Red Door Spa

Ahhhhhh. Those three little words mean so much more to me after today. Today was my last official day of summer before the 2009-2010 school year commences bright and early Monday morning. And let me tell you, I enjoyed it in grand fashion!

For my 25th birthday this past May, Andy gave me a fabulous gift certificate to the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. Now, I am not a regular spa-visiting kind of gal. I have had only 1 official massage in my 25 years. I was much younger, 12? 13?, and my mom and I decided to splurge and treat ourselves to poolside massages on our vacation to Cancun, Mexico. I do get pedicures about once a month or so during the summertime... much less frequently throughout the colder months. I used to get acrylic nails filled for many years, and now that I have FINALLY grown out my real nails after 25 years of biting them, I get manicures to keep them pretty. But other than my nails, I don't really do that many "self treatments". That is until now.

Andy gifted me the signature escape spa package which included a 50 minute massage, signature manicure & pedicure, and a make-up refresher. Wow! I arrived at the spa at 8:45am, slipped into my comfy robe and slippers and awaited my fabulous day of pampering!

If you have never had a true spa experience, please treat yourself! Especially my teacher friends! I have a very strong feeling that I will be requesting gift certificates to the Red Door Spa much more frequently now that I have experienced the utmost in relaxation :) Thank you Andy!

Sweet Six

This past Friday, August 14th, officially marked me and Andy's 6 year anniversary. We have been through A LOT together in those 6 years. We began dating the summer prior to my sophomore year of college and as they say... the rest is history :) We survived 4 years of long distance as I finished both my undergraduate degree and master's program at Virginia Tech and Andy completed his undergraduate and master's programs at Clemson. 2 years ago, we finally got the opportunity to live in the same area for more than 2 months at a time! This past fall, we boldly decided we liked each other enough to move into a beautiful two-story condominium together out in Centreville, closer to both of our jobs. So far, so good! :)

Andy truly is my best friend in the whole world. No one can make me smile like he does, or make me as mad as he does sometimes! Whether I've had a great day or a terrible day, it is such a comfort to know that I have him to come home to, to vent to, and to support me. Sure we have our fair share of arguments and issues, but there is really no one else I would want to disagree with more than him :) He makes every part of MY life a little more special, a little more fun. I am truly looking forward to what the future holds for the two of us!

Michael Vick

This is quite the controversial subject, particularly today of all day's as I sit watching the Philadelphia Eagles press conference as they introduce Michael Vick to their 2009-2010 football roster. There are a lot of strong opinions out there regarding Michael Vick and all of them are very valid. My opinions on the subject may differ from others, but it is just my opinion. I neither declare that it is right or wrong, just how I feel and I believe there is never anything wrong with how a person feels. So here goes...

As a Virginia Tech Hokie, I have a bias towards all former Hokie athletes, including Michael Vick. And while it may partially be a reason that I support him it certainly is not the only reason. I agree with everyone in that his crimes were heinous, unethical, and disappointing. I fully agreed with the prison sentence, home arrest, and community service sentences. And I feel that he has successfully completed the terms of his sentencing.

With that being said, I do not support Michael Vick's prior actions. But I do fully support him being given a legitimate second chance to prove himself to not only us football fans, the common American, but to his family, friends and ultimately himself. I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and have in the past had very minimal respect for the Philadelphia Eagles organization, a divisional foe and rival to my Cowboys. I find their fans to be obnoxious and often crude, I find their players to be callous and dirty. But today, I have a new found respect for the Eagles. Any organization in the NFL willing and ready to stick their neck out to give Michael Vick, or anyone with this much controversy, a second chance deserves some respect. The media, the fans, the protesters are going to have a field-day in Philadelphia this season, no question about it. Subjecting a team, or on a larger scale an entire city to that level of scrutiny takes some guts. I believe Michael Vick deserves a second chance to correct his mistakes and turn his life around. I am glad to see the Philadelphia Eagles feel the same way.

Good luck Michael Vick. For whatever reason, you have been granted with a second chance in life. I truly hope you take full advantage of this opportunity and show with your actions, not your words, that you are a changed man. Let the comeback begin...

Here's to Football!

Here's to championship seasons, no serious injuries, lots of cheers and very few tears!

GO HOKIES!!!

GO COWBOYS!!!

Hungry!

One of my goals this summer was to try new recipes and acquire some new cooking skills. I have enjoyed searching through cookbooks and finding new delicious meals to try. Andy has certainly enjoyed my learning experiences this summer as he has gotten to be my official test-taster... although it is a slightly risky job!

As summer comes to an end and fall rapidly approaches, I am struggling to be creative! I would love some new ideas for fall dishes like delicious casseroles, easy to prep meals, and fun football snacks! Here are two cookbooks I'd like to peruse for some ideas. I absolutely LOVE the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. I currently have several and think they have some great, simple ideas for delicious dinners!

If anyone has any delicious recipes that they'd like to share, please please feel free to leave it in a comment! I'm not sure how many people actually even read this blog, but I would love some fresh ideas for in the kitchen :) Happy Almost-Fall!

A Little Attitude Adjustment

I've been having kind of a tough time since returning from my fabulous vacation to the Florida Keys (see previous post). Upon our return, I found my car battery to be dead, my car stalling at low speeds (yes, on major roadways!), and my electrical system acting crazy with my radio going in and out and the lights flickering randomly. I took it in the next day to get looked at and they told me they had to special order the parts, so to bring it back the following week. So I did, and then they told me they STILL didn't have the parts and it was backordered and they would just call me when it was in stock. Then I ordered a new US Men's National Soccer Team t-shirt that according to my email was shipped over a week ago and as of yesterday still hadn't arrived. I've also begun stressing about the upcoming school year and all my additional responsibilities as co-team leader of the kindergarten team. Not such a fun week!

So yesterday, after picking up my car for the second time with no repairs having been made, I was determined to turn my mood around! First I engaged in a little retail therapy at Fair Oaks Mall :) Then I decided to head to Home Depot and check out some plants. One of my goals for the summer was to plant some beautiful flowers on our mini-balcony at the condo. So I went in, found some great deals on plants and plant stands, and left with a mission in mind! I spent the next hour or so potting the plants and arranging them on our balcony. When I was finished, I felt great! I felt like I had accomplished one of my summer goals and made our home look a little more homey :) Andy even gave me compliments on my "gardening" skills! As I finished my gardening project, I checked outside and the shirt I ordered had finally arrived! And after venting my concerns and worries about the upcoming school year, his support and kind words made me relax. Things are looking up! Check out our newly decorated balcony :) Now, I'll just have to keep the poor plants alive... hmmm......

Before

After

Brad Paisley

Well, I got to put my cowboy boots on for the second time this summer for another fabulous evening at Nissan Pavilion. For my 25th birthday this past May, Andy got me two tickets to the Brad Paisley concert. Being the nice girlfriend I am, I of course gave him the second ticket to use and go with me :) Two of Andy's co-workers, Kevin and Carissa, also got tickets to the concert so we decided to go together! The more the merrier!

Kevin and Carissa live in a townhouse in Manassas, about 5 miles from Nissan Pavilion, where the concert was being held. So Andy and I headed out that way to pick them up and head to the concert. We had a great time tailgating and playing games before the concert. We made friends with the group in the car next to us and they joined in the fun too! Unfortunately, it started to rain pretty hard for about an hour which interrupted our tailgating fun, so we packed up and decided to play card games in the car! We had a blast and the rain ended in perfect timing for us to head in to see Brad! Yeeee haw! My boots will make one more appearance this summer at the end of August at Kenny Chesney. Until then...