tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86900513922205827822024-03-19T17:59:10.971-04:00Adventures of a Newlywed CoupleDan and I (Brittany) were married on November 15, 2008, and this is the story of the beginning of our marriage... be prepared for lots of love, much cheesiness, a slight obsession with our cat, and tons of pictures. That's our blog in a nutshell :)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-49741726093880384222010-01-04T20:17:00.002-05:002010-01-04T20:19:59.477-05:00ScatterbrainedNew Year, New(ish) Blog!<div><br /></div><div>Check me out here:</div><div><a href="http://littlemissscatterbrained.blogspot.com">http://littlemissscatterbrained.blogspot.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-14019254029738459352009-06-10T18:42:00.007-04:002009-06-11T09:17:48.617-04:00A Delayed Reaction and Some Recent Happenings<div><div>As mentioned a few posts ago, the weekend preceding Memorial Day, Dan and I played host and hostess to our good friends Greg and Erika. They stayed from Wednesday night to Monday morning and for the most the time, we were like ships passing in the night as Dan and I ran to and from work, and they traveled to see friends and to a wedding a few hours west in PA. However, we did get spend some quality time together before they had to head home to Maine. We had our traditional cook out with the fire pit and then moved inside to play games and, of course, watch some Family Guy.<br /></div><div>While the fire was burning us some prime cooking coals, Dan and Greg decided it would be fun to explore the barn in the woods near our house.</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346052483557651890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbosdJQru0ug_-PHMDHtpPo5aSoh30YdegQ7K5Ie1nqCMl5tQHz6V_OXJ4Dbdyx66dmEvlBbybqz0E4NeObeISE3k02Xmioa7EeP9hk8tzus_gJCz0j2ulB2X4U_O-9Vq7Co9k-WLrJ45n/s320/4708_521987775453_30200998_31072924_7071593_n.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYggXm1LyATjC8jV3GoZ0Imz9Sx21AAC9ZKiJh9ThYfA2OLa5nXd2WktDyfYYpQ51x5fgzKzjRhp88J5pTZ_JBq7O6iFkWzhBj8VwKLp_g6yIUE0ufLuQar1V2-N4SqswpT_twPc3qZ9Wx/s1600-h/4708_521987800403_30200998_31072929_6904631_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346052487461060530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYggXm1LyATjC8jV3GoZ0Imz9Sx21AAC9ZKiJh9ThYfA2OLa5nXd2WktDyfYYpQ51x5fgzKzjRhp88J5pTZ_JBq7O6iFkWzhBj8VwKLp_g6yIUE0ufLuQar1V2-N4SqswpT_twPc3qZ9Wx/s320/4708_521987800403_30200998_31072929_6904631_n.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Erika and I waited safely outside<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC-LwJtE3O70bfgry3BggKRaCZlR38zN3oR5TsYP17c2a-qkAYKDRghLliEiBvz5edJDmgknTAD-N2Ceok8HKoensUgCFSQW3fpS4QXBQNOdiIk31ESmUYXcfshaIu2ueb59yilfFo5-0/s1600-h/4708_521987815373_30200998_31072932_4232691_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346052487140740594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC-LwJtE3O70bfgry3BggKRaCZlR38zN3oR5TsYP17c2a-qkAYKDRghLliEiBvz5edJDmgknTAD-N2Ceok8HKoensUgCFSQW3fpS4QXBQNOdiIk31ESmUYXcfshaIu2ueb59yilfFo5-0/s320/4708_521987815373_30200998_31072932_4232691_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />They came away with some treasurers - a little Star Wars figure (can't remember what it's called) and a crow bar. I think that classifies it as a successful trip.<br /></div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0gQFWdTD-uIGwjaB2K_GuW-AkClH07Jv_XMUEryXpEHa6VSr-0cWwx6qW-jWBWy7m4fmWlcs1Rsy5ltD4PCYs4HJ0HiQB5f1IcvVsb3j0jAVTrZdxkOz-jXY11Nc41tYPii6BAvpGRdq/s1600-h/4708_521987840323_30200998_31072936_3688379_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346052481389973970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0gQFWdTD-uIGwjaB2K_GuW-AkClH07Jv_XMUEryXpEHa6VSr-0cWwx6qW-jWBWy7m4fmWlcs1Rsy5ltD4PCYs4HJ0HiQB5f1IcvVsb3j0jAVTrZdxkOz-jXY11Nc41tYPii6BAvpGRdq/s320/4708_521987840323_30200998_31072936_3688379_n.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div> </div><div>This past weekend, we traveled out to Ohio to celebrate Jasalyn's 2nd birthday and spend some time with Carlee and Jason.<br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaoScmwV8YhdYyJZuo4sMsJ-VUaQApM4KZ1GzDRsGKzGMjlOQ3PAIvOn2EDBk7F6PSpM8ezMb_1TFqiVKhd1Hc1N-qzSbdvLI3tikaGOBlWnzCkFtHgpkyWFPNKiK1HgIno25HLyW8VW4/s1600-h/4570_521989966063_30200998_31073043_5036444_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346051296652139442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 174px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaoScmwV8YhdYyJZuo4sMsJ-VUaQApM4KZ1GzDRsGKzGMjlOQ3PAIvOn2EDBk7F6PSpM8ezMb_1TFqiVKhd1Hc1N-qzSbdvLI3tikaGOBlWnzCkFtHgpkyWFPNKiK1HgIno25HLyW8VW4/s320/4570_521989966063_30200998_31073043_5036444_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMdB6Kr9okkcuJ7QZ3buO7njPx2h7kPQXlrzN7AyM5LdnMQkLg7Ko62teJDAoXQceb_kevNu7qguP6Lm6BWnNDOKpjphLe6bYcSxxXfPEkpFFJJaGOsevH_0gSrIMRV3KvU3bs-YsoRy2/s1600-h/4570_521989961073_30200998_31073042_2395560_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346051294028876242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 292px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMdB6Kr9okkcuJ7QZ3buO7njPx2h7kPQXlrzN7AyM5LdnMQkLg7Ko62teJDAoXQceb_kevNu7qguP6Lm6BWnNDOKpjphLe6bYcSxxXfPEkpFFJJaGOsevH_0gSrIMRV3KvU3bs-YsoRy2/s320/4570_521989961073_30200998_31073042_2395560_n.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"> Testing out Uncle Dan's Crocs =)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VOOLVSvAJivMbJzhWvK-Yp0AQTCmawVyR4AUaEUkr_THPsWD655QrZzw139OX_URT8onqKze8Xz64unU9dLQNne7nGZ6p9sbt5gHOIXGImoy7Ko8bmV4o8aWoIIP-PxiMR1iZdPp8R7n/s1600-h/4570_521989946103_30200998_31073039_4142965_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346051294899642338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 195px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VOOLVSvAJivMbJzhWvK-Yp0AQTCmawVyR4AUaEUkr_THPsWD655QrZzw139OX_URT8onqKze8Xz64unU9dLQNne7nGZ6p9sbt5gHOIXGImoy7Ko8bmV4o8aWoIIP-PxiMR1iZdPp8R7n/s320/4570_521989946103_30200998_31073039_4142965_n.jpg" border="0" /></a>Carlee and Jason set up a party at their community pool for Jasalyn and her little buddies. The theme was "Lamby" inspired (Lamby is the stuffed lamb/blanket combo that is Jasalyn's best friend... she even has a "Car Lamby" for whent the real Lamby fails to make it along for road trips).<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfSpcFrZH36KnPMoCuRqiqSq8fPRnNOjtxr9IucOEfrmfM9zInul5_KT3VDcySSVebhRZHA-JTczxgt9Rjsh1ojQ2rkA-Z_Dw79aqrt73OLeegxhJ9ep0-bfzawTJNFWHx9Qd68ekHmpq/s1600-h/4600_521988578843_30200998_31072962_180922_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346053481486214994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfSpcFrZH36KnPMoCuRqiqSq8fPRnNOjtxr9IucOEfrmfM9zInul5_KT3VDcySSVebhRZHA-JTczxgt9Rjsh1ojQ2rkA-Z_Dw79aqrt73OLeegxhJ9ep0-bfzawTJNFWHx9Qd68ekHmpq/s320/4600_521988578843_30200998_31072962_180922_n.jpg" border="0" /></a>Carlee ordered a lamb cake and my Mom made a Sand Cake (a vanilla version of the classic Dirt Cake - and just as yummy!)</p><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGlsmRXPj40P4B72ZubK51gdFeAtCFJyAKy0aqVC6q5J8B1AafJGELcjeiwWkEVm6T-pc49Zp8hS8qVTAvxzLEEVap-pou2bb8ZK3V8n8qH7Jca0FGO0eDLJFYkW0EQL03k9pXE_8cWFA/s1600-h/4600_521988563873_30200998_31072959_3905445_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346053478940815282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGlsmRXPj40P4B72ZubK51gdFeAtCFJyAKy0aqVC6q5J8B1AafJGELcjeiwWkEVm6T-pc49Zp8hS8qVTAvxzLEEVap-pou2bb8ZK3V8n8qH7Jca0FGO0eDLJFYkW0EQL03k9pXE_8cWFA/s320/4600_521988563873_30200998_31072959_3905445_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhP-RClHBFZv64D47dNPyjS3Pu7itR8lb31tPWdlVvFRkK_hc4URHY7A_MndKdGxINLxDeOfmpb_2jD0K6G7v4w1qzRGyPJ5hVL18-rMOiTFVtI9HEoJZa1atnhixYBgDB9_4jLIRNqO3/s1600-h/4600_521988558883_30200998_31072958_7844301_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346053473049217554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhP-RClHBFZv64D47dNPyjS3Pu7itR8lb31tPWdlVvFRkK_hc4URHY7A_MndKdGxINLxDeOfmpb_2jD0K6G7v4w1qzRGyPJ5hVL18-rMOiTFVtI9HEoJZa1atnhixYBgDB9_4jLIRNqO3/s320/4600_521988558883_30200998_31072958_7844301_n.jpg" border="0" /></a>Getting a kiss from Daddy after he smeared cake on her nose<br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWQr72nrXKNVK_n25z-je9DS9BthrSu6LNORgzEOsTwV-2yEry_cdzrciCLZRsZmPIBdsf6aNN5Utwple-0MDN3nTmaCMrasyFm_MmDc1wLAq-wd2NkoJuoXavrwE1EyMIlYGwdIOHft4/s1600-h/4600_521988658683_30200998_31072977_3870423_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055235708925762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWQr72nrXKNVK_n25z-je9DS9BthrSu6LNORgzEOsTwV-2yEry_cdzrciCLZRsZmPIBdsf6aNN5Utwple-0MDN3nTmaCMrasyFm_MmDc1wLAq-wd2NkoJuoXavrwE1EyMIlYGwdIOHft4/s320/4600_521988658683_30200998_31072977_3870423_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYT25j_Xyyu2vpZAVp-z5v3sHF5x9C5SPn-L_uWzmwzeIGaUXxxyWvo_9Eb3kyaebkBhkP0I9Wq5oJtnLRGemlknBc4dfq3DgcyhevXGPA1Ubs6DZ-tPY2OcGudta2lj80Aj9DUro3y0rj/s1600-h/4600_521988628743_30200998_31072971_5326939_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055232198072434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYT25j_Xyyu2vpZAVp-z5v3sHF5x9C5SPn-L_uWzmwzeIGaUXxxyWvo_9Eb3kyaebkBhkP0I9Wq5oJtnLRGemlknBc4dfq3DgcyhevXGPA1Ubs6DZ-tPY2OcGudta2lj80Aj9DUro3y0rj/s320/4600_521988628743_30200998_31072971_5326939_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Opening some more presents at home - the men look thrilled!</div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdM6CSvx1HDF8hIFG63ddnvmqIW-OC7TBincsqz7eZpNMGahmAjXJldF4FfbvU8uvov5HdYd0SSqYQImtDYzSNuaIF-3AdJYeSeF19mqrJFN5HlKcwWEuuIjAGUKknirlEMJLXNj9v4UFl/s1600-h/4600_521988733533_30200998_31072991_2184999_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055240289678274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdM6CSvx1HDF8hIFG63ddnvmqIW-OC7TBincsqz7eZpNMGahmAjXJldF4FfbvU8uvov5HdYd0SSqYQImtDYzSNuaIF-3AdJYeSeF19mqrJFN5HlKcwWEuuIjAGUKknirlEMJLXNj9v4UFl/s320/4600_521988733533_30200998_31072991_2184999_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNg6aFaNi6HlXvFDrM9v0XSUIKhLfe-ZbJ8CrohIL24J_uwc_fSYRZ24Ns95-wKh_NjtLtTAWXJWWaVsxzl6aVjJIzd7oQva_LyYTRIY88k0I8-ktK0bjPBAx8Y5OUzj-m1UvTChlicm9/s1600-h/4600_521988678643_30200998_31072981_2151757_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055234805043794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNg6aFaNi6HlXvFDrM9v0XSUIKhLfe-ZbJ8CrohIL24J_uwc_fSYRZ24Ns95-wKh_NjtLtTAWXJWWaVsxzl6aVjJIzd7oQva_LyYTRIY88k0I8-ktK0bjPBAx8Y5OUzj-m1UvTChlicm9/s320/4600_521988678643_30200998_31072981_2151757_n.jpg" border="0" /></a>Aside from partying it up, we also took Jasalyn to a local water park called Breezy Point. It was definitely a place geared towards little ones, but we had a good time none-the-less. It was entertaining to watch Jasalyn frolic through the water squirters. </div><div> </div><div>It's hard a photograph a toddler on the move!