{Life as we live it}

OBX day 4 - hang gliding...

hang gliding was probably the best adventure during our OBX vacay! it was something new, different & exhilarating FUN! it was a HOT Sunday morning when we trekked up the sand dunes. a whopping 131 degrees to be exact. there was plenty of water for everyone, but we also brought our own. we both managed to finish 6 bottles by the time we headed back down to receive our certificates & honestly, i could have had more.

i wish i had a better photo of the instructor pictured above, b/c he looked & sounded like Matthew Mcconaughey. he could easily pass as his brother for sure. it was surreal. i was going to say something to the guy, but i didn't. i'm sure he's been asked or told many times before, ha!

i had awesome take off & flight, but my landing was sure horrible, LOL! as you can see above, i'm about to crash into the sand, hahaha!

Tim had much better landing...he's got skillz ;)

oh, i can't wait to do this again. even though it was extremely hot, it was well worth the five flights!

when we headed back to the hotel, we quickly showered & rested. we were so burnt out, i couldn't think of doing anything else, LOL. i ended up napping for almost 2 hours...woke up just in time for happy hour ;) hahahaha!

for our last meal, we had dinner at the Black Pelican. their food was YUM! very cool setting, right off the by the water, which was nice!

before we went to see Savages, we stopped back at Trio to pick up a t-shirt for me. they had beer 50% off, too. we couldn't refuse, so we indulged in some cocktails before the movies :)

it was a GOOD day!!!

 

 

OBX day3 - cape hatteras + wine & beer...

in the past 30 days, i've been lucky to cross a few things off my life list & one of them was to visit & climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 248 spiral steps all the way up to the top...that is high.

 

another extremely hot & humid day. but once we made it to the top, the strong winds cooled us off. if you leaned against the lighthouse, you could feel it slightly move...freaky, but so cool at the same time.

breathtaking views all around!

Tim is afraid of heights...the fact that he got that close to the edge to film the view took a lot of guts, that's for sure.

& we didn't stay on the balcony for five minutes, it was more like 20. the ranger there was really nice & answered a lot of our questions.

down below, we visited the two homes where it was nice & cool before heading back to OBX.

during our drive back, lots & lots of cars were lined up on the side of the roads along the islands with vacationers & locals checking out the beach views, kite boarding, basking in the sun & kayaking. it was pretty wild, but not so good for some who's vehicles were stuck in the sand.

after the hour drive and a quick stop for lunch, we headed back to the hotel to relax and i spent some time with my long time girlfriend, Lori & her daughter, Lauren, by our Inn's pool. it was a fun time and VERY relaxing. the water was extremely warm.

during our vacation, i picked out all the restaurants where we'd dine for dinner & one of them was at Trio Wine, Beer & Cheese...MY HAPPY PLACE ;)

this is new to me, tasting wine through a dispensing machine. they give you a card, you select a taste, which was around 1 or 1.5oz, half glass or full glass if you like it a lot. the price varied from low to high end. there were four that i just LOVED & i even bought a bottle, a 2009 Ferrari Carano, Cab Sauv, Alexander Valley. it's rich, smooth, no tannin aftertaste and a perfect summertime wine. a California wine that i am going to have to try & find locally.

food was good, too. they have lots of paninis to try even a cheese bar, that i didn't get to try. maybe next time. it was a great place that i hope to visit again some day soon.

they also have a huge selection of draft beers and other specialty beers. Tim really enjoyed the Banana Bread Beer...i tried it & it was really delish. not heavy at all, crisp and clean, so light! many others that were in the bar area bought it as well.

