2 cats & chloe.

Spilling my heart out on the last night in my house...

2013-05-16T23:05:00.001-04:00

It's been a while friends. It's been a crazy six months. It's been six months of tears and fears. And a tad bit of joy. My mom actually said to me a few days ago "It's all gone down hill since Michael proposed hasn't it?"

It's definitely been a roller coaster. But...

Yes and no. I had a dear friend from high school slap me in the face over the phone when I called her sobbing about how my life sucks. I'm not going to get into the details, but she definitely reminded me about how life could be so much worse. It was the wake up call that I needed. But that doesn't mean it's easy to feel happy right now.

I'm no good at change. I cannot even begin to explain how horrible I am at change. Like no joke... I'm sure I would be better playing the piano with chopsticks while doing a headstand on a pogo stick and juggling fire balls at the same time. Yes, fireballs. Like the ones Mario shoots from his body after he runs into the flower.

In the past six months I have not blogged because I was afraid I would say something that I would regret. A lot of snarkiness has been dwelling in me. I was let down and crushed by a company that I gave eight slash 23 years of my life. A new boss lady harassed my mom, and even though we are no longer with "said company" she still leaves more than a "Harry & the Hendersons" sized footprint on both of our hearts. I was upside down on my house and I had to sell it. I quit my job of $50k (plus) for a few grand in 5 months. I gave up my independence. I rely on my mom and my fiance to pay my bills right now. I had a friend whom I trusted, bail on me and hurt me in a way she will never know. My fiance will be deployed in 10 days. And now, I am in the midst of a move. Well, not so much midst... hopefully at the tail end of it. (This said as I sit on the one single chair that is in my house in the middle of my living room watching the finale of The Office and the season finale of Grey's - with half a bottle of wine...)

To say I have cried a lot is an understatement. I'm pretty sure all those sleepless nights my parents had when I was a newborn and all the tears I shed during my childhood and high school years would not fill half the bucket needed to collect the tears I've shed in the past six months. And now, it's time I find happiness.

I had brunch with one of my bridesmaids a couple of weeks ago and was venting about life. I told her that even though I am beginning to run my own wedding planning business fulltime and assist my mom in her real estate business (because let's be real, we make a damn good team) I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up.

Her response: My dad thinks you should be a writer. He thinks you're hilarious.

A week later I was at a wedding. When a college friend /slash/ acquaintance, who I had not seen in probably seven years came up to me and said "You haven't blogged since that day in Switzerland and your engagement! What's going on?!" I remembered the joy that blogging brought me. And apparently other people.

I had no clue that either of these people were reading my blog and following along in the ups and downs of my life-tales and craft projects. It made me feel good and confident for the first time in a while. So here I am...

For the past week, I knew that writing one last blog post in the house I turned into a home all by myself, was super important to me. You may not believe me, but I promised myself that I needed to close out this chapter of my life with some quiet time and a blog post.

So here I sit. On my pink chair. In the middle of my living room. All alone but here with you. Spilling my heart out.

Tomorrow I will finish packing the last of my belongings and move them to Newport News, Virginia. Not far (an hour) from home and my family, but far enough. Really, it's not that far... you can't even watch a good solid Disney flick in an hour or less. Not to mention I 100% believe that New Girl should be an hour long... so why shouldn't my commute?

Did I mention I will be 10 minutes from a Trader Joes? Silver lining.

Tomorrow marks the day that Michael will be my forever roommate and eventually (less than 6 months now) my husband. {Even if he will be leaving 9 days after I move in.} Tomorrow will be the day that my two cats hate me for about a week as they go into hiding in whichever nook they can find in their new house. Tomorrow will be a day of chaos and change. Two things that make me have panic attacks. Tomorrow will be a day of tears for me... even though I know happiness, clarity, adjustments, organization and love are on the way.

Tomorrow will be bittersweet.

With that ladies and gents - it's time I go upstairs and wrap up some loose strings before snuggling into my bed with my fur-babies for the last time in this cute little, practically empty townhouse that taught me so much about myself.

And since a blog post is lacking in it's awesome-ness when it is lacking in pictures... here's a few for you from today:

I had to laugh when his response was "I bet they thought you were crazy."

After all the paleo, delicious cookin' and parties that took place in this house, the fact that my last supper was WENDY'S breaks my heart just a bit. The fact that it was sitting next to my dad, seven years after we "broke Wendy's bread" while working to paint, caulk, clean, and everything else needed to make this townhouse "Suz Approved" when I bought it made me happy. Even if he thought I was nuts when I painted the entire downstairs yellow... :)

U-Haul claims to make moving easier... but nothing really does... #movingmakesmecry

My pink chair. In the middle of the living room. There's gotta be a country song that starts like that...

Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T10:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter dear friends! He is Risen!

I wish you all a wonderful day (even if it is rainy and you cannot have a cut-throat egg hunt!) spent with family and friends!

Love to you all, In Christ and all his awesomeness,

Suz, Chloe & the two cats

Going to the Chapel!

2013-02-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, Michael was dating a girl who was a crazy planner. Not only did she plan just about everything for fun, but she was also a professional Wedding Planner.

Michael deserves some sort of award for not only putting up with all of my obsessive wedding talk and hours spent on Pinterest, but he deserves an award for all the thoughtfulness, time and energy he put into planning the perfect proposal! It takes a lot to out plan a planner... but he did it!

Here's how it all went down:

We had been talking about getting married for several months. Michael even gave me permission to start planning, and to tell people we were "engaged to be engaged." Whatever that means! I told him that was silly. Only crazy cat ladies actually start planning (and booking) their weddings without officially being engaged!

I went to a conference for wedding vendors in DC with one of my great college friends. On the way home we were talking about my "tentative" fall wedding. She informed me that she (a wedding photographer) was starting to book up in the fall, and she was concerned that she would book something on the day we were supposedly going to be getting married. I told her that I would talk to Michael... I too was getting worried, that if we wanted a fall wedding, places and vendors would be all booked up.

I met Michael for lunch when I got back to Newport News. I casually mentioned the conversation I had had with Katie... and how I was getting concerned. I timidly threw out the idea of us just going to look at a few venues... just so we were ready when we actually got engaged. I told him I had a few places in mind, but there was one venue that I absolutely LOVED... The Historic Chamberlin at Fort Monroe.

He calmly and casually said "Yeah, we could go check it out. I have been wanted to go see Fort Monroe and the historic museum there anyway." (Which he really had been talking about for several weeks...) Testing the waters once again, I explained that I would have to call and make an appointment to tour the venue. Again, he agreed that it would be okay, even though we weren't officially engaged.

Then he changed the subject and said "Oh, that Christmas present finally came in for you... want to come to my house and get it?" What girl doesn't love presents!? It was an easy subject change! And I loved my NY Mets jersey that had David Wright's number on the back, with my last name BENJAMINSON on the top!

Later that day I called The Chamberlin to set up an appointment. I found out that she still had a couple of dates available in November and got very excited. I told her that I was a local wedding planner, explained that I had seen the venue, but told her I wanted him to see the venue. She asked me what my fiance's name was... I paused... trying to figure out if I should tell her that I was crazy and we weren't engaged... or just play it off and spell out G-E-O...

I did what every crazy, non-engaged, wedding planner would do! I spelled his name, booked the appointment for Thursday at 4pm, hung up the phone, and danced around my room because my first choice venue was still available!