<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenuuMw6tdYPBS3MZjdTbXJbwDvnb_DF17UtMf1qVvOiDajpKQnONvfFnhe_HbO_oDN8ggg2c7MRu9n6DZ5qkAX2VCwDmjQVub2MJ92B7CFCqt8GaCEJler3UHlltY1WgvQ5SRNukcP4TE/s1600-h/4600_521988783433_30200998_31073001_5591744_n.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346055244432230498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenuuMw6tdYPBS3MZjdTbXJbwDvnb_DF17UtMf1qVvOiDajpKQnONvfFnhe_HbO_oDN8ggg2c7MRu9n6DZ5qkAX2VCwDmjQVub2MJ92B7CFCqt8GaCEJler3UHlltY1WgvQ5SRNukcP4TE/s320/4600_521988783433_30200998_31073001_5591744_n.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>We wrapped the weekend up with a double-date to play mini-golf and race go-karts at East Gate Adventures with Carlee and Jason. Much to Jason's dismay, Carlee kicked all our butts at mini-golf.<br /><br /><div>Back on the homefront, Dan and I are in the process of re-arranging our entire house... We got the hair-brained idea to turn our back "entertainment room" into our bedroom, and it's consequently turining into a bigger project than we anticipated and is pretty much affecting every room in the house. Our bedroom is the new TV room, our dining room now also has a sitting area with couches, his office is now our office, my office is on its way to becoming the guest bedroom, and the guest bedroom will soon be the cat room. *Phew!* By the time we get everything in order, it will most likely be time to pack everything up and start over in our apartment, but we're having fun with it anyway.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-65864060771239343282009-05-28T17:23:00.004-04:002009-05-28T17:42:39.900-04:00Happy News<div>DANIEL GOT THE JOB AT EASTERN!!! Woohoo! *^.^*<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who don't already know, Dan interviewed for a Grounds Keeper position last week at Eastern and got the call yesterday that he was the man for the job. He starts Monday, June 15. We'll be commuting to PA together and will finally be able to enjoy our weekends on the same days- yay!!! We're both looking forward to this new stat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for all the prayers!</div><div><br /></div><div>More updates to come soon (maybe with photos?). Stay tuned =)</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-37447443437412180782009-05-20T15:01:00.002-04:002009-05-20T15:31:00.858-04:00Catch-Up and MustardWhere to begin...<br /><br />Let's see, my last "real" update was back in February... Quite a bit has happened since then!<br /><br />At the end of March, I finally received my offer letter from Eastern and am now officially on staff full-time. I'm still working on the alumni website, the Eagle's Nest, and have also taken on the role of Prospect Researcher. Several weeks ago, I went through training for the latter of the two roles, and thus far, I have really been enjoying the new responsibilities. It's not a job little girls dream of doing when they grow-up, but I'm finding it to be a really fascinating field. Coming up in June, I'll be attending the Mid-Atlantic Researcher's Conference, where I should learn a whole boat load more about the profession and get the chance to network with other researchers from around the area.<br /><br />Daniel is still at the Mansion, but has been looking for another job over in PA. He's been on a few interviews so far. Most recently, he interviewed for a ground's keeper position at Eastern. We're both praying that this job comes through - Dan would absolutely love to be working at Eastern, and of course, I'd be ecstatic, too!! This would also mean that Dan would be working more regular hours and we would have weekends off together (woohoo!) and we could commute together until we move over to PA.<br /><br />Speaking of moving to PA, Dan and I had plans to move in July, but due to some unexpected circumstances, those plans have put on hold. Currently, we are looking to move around September and although we are casually looking, we'll fully resume our apartment search around June/July when apartment complexes will have a better idea of how many units will be available in the fall.<br /><br />Even though we were looking forward to the move, we're feeling content about staying in our house for the summer. Daniel has done a lot of work outside constructing a fire pit for us. We've had several cookouts and have been enjoying having the best part of a camping trip in our own backyard. Yesterday, Dan also put up some torches that were left by the previous renters and the whole area looks very inviting. We're hoping to find a cheap table to keep out there as well so we don't have to keep using our nice fold up tables from inside.<br /><br />Last week Daniel and I celebrated our 6 month "anniversary" with a dinner at Iron Moto, a favorite local hibachi restaurant of ours. *^-^* It's hard to believe that we have been married for half a year already! I know it's not that long, but I still feel like it was just yesterday that we started dating (rather, I began assuming that we were dating... ).<br /><br />Tonight, our good friends Erika and Greg from Maine are coming to stay with us for a few days. They have a wedding in PA on Saturday and are taking a few days off to spend time with friends down in this area since they can't make it down very often. It should a fun few days!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-83483365774238816292009-05-14T16:52:00.003-04:002009-05-14T17:01:05.818-04:00Back From Unplanned Blog HiatusThis blog is in sad shape... I really did have the best of intentions when I started it! Somehow, I always let time get away from me....<div><br /></div><div>Earlier I was thinking that I haven't updated because our life has been pretty uneventful since the last time I posted, but thinking back - that's a bold-faced lie! Quite to the contrary, life has been pretty busy as of late and perhaps that's why the blog has suffered. After working 10 hours and commuting at least an hour to and from Eastern (usually more), I'm pretty much beat by the time I get home and blogging is the last thing on my mind. But, I really do want to stick with it. So, I'll try to post a little something each week, even if it's short.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now is not the time to play catch-up, but it will come soon (well, ok... it will come eventually. "Soon" may be too optimistic of a word). Anyway, let's see how long I can keep this up before I accidentally abandon it again for another 2 months =)</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-68467835838415953032009-02-28T14:53:00.005-05:002009-03-06T19:30:46.049-05:00Our Furry Friends2 weeks ago (man, I'm really horrible at updating!), Dan and I welcomed 2 new furry Weldings into our clan! We adopted Edward and Bella, a brother and sister kitty duo, from Furrever Friends (the rescue I have been working with at Pet Smart on Sundays). They are incredibly shy, but have slowly been coming around. Bella is a bit braver than her brother, and they are both very sweet. Unfortunately, Phoebe has been less than pleased to have these two have intruders on her turf. This means that they have been living in our back room with limited time to explore the rest of the house lest Phoebe decides to pick a fight. Although, I'm optimistic that they'll learn to get along in time.<br /><br />Edward is the gray and white kitty on the right and Bella is on the left (photo creds go to Kellyn for this shot):<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxLWCcYCcJHJZiboSZ5ffEZStJRskeMldPpAlq9EzSt_orMEmRcVQgvBD3BnQ2FIaKmKfYft8PMYpcZHAFgVrLsS4hry96UEkFGGmKDuKpE_BxChH6XUr4edd4rR7H68vYvCWMI0SoS12/s1600-h/n500570960_2672892_7089390.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxLWCcYCcJHJZiboSZ5ffEZStJRskeMldPpAlq9EzSt_orMEmRcVQgvBD3BnQ2FIaKmKfYft8PMYpcZHAFgVrLsS4hry96UEkFGGmKDuKpE_BxChH6XUr4edd4rR7H68vYvCWMI0SoS12/s320/n500570960_2672892_7089390.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310235493730146482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Also speaking of furry friends, Dan spent Monday building a nice little enclosure for BunBun. My office is now much more rabbit friendly. I think BunBun enjoys have the extra space, however, it has not succeeded in making her less of a brat >.<<div><br /></div><div>And, if you're wondering, there will no more furry additions for a while. We are planning on getting a dog, but need to wait until we have a yard and a little more income. These stipulations, however, have not stopped us from scoping out petfinder.com and the local shelters. ^-~ After the pup, our animal population will be maxed out.<br /></div></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-30082157488252049042009-02-01T17:02:00.009-05:002009-02-08T17:44:38.740-05:00Hello, 2009!January was quite a busy month for us. We had two weddings two weeks in a row. The second one happened to be in Disney World, so we decided to go a couple days ahead of time in order to get some park time in. I have quite a few photos from Disney, but I'm only going to put up a few favorites.<br /><br />The first wedding we attended was on January 10th down in Maryland for two of our good friends from Eastern - Vickie and (John) Wyatt. They had star themed reception, complete with constellation table markers and one of the best cakes I've ever eaten (it was first time I've sampled gum paste, and let me tell you, I'm a fan!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBiGGh0Yw-CjFtCxKv34K2sHZt8K2bBtzHl_LBbES8kF6ivFNcFG9_l4MPDP2zOa913SUuDt7HxaWXWSPiPJ5okOPOM9UGfVVtFishLlo4IuNYhZkgor-HoCYbSTnRHfCBQNThyphenhyphen8_A7xz/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+287.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBiGGh0Yw-CjFtCxKv34K2sHZt8K2bBtzHl_LBbES8kF6ivFNcFG9_l4MPDP2zOa913SUuDt7HxaWXWSPiPJ5okOPOM9UGfVVtFishLlo4IuNYhZkgor-HoCYbSTnRHfCBQNThyphenhyphen8_A7xz/s320/End+08+Commence+09+287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300552987786896962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxSee_U9aDicG1sRlwwijfoIzR4TIcr5RKtaI3DxLknEhIuGj6HPG9jEHqoCGPNpTzJln6NsFXoSq8kUaUfi1eOzN8ItbfiVnuWwX7QM33yP-R8gEnSsXl08eGFqLD7NCdH0XDHqbcy7k/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+314.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxSee_U9aDicG1sRlwwijfoIzR4TIcr5RKtaI3DxLknEhIuGj6HPG9jEHqoCGPNpTzJln6NsFXoSq8kUaUfi1eOzN8ItbfiVnuWwX7QM33yP-R8gEnSsXl08eGFqLD7NCdH0XDHqbcy7k/s320/End+08+Commence+09+314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300552619496159266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1VN1DvfETDRpaK94Z0ig1SjVWsqYgEpSvNVfzlQlgZ5vS_iGlhXQG8fVgRBl1X3_Dr6MmHX4YveqAvQ86fxELYzbGLDL6M6_ArW9jMOfWmc-2_47TgFJkQXaQuSZU6KmMONiP9mHRcLq/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1VN1DvfETDRpaK94Z0ig1SjVWsqYgEpSvNVfzlQlgZ5vS_iGlhXQG8fVgRBl1X3_Dr6MmHX4YveqAvQ86fxELYzbGLDL6M6_ArW9jMOfWmc-2_47TgFJkQXaQuSZU6KmMONiP9mHRcLq/s320/End+08+Commence+09+282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300552617452225746" border="0" /></a><br />The next wedding was that of our good friends (and huge Disney fanatics!) Katie and Eddie. The wedding took place January 18th in Disney World! It was everything a Disney wedding should be - magical and romantic. Dan and I flew down to Orlando the evening of the 15th for our mini-vacation and came home on the evening of the 19th. Daniel also had the privilege of being the only guy at Katie's bachelorette party. :)<br /><br />Dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcbPtVQSWlmbh6z8gif8CYLvmBPMkhlHswhujRU1yNQSF5t1DwxzeiDRA5QwLQlDVzJcmhLPMG_VdhstV4XkPqOfBdz9vSfFA783Q0sFMxBSDnjSU0QLVd2HrvS4nPWSOi4LkniTi8ZO5/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+371.