OBX: days 1+2

a photo heavy post...while the kids stayed w/ my parents, Tim & i celebrated our 10th anniversary down in OBX for 5 days. we had an awesome time!!! this vacation was a much needed getaway for the both of us.

we stayed at First Colony Inn, an adorable and cozy bed & breakfast. i've always wanted to stay in a b&b & so glad i did...i'm now spoiled!!!

the first day we kept it simple, picked up a few things at the local market for our room, drove up & down the strip to see where everything was, had a super light dinner, planned out the rest of our visit & enjoyed happy hour at the Inn while relaxing on the back deck.

on Friday, day 2, we ventured off to the beach, which was not crowded at all. it was perfect.

the water was pretty, so blue & so clear. nice size waves, lots of splashing in the water for us. i didn't want to leave when it was time to go.

got the hubby to snap one of me jumping, ha.

this is the back of the Inn where we stayed. our room window is the the second one from the right on the roof.

after lunch, we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial. definitely something Tim loved & i enjoyed it as well.

that monument in the background is far away from where we are standing...instead of walking from the museum area, we drove closer. it was a VERY hot & humid day!

here we are closer, before we began our trek up the hill.

view from half way up the path...

made it up, sweat & all...

there were a LOT of self portraits of us during our vacation :)

after the extremely hot & humid, long walk, a pitstop for some ice cream was much needed, at Logan's.

there was a nice variety of ice cream to chose from & the best part were their quirky signs throughout the shop :)

i had their cappuccino crunch topped with chopped peanuts (the crunch was pieces of taffy & dark chocolate chips-HEAVEN)...so so good & they did NOT skimp on the ice cream. our belly's were so full!!

back at the Inn, we partook in happy hour, this is something the Inn had every day for two hours, wine, tea, fresh lemon aide and a variety of snacks to indulge in. each night the food was different. the white & red wines were delish, too. i should have bought a bottle, maybe next time.

(photo courtesy of Blue Moon Beach Grill)

after much needed rest from all that hot & humidity, we stopped at Blue Moon Beach Grill for dinner. i'm glad we ate there, the food was extremely yum!!! i could have eaten here for dinner every night, ha! yes, it was that good.

since i snapped a TON of photos, i'll share the rest tomorrow in a separate post.

be sure to check out Lily Bee's CHA preview event on their blog, LOADS of inspiration & exciting goodness you won't want to miss!!!

xo!

what's going on...

b/c i haven't blogged since last week. i'm tired w/ a lot to do. hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel, SOON! pics sums up what we've been up to the past week...

my last day at boot camp/personal training was this just two days ago. i am SO missing it. but the end result has been achieved & rewarding. i couldn't be any happier. check it, my muscles & i'm leaner ;) ha! i'll share more on that later...

worked on this layout earlier this week...i can never get enough of pink & green w/ a splash of grey. even played w/ my Cricut.

my new mug i bought a Target two weeks ago. i want to go back & buy more of their white mugs. i just LOVE them, which also inspired this necklace...

need to get more photos & list it along w/ many other pieces i have sitting, awaiting to be photographed.

my goal is to update the kids bedrooms before Summer. Tyler's first. we removed the ginormous desk & hutch 4 weeks ago. we replaced it w/ a smaller, simpler desk. earlier this week, i've added shelving, new curtains, etc. will share pictures soon...

i've also had this wire w/ clips since last November, LOL. yeah, i am famous for buying stuff & not using them right away. was on our "must DO" list this earlier this week. i finally got Tim to help me install it in the hall so i can hang the kids artwork.

Ty is all about football. he can't stop talking about it nor playing. he missed his chance to play flag football. so, we can't wait til the summer session starts up...

the girl had her Easter party & egg hunt this week before Spring break...

here she is, she grabbed one egg from the bottom of the rock climber & left the rest on the wall...not sure what she was thinking, LOL. but she did that a lot, but scored a nice bag full of sweetness :)

we also celebrated Tim's birthday w/ red velvet cake, dinner out to Longhorn, as per his request, and lovely visit...

from his parents :) they were on their way up from 3 months spent in Myrtle Beach & "semi" surprised Tim on this birthday. so glad they came to visit us!

it's Spring break & i am looking forward to fun adventures w/ the kids. hoping we fulfill our plans along with a few days of relaxing in our jammies & sleeping in. we are hoping to visit w/ my parents this weekend for Easter, but the looks of it w/ Corinne sick (2 days so far), we may be staying in the 'burg. fingers crossed she gets better. i don't like when she is feeling herself.

 happy Friday, xo!

happy Friday + a day in the life - 2/8/12...

this photo a day challenge is really fun & i just LOVE all the different ways capturing our life even more randomly.

so here is day 10: self portrait...

definitely not the most graceful jump, but hey, it works for today's challenge ;)

(ETA: i played along w/ Ali Edwards, A Day in the Life earlier this week...always a fun project)

was draggin' out the door at 540 am headed to personal training...

