Weekend With Dad

This past weekend my dad came to visit me while Dave was up in Boston for what I like to call a "Nerd Convention."  I assumed work would have slowed down a little bit after the 3/15 deadline so I thought this would be the perfect weekend for my dad to visit, but that was not the case.  This busy season has been crazy and it's just going to get crazier; I haven't even done my own taxes!  I cannot wait for a nice celebration on April 16th, which just happens to be my birthday...what a glorious day it will be!

Luckily my boss let me work from home this past weekend so I could spend time with my dad.  We enjoyed a nice dinner out on Friday night, worked out together on Saturday (I did 13.1 miles...getting ready for April 28th), did some errands and relaxed.  It was nice not to having a schedule and to just being able to hang out together and get some things done that I hadn't been able to do during the week.  That night we decided to make homemade pasta.  I thought my dad would enjoy it since he really enjoys to cook.  We had a great time making dinner together and enjoyed a relaxing night in.

Dad with the dough 

Kneading the dough 

Dough! 

The trusty Kitchen Aid  

And the fun starts! 

Getting the hang of it!

Our delicious dinner! 

Sunday consisted of church, kickboxing, work and errands.  The weekend went by so fast - I really enjoyed having some one on one time with my dad.  I'm looking forward to when he and my mom come up at the end of April for my race.  And of course I couldn't wait to pick up my handsome nerd at the airport on Sunday night!  ;)

Pretty tulips for our apartment!  I'm SO ready for Spring!

Thanks dad for such a wonderful weekend!  You are welcomed here anytime!

Buh-Bye 2012, Hello 2013

2012 ended up to be a pretty great year that ended on a very high note.  During the last few weeks of 2012, I completed my last class that I need in order to sit for the CPA exam, we bought a brand new car (our first big purchase together!), moved into a BRAND NEW apartment that we absolutely LOVE and we got to spend Christmas with my wonderful family!

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas Day

Visiting the church where we got married

This past week (New Year's Day through this past Saturday), Dave and I spent a lot of our time watching Homeland.  My sister was talking about it over break so we thought we would give it a shot.  We instantly got HOOKED!  We completed seasons 1 & 2 in less than a week (not that I'm proud of it).  It's so nice when we have a show that we both really enjoy together.  Now that we are done with that show for now, I guess we will have to wait for Mad Men and Breaking Bad to come back!

This weekend was pretty much perfect.  I really wanted to enjoy it because I start loosing my weekends very soon due to tax season.  Saturday I started the morning by going to a yoga class.  It was so nice getting back into it, something that I've really missed.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my old schedule of yoga about 3 days a week.  After yoga and a run, I got ready to go do some errands while Dave was at his soccer game.  Later that afternoon, we headed out to District Taco for a late lunch/early dinner.  After we ate we headed to the Sculpture Garden for some ice staking.  It was so romantic skating under the stars and with all the sparkling lights around us.  I had such a wonderful time and neither one of us fell down once! ;)  After ice skating we picked up some hot chocolate, a sweet treat and headed home for the evening to finish Homeland.

Ice Skating with my LOVE!!

Sunday consisted of an early morning kickboxing class, a run with Dave to our favorite local coffee shop, Northside Social, errands, watching football and using one of Dave's Christmas presents:  a pasta maker!  We had so much fun making linguine together and it tasted AMAZING!  We are looking forward to trying out raviolis this next weekend.

Coffee at Northside Social

Pasta making

This was the perfect weekend with the perfect husband.  We had so much fun together which makes it hard to think about this upcoming tax season.  For now, I'm going to try to enjoy every free minute I have.

Thanksgiving Recap

So, my Thanksgiving break didn't go as planned but there were some definite goods times.

First...THE BAD

 1.  Horrendous traffic into the city on Wednesday...NEVER traveling the Wednesday before Thanksgiving EVER again.
2.  Did not go to the parade due to how stressed out I got because of Wednesday's trip.
3.  Got food poisioning which was AWFUL!  (stupid deli wrap! :(  )
4.  Missed my parents and sister

Me at the High Line!

The GOOOOD

1.  I have a wonderful brother-in-law who got us a car, through Uber, to get us out of the city on Wednesday night.
2. Drinks and girl talk on Wednesday night
3.  Soccer game on Thursday morning (even if I was horrible)
4.  Errands and pie making with Casey
5.  Fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with family!
6.  A game of Celebrity
7.  A trip into NYC!
8.  Being surrounded by family who genuinely care about me
9.  Food poisoning = not gaining an ounce over break!

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of how lucky I am for what I have and the wonderful life I have been blessed with.  Here is a list of things I am thankful for:

1.  My health
2.  My husband, who loves me with his whole heart and is ALWAYS there for me.  He makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world.
3.  My parents - they love me uncondtitionaly and support me with everything I do.  They are always there for me and I love them more than words can say.  I am truly lucky to have such amazing, selfless parents who would do anything for me and my sister..
4.  My sister - we might not always get along, but I love her and am so lucky to call her my sister.  I love you, Allie!
5.  My new family - I'm so happy to be a part of the O'Brien family - you guys have made me feel so welcomed and I am so lucky to have married into such a fun and loving family.  I love you guys!
6.  My friends, old and new; I am so lucky to call you my friends.  Thanks for always being there for me.
7.  The Dunns - who have taken Winnie into their home with open arms and are treating her like a princess.  She is one lucky pup!
8.  My dad's new job - hopefully one that will make him happy and enjoy what he is doing

This list could go on forever...I am so lucky for the life I have and sometimes need to stop and remind myself how lucky I truly am.  I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving spent with family and friends.  Hopefully you will see Dave and me on t.v. during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! ;)

Happiness Is...

