This Weekend I . . .

April Fools day, one of my least favorite days of the entire year.

This girl is about as gullible as it gets.  So to make this day better, I decided to do a link up at Syndal's bloggy blog!

This Weekend I...

Enjoyed the last day of touring wineries on the wine trail we took part in.  We visited two wineries, did tours, and tasted a lot few wines.  

We really enjoy learning about wine and love drinking wine.  Plus it is fun to do something different and get out and about.  It was such a beautiful day, we enjoyed a glass outside at the one winery with this view.  I often do not appreciate the beauty of my state.

This weekend I...

Toured some of the Gettysburg Battles once we were done touring the wineries.  

We've done the entire tour before so we decided to stop at a few of our favorite locations and enjoy more of the beautiful weather.

First we stopped at Vito's favorite spot which is a giant tour that overlooks the Battlefields.  It has 10 flights of stairs and I must really love him for doing it.  Because here I am two days later and my calves still hurt every time I move.

Then we headed over to my favorite spot, Little Round Top, which is a big hill that overlooks a lot of the Battlefield.  It also had a ton of huge rocks for children (and Vito) to climb on. 

This Weekend I...

Watched the long awaited return of Doctor Who.

Then over the past few days since, have been theorizing with Vito and friends through tweets and emails and texts.

This show always leaves me with so many more questions than answers.

And I CAN NOT get enough of it!

This Weekend I... 

 

Had a busy day celebrating Easter

We enjoyed an uplifting church service with friends.

Celebrated how great is our God

Made delicious lemon bars that Vito's family devoured.

Spent lunch with my family and dinner at Vito's Grandparents.

We ate candy out of our Easter "Basket" (tupperware container) from my mommy.

 Took goofy pictures in bunny ears.

And received sweet notes from my Princess.  

Being an aunt is really the biggest blessing in my life.

My heart is bursting.

Overall, it was a busy and exhausting, but amazing weekend!

Now back to reality.

And how was your weekend?

"The Screams All Sounds The Same. Hey!"

Title: Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

Do you know how many movies there are in the world?

Yeah, me neither but I can guess that number is PRETTY big.

With the constant releasing of new movies, it is hard to keep up.

And inevitably, movies slip through the cracks.

And sometimes, those movies are classics.

And people find out.

And have a heart attack because you are missing out.

And according to people in my life?

I have missed quite a few.

Example A

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs.

Growing up, I was not allowed to watch any movies or TV shows that involved magic.

But that's a post for another time.

So basically when I was allowed, I had to catch up on all the amazing movies Disney had to offer.

Sadly, I've still missed this one.

Example B

Elf.

Y'all, Vito & I were having dinner with two couples from church.

This movie was brought up and I said how we hadn't seen it and all 4 of their mouths dropped open.

You would have thought we just told them the world was ending.

We promised we'd watch this over the Christmas season so they'll still be friends with us.

Example C

Wayne's World.
My sister yells at me all the time since this is her favorite movie.
And she just can't believe that I haven't seen it, since I'm related.
Thankfully her love wins out so she hasn't disowned me.
Yet.

Example D

You've Got Mail
I admitted on Twitter this morning that I haven't seen this movie.
Response?
LOTS OF SHOUTY CAPS.

So I get it.
I'm missing out on a lot and I promise to remedy this.
So don't disown me.
I'll get right with God asap.

Now do tell.
What movies haven't you seen that cause crazy reactions from people?

Fill in the Blank Friday {8} & Giveaway Winner Announced!

Today I'm going old school and linking up with Lauren for Fill in the Blank Friday!

1.  Something I swore I'd never do, but have ended up doing anyway is move into a place without a dishwasher.  We had one for a brief time in the middle of my childhood.  A few years and it died.  My least favorite chore is washing dishes so I always swore when Vito & I moved into our own place, it would have a dishwasher.  But the place we live in? No dishwasher other than Vito's two hands.  Bless that man for doing the dishes.

2.  Something I've always wanted to do is travel to different countries and stay for a month or so to really experience the culture, not just visit on vacation.

3.  Something I have absolutely no desire to ever do is   bungee jump or sky dive. No way. No day  << I agree with Lauren.  I love heights and all but that feeling you get in your stomach when you are on a roller coaster? I HATE it.  So bungee jumping and sky diving? No thanks.

4. The best thing I ever did was go on my first date with Vito. The rest is history.

5. When it comes to trying new things, I am usually in need of some coaxing.  I'm a pretty big chicken when it comes to anything that takes any guts.  Or even eating strange foods.  I love the idea of new experiences but sometimes I just need talked into it!

6. One thing I've never done is lived alone.  I went straight from living at home with my mom to living with Vito.  I admire people who live on their own but I could never.  I have way too vivid of an imagination coupled with a fear of people breaking into my home.  I'd never sleep!

7.  My favorite thing to do is spend a day on the beach with a good book in my hand, sun on my face, and hear nothing but the sound of the waves.

As for the giveaway from Tiny Prints, we have a winner!

Instead of using a website, I went old school and wrote all the names on post its and pulled!  

The winner is Brittany from Boots & Pearls!  

If you aren't already following her, get on that.