Thursday January 24 arrived! Michael was leaving for military work on Friday, so he told me that he had the day off. He just had to go into work in the morning to drop off all of his bags and help wrap up a few work issues. I planned to meet him at his house around lunch time and then we were going to head to explore Fort Monroe and the casement museum (ranked #3 on trip advisor's 'things to do on Hampton's page! Which is why he really wanted to go.)

Of course it was the coldest day of the year. And we were planning to walk around a little island surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay. We toured the museum and wandered a bit. Then it was time to head to the Chamberlin for our appointment. I was sure to keep my left hand in my pocket as much as possible, just in case the lady called me out on where my ring was!

We toured the historic hotel... we saw the ballroom, some bridal suites, the lobby, the space for outdoor ceremonies and much more! I was asking my normal wedding planner questions, and would ask Michael a few things here and there to see what he thought. He didn't really have all that much to say. To make me feel even worse, he really didn't even seem to care we were there! My inner dialog went something like this... "He doesn't want to be here. This was too soon. I shouldn't have pushed him to come here. This is stupid."

I asked the lady if we could see the rooftop solarium. I had had meetings there in the past and loved that room. It would be perfect for a rehearsal dinner and I wanted him to see it. She informed me that they were wrapping up a meeting and getting it prepped for a 50th anniversary dinner for two of the residents - but that we could sneak up there to check it out real quick. After going over the menu and the contract a bit (too thoroughly and slowly for my skill level... she was just dragging her feet!) it was time to go up to the rooftop before we headed out. We got into the elevator and Michael began playing with his cell phone. At this point I was really getting mad. This poor lady was doing her best to give us a great tour and not only was he not paying attention, but he was messing around with his cell phone!

When we got up to the room I saw the table set with champagne and flowers for the folks celebrating their 50th Anniversary. We stepped outside to look at the view, but it was so cold I just wanted to go back inside. The lady who was giving us the tour had a call on her walkie talkie. She said she needed to run downstairs real quick, that we should look around, and she would be right back up in a minute.

I looked at Michael and he is taking his coat off. I said in my sarcastic manner "What are you moving in?!" His response was "I'm just so hot. It was cold outside. But now I'm inside. And I'm hot." Ummm ok.

I was looking around and noticed a present on the table! Here's how the conversation went down...

Me: Michael look! A present! AND IT HAS MY NAME ON IT!

My Internal Thought Process: WOW! What great marketing! They have a gift for me! This is awesome. Bridal goodies so that I will have my wedding here! WOW She must have facebooked my company because the giftwrap is even purple and yellow. She must have known I went to JMU. Man this is awesome marketing!

Michael: Open it!

Me: NO! She hasn't given it to me! You don't open presents before they are given to you.

Michael: Well it has your name on it... you should open it.

Me: No. I'm not opening it until she gives it to me. That's just rude.

At this point he has awkwardly pushed me in to the corner of the room with the present in his hand. I was trying to escape when he started to pull the tissue paper out of the bag!

Then I noticed a NY Mets jersey in the bag and immediately knew what was going on! But how?! (The jersey had HIS last name on it this time though!)

He got down on one knee and proposed. The ring had been in his pocket all day long!

My answer: YES! But how did this happen?! I don't understand!!

He told me that he would explain it in a while, but first my sister was coming up to take pictures of us. Leslie said that as she was walking down the hallway to meet us all she could hear was me saying "I don't understand!! I booked this appointment!! How did this happen!??!"

We had a few photos taken, then we had dinner at the private table that I was told was for the couple celebrating their 50th anniversary! It was for us all along! Champagne, flowers, dinner, and dessert! We had the whole room to ourselves! It was amazing!

Little did I know, not only was the Chamberlin Lady in on this the entire time, but Michael had been planning this for about a month! When I came home from DC and mentioned that we should go to The Chamberlin he freaked out! The plan would work after all!

Like I said... anyone who can out-plan a planner deserves an award. :) It was such an amazing evening and will be a great memory for the rest of our lives!

Private Dinner! The entire room was reserved just for us!

Calling friends (more specifically Jess - who was screaming)

Team Geoghegan!

Champagne, Flowers, Dinner, a Fiance!! It was terrific!

He done good... right ladies?! :)

*Photos of us were taken by my lovely sister, Leslie Benjaminson www.LeslieBenjaminson.com

No photos, just words.

2013-02-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I know it has been like an eternity and a day since I have last posted here. Pretty sure I left you last year, promising details of Christmas (and yes, Valentine's Day is in just two mere days... If you makes you feel any better I still have Christmas junk laying around the house... That's how ~~lazy~~ BUSY I have been!)

SO! Since my last blog post...

I quit my job. I started working hard on my own wedding and event planning business. I started working hard for other people's small businesses (I run social and new media for a handful of businesses). I started as the marketing director for my mom's real estate team. I started working for a builder on weekends, in hopes of selling off his new construction site.

I haven't cleaned my house. I haven't done laundry in over a month (yes, I have enough underwear... when I backpacked Europe I made sure I had enough to get by for a month and a half!) I haven't taken my Christmas tree to the dump yet (poor guy is still lying in the back yard! At least he is not decorated still!) The dog needs a bath. My desk has a pile of papers on it, with a small little rectangle of clear space for my mouse and keyboard. I haven't had a nap or any solid sleep in a lot of nights and days. I haven't even had time for wine!

WHY?! WHY?! WHY is there all of this craziness? Because going from a job that was easy peasy to running your own business is hard. I am working so much harder now than I ever worked in my past life. BUT I am 150% happier now... even with all the new stress of no money. Having all that crap behind me has made semi-human again.

On top of that... are you ready for this?! I got engaged!!

Yep that's right! Michael finally got with it (actually he had been working on it since November!) and popped the question in an ooooober classy, romantic way. And being the planner that I am... within 2 weeks I already have half the planning DONE! Wanna hear all about the proposal? Come back tomorrow! YES I PROMISE IT WILL BE HERE! I will post it at 9am! Bring your Reading Rainbow mindset because you are going to have a ton to read! See ya then! xoxo

A 20 Minute Walk in Stein am Rhine

2012-12-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

As promised yesterday, I am still boycotting the end of Christmas! We have a family dinner tonight with some relatives who just came in town... maybe we will drink some gluhwein and pretend the holiday has not passed us by!

I also promised yesterday that I was going to share some photos with you from my snowy afternoon trip to Stein am Rhine, Switzerland. Here we go!

My Uncle decided a quick afternoon trip to Stein am Rhine would be a great thing for us to do... to fully understand my reservations about this day trip you must understand my Uncle. Many times in my life he has said "Oh, it's just a quick 20 minute walk" which, when translated from German to English, and Swiss-fit-Uncle to American-out of shape-Niece means the walk will take a minimum of 3 hours.

As we pulled out of their driveway it started to snow. I'm not talking a little flurry here or there, I'm talking Swiss highways were being shut down! We continued on with the intent of visiting this little town after driving up to a castle. Key words being "driving UP." Thankfully, Uncle Urs decided it probably wasn't the best idea for us to drive up a mountain to a castle, but instead just enjoy the downtown area of Stein am Rhine.

Did I mention it was freakin' cold?! And did I mention we had a sleepy Benjamin with us? Again, the kid slept through our entire walk! (Which was probably a good thing because none of us knew how to put the snow cover on the stroller properly!)

