If you asked me 4 years ago what was in my makeup bag, I would have been able to tell you. Because I actually used a makeup bag back then! However, then I had Zachary and suddenly my purse was replaced by a gigantic diaper bag filled with baby stuff, and very little of my own things. Nowadays, even though I use a regular purse again (though not for long…. I dug the diaper bag out again the other day), I still don’t carry makeup with me other than a bit of lipgloss!

While cleaning out my office a few weeks ago, I actually found my old makeup bag that I used to keep in my purse, and am going to reclaim it for diaper bag use since I do need something to hold MY things after the baby is here.

While I only tend to carry the basics in my makeup bag (a powder, a lipgloss or two, some eyeliner and lipliner), I do have a good collection of makeup and enjoy wearing it.

Here are some of my favorite products:

Face – For a moisturizer, I like Number 7 day cream which I bought at Target. It has a nice smell and makes my face feel good. As far as makeup goes, I use Covergirl’s Natureluxe foundation. I have tried lots of expensive foundations over the years, and many of them either felt heavy or didn’t look even on me. I decided to pick up some Covergirl after seeing a friend wear it and I was totally sold. I really love this foundation. It’s light and easy to apply. If I’m not wearing foundation, I tend to use MAC’s Studio Fix since it gives me a very good coverage.

Cheeks – I use Covergirl for my blush, too. I like the Peach Perfection instant cheekbones contouring blush. I actually use this blush all over. The middle color, I actually use on my cheeks. The two other colors, I tend to use as eyeshadows! I also own some of MAC’s Skinfinish powders which are very glimmery and pretty.

Lips – I get chapped lips a lot and like either using Burt’s Bees or I wear a lipgloss. Lately I’ve been enjoying a few of the colors from Rimmel London. They have a nice formulation that feels good on and isn’t too light or too heavy. For lip liner, I tend to stick with MAC  - their color, “spice” is an old favorite, and I have a couple other random ones that I use on occasion. I don’t actually wear that much lip liner.

Eyes – I pretty much only use MAC eyeshadows. Love the pigmentation and long-lasting quality. For eyeliner, I have a few MAC liners as well as a couple of Rimmel’s liners which have a glittery look to them. For mascara, I love Covergirl’s Lash Blast Fusion! Again, I have tried a number of different types of mascara and CG wins, hands down.

Nails – I’ve been a nail biter for years and I’m trying hard to grow my nails out right now…. which means I have to keep them polished ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, all the time. If I even feel the urge to gnaw on my fingers, I have to go change my polish to get rid of that nagging feeling. changing polish so often is a little annoying but it’s worth it to have longer nails! As far as polish goes, I’m a big fan of anything that glitters or shimmers! I’ve been using OPI and Essie for years, and probably own the most of those shades. For a base coat, I use CND Stickey or Essie’s protein base, and for a topcoat, I’ve been using Seche Vite, it gives such a great glossy finish!

Here’s a picture of one of my crazy nail combinations that I’ve done recently. This is Revlon’s Blue Mosiac over Loreal’s Club Prive:

She will be turning 9 this year and still loves to play with Zachary as if she were a puppy. She lets him dress her up… take her toys… just about anything you can think of that would absolutely annoy a dog, Zachary can do, and she doesn’t bat an eye.

I feel so lucky to have chosen her from the litter when she was a tiny puppy… so lucky that she lived through all of her various health issues during her puppyhood… and so lucky that even though she’s getting older, she still has it in her to play with a small child.

Using my iPhone, I took this photo of Maya and Zachary on Memorial Day morning, when both of them were cuddled up against me. I love the look on Zachary’s face – eyes closed and head turned to snuggle on Maya. And Maya was perfectly content to stay there as long as Zachary wanted to snuggle.

This is a fun post to put together because I’ve traveled to so many different places! Unfortunately, I don’t have all of my travel photography on my computer, since much of my traveling was done pre-digital photography. I do have a couple of awful scans that are about 10 years old! But all of my photos really need to be re-scanned in high-resolution.

Anyway– I’ve done a lot of cruising in my life. I’ve been to Scandinavia, England, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, and more! My dad is in the cruise/travel industry, so we’ve gone to many places. here is an image of me at about 16 years old posing on deck on a Caribbean cruise:

I also had the opportunity to take a cruise with my parents to Egypt, Israel, and other places along the Mediterranean when I was in high school. Here’s a (pretty awful scan, sorry) photo of me atop a camel on our visit to the Pyramids! It was such a fun experience:

For our honeymoon in 2004, Adrian and I went to Cozumel, Key West, and Belize. In Belize we visited the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and climbed up one of the pyramids there too! Here is a picture of me on one of the ruins:

One of my favorite trips was to San Francisco back in 2007. I posted a few of those images to my blog a couple of years ago, but you can see one of my favorite shots of myself here:

In December 2006 and January 2007, we took a trip to Arizona for a family event. Adrian and I decided to spend some time road tripping through Arizona and Utah and then up to Las Vegas. Adrian grew up in Arizona, so this was a special trip for me since I enjoyed seeing all of the places he loved visiting as a child. Here’s one of our self-portraits from our road trip. We pulled off the side of the road to get this shot. It was SUCH an awesome trip!