Things that are making me happy these days:

<Sunday morning coffee dates with Dave>

<Boot weather>

<Baking with Dave!  Here is our yummy pumpkin granola!>

<Pumpkin EVERYTHING>

<A night of baking and drinking with my love>

<Picnicking >

<My new iPhone case!  Love being a Mrs!!!>

<Caramel apples>

<Our yearly apple pick!>

<Fun nail polish>

<Fro-yo with colored sprinkles is a MUST!!>

<Wine with a view with my better half!>

What makes you happy?  Are you enjoying all the festivities as much as I am?

A Vineyard Wedding

This past weekend was spent in New Jersey celebrating the marriage of my beautiful cousin, Lauren, and her now HUSBAND, Neil.  My parents came up to our place on Thursday and we brought them to Founding Farmers for a delicious meal.  My dad absolutely LOVED their cinnamon sugar popcorn and the chocolate mouse we had for dessert!  After dinner we took a stroll by the White House so my mom could get a couple pictures.

At Founding Farmers

My parents after dinner

The next day we drove up to New Jersey, stopping in Philadelphia to pick up my sister from the airport since she was flying in from Austin, TX.  That night was the rehearsal dinner which was at a lovely Italian restaurant.  There was lots of great food and even better company.  It was a great night to start off the wedding weekend!

The beautiful bride walking down the aisle with her dad

The wedding started at 7pm on Sunday and it was at a beautiful winery.; the view was breathtaking.  Lauren looked absolutely STUNNING and Neil was just as handsome.  I'm so happy for them; they are truly the perfect couple.  We had such a fantastic night celebrating, dancing and photo-boothing.  Thank you Lauren and Neil for letting us be a part of your *special* day!

At dinner!

Photo-booth fun!

It was such a wonderful weekend surrounded by family and love!  Now it's back to reality - taxes and schoolwork! :(

Birthday Surprise in Charleston

Waiting to board our flight to Charleston!

Thursday night, Dave and I flew into Charleston to surprise my dad for his birthday.  My mom told my dad she was going to the movies with friends while in reality she was hanging out at her friends' house until she picked us up from the airport.  When we got to my parents' house, she went into the house through the garage and Dave and I stood at the front doorsteps.  She told my dad she had a present for him at the front door and once he opened it and saw us standing there, he was in total shock!  It was so fun to surprise him and he really had no idea!

Out-of-this-world shrimp and grits from Hominy Grill!

Happy Dave

Big Nasty

Friday we all went into downtown Charleston for a nice Southern meal at Hominy Grill.  If you ever visit Charleston I highly recommend this restaurant. It has been featured on several shows on Food Network and has become one of our favorite places to go when we visit.  Usually I order the fried green tomato sandwich but I decided to try the shrimp and grits since shrimp and grits is one of my favorite meals!  Let me tell you, their shrimp and grits were out of this world!  The grits were creamy, the shrimp were cooked to perfection and the flavor was out of this world.  I will be definitely have this dish again because it is probably one of the best shrimp and grits I have ever had!  Dave had his usual, the Big Nasty, which was featured on Man VS Food.  It's a fried chicken biscuit topped with sausage gravy and cheddar cheese.  My mom had the fried green tomato sandwich (a favorite of mine) and my dad had the vegetable plate which included macaroni and cheese that he said was outstanding.  All and all it was a delicious meal with the best company!

Happy! :)

Yabba dabba doo at Husk

After lunch my dad and Dave decided to check out the Charleston Museum, which ended up being a total bust, while my mom and I shopped on King Street.  Later that afternoon we all met up for a drink at Husk.  I had been wanting to try this drink, Yabba Dabba Doo, which they no longer have on their menu, but the bartender was nice enough to make it for me. It tasted just like an orange creamsicle!  We were supposed to go on a sunset cruise but due to the weather they had to cancel and we had a wonderful dinner at Fleet Landing, overlooking the water.  We saw tons of dolphins jumping during our dinner which was such a wonderful sight to see.  It was a fun-filled day with tons of great food!

My amazing parents at dinner!

Our view at dinner!

Saturday we had a relaxing day at the beach and my dad grilled us a wonderful dinner:  steaks for my mom and Dave (not seafood lovers) and swordfish for dad and myself.  Dinner was amazing and it was a relaxing night.

Winnie being cute!

Sunday my dad and Dave went to visit The Hunley and had a great time. My mom and I went out shopping AGAIN :).  Later that night we went to one of my parents' favorite pizza places for dinner.  It was such a fun last night in Charleston.

"grits are good for you" - had to get this at Hominy Grill!

 This past weekend was absolutely perfect.  I don't know what it is about going to my parents' house, but I just feel so relaxed there and always have the best time but I'm always so sad when I have to leave.  Luckily my parents will be staying at our place next Thursday before we drive up to New Jersey for my cousin Lauren's wedding weekend on Friday.