After walking through town we stopped to get some hot tea and cake. Benjamin woke up and played with some other children that were in the cafe. Then we bundled back up and headed home. I will admit, I was not looking forward to this outing one bit... but looking back, it is such a nice memory. I am just extremely grateful that I wasn't the only one freezing, which meant the "20 minute walk" was not a 3 hour trek!

There are still a few more things to show you from my trip... so stick around!

Protesting the Exit of Christmas with Swiss Pics

2012-12-26T17:23:00.001-05:00

I absolutely hate it how there is such a build up to Christmas... on tv, the radio, the sales ads, the signs, the decorations, everything! And then literally 3 minutes after Christmas is over the Lifetime Channel stops playing the cheese-ball movies, the radio station that has been playing Christmas music for the past 57 days reverts back to pop hits from high school, and that the stores already have Valentine's Day nonsense stocking the shelves.

I type this as I sit and bask in the glory of my Christmas Tree's lights less than 24 hours after anxiously unwrapping gifts to see if I really was a good girl this year. Please society, just give me a few more days of twinkly lights, cookies, and carols.

Now, how about some Swiss pictures?! (I have yet to upload my Christmas ones, and the Swiss photos are a lot more interesting! Plus, this is just one way for me to protest the exit of Christmas... how about we agree to celebrate Christmas here on my blog in a couple days? Deal?!)

I absolutely hate flying. But there are a couple locations I absolutely LOVE to fly into. Norfolk (my hometown airport) at night is the runner up, because you can see the ocean, the military bases, the huge navy ships and just a handful of tall buildings. Zurich, Switzerland takes the award as my favorite place to land a plane! Flying in on December 3, we were greeted with dark skies parting way to a beautiful sunrise, the alps in view, snow on the ground, and lights from the Swiss communities.

My family lives in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It's a small town with a big waterfall. Unfortunately, I do believe this was my first time NOT going to see the Rhine Fall. But I guarantee you that if you google it image search it, it will look the same as it has the past 15 times I have seen it. On one of my first days there, my cousin Kirsten and I (and sleepy Benjamin) walked along the Rhine one afternoon before the snow started.

After a bitter cold walk it was time for some hot spiced rum tea! Sugary, sweet and delicious doesn't even begin to describe this beverage.

Little Benjamin slept for our entire walk! He had no clue that we parked him in a restaurant while we sipped on hot beverages.

As much as I adore my little nephew, it was nice to have a "big girl date" with Kirsten one afternoon in the middle of my trip. We hopped on a train and headed to Konstanz, Germany! While we were there we enjoyed a traditional German meal on a boat ... (a pretzel and some brats, along with a tall beer!)

After warming up a bit, we ventured back out to the Christmas Market. If you have not been to a traditional European Christmas Market, I highly recommend you put it on your bucket list. There is nothing more Christmas-y and festive than this! (Do you see the rusty metal houses below? Kirsten and I both took one home! Such a nice present - thank you Kirsten!)

And nothing says "Legit" like a couple cups of Gluhwein! (It's amazing spiced red wine served hot! And I love it!)

Did I mention it snowed almost every day I was in Switzerland? Come back tomorrow (yes, I promise it will be here, because I am typing it up now!!) and see some photos from my snowy day trip to Stein am Rhine, Switzerland!

Big News and Merry Christmas!

2012-12-24T12:04:00.002-05:00

After receiving numerous (not just one, not just two, and really, more like five or six) emails from friends, family, and readers about wanting to see more photos from Switzerland on my blog - I am here today to explain myself and leave you with a quick "Merry Christmas" photo.

Yes, I am back from Europe, hence the lack of awesome pictures on Facebook and Instagram. A few days after I got back though, things just flipped upside down again.

After almost 8 years with 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (as one of their top sales reps)

I resigned.

To say there has been a massive amount of turmoil going on with my job for the past few months is an understatement. Leaving this company has been one of the toughest decisions I have had to make in quite a long time. But it had to be done. My mom, who has been with the company for 23 years will also be leaving. Our last day as the Mother/ Daughter Warranty Duo will be December 31st. (But actually, since the 31st is a holiday, our last day will be Friday December 28th.)

Like I said, not an easy decision. What helps though? My semi-supportive family (not quite all of them are on board yet...) My supportive boyfriend, who I'm pretty sure thinks I'm nuts, but he is tired of me crying all the time. The fact that it is the end of a year! I mean, if you need to start fresh with life, when is a better opportunity than a brand spankin' new year?

My Swiss photos are still awesome, and they are just achin' to be shared with all of you. But I needed to finally tell everyone what I couldn't tell them for the past few months. I knew this was coming, but I didn't know it was coming so soon. It has been so hard to blog and be positive when all I wanted to do was cry and rant about how worried I was/am about my future.

So what in the world will I be doing with my life??

I have my own wedding and event planning business, 29:11 Celebrations. (the site is still under construction) I have also added Small Business Marketing to what I will be offering in 2013. (I currently have clients all over the USA for the Marketing bit... let me know if you need a marketing consultation!) (Oh, and I've planned weddings all over the world... let me know if I can be of service with that too!)

I hope to rock my way through the year with events and brides and weddings and social media marketing and business cards and networking events and to-do lists and getting a business credit card and learning about business finances (because lord knows a communications major is going to suck at paying taxes properly...)

I will also be working as an assistant for my mother, who will be the managing broker of the Keller Williams Realty 1.3 miles down the street from me! As a team, we also just landed a builder's site! 30-ish new homes and lots to sell!

Before I called my boss last Monday morning, I sat at my desk, bowed my head,

and prayed really really hard.

And I am asking you, my friends, family, readers, and support system to please do the same. I am absolutely terrified about what 2013 will bring. I am also very excited to see what 2013 will bring. I know I have the strength, knowledge, and creativity to make it on my own. But after 8 years of living a very comfortable lifestyle, the realization that there will be no direct deposit magically putting money into my bank account is starting to sink in. Maybe I should do a series of "how I'm learning to live on a budget" starting in January. (Tips are welcomed and highly appreciated.)

I feel like I am "finally coming out of the blogging closet" and that I can actually know tell you exactly how I feel and exactly what is going on in my life. It's a huge relief.

As the holiday has oh so quickly approached, I want to take the time to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this blog. Who knew it was possible for me to make so many great friends from this little piece of the world wide web that I own! You are all terrific!

From my little blog to you... the 2 cats, Chloe, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy time with your family and friends, throw paleo or whatever diet you have out the window for a few days, I hope that Santa brings you all you wish for, and that you remember the true reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Suz

Oh, and for anyone who is not receiving their Christmas Bonus this year... I figured this clip would be fitting this year... Merry Christmas! xoxo

I Believe in Secret Santa!

2012-12-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

Hey ho ladies and gents! I am home!

I had full intentions of blogging from Switzerland. I brought my new camera and my laptop, as well as all the plugs and cords and convertors a girl needs... then I got there and realized I needed to enjoy absolutely every possible minute with my family that I could. So I decided that blogging would wait until I got back to America.

It was a great trip... and to be completely honest I really wish I was not home yet. I am still suffering for a horrible case of jet lag (despite the fact that the Swiss are just a mere 6 hours ahead of us, I have basically become nocturnal...) and I miss my family terribly.

I have tons of pictures, fond memories and cheesy stories (legit swiss cheese... and bread...) to share with you. But guys, you will just have to wait another day for that.

Why?!

Because I just got my Blogging Secret Santa gift and it left me in tears.