We’ve also been to Washington DC a couple times. The first time was in Fall 2007. Adrian and I were shooting a wedding in Georgia and decided to turn it into a road trip! Here I am in front of the Capitol:

And here I am in Georgia — seeing a cotton field for the first time! As we drove by the cotton fields, I kept thinking it was snow! LOL! This picture makes me want to grow my hair long again. :)

In 2008, we had another family event to attend and took a trip up to Boston and New York City! Visiting Boston during the summer, I was struck by how intensely beautiful the flowers were! Walking through the city, I could not stop taking photos of flowers. This is one of my favorites!

In NYC, we visited my sister-in-law and spent a lot of time walking around the city. It was tough walking around because I was about 6 months pregnant with Zachary, but LOADS of fun! We visited FAO Schwarz where I got to see their huge Harry Potter section and buy some toys for Zachary, who was due to arrive just a few months later!

When Zachary was 5 months old, we took our first road trip with him — up to Tennessee to visit Adrian’s parents! It was a great trip and he was such an easy baby to travel with — beginning a trend of many road trips for us. Here’s baby Zachary with his Daddy, visiting a vintage train:

In June 2009, we photographed a wedding in the Chicago area and spent a couple days enjoying the city! Of course we had to go and see the famous “bean” and take a photo. You’ll find us in the very bottom of the image – my watermark actually runs through us – and you can see me in my purple top and Adrian is pointing to where we are. :) A couple years ago, I posted some images from this trip on my blog so you can check them out if you’d like.

In October 2010, we visited San Diego for another family wedding! While we were there, my good friend Hillary from Stills by Hill did our first family session! It was a momentous trip because it was Zachary’s first time on an airplane. We had so much fun!

Our next really big trip was a cruise to Alaska with Adrian’s family in 2010! Here we are in one of the ports.

We also spent some time in Seattle and visited Mt. Rainier. We saw some pretty cool falls on the drive up to the mountain! And yes, I do wear that University of Florida hat on EVERY vacation! LOL!

In 2011, our big trip of the year was an absolutely EPIC road trip during the summer, up to Washington DC, Vermont, Philadelphia, and North Carolina. I shot a wedding in Vermont, so we stayed in Burlington for a week and saw all the sights, including the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters and going berry picking, my favorite! We also took Zachary to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum in Washington DC – his first time visiting DC. Here are two photos, one of Zachary in the raspberry patch, and one of me and Zachary in front of the Enterprise space shuttle.

In December 2011, we took two more trips. The first trip is to Disney World – Zachary’s first time – a birthday gift courtesy of my awesome parents! He had a great time and really loved everything at EPCOT the best. Here is a picture of Zachary and Adrian looking at the fish after riding The Seas Finding Nemo ride. My parents actually took most of the photos on this trip, and while I did get a disc from my dad recently, I haven’t been at the computer that much, and haven’t combed through it yet! I liked this picture though, because Zachary loves ANY kind of animal- even fish!

Our second trip in December ’11 was to The Florida Keys, this time with Adrian’s parents and sister. It was also Zachary’s first time at the Keys and we really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and great seafood. Zachary also enjoyed making sand angels for the first time, too!

And that’s it! That’s for following along and enjoying this massive photo post! There are a few places that I’ve left out – like a few more repeat trips to Tennessee and a trip to St. Augustine, and some other Caribbean cruises… but these are some of my favorite locations that we’ve visited and I look forward to sharing more as we keep on traveling – including sharing more photos from trips that I never fully shared online (namely our vacation out West in 2006 and our honeymoon cruise in 2004)!

I know already that later this year we plan to visit TN again, possibly visit Disney again with my parents for Zachary’s birthday, and in 2013 we’ll be taking a trip to Florida’s beautiful west coast. I’m sure photographing our vacations will get a little more challenging with a 2nd child in tow, but I hope I can take lots more fun photos and capture as many memories as possible!

Today’s prompt asks what I’m looking forward to. At 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant… I don’t think there is ANY doubt in anyone’s mind as to what I am looking forward to!

My c-section for baby #2 is only three weeks away and I am so thrilled that the day is drawing near. I’ll admit it, my second pregnancy has been way harder than my first in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I will be so happy for it to be over and to finally meet my new little boy.

The house is nearly ready for the baby’s arrival (just have to get a few more things!) and soon it will be time to have my baby and take him home. We are all so excited, and even Zachary knows that it’s almost go-time.

Here’s one of my favorites from my maternity portrait shoot, shot by my friend Jessica Savidge:

One of my favorite recipes is something that is easily adaptable with different flavors — pesto pasta with roasted brussels sprouts and chicken sausage. I found it on Pinterest and have made it a few times using different types of sausage (different flavored chicken sausage is very en vogue these days) and various types of vegetables and pasta shapes. It’s something that I make when I want pasta, but also want to incorporate meat and veggies into the meal, since Zachary really enjoys both sausage and veggies when they are combined with other foods. Plus the orecchiette pasta is very cute if you can find it — I get mine at my local Super Target.

Here is a photo of the original meal I made:

The recipe is pretty easy. You can find the full recipe here on Gimme some Oven and adapt it to your own personal needs. I’ve made this with brussels sprouts (obviously) as well as zucchini and yellow squash. I’m sure there are other veggies it’d be good with, too.

It is delicious and filling and makes TONS OF LEFTOVERS. Seriously, you will have this for at least another couple of lunch meals if you make it!

