rochester Friday night to see some friends and Saturday we are headed to Buffalo, which I'm super excited for, to see some of my friends from the knot again!!! After the new year we will be glad to have a few weekends to just kick back at home and relax, we have been non-stop since the first weekend in December. I sort of feel like we are in wedding planning mode again with all of this running around! Anyways, everyone have a great and safe New Year!

Merry Christmas!

A little late, but Merry Christmas Everyone!

Our Christmas Trees!

This year we have two Christmas trees! We have our big real one that we both get to decorate and then we have just my little "fake" tree.

Our big real tree has been a hot mess this year, it has already fallen over twice, so the lights are a little crooked.



Then there is my tree, which Chris calls a Charlie Brown tree:

Niagara Falls

Chris work Christmas party is held every year in Niagara Falls, NY. His company actually owns a hotel that is right on the falls. Last year we didn't get time to go out to the falls and look, but this year we went to Goat Island and got a few pictures! It was freezing!

Puggie's Halloween!!

I thought I didn't take a picture of Alexis in her Halloween costume but I did! So here she is:

Miss. Puggie The Hot Dog

Craisins!!!

So excited when I walked into target and found these!!! I love these! While they are healthy and good for you, the regular one packs on a lot of calories!! Still good! Try them today!

4 years!

Today is four years since Christopher and I first started dating. Although he told me we can no longer celebrate this date, and only our wedding date, I'm still celebrating it! We've come a long way in the past four years and of course the best memory to date was our wedding day!

Anyways Happy "Dating" Anniversary to Us!!!

Movie Thursday!

Tonight's movie is...

101 Things to do in 1001 Days

I've seen this on numerous blogs I follow, so I thought I would join in on the fun!
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic,

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.



Items in italics are in progress, items slashed through are complete!

1. Have 15 date nights with hubby.
2. Play guitar hero/rock band to find out why everyone is so addicted to it.
3. Splurge on dinner at Capital Grille and a movie.
4. Have 4 girls’ night outs.
5. Call my friends at least every two weeks for 4 months.
6. Have friends over for a cocktail party.
7. Visit my grandmother at least 2 times a month for 6 months.
8. Create & send out birthday cards every month (0/12)
9. Go through old toys/dolls and donate unwanted ones to Children’s hospital or other charity.
10. Visit an animal shelter and help out .
11. Visit CHOP and read to children that are there.
12. Volunteer - anywhere.
13. Donate to a food shelter once a month for 6 months.
14. Collect items throughout year for Toys for Tots.
15. Complete a 5k .
16. Complete a 10k.
17. Forgive someone.
18. Write a letter to a loved one at least once a month for six months.
19. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.
20. Give someone a sincere compliment at least once a week for a month.
21. Bake something for a bake good sale at least four times.
22. Complete the Ben Franklin Bridge Run.
23. No sweets for two weeks.
24. Make sure all products in shower are organic/natural.
25. Try a yoga/Pilate's class.
26. Go vegan for a week.
27. Take the pug for long walks over a mile at least twice a week for a month.(2/10)
28. Switch to all-natural cleaning products.
29. Splurge on 6 hour day at a spa.
30. Splurge on a 6 hour day at the spa with the hubby.
31. Have healthy children.
32. Take my pre-natal vitamins everyday.
33. Make at least 4 unity candles/memorial candles a month for 4 months.
34. Try 3 new recipes for 3 months.(3/9)
35. Plant an herb garden.
36. Take a Wilton's Cake Class.
37. Take Pug to the dog park at least once a month for 6 months.(1/6)
38. Buy a house with the hubby.
39. Put 10 bucks away every two weeks for 6 months.
40. Close all credit cards.
41. Clean out our closet and get rid of things we no longer need or want.
42. Keep the refrigerator and spice cabinet stocked with staple food/seasonings.
43. Cook a meal with all complete organic items.
44. Clean and organize the garage.
45. Stain back deck.
46. Plant new flowerbeds in backyard.
47. Complete spring clean the house from head to toe.
48. Only eat out once a month for six months.
49. Update my passport.
50. Travel to another country.
51. Visit Chicago.
52. Go back to Boston.
53. Visit the Napa Valley.
54. Take a weekend trip on the motorcycle with Chris.
55. Go on a day trip to somewhere we've never been.
56. Visit the Philly Art Museum with hubby.
57. Go to at least 3 Philadelphia Sport Team Games.
58. Visit the Baltimore Aquarium.
59. Go see a show on Broadway.
60. Go on a weekend trip to NYC.
61. Eat at the Rainbow Room.
62. Read at least one of the books from the Twilight Series
63. Finish "The Other Boleyn Girl"
64. Watch at least 25 movies in 8 months.(2/25)
65. Try 10 new restaurants.
66. See at least 5 shows at the Walnut Street Theatre
67. Have friends over at least once a month for six months(1/6).
68. Read, What to Expect When your Expecting, by the time kiddies are ready.
69. Read at least two books from Oprah's Book Club.
70. Be a guest on The View/Rachel Ray/Conan.
71. Go to a pumpkin patch/hayride/scary thing.
72. Re-learn Spanish.
73. Attend an event the hubby really wants to go to.
74. Attend a dance show.
75. Send a letter to hubby at his work.
76. Write a letter for no reason to 3 friends.
77. Start a mini-cookbook.
78. Give blood.
79. Right thank you cards for all things people do for us.
80. Participate in Big Sister club.
81. Take more photographs.
82. Bake a batch of cookies for a shelter for Christmas.
83. Complete this list.
84. Get up early to watch the sun rise over the lake at the cottage.
85. Catch a fish at the cottage this year while fishing!
86. Get a new cell phone that I really love and not just like.
87. Have three totally different hairstyle's.(1/3)
88. Get Married.
89. Go to Peddler's Village with the girls.
90. Make Chris breakfast in bed at least once a month for 3 months.
91. Try to eat at least 4 hot wings.
92. Donate books I have read to schools/charities.
93. Go camping.
94. Write a poem.
95. Stay in touch with my knot girls and see them at least once every 6 months
96. See all of the Best Picture nominees for the 2008 Oscars.
97. Complete the 100 push up challenge.
98. Run at least 3 times a week for 3 months.(3/44)
99. Donate 5 bucks to any charity for any incomplete items after 1001 days.
100. Go horseback riding.
101. Cook a 5 course meal for friends/family.

