Trip to the Mountains: Navigating through the Rockies

If you didn't here the backstory on how we won a trip out to Colorado, check it out here.

The week back from our honeymoon was difficult to get through.  We had just had a whirlwind over the past few weeks with the all the craziness from the wedding and with our honeymoon to Florida.  Our apartment was overflowing with wedding gifts, suitcases and dirty clothes, leftover wedding supplies, and all kinds of mess.  There was a a big work event I had to stay late for one day, and helping put together the plans for a surprise baby shower for our friends.  So taking off that Saturday for another honeymoon was a little crazy, but kind of nice to get away from it all.

We arrived in Denver, CO in the early afternoon.  I was excited because we got to fly in the Shamu airplane!

Once there we grabbed our rental vehicle and headed out on our drive out to Devil's Thumb Ranch.

Following a map and our GPS (just in case we got lost in the mountains).  Check out that nice squiggly line we got to drive!

We waved as we passed by Denver.  I wish we had more time so that we could have spent some time there, but it was only a 4 day, 3 night trip and we were staying hours away at the ranch.

It wasn't long before we hit the mountains, which is where we spent a majority of our time driving.  We past many small cute towns that were old-fashioned and very western.

Of course it rained a bit, we have bad luck with weather and traveling, but nothing to heavy that it ruined the drive.  The ride was pretty pleasant if you don't count the crazy turns, weaving up and down mountains!

As a pit stop, we got dinner at Winter Park since we were driving right on through it.

It was such a cute little town.  The weather was just perfect, so we ate dinner out on the patio and walked around a little bit at all the fun shops.

Then we hopped back in the car for a little longer to get to Devil's Thumb Ranch

Stay tuned for more on our Colorado adventure!

Trip to the Mountains: A surprise email

I already shared with you our "official" honeymoon.  That was the one we had been planning all along, but about a month before the wedding I received an email that just blew me away.

Now, before I tell you what happened exactly I want to say that I think I entered every single wedding giveaway I could possible find.  From winning wedding dresses to Crate and Barrel's $100,000 dream wedding giveaway, I was there.  There were about a million different honeymoon trips I entered.  I hoped that winning something would help cut down costs and give us an opportunity we would not have normally had, but I NEVER thought we would win anything.

So imagine my surprise, when I got an email from mywedding.com telling me that I had won their giveaway to Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colorado.  I was completely blown away.  My stomach jumped up in my mouth for a moment there.  First I was excited, but then I became suspicious.  These things are always too good to be true.

So I looked at the email which I thought looked pretty legit.  I researched the person who sent it along with Devil's Thumb Ranch.  Everything seemed great, but I was still very hesitant to tell anyone.

I knew the website well since that is who was hosting our wedding website which we had been using all along to get information to guests and it is where all our guests RSVP'ed.  After talking with the hubby and getting advice from the parents, we decided to go forward with it and accept the trip, but still being very cautious.

They even announced our names as winners on their website,

Press Release

And featured us on their blog, delightfully engaged:

Check out the article for the whole story.

I continued e-mailing back in forth with Kara from mywedding.com, and she put me in touch with a travel agent who would book our flight and car rental, and with the concierge at the hotel who would book our spa treatments and dinners.

We decided to use the trip as a second honeymoon, since we would not have time before the wedding, and starting in August the hubby would be super busy with his season starting.  So we opted to take a long weekend a week after we got back from our Florida Honeymoon.

Although we were very nervous that the trip wasn't going to work out (which is why very few people actually knew about it), we were very excited.  I had never been to the mountains before and it would be a nice escape from reality after getting back to work for a week after being married!

Spoiler alert: It was a blast.  I will share our adventure with you soon!  Until then here is a teaser picture:

Monday Blues

At the end of the weekend you should feel refreshed, especially after a good weekend.

That is not how I feel today.  I was dreading the end of Sunday knowing that I had to be back to work today.  It is so hard feeling motivated at your job when you can see the end in sight.  Also, I have been feeling very anxious about changes possibly coming soon, and where it will take us.  My emotions are definitely getting out of control lately and today I just feel ughhhh.

To get me through the day, I just try to think of the great stuff that is going on in my life.

A beautiful weekend which I had the window open all day long, reaching highs of 87!

A fun game night with wonderful friends and yummy food.

(Not taken this weekend because I was kicking butt at Funglish)

A hard two-hour workout, the most I have done yet, and knowing I can continue to push myself farther toward my goals.

Fitting better into a pair of pants that didn't fit last summer.

A late Sunday run downtown to Yogoluv - my new obsession

Knowing that I have the most supportive and loving husband.

And looking through wedding photos all day - reminding me of how dreamy that day was, and how I get to live every day of my life with that man.

(Chris Aram Photography)

Music Friday: Plain White T's

In honor of one of my favorite band coming to Columbia next week, I got some Plain White T's loving going on today - new and old stuff!








Have a great weekend!

Letting the creative juices flow

Some days I just feel like I need a creative outlet for my energy.  My job is a desk job which is boring and monotonous and when I get home I like to do something artistic, which may be the reason I started this blog.  Even though I am not traditionally artsy in the drawing and painting sort of way, I like to think I am a pretty creative person, most of it centered around organization.  Although it may not seem like it, it takes a lot of creativity to find the perfect spot for everything and put things in their place.  You can't take me into a store without me eying the plastic storage containers.  Have you ever been to the Container Store?  For me that it like heaven in a store!  But organization is not fulfilling as a hobby.