I haven’t made this one in a while since it requires a lot of standing while cooking the sausage and cutting the veggies, and being 9 months pregnant, it’s tough to be on my feet, but once the baby is here, I’m definitely giving it another go. It is such a good meal and I love the leftovers!

Today’s blog challenge prompt is to post an old photo of myself. I’m not sure exactly how old the prompt is looking for…. but I found some pictures of me from right after I started dating Adrian 10 years ago, and thought I would post one, because I think I look cute. :)

Here I am playing on Adrian’s computer at his Winter Park apartment:

In my photo software, the date on this image is July 10th, 2002. Adrian and I had only been dating for 10 days! I was only 19 years old. :) I can’t believe we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary together this summer!

If you look around you’ll find some vintage early 2000′s items such as…. gigantic CRT monitors, enormous looking web cam, old school AIM chats on the left side monitor, livejournal on the right side monitor, and my Nokia cell phone, which I thought was so awesome back in the day!

The photo was taken with Adrian’s then-fabulous Kodak DC260, which was released in 1997!

My favorite blogs tend to change throughout the year, and I have a ton of blogs in my Google Reader that I enjoy once in a while but don’t read very often…. but here are some of the blogs I’ve been reading religiously lately.

1. Dear Crissy - this blog is a year-round favorite. Crissy and I have been friends since the late 90′s when we both started our first websites, and have stayed friends over the years. I love her photography, writing, and web design style.

2. Ciera Design – this is a new favorite! I found Ciera’s site while reading about 30 before 30 lists (since I have one I’m trying to work on), and really enjoyed reading her list. She’s a great graphic designer and has a fabulous sense of style. I also like her writing voice – she’s very easy to relate to.

3. Life as a Lilly – I love my friend Heather’s blog! She is a very healthy eater (and often posts recipes) and that is inspirational to me as I try to expand my cooking techniques. Heather is also an amazing photographer so I always enjoy the images that she blogs.

4. Fudge Banana Swirl – I love Chenin’s blog. She’s another photographer mom and has an amazing sense of style and design. She posts lots of fun things and occasional mommy anecdotes. Plus her site is so pretty, you can’t help but love it!

5. David & Anne Plus One – this is my friend Anne’s blog. We met through blogging, actually, and she takes the most beautiful photos of her life in Texas and her adorable little boy. Anne and I have a lot in common and our kids are very close in age, so I always really enjoy reading her blog and gushing over her photography!

I’ve always loved to read – an obsession that started when I was very little.

When I was very little, I loved Golden Books – especially books about animals. My family likes bunnies a lot, and this one carries many wonderful memories:

When I was a little older, I remember loving the books by Stephen Cosgrove — Serendipity, Trapper, Leo the Lop, Misty Morgan, and many, many others. They were popular in the late 80′s and early 90′s, and are now very difficult to find. I think I may still have a few of my favorites left at my parents’ house, but I’m not sure. You can read more about them on Cosgrove’s website.

Another series from the late 80′s that I loved was Whisper the Winged Unicorn. The image below is from Amazon, and I seem to remember having the books that included the stickers, but the only ones I still have on my bookshelf (in mint condition, actually) are Curse of the Dragon and Journey to Julie’s Heart.

Of course, when I was in elementary school, I graduated to the Baby-Sitter’s Club and Sweet Valley series. I was hooked on those for years.

Another series I loved was The Secret of the Unicorn Queen. They came out in the late 80′s and 90′s, but I didn’t read them until middle school – around 1993 or so. This is what the first book, Swept Away, looks like. This series was amazing and inspired my love of fantasy stories. I still own all 6 books and they are in near-mint condition.

I also was very into mythology and learning about other cultures. Two books I loved were The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (this book is a classic – if you haven’t read it, you should!) and Sisters, Long Ago by Peg Kehret.

That’s just a few of the books I loved as a child. I was a very avid reader and still have many of my favorite childhood books on my bookshelf. I’m so happy that Zachary loves books, too, and look forward to seeing the kinds of books that he likes to read as he gets older.

This image is from Northern Arizona. It reminds me of the planet Mars!

Today’s blog challenge prompt made me smile because I am lucky enough to already be living my dream job!

I’ve done lots of other things – including being a sales person and a middle school teacher – and owning my own business and being a photographer is by far the best job I’ve ever had the pleasure of working. This year, I will celebrate 7 years in business!

I love that my job revolves around art. I love that the images I create have the power to inspire others. I love that my clients enjoy looking at their photos over and over again. I love the feeling that comes with seeing my work in print. I love knowing that I am good at what I do and the rewarding feelings that come with beautifully capturing a wedding, newborn photo session, or any other milestone in my clients’ lives. I love the people I have met through the photography industry – I’ve made some amazing friends and am thankful to have them. I love that I have the talent and skill to capture amazing pictures of my family that I will treasure my entire life.

I am really, really lucky to be a photographer!

This post cannot possibly be complete without a photograph, so here is an image of me shooting a wedding just a little over a month ago, courtesy of my friend and 2nd shooter, Jessica:

Boy am I cutting it close with posting today’s prompt – it’s after 10pm! I’ve had such a busy day — did some work for my husband’s company this morning, rested quite a bit since yesterday was a tough day in pregnancy-land, and I also put together a crock pot freezer meal from this website and made a meal as well which we had for dinner (the teriyaki chicken)! This was my second crock pot meal ever and I am already addicted! After two years of owning a crock pot and never using it, I can’t believe how fabulous it is and am so excited to make more easy and healthy meals for my family.