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcbPtVQSWlmbh6z8gif8CYLvmBPMkhlHswhujRU1yNQSF5t1DwxzeiDRA5QwLQlDVzJcmhLPMG_VdhstV4XkPqOfBdz9vSfFA783Q0sFMxBSDnjSU0QLVd2HrvS4nPWSOi4LkniTi8ZO5/s320/End+08+Commence+09+371.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300555385531474546" border="0" /></a><br />I love this ride! It's a Small World:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_bksE6Hxw80pN40NrZ6Xab4K6pL55AVV1L1ymdqUwtN-c5QPZ4l9DgNptiTIIYvWmOpgUNLyXhoCVY7LiX_aXS_GLEfUha5Pbvq532hJY5m9awqqjZTs1iLBVnaPTdNMsAK1Xx97b5I_/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_bksE6Hxw80pN40NrZ6Xab4K6pL55AVV1L1ymdqUwtN-c5QPZ4l9DgNptiTIIYvWmOpgUNLyXhoCVY7LiX_aXS_GLEfUha5Pbvq532hJY5m9awqqjZTs1iLBVnaPTdNMsAK1Xx97b5I_/s320/End+08+Commence+09+407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300555384069775746" border="0" /></a><br />Daniel poses with baby Mickey and Minnie in a shop on Main Street, USA:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6EYYqvfIp5Ou4RTcLA0FKUw2X2RIefNBIxYKkAeNmDxe1rys6Vmbw5tOsHdTs9Or6E_99CBNJU6NMXkTdqNdUQ1XCsftWXKxrhf6AgejqVN4KgY7Ne4ln85sWzwBOKk2bUoWNf6Jv9_e/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+399.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6EYYqvfIp5Ou4RTcLA0FKUw2X2RIefNBIxYKkAeNmDxe1rys6Vmbw5tOsHdTs9Or6E_99CBNJU6NMXkTdqNdUQ1XCsftWXKxrhf6AgejqVN4KgY7Ne4ln85sWzwBOKk2bUoWNf6Jv9_e/s320/End+08+Commence+09+399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300555380566273954" border="0" /></a><br />My favorite shot from the bachelorette party at Fantasia Gardens mini golf (Dan is pretending to swim, but it looks more like he's sleeping)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTmB0GEx0qjHAYUbfPhpHbwBUsre9T0zamUbmOgKCga2OrB8Hyq3gjnfDaN8IUFIIG2FpH9WxKbc_cbnTCd0mkUocabXki880F6ryVS5VnTyG6LwyEIyMtEyi3gfTzu2k2N3AZZuTKvps/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+389.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTmB0GEx0qjHAYUbfPhpHbwBUsre9T0zamUbmOgKCga2OrB8Hyq3gjnfDaN8IUFIIG2FpH9WxKbc_cbnTCd0mkUocabXki880F6ryVS5VnTyG6LwyEIyMtEyi3gfTzu2k2N3AZZuTKvps/s320/End+08+Commence+09+389.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300555373723848066" border="0" /></a><br />This wedding had a lot of character! (haha- get it?? yeah... that was a pretty lame pun. I just couldn't help myself!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES_DEaO-2au_YhB4OdN-_snw4-NyswxRqOSqtl4zTXRmm07-OxSE_gYyf3tbiPaPlQizooRjwbd3Oy5ipRNGQTAz_giMrF0K93olxAHBOJApb7dYhDXJDFPeleVGNrjggFZoZ-uAoAx_G/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+588.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhES_DEaO-2au_YhB4OdN-_snw4-NyswxRqOSqtl4zTXRmm07-OxSE_gYyf3tbiPaPlQizooRjwbd3Oy5ipRNGQTAz_giMrF0K93olxAHBOJApb7dYhDXJDFPeleVGNrjggFZoZ-uAoAx_G/s320/End+08+Commence+09+588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300558697012281042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqC3CBOU_dOTh3GLe8focJrm1S86mU_kEEJ0xpfuaHaBX2Nfl7UGJAQ09eHIoRwn7T2FtBytLsFN01snecmXJKTwOuIAwohCVQkxOvUeK1sQoVS6e1tc3AqSEB-pLffz0QFW-R4SuwCDP/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+545.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqC3CBOU_dOTh3GLe8focJrm1S86mU_kEEJ0xpfuaHaBX2Nfl7UGJAQ09eHIoRwn7T2FtBytLsFN01snecmXJKTwOuIAwohCVQkxOvUeK1sQoVS6e1tc3AqSEB-pLffz0QFW-R4SuwCDP/s320/End+08+Commence+09+545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300558700654339346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv9Lvw1TVnBTgE8wOCcuRr5K5-cEema4kSvRfacdn81A9riTsYwhLKXwnm12sRFWzaEuvedxQYJDOIigIo2J3dsxaAcjFW7WeJ7CTWjqsa7nmZ_54Wzve8rI_ZL7FOForbg479M-fodkW/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+482.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv9Lvw1TVnBTgE8wOCcuRr5K5-cEema4kSvRfacdn81A9riTsYwhLKXwnm12sRFWzaEuvedxQYJDOIigIo2J3dsxaAcjFW7WeJ7CTWjqsa7nmZ_54Wzve8rI_ZL7FOForbg479M-fodkW/s320/End+08+Commence+09+482.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300558691584992818" border="0" /></a><br />My favorite part? The pastor said, in a Jamaican accent (or, close to it): "Go on and kiss 'dee girl":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQbPN0BZeS_Dj66fppYbJwglxQgJmpVN3fMyhe9IljQisCfdIihxIdhgu-qT-V-mFeIKvQ74ZBBeCQ06mrrXYzFCE0YqDAl6ymxD1RV9JIhifHgeJ0jfOjN9XZpDgW0z2E8NKrLWPTPPZ/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+471.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQbPN0BZeS_Dj66fppYbJwglxQgJmpVN3fMyhe9IljQisCfdIihxIdhgu-qT-V-mFeIKvQ74ZBBeCQ06mrrXYzFCE0YqDAl6ymxD1RV9JIhifHgeJ0jfOjN9XZpDgW0z2E8NKrLWPTPPZ/s320/End+08+Commence+09+471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300558679406101042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmNjIIkywmmr_Wrv0ZBaxeA0WUFyGmarmC7NZXu1H-daC71NIhhplFW-ATtZM_7efXq1g1FshYkvsH2rD63fHFOGIuaMTEx5u0hyphenhyphenL8xmP9ghr1O0mw4B-U27QmM_96TyH-rLQKNGNhtDw/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmNjIIkywmmr_Wrv0ZBaxeA0WUFyGmarmC7NZXu1H-daC71NIhhplFW-ATtZM_7efXq1g1FshYkvsH2rD63fHFOGIuaMTEx5u0hyphenhyphenL8xmP9ghr1O0mw4B-U27QmM_96TyH-rLQKNGNhtDw/s320/End+08+Commence+09+460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300558680115168562" border="0" /></a><br />gettin' our swing on... it had to happen! :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0KT4_Yzvs0ATqJIPNpXRDi4NiCRPP3UWCPMxJH6Npr-gumVgO_XNu0okHZQhSrt6kVOL5qrX31Z9mIg0ZBGFac3PCvvLol2V7QyGKbvdQGYnE8GFjaa1memXCwAlEVz5ZmuCV3hf1w5Y/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+675.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0KT4_Yzvs0ATqJIPNpXRDi4NiCRPP3UWCPMxJH6Npr-gumVgO_XNu0okHZQhSrt6kVOL5qrX31Z9mIg0ZBGFac3PCvvLol2V7QyGKbvdQGYnE8GFjaa1memXCwAlEVz5ZmuCV3hf1w5Y/s320/End+08+Commence+09+675.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300559388306421490" border="0" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-86047867381227390492009-02-01T11:12:00.009-05:002009-02-01T16:52:24.853-05:00December Photo Wrap-Up (aka - my photos are horribly out of order!)I finally got the photos up! Woohoo! Well, half of them anyway (January will have its own post)... Here, in some kind of wacky order (because, blogger drives me crazy with the way the photos upload backwards) are the rest of our photos from December:<br /><br />Our wine glass shelf that Daniel put up shortly after Christmas:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHChflC-Q6JYv5tgqYzIPyFLjfuGujAZX7q3dQgAy0lbKanhuRhTmCpuLn3VUN2DwFHs3aaWQR0xl9LTpKDOTMusiI1JJsqlHyNAEo9YDO4t2okN0Pnd71VssDqzSJ66JNrCSbHkPJEpIy/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHChflC-Q6JYv5tgqYzIPyFLjfuGujAZX7q3dQgAy0lbKanhuRhTmCpuLn3VUN2DwFHs3aaWQR0xl9LTpKDOTMusiI1JJsqlHyNAEo9YDO4t2okN0Pnd71VssDqzSJ66JNrCSbHkPJEpIy/s320/End+08+Commence+09+225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297870286670713906" border="0" /></a><br />Rose blowing out the candles on her strawberry birthday cake on December 31st:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXMAQFjieBy_rhMP7L8feFeh5UbHPH6ioKFWk3p9EpPUwJx1v_OAH_6fleM6088PwkZnA3Xsw24gOKDmk9V0yr-IQTZpyH3ZSSPSewm_JZNzBc4W7ARwNqrmCiMpXN8irr9MpVRmVqu11/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXMAQFjieBy_rhMP7L8feFeh5UbHPH6ioKFWk3p9EpPUwJx1v_OAH_6fleM6088PwkZnA3Xsw24gOKDmk9V0yr-IQTZpyH3ZSSPSewm_JZNzBc4W7ARwNqrmCiMpXN8irr9MpVRmVqu11/s320/End+08+Commence+09+222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297868573989424882" border="0" /></a><br />After honing our skills on the Wii, we decided it was time to actually go bowling:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DFdD8zQNZQdUHxwsCWfL113pXhBZUJgqDlZ6VmBPPImtIr5gbvSinLagAfbKvZfnAd8eGslnEKYleVSuwd_8Zfao4RN1uMgTQ3M9rw67Et0croGcYpTFge0uuYK2QY5ZWnlDds7vljLW/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DFdD8zQNZQdUHxwsCWfL113pXhBZUJgqDlZ6VmBPPImtIr5gbvSinLagAfbKvZfnAd8eGslnEKYleVSuwd_8Zfao4RN1uMgTQ3M9rw67Et0croGcYpTFge0uuYK2QY5ZWnlDds7vljLW/s320/End+08+Commence+09+194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297868570694038386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhEmz5J42vZaJozPwXabeODGmeOsaLHgs57Bwpg7oGM6ggjZMDF1VAd-MkvKP7p84KLYC3f5bdzimJ7p0uWUGIXCUuMEN2jZU4mE6ZWcsQ7hBXnUdSTeXO36Ty6Tyk1ZFlQgdwDKJuE71/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+193.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhEmz5J42vZaJozPwXabeODGmeOsaLHgs57Bwpg7oGM6ggjZMDF1VAd-MkvKP7p84KLYC3f5bdzimJ7p0uWUGIXCUuMEN2jZU4mE6ZWcsQ7hBXnUdSTeXO36Ty6Tyk1ZFlQgdwDKJuE71/s320/End+08+Commence+09+193.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297868566963643394" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"The Captain" with his beautiful granddaughter, Ellie, on her first Christmas:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTvkLS4N3cAlc-PR2Os0xufIyzvaDDQt2wFIGjId1rfl2nk9TJFvIkYADI4JEDEEXn4irT0DDmGLq4TuT1XDeOTEsrczkXQUN6Up_IA5R4FXE-AVajY-ipkIaDzrezeljYXg43oiI3s1T/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTvkLS4N3cAlc-PR2Os0xufIyzvaDDQt2wFIGjId1rfl2nk9TJFvIkYADI4JEDEEXn4irT0DDmGLq4TuT1XDeOTEsrczkXQUN6Up_IA5R4FXE-AVajY-ipkIaDzrezeljYXg43oiI3s1T/s320/End+08+Commence+09+172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297868563124299442" border="0" /></a><br />Erin decorating Gracie on Christmas morning:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUnCLZki7bTvEnKenoYRVNry8w53wZOS3uz3l79-puwd06-C3oxIHPTZyJ76ySibETMaM2_IT7fWs-5Tq8BdIiajvJzEW9m5RdVZIaOhw6tqtuzZxn1rT_Gi3Y2Pgpw9a5RcD6LVEVYwM/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+174.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUnCLZki7bTvEnKenoYRVNry8w53wZOS3uz3l79-puwd06-C3oxIHPTZyJ76ySibETMaM2_IT7fWs-5Tq8BdIiajvJzEW9m5RdVZIaOhw6tqtuzZxn1rT_Gi3Y2Pgpw9a5RcD6LVEVYwM/s320/End+08+Commence+09+174.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297868557293902146" border="0" /></a><br />One of my Christmas traditions is the "Stair Picture" - my siblings and I would sit on the stairs with as many pets as we could gather and my mom would take a picture of us before we opened presents. Dan and I don't have stairs, so we took a family portrait in front of the tree. Mama Smith took a Stair Picture for us on Christmas Eve sans Phoebe:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzScEUREzlOQ-FFnbW8ejsVmwcXt1bhTImvOZF9IlhWtHZ-x5KWCA4XpL1kPURgkyuQdcetYzs8MR2hqej-C9EFQjM1R0sl-BXzNRkiCe9KVKtOpYlv4gO5Hio_brmtpisevPOCS16Awo/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+162.