I'm a HORRIBLE blogger

So, I'm a horrible blogger.  My frequency is quarterly, at best.  

What have I been up to?  Well, I got an awesome camera for my birthday and I've been having fun taking pictures.  It's been about 15 years since I've played with my dad's SLR and getting back into the photography groove has been WONDERFUL.  Here are some of my favorite pictures:

I had to watermark my pictures, because one of them was actually poached on Flickr.  And those of you know know me will know that I despise my first name - hence, the pseudonym.  Hope you enjoy the photos - I hope to post more soon!

June & July

It's been a busy summer!  Here's what I have been up to:

• John and I had our fifth wedding anniversary!  We celebrated by having an overnight trip into Kentucky
• We had delicious ice cream at Chaney's Dairy Barn in Bowling Green, KY

• John had Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream

• I had Bourbon Crunch ice cream (YUM!)

• We continued on to Bardstown, KY - and reached our accommodations at the Rosemark Haven Bed & Breakfast

• Later that evening, we had dinner in an old tobacco barn that has been re-purposed as a wine bar and eatery:

• The next day, we toured Maker's Mark bourbon distillery and toured the caves at Mammoth Caves National Park:

• A few weeks after our lovely weekend in Kentucky, I went on vacation to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I got to practice taking pictures of fireworks and go fishing :)
• Here are my favorite fireworks photos

• Plus, I got to finally got to see the old caving grounds in Negaunee. When I was growing up, this part of town was fenced off.  Recently, parts of the caving grounds were opened up as a park.  It was eerie seeing the old house-less streets:

• On top of vacation, I've been traveling a lot for work during July.  Thus, John and I decided to have a date night.  It worked out perfectly.  I ended up getting a free, surprise dress from Rent the Runway, getting my hair cut and styled, and we tried out a new fancy steakhouse in town.  Here's the fabulous surprise dress:

Ciao-

Perfectly Southern Pecan Praline Cookies

I've been hankering to make some cookies lately.  And since I'm on vacation it was the perfect opportunity.  

As a tribute to living in the south, I decided to make Perfectly Pecan Praline Cookies.  They sounded perfectly southern.

Here's how they turned out:

I think they turned out fabulous!  They're so fancy looking - and after a taste test, they're delicious too.  I have a feeling that the hubby will really like them.

I'm looking at adding some items to my etsy shop :)  More on that soon!

Half Marathon

As you may know, I've been extremely busy training... for a half marathon.  I never thought I could be a long distance runner.  In fact, I thought (and still think) that you have to be a little crazy to want to run 13.1 miles.  I can say it was nice to zone out for a few hours and enjoy the Nashville scenery (but not its hills!).

Nonetheless, I completed the Country Music Half Marathon last Saturday.  Despite straining/spraining my ankle about 7.5 miles into the race, I completed in 2 hours 43 minutes.  Up until my injury, I was tracking to finish in about 2:25.  My goal was to complete the race - and I did that!  Here's the sweet medal to prove it:

John may think I'm crazy, but I'm already getting pumped for my next half marathon and looking for more events to do next year.  This whole experience has helped me learn that I am capable of so much more than I know.  Less than six months ago - I rarely ran more than a mile at a time.  Last week, I ran 13.1 miles - I conquered something I never thought I could do.  Now that's empowering.

a much overdue blog

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted!  John and I moved into our new home, John got a new job in Nashville (ok, technically Franklin), and I have been putting together our to-do list for the house.  And, yes, we're also still unpacking boxes and bins from the move.

Here are a few things projects I've been working on:

guest bedroom:

We had a guest room in our previous house, but it basically had a hodge podge of hand-me-down furniture and had absolutely no style.  This time around, we decided to create an office/guest room and do it my our own way.  I'm still waiting on the desk and credenza file storage unit, but here's a sneak peak:

Our first guests arrive in two weeks - hopefully the other furniture will arrive in time!

photography:

For my graduation, John bought me a fun little camera.  Nothing super fancy, but it definitely is fun to use :)  Plus, one of the trees in our yard is blossoming - so I decided to test out the new camera:

sewing:
I've decided to attempt some sewing projects.  I'm planning to make a hand bag and a reusable grocery bag.  I'm hoping my mother-in-law will coach me through one of the projects, so I can build up some confidence.  Here are my fabrics:

stay posted for upcoming blogs :)

Baby Hats Galore!

I'm long over due for a blog!  I have been busy working on my first project:  Caps for Good

Lately, I have been obsessed with crocheting baby hats.  Caps for Good is an charity that donates hats to newborns in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  It's hard to imagine that something so simple can prevent infant deaths in developing countries.

 So far, I've made 9 hats and hope to whip out several more before the late February deadline.  Hopefully, I'll be able to knit a few too.  I've been itching to knit.  My knitting needles are in Michigan - the good news: I'll be picking them up in two weeks :)

2011 : a year of new beginnings

Happy New Year!


2011 appears to be a year of new beginnings - a new home, a new job and life after finishing my MBA.  I'm hoping to have a year full of domestic fun :)


Home:
My husband and I recently moved to Tennessee, due to me accepting a job promotion.  We're really excited about living down south.  Tennessee winters are a lot nicer than the ones in Michigan!  


If everything goes to plan, we'll be in our new home in 26 days.

I'm anxious about getting back into a house.  Living in this tiny, temporary apartment has been challenging.  I'm looking forward to painting and decorating our new place, and hopefully starting a small victory garden.


I plan to blog about my new adventures - and hope you will follow along!