That brings me to the prompt for the day. :)

While obviously becoming pregnant and ultimately having my second son in the next couple of weeks will be super exciting and will likely be the greatest event that happens this year for our family, that’s actually not what I picked for my “best thing this year” — COOKING is!

I made a point to learn how to cook this year. I’m not the best cook or the most creative, but I can follow most recipes and I am not afraid to try new things anymore. I’ve cooked a lot during this pregnancy and I credit eating better with the fact that I haven’t gained as much weight this time around compared to when I was pregnant with Zachary.

I feel so much healthier when I eat home cooked meals and incorporate veggies into our diet. Compared to cooking out of a freezer bag I bought at the grocery store, it’s a world of difference.

Learning to cook has really allowed our family to bond more since my husband is now excited to come home from work a bit earlier when he knows that I’m making something yummy. And Zachary is much more apt to try new foods when he sees Mommy and Daddy eating them. He went from a boy that never ate vegetables to one who will at least try the veggie in every meal! I consider that progress. I’m not a big veggie fan myself, but choosing recipes that include them has inspired me to eat a lot more vegetables than I normally would, and I know I’m better off for it.

It’s hard for me to be on my feet cooking a lot now, so I haven’t been eating as great as I should the past few weeks… but I’m hoping the crock pot helps out with that since it’s so easy — and once I have the baby and recover from my c-section, I’m looking forward to cooking a lot more, losing the baby weight, and keeping my family full and healthy!

So… yay for cooking and eating better this year! A healthier food lifestyle is so important as we get older, and the better we eat the better we’ll feel.

Today’s prompt is easy… what are my favorite foods?

1. Cheese – one of the best snacks ever… and you can even eat it on its own as a meal :) I like crazy cheeses, like the ones infused with truffle oil… amazing!
2. Pizza – really any kind of pizza. I am a big pizza fan.
3. Milano cookies – I’ve loved these since I was a little girl. My grandpa always used to give them to me when I was small.
4. Pumpkin – I absolutely love pumpkin in anything, and get excited every fall when the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte comes out! only a few more months to go! ;)
5. Pasta (especially really filling pasta like gnocchi or ravioli…and with alfredo sauce, mmm)
6. Bagels & cream cheese! This is a staple at our home.
7. Green bean casserole – my mom makes this at Thanksgiving and other holidays. I could eat it every day, seriously.
8. Sushi – especially anything with eel
9. Mexican food – I love enchiladas and fish tacos the most. And anything with tortilla chips, guacamole, etc. It can be any variety of Mexican…. fresh-mex, tex-mex…. any kind of Mexican-ish food, and I’m there :)
10. Frozen grapes – I’ve been eating frozen grapes for years and I love them, especially when I’m trying to diet or eat healthier. Eating them frozen reminds me of ice cream, and they’re SO good!
11. Key lime – I know I’m breaking the rules by adding a #11, but I really love Key Lime anything! Pie, cake, cookies… it doesn’t matter… I’m there.

I also really love almost any “ethnic foods” – while Mexican and sushi are probably my favorites, I also enjoy Italian dishes, Indian foods, Thai, Korean, and lots more. I love flavor and love trying nearly anything.

My dad, who is an amazing cook, made a point to introduce me to great food from an early age, so I got started on foods like kim-chee (spicy Korean cabbage) when I was really little! I’ve never been afraid to try something new, and I definitely have my father to thank for that!

I also love unique flavors incorporated into foods. My favorites are lavender, honeysuckle, jasmine… anything with that flowery flavor. There’s not a lot of food out there that uses those flavors, it’s definitely more of a gourmet thing that you’ll find in specialty stores or online. But you better believe if I see any kind of lavender candy or cookie, I buy it. ;)

What are your favorite foods?

I am a big fan of keeping my blog positive, but today’s prompt for the 31 Day Blog Challenge is supposed to be about a difficult time in my life. What to write about?

Probably one of the worst times in my life was when I taught 8th grade American History, about 7 years ago. I was very excited to get the job, but wasn’t that thrilled it was middle school instead of high school. The school was a top rated school in a great area, so I figured I would still have a good experience, even though I preferred the high school age range. Little did I know how bad it would be!

I loved American History and hoped I would have a good time with my classes. While I did have lots of great kids, they were few and far between compared to the difficult ones who constantly misbehaved. I even had one class that threw books at me and one horrible child threw a desk. The worst part was that I was put in the very last portable adjacent to the gym track. It was the farthest one from the front of the school entrance, so any time I had a problem, it took FOREVER (like, sometimes 20 minutes) for the security team or assistant principal to get out to help me. There were many times I felt unsafe and threatened by some of the worst-behaving kids (who I assume probably ended up in prison or will be there soon).

I am happy that I had some great students who never gave me a problem because they always brightened my bad days, and I still keep in touch with some of them today via Facebook. They are adults now, making lives for themselves, and it’s fun to watch them grow up. Sadly most of the kids were pretty awful and it really ruined the whole experience for me.

By the end of the school year, I was so emotionally and physically affected by this horrible job that I developed an ulcer and could barely eat and often threw up in the mornings before leaving for work. I lost over 20lb due to stress. The school was not supportive towards my needs, never provided me with any real help, and at the end of the year, I quit my job and never looked back!