For those of you who did not take part in this awesome exchange, here's how it went down. I randomly found out about a blogging secret santa on a blog. I signed up. I forgot about it. I got a reminder email. I stalked a blog. I bought her a warm present (it was a scarf) and her daughter a Minnie Mouse calendar (not knowing they were heading to Disney for vacation!). Then I sent the package her way. All the while, my amazing, too-good-to-be-true Secret Santa was doing the same for me!

And let me tell you - my Secret Santa has NAILED it. She must of scoured my blog for hours upon hours. Or maybe she just winged it. Either way the girl left me literally crying in my living room.

Let me preface this by saying that coming back from Switzerland, each and every time, is one of the most difficult things I ever have to do. I leave my best friend and some of my favorite family members. I cry when the plane takes off from Zurich, and when I land in Virginia. It has been a rollar coaster even more so this time for reasons that I cannot currently discuss... but I promise, maybe next week, I will share them with you.

Anyway - I am always sort of hesistant to do Secret Santa Exchanges because I always feel like I receive the short end of the stick when it comes to the gifts. {One time in 3rd Grade my Secret Santa gave me a Dollar Store Barbie Doll with no hair and ugly clothes. Secret Santa was never the same.} But to open up a present that was so incredibly perfect for me, at such a perfect time... I believe again!

Secret Santa, whomever you are... thank you. Thank you so much.

From left to right... Toys for the Cats, Toy for the dogs, a coffee mug with hot chocolates, chai tea, nail polish of various colors, holiday wine glasses, wine trinkets, and a sweet card. (I'm pretty sure my Secret Santa went over the $15-$20 limit...)

So let's break this present down a bit, shall we?

Not only did she think about Chloe and the 2 Cats but she included SPARKLY tissue paper. I LOVE anything that has to do with glitter or sparkles. High five there Santa.

Nail polish. I just recently decided I needed to save the salon money and start painting my nails myself. I was literally JUST THINKING before I opened this package that I wanted to paint my nails red and green for the holiday, but I didn't have any green paint. Sweet! Let's make these colors even more awesome... Not only do I adore sparkles but I bleed purple as a graduate of James Madison University. Purple and gold will always have a special place in my heart. This Santa TOTALLY rocked my socks off with JMU nail polish colors.

You really must think I am making this up, but I promise I wouldn't lie about something so marvelous. I LOVE hot chocolate with mint. And when I am sipping on a caffeinated tea you can bet your bottom dollar that it is a chai tea.

The card. She bought this at a farmers market. Yes, that scores points. But I am sitting here feeling bad about not being in Switzerland anymore and I get this card that looks like Europe and it has snow and mountains in it. As I was driving around Virginia today I reflected on how much I missed getting snow every day while I was on vacation. :)

Last but not least... if you have read my blog at least once, you know I love wine. How stinkin' cute are these holiday wine glasses and wine charms?! I will definitely be using them next week at my party!

Okay Secret Santa... Whichever awesome blogger that you are... thank you so very much for this awesome present. You did a spectatulr job and absolutely, positively got me into a happy mood. You went above and beyond the call of Blogging Secret Santa Duties.

Now send me an email and tell me who you are so I can creepy stalk your blog and we can become best friends. :)

(Oh, and about Switzerland... I am thinking I will spend all of next week photo bombing y'all... but how about a sneak peek or two?

xoxo

November Cara Box Swap!

2012-12-03T13:24:00.001-05:00

Have you heard about the Cara Box Exchange yet? Oh man... it was awesome. I fell upon this exchange one day when I was just surfing around Blogland. Little did I know that when I signed up for it, I would be partnered up with seriously, one of my most current favorite-blog-find-friends Whitney from The Middle of the Street. I was pretty giddy when I saw that she was my partner. In all the exchanges in all the bloglands... she showed up in mine. ;)

Anyway... Can I just say that she sent me the most spectacular box of wonderfulness!? Even Chloe was PUMPED to see what was inside the box!

Okay, so first of all, let's just clarify that she did not go along with the "Childhood" theme. Second of all, this stuff was so awesome it didn't matter it was not childhood toys.

Left to right...

Exhibit A. Sexiest Man Alive People Mag! Um... thank. you.

B. The sweetest note telling me how I should not be so stressed out and how all of these lovelies were here to help relax.

C. The softest, cuddliest, purple (my fave) blanket ever.

D. Chocolate. Giant Chocolates. Need I say more?

E. Balloon Animals. Well, they aren't animals quite yet...

F. Bubble bath! Heck yes.

I would like to refer back to a couple items real quick...

The Balloons! If I was not in Switzerland right now, I would totally access my old photos to share one here. You are never going to believe this, but I am a balloon animal ninja! I spent a summer as an Activities Director in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. That summer my life revolved around sand castle contests, tie dye tshirts, and balloon animals. Totally brought back some memories.

And the blanket! Let me just say that this was the best item ever. Not only is it purple and soft but it is the PERFECT TRAVEL BLANKET. I strapped it to the back of my pack and took it along with me yesterday for the 8.5 hour flight to Europe. Oh man, this blanket was soooo much nicer than the thin, crappy, gross delta booger blankets!

Thank you so much Whitney! You rocked my socks off with this great treat! Readers - you should head over to her blog immediately and check our what I gave her... hint hint... it included a giraffe and the most candy-land-ish bandaids a girl could find.

Interested in taking part in this swap? Here are the details from Wifessionals.

Friends - let me apologize for any typos in this ~~email~~ blog post. It is way past I-should've-been-asleep-hours-ago bed time! Darn you Jetlag... darn you.

Ornament Swappin'

2012-12-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Ladies! I hope this blog post finds you all in the midst of a lovely weekend. Why I am starting this post as if it is a business email is well beyond me. How's this instead...

What up par-tay peps?!

I have to keep this one short and sweet as I have a 7am flight (which means I have to be at the airport no later than 6, leave my house no later than 5:30, wake up no later than 5... ) to head to Switzerland!

Today we are linking up because a TON of us awesome bloggers participated in an Ornament Swap to kick off the holiday season!

I received an awesome box of goodies from my girl Stephanie over at Icecream to Belly Rings.

Not only did she send me ornaments that were specific to my blog! (2 Cats and Chloe!!!)

She also sent me a bunch of other holiday goodies!

Thank you thank you thank you for all of your thoughtfulness! I loved my ornaments and all the goodies!

Head over and check out Stephanie's blog... but you can also head over to Sybil's blog Piece It All Together and see what I sent her in California!

In the mean time chickies... I need to get my butt in gear, pack my suitcase (which is totally full of christmas presents... I'm not sure how Santa does it! Here's hoping I don't get stopped in customs!)

I will catch you on the flip side (of the ocean!) Switzerland here I come!

Photo Dump Courtesy of $2.50 a Month

2012-11-29T11:02:00.001-05:00

So I caved. I gave in to the Google Gods and I am now paying $2.50 a month so I can blog with photos. You're welcome.

You know, $2.50 a month doesn't sound that ridiculous .. it's like half a latte a Starbucks Or a third of a large Peppermint Milk Shake from Chic-fil-a. It's 5 phone calls on a pay phone (assuming they are still 50 cents a call... remember when it was just a quarter?) I can't even buy a tank of gas for what it will cost me to blog with photos.

That being said... get ready for a Thankgiving Photo Dump.

I started the day ~~bright and~~ early! I had been avoiding the gym (due to neck and back issues) for 3 months... what better day to go back than on the day of pies and turkey!