In the past I have enjoyed scrapbooking.  However, I haven't done this in a while.  I have been having a hard time to stay motivated and inspired.  I feel like I resort to the same layouts, and it just seems boring to me.  Not to mention my supplies are not easy to access, so every time I want to scrapbook it is a mess getting everything out.  It seems to be I need to apply those organization skills to my scrapbooking stuff, but without the space it seems pointless right now.

So, what has been my creative outlet been since I stopped scrapbooking?  Well, I put all my efforts into wedding planning.  I made all the save-the-dates, invitations, programs, seating cards, table numbers, etc.  Not to mention DIY-ed flowers and planned all the decor myself.  But now it's been about 9 months since the wedding, and nothing has really filled that void.

Lately I have been pining over two major investments.  They have been put on my wish list for a while, even making an appearance on my wedding registry and my Christmas list.  Yet, they have yet to appear on my doorstep.

The first is .....

(Source)

A sewing machine!  Yeah, I know - completely random, but I so want one.  I have seen so many cute projects around that it think I could totally handle.  Some are easy, some more complicated, but it would be fun to learn how to do this -plus you can always use a sewing machine to fix hems and buttons.  Luckily for me I have a great sister who got me a sewing kit for Christmas!  So I have been using that to fix minor problems!  Still, I want the whole thing!

The first project I plan on doing is an emergency survival clutch.  I am guilty of carrying a "mom purse" with tons of stuff in it, but would love to put it all together so I can actually find it.

Check out the tutorial on TidyMom.  She made these out of potholders!

Then eventually I would love to try my hand at quilting.  I have a bunch of t-shirts I have saved from my childhood and college with the intention of making a t-shirt quilt, which I think might still be at my parents house, maybe?

Recently I saw this quilt and fell in love. I must have this!

(Source)

The second big item I have been dying for is a Digital SLR camera!

(Source)

I have been using a basic point and shoot camera forever now! Mine has even crapped out a bit (I got it for my 16th birthday) so I have taken it upon me to claim the hubby's as mine own.  It is a nice camera but I feel so one dimensional. 

I have always been drawn to photography.  It just seems so real and easier to appreciate and understand.  For a while in high school, I experimented with photography and Photoshop.  I even helped start the photography club at my school.  Since then I let it fall to the wayside, along with other things.  I would love to get back into it, and really explore it more.  Understand the basics of focusing, lenses, and lighting to make my pictures better.  Yes, I understand they are not exactly cheap, but everyone has their splurges!

So, if you are willing to donate to the Sarah needs a sewing machine and SLR camera cause, please message me for my address!  I will gladly give it to you!

Single Lady ... for two days

The past two days I have gotten a little glimpse of what life would be like if I was single.  I have never lived by myself.  Either I lived at home, in the college dorms, with friends, or with the hubby, so when I get the house all to myself for a few days it is a little weird for me.

The hubby is on his spring break and since he deals directly with students (and they are all on spring break) he didn't even need to go into work.  He went home for a few days to hang with his family and some friends.  Unfortunately I have to work and could not take off since things are getting busy in the office.

So, for the past two days I have been living by myself.  It is a lot more scary than I thought and I am glad I have never done it before!  Sometimes I get a little paranoid.  One time in high school I was home all alone in my parents house for a week, and I was so freaked out I slept with the lights on and the land line phone in my hand. Seriously, true story.  Although I wasn't that bad this time, I still scare myself a bit.  I check the locks a million times -even locking my bedroom door, I turn on as many lights as I can, take super quick showers because I feel very vulnerable in the shower, and I stay up really late because I can't fall asleep.  Also, I can't watch scary movie trailers on TV - those suckers get switched as soon as they come on.  Yeah, I am kind of crazy.

There is that crazy side of me that is scared to be alone, but then there is the liberating side that I can do whatever I want.  It doesn't matter what time I get home because no one is waiting.  I can make whatever I want for dinner, and can watch whatever TV shows I want.  I can even watch marathons of SVU with no one judging me!

(Source)

What did I do these past two days by myself?

Well, I woke up and went to work.  Then hit up the gym for class.  Grocery shopped.  Ate dinner.  Watched TV while playing mass games of bejeweled.  Talked on the phone to my sister.  Showered and slept.  What can I say, I lead an exciting life!  In my defense work takes up most of  my days and these were weekdays we are talking about.

So my verdict on this single lady business - Overrated! 

I can't wait for the hubby to come home today.  Things are so much better when he is here!  For sure!

Ohio State Fair Engagement Session

One of my favorite wedding blogs to follow is Green Wedding Shoes.  I love the style of weddings and photography they feature there.  It is just so vintage and romantic.  When I look at the photographs I just get tingly inside!  Seriously!

On Thursday they featured an engagement shoot at the Ohio State Fair and I couldn't resist showing.  I love engagement shoots that have personality and are more informal.  This is just precious.  The photographer is Christa Kimble who seems to be based out of central Ohio.  I interned with a wedding planner in Columbus, Ohio for about 6 months so I am surprised I haven't heard of her before.  I love her photos and they work she does!

Anyways on to the photos!

This shoot is just precious! Love it!