My husband and I had started our photography business earlier that year, and thankfully it was doing well enough that I was able to simply walk away from my teaching job without a problem. Thank goodness for that… I don’t know how middle school teachers do it year after year. Teaching 8th grade was by far the worst job I have ever taken and thinking about my experiences make me even more grateful that I have a job that I love now and work for myself.

I am proud of myself, however, that I made it through the end of the school year without just quitting part-way through (I was tempted). I am also proud of myself that I always held it together in front of the kids no matter how awful my day was.

Have you ever had a job that was so awful it affected your health? What did you do about it?

I really don’t collect too much these days. I have a lot of “stuff” and certainly don’t need more. I have a pretty large collection of stationery and notecards, a TON of craft supplies (most of which I rarely ever use since I don’t have time to craft), and I do have a lot of iPhone Photography apps. :) Those I use frequently, though!

My biggest collection, by far, is my perfume collection. A few years ago, I got really into this perfume company, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. They sell beautiful perfume oils with scents based on myths and literature that smell amazing! I have tons of their perfumes and could even stand to get rid of some that I don’t really like as much.

I rarely buy perfume any more, since obviously I do have a lot of stuff to use up still, but if I buy anything (usually just once a year), it typically comes from my friend Meredith’s store – Sweet Anthem. My love for Sweet Anthem perfumes has definitely replaced my love for BPAL, these days. I wish I had a need to order more of her products, but as you can see…. I really do have ENOUGH perfume!

Back when I had time to do such crafty things, I even painted boxes to hold my perfume collection:

As many of you know, I’ve been writing here at my domain name, siren.org, since 1998. I was 15 years old then, and I’m going to turn 30 this year! It’s amazing that I’ve been blogging – or at least writing about myself online, since it wasn’t called blogging then – for nearly half my life!

The name of my domain was originally inspired by two things: the Tori Amos song of the same name AND my love of Greek mythology and anything ocean-inspired.

I was quite the Tori fan back then – I seriously loved all of her albums, had seen her a few times in concert… you could say I was a bit obsessed with her music. :) While I’m not a Tori Amos fanatic anymore, I still do enjoy her work and I love that the name of my domain ties me to a very memorable time in my life.

I still love the ocean and anything sea-related so the name of my domain still has not worn off after all this time. Choosing a domain name was very important to me because I knew that I would have my domain name forever… kind of like a tattoo. :) Since I still love the name nearly 15 years later, I’m pleased to say I made the right choice!

As far as the name of this particular blog – Bright Autumn Sun – I decided on the name when I was pregnant with Zachary, due in the autumn. The fall season is my favorite, so that has significance for me, and as a photographer, I love the way the light looks in the fall around sunset. Thus, Bright Autumn Sun was born. I own brightautumnsun.com, as well.

For those of you “oldschoolers” you may remember the following header graphics from the olden days of the internet. Some of these do go back to the 90′s, hence the cheesy photoshopping! ;)

Today’s 31 Day Blog Challenge prompt is to write about my proudest moment. Obviously, having a kid (soon to be two kids) and having a successful and happy relationship and marriage with my husband (10 years together and 8 years married this year) ranks up pretty high on my list of things I’m proud of.

However, I’d have to say that what I’m most proud of right now is being a business owner for the past 7 years. It’s not really a “moment” but it’s something I’m very proud of! I started my photography business back in 2005. My husband taught me how to use my camera, initially, and as my talent for photography grew, I soon took over our business and renamed it using my own name. I am proud of the things I’ve accomplished, the shoots I’ve done, and the contacts I’ve made in the industry.

Before starting my photography business, I’d tried out a number of other careers (phone sales, outside sales, and teaching) and they just didn’t seem right for me. I worried that I would be unhappy for many years because I never liked my jobs. Not only do I absolutely love my job, but it’s something I’m really good at. I know I will be happy as a photographer for years to come!

Here’s a favorite image from one of my weddings last year:

While I have been trying to make some progress on my 30 before 30 list, I wouldn’t say that any of those items are really on my “bucket list.”

When I think about what I want to do the most, it comes down to one thing: travel.

My parents gave me an amazing childhood filled with travel, and I want to be able to provide the same for my kids. Whether it’s road tripping all over the USA or flying to a far-off country, I just want to give my kids the experience of seeing new places and learning new things the way I did as a child.

In addition to lots of amazing vacations, I also want to be at a point where we can afford to take off for a month during summer vacation and have incredible experiences living somewhere else… like San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Portland, etc.

Being able to give my kids experiences that not many other children will have is really important for me. It made me feel special to go with my parents on lots of vacations as a kid. I got to see the glaciers of Alaska, the pyramids of Giza, and the Rialto Bridge in Venice before I turned 18. I would love to give those same opportunities to my own children one day.

Here’s a photo of me and my mom on an actual glacier in Alaska when I was a kid:

My schedule is a little different these days. At 35 weeks pregnant this week, I don’t tend to get much done, since sitting at the computer is not that comfortable and staring at the screen makes me feel a little sick to my stomach.

Nevertheless, here is my daily schedule:

7:30am – the alarm clock goes off. I really like to get up earlier than Zachary so I can make coffee and get a head start, but I’ve just been WAY too tired lately.