Much to my surprise, when I got to Fitness 19 to meet my trainer, he was OPENING THE GYM FOR ME! Ladies, it was 6:20 in the morning. Early for me, but let's be real... not early in gym-land! Turns out that the gym was opening at 8am on Thankgiving but my awesome trainer wanted me back so badly he made me come in before the sun rose! I LOVEEEED having the gym all to myself! Best gym day ever. Unfortunately I couldn't move much for the next 4 days.

Then came the turkey.

My dad's job every year is to mash the potatoes and carve the turkey. This is when all the Christmas Vacation quoting begins.

We all had our own gravies for the most part... Nana was in charge of the Eye Ball Onion's white gravy, Leslie had her Vegetarian Gravy, and I was in charge of the Turkey Gravy!

The table was set for a feast of forty! Too bad there was only 5 of us!

My meal before I started working my way through the meat and carbs...

Someone wanted her share of turkey too...

The best part of the meal? Skyping with my family in Switzerland! It was like my aunt was drinking wine with us at the table!

My meal... before and after!

After dinner my dad turned football on and I turned nap-time on.

Until this mutt decided it was cuddle time. (This is Chloe's archnemesis, by the way.)

Because the nap was unsuccessful... it was Pie Time! My mom had the fire pit roaring so I bundled up and took my apple pie, banana cream brownie pie, and wine outside.

I was slightly disappointed that we bypassed a Thanksgiving tradition. Every year after we eat my sister and I go outside, roam the neighborhood and have a mini photo shoot. This year, she has a REAL photo shoot on Black Friday instead.

My event and marketing company 29:11 Celebrations teamed up with her to help stage a shoot. I gave her some ideas about props and the setting before her clients came. My friend Kasie (who is so legit she works in the White House!) was in town and helped out as well.

Before her clients arrived she snapped a few shots of Chloe and I! These are great aren't they?!

Then her adorable Mother/Daughter duo showed up for their session. How cute are they?!

You can see more of Leslie's shoot here if you would like...

Then Kasie and I cleaned up the set. Don't we look like grinches stealing Christmas or something?!

Since I was photo-shooting it up on Black Friday... I ended up shopping on Saturday. Shopping for Christmas presents turned into shopping for wedding decorations. No, I am not engaged. Yes, the boyfriend thinks I'm nuts. I've decided I really love all things gold and sparkly (except jewelry... I prefer silver or white gold and sparkles in that department!) But since I love so much gold, now is the time to buy! Or look. Or look and then buy. Or look, then buy, then hide it so no one thinks you have gone off the deep end...

Christmas presents were purchased! I am happy to say that I am just a couple gifts away from being done with my holiday shopping!

And then it got cold.

The end.

PS. I just got a new camera for my trip to Switzerland (in 4 days!!) I also just spent my life savings monthly coffee on blog photo storage. Bottom line? Be ready for more photos.

Darn you Google Gods! Please Help!

2012-11-27T11:03:00.001-05:00

I had an awesome "Thankgiving Update" post planned for you today. I was going to walk you through my exciting Thanksgiving festivities... picture by picture.

But then the Google Gods informed me that I have reached my limit. Although according to the image (that I just uploaded!) below... it looks as if I should still have space.

Blogger friends! I need your help! Have you ever had this happen? Do I have to pay this monthly fee in order to continue the blog? What do you recommend? Help help help!

Email me, leave a comment, but please just send me some words of blogging wisdom!

Thankful Vlog at the River

2012-11-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

I feel like I start a lot of these blog posts with an excuse as to where I have been and why I haven't been writing. For some reason, my blog writing and my gym time really seem to go hand in hand with each other. At 6:30 this morning, as I was wrapped up in my electric blanket cocoon, "I'm going to eat pie tomorrow... how about gym time restarts Friday."

Anyway - are you ready for my excuses as to where I have been this week? Remember I told you about all those jobs I try working? That's part of it. The other parts include almost having to drive to Charleston, South Carolina (an 8 hour drive), packing for that, then canceling those plans because of a sick grandmother scare. In the midst of all that craziness a distant relative of mine won the lottery. Crazy right? I swear I can't even make this stuff up sometimes.

Last week I made a Vlog for y'all. But it never got posted. So tell me a better time than the present! Enjoy! And welcome to the Rivah!

So there ya have it! Today, and always, I am quite thankful for how amazing, peaceful, fun, and relaxing my family's cottage and river is. I wish we were spending Turkey Day down there this year!

How about a couple more images for you from that weekend?

(Above) Sitting on the dock as the sun was setting...

(Below) Leaving the cottage and beginning my drive back to Virginia

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! Thank you for your patience as I have become a scatter brained blogger. If you would like to link up with me and share what you are thankful for today - do it below!

New Girl and a Heart Attack Will Make Ya Thankful

2012-11-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

I would be absolutely positively lying if I told you I had my act together. I would continue to turn into Pinocchio if I told you I was not worried the slightest bit about my future or that I wasn't exhausted after working a full time job, then staying up until the weeee hours (which, let's be real, for me that's only midnight-ish) juggling a couple odd jobs.

I can tell you that I have seen my boyfriend for about 30 minutes total within the past few weeks, which worries me. I can also tell you that my health insurance company decided to drop my chiropractic coverage without informing me until I am several hundred smackaroos in debt to that office, which worries me. I will lastly tell you that my bedroom and desk is beyond a hot mess, which adds mental stress to my scrambled little brain, and, you guessed it, it worries me.

I watched the New Girl episode from yesterday while I ate my lunch today, and I'm not going to lie... I could also go for some soft pretzels. It's just that kinda week.

My regular followers are probably thinking "What the heck?! This was supposed to be part of the 'Ya Gotta Give Thanks' series not a 'Shall We Complain About Everything' series, right?!

Don't you fret... there's a twist. In the midst of me wanting to go off on just about everybody in quite a similar fashion as Jess in my all time favorite New Girl clip above... I was brought back to reality.

Today I am thankful for all the mini bumps that are currently in my path. Yes they suck. And yes they are overwhelming. But I need to be reminded that things could be worse. If you are friends with me on facebook you would've seen this yesterday:

So today, I am thankful for all that I have. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my friends and family. I am thankful that I can complain about silly things and not have to worry about major, life altering things. Don't get me wrong! Some of which that is worrying me right now is, unfortunately, a huge life deal. But it's nothing like a massive heart attack. That's for sure.

I am also thankful for prayers. And all of my friends and family that are praying for my "second family" as they go through all of this. My "Second Dad" is currently stable... but having to go through a quadruple bypass surgery in a few days.

If you are prayerful person, please keep him, and the rest of the family in your prayers.

All that being said - today is Thursday - so if you want to linkup and share what YOU are thankful for - do it below! I apologize that I have fallen off the face of the earth this past week. Come back tomorrow for a Vlog I did at the River! Just to warn you though, you may get jealous.

See ya then! :)

Ya Gotta Give Thanks Linkup

2012-11-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

Wow Thursday! What a sneaky ninja you were this week! I didn't even see ya coming! As I got ready for bed last night it hit me that A. I totally missed a post for the day B. I really needed to get crackin on a post for Thursday because I am hosting the 'Ya Gotta Give Thanks' linkup ~~and~~ C. I needed to figure out how to do a linkup and D. I need to keep better track of my calendar so that Ninja Days don't creep up on me like today.

