Mystery Solved...

Let me preface this post with a few disclaimers...or reminders so to speak:

1. I'm a former elementary school teacher and therefore, this will explain some of the "corny-ness" of which you will read...so just bear with me and smile and then move on to the next picture:)

2. Remember when I talked about "personality" tests and such...and how I'm an ENFP?  You do?  GOOD...because then you'll be so proud of my ability to "plan" and work with "details"...and I'm all about being a people pleaser:)

3. There may be moments in which I will delve into the arena of TMI...and for that I am sorry...but, I'm still coming off my "getaway" high, so you'll just have to forgive me:)

SO!!!

My husband works REALLY hard...really, really, really hard...I could go on and on and brag on him galore, but #1 that would sooo bug him and #2 it would take a realllly long time to get to my point...and we all know I have a hard enough time staying on track as it is...

Therefore, suffice it to say...he's worked hard, I've noticed and I wanted to do something special for him...

Let us take a peek at my "thinking process" (as I know this will bore you to tears intrigue you:) 

First off, he travels quite a bit, so he's used to hotels...he's also incredibly frugal when it comes to money spent on himself...PLUS, it's been difficult to find a good day for him to take break from work...

therein lies the dilemma...

I had friends that had planned special overnights for their husbands, but I was just plain nervous to bite the bullet...I had a million what if's...however, I so admired my friends for their desire to put their hubbys first and to try something new...kudos to you Kellie & AnneMarie!!! You are inspirational:)

so I started looking for bed and breakfasts...I thought that might be a nice change of pace...however, (and here is possibly some TMI)  the fact of the matter is that I didn't really want to be in the same "house" as other people...where other people could "hear" things...

you know, like if we were playing a card game and I yelled UNO too loud... ahem

Anyway, so I was google searching and talking with different people and I'm not sure how I came across this place, but it's this little Scottish Glen in the hocking hills area...I happened to call the receptionist, Loren, and we had a great conversation...which then led to multiple emails and bada bing, bada bang, we're fast friends!

While I'm busily planning a secret getaway, she tunes me onto deal in which I get 50% for a one night stay at this quaint Croft...which in essence is a 700 sq.ft. studio apartment complete with private bath, private deck, private HOT TUB...fireplace, entertainment center and includes a gourmet breakfast in the morning!  WHOA! Hello out-of-the-ordinary bed and breakfast!!

Well...my wheels get turning...the next thing I know, I'm leaving a magnifying glass on the seat of Italian Stallion's car and texting him things like, "Scotland yard is in need of your services to decode a clue...blah blah..." and "Dr. Watson requests your presence to uncover a sleuth..blah blah"...all the while Little Munchkin and I are running all over town leaving clues on his car and at his office...and picking up snacks and stuff:)

Long story short...I showed up at his office around 3pm and picked him up (in case you were wondering, my inlaws took care of the girlies, so I was at ease and could follow through with my plan) He wasn't quite sure where we were headed or what I had in mind...so I let him in on the secret and the THEME...

I broke out the Sherlock Holmes videos and the BBC miniseries "Sherlock"...and told him we were headed to Glen Laurel for a getaway:) 

It was perfect...It felt like we entered this little European glen with these little "dome-type" houses...almost reminded me of the smurfs, but not as polka-dotty:)  The Manor house was beautiful with it's stoic stone walls and big wooden doors.  I got to meet Loren in person and felt like I was meeting a long lost friend. 

When we walked into our Croft, we were immediately welcomed with Celtic music playing through the speakers ...we were able to sit by the fire and peruse the old journal entries of hundreds of past guests to Glen Laurel...so many anniversaries and romantic dates and proposals...

The attention that was paid to detail was amazing...from the little notes, to the walking sticks left outside our front door...down to shortbread Scottish cookies and bottled water for our hikes...

Needless to say, we took full advantage of the roaring fireplace and immaculate hot tub...we left work back in the city and were able to just relax and refresh!

 

In the morning we headed down to the Manor house for our breakfast...where we were met by the Chef who started us off with scones, porridge and juices...and then served us Eggs Benedict and French toast made out of crumpets...it was delectible...And, because this is their "off season" and we were the only guests on the premises, they boxed up the rest of the scones for us to take with us AND put a batch of oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies in the oven for us to take on our hike down to the waterfalls...