8am – Zachary wakes up and wanders into my room. He either tells me to get up because he’s hungry, or he crawls into bed for an extra 5 minutes of snuggle time. I definitely prefer the snuggle time. :)

8:15am – At this point Zachary has been given food, so I get to work making lunch for my two boys. Adrian gets a peanut butter sandwich, but Zachary’s lunch is a bit more varied. This usually takes me about 15 minutes to finish.

8:30am – I check on Adrian to see if he’s almost ready to take Zachary to school and then I get Z’s things together and get him dressed.

8:45am – I send the boys off for the day. Adrian takes Zachary to school every morning. I usually make my coffee right when they are getting ready to leave, so I can enjoy my first cup of the day in peace and quiet. :)

9am – I sit down at my computer with some coffee and food and start reading email and replying back to messages. I check in on FB and see what my friends are up to. Sometimes I start a blog post, other times that waits until later in the day.

9:30am – if I’m going to do any work for the day, I get started early. Sitting at the computer is tough, so I don’t usually get more than a couple hours in before I’m done.

12pm – I stop working at this point to eat lunch. If I feel good after lunch, I’ll put in an extra hour of work. Otherwise I retreat to my bedroom and watch Netflix or take a nap.

3:30pm – I drag myself out of bed and get a snack and water bottle ready for Zachary and get in the car. Zachary is done with school at 4pm, and they always play on the playground from 3:30-4, so I bring a big water bottle and snack as he’s always hungry and thirsty after all that play time. My parents have been helping out by picking Zachary up sometimes and bringing him home, so I don’t have to drive. In that case, I rest a little longer. :)

4:30-5:30pm – We get home by 4:30 and spend about an hour playing – either coloring, toys, trains, or on his iPad – before I have to figure out what to make Z for dinner.

5:30-6pm – I try to give Z dinner around this time, and I like to eat at this time, too. It leaves enough room in the schedule for more playing, a bath if he needs one, and keeps him occupied.

6-8pm – General night time activities. We play some more, have a bath, do some laundry or another activity where he gets to “help” me, etc. Adrian is usually at home by this point, and he eats his dinner and does some more work. He owns a company of his own as well and has been pretty busy lately getting things done before the baby comes (so he can take some time off).

8-9pm – Zachary spends some time with me and his Daddy before bed time, and then we start getting ready for bed. He loves to cuddle in my bed before going in his room, so I get everything ready and give him some milk to drink while we lay in my bed — either watching something on Netflix or playing on the iPad. After he’s done with his milk, he has to brush his teeth and we go into his room.

9pm – Zachary gets a story before going to sleep, and then the lights turn off. He doesn’t like to fall asleep by himself, so I sit in the chair in his room and play on my phone until he’s sleeping.

9:30pm-12am – Adrian and I have the rest of the night to ourselves! Lately this usually means that Adrian does more work while I go back into my room to watch Netflix until I’m too tired to stay awake. I usually fall asleep by midnight or a little earlier. Sometimes Adrian stays up later to work more, but I try to get him to go to bed at the same time as I do, since he needs his sleep, too!

The lottery is pretty crazy — I just checked the Powerball website and it says the current estimated jackpot is 90 million dollars. How ridiculous would it be to win that kind of money?! Of course, half of it would be taken by the government for payment of income tax, but still. Even 40-50 million is just insane! I never play the lottery, so writing this post is just a crazy dream…. but it’s fun to think about it, either way!

At any rate, the first thing I would do is pay off all of our debts. We have some credit cards in addition to our mortgage, and not having those pesky payments to deal with would make life a lot easier! After our mortgage was paid off, I would sell my house and buy a bigger one, paid in full, so I wouldn’t have any additional debts to deal with. Of course along with a new home would have to come new furniture and I would absolutely want to hire an interior designer to help plan out the way the house looks inside. I am not a great decorator, so I would need help for sure!

Speaking of hiring a designer, I would then hire a stylist for me and Adrian to help us revamp our wardrobes and fill our new, bigger closets with nice clothes. We have been wearing the same stuff for years and again, I’m not the most fashionable  and usually just wear what’s comfy… so I would love to have some professional assistance in planning out a functional, practical, but stylish wardrobe!

Next on my list would be proper savings accounts for both of my boys. We do have a college savings set up for Zachary already and will definitely set up one for our 2nd child too, when he’s born, as it’s important to prepare for college early on. I would make sure that there’s enough for both kids so they could go to any university they liked without having to take a student loan, and set aside extra for expenses like buying a car, their first homes, wedding savings, business startup investment, or whatever they would need when they are ready for that stage in life. I would also think further in the future and set up college savings for my someday-grandchildren too!

Third, I would plan tons of family vacations! We love to travel, and especially over the summer when it’s so hot in Florida, we’d love to take the kids away for a six week trip every summer (somewhere not blazingly hot) and enjoy visiting a new place. As both of our parents have taken us on lots of trips since we’ve been together, I would love to treat both my mom and dad and Adrian’s parents to special vacations, too.

Fourth, I would do something wonderful for my best friend, Amy. She is like family and is always there for me no matter what, and if I won millions of dollars and could afford to buy her a house or whatever she wanted, I would do it in a heart beat.

Lastly, aside from a few fun toys that I’m sure Adrian and I would want to buy for ourselves, the rest of the money would be put into a good savings account so that we could continue to enjoy it as we get older, and live out the rest of our lives financially secure and debt-free.

