Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Dinner at Gumbo's 3/27/2012

Happy 2nd Anniversary!  This time last year I was pregnant and due in 2 weeks.  Now we have a beautiful family of 5 with the addition of my first child, Ryland.  Looking forward to new adventures and many more wonderful years together!  xoxo

3/27/2010

10/1/2011

1 Year Anniversary!

This past weekend was our 1 year anniversary (well, actually on Sunday 3/27).  How time flies!?  I can't believe it's been a year already, and an active year at that!  After our wedding we went on our honeymoon, sold my house, bought a new house, threw several house parties (housewarming, Halloween, NYE, BBQs), hosted Christmas for both families and became pregnant!  I'd say we were pretty darn busy.  :D

To celebrate we engaged in a weekend of our favorite foods.  Friday night we hung out at Pluckers with some friends.  Saturday we enjoyed a romantic dinner at our beloved Tree House Grill followed by drinks on the rooftop of Hangar Lounge downtown (water for me).  You can imagine the looks I received from some of the women as I walked into the bar at 37 weeks pregnant.  :-Þ  That's right, rocking my baby bump!  Sunday we feasted on crawfish at Sam's Boat and watched some March Madness games.  As a special treat I ordered a cake from the same lady who made our wedding cake a year ago.  The cake was awesome and tasted just like our wedding cake, super moist tres leches with ivory butter cream frosting and a purple #1.  Heaven!

Happy Anniversary Hubby!

Dinner at Tree House Grill 3/26/2011

Rooftop of Hangar Lounge 3/26/2011

Happy 1 Year Anniversary! 3/27/2011

Finally I have a bike!

Malek and the kids surprised me with an early birthday gift when I arrived home from work today.  A new bike!  I've been wanting one for years!  The last time I had a bike was in college.  It really didn't survive the harsh MI winters, I rode it all over campus and even though the snow.  The poor thing was rusted out and was never the same, even after trying to fix it up.  So I donated it to Goodwill.  Now I can finally go for relaxing weekend rides and biking with the family around the neighborhood.  Granted I'll probably only be able to ride for a month or so since I'm pregnant and balance will become an issue.  ;-)  I can't wait to put a baby seat on it and go for a ride just like my mom used to do with me.

This also happens to complete #27 (buy a bike) on my slightly expired 101 list.  :D

Here are some stats on my new bike:

• Schwinn Suburban Sport 26" Men's comfort bike in RED - cruiser
• Perfect for riding around town or light trail usage, this bicycle is for all-around transportation
• Aluminum comfort frame with SR M2000 suspension fork
• Adjustable comfort stem and suspension seat post
• Comfort-tuned saddle
• Shimano rear derailleur with 21-speed SRAM grip shift
• Alloy linear pull brakes
• Rustproof 36-hole alloy rims 
• The 68° seat angle combines with the 80mm-rise handlebars to take the strain off of your lower back

Time's up! - the 101 recap

Over all I think I did a pretty good job completing my 101 items.  :)

My time expired Aug 13th, 2010.

Finished 80/101 + 8 from supplemental list = That's over 80%!

  

Unfinished 101 list:
15. Cook at least one home meal(s) a week [i.e. eat out less] (103/143)

16. Actually use my bathtub and soak in a warm bath at least once a quarter. (2/11) - definitely should have done this more!
22. Go downhill snow skiing
23. Go camping at least once a year (2/3) - oh so close!
27. Buy a new bike
31. Go snowboarding for the first time
32. Ride in a hot air balloon
35. Hit golf balls at a driving range (practice practice practice)
38. Move all my pictures from Webshots to a better online digital service website (snapfish?).
42. Actually use the teeth whitening kit I got 3 yrs ago - I did this for a short time before the wedding....and haven't touched it since.
45. Keep weight under (private) lbs -  fluctuates ~5lbs
46. Learn to change a tire and basic car maintenance - ha, didn't even try this one...
53. Stay at a B&B in Fredericksburg
56. Drive a motorcycle
57. Do more things with my hair besides a ponytail
59. Floss more
63. Attend Oktoberfest in TX
69. Take a sewing machine class
86. Play Frisbee golf again
93. Attend a sing a long at the Alamo
98. Watch some movies off the AFI Greatest Movies list - I have seen movies off this list..just not any during my 101 time frame.

