Curb Appeal

When we bought our little Farmhouse, I'm not sure if the first words out of my mouth were: "I want a red door!" or "I want shutters!" I liked the very simple and plain look of our house but definitely wanted to add a little curb appeal to the front to make it really Farmhouse chic. One of our first major purchases for our home was shutters. Now, shutters don't cost too much individually, but when you have 10 windows on the front of the house, that's A LOT of shutters! But I knew it would make all the difference on our home and give it that instant facelift to make it feel more like *ours*. I also dreamed of a bright red front door. I spent my spring break doing 4 coats of the perfect shade of red on our formerly forest green front door- a true labor of love! I never thought I was so DIY but I have been learning A LOT as a home owner. Andy and my dad ended up spending the first weekend in May putting up our new shutters. They worked amazingly quick considering how many there were to put up! Andy is definitely learning a lot of DIY tips right along with me! Here are some inspiration photos for our home before we added our own touches:

 

And here is our official before and after:

We couldn't be happier with our first major change to the look of our home :)

30 Before 30... With 1 Week to Spare!

Well, the time has officially come. I can't believe I started this list 5 years ago right after my 25th birthday and now here I am, one week away from 30. It has been a wonderful, crazy, exciting, memorable 5 years and I could not be more thankful or grateful for all of the blessings in my life. I know, even on my worst days, that I am one of the luckiest people in the world to be surrounded by amazing family & friends, have a wonderful career, be married to my best friend, have the most awesome parents on the planet, and a bright future ahead in our new home. I can't say I am exactly thrilled at the prospect of kissing my 20's goodbye, but I have decided to embrace it and look forward to the many great things to come. 30 just feels big for some reason and as I become a true "adult", my new inspiration is:

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many"

1. Get married! Goal complete! Andy and I will celebrate our 3 year anniversary this July :)
2. Climb Old Rag mountain Andy, his friend Charlie, and myself all hiked Old Rag last summer. Hoping to do it again this year!
3. Coach a high school sports team, preferably girls soccer or girls volleyball. Complete! I coached volleyball at Centreville HS for 2 seasons.
4. Go camping for a weekend
5. Rent an RV and travel to a Virginia Tech football game.
6. Go to Europe for the second time
7. Swim with dolphins. Andy and I got to hang with some dolphins when we went to the Bahamas in 2011.
8. Drive across the United States
9. Cut my hair short even though it terrifies me. Done in the fall of 2010 and I am doubting it will ever happen again :)
10. Go to Australia and see the koala bears
11. Eat Sushi for the first time. Complete.
12. Get a dog (or two!) that is me and Andy's pet and not our parents'.
13. Watch my friends fall as happily in love as I am and attend their weddings- In progress. Andy and I continue to celebrate the love of our good friends with weddings throughout the years!
14. Watch all of the movies currently in my Netflix queue- Let's be honest, this is never going to happen. I just keep adding more!
15. Learn to cook well, not just make dinner.  Shout out to Pinterest for my inspiration in the kitchen... most of the time.
16. Visit Mikaela in Maine and eat a real Maine lobster. 
17. Go to an NFL Super Bowl 
18. Go to a National Championship Game in college football
19. Run an official 5k. I completed my first official 5K in May 2011 and just set a personal record at one in April of this year.
20. Learn how to not kill plants
21. Send a photo Christmas card. Done.
22. Buy a townhouse or single-family home. Done! Andy and I moved into our new home in September 2013.
23. Save enough money to keep our condo and rent it. Done! Although this whole landlord business is pretttty overrated.
24. Buy a new car.
25. Go on a winery tour bus with my best friends- Did a winery for my 28th birthday.
26. Get involved with the Girls On The Run program at the elementary school I work at
27. Give a toast at a special event. I made a brief toast at my Dad's 60th birthday celebration.
28. Continue to take trips with my amazing parents. Crossing this off the list as we plan yet another vacay this summer!
29. Host a formal family dinner at my home
30. Begin the journey of becoming a mom

I only accomplished half of my list, but I'm guessing I was a litttttttle ambitious with all those trips. Besides, now I have 15 things to add to my "35 before 35" list?! Ha! Cheers to 30 Years!

Back Deck Reno

When we bought our home last summer, one of our favorite things about it was the awesome, fenced-in backyard with a deck. We had visions of hosting barbeques and throwing back cold ones outside in the warm spring and summer months. We got by with some lovely VT and Clemson tailgating chairs throughout the end of the fall. But as soon as the weather turned warm, I was researching patio furniture. I didn't even care if it wasn't technically in our budget at the time. In fact, I postponed the reno of our 1/2 bath for the back deck furniture. Apparently owning a house is all about prioritizing projects.... so let's consider this project #2 in a LONG line of projects (I will share more on project #1: photowalls in the entryway and mancave, another time). (As a sidenote: Andy does frequently have to remind me that all of our my projects don't have to be done right away. And he likes to tell me that it is "fun" to have a list of projects for the future. Ha- I'd rather be rich and pay someone to just get them all done immediately, but apparently my teacher salary ain't helping much on that front!)