I'm quite excited about today's post though! And I hope a few other bloggers actually link up with me! (And if you missed the boat we will have this link up again for every Thursday in November, so please join us!)

Since I have missed a few days here and there in the "Ya Gotta Give Thanks" series I decided a recap list filled with the odds and ends that I'm thankful for today would be permitted.

So here we go. Today I just need to shout it from the rooftop (well, rooftops aren't that safe - and it's mighty cold outside... better stick to the comfort of my bed) what I'm thankful for!

My macbook pro and it's hot pink shell and hot pink keyboard. Yep, I'm that girl. If only it sparkled!

Having an interior townhouse. Although a window or two on the side would be superb, as an interior unit, I have yet to turn my heat on. And it was a whopping high of 47 degrees today.

My electric blanket. Remember when I proclaimed my love for it last year? I still feel the same today.

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Family that steps up in tough, crazy times. Life has been a roller coaster recently. And it's not slowing down anytime soon. Thanks for keeping me slightly grounded (mother), or fixing my leaking toilet (daddy), or teach me photoshop and saying things like pill-a-pie-knees with me (leslie).

Cat cuddles in the middle of my day when I'm working at my desk.

No more political ads of any sort. Hip hip hooray! (I'm in Virginia. Apparently we are the newest, hippest, hottest swing state around.)

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Movin 107.7 and your recent name change. I have welcomed the new Christmas 107.7 with my mistletoe ready and the VHS of Christmas Vacation already playing. Let's be real, I could jam to x-mas tunes year round if y'all didn't think a girl on the beach, mid-summer, humming anything from "Silent Night" to "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" was a nut job.

Blog friends. I am thrilled to call a special few of you real friends, despite the fact that we have never met. We have exchanged heartfelt comments, emails, facebook posts, and even text messages. You guys really do mean a lot to me.

Wine. Because let's be real. When am I ever not thankful for wine?!

Lastly for today, I'm thankful my car mechanic guy, Carl. Not only does he always look out for me, but Tuesday he removed a filter with rat poop in in from my new (used) Pretty Prius. I had to go back because it sounded like a mini helicopter was taking off in my glove box. And yesterday he went above and beyond when he removed a monster sized mouse nest! (I refused to leave the parking lot until he promised there were no more mice in my car...)

Now you tell me, who isn't thankful that Fievel has gone west and skidaddled out of my automobile?!

With all that being said, what are y'all thankful for?? It can be one thing or a ton of things. Serious or silly. Doesn't matter to me! Link up below and grab a button for you post! THANK YOU for being a part of this series! See ya next Thursday!

Furbabies and their Politics

2012-11-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

One hour, twenty six minutes, and 7.6 seconds is ~~approximately~~ precisely how long I stood in line today to cast my vote for the next President of the United States. Talk about a commitment! I joined the line that was wrapped around a gym, up and down a hallway, outside the door into the cold, around the side walk and out into the parking lot. As I stood there I thought, this is crazy!! Will my vote really make so much of a difference that I need to stand in a line this long?! Heck, there isn't even a roller coaster ride waiting for me at the end. And at least in Busch Gardens they have festive music playing while you wait!

Although, listening to "The Star Spangled Banner" or "God Bless America" on repeat for 86 minutes may have driven me even more crazy!

Time commitment aside, I think we, as American's need to be very thankful that we have the right to cast our vote, no matter who you support. I mean, just take a look at how divided my family is...

Spitty support's Obama... "we must continue on, and we must move Forward to see the changes in things as local as our own litter boxes!"

Chloe support's Romney... "More bones for the middle class!"

Rockie supports Gary Johnson... "People before Politics! Private organizations should step up, not the Government when it comes to issues like Catnip and Fur Balls!"

All that being said, I'm not a very political person. Nor are my pets. But we I got out today and casted my vote for who I think is the best man for the job. I hope you did the same.

I am going to leave you with a quote the my boyfriend texted me yesterday.

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
-- John Quincy Adams

I am so thankful that we all have the right to vote. I am thankful that we have the right to vote for whomever we sit fit for the job. I am also thankful that we have the right to vote for things we believe in.

Don't forget about Thursday's linkup! Get ready to share what you are thankful for along with other bloggers in my "ya gotta give thanks" November series! :)

PS. Yes Michael, I specifically picked Rockie as the Gary Johnson supporter in hopes that would score him some points and you would like him a little more... it was just my attempt at cheap political marketing scheme to pull at your not-a-fan-of-kitty-cats heartstrings. Does he have your support now?

Thankful Thimble

2012-11-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

It's a tough thing when you are thankful for so many things that you just don't know what one to mention in a blog post! Welcome back to my November Series "ya gotta give thanks" were my posts this month may not directly revolve around what I'm thankful for, but the highlight of my gratefulness will definitely be mentioned. If you want to get involved you can read the details at the bottom of yesterday's post. Remember, every Thursday in November I will have a linkup where you can share what YOU are thankful for! :)

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to keep this Friday post short and sweet. Wanna know why? No, it's not because my dog ate my homework... my excuse is oh so much better than that.

I got a paper cut. Yes, you read that right. A paper cut. But not just any ole paper cut. I got a paper cut underneath my finger nail! I know a few of you just quivered in pain for me. I appreciate that. I'm pretty sure in some far off land, paper cuts under finger nails is some sort of twisted punishment. Remind me to never visit such far off lands.

That being said, today, I am thankful for the creation of a thimble. I highly doubt that when a Roman back in the 1st Century AD (yes, I wiki'ed it) created the very first thimble, he or she... eh, let's be real, it was probably a she that invented something so ingenious as the thimble. Anyway, she probably never imagined some girl would be sitting in front of a computer (because they totes knew what computers were in the 1st Century AD) would appreciate her thimble as much as I am today.

Do you know how difficult it is to type with a paper cut underneath your finger nail? It's too bad it's not my pinky finger. I don't know about ya'll but that is my least used finger when it comes to typing. A bandaid wouldn't help this situation. The only thing that will help me get through the day with my computer?? A Thimble. (Although I'm sure wine would help too.)

So today, November 2, 'I gotta give thanks' on behalf of my very thankful finger to the Thimble.

Do you have any weekend plans? I will be heading to Carolina to get my family's cafe back up and running. More details to follow on that I'm sure! Happy Friday y'all.

Super Exciting Awesomely Terrific November Blog Series

2012-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

A quick-ish recap of last night for you before I release the details of my super exciting awesomely terrific November Series! As you saw yesterday I was flying solo in the Halloween Costume department AND I did my first "fashion" post.

As the day went on, and it got closer to trick-or-treat go time, I decided it was time to put chloe in her JMU Duke Dog costume. (Yes, you saw her in my left over 80s stuff, but what's Halloween without a costume change?!)

As a graduate of James Madison University, I have and always will bleed purple. And so will my dog. And my future children. As will their children.

Our mascot is the Duke Dog. He is amazeballs and looks like this...

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But MY Duke Dog looked like this!

Since Michael works late and I never see him during the week, I decided to dress up with Chloe. Yes, that's right, my dog was the second half of my 'halloween couple costume.' Pathetic right? Eh, I'm cool with it. She was the Duke Dog, and I was a JMU fan with my fun jersey.

We're cute right?! I think she was trying to lick all the 80s makeup off my face...

We also gave out legit candy this year. No kidding around from this household, Snickers and Reese's all the way. (Unfortunately, I have a ton leftover... Must use self control and not eat all of it... starting tomorrow!)