Unfinished Supplemental List

102. Use the raclette my parents bought me 3 yrs ago - fail...maybe this xmas??
103. Start a bi-monthly rotating dinner club (home cooked meals)
107. Send a random gift to a friend

Completed!:
1. Become a homeowner! (Closed 12/14/07)
2. Supervise my parents and help paint my new bedroom and bathroom (Done! 12/18/07)
3. Play paintball (Done! 11/16/2007)
4. Decorate my new house (Done! 12/30/07)
5. Buy new wine glasses (Done! Dec 2007)
6. Plant trees in back yard (Crape myrtles) (April 2010, planted 2 in backyard 5/20/2010)
7. Pack up all my stuff in the apt for the move (100% 12/18/07)
8. Unpack my stuff in the new house (Done! 12/24/07)
9. Buy Christmas lights for the house (Done! 11/29/09)
10. Use my stand mixer (Done! Dec 2008)
11. Buy energy efficient light bulbs (Done! 12/17/07)
12. Buy a lawnmower (Done! 3/17/2008)
13. Buy a weed wacker / edger (Done! 6/27/09)
14. Meet my new neighbors (12/19/07, IP)
17. Use my hot tub at the new house (Done! 3/24/08)
18. Have a house warming party (Done! 4/18/08)  - hosted 2 during this time frame!
19. Clean out my pantry (Done! Dec 2007)
20. Set up a recycling system in my home (Enrolled! 12/6/2007)
21. Use my fireplace (Done! 3/6/2008)
24. Run a 5 miler (I've run the Cap 10K which is 6.2 miles)
25. Join a co-ed sports team (Done! 1/30/08)
26. Try a yoga class / tape (Done! 2/17/09)
28. Compete in a Triathlon. Changed to join a Boot Camp (Done! 12/1/2009-1/28/2010)
29. Get back into a cardio step class (started 12/12/07)
30. Beat my Capitol 10K PR [57:39] (Done! 3/30/2008 [55:34])
33. Fire a gun at a shooting range (Done! 2/10/08)
34. Put my golf lessons to work and actually play 9 or 18 holes (Done! 5/15/09)
36. Go to the Circus! (Done! 8/22/09)
37. Join Dictionary.com Word of the Day Mailing List to help build up my vocabulary (Done! 11/20/07)
39. Print off a photo book of my online pictures. Use Webshots or blurb or picaboo?? (created and ordered our engagement books from shutterfly 12/15/09)

40. Read more than just fiction novels/books, or read in general! (IP) - ongoing success!
41. Clean out closets and donate clothes to charity at least once a year (4/3) (Done! 1/11/2010)
43. Make a new friend outside of my normal circles (ongoing)
44. Work out at least 3x's a week [IP] (holidays and vacations permitting) - ongoing success! 
47. Finish this list! (Done! 11/20/07)

48. Take a vacation to Hawaii or somewhere outside the US (Done! Alaska July 2009)
49. Go to a winery in TX or do a wine tour (Done! 11/14/09, Mandola Winery)
50. Take a girls trip (Done! 11/14/09, Wimberly ziplines, winery, road trip)
51. Visit JK in Houston (Done! 12/6/2008)
52. Take a road trip (Done! - Trip to IN/MI from 6/5-6/12/2010
54. Go to the beach (Done! Beach in Mazatlan MX 3/29-4/3/2010)
55. Go somewhere new in the US (Done! - My Alaska trip counts!
58. Get an electric tooth brush (advised by my dentist) (Done! Dec 2007)
60. Volunteer for a good cause (Done! 12/4/2007)
61. Spend more time outside (Done! 4/14/08 and ongoing)
62. Attend Wurstfest in TX (Done! 11/8/2008)
64. Start using anti-aging creams [ongoing]
65. Eat out somewhere new (a nice restaurant like Jazz, Truluck's, etc) [IP] (Boiling Pot 4/28/08, Truluck's 2/16/09, NoRTH 6/8/09, Louie's 106 9/4/09, Fogo de Chao 12/9/09, Roaring Fork 1/22/10)
66. Set up my new computer and figure out how to transfer all the files (Done! Dec 2007)
67. Set up the monkey speakers for my computer that I bought 4 months ago! (Done! Dec 2007)
68. Update the music on my mp3 player (Done! 6/11/2008)
70. Buy a sewing machine (My mom gave me her sewing machine in March 2010)
71. Wear more dresses / skirts (34/?) (Going strong!)
72. Get new sleepwear (Dec 2007)
73. Make time for another professional massage (Done! 3/30/2010)
74. Find a new job/role at work (Jan/Feb 2009)
75. Achieve the next level at work (Success! March/April 2010)
76. Go to a concert in town (Done! 4/28/2008)
77. Go see a band in town (Done! 11/20/07)
78. See an orchestra (Done! 12/26/07)
79. See a play (Done! 8/25/09) - Wicked!
80. Encourage someone else to do 101 in 1001 (Done! 6/27/2008)
81. Donate blood at least 3x’s a year (9/9) (Received points for trying on my last donation 6/23/2010, Done!)