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzScEUREzlOQ-FFnbW8ejsVmwcXt1bhTImvOZF9IlhWtHZ-x5KWCA4XpL1kPURgkyuQdcetYzs8MR2hqej-C9EFQjM1R0sl-BXzNRkiCe9KVKtOpYlv4gO5Hio_brmtpisevPOCS16Awo/s320/End+08+Commence+09+162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297866878909744242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2wZMJfp_9-OK1k8vx5S8P48uVYfXg-BdRngFTaeJyhyj2Gk3HsrZJpe1GuEr9BJ2lVQTwRLM-497a0Ijd3LOSscXQwZC-WBIYvIyCOMLtfYEHZRFavu9D12uDvkdUEJWrgyoUXAS0za-/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+157.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2wZMJfp_9-OK1k8vx5S8P48uVYfXg-BdRngFTaeJyhyj2Gk3HsrZJpe1GuEr9BJ2lVQTwRLM-497a0Ijd3LOSscXQwZC-WBIYvIyCOMLtfYEHZRFavu9D12uDvkdUEJWrgyoUXAS0za-/s320/End+08+Commence+09+157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297866874271199298" border="0" /></a><br />Mama Smith opening her Dyson from all the Smith/White siblings and significant others (unfortunately, she wasn't very surprised, but she was still excited!):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1h6W7YibCy5D3WtVKdiPdRIF4X-nU8KlmfHEF6qjsDtvaMaK_5Nm8OhWcLEbKJDlUWd4YG08LaKPQZFdpYUmfcSe5uHgh-scR2gZ4ePW4xlz5EHecPOfXC1_xTFNeEOcRClo53g3EjYAx/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1h6W7YibCy5D3WtVKdiPdRIF4X-nU8KlmfHEF6qjsDtvaMaK_5Nm8OhWcLEbKJDlUWd4YG08LaKPQZFdpYUmfcSe5uHgh-scR2gZ4ePW4xlz5EHecPOfXC1_xTFNeEOcRClo53g3EjYAx/s320/End+08+Commence+09+150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297866870587267698" border="0" /></a><br />Our nieces, Jamie (right) and Ashley (left) at Mama and Papa Smith's house on Christmas Eve; seconds later, chaos ensued as all those presents behind them were opened:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrQDXqTPpWswAPho-_NfWyIMuUJZp7FWdW4h6w2mS1G_URYzcwv_-Kl4gSWmvXD8SLb3SCc6oejMFGa5khfG0IpjeqfKbOuJmng6zS45SrUEMhkJfdAT3y5TGNoZTy-Gn6J-45f-mG_hE/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrQDXqTPpWswAPho-_NfWyIMuUJZp7FWdW4h6w2mS1G_URYzcwv_-Kl4gSWmvXD8SLb3SCc6oejMFGa5khfG0IpjeqfKbOuJmng6zS45SrUEMhkJfdAT3y5TGNoZTy-Gn6J-45f-mG_hE/s320/End+08+Commence+09+135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297866867816122274" border="0" /></a><br />Gingies made by myself and Mama Smith and then decorated by Daniel and I (these are some of the cuter ones):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOz8hSLX364JDXnruA8Fp3Cd0E_LFMjl0rJDtwR2lAhQoJaaXDEsfIKOWZXQTc-Esl7zoJDR72r21TBpzbyVmVXRaWb3QA2JQVG7yZ1kH6J4M6zB4ZGip9Dr1wiF1PLNWsnAuUAsfp3B9d/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+124.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOz8hSLX364JDXnruA8Fp3Cd0E_LFMjl0rJDtwR2lAhQoJaaXDEsfIKOWZXQTc-Esl7zoJDR72r21TBpzbyVmVXRaWb3QA2JQVG7yZ1kH6J4M6zB4ZGip9Dr1wiF1PLNWsnAuUAsfp3B9d/s320/End+08+Commence+09+124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297866862548610114" border="0" /></a><br />Christmas Eve! Dan and I exchanged Christmas Eve presents (i.e. pajamas):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-dLk-dBRYDroY9fTt2JplINxFjgNa7u6mxu7EKv7zYl7vEcKLgaktvqmJJdn4xjMhdgnXt8ITEZtpUdl_KHUKh2fJxG3vp3JKzmyFHGZiloM8xpuA_1kScP7h8d5hEMFXMWlS6k5rY81/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+116.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-dLk-dBRYDroY9fTt2JplINxFjgNa7u6mxu7EKv7zYl7vEcKLgaktvqmJJdn4xjMhdgnXt8ITEZtpUdl_KHUKh2fJxG3vp3JKzmyFHGZiloM8xpuA_1kScP7h8d5hEMFXMWlS6k5rY81/s320/End+08+Commence+09+116.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297864994260765378" border="0" /></a><br />Daniel was excited because it was his turn to move the mouse on the last advent calendar day- definitely a moment that needed to be documented:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOf_-0L25YKG8K20UJNRvsPsFXscLqQyoOsu1fdDxYhd4FtZg7qTRZmBEsKFiFlujOyuEeh2R5W2KNR4xmN7MQ_WpCe2lMRGBFpzZAQLygoyO4hfR51a4mXyfUXxA2ohhUE_4MiStqKtM/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOf_-0L25YKG8K20UJNRvsPsFXscLqQyoOsu1fdDxYhd4FtZg7qTRZmBEsKFiFlujOyuEeh2R5W2KNR4xmN7MQ_WpCe2lMRGBFpzZAQLygoyO4hfR51a4mXyfUXxA2ohhUE_4MiStqKtM/s320/End+08+Commence+09+112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297864993726973890" border="0" /></a><br />A feta cheese snowman that I made for the Ugly Holiday Sweater Party hosted by our good friends Genevieve and Kara:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNO9lByypemGosv3V-RxI2vps-undU3NJklVpe_zooN_Eett2C0jAfOt6Yj8K5tMWp409oRHaA4JMgg47NHnxQrKcz5nJA-uH_aCf7W1o6AEotSzFyt2J6JLtQtuFuigPSSkJhZFcv9Ee5/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNO9lByypemGosv3V-RxI2vps-undU3NJklVpe_zooN_Eett2C0jAfOt6Yj8K5tMWp409oRHaA4JMgg47NHnxQrKcz5nJA-uH_aCf7W1o6AEotSzFyt2J6JLtQtuFuigPSSkJhZFcv9Ee5/s320/End+08+Commence+09+084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297864987884691394" border="0" /></a><br />Papa Smith was a councilman in Woodbury Heights for 10 years. He retired this year, and we were invited to his last council meeting as a surprise to watch him receive a "proclomation" and a few other parting gifts. Here he is with the mayor, Harry, and his running mate, Jake:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6QBB496JhVZS3ebCWyvV69w3AOgsoqn_bQ35OpzsQyluyPHRcxpDaIkcrZUNWJduzEiwpayeF2B2XMR2_fUrbDq70BO9utJl_LX43QvN9go42lFhyY7csyBdlAHh8FXh_jK7CjdGeXNW/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6QBB496JhVZS3ebCWyvV69w3AOgsoqn_bQ35OpzsQyluyPHRcxpDaIkcrZUNWJduzEiwpayeF2B2XMR2_fUrbDq70BO9utJl_LX43QvN9go42lFhyY7csyBdlAHh8FXh_jK7CjdGeXNW/s320/End+08+Commence+09+081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297864982408376002" border="0" /></a><br />Dan had nothing to do with this, but I felt that these truffles, made by our good friend Amy for our friend Vickie's wedding shower, needed to be shown off. They were a little taste of heaven! And I was priveledged to assist in their creation:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TDRlXcvUHVpbUtvsldCma4dPAx53zdR8eVtPXT6d3DOrGQaDxm31-e8DMzmisb_iZnCJRq4M-6953BVkl_VoDHzggYeeyuvVQ_CwcenE6p4A5yTQgusbozJ8fqOGyi9ixUOl2WeBP8RV/s1600-h/End+08+Commence+09+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TDRlXcvUHVpbUtvsldCma4dPAx53zdR8eVtPXT6d3DOrGQaDxm31-e8DMzmisb_iZnCJRq4M-6953BVkl_VoDHzggYeeyuvVQ_CwcenE6p4A5yTQgusbozJ8fqOGyi9ixUOl2WeBP8RV/s320/End+08+Commence+09+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297864978134391426" border="0" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-49981630579269127032009-01-25T22:37:00.002-05:002009-01-25T22:51:03.316-05:00Super Massive... BLOG POST!Well, "super massive" might not be <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">quite </span>the word for this particular post, but I have <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">fantastic </span>news: <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">I am currently downloading <span style="font-style: italic;">all 697 photos</span> from my camera</span> onto my computer! <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">WOOHOO!</span></span> (also, today I was listening to <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Muse</span> - "<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Super Massive Black Hole</span>"; obviously, I was inspired!)<br /><br />I would absolutely love to play photo catch-up tonight, but it is getting late and, alas, tomorrow is Monday which means that I am back to work. *pout* The unfortunate thing about weekends is that <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">they just go by <span style="font-style: italic;">too fast</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">!</span><br /><br />As far as I can remember, photos will be appearing from:<br />-<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Christmas</span>!<br />-<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Dan's handy work</span> (aka the shelf behind our bar in all its glory)<br />-<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">2 weddings</span> - <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Vickie and Wyatt</span> as well as <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Katie and Eddie</span><br />-<span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">Disney</span><br />-and... probably some more <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">random things</span>.... who knows; it's been so long since I uploaded, it will be a <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">surprise </span>to me, too! <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">YAY</span>! (ok, maybe I'm a little too excited... or just over tired?)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Hopefully </span>*crosses fingers* there will be a series of posts up by tomorrow. Hold tight, <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">NA Fans </span></span>(I just decided that's the new name for anyone reads this. NA = Newlywed Adventures) (<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">edit</span>: ok, I think I should ban myself from posting right before bed time); the blog will not be vacant for much longer! *^.^*Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-44315049762760984112009-01-05T20:46:00.004-05:002009-01-05T21:15:44.072-05:00A Quick Look BackI'm always a little thrown off by January. It comes creeping around the corner after Christmas and blindsides me every year. You'd think I'd be used to it after 23 years? I don't know what it is about the new year, but it always makes me feel all sappy and sentimental. Especially after this past year. No doubt, for Daniel and I, 2008 is a year that will be remembered forever. I mean, holy cow! It was a freaking whirlwind!! Wonderful, of course, but still... so much happened, I think my head is still spinning.<br /><br />It all started with a swing proposal on Valentine's Day, just a month and a half into '08. That was quickly followed by the beginnings of wedding planning. We both graduated in May and then spent a week in the happiest place on earth - Disney World! The summer brought new jobs for both of us (and of course, ensuing employment drama for yours truly), and a multitude of weddings for friends and family. We began fixing up the house near the end of the summer and I moved my butt over in September. The next few months were chock full 'o planning, which was wrapped up on what I like to classify as the best day of my life... November 15th (our wedding day!). After that, naturally, was the honeymoon in Bear Creek, PA (and 4 new tires for Pearl). From there, it was straight on into the holidays and beginning to settle into married life. *Phew!* Like I said, what a year!<br /><br />I don't think 2009 will be able to top it, but Dan and I are looking forward to seeing what it holds for us. It will be our 1st full year together, so I'm sure it will be full of new discoveries and lots of adjustments as we become more adapted to this whole marriage thing :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3-m9UFb52ysJ432L38hg67lAejOyLHStoBf5QdxWZ1Jqp-LJR8cU3qtia21pTvGuDU0iFbLPSA0ZmbGMBO1JMfzNQQe_Tl_1dk8gmT7DJRKBESSUe9e7pPJLizqIicISwn8Z5xCRP-hF/s1600-h/Dan+and+Britt%27s+Love+Day+074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3-m9UFb52ysJ432L38hg67lAejOyLHStoBf5QdxWZ1Jqp-LJR8cU3qtia21pTvGuDU0iFbLPSA0ZmbGMBO1JMfzNQQe_Tl_1dk8gmT7DJRKBESSUe9e7pPJLizqIicISwn8Z5xCRP-hF/s320/Dan+and+Britt%27s+Love+Day+074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287998264875654914" border="0" /></a>The day that started it all! *^.