6 am workout...

home to feed kids & get them ready for school...

trying to do something to my hair, but it was in it's own mood, so i put it up & i have new glasses, they are WAY to thin for me. i can't wait to get a new pair. i miss thick funky glasses...

after dropping Corinne off to school, home to see Tim off to work & a little playtime w/ Crush...

catch up on emails & yes, my desk is  this messy...my Cameo needs a new home when not in use...

cranked up xm radio while i spent 2 hours soldering...

hair still looks horrible as you can see in the back, LOL...sanding metal & i cut my finger, ouch!!

1145 am i head out to pick up the girl from school w/ pair & phone in hand...

carpool...love when she runs to me :) we head home for a quick lunch before heading back out...

we hit up Target for a few things. i let her buy a toy for $10 or less & we even find something up for Ty b/c he whines when we don't get him something, LOL!

at Staples...Corinne tests out all the chairs while i shop for Martha Stewart's new office line products...

345 pm, Ty is home from school & the UPS man didn't even stop to deliver anything :(

homework for Tyler & a bowl of Reece's puff cereal as his snack...

clean laundry folded in baskets in our bedroom for a week now. finally put everything away after Tim complained he had no more t-shirts, LOL...

going through the mail & she was sitting pretty on the kitchen island...

every Wednesday at 530 pm, we attend dinner at a friends church. Corinne w/ her new best friend & classmate, Carter...

blurred (Ty in the red shirt)...kids have activities afterwards while adults watch a movie, christian movie of course...

815 pm kids in bed...Ty too busy playing w/ his new toy to want to go to sleep...

now i get to get into my pj's...2.5 years ago i bought these CK jeans at Costco. brought them home, tried them on & they annoyingly wouldn't even go up past my thighs...until now. they fit PERFECTLY! i will probably wear them to death now ;)

ahhhh, time for a little pinning...

sat down at my work desk to put the finishing touches on the jewelry pieces i created earlier in the day & last week while i Modern Family played in the background...

10 pm, enjoyed a glass of wine & REVENGE...LOVE LOVE LOVE that show!

in bed by 1130 pm...

today was a really good day, very productive for us all. i enjoyed not having to prepare dinner (i love to cook, but love having a break from it). Tim worked up in Woodbridge area & was able to make it home before 4pm, so that was nice. but i'm sure he enjoyed hanging out in a quite house while the kids & i were gone for several hours. Corinne didn't eat to well all day long & it definitely showed. but at least she would snack on a little something to keep her whining & crying at bay. Ty missed playing w/ his neighborhood buddies after school, but was super excited to spend time w/ the kids at the church that night. matter of fact, they both were rushing me to get out the door. i was exhausted by the time i went to bed. 1130 is really late for me when i usually go to bed at 830...but nights my favorite shows come on i can't bare to miss them.

happy weekend!

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from Thanksgiving to the tree...

waaaaaaaaayyy late posting about Turkey day. so bad. i know. i hosted this years feast & my parents drove up & stayed for four days, which was really nice. even though there were only 6 of us, a LOT of food was made. everyone had their requests for what they wanted to eat. luckily, the menu was kept SUPER SIMPLE! i had my mom bring some store bought pies, so she didn't have to worry about baking them & i didn't have to worry about buying so much ingredients.

our menu: a whole turkey (brined) & seasoned with butter, garlic, sage & thyme, stove top stuffing, sweet potato fries drizzled w/ honey, candy yams (for my parents), collard greens, green bean casserole (for the hubs), mash potatos (i think that dish is a waste of time concidering it's usually something you eat on a regular basis, but the hubs wanted it), whole grain dinner rolls (so yum), jellied cranberries, pecan & pumpkin pies & one big happy family!