I can't say enough about the hike either...as I said, I hadn't been to Hocking Hills before and I'm sure there are countless trails and hikes throughout the area...but to be able to just head out back after a deliciously warm breakfast...and to just witness God's creation together...in the quiet...without having to tie someone's shoe or wipe someone's nose or carry someone because her little legs couldn't keep up...well, it was peaceful! And the weather for January was UNseasonal...and gorgeous!

To put it plainly, this wasn't just a hotel over night...it wasn't just a quaint bed and breakfast to relax..this was an Experience...and one in which I am so grateful we could partake! 

So thankful this guy asked me to marry him a long while back...couldn't ask for more!

Just a List of Things

1. I've officially been working out diligently for over 2 weeks.  I've been doing a combination of TurboFire, p90x, Jillian Michaels and yelling at my belly flab in the hopes to scare it into non-existence.  None of which have worked...infact, I have successfully been able to gain 2 extra pounds AND rip my favorite pair of jeans trying to pull them up over my thighs...

2. My husband got a crazy "go get me a bunch of books from the library about all sorts of management-successful people-business-learning things"...and so I did and thought I'd peruse one of the books which happened to be the Steve Jobs book.  And I've discovered a couple of things...first off, I'm wayyyy behind in my knowledge of all things "present-day news"...and I don't really like "Mr. Apple" as a person...at least the way the author has described him...in fact, for as "brilliant" as he might have been, I don't give a person much respect if their relationships are so distorted and selfish...sorry...

3.Noone sells White Chocolate Mocha creamer anymore...and this is sad because I only drink coffee FOR THE SAKE of the creamer...it's more like a 3:1 ratio of creamer and coffee.  So, I'm in the process of trying to "like" new tastes because I'm sooo cold in the morning and I just need that extra boost of warmth!

4. Peanut had a school musical recently and seriously, I am reminded once again of how incredibly cute and awesome my girls are:)  I mean...I'm not biased AT ALL! 

5. I'm convinced that Chick Fil A loves me...everytime I've gone there I get another coupon from my receipt for a free chicken sandwich...I currently have 3 in my wallet and have already used 3 over the past couple months...(could this have anything to do with my #1 explanation?)

Have a great weekend!



Late Nights

I use the nighttime (aka the time in which the children are in bed) to actually get work done...and by work I mean: 

*checking out the latest blogs
*keeping track on pinterest
*popping in to facebook
*periodically editing photos until I get bored
*click on my inbox to see if I got any new emails...like, every 5 minutes

I do this last one because normally, my "partner in crime" is wide awake at 0'dark thirty at night as well...(she's my friend Anne, the one I partner with for photography and I tell her wayyyy TMI sometimes, but she puts up with me, so it's all good)

This evening has been no different...

So whilst we're both editing away and then getting distracted with who knows what else...only to come back and try to edit some more...then end up sending a gazillion emails to Anne for no other reason than to chat with someone else who is awake...I came across someone's personality test...

Do you remember those?  I used to take them ALL THE TIME! I mean, I probably took one each week during my first year of college...(as if I was going to change?) but, I was REALLY into "figuring myself out"...anyway...

I took the Myers-Briggs one and the animal one and the numbers one and probably ones that had to do with Pepsi versus Coke or colors or the seasons or who knows what else...

Anyway, I came across the Myers-Briggs one again and discovered yet again where I tend to "fit" in this crazy world of mine:)  If you were to lock me down to a specific personality, it's probably an ENFP...you can link here to read what it says...but I'll translate for you so that you know how it works in my everyday life:

I'm into the BIG picture...the details sometimes get lost with me...so, if you were to meet up with me someday you might experience some exasperating situations such as these:

*I will interuppt you...continually...my mind is constantly making connections at a rate that surpasses good judgment as well as manners...and most of the time, you will consider me a tad flaky...this is because the connections that I am making are happening faster than where the conversation is actually going and therefore, I will loose you about 1/3 of the way into the conversation...