The festivities started last night — Since my mom & dad were watching Zachary for the evening (including a sleepover!), Adrian took me out to see The Avengers at the new iPic theater in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park. We hadn’t had a date night in a while, so I was looking forward to getting out of the house. Especially with the whole bedrest business… I really enjoyed doing something special. :)

Anyway — the theater was amazing! What an incredible experience (yes, really an experience) if you really want to go over the top for a movie. The entire theater is made up of special leather reclining chairs and every customer receives a pillow and blanket. They have a call button if you want to order drinks or a snack (there is a high-end restaurant attached to the theater property), so you never even need to leave your seat! The movie itself was awesome… but I really loved the whole experience.

After the movie, we went out to dinner at The Dubliner, one of Adrian’s favorite restaurants at Mizner Park. He’s been there a couple times since his office is located above the shopping center. They have a mac n’ cheese dish that is made with Guinness. I’m a huge fan of any sort of macaroni & cheese, so I couldn’t resist! Adrian had duck with a black cherry balsamic glaze. Both were fabulous!

After dinner, it was still early, so we headed over to IKEA to buy my new office desk! I decided on the Hemnes desk and am really happy with my choice! We spent the rest of the evening chilling out in front of the TV and headed to bed early.

Sleeping late is the best part of having my mom & dad take care of Zachary, and I did just that! We did not wake up until 11am! It was great to enjoy a relaxing morning, and then we headed to my parents’ house for lunch and enjoyed some time with my mom, dad, and grandma.

I’m not sure what’s going on with my hair in that pic… LOL. But I look about as tired as I felt, which was very tired. The last month of pregnancy is not easy, but I’m glad I was able to have such a fun day! I’m wearing a handmade necklace that Zachary made for me at school. I love it!

Me and my boy, playing with his new Mobi Go that my mom and dad bought him. What a fun toy!

My beautiful mom! My dad actually took this photo with my camera, and I just love it!

I took some fun photos of me and Zachary goofing around with my iPhone. I love the iPhone camera, it can be like a photo booth! Wehad a lot of fun taking these cute images.

When Adrian, Zachary, and I went home, I got to rest (yay!) and Adrian and Zachary put together my new desk. Zachary especially had a really good time using his kid tools to “help” Adrian. I couldn’t resist snagging a shot of him helping out. It was adorable!

What a great Mother’s Day! I think this was definitely the best Mother’s Day since I got to start participating when I was pregnant with Zachary!

Today’s blog challenge prompt is about my earliest memory.

I was a very lucky kid growing up as my parents traveled with my quite often! Whether it was a trip to the Keys or a cruise, I got to see the world in ways that my other little friends did not. When I think of my earliest memories, they usually center around family vacations with my parents.

One of my very earliest vacation memories was a trip we took to Disney World when I was a few years old. I remember going on a few rides with my parents, and my mom took me to have breakfast with the characters. I don’t actually remember the breakfast itself, but I do love this picture of me, my mom, and Minnie Mouse!

When I was around 3 or 4, my parents took me on my first cruise on the Carnivale — the flagship of Carnival Cruise Lines. I know the scan is awful, but it’s the only one I have on hand! I know I had a good time on the cruise, and I remember bits and pieces of it. It was the first of many cruises I would take with my parents.

OK… so I am not a huge fan of this blogging prompt, but I committed to doing this challenge every day this month, so you’re going to get it anyway! This may very well be the MOST boring blog post I have ever made.

My fridge is usually pretty packed. I don’t know why, it just happens that way!

I like to stock up on lots of stuff (like I have 3 cartons of milk in the fridge right now – we use Lactaid so when it goes on sale, I get a lot since it has a long shelf life) and we use a lot of condiments that need to be refrigerated, so there’s always a lot in there.

I also put things in the fridge that other people might not… like my bread and bagels (they don’t get stale as quickly) and some kinds of cookies. Zachary loves Milano cookies, but I think they keep better in the fridge, so that’s where they are.

The small drawer under the third shelf is completely dedicated to cheese. Yep, we are a cheese-loving family! There’s even some cheese that didn’t fit in the cheese drawer. We really like cheese!

We also have a Brita filter that takes up a lot of room. We used to use bottled water, but decided it’d be more cost effective to get a Brita (though, I’m not so great at keeping it full, lol). We haven’t bought bottled water to keep at home in well over a year! That’s a lot of plastic saved!

We don’t really drink much other than water at home. I’m addicted to Ritz Seltzer (there’s a 16oz bottle on the top shelf… I go through them pretty fast though) and my hubby occasionally likes a Mt. Dew or a beer, so we have a couple of those too. I also have OJ and Gatorade in the fridge, as well as coffee creamer for my coffee. Yum!

The bottom two drawers, which I didn’t photograph, are for fruit and veggies and other stuff. We usually have a lot of apples around since Adrian brings them to work with him, and Zachary likes them in his lunch. I like them with cheese – hehe.

Anyway… without further ado, here is a picture of the inside of my fridge. I got lazy and used my iPhone for this shot, so it’s nothing fancy! No pic of my freezer because it’s such a mess! LOL!

Today’s challenge post is to write about 15 of my favorite things.  Here they are!