Congrats Brittany!

Thanks for all you lovely ladies who entered! 

Happy Friday!!!

"Feeling Gratitude & Not Expressing It Is Like Wrapping A Present & Not Giving It."

Title: Quote by William Arthur Ward

Today I am reminded how thankful I am for:

My Crazy But Always Loving Family.

♥

A Roof Over My Head & Clothes On My Body.

♥

My Friends Around Me & My Bloggy Friends Alike.

♥

A Fiance Who Never Ceases To Amaze Me.

♥

Good Food Like Stuffing and Mom's Pumpkin Pie.

♥

Spending Time With Loved Ones.

♥

A Gracious and Forgiving God.

I hope y'all have an amazing Thanksgiving.

Eat lots of food.

Surround yourself with love.

Be Thankful.

& get working on that Black Friday plan of action!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

♥

The Cutest Christmas Cards

First, I am so, so, SO glad that so many of you are on my side for giving Thanksgiving some lovin' before it diving into Christmas.

I just love you all.

For serious.

Now that being said, even though I do not approve of decorating of listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I do believe it early preparation.

Only when it comes to shopping.

I love starting to shop early for presents.

Makes shopping during the actual holiday season a bit less stressful.

This also includes getting my Christmas cards ordered.

I don't know about y'all but Christmas cards can be veeeeery expensive in my opinion.

I use to pick up a few boxes the day after Christmas and store them with the wrapping paper.

Still money spent.

Well, not this year.

The savior?

Tiny Prints.

They are graciously giving away 50 free Christmas cards to us bloggers.

All you have to do?

Write a blog post.

That. Is. It.

Does it get much simpler than that?

Negative.

The hard part?

Choosing which Christmas card to use.

Because let me tell you, I have over 30 cards a few marked as favorites on their site right now.

Let's just look at some of these, shall we?

Classy Plaque.

How pretty right?

Loving the ability to put in different pictures. & you can change the color if you don't like the red, they have 2 additional options.

& who doesn't like options?

Merry Making

One of my favorite things about Tiny Print's card collection?

The back is decorated. Not just plan white.

Adorably decorated to match the front!

Merry Intent

And if they didn't win you over yet, some cards even offer different layout options.

Like this adorable circle card that comes with ribbon.

I'm sure you can see now what kind of decision I'm up against.

So if you are interested in blogging for Tiny Print's Christmas promotion for the cards, head over here and fill out the form.

Do it soon as the offer is only for a limited amount of time!

And really, how can you say no to free ADORABLE cards?

Do you send out picture Christmas cards?

Also, let me know if you would like a Christmas card in the comments!

10 Day You Challenge {10 Secrets}

A day late, but here is the 10 Day You Challenge I spoke of in Wednesday's post that I found on Jenny's blog.

Welcome to day one!

10 Secrets

1.

I still sleep with a giant stuffed dog my sister gave me when she moved out when I was 11.

2.

After High School graduation, our school has a lock-in at the school. Oodles of food, DJ, swimming, hypnotist. They went all out. It was actually pretty awesome. Once the doors unlocked at 5am to go outside, myself and two other grads went out to the one guy's car. He had a bottle of champagne. We popped it and drank champagne in the High School's parking lot, toasting to the end of your high school careers. Then went back instead and enjoyed the rest of the lock in.

3.

Even though I love and adore children, I don't think I want to have any of my own.

People often make me feel like I'm "missing" something within myself because of this.

4.

One of my biggest regrets is not going away for college.

5.

Whenever I'm in my car, my radio volume number has to be in increments of 5.

6.

My sister was the first person I called after Vito asked me to marry him but when I called my mom next, I told her she was the first person I called.

7.

I have zero self confidence.

8.

I wish I was more artistic.

I often envy artistic talent that other people possess.

9.

Anytime Hanson releases a new CD, I have to buy it.

I may not love them like I use to (think plastering my wall with Zac Hanson pictures because he was obviously going to marry me one day), but I still love their music.

10.

I have the biggest black thumb ever.

My mom even bought me a cactus as a child, thinking that I could keep that alive.

Wrong.

I've killed a cactus.

Fail.

Feel free to join in on the challenge with me!

Happy Friday & the first day of fall!

Word-Filled Wednesday {34}

Hey y'all.

It's about time I get back around this blog.

It's been vacant for a bit too long.

& I miss you ladies.

I plan on doing a little blog challenge I found over on Jenny's blog.

That'll start tomorrow!

But for today, enjoy Word-Filled Wednesday.

It's something I need to work on, especially with all the stress going on in my life right now.

Flashback to the 90s

While blog reading, I came across a post by Syndal and well, it has made my entire day.

Born in 1987, I'm pretty much a 90s girl.

If you grew up in the 90s, please watch these.

& remember when TV use to be good.

You will thank me.

Talk about nostalgia.

What do you miss from the 90s?

Also, Happy Friday!

"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book."

Title: Quote by unknown author

Oh Reading.

Ask me about things I missed while I was in school and somewhere in the top 5, I would say reading.

I tried to avoid picking up books during the school year because I never wanted to put them down.

I get lost in the books and want to do nothing else but read.