82. Go on a picnic (Done! 8/15/2010)

83. Enjoy a candlelit dinner (Done! Dec 2008)

84. Swim in Barton Spring Pool (Done! 8/15/2010)
85. Ascend all 99 steps to the top of Mt. Bonnell (Done! 12/13/09)

87. Run around Town Lake again on the weekend (Done! as of March 2008, IP)
88. Go horseback riding again (haven’t been in over 6 yrs) (Done! At Pokagon 6/7/2010)
89. Have a stein-full of brew from Scholz Garten-Texas' oldest German Bier garten. (Done! 8/30/2008)
90. Have a beignet from Crescent City Beignets (The bakery closed down in 2008, unable to complete 12/13/09)
91. Buy a new belt buckle (Done! 11/18/2008)
92. Buy a new pair of black everyday sandals (Done! 6/1/2008)
94. Work with Guinness on his SA (N/A)  - RIP Guinness, you were a great dog! I love you and miss you.
95. Buy a dog run for the backyard or put in a dog trolley (N/A)
96. Take Sarah on a run with me (IP, Jan 2009)
97. Adventures/exercise for Sarah (ongoing)
99. Send out Christmas cards at least once during this time period (Done! Ordered 11/19/09)
100. Attend an MSU basketball game (planned for Dec 2009) (Done! 12/22/09)
101. Blog about this list! - definitely on top of this!

Completed Supplemental List
104. Write a Will (Done! 5/14/2010)
105. Take a painting class ** changed (from photography) ** (Done! 2/12/2010, Painting with a Twist)
106. Have a girls weekend (same as #50..so scratching it off the list)
108. Go to a rodeo (Done! 3/3/2008)
109. Buy a new vacuum (Done! 7/26/2008)
110. Buy a grill (Done! 8/7/08)
111. Home Theater System (Done! Dec 2008)
112. Challenge myself - Go to the movies by myself (Done! 10/2/2008)
113. Have a cookie from Austin Cookie Lounge (replaces #90, another one bites the dust...apparently it closed)

T-1 day

Since the housewarming party 2 weekend ago, we've done NOTHING.  And it's been great!  We've been so busy with projects for the house that now we just want to sit back and relax. 

We decided to take the day off from work today and hang out with the kids.  We plan on going to lunch, ice skating..and maybe a movie!

So much for my list, I doubt we could fit the rest of my 101 items in before tomorrow.  :-P

House Unveiling Party

We did it!  3 months after moving into our new house, 2 months of projects, 1 month Evite notice and what seemed like a gazillion purchases....we finally had the big unveiling of our home.  For the party I had a snack menu prepared of my favorite food staples, but after relentless teasing from 2 of my closest friends (who shall remain nameless - A&J!), I switched it up.  We prepared a wonderful spread of Tex-Mex themed apps including a nacho bar with all the fixin's, queso, taquitos, 7 layer bean dip (that I made myself) and home-made Mexican Wedding cookies.  And to really top it off we rented a MARGARITA machine!  Everything went off without a hitch and we had a great time sharing our home with all our friends, family and co-workers.  Surprisingly I only took 5 pictures during the party.  I know!...so unlike me!  I was having too good a time to mess with the camera.  ;-)

I must say all our hard work really paid off!  We received numerous compliments on our home.  HUGE kudos to my friend Jennifer R for all her decorating advice and to my awesome husband for all the manual labor he had to endure.  LUV you guys!  I had the easy job of shopping for everything and supervising.  :-D

Here's a list of all the home projects we completed before the party:

• raised vanity in the master bath and a cabinet installed over the 'throne'
• raised vanity in the kids bath, added double sinks, and cabinet over the commode
• installed a cabinet above the powder bath commode as well
• new curtains and hardware for the living, dining and breakfast nook areas
• new curtains and hardware for both kids rooms
• new bedding (comforters/sheets/pillows) for both kids rooms (Thanks Nana!)
• new 55" flat screen TV for the living room (AWESOME!)
• hired professional painters to paint the living room/hallways/entry in Sand Nile (khaki/green), kitchen/breakfast nook in Cherry Cobbler (red), and the dining room in Aster (light purple).  There was NO WAY we were painting those 2 story high walls in the living room ourselves.
• laid down edging for the front flowerbed
• planted 6 new trees in the backyard
• hung rope lights on the back porch (mood lighting!)
• sealed the tile in the bathrooms (still need to seal the kitchen/entry/living rm areas)
• stained the fence (this was actually done the day after the housewarming party)  ;-)
• new rug for breakfast nook
• several new wall decor pieces, decorative couch pillows and various other items throughout the house
• new his and her L-desks for the study and matching bookcase
• several new frames for all our engagement/wedding/family pictures
• installed new fans for the study & kids room and bought a nicer fan for the living room (which we still need to install, old fan will go to the guest room)

And of course what you've all been waiting for - the pictures of our home!