Be Thankful

Even though Thanksgiving is over, we do have a lot to be thankful for, even though our economy sucks right now. I saw this on one of my blogs I read daily. I thought it was worth sharing.

1) Food prices have gone up a lot, but yet we are all still mostly able to have a full table spread in front of us, and even leftovers afterwards.

2)Home foreclosures are not uncommon these days, but most of us are still able to be in a warm house to be around family and friends.

3)Credit is hard to find these days, but yet we are all able to find a way to give our selves a Thanksgiving dinner.

4)Gas this time last year was an average of 4.00, at least this year it's an average of 2.00 and we are all able to drive and see family and friends.

5)Many people have been laid off, but yet we still have enough money to supply a thanksgiving feast.

Despite all of this, we are lucky.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone! We all have so much to be grateful for on Thanksgiving!! I'm grateful for my loving husband, who is AMAZING. My parents, my pug, my family and my friends! Enjoy this short video clip!!

Worst Best Man Ever

This video is hilarious! I played it over like four times. I can't even imagine what I would of done if I was this bride.

Movie Thursdays!

We started this trend a few weeks ago on Thursday nights, because Survivor and Ugly Betty are both on at 8, so you can't DVR two things at once and watch something else so we started watching a movie instead. Well tonight's movie is:


We have both seen this movie, but it has a puggie in it! Anyways if you've never seen it, here's a little about it:
Milo, the curious kitten and Otis, the pug-nosed pup journey to a dazzling world of natural splendor when Milo accidentally sets sail down the backyard creek in a box and Otis follows behind along the shore. Narrated by Dudley Moore.

We've made it!!

Through a whole month of marriage!!!! Wooohooo! Go us! Everyone says things change when you get married but nothing is different at all! Anyways that's it for now!

Swedish Fish!!

Seriously I was in target the other night and look what I found and bought:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






This is my favorite candy EVER and I try to never buy fishies because they are so bad for you, calorie wise. But now they have 100 calorie packs!!! Awesome!!

PHILLIES WIN!!

As we all now know, the PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES!
I had to post this because it's so awesome to hear over, over and over again.

I did go to the parade down broad street and it was awesome! Here are some pics!
Pat B:

The greatest mascot ever, besides SWOOP and HIP HOP!


Holding the trophy, David Montgomery, The guy next to him with back turned gray shirt and black hat, is Mayor Nutter.

The guy in the suit, all the way to the left, Head Coach Charlie Manuel:

J Roll:

The Flyin Hawiian-Shane Victorino!!

Brad Lidge:

Last, Me!

Day 9 & 10

Day 9 and 10 to us seemed like one really, really long day. We knew what we were in store for because we were traveling home way late night. Tuesday we decided to head down to Kona and grab some breakfast and do our shopping for our families. We ate breakfast at Island Lava Java, the reason we wanted to go there, well I did, is because they are known for their cinnamon buns, well when we got there they were out! I was upset, but the breakfast was really good. We ate outsid right by the ocean. After breakfast we went shopping along Alli Drive. Then I stopped at Scandinavian Shave Ice, this place taste wise doesn't compare to Rita's, but size wise, it does. The small was HUGE. They seriously take ice and make a ball out of it. The small was probably as big as a smaller watermelon. It was huge. After this we went home and really relaxed until it was time to go to dinner. I liked this shot Chris took of the back of the house facing the mountains.



We went to dinner at Ruth Chris Steak House and had a great dinner. We headed back to the house one last time and hung out for a bit and then headed to the airport around 8:00pm Hawaii time for about a 15 hour day, and went through 3 times changes. It was very hard to leave! We had an amazing time. The end of our honeymoon only really meant one thing, that all this planning we have been doing for the past two years with the wedding and honeymoon was finally all over. We landed in Philly a little early, at about 4:00. We went home after that and just passed out. The next day I went up to my parent's and got the pug! She missed me so much that
she was so excited, she peed on me and my mom's chair, thankfully the chair didn't get wet.