1. My family.

This seems like it’d be a no brainer, but my family really is wonderful. I have the best little boy ever (and will soon add the best little brother ever — in just a few weeks), my husband is wonderful and because he works so hard, he allows me to live my own dream, and my parents have done so much to help us out there is no way I could ever repay them or thank them enough. I am just glad to have them both living close by and healthy. My in-laws don’t live near-by, but as far as in-laws go, they are pretty great, too! They have also supported us in many ways and I feel REALLY lucky that I get along with them, since I have a lot of friends who don’t have a good relationship with their husband’s families. Last but not least, my dog is part of the family, too, and she’s pretty great. She can be very annoying sometimes (like when she licks incessantly), but overall she is a good little dog and plays so nicely with Zachary. She is very tolerant of him and extremely gentle. I love my dog!

2. My friends.

I truly do love my friends. I am lucky to have a lot of friends who care about me, and I am touched everyday by their kindness and support and love spending quality time with them.

3. Preschool.

This is a funny thing to list as a favorite thing, but I absolutely love my son’s preschool. Not only are they a group of wonderful, supportive people, but they have allowed Zachary to shine and grow in ways I didn’t think were possible.

4. Books/Reading.

Reading has been a huge part of my life ever since I was a little girl, and I’ve always been a very voracious reader. I love finding an amazing book and losing myself in that world. Over the past few years, I’ve encouraged my husband to read more often, which I love — especially when he picks up a series I’ve raved about, like The Hunger Games. I also am sharing my love of books and reading with our son. Zachary is just starting to move into the stage where he wants to learn to read, and we’ve been having a lot of fun choosing books at bedtime (and other times). Sometimes I catch him picking up a book we’ve read many times (enough that he has part of it memorized) and “reading” it to himself. It never fails to make me smile!

5. Photography.

You were wondering when this would show up on my list….right? :) Yes, photography is a job, but it’s also one of my most favorite things in the world. I’ve loved taking pictures since I was a kid and probably spent more money on film and processing at the local drugstore than my parents care to think about! I love finding art in every day things, and I especially love capturing my family’s memories. I love my camera, the Canon 5D mark III — but I am a huge addict of shooting with my iPhone since it’s always, always with me — and the quality of the images is pretty great, too. I also shoot with my point and shoot, the Canon G11, when I remember to bring it with me. :) I’m thankful for photography because running my own business allows me the freedom that I love and need, and because I never thought I would be really great at doing any particular job — or really enjoy any job — until I started my photo business.

6. Apple.

No, not the fruit! We are an Apple family through and through. Adrian and I have iMacs to work on, MacBook and MacBook Air laptops, iPhones, iPads, iPods, an Apple TV… you name it, we use it! Even Zachary is a genius with the iPad and iPhone already and is nearly as good as we are — or better! — at some games.

7. Coffee.

I’ve been drinking coffee since I was very little, and I have a hard time starting my day without it! I love the flavored coffees (coconut, hazelnut, and pumpkin are my favorites), and I also love Coffee Mate’s Italian Sweet Cream coffee creamer. It’s soooo good.

8. Cheese.

I really love cheese. Trying new cheeses is a hobby of mine, and I love going to one of my favorite restaurants, The Cheese Course, and creating my own custom cheese board for lunch! I’ll enjoy it more once the baby is out and I can drink a glass of wine with my cheese. :D

9. Space.

I love space! I started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my dad when I was a little girl, and many of my favorite shows and movies also take place in space. Additionally, being in Florida where shuttles and rockets take off, it’s hard to not pay attention to space-related information. I’m lucky to have seen a number of shuttle launches before the program ended. I am simply fascinated by the universe and everything that may be out there that is still unknown to us. Just thinking about it is overwhelming and awe-inducing!

10. The Internet.

I’ve been using the internet for 20 years now, nearly the entirety of my life span! How crazy is that? I registered siren.org back in 1998, which means I’ve been writing here for FOURTEEN YEARS – and consistently blogging since 2008, before Zachary was born. I love it. I’ve made a lot of friends and met some really fantastic people through my website and in my journeys on the Internet in general, and it’s something I’m happy to have been a part of since the earliest days of online communities.

11. Relaxing/Sleeping.

I definitely took this for granted before I had kids. I love napping or relaxing. Now that I have a child with another on the way, napping is a luxury and something I don’t always have the opportunity to do. I only get to sleep late when my parents watch Zachary overnight, so every time I sleep late, it is like a little gift. :)

12. Music.

While I don’t listen to music quite as much as I used to, I still love it. There are songs and albums that define certain parts of my life, and I love discovering new and talented artists to enjoy. I also love playing music when I get the chance, and I really love hearing my husband practice the piano — he’s been taking lessons for about a year now and is starting to get pretty good!!

13. Travel.

I traveled extensively as a kid to all kinds of far-off places. As an adult, my husband and I have mostly traveled inside the US. I love travelling and road tripping and it’s something we are instilling in our kids, too. By the time our second baby is a year old, we’ll have taken at least two road trips! I’m so excited to explore new places with my little family. :)

14. My car.

I drive a Lexus RX 350. I always wanted an awesome SUV and am really thankful to have my car.

15. Seltzer.

It’s like water… but better :) I am a seltzer addict. I have always loved soda, specifically diet Coke, but since it’s so unhealthy for you, I switched to seltzer – which is just carbonated water. Yum!