Chloe, unfortunately did not behave well. Shocker, small humans with scary masks terrified her. When she went into protective mode and had the urge to take down a 4 foot, 6 year old Captain America, it was time for her to go inside.

All in all, it was a good Halloween evening. My roommate and her boyfriend stood outside with me to greet the 40ish kiddos that came by the house. We ate pizza in the driveway and chatted with my favorite neighbor for about an hour. It was a nice evening. I hope you all had a great Halloween as well and accomplished a handful of quality tricks and delicious treats.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that October is behind us, and I am officially back to blogging, I am bouncing off the walls with excitement, not because of all the snickers, but because I am going to have a November Series here on the blog! Are you ready for this?!

I have decided that my November posts will all have a theme... a theme of Thanks. The posts may all still be a little random, since I guess you could call me a "lifestyle blogger" and let's be real, my life if pretty random. But they will all have one point or one sentence or one word that represents what I am thankful for that day!

Shall we get this party started then?

November 1. I am so super thankful and happy about silly little holidays like Halloween.

No, it's not my favorite holiday, but I just absolutely love how spiders, witches, and candy corn can bring people together. What other night of the year would you find a bunch of strangers giving candy to each other, standing in the cold, making sure kids of all ages have a great time in a fun costume?

Simple as that guys. Future "ya gotta give thanks" posts will be a tad bit more specific than this one, but I had to ease into it! Do you want to know my most favorite part about this new series?! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE IT if other bloggers would like to link up with me on this once a week.

Please let me know if you would be interested in linking up every Thursday this month to share what YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR! You can share something serious like "I'm thankful for my significant other" or "I'm thankful for my kids." Or you can share why you are thankful for Wint-o-Green Lifesavers or super shiny pennies. Whatever floats your boat!

Leave me a comment below if you would like to join in. Then grab a button and stick in on the side of your blog. In an economy like this, after crazy storms have crashed into the east coast, and as we prepare for the holiday season - we can never count our blessings enough. I'm sooo looking forward to blogging in November.

Fashion & Halloween...

2012-10-31T15:34:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had that dream where you walk into a room full of people, let's call them "potential clients," and they are all dressed in their normal business apparel and you... not so much?! It's one of those dreams where you either wake up in a cold sweat or simply wake up sobbing. But either way, you are always thankful that you woke up, and that yes, you've pinched yourself and it definitely was a dream.

Today is Halloween, right? Halloween means costumes, right? Halloween party means you totally wear a costume, right? An invitation that says "wearing costumes is encouraged" definitely means costumes will be worn, right? Wrong.

For the past few years I have been invited to a work related Halloween Party luncheon, and every other year these folks would go all out! Costumes galore! And not just normal costumes but super creative costumes. I could never compete so I just always did something simple. Something where I could switch a few things around and be business-y in 32 seconds flat if need be.

Today, I did not. Today I decided to pull out my go-to costume for occasions like this. You know, occasions where costumes are totally legit: Halloween, Themed Parties, Bachelorette Parties, Family reunions and birthdays... yeah, my family's not normal. That being said, I was one of three (out of probably 50 people) wearing a costume today. Slightly embarrassing. Slightly too legit to quit.

That being said... I have always, ALWAYS wanted to participate in a What I Wore Wednesday Link up here in the Blogosphere, yet I never have. For many reasons.

It's rare for me to have someone who can snap a few pics of me
I don't consider myself all that fashionable. I mean, I can rock a cute outfit or two, but fashion posts just have never been my thing.
Chloe would be jealous. The dog lovesssss to dress up.

So here we have it! Today's embarrassment, too much makeup, and teased hair brought me to this: my first Fashion/ What I Wore Wednesday Post. Hope you enjoy it!

I have had this outfit for a few years. All of the pieces separately do not actually look that crazy,

believe it or not.

As I was drafting this post up I realized that everything, other than the hair piece, is from Target.

Crazy how styles come back around!

So what do you think? I guess this would be an 80s grunge look??

These are super cute with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt... gonna have to wear them a couple more times before it gets too cold out!

Oh, and even Chloe got involved! Nothing like recycling a costume right?!

Isn't she the cutest freakin 80's blond border collie you have ever seen in your whole entire life?

You lookin' at me?!

Yes Chloe. We are.

Happy Halloween Friends! I hope you didn't find yourself in the midst of a business luncheon as the lone person wearing a costume today. But if you did, you better believe they were all jealous of you and your awesomeness.

Hurricane Day!

2012-10-29T21:12:00.002-04:00

Forget snow days... hurricane days are much more Lame, with a capital L. You totally can't go out and play on hurricane days. Snow angels are out! Rain angels are in!

Ladies, gents, I have been locked in my house for three days listening to the wind and rain beat against the back of my townhouse. Oh, and poor Chloe... her obsessive compulsive doggie disorder really kicks in during the rainy season. You know your dog has issues when she doesn't like wet feet. Apparently dry feet trumps not going to the bathroom for days. This morning she finally decided it was mad-dash pop-a-squat no-guts-no-glory time. Thank you Jesus. I was beginning to worry!

Since I haven't really done anything super exciting these past few days, I decided I should make "Things To Do During a Hurricane" list for you readers up north that will be stuck at home for a few more days. Ready? Assuming you have electricity and internet... here we go...

1. Ration your rations. Yes I stocked up on quality junk food. Yes I went through 75% of it within 24 hours.

2. Drink. Water. Wine. Cider. Rum. Whatever your drink of choice is. Drink it. Unless you don't have running water for the toilets. If you are like Chloe and you can hold it for 48 hours, you've got nothing to worry about.

3. Do not fling and spill an entire mason jar of Dark Chocolate Almond Milk across your living room. It is a sticky mess that your pets cannot help you clean up. Although your boyfriend may believe one square of paper towel is enough to clean this disaster up, it is not. One roll is more like it.

4. Keep your puppy dog's feet dry, at all times. Otherwise she may freak out, and/or get your carpet all wet. And, your boyfriend carrying your dog in a purple coat is just super adorable.

5. Wear sweat pants. Not only to stay comfy and cozy, but after eating all that junk food, let's be real... elastic waist bands are FTW.

6. Don't do your hair. Mother nature is going to throw your locks for a loop. Don't brush it. It will just get worse. Roll with it, and try to appreciate your Hurricane Hair.

7. There is a loop hole with Number Four. If you go outside you must, I repeat, you must wear your galoshes, ski coat, and still prepare to get soaked.

8. Check in on your friends and family. It's a good deed. And it may lead to some fun. I highly recommend using as many emoticons as possible. When else in your life will you have enough time to converse with pictures?

9. Don't believe everything you see on Facebook. The picture above is NOT the McDonalds on Shore Drive in Va Beach. Google it before you share it 13k times. Here's what I found.

10. Craft! You have nothing better to do! Actually, ya do. Craft with a purpose! I made up 100 happy little Halloween S'mores as Realtor gifts! These will be distributed Tuesday and Wednesday because "I would love S'more of your business!" Cute right?!

Well, that's it for me today. I never actually got out of my jammies so getting ready for bed tonight will be a piece of cake. I hope you are all safe and sound. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. The news coverage of NY and NJ look crazy... Check in below and let me know what the status is for your home town, even if Sandy isn't visiting! :)

Guten Abend Meine Freunden

2012-10-26T19:55:00.000-04:00

It's Friday night.

My boyfriend is off buying yet another man-toy for his garage that looks something like this...