^*<br /><br /><br /></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-64545390432399347682009-01-02T22:11:00.002-05:002009-01-02T23:11:19.922-05:00Hodge PodgeI don't have any photos at the moment due to a lack of USB cable (hopefully, I'll be remedying that quite soon!), however, I did promise a new post! It's unfortunate that it needs to be sans-pictures because I was really hoping to show off Dan's handy work on a recent project. With any luck, I should be able to post some within the next week. Anyway... on with the post!<br /><br />Part 1: Christmas! (and New Year's, too! Happy Birthday, Rose ^-^)<br /><br />Ah, our first Christmas together - a major milestone of our first year together, all gone so quickly! I probably say this every year (as we all do), but I can't believe Christmas is over already! To me, it is by far the highlight of the year. Time to start counting down to next Christmas!<br /><br />I'm going to try and keep this as short and sweet as possible (I could really get carried away if I let myself... Christmas Eve was spent at my parent's house with Chris, Stacie, Jamie and Ashley, Darren and Jenn, and Nana. There was a lot of food, some boogie-ing down to Christmas toons, and present opening (mostly by Jamie and Ashley, the little ones). Also, Daniel finally saw <span style="font-style: italic;">The Christmas Story </span>all the way through (he still doesn't understand all the hype). Post dinner and presents, we met up with the Welding side of the family at St. John's for the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.<br /><br />Christmas morning we opened stockings at home and took our family Christmas portrait by the tree. We then went over to the Weldings and spent the day with everyone!! All the siblings and the extras were present as well as Aunt Sallie and (of course!!) Dan's parents. We had a wonderful present filled morning, a traditional Christmas afternoon nap, and a lovely dinner in the evening.<br /><br />Saturday was the Welding Christmas party, which Dan could unfortunately not attend due to work. It was at Aunt Betty's convent in Bryn Mawr. The highlight of the party?? I won a prize while doing an activity!! It was a combination radio-calendar-calculator.<br /><br />Sunday my parents and Nana came over for dinner and to do presents (we didn't get a chance to open gifts from my parents on Christmas Eve). It was the first time Nana saw the house, and she was tickled :)<br /><br />The days leading up to New Years are a Wii-filled blur.<br /><br />New Year's Eve also happens to be Rose's birthday (this year was her 21st!!), so we spent the night over at 450 again celebrating both holidays.<br /><br /><br />Part 2: Home Improvement<br /><br />Dan has been all about improving the house lately. He has also been on a re-design kick and has been plotting ways to combine our bedroom with my now office and add in a larger master bathroom. Until we can properly plan (and afford) any major work, he has been concentrating on small things here and there, which have been making a big difference in the house. The latest project was a shelf behind the bar. It has metal hangers for our wine glasses underneath, which cleared out some cabinet space where they used to be. Also, it looks really pretty with the glasses hanging upside down. It's practical, and a nice statement piece in the dining room. I'm very pleased with our bar area.<br /><br />We also acquired some new furniture. We were given two blue leather sofas from Chris' parents, which are extremely comfortable and are exactly what we needed in the entertainment room. Darren gave us an island for the kitchen. He had it in his old house and hasn't found a use for it since moving to his place in Woodbury Heights. It's an amazing help when preparing meals.<br /><br /><br />Part 3: The Newest Welding<br /><br />As you all know, Phoebe is our baby. She is the cat that was able to win Dan's heart (a large feat, indeed!!). Hopefully, our next pet will also be able to work it's furry magic... Dan and I are getting a bunny!!!!!! I'm definitely more excited than my other half. I've been wanting a bunny for as long as I can remember. Dan is being a fantastic husband by allowing me to live out this dream ^-^ (I think it helps that the bunny and it's cage are free).<br /><br />The bunny is coming from my brother's co-worker (whose wife happens to be an Eastern alum.... small world!); it is a 1 year old black mini rex and it's a girl! Her current name is Blackberry Buttons, but I'm planning on changing it to Bun-Bun (yup, I've already caught a lot of flack for that name from Dan and others, but I'm sticking to it!!). Hopefully she'll be here within the next couple of days. I can't wait!!<br /><br /><br />Well, that was much longer than I intended, and I feel like I left so much out! C'est la vie, that's what I get for waiting half a month to update.<br /><br />Look for photos soon!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-16068371343467835822008-12-31T00:06:00.002-05:002008-12-31T00:12:49.273-05:00...coming soon!Ok, so I've had a few complaints that the blog has seemed abandoned recently. Well, it's the holidays... what can I say, I've been busy! However, I do take it as a compliment that some are waiting with bated breath for the next adventure of Dan and Britt (ok, maybe I'm flattering myself a bit, but really, I do feel honored!)<br /><br />A nice long update and some new pictures will be headed your way soon :) I just need to do some uploading. However, here's a quick teaser of what's to come:<br /><br />-A Christmas re-cap<br />-some home improvement<br />-a new addition to the Welding clan (and just to squelch any rumors before they begin, this does NOT mean that I am pregnant, capeesh?)<br />-and maybe a few more nuggets of goodness... we'll see<br /><br />Check back soon! *^.^*Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-11349657106455959692008-12-11T21:50:00.005-05:002008-12-12T08:08:26.848-05:00Vie Grun Sin Deine Blatter!my German might be a little off... but here's some photos of our tannenbaum:<br /><br />Daniel stringing the lights<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRJ3MuqTbrGeLfiHwpLBojde_pbE5892Gr7B0KHuTjCt0My86iOD4JQGocl5ibauYMjEzmZnH2eODplBpIj53mx0FDmYN4v61M0-eHSD8XQSIh8wxSanR72Jl70ecIqApJZNx3w09qGSa/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRJ3MuqTbrGeLfiHwpLBojde_pbE5892Gr7B0KHuTjCt0My86iOD4JQGocl5ibauYMjEzmZnH2eODplBpIj53mx0FDmYN4v61M0-eHSD8XQSIh8wxSanR72Jl70ecIqApJZNx3w09qGSa/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278888342455788098" border="0" /></a><br />Our assortment of ornaments (LOTS of Disney and Hello Kitty!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYBV-m_OEXIkohQRh5Vm7r2BbFpznJp0cXk4kC7kafnn4M-qxd6HBV4eWHXxupW7FkTLzi1IZb9U_M6iSqc-n8Hbxdme6x3eufL8kRd8dB-TCnK_sl2BUr6ivNUee7Z_YjM6yFpcA_xA_/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYBV-m_OEXIkohQRh5Vm7r2BbFpznJp0cXk4kC7kafnn4M-qxd6HBV4eWHXxupW7FkTLzi1IZb9U_M6iSqc-n8Hbxdme6x3eufL8kRd8dB-TCnK_sl2BUr6ivNUee7Z_YjM6yFpcA_xA_/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278888349474001858" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The picture's a little blurry, but here's our tree in all it's glory!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUzhMKJEtanue5rNKgcmz1CrdntiOpVU4stoOPRV4hvzBf6BhKP-OYgvSAo-bZYjkDNrB87vDKtQVqoHSwXkyTnxStLmtS18bpAjjnrHRuNUIoLPpeuuIMu7giYvKvHvvg-7BmshaJtMj/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUzhMKJEtanue5rNKgcmz1CrdntiOpVU4stoOPRV4hvzBf6BhKP-OYgvSAo-bZYjkDNrB87vDKtQVqoHSwXkyTnxStLmtS18bpAjjnrHRuNUIoLPpeuuIMu7giYvKvHvvg-7BmshaJtMj/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278888357286587938" border="0" /></a>"Our 1st Christmas" (the ornament we bought in Scranton)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKUfyRK96JpQdKIR93jRQbzCGKvqB5Y7JXGeoVJmNreHchcdkXWYgi7j19RW85TCHhayOSK-565oiUA3znDrzP50OzRjMNMMalrHzPqXncag7rJwNpvFrQ8ZXIAxMBFfI0nhlCo4-B2_Q/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKUfyRK96JpQdKIR93jRQbzCGKvqB5Y7JXGeoVJmNreHchcdkXWYgi7j19RW85TCHhayOSK-565oiUA3znDrzP50OzRjMNMMalrHzPqXncag7rJwNpvFrQ8ZXIAxMBFfI0nhlCo4-B2_Q/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278888365456472322" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-28441726030347004562008-12-09T13:47:00.002-05:002008-12-09T13:52:13.507-05:005, 7, 5reflections on newlywed life - a haiku by Brittany B. Welding:<br /><br />Left-handed rings worn<br />And we live together now<br />Laughing all the time<br /><br />Every once in a while I like to bust out a haiku; I used to do them with a fair amount of frequency when I kept up my other blogs, so it only seemed fitting that I add one in here.<br /><br />It's just a fun little way to sum up life with graceful simplicity.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-48726877391419215602008-12-08T20:32:00.009-05:002008-12-08T21:29:11.136-05:00TraditionsThis past weekend was once again filled with Christmas cheer:<br /><br />On Thursday night, after enjoying some delicious Chinese and Japanese fare for mine and my brother's birthdays, Dan and I went to Darren's to check out an island that he has been trying to get rid of. While there, we spent some time looking at all the pictures that Darren and Jenn have of their pit, Buster, with Santa. It's one of their Christmas traditions that started back in 2001 when they took my parent's dalmatian, Maggie, to see him (Pet Smart does pet photos with Santa every year to raise money for homeless animals; Darren even played Santa last year).<br /><br />Well, we were inspired! So, on Saturday morning, we took Phoebe to the Deptford Pet Smart and let her pose for her very own Santa portrait. She was a little scared of all the dogs, but did well regardless. All the volunteers kept commenting on what a good cat she was; it made Dan and I feel like proud parents! Sheesh, just wait until we have kids... judging by the things we do with our cat, the children could be in trouble! ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpXK-1X50WlHfkJhV4pQHuJYlN1ZWqxIxoBQv6ErW3E7U7xXoix0tptQfmMp7vI6NedHu6tVi4vopo8NIhEDD8BXUQUjb7-u1VqxyAOfxuEYsgM4B31qg2Q2ypL-MEmNeqd6XRqiP5Ehd/s1600-h/grand+illuminations+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpXK-1X50WlHfkJhV4pQHuJYlN1ZWqxIxoBQv6ErW3E7U7xXoix0tptQfmMp7vI6NedHu6tVi4vopo8NIhEDD8BXUQUjb7-u1VqxyAOfxuEYsgM4B31qg2Q2ypL-MEmNeqd6XRqiP5Ehd/s320/grand+illuminations+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277604734008096498" border="0" /></a><br />After dropping Phoebe off at home, we went over to Duffield's to pick out our Christmas tree. Dan had his eye on the one he wanted before we even parked. Unfortunately, we were didn't have the pick-up, so we paid for the tree and got it tagged so we could return later (we got it today, but it's still chillin' outside against the house... hopefully it will go up Wednesday or Thursday; I'll post of pictures once it's all decorated).