Current Obsessions

Archer Farms trail mixes! You can find these delicious salty & sweet treats at Target and are fairly inexpensive. I've tried the Monster Mix, Caramel Chews Mix, and the Black & White Mix. They are ALL yummy, but I think the Caramel Chew is my favorite... although my next buy will be the Smores Mix. Mmmm!

I've been spending A LOT of my "summer vacation" learning on the go to become a volleyball coach. I've spent many hours working at conditioning with the girls at the high school I will be coaching at in the fall, worked at a high school sponsored camp for a week, and I even made the trip down to Chapel Hill, NC to attend the team camp at UNC for 4 days. I had the opportunity to watch other coaches in action and get back into volleyball mode. I even got to sleep in a dorm (yuck!) I am hoping all these hours put in will only help as when the official season begins with tryouts on Monday!

Summertime means my FAVORITE reality show! I have watched many, many, many seasons of big brother and am ALWAYS addicted! The best part? It's on 3 nights a week because there are so few new shows on in the summer months! I got Andy into the show a few years ago, so it had become one of our favorite evening activities to do together during the summertime. My favorite people this season are 2 returning guests from a previous season, Jeff and Jordan. We are hoping Jeff wins the game this summer since Jordan already won her season previously!

Summer Reads

Here's a few items I have recently purchased and enjoyed on my fabulous Kindle this summer. I absolutely LOVE the Kindle and love reading for pleasure during the summer months even more! Check some of these out if you haven't yet:

 The Hunger Games Trilogy was FASCINATING! I wasn't quite sold on the book's summary, but one of my best friend's who teaches middle school assured me that I would love them and be addicted despite the strange premise. I highly recommend reading the series- even though the description sounds a little sci-fi. I could not put these books down and was so sad when I finished the 3rd and final book! Definitely a must read before the movies come out that are already in production!

 Another must read before the movie comes out! Another best friend recommended this book to me and I was not disappointed. It started off a little slow, but it turned out to be a great read about life in the South during the 50's and 60's. I am definitely looking forward to this movie as well!

A fun summer beach read. I read this by the pool and beach in the Bahamas. It was a light, easy book. I enjoyed it enough to check out a few other books by Elin Hilderbrand.

Really enjoyed this one! It had a little more of a dark side to it than Barefoot, but it was another great easy summer read. This story chronicled the lives of 4 different couples who had a long history and were best friends. One night, one of the couples goes out on their boat and never returns. Many secrets and twists and turns then take place, revealing the true bonds between this group of lifelong friends. I enjoyed this one!

This was the last Hilderbrand book I read so far, and it was also pretty entertaining. Also a little more twisted than Barefoot, as it shared the story of 3 best friends who go out for an annual night swim on Nantucket Island on Labor Day weekend where they feast lavishly, drink, and share their deepest darkest secrets. But one summer, one of the ladies goes missing in the water. From there, their secrets become secrets no more and all of their lives change forever. Another good, easy pool read.

 

 I am currently in the process of finishing this book. It's a cute read. Definitely makes you laugh out loud at the things the author portrays dogs as thinking of humans and the world we live in. This story follows 1 dog throughout his multiple experiences as a dog. It definitely confirms the idea that a dog is a man's best friend. A sweet read, although I will admit I did cry a few times throughout. This is a short book and a quick read that will make you laugh a little and cry a little.

I am hoping to finish at least 1 more book before my summer comes to an end and school begins again. Any suggestions?!

1 Year Anniversary

Exactly a year ago, I married my best friend. In honor of our very first anniversary, Andy and I had a little weekend getaway to reminisce, relax, and remember all the details of our perfect day. Andy took the day off of work on Friday and we headed to Tarara Winery in Leesburg, the same place where Andy proposed on October 2, 2009 and where we held our rehearsal dinner. It was a gorgeous day and Andy had surprised me by setting up another mini-picnic on the lake with cheese, crackers and a bottle of wine to share (just as he did when he popped the question!). It was so peaceful and we sat and chatted about all the wonderful memories we have of our times at Tarara. It was the perfect kickoff to our anniversary weekend.

Gorgeous Afternoon

 After a little wine tasting and reminiscing at Tarara, we headed to the the Leesburg outlets for a quick shopping trip. It was nice to just spend the whole day together with no time constraints or obligations. We enjoyed walking around the shops and picking up a few items.

After shopping, we arrived at Lansdowne Resort and checked into our room for the weekend. One of the MANY great things about having our wedding at Lansdowne Resort is that they offered us a free night at the resort for our first anniversary. Andy decided to surprise me and turn our 1 night getaway into a whole weekend of relaxation :) Friday night, we went to a delicious dinner at the golf clubhouse and then headed outside to a concert they were hosting on the back patio where we got married. A local rock n' roll cover band was playing so we had a few beverages and sat in the grass for some sing alongs. We finished our night with a few drinks in the pub and then called it an early night. It was the perfect start to our weekend.

Dessert awaiting us upon check-in at Lansdowne

Rock n Roll Cover Band

Enjoying the concert

 On Saturday, we went outside of the resort and found a nice local diner for breakfast. Then we headed back to the resort for a pool day. Lansdowne has 3 gorgeous pools and we spent the day loungin' in the sun and sippin' on some frozen drinks. That night, we went to another restaurant at the resort and bought several glasses of wine to enjoy as we sat outside by the firepit- a place with a TON of late night memories for us from our wedding :) We met some really nice golfers from London and Ireland who came overseas for a long golf weekend with their American buddies. They were great company and we enjoyed meeting some new people.

Ceremony Site 1 year Later

We returned home on Sunday to wrap-up our anniversary weekend. That evening, we caught up on episodes of Big Brother on the DVR and ordered a pizza. To conclude the celebrations, we ate very small bits of the top layer of our wedding cake (which, by the way, we have decided is the worst tradition ever!) and watched the entire 2-hour video of our wedding day. It was the perfect weekend for us to celebrate US!

Beautiful Hawaiian Floral Arrangement from my Mom & Dad

Puzzle gift of US from Kevin & Carissa!

A little icing touch-up by mom :)

To my husband: I love you just as much today, if not more than I did on the day you married me. You are my best friend and I am so grateful for the memories we will have for a lifetime, as well as for the future we have yet to write together. I could not ask for a better partner in life and I am so proud to be your wife! Happy first anniversary and to many, many more!