During my research, I wanted to find something that we really liked and wasn't waaaaaaay out of our realm of a budget. I was shopping in Target one day and saw their patio furniture set-up in the store. I really liked the options they had for their wicker patio set. The cushions were all very diverse, I liked their throw pillow options and outdoor carpet selection. And nothing was crazy expensive. I continued to look for a few weeks until I stumbled upon a huge sale at Target. The patio set I had seen was all on sale. The minute I saw it, I jumped. We ended up saving about $300 with the sale and free shipping promotions. And we LOVE the new look! Everyone is definitely welcome to come help us break in the new furniture anytime!

Rocky Top Tennessee

This past weekend, Andy and I traveled South to Knoxville, Tennessee to celebrate his college buddy, Dustin, as he married his fiance Brooke. Dustin was a groomsman in our wedding and about a year after our wedding in the fall of 2011, Andy somehow convinced Dustin to move up to Northern Virginia to work with him at his former job. Dustin then somehow convinced his awesome girlfriend at the time, Brooke, to follow him up to Virginia. We have been so lucky to have them living only a few short miles away for the past 2 1/2 years. They are such a fun couple and a perfect match for each other. It was an honor to help them celebrate their big day!

Andy and Dustin at our July 2010 Wedding

 Andy and I began the 7 1/2 hour drive South on Friday afternoon. We got to the hotel and went immediately (even our luggage didn't make it into the hotel room!) to a local Buffalo Wild Wings, at 10:30pm, to catch the Dallas Stars hockey game. We made it in perfect timing for Andy to catch his team in the playoffs. After a few cold beverages and an unfortunate loss, we headed back to the hotel to actually check into our room and get some sleep after a long day.

We woke up early on Saturday to head out and check out the city of Knoxville. Andy and I had never been before so it was fun to get to check out the downtown area and then head over to the University of Tennessee's campus. Our first stop was at Calhoun's On The River for some food. If you ever head to Knoxville, DEFINITELY stop and eat on the outside deck. The food (BBQ is all the rage) was all delicious, the atmosphere was fun, and the views of the river with Neyland Stadium in the background under the bridges was pretty. Then we headed into downtown Knoxville to check out Market Square. There just happened to be a Dogwood Arts Festival going on during our trip so the area was all set-up with tents selling cute little goods, artwork and delicious snacks. It was a great afternoon to walk around in the sunshine and check things out. Afterwards, we headed toward Tennessee's campus. We really wanted to see the football stadium and to check out the basketball arena. It was neat to see the Pat Summitt memorials and see the big football stadium on the river. We also got to see where they tailgate and park their boats on gamedays- a very cool tradition!

After seeing the city, we headed back to the hotel to get wedding-ready. Dustin and Brooke had their wedding at a beautiful estate overlooking the mountains. We got to drink sweet tea out of Mason Jars, dance to country music and enjoy the gorgeous afternoon with their friends and family. It was definitely worth the long trip to help them celebrate! Sadly for us, Dustin and Brooke are going to be moving back down South very shortly. We miss definitely miss them in Virginia but will love to have an excuse to head back to Tennessee sometime for a visit! Congrats Robinsons!

 

Home Sweet Saulitis

We Bought A House! (Last July- but whatever). Last spring was spent scouring realtor.com, driving through endless neighborhoods on the weekends, and scrolling MLS listings hourly to find the perfect starter home for us. Needless to say, it was stressful and exhausting... but also very fun. We worked with the same realtor who sold us our townhouse style condo back in 2008 and he was just as amazing this time as he was back then (seriously, if anyone needs a realtor, we highly recommend him!) After lots of walk-thrus and debates, we finally found a home for us. We closed on July 5th, 2013. However, the previous owners rented back for a couple months so we didn't actually move into our home until Labor Day weekend.... right before the first day of school. Needless to say, one of my reasons for slacking on the blog writing was due in large part to this massive move during the craziest time of the school year. Tack on some other unforseen events at my elementary school and I was pretty much borderline losing.my.mind. As winter fades into spring though, we are finally putting our stamp on this house and making it "ours".

So, without further ado: Our New House! (Disclaimer: the front already looks slightly different than these pictures- think red front door. Future blog posts sharing the new curb appeal to come!)

  

Spring Break!

We officially began Spring Break last Friday and my school is VERY *happy* to enjoy a week off in this gorgeous spring weather! Click the link below to see just how happy we are :) Enjoy!

Brookfield is HAPPY!

5K Fun

One of my 30 before 30 goals (which I promise to do an update on before my 30th... in a month!) was to run my first official 5K. Well, been there, done that... a few times actually. This past Sunday, Andy somehow convinced forced me to run a local 5K with him "just for fun". He took the liberty of signing me up, completely covering my entry fee, and driving us to and from (clearly he wanted a buddy!). So, being the ever so compromising wife (HA!) that I am, I agreed.