<br /><br />Later that evening, it was off to Eastern for Grand Illuminations! This is the 3rd year the Alumni Office has done this event, but the first year I've really been able to help out with it. It's an open house for Alumni and EU neighbors. Walton's hall's get decked, party food is served (i.e. desserts, veggies, crackers and cheese, etc.), and there are events for the kids. This year, we also did a cookie exchange. It was a long night since I had to go early and stay late, but lots of fun and very Christmas-y. Also, it snowed that night, and it was beautiful and great timing for the event - a Christmas miracle!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJRRPNjR7fs_A28vB3hdPSTPyXMQzJIsUfq5AOjGZT063OlNXnjkTvgnuyQyDerznMGGX8FPHcaqHTwjiqUXww175JwlPyV_A-CIB9ILMC3bUa0VJTdI7DgK9gmkLuLjHcukvs9nWGS1t/s1600-h/grand+illuminations+021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJRRPNjR7fs_A28vB3hdPSTPyXMQzJIsUfq5AOjGZT063OlNXnjkTvgnuyQyDerznMGGX8FPHcaqHTwjiqUXww175JwlPyV_A-CIB9ILMC3bUa0VJTdI7DgK9gmkLuLjHcukvs9nWGS1t/s320/grand+illuminations+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277605681640768130" border="0" /></a>Baird Library all set up for the cookie exchange<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLfW2Oe-_xyuiJQHnEdyFULUlJBw6Za470QpBIs3qXp0nbetO-1OLK7osB7MSKAX1v-yeSmzXIWKoc5N1KLb83crDCFJ2ZaKevOEgu3RqSstoyvyqPketEema0PfiLExDzfR7-HqFyWgp/s1600-h/grand+illuminations+093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLfW2Oe-_xyuiJQHnEdyFULUlJBw6Za470QpBIs3qXp0nbetO-1OLK7osB7MSKAX1v-yeSmzXIWKoc5N1KLb83crDCFJ2ZaKevOEgu3RqSstoyvyqPketEema0PfiLExDzfR7-HqFyWgp/s320/grand+illuminations+093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277607676925843602" border="0" /></a>Walton all lit up in the snow<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMDJdg6t2D753-qmC0qU9Dq07i4x9WU1L-UP6PMBiclzhBfHei4ZT-W1rEIputyVZtlgZrYIQVOIlEli4uope_mUH0LdgdhA9TXzEmGhyTV1apUit2VNDByZ-0mfWp8sOMCQPjkonZgXx/s1600-h/grand+illuminations+128.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMDJdg6t2D753-qmC0qU9Dq07i4x9WU1L-UP6PMBiclzhBfHei4ZT-W1rEIputyVZtlgZrYIQVOIlEli4uope_mUH0LdgdhA9TXzEmGhyTV1apUit2VNDByZ-0mfWp8sOMCQPjkonZgXx/s320/grand+illuminations+128.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277608281280804610" border="0" /></a>Daniel and I by the poinsettia tree, a Grand Illuminations tradition.<br /><br />I always feel very lucky that Daniel loves Christmas as much as I do. We are both so enamored by this season and cannot wait to celebrate with everyone. Today, before doing of a heck of a lot of holiday shopping, we also bought a present for ourselves, but it's also a gift for our future children:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sXlvHiWOi-GwKOaY77BjNr7nApURL0F4SSfLEVtgAL-iOJpYgTELqDoE3RyRBe14wEUK8jxXhO03k1pBbhzw-OFhGD1prXn-K005UZxMyqBkj-XVBQ_ktxWqxs11DCKVPS1aE83Nk14q/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2sXlvHiWOi-GwKOaY77BjNr7nApURL0F4SSfLEVtgAL-iOJpYgTELqDoE3RyRBe14wEUK8jxXhO03k1pBbhzw-OFhGD1prXn-K005UZxMyqBkj-XVBQ_ktxWqxs11DCKVPS1aE83Nk14q/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609133555406450" border="0" /></a><br />Growing up, Daniel and I both had this advent calendar and have *fond* memories of fighting with our siblings over got to move the mouse. Well, we got curious and searched it on ebay... and there were bunches of them being sold (as "vintage" advent calendars, nonetheless!). After being out bid from last night, we found one with a "buy it now" option and went for it. Let the traditions begin!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9wfd2b94yn4rHqQ6Du6KBDyXowHQiC1SbWHA8e-ZfZ4MvfXGisBgMIf0uFMUVa1wfyrcTUCmXmcUQ1dLHfvPG-Dx5BtGt6-HTN78bxLpT05XedVxY-6jizYwgKDetI5q62ByRHNuNZBG/s1600-h/grand+illuminations+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9wfd2b94yn4rHqQ6Du6KBDyXowHQiC1SbWHA8e-ZfZ4MvfXGisBgMIf0uFMUVa1wfyrcTUCmXmcUQ1dLHfvPG-Dx5BtGt6-HTN78bxLpT05XedVxY-6jizYwgKDetI5q62ByRHNuNZBG/s320/grand+illuminations+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609632628688306" border="0" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-27892578841131290702008-12-05T22:59:00.005-05:002008-12-05T23:47:19.424-05:00a birthday and some more christmas picturesI was hoping to have this images in a different order, but it's late and I'm not about start playing with the html at the expense an extra 20 minutes of sleep... Anyway, here are a few nuggets from the last few days...<br /><br />"Our First Christmas Together" a gift from my madre for my b-day :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP5vS4STHBPstWDtufKZam8A63e-D72bqxhzNNhPxVL_8zu-nW-QDjiXj59OtjpXrlk_OB_qmndi57nIrku1IoM2t1yyHsc41qYNruDqKJh8i7nOMnN7BOlMSD4rrkk-7miBmC8fjkF_s/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+052.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnP5vS4STHBPstWDtufKZam8A63e-D72bqxhzNNhPxVL_8zu-nW-QDjiXj59OtjpXrlk_OB_qmndi57nIrku1IoM2t1yyHsc41qYNruDqKJh8i7nOMnN7BOlMSD4rrkk-7miBmC8fjkF_s/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276531800578371266" border="0" /></a><br />Rosie needed some Christmas cheer, so we surrounded her with pot holders. (does that go against everything she stands for?)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhu3-UWj7uJDQ2ESdEGNIGn-9M0PBiovA5ofL6ant47YNvv2Q7a9B2qP9ZTZ7IISAlDUhdkfRjkU9UF4WuagCz5i78pWFYUogSYAtVijOYRFDQ-OnXA4uxG02US5I0FwY215b1uat_ikE/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhu3-UWj7uJDQ2ESdEGNIGn-9M0PBiovA5ofL6ant47YNvv2Q7a9B2qP9ZTZ7IISAlDUhdkfRjkU9UF4WuagCz5i78pWFYUogSYAtVijOYRFDQ-OnXA4uxG02US5I0FwY215b1uat_ikE/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276530370001898514" border="0" /></a><br />Some holiday baking for Grand Illuminations (a Christmas event hosted by the EU Alumni Office). I made festive cupcakes, peanut butter logs (Daniel helped me roll the peanut butter mixture all up into balls), and a chocolate-almond pound cake. yum!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5zA2ULsD07KTmcLBYWBB8lmKhhCcGNe9qzRtFcAiuUtoH89V4iHAq8klsyGdL_1UkYaEN3NPfCdbd6gAErjM0AKgx-CMYzAXPpeG4aGaSg51kx3ter46yQsszAd5QcVpW01eAvIACd33/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5zA2ULsD07KTmcLBYWBB8lmKhhCcGNe9qzRtFcAiuUtoH89V4iHAq8klsyGdL_1UkYaEN3NPfCdbd6gAErjM0AKgx-CMYzAXPpeG4aGaSg51kx3ter46yQsszAd5QcVpW01eAvIACd33/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276530367996508146" border="0" /></a><br />A shot of our window lights at night... so pretty!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyBZQKOQc_0x9-5YbDirV8kgM-EGOJQccqHk_ze3bTlM7P231-AK_KhAo7yowqlaMXfdx4DLZRdOmhOqa9usmd6Ypw5ovKaeJaS9SQ_ROVMeQefvGc-nGMhcqXRUGdBpcqkAP5GkxPInr/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyBZQKOQc_0x9-5YbDirV8kgM-EGOJQccqHk_ze3bTlM7P231-AK_KhAo7yowqlaMXfdx4DLZRdOmhOqa9usmd6Ypw5ovKaeJaS9SQ_ROVMeQefvGc-nGMhcqXRUGdBpcqkAP5GkxPInr/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276530359285915970" border="0" /></a><br />Having some fun with one of my b-day gifts from Daniel - a giant can of aqua net! This is what I get for complaining that I needed hairspray ^-~<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO3sqzYsLEW7FAeQWSaez7iCZXAUynklMSszcoXaAGIMkaIHqs8bum_ySI52T0zsJb0Tz0Y5xHdjXf-fjKrrqJCzYLFvkvoNmr0XuQxdH9Czoe4CuiauDb3CsP3OzOyqGdqWGUpKiSISz/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO3sqzYsLEW7FAeQWSaez7iCZXAUynklMSszcoXaAGIMkaIHqs8bum_ySI52T0zsJb0Tz0Y5xHdjXf-fjKrrqJCzYLFvkvoNmr0XuQxdH9Czoe4CuiauDb3CsP3OzOyqGdqWGUpKiSISz/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276530354783066770" border="0" /></a><br />Walton Hall - one of the main buildings at Eastern - with a wreath! Eastern's campus is pretty!! There will be more Christmas EU pictures post Grand Illuminations tomorrow<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlEW82h55lph_3yhwQMReOlMB1QhqZzzUpGMKzEQB1CFMB4kQhZiLZzOGUw6uAirUkSKWpaPYs7CKiDaa5FeZpd8uBFf5C2W7dJoWCHo31gEUR6_D5_N-Llw2hN3R4PCpi3iQmn-ZDWGU/s1600-h/Happy+Holidays+2008+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlEW82h55lph_3yhwQMReOlMB1QhqZzzUpGMKzEQB1CFMB4kQhZiLZzOGUw6uAirUkSKWpaPYs7CKiDaa5FeZpd8uBFf5C2W7dJoWCHo31gEUR6_D5_N-Llw2hN3R4PCpi3iQmn-ZDWGU/s320/Happy+Holidays+2008+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276530344004873730" border="0" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-50760693395675745202008-12-02T16:36:00.000-05:002008-12-02T17:18:07.879-05:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!Christmastime is here at last! We have been listening to Christmas tunes since the honeymoon and now we can officially start celebrating the season! I have already watched Elf 1.5 times and Dan and I have sat down together to watch both Charlie Brown Christmas specials and the Grinch. We also decorated *^.^* Having a whole house was tricky, but loads of fun.<br /><br />The decorations went up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Now, all we need is a tree and we'll be set! (in the meantime, we have a balsam and cedar scented candle)<br /><br /><br />The centerpiece of our dining room table- really simple to make, but it looks gorgeous! I'm thinking about photoshopping this image into our Christmas card:<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb_odbyzdKjUMeKIpt6hUXGgYz0HzOEZsgOz3LzbQIh3q3FBAsh_-3NI8hWbD4Sdn0GcJNdkuOaYT61IJUB8Iu-tchbqjiUuKiC84wLdMFGZmHijkxcNPv3eEjnD4Gq1EzP4gSgXWJ6-k/s1600-h/n30200998_30873103_7550.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275314390513376322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb_odbyzdKjUMeKIpt6hUXGgYz0HzOEZsgOz3LzbQIh3q3FBAsh_-3NI8hWbD4Sdn0GcJNdkuOaYT61IJUB8Iu-tchbqjiUuKiC84wLdMFGZmHijkxcNPv3eEjnD4Gq1EzP4gSgXWJ6-k/s200/n30200998_30873103_7550.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>The kitchen... I had to turn the kitchen window into our mantle for now since we don't have a fireplace. We only have little stockings at the moment, so it works out well (the 3rd stocking in the middle is for Pheebers ^.^):</p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAe5V5EXPbNKel8CeB6eoXsaKPrtaPaCum5jbSwjCtxMbzMA0HV7eaHxyIXX6uPMMIcsUb0DEhhv4o4mCMnfZHSrKV-VWrqARxN54lH591pgcMknF2qEA_RjtvYIYACF4KD2o-72CeD-X/s1600-h/n30200998_30873088_4603.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275314382289742658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAe5V5EXPbNKel8CeB6eoXsaKPrtaPaCum5jbSwjCtxMbzMA0HV7eaHxyIXX6uPMMIcsUb0DEhhv4o4mCMnfZHSrKV-VWrqARxN54lH591pgcMknF2qEA_RjtvYIYACF4KD2o-72CeD-X/s200/n30200998_30873088_4603.jpg" border="0" /></a> Dan and I bought advent calendars while we were in the Poconos (his is the blue one of the right, and mine's the red one to the left). We also picked up this "collector's" plate from McDonald's. It was cute, and I'm a sucker for all things Christmas:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifdsE0wj74tHOJJLQvGlSSRo7iTMsdhTuM8O7-U67s-ZmbRdK6ln_s5zzqn6NcYF5ipdzyEYL3U_M-AyaiEbkxVbvFSCJVmCEsMvCKIoDlvbp4L58TSU2sMsZalqHigKVKcVAIrooCaCj/s1600-h/n30200998_30873084_8097.