*I will talk...and talk a LOT!  I have the tendency to share way TMI at sometimes inopportune times (much to my husband's chagrin)  I will talk in circles and try to get myself to a conclusion...but really, you can't take what I say as EXACTLY what I think...because I probably won't get to a conclusion of the matter until about 3 days later..AFTER we have concluded our conversation and I think of everything that I SHOULD have said...at which point, you will have completely forgotten what we were talking about in the first place.  This tendency also leads to people just giving me things because they want me to just shut up:)  So, in certain situations, this "fault" can be a tad beneficial...especially at the Starbuck drive thru!

*I will hear about a concern or a heartbreak and I will FEEL deeply for you...I will cry and pray about it for days...I will think of all kinds of kind and comforting things to do for you...but because I will want to help you in the BEST way possible, it will push me to inaction because I can't do it PERFECTLY...and therefore, I will wallow in guilt, all the while still thinking and caring and having thoughtful ideas of ways to help...upon which they will never be acted.

*I will start many projects and rarely finish them...or I'll throw them together at the last minute because of my intense desire to check things off so I don't have to think about them anymore.

*My house will tend to be cluttered...I just don't notice things because it's so much more interesting  to dig around in my basement and come up with more cool ideas for projects that I'll never finish...so you can get used to seeing my couch used as a closet or the floor as a bookshelf:)

These are only a few of the many things that my darling husband has to put up with on a daily basis:)  As do my children...I know that there are many fun-loving things about ENFPs as well...but, they're not as fun to tease about:) 

So, if you happen to run into me one day...just try to survive your way through the encounter....put a smile on your face and know that "this too will pass"...I'll eventually need to take a breath at some point...at which you can insert a casual, "hey, it was great talking with you!" and be on your way:)

Happy Chinese New Year...

a couple days late...and really no idea what we're celebrating...but I'm ALWAYS up for some party time...

And so...we headed out to none other than...

a Japanese steak house...

Okay...so we were a tad off on our celebratory origins...but, really...we're an Italian/Irish family...so we aren't going to be able to tell the difference between any type of Asian cuisine...but, lord have mercy, my girls tried shrimp...and THAT my friend, is a reason to celebrate!!!

I will make my "brag on my husband" time short in this post because I know that it will bug the you-know-what out of him that I even "mentioned" anything remotely related to his awesomeness:)  But, I also know that I am probably just a weeeee bit biased when it comes to husbandry-greatness...

So...

Let's just say that my hard-working, dedicated, inspiring, motivating, compassionate, goal-oriented manager husband...for the past 3 years has met or exceeded every quota/expectation/goal that has been put to him.  For a "non-reader", he reads books upon books on ways to improve as a manager, as a company...I know blah blah blah...the point is...he is GOOD at what he does...and he works stinkin' hard...day in and day out...whether he gets praise or whether he's taken for granted...whether it's a good day or a bad day...he never gives just 75%...it's all or nothing...

I just had to stick that little "my hubby is so awesome" in there...sorry...it'll make sense in a minute...

last week, they had an event/function at his office and awards were handed out, people were spoken highly of from the platform, sales persons were rewarded...one of the little "treasures" from the evening was a gift card...and in true form, my Italian Stallion thought it'd be fun to take the kids to a restaurant that none of us girls had ever been...

Enter:  Benihana

I'm not sure what the kids expected when we walked into this place, but they were enthralled...

From the Onion Train to trying their first bite of shrimp...to slurpin' down the fried noodles...they were having a ball!

And although I know that my little curly blonde girl will never really savor the tastes of oriental cuisine, she wore her hat with the rest of them and sipped on her Sierra Mist with GREAT pleasure!

And so with that, we wish you a Happy Chinese New Year and hope you are looking forward to the end of winter...already:) 

Driving Me Crazy!

There are just a few things that drive me crazy:  whining...kids arguing...expecting something to work and it doesn't...when there is nothing else to snack on and I REALLY need a snack...when I've thrown something (or donated) something when I knew darn-well that I shouldn't because I'd probably need it one day and sure enough, I do!...and also, when I can't remember things...

This list could actually go on for quite awhile...perhaps I should write a new blog post entitled "Things that Drive Me Crazy"...hmm...I'll just put that on the back burner...but then again, I'll probably FORGET!!!  UGH and that drives me crazy already!

Last January/February time frame, somewhere on Facebook, a mom or a friend of a friend that was a mom posted a link or an album or something...the point is...they posted pictures of these really cute imaginative set ups.. They used pillows and blankets to create scenes...