Not such a good thing when papers need written or projects need completed.

Now that I've graduated, there will be so much more time to read.

SO exciting!

One idea I've been toying with is buying an e-reader.

I brought it up to Vito around Christmas and he shot down my idea.

Saying it isn't worth the money unless I'd be reading a lot.

I put the idea out of my head for awhile but now with my birthday, the idea came creeping back.

So yesterday after Vito took me to dinner, we headed over to Best Buy and I played with the different e-readers.

Even after playing with them, I have an idea of which one I like better.

I still feel like I need more opinions!

So I thought, who better to turn to but my dearest bloggy friends.

So tell me about your e-reader!

Which is better:

Kindle or Nook?

Or another one??

If you don't have an e-reader, why not?

Help a chica out!

8)

Between Order and Randomness

Title: OTH Episode Title

Oh hey there lovelies!

Long time no speak/read/write? Meh, whichever.

I've been trying to write blog posts. I swear. You can check my dashboard.

I've started a whole bunch but I can never finish.

I get an idea and BAM it's gone.

I wanted to just suck it up and blog something so y'all know I'm still here and alive!

So welcome to Vanessa's completely random post.

1.

I've finished my college career as an undergrad!

Last Saturday Vito & I graduated.

There will be a whole post dedicated to this with the zillion pictures that were taken.

But in short, it was fun and exhausting and amazing.

2.

Because of said graduation, we are partying it up tomorrow.

Stressed and anxious?

Oh you bet.

What I thought would be a relatively small party has morphed into almost 50 people.

I should be excited right?

I will be.

Let me finish worrying about the amount of food we'll need first and then I'll be fine.

3.

I'm currently drinking a caramel mocha iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

Scrumptious.

4.

My birthday is this coming week.

Ya know, my most favorite day of the entire year.

And I'm not even excited or ready for it.

With graduation, it's being put on the back burner.

I haven't even had the chance to ask off work yet.

Vito's in charge of planning and I'm excited to see what he has up his sleeve!

5.

This picture makes me so happy.

That's all I have to say about that.

Actually, no it's not.

Two other things?

I want to see a pic of Josh as Peeta.

& I want to know who is playing Cinna.

If you don't know what I'm talking about here, get your butt to the nearest bookstore and buy The Hunger Games.

You can thank me later.

6.

Apparently the world is going to end tomorrow.

At 6pm to be exact.

My only thoughts on that?

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Matthew 24: 36

7.

Tomorrow (actually tonight) I'm going to whip up a batch of this salsa.

This may not seem important but trust me it is.

I'm almost 24 years old and this chick loves to cook and bake.

One ingredient I've refused to use because I hate it with every fiber of my being?

Onions.

HATE.

And I don't throw that word around for just anything.

I'm the girl who picks them out of everything.

But, PW is my kitchen hero and if she says to use onions in the salsa, I just have to suck it up.

Pray for my soul.

8.

I am SO tired of rain, I don't even have words.

It's rained for the last 7 days.

I'm beginning to forget what sunshine looks like.

I thought April showers brought May flowers.

Not more rain.

9.

On the evening of Vito and I's graduation, our dateaversary twins tied the knot!

I can't wait to show you pictures because it was absolutely gorgeous and so much fun.

It even rained in the evening, which the stunning bride was VERY excited for.

She tells you her love for rain over here.

Go visit her blog.

It's new and needs some love.

Wish her congrats & welcome her to the blogging community.

& tell her to blog more!!

Love you bff

10.

I did something I've never done before.

Ever.

My google reader had over 800 unread blog posts in it.

It was so daunting, I clicked "Marked as all read."

I feel equal parts guilty and relieved.

Please still love me through this.

Also, if I missed any big posts by doing this (SO SORRY) please let me know so I can see them!

Well, this is enough non-sense.

Happy Friday loves!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

One of my new and fabulous bloggy friends, Cait, had this list up on her blog and I decided to join in! Make sure you go check out her blog, it is simply lovely!

{1} food

Caramel, Soup, Tomatoes, Pasta, Pierogies, Fresh Fruit, Ice Cream... I could go on and on, I have SO many!

{2} color

Pink and Black

{3} animal.

Cat & penguin

{4} sports team.

Not a big sports fan but my family roots for the Ravens

{5} dessert.

Ice Cream. & Caramel. & Peanut Butter. & Chocolate. & cheesecake. I could go on and on here too.

{6} artist/singer/band.

Adele, Florence + The Machine, & A Fine Frenzy

{7} pair of shoes.

Flip-Flops or my TOMS

{8} outfit.

Jeans and a cute T

{9} store.

F21 & Target

{10} brand.

Whatever works.

{11} perfume.

Pink Sugar

{12} accessory.

My engagement ring <3

{13} city.

Los Angeles

{14} hobby.

Reading

{15} beauty product.

Mascara

{16} snack.

Lately, bananas and peanut butter

{17} holiday.

My Birthday!

{18} movie.

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days

{19} song.

It changes constantly. Right now? "Someone Like You" by Adele, "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, or "Marry Me" by Train

{20} guilty pleasure.

Starbucks

What are some of your favorites?