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275314380610439538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifdsE0wj74tHOJJLQvGlSSRo7iTMsdhTuM8O7-U67s-ZmbRdK6ln_s5zzqn6NcYF5ipdzyEYL3U_M-AyaiEbkxVbvFSCJVmCEsMvCKIoDlvbp4L58TSU2sMsZalqHigKVKcVAIrooCaCj/s200/n30200998_30873084_8097.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />My Auntie Diane got us this beautiful nativity as a wedding present. I decided to be Biblical and set the wise men up across the way from the manger since they were still traveling ;) The guy that keeps kneeling really slowed them down:<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hPsAjtJdBuxl3FRQBR77Aw2TG9c3zO1AhHc4Rs-0AEE7qWNFnBaH0auPOszV4y7W60tJJhkBbBYW40W_hb9FAoqgWI_z3umfMVs0FxMunWxoUdbZAYbaEwRTJBrDOXth7L5mzja7IOAJ/s1600-h/n30200998_30873076_815.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275313967245826578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hPsAjtJdBuxl3FRQBR77Aw2TG9c3zO1AhHc4Rs-0AEE7qWNFnBaH0auPOszV4y7W60tJJhkBbBYW40W_hb9FAoqgWI_z3umfMVs0FxMunWxoUdbZAYbaEwRTJBrDOXth7L5mzja7IOAJ/s200/n30200998_30873076_815.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QU9PciGhQZP8Q-8eJAu8d40wPpwu3C6CPK-cUy-70VZZYDidLRJii3Th7PC53XUwilfNPl8WXw8EJVB-Ar6YBKrDE82x6is6yaiP4V1pfIPmiuBhJCz52AwViswb7go931nVsGR10D9m/s1600-h/n30200998_30873077_1198.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275317540411759730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QU9PciGhQZP8Q-8eJAu8d40wPpwu3C6CPK-cUy-70VZZYDidLRJii3Th7PC53XUwilfNPl8WXw8EJVB-Ar6YBKrDE82x6is6yaiP4V1pfIPmiuBhJCz52AwViswb7go931nVsGR10D9m/s200/n30200998_30873077_1198.jpg" border="0" /></a> Our dining room table with wintery placemats and our dinky little fake tree:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJWLyfCQy_bEyV8tLbCAYy5Ze3hH9GKdTxjwwke9TdOkPOIVEsWXmmBzxl7YnreLU69Lf-lUcjAbuN2LmS-sond1LCLa_GOHqxJ4LCzKXSj_KcHOqeuEDO4j0JBjMjT9d6ppD1spV0i3S/s1600-h/n30200998_30873071_8838.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275313963142855186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJWLyfCQy_bEyV8tLbCAYy5Ze3hH9GKdTxjwwke9TdOkPOIVEsWXmmBzxl7YnreLU69Lf-lUcjAbuN2LmS-sond1LCLa_GOHqxJ4LCzKXSj_KcHOqeuEDO4j0JBjMjT9d6ppD1spV0i3S/s200/n30200998_30873071_8838.jpg" border="0" /></a>Twinkle lights around the window and the bar! They look so pretty at night and show up really well when you look at the house from the outside. Also, after 4 years of attempting to hang Christmas lights in a dorm room with nothing but tape, it was very satisfying to be able to hang the lights using a staple gun; this method saved a lot of frustation:</div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsk6G2AWAZIVWYDiulm7yIaPHfHqHjJG6TI01jLvfPy5KvAbytCI9O_xxHsVngaJczkpy6LTE3nHCx5aR2pYIdW7Jk9hxyFz-gHa7jdgrEnYfwCwHF-0h5WOtS3k3ywOD3kkj_ebtxj053/s1600-h/n30200998_30873066_6118.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275313956149478114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsk6G2AWAZIVWYDiulm7yIaPHfHqHjJG6TI01jLvfPy5KvAbytCI9O_xxHsVngaJczkpy6LTE3nHCx5aR2pYIdW7Jk9hxyFz-gHa7jdgrEnYfwCwHF-0h5WOtS3k3ywOD3kkj_ebtxj053/s200/n30200998_30873066_6118.jpg" border="0" /></a>Last, but not least, we also decorated Phoebe!! She is such a good sport. We also got her a Christmas cat nip toy to make for any embarassment we may cause her:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8rBAUSsATrmD0rwEm7y3HIWQb2X7_fvS9n-3YAMryTfYqr3WXqrx1g79qWi_g6xqZh_NFhKhuoHIeBYILgCTwJzn8Juw9hwRTwukoRBQrFSBegvh7KjgliQ5-u4GYJMxWGPDx93QkR-v/s1600-h/n30200998_30873064_5141.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275313951768952882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8rBAUSsATrmD0rwEm7y3HIWQb2X7_fvS9n-3YAMryTfYqr3WXqrx1g79qWi_g6xqZh_NFhKhuoHIeBYILgCTwJzn8Juw9hwRTwukoRBQrFSBegvh7KjgliQ5-u4GYJMxWGPDx93QkR-v/s200/n30200998_30873064_5141.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-39812606610991382892008-12-02T15:49:00.000-05:002008-12-02T16:33:05.510-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!On November 27th (the date which also happens to be my brother Jason's birthday ^-^), Dan and I celebrated our 1st holiday together as a married couple: Thanksgiving!! Actually, we were fortunate to be able to celebrate the holiday twice. On Thursday, we had turkey with the Smith clan and on Friday we feasted with the Weldings. Both celebrations left us stuffed and content and we enjoyed the time we were to spend with both sides of the family.<br /><br />For the Smith Thanksgiving, I tried a new brussel sprout recipe (recommended by my mama), which was amazing! Basically, it's brussel sprouts that are sauted in bacon grease. I don't know how you can really wrong with that combination. They were so yummy, I cooked them again for the Welding Thanksgiving.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9iuuZt2_qqQMBXxapMf-aMYSdZSMiRCjJzbB4BY1kjFgkW-btkLPHyEQs6rW2X08u6zjKK9JDNHwiBRw5CnNhr2YHYDzuXRwGerMRuCbjS35xTttX9sH10tUh5enSr5ajnvN1ySqtFmh/s1600-h/n30200998_30870440_2506.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299552690481330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9iuuZt2_qqQMBXxapMf-aMYSdZSMiRCjJzbB4BY1kjFgkW-btkLPHyEQs6rW2X08u6zjKK9JDNHwiBRw5CnNhr2YHYDzuXRwGerMRuCbjS35xTttX9sH10tUh5enSr5ajnvN1ySqtFmh/s200/n30200998_30870440_2506.jpg" border="0" /></a> I also tried my hand at making one of personal Thanksgiving favorites, broccoli cassarole, for the first time. Although I added a tad to many Ritz cracker crumbs on the top, the cassarole came out great! (I had a lot to measure up to; this dish is a famous Smith tradition!). Dan was not much of a fan of the cassarole (too much cheese, methinks), but was nice enough to sample it for me :) I also made my traditional pumpkin muffins.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR8fcil72FAhg66CGpmi5uJB1zN9Wc9l2JuQndKdlm7cqtA3hrOsd1iM6ZwDoQSiIvblKCuFNdavS_h7wh1Zx8QakNJCOjDNAT_k1cy-6uVpsBRIoQlBKL1LCmm_SiWxh04hcGMUHZY5Y/s1600-h/n30200998_30870443_3303.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299549752978594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAR8fcil72FAhg66CGpmi5uJB1zN9Wc9l2JuQndKdlm7cqtA3hrOsd1iM6ZwDoQSiIvblKCuFNdavS_h7wh1Zx8QakNJCOjDNAT_k1cy-6uVpsBRIoQlBKL1LCmm_SiWxh04hcGMUHZY5Y/s200/n30200998_30870443_3303.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3_-SavSJt_NnnzytasTYxXEwrEAbMPltvgWnXu0iJdvGybsROskZV8WrsX9I3Fannywp0rH1OF5eZ_OFyUII9gqdDgrGWUuUmmLAZPdxW4YPGObshSjgl7b8JVw5mW2Fu3eUKaVWrKYD/s1600-h/n30200998_30870442_3039.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299546359871618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3_-SavSJt_NnnzytasTYxXEwrEAbMPltvgWnXu0iJdvGybsROskZV8WrsX9I3Fannywp0rH1OF5eZ_OFyUII9gqdDgrGWUuUmmLAZPdxW4YPGObshSjgl7b8JVw5mW2Fu3eUKaVWrKYD/s200/n30200998_30870442_3039.jpg" border="0" /></a> Although the bulk of the feast was put together by my mother (and, let me tell you, it was one heck of a feast!!), I had a good time cooking my three items; it made me feel very wifely, or something like that *^-~*<br /><br />Dan and I brought most of the ingredients over to the Welding's house to cook so we could enjoy the Macy's Day parade together (we are still sans-cable TV) but I finished cooking the brussel sprouts at home after we saw Santa arrive in NYC before heading to my parents house (as a side note, I LOVE m kitchen).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrIRUUXwWJiQlLe1bb3cRrzN_KPPab0NoVrUi_sHASwEwN4GDjpV5zlass8_gKmyG_WurzFNp6KSHRsQV0JzQObIrMVorTKD74cNohR2X21zPmZa662o4q7qEjJGuRrbeRd199nlXdS1Z/s1600-h/n30200998_30870445_3856.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299544254231602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrIRUUXwWJiQlLe1bb3cRrzN_KPPab0NoVrUi_sHASwEwN4GDjpV5zlass8_gKmyG_WurzFNp6KSHRsQV0JzQObIrMVorTKD74cNohR2X21zPmZa662o4q7qEjJGuRrbeRd199nlXdS1Z/s200/n30200998_30870445_3856.jpg" border="0" /></a> We also took our first family portrait. Phoebe was a little to ADD to coporate fully, but we got a nice picture none-the-less:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJA-DLzV_HI-RPYdCq9GZrr-PBc-C1KNK5REc0dvT4fKivK5Zg1X6a_ImiJQaIWaR9X2z7IZgd4KWo67Iz5yPFMXLTefnoV4cgMwQtyHq32A3wGq20qoWA41Se3-vLyKB9JCX1Uxb1mN5/s1600-h/n30200998_30870449_5031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299542259777666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJA-DLzV_HI-RPYdCq9GZrr-PBc-C1KNK5REc0dvT4fKivK5Zg1X6a_ImiJQaIWaR9X2z7IZgd4KWo67Iz5yPFMXLTefnoV4cgMwQtyHq32A3wGq20qoWA41Se3-vLyKB9JCX1Uxb1mN5/s200/n30200998_30870449_5031.jpg" border="0" /></a> (aren't we cute??)<br /><br />We shared our Thanksgiving meal with my parents, Nana, and brother, Darren. We ate our selves silly and also spent a good part of the evening watching the reception on our wedding DVD since my Nana missed our dancing at the actual reception.<br /><br />On Friday evening (after a long day of Black Friday baragain hunting for me, and work for Daniel), we headed across the drive way to celebrate our second Thanksgiving with Dan's parents, Leah, Jim, Ellie, Rose, and Keith. We skipped the turkey for Thanksgiving #2 since we had all eaten it at some point earlier in the week and Dan's Dad made an amazing roast. We had another amazing feast complete with fancy cupcakes/place holders made by Rose.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgGcaf_1SqJhQMmrNAIvqF1YpiJC_tF39sjz-wyWtWnyLhSdW0RPXEfyY0oxLJB0wGsPeEe1BcMKB7lRRkCa_62o_sEwTzPCIGrA59auvS6tusXTftyEjfk45mOdjx8EhxCvWISpGl0d6/s1600-h/n30200998_30870460_8162.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299920180811618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgGcaf_1SqJhQMmrNAIvqF1YpiJC_tF39sjz-wyWtWnyLhSdW0RPXEfyY0oxLJB0wGsPeEe1BcMKB7lRRkCa_62o_sEwTzPCIGrA59auvS6tusXTftyEjfk45mOdjx8EhxCvWISpGl0d6/s200/n30200998_30870460_8162.jpg" border="0" /></a> Of course, one of the highlights of the night was that we got to see Ellie again. She was a little bit fussy when Uncle Dan was holding her, but I was still able to get a cute picture. I can't believe how much that little one has grown already! She is absolutely adorable.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhWy-t1IC19sZ35WvEFF6fXOhzSM1wv4TB5FOfJo5WHYy8S7HaKtVApQk60BYlI1RiET4stYJBZFbnQNe0nUZGcDlN504APuMHeAg0keqCWyMC2LVWcBlGd2kySYEp8rVi_n1RQvi4THT/s1600-h/n30200998_30870458_7607.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299916389893186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhWy-t1IC19sZ35WvEFF6fXOhzSM1wv4TB5FOfJo5WHYy8S7HaKtVApQk60BYlI1RiET4stYJBZFbnQNe0nUZGcDlN504APuMHeAg0keqCWyMC2LVWcBlGd2kySYEp8rVi_n1RQvi4THT/s200/n30200998_30870458_7607.jpg" border="0" /></a> The night was also topped off with a game of Dutch Blitz, a sorting through of some beautiful teacups, and antics in the garage invloving Jim and Keith attempting to go under tha house.