Back to the states as a Mrs.

I can't believe it. Our wedding day arrived and all of a sudden we are back from our honeymoon! I am gathering pictures from friends and family and plan on doing a few wedding posts about the day- including some DIY projects and small details that I included in the big day.

But for now....pictures from our fabulous trip to the 5-Star resort, Grand Velas Resort and Spa will have to do. We were even interviewed for a marketing project they are doing...I will post that footage when we get it :)

I love traveling but had never done the all inclusive trip. It was amazing. No other word can describe. We visited the Riviera Maya (south of Cancun, North of Playa Del Carmen).

So I got a little picture happy :) Enjoy!!

upgrade to First Class...why not?! It's our honeymoon!

almost there!! 

I think I see our resort...beautiful entrance. Still did not prepare us for the paradise past the gates

is this for real?!

picture perfect!

view from our room

1/2 of our suite

view from the sky bar

breakfast in bed..every morning. yes please!

pre-dinner drink on our patio. 

happy honeymoon dessert at Sin Lin!

did i mention they made the best bellinis!?!

lunch in Playa Del Carmen

this was our patio....so relaxing!

Dinner at Frida..yum!!

notice ALL the water behind us...we even had a butler at the pool to make sure we stayed hydrated!

Good Bye, Mexico! We are sad to be leaving :(

Love is in the air...

So sorry to leave you guys with such a depressing post last time and sorry it has taken almost a month to write another one!

All things are SMILES around here this time!

Why?

Because I'm going to the chapel this weekend! That's right... I'm tying the knot with my best friend, perfect mate... Mr. Race :)

I'm excited to do a few blogs on the wedding details...the inspiriation for the colors, the DIY projects and other details :) but until then....i will be enjoying this resort after we get married!

...our honeymoon resort...paradise!

Silence. Not always golden.

Silence. I didn't realize what a silent house was until today.

It is something I wish I never had to experience.

For the past 3 1/2 years I have come home to an excited pup, wagging his tail, jumping up and down and beyond excited to see me. No matter how bad my day was, Snyder, the pup knew no different. He greeted me with love and excitement every day- even if he had gotten into some mischief during the day.

He was my little boy. He was my pup. When I rescued him from the Atlanta Humane Society in January 2008, my life changed forever.

What I wouldn't do to have him wake up at 5:00 a.m. for a potty break outside. What I wouldn't do to have to come home early from out with friends to let him out. What I wouldn't do to wake up in the middle of the night and realize Snyder is taking up 95% of the bed and all the covers. What I wouldn't do for another walk around the block or to toss him another treat when I leave the house.

Snyder was my guy. He was there when my dog back at home, Bailey, passed away. He was there to cuddle with when both of my Grandma's passed away. He comforted Eric and Me when we got home from the hospital after his father passed away.

He even knew what the word "cuddle" meant. He would grab his dog treat, pace around the coffee table 3 times and run in bed....waiting for me to join.

After I closed on my house, I couldn't wait to bring Snyder "home" and show him HIS new backyard...all for him. All the squirrels and birds to chase with no leash. Snyder was even there when Eric proposed...standing right behind me when Eric was down on one knee asking for his hand in marriage (I may have even tripped over Snyder when I was jumping with joy- I think he even jumped for joy with me).

So when I got the call from the doggy daycare that Snyder passed away when I was out of town I was crushed. I am still crushed. I will be crushed for sometime. We found out he passed away because of a case of pancreatitis...a condition that he came down with 2 years ago and almost didn't make it. It is something that happens in dogs that is hard to detect.

He was only 4 years old. He was supposed to be our pup for 10+ more years and meet our human kids. He warmed everyone's heart. He had an outgoing personality and was a lover.

So walking in the house without my pup waiting for me sucked. it was quiet. silent. completely silent. When I sat down on my couch, I just wished I would hear him paw at the back door and bark once to let me know he wanted back in. I would give anything to have to vacuum every other day again. his fur wasn't bad. I miss him and always will.

Snyder- I will miss you. I hope you are playing non-stop in doggie heaven! We will cuddle soon :) I love you.

Boom, boom, boom!