Day 8 Honeymoon

Day 8 we finally go to go snorkeling! We had a pretty relaxing day on day 8. With only 2 days left we decided to rest up a bit. We hung around the house for a little and then went snorkeling to first to 'Anaeho'omalu Bay otherwise known as A-bay. After our 2 mile hike to this beach, there was coral everywhere, it wasn't comfortable to walk on at all. I really wasn't comfortable with this beach because there was coral everywhere, and the water was filled with huge boulders. Which could of made for good snorkeling, but there was no on there but us, so we decided to go back to Beach 69. Chris of course went in right away, I'm really scared of the ocean. Not so much the fish, but I'm always worried a shark is going to come. So it took me awhile to get comfortable in the water. We didn't get any pics of course, beause we didn't have an underwater camera. We saw lots of pretty fish and a huge parrott fish, Chris who scuba dives said that he has never seen one that big. After snorkeling we headed back home to hang out in the pool and hot tub the rest of the day till it was time to go to the Luau. We went to the Royal Kona Resort Luau. We paid 5 dollars more to be VIP. It was worth it, because there was about 400 people, so we were the first table to go and get our food. They had SO many different luau foods. All of it was really good. The main courses were kalua pug, fresh island fish,luau chicken, and pulehu beef, with hawiian sweet potatoes which are purple, rice, vegatables, poi, lomi lomi salmon, taro and coconut rolls. For desert they had coconut cake and pinapple upside down cake. Of course we had some piggie, I didn't watch the poor little guy come out from the imu(underground oven) but Chris got pictures from that. The fun part of the luau wasn't just the dancer. When we called to reserve our spot, Chris had told them that we were on our honeymoon, so in the middle of the show, the Master of Ceremony, said "Let's celebrate love or something, and he started naming couples that were on their honeymoons, well guess who was first! Chris and I. There was about 6 other couples and they made us go in front of everyone at the luau, remind you that there was about 400 people there and dance to a song. It was fun, but silly. Some pics:

Day 7 Honeymoon

I totally forgot to mention in the Day 6 post, that on Day 6 we officially went around the ENTIRE island in one day. We probably spent about 6 hours in the car that day. We seriously went from Waikoloa to South Point to Volcano to Hilo to the North Coast and then back to Waikoloa. And on our way home the GARMIN sent us down this road, with running cattle loose, one was seriously right nex to the jeep, this road was one lane, with cows anywhere, twisting and turning, only to bring us back out 20 miles BACK from where we started at. This is also when we saw our first random donkey just walking a long. Anyways back to Day 7, Day 7 we decided to head back over to Volcano and Hilo side, we really should of just stayed in this area for one night. Remember this is the side of the island where it rains a lot, everyday, on and off. So it was raining and we were low on gas, we the light was on for like 20 miles, I was so worried we weren't going to make it to a gas station, but we did! Anyways once we got to Hilo, we filled up and then went to find Rainbow Falls. If the water is just right and flowing the falls actually has a wishbone shape. But the day we were there it didn't. Also you can see rainbows, hence the name when the sun is out, but the sun wasn't out either. After this we headed back to Volcano and went to the Volcano Winery. It was a small winery but they had very good wines, we brought 3 bottles home with us. We can't wait to try the Mac Nut Honey Desert Wine, it tasted SO good there. After this we headed down towards to where we would be seeing the lava flowing. We got into the town of Pahoa, this is known as the Big Island's outlaw town, FBI outlaws, people who love nature and those who never bathe. Yep, this is correct. It was interesting. There were tons of houses half built. Anyways, we passed this place called Lava Trees State Park, they were HUGE trees some of them, we didn't go into the park, just passed by. We were on a time limit this day. After this we headed to a natural hot spring called Ahalanui. It's a spring fed and ocean fed pool with a manmade wall and an inlet that seperates it from the ocean somewhat, not totally. There's enough room for fish to get through, but nothing much bigger. The Kapoho eruptions of 1955 and 1960, let this pool be volcanically heated to around 91 to 95 degrees. Chris loved it, I on the other hand went in for about 2 seconds and got out. I wasn't feeling it, the water felt dirty to me and there were so many random people in it. The first picture is where it connects with the ocean. After here we headed to late lunch/early dinner since we would be at the lava flows for a couple of hours. The place we ate at, was called Black Rock Cafe and it was the worst food we had on the island. I'm not even sure what I ate, I ordered Fettucine Alfredo and it wasn't that. After this we headed down to the lava flows. This was about the neatest thing I have ever seen. It was truely amazing to be able to watch lava flowing from an active volcano. You couldn't really see the lava flowing until dusk, then you were able to see the red glow. You had to hike about a quarter of a mile to get to see the lava, and you have to take flashlights with you because when you come back it's pitch dark. Here are some pics and videos:







After this we headed back home for the 2 1/2 hour ride back home. Day 8 coming soon!