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... and not this...

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My roommate just headed out for the weekend and the house is all mine, which means I am blasting this recently downloaded itunes purchase...

Anyone else a t-swift fan? Have you listened to this yet? I've only made it to song two thus far... so far so good, but I'm hoping she stays true to her country roots. In my personal opinion, she doesn't need get too poppy and beiber-ish. But she's gotta pay the bills, and I get that.

Anywho! I'm sure you must be wondering why this post title is in German. {After 4 years of German in high school, I was pretty impressed I remembered A. How to say "good evening my friends" and B. How to spell it correctly!

Sehr gute Susan! Du bist eine Rockstar!

The title is auf deutsch for two simple foreign country-ish reasons.

1. I'm heading to the land of Heidi, Fondu, and Yodeling {Switzerland} in 37 days! Woot Woo! I mean yodel-ay-ee-oooooooo

and

2. Because today I ate at the most delicious German restaurant Hampton Roads has to offer, The German Pantry. (If you are local, it's a tiny hole in the wall kinda place right off Military Highway by the ORF airport... check it out!)

It was so legit that I happily ate a bratwurst, pretzel roll, warm potato salad, and spaetzle for lunch.

So ! Much ! Food !

German beer would have been consumed had it not been 1:30p in the midst of a work day!

I was so excited to eat real German food I forgot to take a photo prior to inhaling half my meal!

With all that being said, it's 7:45p and I am still completely full from lunch still. I must be stuck in the German version of a Thanksgiving food coma. If only I had some German Chocolate Cake right now. Sigh.

I think it's time to go bust out my rain boots and start preparing for Hurricane Sandy. I have purchased the essentials (wine, water, dark chocolate and peanut butter) to get me through the storm. Keep the East Coast and our battened hatches in your thoughts this weekend...

#Survivor, Rudy, and my Video Buff.

2012-10-25T21:36:00.001-04:00

Ever notice how life can totally seem like the hyped up, "realty" some folks call a game show, known as Survivor. Let's hashtag that for you hipsters. #Survivor.

More recently in my life, it seems that Corporate America has been doing it's finest to groom me into an island ready, Jeff Probst fearing, don't-spoil-the-rice kinda girl. In the past 6 months I have learned a solid alliance is hard to find. Trust is easily ruined like a shelter made of palm leaves with no tarp. Obstacles exist, and they don't often have an immunity reward. Boston Rob and Russell Hantz lurk around every corner. When your fire goes out, it takes a village to built it back. And when your tribe has spoken, oh man, it has spoken.

That being said and negativity aside, you could not believe my amazement yesterday when I was setting up my sponsor booth at a "Survive and Thrive" Realtor trade show event. Sweet idea in a rough economy. Very encouraging. Very fun.

I was glancing around the room to see where my competitors were going to be standing when I noticed an empty table, a black sharpie, and a sign that said "Rudy the Survivor." Could this be legit?! Did they really spring to bring THE Rudy to this function? There's no way... or is there?

Yes sir, they did! That is me, and one of the original Survivor cast members - Rudy! He is still old, still speaks his mind, and has had a photo shoot in Michael Bolton's back yard. True fact.

Of course I had to get in line for a signed photo to put on my fridge, because what kind of cheesy, yet totally awesome, reality show fan would I be if I didn't?! We briefly chatted about how to spell my roommate's name for her autographed photo. "Caitlin. C-A-I-T-L-I-N. Yes, I said C. No, not a K. She spells it with a C. Yes, a C. Thanks." Then, instead of chatting about his time on the island with Richard, Wigglesworth (the only reason I remember her is because her last name is freakin' amazing) and the rest of those crazy tv folks, we talked about Michael Bolton and his backyard. Because what else would we discuss?! I can't even begin to make this nonsense up.

So tonight, when I got home and presented my roommate with the holy grail of old man reality show autographs, and settled in on my pink couch with a glass of wine to watch the latest season of Survivor: Philippines, of course I had to run up to my room and recover my college nerd gear: my blue Survivor Buff.

Yes, I have a Survivor Buff. No, I don't wear it every day. Just every other. Just kidding. Maybe.

And then I decided I absolutely, positively MUST show you the best ways to rock a Survivor Buff while NOT on an island.

Fun fact. After typing up the entire post I just had to ask Siri if I was spelling Reality Show or Realty Show. ~~Proudest-Moment-Ever.~~

*No border collies were lied to, No vacuuming was actually done, Clothes were worn while in the shower and No cars were stolen in the making of this blog post. However, wine was consumed.*

Bummed Out Fur Babies

2012-10-22T12:43:00.000-04:00

I'm home from work again this Monday. The Fur Babies look THRILLED about it don't they? Pretty sure they had a crazy party planned for while I was out... Sorry guys! :)

Happy Monday y'all!

Best Sick Day Ever.

2012-10-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

Last night I had to go to dinner with my old boss and my mom. My mom was acting as my co-worker until half way through dinner I made her do the world-famous-do-you-have-a-fever-?-mom-test. You know, back of hand to the forehead thing.

Lo and behold, I was burning up. By the time I got home my temperature was up to 100 degrees. Gross.

I went to bed, hoping I was just allergic to business dinners. Then I woke up this morning with the flu. Lame.

I spent the day in and out of napping with a 101 degree fever. While awake, let me tell you, this was the most exciting day of my life. Not.

I started the morning out by drinking a glass of orange juice in bed while watching a few hours of Boy Meets World. Were you aware that ABC Family has like 15 hours of Boy Meets World on in the morning?! I must remember this tomorrow!

Then I played around on instagram. (@2catsandchloe) I learned that I am not the only poor soul who is home sick with the flu today.

I cuddled with Rockie. And tried to eat some dark chocolates. Then had to separate the cats because they were fighting to lay next to me. True loves.

My mom brought me an "orange" care package! I'm pretty sure she purchased everything orange that she could get her hands on. Orange Sherbet, Orange Cream Bars, Orange Juices of sorts, Mandarin Oranges! Not to mention the go-to sick foods... ginger ale, noodles, saltines... None of which is paleo, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

I proceeded to eat a sleeve and a half of saltines. Not my proudest moment. At all.

TLC and Say Yes to the Dress lead me to Pinterest for a few. But I was so sick, I wasn't even really feeling proud of my pins. Please disregard any pins from today, except for that stunning wedding dress I accidentally pinned twice. My pins were totally under the influence. 101 degrees of influence.

I branched away from the tv and headed to YouTube. Where I watched funny animal videos such as this... And now I want lambs. "Two Lambs and Chloe" - has a good ring, don't ya think?

Buttered Egg Noodles for dinner! Best.Sick.Meal.Ever.

Then I needed a little fun in my life so I decided ginger ale in a mason jar with a crazy straw would be just enough fun to close out the most exciting sick day of my life.

Stay tuned, my fever hasn't broken yet so I'd put money down that tomorrow's gonna get cray cray!

I'm not here today...

2012-10-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

You know how you have always wished you could be in two places at once? Today I am! Please head over to visit my dearest blog friend Lesley! I took over her blog, The Dream Tree, while she is dreaming and relaxing, and hopefully lying on the beach in sunny Florida!

I will be back though later this week to catch you up on how much of a baller I was for about 3 weeks... Only rockstars own as many cars as I owned last month! Oh! And if you are new here, visiting from Lesley's blog - Thank you for stopping by! Please drop me a line below and introduce yourself! Can't wait to meet you! :)