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend! I spent the weekend doing some all-american things like...

baseball (Braves won! But we missed the Grand Slam because we were getting ice cream :) 

and some fireworks after the game!

I also did taught a few yoga classes, visited the farmers market (have some amazing tomatoes and an eggplant!). 

On Monday morning I participated in the WORLD'S LARGET 10K! 60,000 people ran the 6.2 mile race on July 4th. It is an Atlanta tradition that people talk about every year. There are folks that fly 1/2 way across the country to participate in. Although I wasn't even close to winning (the male winner ran the race in 33 minutes- yes folks, he averaged a 4:20 minute mile for 6.2 miles straight!). 

I finished in 1 hour and 23 minutes. Not too bad considering it was my first race ever, I didn't train as much as I wanted and you had to weave in and out of 60,000 people. The race started with the national anthem and a flyover by 3 F-16 fighter jets. It was truly remarkable. 

Here I am in the morning (not hot and sweaty yet- yes i am aware, the NO bangs is not a good look for me. i wasn't thinking fashion when i was thinking about running 6.2 miles in 90+ degree heat). 

Getting nervous in the car. Thanks to my future hubby for waking up so early on race day :)

I crossed the finish line and got THE T-SHIRT*!

So if you aren't from Atlanta, you might think-- it's a t-shirt. who cares? The coveted Peachtree Road Race t-shirt is only given to individuals who cross the finish line with a race number. There is a lottery system to even get a number in the first place. More than 2,000 people didn't even get a number in the lottery. You can sell your number and make bank if you want- but I decided to try the race and so glad I did! After you cross the finish line you are directed to the exit. There are gates so no one can get in or out of this path. Once you get to the exit gates, you get a bag with your t-shirt and they mark an x on your race number- meaning you have your t-shirt; you don't get another :)

Can't wait to wear my t-shirt out :) I know it's just a t-shirt.. but it means so much more!

Who wants to run with me next year?!?!

You are my sunshine...

I dedicate this post/project to my future husband. I love my house- but it is missing a man cave and with my soon-to-be husband moving into the house in 60 days. So I am trying to give him a few "manly" things in the house. I decided to take this cute, but rusted, cabinet (perfect mini bar for the patio!)...

So after a steel brush, a hose, some scrubbing and some spray paint..sunshine yellow in honor of App State University, the soon-to-be-hubby's alma mater... the project is a work in progress, but so far it is looking good... stay tuned for final project! 

Oh... a HUGE thanks to my Mom who is in town and helping me with this project- among 100 others!!!!

365 Days...

It was actually more than 365 days ago that I signed my name to a 30 year mortgage! 29 years to go! I became a homeowner a year ago on May 27 (I know this post is a week late!). I look back and can't believe the progress I have made on the house. I will have to admit, I went full steam ahead when I first moved in, but when cash and time became more and more limited I slowed down. The past few months I have been planning my wedding and attending many other nuptials. I have a few small projects that are on my list to finish soon, but more on that later. 


In the meantime... here is a look at the changes!

more on this change.. but this is picture above is my "after" photo

These are just a few of the changes... take a look at my blog posts throughout the last year for more of the projects and details!

Turning to God.

The love our Savior has for us is amazing. The last 30 days have been filled with God's amazing spirit and love and also filled with the questions of "why?"

In April I had the chance to go to Kansas City to celebrate my cousin's beautiful wedding! The love and presence of God was inspiring and so powerful (sorry, all the pictures are on my Dad's camera!).

12 hours after returning to Atlanta, I found myself at Emory hospital with my fiance as we prepared to say goodbye to his father who was putting in a hard fight against cancer. Eric's father lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday, April 20. It is an experience I do not wish upon anyone! I know he is in heaven, watching over all of us.

3 days later we celebrated Easter Sunday. Eric and I embraced the beautiful service and had a quiet brunch at a local restaurant. I decided to spend the day outside working on my yard..it was wonderful to be in the sun! I even found a little surprise as I was clearing out the brush...

4 days later, I returned to the airport to fly back to Kansas City for one of my best friend's wedding. It was a wonderful weekend...

BEAUTIFUL BRIDE! I called it when we were in college ;)