Now, just for the record, I do actually run frequently. I typically run anywhere between 3.8 and 5 miles, 3-4 days a week. You would think with my competitive spirit and actual tendency to run, I would be all about 5 K's. Not so much. I put way too much pressure on myself to have great runs when it is an organized event like a 5K- particularly when my friends are also running. My competitive spirit comes out and I literally get anxious about my performance- who I should be faster than, who should beat me, what my time should be, etc. It's ridiculous. So I typically avoid running these races and just stick with my personal, leisurely running routines. But Andy really seemed to need a running buddy, so to the 5K I went.

I was honestly shocked at what a great time I had. As with my previous 5K's, I expected to dread every second of my run, running curse words for Andy through my mind as I trotted along to the finish line. But I was very pleasantly surprised with how much fun I had (seriously, don't tell Andy- he'll make me do another one!) The weather wasn't too hot or too cold, the course was ideal- not too many hills, not too many straight-aways to get bored on, and my time was phenomenal for me. I got a personal record by almost 2 minutes, finishing the race in 25:43. I felt great when I finished- accomplished, productive, and not like I was about to drop dead.

After the race, we grabbed some free food (honestly, I might just do another 5K if I am rewarded with a Krispy Kreme glazed donut) and waited for the awards. My hubby is quite the runner and almost always places in his age group. So no surprise, Andy got 1st place in his age group. The most shocking thing was that I would have gotten 2nd place had I been in the 30-39 age group, but because my birthday isn't for another month, I got 7th in the 20-29 group. Still a very proud moment for me! All in all, it was a really nice Sunday morning with Andy... and it didn't totally suck to be done with my exercise for the day by 9:30am :)

25 Things You Don't Know About Me

Hello, my name is Heather and I am an Us Weekly addict. One of my favorite things to read is the lists that celebrities do of 25 things people don't necessarily know about them. Since it appears Us Weekly is not going to ask me to complete one of these questionnaires anytime soon, I figured I'd try to make my own. Here goes:

1. I had no name for the first 2 weeks of my life. I was simply know as "Baby Girl McDonald".
2. One of my greatest guilty pleasures is theme parties. I LOVE any excuse to dress up or wear a costume.
3. Another is obviously reality TV shows and Gossip magazines (ahem, Us Weekly). 
   
4. I never received anything below a B in my entire schooling career. Yes, I'm bragging- but I am very proud of my hard work.
5. I prefer salty snacks and foods to sweets. Give me chips and dip over a cookie anyday!
6. Andy and I dated long distance for 4 years in college while I received my undergrad degree and masters at Virginia Tech and he finished undergrad and his MBA at Clemson.
7. I am a certified sports-crazed, fanatic. I love football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball.
8. On that note, one of my biggest dreams for the future is to see my Hokies win a national championship in person.
   
9. Cheeseburgers are my absolute favorite food. I could eat them anytime-morning, noon or night!
10. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. I love the way she write stories from multiple points of view.
11. One of my favorite books, however, is The Godfather. I was shocked to have enjoyed it so much when I was assigned to read it in my first English class at VT as a freshman.
    
12. I am a homebody and would prefer to stay in most nights in my pj's with a good book.
13. If I could have any job on the planet, I would be a professional athlete. 
14. I have an obsession with organization and things always being "put in their place". 
15. I also make lists for everything. And I mean ev-er-y-thing. I even have a daily to-do list in my planner that includes things such as "Work 7-3" everyday. Serious OCD tendencies.
16. One of my biggest challenges is being spontaneous. I am such a planner.
17. My husband, Andy, is my biggest running motivator. He runs every single day and inspires me to push myself.
18. There is nothing more valuable to me on this earth than my family and my friends. 
19. I am the youngest person in our group of friends and am therefore, the last to turn 30. Makes it a little more bearable since they already hit the milestone :)
20. I am a big fan of living in an area that experiences 4 distinct seasons. I love the cool, crisp air in the fall, the beautiful falling leaves and football season. I love cold, snowy winters that include snow days and fires in the fireplace. I love seeing the flowers poke out of the ground and the warm sunshine beating on me in the spring time. I love vacations and long-hot days poolside in the summertime.
21. I had my tongue pierced during college. Clearly my rebellious stage of life.
22. One of my biggest flaws is that I continuously compare myself to others. I'm working on it everyday.
23. I am terrible at confrontation and conflict, but absolutely love watching the crazy Housewives on Bravo go at it!
    
    
24. My go-to beverage of choice is an ice cold beer. Although, I've never turned down a nice glass of red wine either.
25. I wasn't even sure I could come up with 25 things about me for this list. Cheers to that!

I'm baaaaaaack!

Wow. I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. I could come up with a million different reasons and excuses for my lack of updates, but let's be honest- it just hasn't been much of a priority lately. It's been a long, exhausting, crazy, stressful 6 months. But, I finally feel like the light is at the end of the tunnel and life is beginning to get back into some sort of routine for us. I promise to catch up on most of the big things I've neglected to share, such as our new house, but first I'll start my next full-post with something fun to re-introduce myself :) Enjoy!