yes, i had the timer going in this photo. i wanted to make sure "I" was in the moment of feasting w/ the family this time around. think i'll do this every year. i have found being the host i didn't snap many photos. i was more concerned about getting things done w/out having to rush or stress myself out. even though i started a few days ahead of schedule w/ the cooking, the last hour before setting the table & getting everyone to gather to begin eating, was crazy. just trying to reheat everything & making sure nothing was forgotten...well, i did forget about my dads black eyed peas...LOL!

we also celebrated Ty's 9th birthday...can't believe my little man is nine already! he's getting tall & so lean. it's freaking me out already! since i waited til the last minute to bake his cupcakes, he was in a hurry to open his presents. so, we used the pumpkin pie as his cake...LOL! he was happy & so was everyone else ;)

Friday, i didn't do any Black Friday shopping. wasn't in the mood to get up early & deal w/ the crowds. instead i headed up to boot camp at 530 am...LOL. i had to work off all that yummy food i cooked :D glad i did. i felt so good & less guilty & didn't care if i over indulged the rest of the weekend.

Saturday rolled around & Tim & Ty headed out to PA to hang out at the family hunting camp. i had to make sure there were photos of the kids w/ their grandparents before he left...especially since i was too lazy to pick up my camera the last few days.

by this time, he was being grumpy, i wasn't too happy my baby was leaving me for 4.5 days & NOT be w/ his mama on his birthday, which was Sunday, Nov. 27th. it was such a bummer he wasn't around :(

my parents headed back home Sunday morning. we snapped some pictures of the four of us before they left...it's amazing how tall Corinne is now standing next to them. she looks like she is five years old. after the parents hit the road, the girl & i ran errands & enjoyed a nice sit down lunch together at one of my fave restaurants...it was a nice break from eating leftovers.

i, by no means, advocate hunting what so ever...matter of fact, i am so against it. but my husbands family has been hunting for years (i was shocked when i found out they hunt & love to eat deer (poor bambi) yes i know, i'm 41 & still think of deer hunting as bambi hunting...LOL. anyway, my boy was super excited to venture out to the family's hunting camp. we set out before he left to Gander Mountain to pick him up some hunting gear. he LOVED IT! even bought him a camouflage sleeping bag & he now sleeps in it on his bed, lol.

here he is target practicing. when Tim emailed me this photo i about flipped. freaked me out. but i kept calm. but like Minny said in "The Help" this photo gave me heart palpitations, lolol!

here is Tim goofing off in front of the camera w/ his dad in the background.

i had evey intention of putting up my tree a week or two before Thanksgiving. Tim had the boxes down in the garage for several weeks & i just didn't have time to get to it all. that Sunday afternoon Corinne & i decorated the outside of the house & put up the tree on Monday after school.

we waited for the boys to arrive home from their hunting trip that Wednesday to decorate the tree, which was perfect, b/c it's how we started out the first day of my December Daily album. the tree has since been re-decorated, hahaha. i've rearrangd ornaments added beaded garland & wrapped the wide ribbon around the entire tree...looks so so pretty ;)

i will share more on my December Daily album later this week. i have been snapping photos everyday & typing up my journaling every evening. i won't be sharing photos daily (yes i know it's already nearly the middle of Dec, ha) but i will share a few photos later this week & then share the entire album at the end of the month. i have taken a slightly different approach to the project this year. so, i am not having to worry about getting photos of every day to post on the ole blog. i love the feeling of not being overwhelmed & enjoying the process.

be back later...

a Thanksful layout...

happy Monday!

hope you are having a wonderful day & enjoy the rest of your week. i have been running around like a mad woman, b/c i waited until the last minute getting everything we need for this weeks Thanksgiving feast. parents (& hopefully my brother) will be in town this week. HOPING to keep it simple this time around. i want to enjoy the cooking process while enjoying family time, too.

there is a lot to be thankful for this month (really every day) & this week Lily Bee is focusing on just that. below is what i came up for the theme...Thankful For Us. check out what amazing creations the design team made for this weeks Thankful theme.

have a BEAUTIFUL week & Happy Thanksgiving :D

CHEERS!!!

wordless wednesday: thumb in rear...

:D