Yes, yes I know...the Today show just did a whole segment on a mom that took pictures of her baby and what the baby dreams and all...yes, they are sweet...but the pictures I remember seeing weren't of a baby...they were of a little girl about my Little Munchkin's age...

I remember looking through the pictures and thinking, "oh my, I could do this with my girls"...and then we did:

And we had so much fun..but we only did a couple of pictures...

Well, fast forward these past months and the Today show and everything...my MIL asks me if I'd seen the segment and sent me the link...I immediately remember that I saw something similar awhile back and then immediately forget WHERE I saw it...

It's driving me nuts...the pictures I saw were so precious...this little girl...her mom just dressed her up so cute...I went through all my facebook friends and tried to figure where I saw it...I almost wish everyone had timeline so that I could go back to their January/feburary posts and see if it was linked there...

Anyhoo...if anyone remembers...please let me know...I'm the one over here chewing her nails and kickin' herself for not saving the link...but then again, just those few months ago it was a world without pinterest...ahhhh progress:)

January Intentions

It happens every January...for LOTS of people...and I'm not exempt...it's the "I-need-to-get-in-shape-oh-my-goodness-spring-break-is-around-the-corner-and-I-don't-think-I-can-pour-myself-into-my-jeans-much-longer" routine.

It always sneaks up on me.  I'm not a huge nutrition guru, nor do I tend to get overly obsessed with exercise.  I'm thankful to the "genes" God gave me...(and the fact that my mother was a beauty queen) that "weight" isn't a terrible issue for me.  I know it's not like that for some...everyone has their "thing" that hangs over their head or weighs on them (no pun intended) In may case, I have quite a few "issues" but we're not going to get into that right now...although I will share this little picture that someone posted on facebook today because it made me laugh:

However, come January, I start to realize that if I don't start working a little bit, I'm going to have to purchase more clothes...and although that would be fun...the "going up a size" isn't what I call increasing my joy:)  The problem is, as I'm nearing age 40, is that all of a sudden the "excess" doesn't come off so quickly anymore...

Needless to say, I'm a bit miffed about this...It used to be that if I just "thought" about dieting and did a bit of exercise, and maybe cut out pepsi for a couple weeks, BAM...5 lbs!

Seeing as the way I exercise with p90x causes undue damage to my esophagus, I switched over to the lovely J. Michaels...(of which I mute because good grief girl!) I've been diligent in my workouts for over 2 weeks now...I've also cut back on all the sugar stuff and keep eating fiber and more whole grain 'goodness'...this translates into "tasteless snacks and spinach salad"

Ya know what I've accomplished?  I gained 2 lbs...now, how is that working to my benefit?  AND, my jeans fit tighter than than they did when I started...

It's not that you need to know all this, but I had a few moments on my hands and thought I'd just share...if anyone has any good suggestions to get rid of the overflow coming out the top of my pants, please give a holler...well, outside of spanx or a corset...I've already attempted hiking up the pants like Steve Urkel (remember him?)  and wearing longer shirts...it works until I sit down...

Anyhoo...hope you have a good Wednesday:)

Peanut and Basketball

Did I mention that Peanut has discovered Basketball?

Yes, well...she did...I'd like to say that she inherited her knowledge and desire from her mother...ahhh, all those years getting plowed over setting picks, running line drills until I nearly threw up beating the team down the court, learning to shoot 3 pointers because I'd get trampled if I even passed the free throw line I wanted to earn points for my team!

No really, I did enjoy basketball...and I played hard...I just wouldn't say I was "awesome" at it...and my favorite part was actually sitting on the bench eating the orange slices and hoping that the coach wouldn't put me in and make me guard the mammoth girls on the other team.  I loved practice though...when I finally figured out a lay-up or when I could swish a 3-pointer.  I think being a perfectionist made playing basketball a little bit harder for me...because I was never quite "perfect" at it:) 

however, Peanut, is more her daddy's personality...and therefore, she's out there for the pure joy of it...she loves scootin' her feet and dribblin' the ball...and if she double-dribbles...eh, no big deal...she's got black shoes with red trim...so she's feelin' Pretty Cool!

Unlike her mother who apparantly needed lots of hair product and cute bows in order to look "cool"