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGlFP5O9yBI_nykFh8eOshFkNCTcj5yjj6YOjx02qBijMg9h6GE2K4jZMj5OUhRA4ncMDjLwHoEYdmkcGT8V7g43inTLYauVVtFhwbV-hwpRrU6hPI_idRkqprJko-l6CD80kB6MgYWxT/s1600-h/n30200998_30870468_593.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275299911677078194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGlFP5O9yBI_nykFh8eOshFkNCTcj5yjj6YOjx02qBijMg9h6GE2K4jZMj5OUhRA4ncMDjLwHoEYdmkcGT8V7g43inTLYauVVtFhwbV-hwpRrU6hPI_idRkqprJko-l6CD80kB6MgYWxT/s200/n30200998_30870468_593.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Dan and I were very happy to be able to spend the holiday with both our families without having to split the time up. Looks like we'll be saving that tricky business for Christmastime (it's going to be an interesting conglomeration of traditions, for sure!). Anyway, it was the best way we could imagine to spend our 1st holiday together and I'm positive that the Thanksgiving season will always be a special time for us in the years to come.</p><p>And now that Thanksgiving's over, we can officially begin celebrating the most wonderful time of the year! Yay!!</p>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-29892562876707015442008-12-01T21:23:00.000-05:002008-12-01T22:28:42.957-05:00Honeymoon (mis)adventures<div><div>After 9 months of planning and a couple stressful weeks, the day Dan I have been waiting finally arrived... our wedding!!! It was fabulous. I could probably write chapters about it, but since most everyone who will end up reading this were there, I'll skip that for now. However, I'll be sure to some pictures at some point ^-^ there are a lot of them! </div><br /><div>After all the stress of planning, we were of course looking forward to a nice relaxing honeymoon. Which we got, for the most part; although, we did have a few bumps along the way. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8if080o_j-54sOO0NgopRj1wF62V4kIDkE65JHyNoy25ivX6JJMnYeR0CvpzArYBONIIvZWSFqxmDtJ4Olz1Wpl7EPDqf_cXzxfJZIcxfhbEUua8fd6qA8fP4nOXy8tJcvAkAMBUqAHkc/s1600-h/098.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275014902925742866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8if080o_j-54sOO0NgopRj1wF62V4kIDkE65JHyNoy25ivX6JJMnYeR0CvpzArYBONIIvZWSFqxmDtJ4Olz1Wpl7EPDqf_cXzxfJZIcxfhbEUua8fd6qA8fP4nOXy8tJcvAkAMBUqAHkc/s320/098.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>We went to Bear Creek, PA in the Pocono Mountains and stayed in an adorable vacation cottage. It flurried almost everyday that we were there and it was beautiful. The cottage was very cozy inside as well, which was great, because Dan and I both were sick at different points during the week and really needed the rest; we took the "in sickness and in health" part our vows seriously, apparently.<br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb1lOeDsTKcVze_hXhyphenhyphen82HcNRFpjW6GCB2k7PQI1l9CTjC7F1BbbnLPfutzgzOJCq8jk3nL-NGyzm66s5hJgLf_K2d-2-QKK3dPIX7_10CE_5Ptipsv_OzAV6d8UGM9C1qb104llA_9oM/s1600-h/099.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275016947609870818" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb1lOeDsTKcVze_hXhyphenhyphen82HcNRFpjW6GCB2k7PQI1l9CTjC7F1BbbnLPfutzgzOJCq8jk3nL-NGyzm66s5hJgLf_K2d-2-QKK3dPIX7_10CE_5Ptipsv_OzAV6d8UGM9C1qb104llA_9oM/s320/099.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">My car, Pearl, also needed some TLC during the trip. Her dry-rotted tires from 1995 were not too pleased with the bumpy mountain roads. As such, we spent a good portion of our honeymoon in the Wyoming Vally Mall at the Sears Auto Center replacing all four of them. We found ways to entertain ourselves while we waited: </p><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2QDd1xepv2quJ6s-k5uZ5pUkB51z1WmjZQrFlAFSgSHoyDMXrgVsYlObpDeZlZG1-K4Yu72t8GJFk8DfY8axAAkcNgPPWiJYa6rMlStOQgC6bSkThU66BkfINkwlYMETmZEFbNh1QoqX/s1600-h/132.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275018686732417890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2QDd1xepv2quJ6s-k5uZ5pUkB51z1WmjZQrFlAFSgSHoyDMXrgVsYlObpDeZlZG1-K4Yu72t8GJFk8DfY8axAAkcNgPPWiJYa6rMlStOQgC6bSkThU66BkfINkwlYMETmZEFbNh1QoqX/s320/132.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNC-cyAzVs4L3evHeENDb_v1dEmftl3MAFvhIFmWytaSFcEQ0Uz64wEPLpv6l9qnkUpSTQkIPBsK8U7OB87gacO6g6MWyBz3ze6Ud6bJIqqCF07lNZcPCY00i0ZMAdbmSIFmx7p1NsfTE/s1600-h/125.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275018678786563154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNC-cyAzVs4L3evHeENDb_v1dEmftl3MAFvhIFmWytaSFcEQ0Uz64wEPLpv6l9qnkUpSTQkIPBsK8U7OB87gacO6g6MWyBz3ze6Ud6bJIqqCF07lNZcPCY00i0ZMAdbmSIFmx7p1NsfTE/s320/125.JPG" border="0" /></a>(Yes, we are aware that we are huge dorks. ;) Atleast we know that our lives will never be boring. ^.^)</div><div><br /></div><p>In between our trips to Sears, we were able to take a day trip to my favorite city and yours... Scranton!!! Unfortunately, we didn't run in to Jim Halpert or Pam Beasley, but we did go the Steamtown Mall where, among quite a few other things, we purchased a Dwight magnet at the Dunder Mifflin Shop. The Steamtown Mall is really unique because it's built inside a group of older buildings; we almost missed it when we drove by (thankfully, there was a giant sign for Steve and Barry's that gave it away). There are train tracks behind the mall with a bunch of old railway cars hanging out on them and a little bridge so you can overlook them. Dan was impressed by the train car that had a bus on it.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulTT6wkQdjtvE8Sd6hd_hQTjSQ8lj8HM_SvA_kIf1ODT0A5YUEsheB-CRc4HgCR3mnPJ_wCCazCPiAUJybKpn9evki2KkIZG8N9pSZsWwhjSTErc8STjSY6a-SCMe6HAHe8JeDqd220M2/s1600-h/120.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275022129671368258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulTT6wkQdjtvE8Sd6hd_hQTjSQ8lj8HM_SvA_kIf1ODT0A5YUEsheB-CRc4HgCR3mnPJ_wCCazCPiAUJybKpn9evki2KkIZG8N9pSZsWwhjSTErc8STjSY6a-SCMe6HAHe8JeDqd220M2/s320/120.JPG" border="0" /></a> Don't worry, we didn't spend our whole time in the Poconos couped up in malls and the cottage. We were able to enjoy the outdoors as well; we would have been nuts not to!! We took a day to go horseback riding, which despite being really cold, was a lot of fun.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3b1GEe2I7ZYcz5BkvkElxrj5OsY3z3hQfgIBA0vPWNXj9_aZi5lRnlu1_zdL6UmDoNYfbb744A6ch91zU_V7HGCJ2fW8BHcfQ0X9HaHcSQSN3ycy1C4CrhU3JBuC-pktuopfp61THb7C/s1600-h/159.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275024366270630434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3b1GEe2I7ZYcz5BkvkElxrj5OsY3z3hQfgIBA0vPWNXj9_aZi5lRnlu1_zdL6UmDoNYfbb744A6ch91zU_V7HGCJ2fW8BHcfQ0X9HaHcSQSN3ycy1C4CrhU3JBuC-pktuopfp61THb7C/s320/159.JPG" border="0" /></a> On the way to the stables, we drove past over the Frances E. Walter Dam and were treated to an amazing view.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-vxKd0cb3ALWRl_MDR7E4XojDKsWnVNITFLpB-9mrrgEpJvTBOMaPA6BP1SdbIb2Wmlfh71r5GCmgONThCzDEDRIWR4cX6RPA6O1Qbpa9IBdNZD9tggbz8UAASLz_YLVxHUPRVFv-M7G/s1600-h/163.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275024892408455106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-vxKd0cb3ALWRl_MDR7E4XojDKsWnVNITFLpB-9mrrgEpJvTBOMaPA6BP1SdbIb2Wmlfh71r5GCmgONThCzDEDRIWR4cX6RPA6O1Qbpa9IBdNZD9tggbz8UAASLz_YLVxHUPRVFv-M7G/s320/163.JPG" border="0" /></a>We also took a walk around part of the Bear Creek Lake, which was right up the road from where we were staying, and spent some time exploring a waterfall that was all frozen. <div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_NrGo-cOy_ZN8S-tDJABnOC2ioJeISwpHVrwOyNRERaYnaBUG5mTvvPq37XrljlkhcVn9KicK0BW1pp60jwzD45mZvsaF3peWFGd4rt3rHnDxAx5me_PqyLrnFPncXy2MC12seHHVNJO/s1600-h/207.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275026190474266370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_NrGo-cOy_ZN8S-tDJABnOC2ioJeISwpHVrwOyNRERaYnaBUG5mTvvPq37XrljlkhcVn9KicK0BW1pp60jwzD45mZvsaF3peWFGd4rt3rHnDxAx5me_PqyLrnFPncXy2MC12seHHVNJO/s320/207.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineTvba8Zdg6qar8v1rCFlSi2514oXmyNfQF1SUO9p8aebvRuW2XXK-Qo592aiXljtYw6TPpLU8Ol97d97ybck3PwUFDdro2OiefXijyBphutrVV58hY6LNiyURnGS8imzf2Tucw__4G_-/s1600-h/194.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275025635238513922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineTvba8Zdg6qar8v1rCFlSi2514oXmyNfQF1SUO9p8aebvRuW2XXK-Qo592aiXljtYw6TPpLU8Ol97d97ybck3PwUFDdro2OiefXijyBphutrVV58hY6LNiyURnGS8imzf2Tucw__4G_-/s320/194.JPG" border="0" /></a> When all was said and done, we had a lovely time and will definitely be returning to either the Pine Paddock Cottage or the Bischwind B&B (both owned by the same people). Even though we had a few set backs, it was great way to spend our first week together as married couple *^.^*</div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpbhirorFcvBcSDpLsX1d4REsD_G7Dg_pRw5UdcXHxdnYVcYJZEel99sYWpuyoJGDjQxERPNSahRsjPtnkW-Z8NlyNSlI84_PW5nW9bBdp7MoqQgqAz-cHdgdT7x5nXVAGA8uHgfAH-X2/s1600-h/198.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275027437059608914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpbhirorFcvBcSDpLsX1d4REsD_G7Dg_pRw5UdcXHxdnYVcYJZEel99sYWpuyoJGDjQxERPNSahRsjPtnkW-Z8NlyNSlI84_PW5nW9bBdp7MoqQgqAz-cHdgdT7x5nXVAGA8uHgfAH-X2/s320/198.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSX2b_ZptsBrVsS3fL7lLlFmLhjMZ6uvQICA4xz-fRs2pSpJ8CCd2EZGDa0SBRFHxJbD3jdNCExnGAVRvEKHwbXG6b1SH-Q_UpW-VIKskOn238ebrc7AisGURF9jtInlaWFtI6RASu5LD/s1600-h/171.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275027432125885762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSX2b_ZptsBrVsS3fL7lLlFmLhjMZ6uvQICA4xz-fRs2pSpJ8CCd2EZGDa0SBRFHxJbD3jdNCExnGAVRvEKHwbXG6b1SH-Q_UpW-VIKskOn238ebrc7AisGURF9jtInlaWFtI6RASu5LD/s320/171.JPG" border="0" /></a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690051392220582782.post-89886129062604593072008-12-01T21:15:00.000-05:002008-12-01T21:23:14.342-05:00beginnings of a blogSo, I decided it was time to start a blog. This endeavor has been partially inspired by both Genevieve and Leah and the fact that I missed blogging. Also, I thought it would be an easy way to keep friends and family up to date on mine and Dan's lives.<br /><br />My aim is to write just a bit (although, based on previous blogs, I'll probably get carried away at times) and post quite a few pictures. I love taking pictures of everything because I have a terrible memory and this helps me remember stuff; I also love looking back on them and reminiscing... however, if Dan had it his way, I would stop taking so many. If I had it my way, I'd buy a fancy SLR digital camera with a really quick shutter speed and rapid fire option so I could take more. Anyway, that tangent is quite long enough...<br /><br />I have a lot to update on to start, but to make it easy, I'll break it down into a couple posts. This 1st one isn't very exciting anyways... onto a much more interesting topic: the honeymoon!!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13079407862149462002noreply@blogger.com0