by cfreund

Odds & Ends

#15 – Home cooked meals  (98/143).   I made breakfast on Sunday (sausage patties, biscuits, coffee) and spinach ravioli last night.  Granted these are 2 very easy things to make..and all I really had to do was defrost them...but darn it I'm still claiming them because we ate at home and stove top flames were involved.  :-D

Malek and I have been spending A LOT of time (and $$) on our house in preparation for our house-warming party.  I must say I'm super excited on the progress we've made.    My wonderful friend Jenn R sent me free decorating ideas and let me use her designer discounts (she's an interior decorator), and I MUST say she's EXCELLENT!  I LOVE everything she's suggested and the 1st floor of our home looks spectacular!  I can't wait to show it off to our friends and family.  I don't want to spill the beans yet on everything we've done (I'll blog about all our house projects after the party), but I must say it's been extremely entertaining listening to Malek hang curtains.  ;-)  We have yet to tackle the game room...right now it's a hodgepodge of all our miscellaneous furniture.  Unfortunately that project will have to wait until next year.

#44 - Work out 3x's a week (IP).  Still going strong!  I run 2x's a week in the mornings, and have been going to the gym on the other days for weights and elliptical.  Plus I'm still playing volleyball.  Softball has been put on the back burner since I took a nice line drive to the chin.  Ouch! 

#45 - Weight management (IP).  I managed to lose ~10 lbs for the wedding and have since been maintaining.  It fluctuates a little, but I'm happy where my weight has come to rest.  I feel GREAT!  I'm happy with my body and my life.   

#16 - Bathtub time.  Major FAILURE.  I guess I'm just a shower girl.  We have this great jacuzzi tub in the new house and we still haven't touched it!   I did chill some of our wedding champagne so we could enjoy the bubbly while taking a bubble bath...alas the champagne is still sitting there forlorn in the fridge. 

Can you tell I had fun with the smiley faces today?

2 years together

Just realized today that as of June 1st (2008) Malek and I have been together for 2 years!  Luv you baby! <3

First "official" Date: 6/20/2008 - At Tree House Grill. We love that place!
Engagement Date: 9/12/2009 - Malek proposed during our weekend getaway to San Antonio.
Wedding Date: 3/27/2010 - Woohoo!

Deferred! :-<

#81 - Donate blood at least 3x’s a year (8/9)

Deferred for a year! Dang!  And I was only one donation away from reaching my goal (my 101 expires in Aug this year).  Malek and I both tried to donate blood over lunch, and we were doing fine until we hit the question "Have you gone outside the US in the past 3 years?"  I had been deferred once before when I went to Costa Rica, but we had checked on Mazatlan before we left for our honeymoon and thought we were OK.  Well, we were only OK if we didn't leave the resort/coast.  During our honeymoon we went on a tequila tour located about an hour outside of Mazatlan (away from the coast)...AND which apparently happened to be in a malaria-risk area!  We won't be able to donate again until April 2011.  :-( 

Even though we couldn't donate, we did try, I think we should get points for that.  +1!!!! (9/9)

Remember those Crape Myrtles? (#6)

Well, now I feel like this has been officially scratched off!  Our new house came with a crape myrtle, but 'we' didn't plant it (I felt like I skimped on item #6).  We had talked about planting more trees in our backyard once we moved in and so a couple of weeks ago Malek bought 6 new trees - 2 of them are crape myrtles!!  Malek (yes him, not me...too much work digging holes) has already planted 3 of them and plans to take care of the rest this week/end.  Nice!

#104 - Write my Will!

My employer offers its employees a free basic Will and I finally decided to take action, especially with all the recent changes (new house, marriage, etc).  So last Friday I went to Hyatt in RR and signed my Last Will and Testament.  Now just gotta get my hubby's Will squared away. :-)

Updates

Not really much to report...

Still organizing the house (study and pantry).
We have hosted a couple of lunch/dinners at the house with family.
I am running 2x's a week plus playing softball and volleyball. Go exercise! (#44)
Oh, and I get my new vehicle today...the Routan!
AND I'm LOVING my new job!!!!  Just what I needed to rejuvenate myself at work.

#15 - home made meals (91/143). I made my favorite pasta last night for Sara & Dana and the kids.  Even wrapped the shrimp in bacon w/ jalapenos!  Yummy.  The pasta has all kinds of veggies in it as well as my fav sauce, sun-dried tomato basil alfredo.

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Boxes boxes too many boxes!

Goodness, we've been in the house a week and boxes are running rampant!  The garage is stuffed to capacity with items from storage and all our moving boxes.  However, the house is starting to look like a home!  The inside is close to being finished (woohoo!)....the garage is another story (ugh)...

Hopefully I'll be able to take pictures of the finished product next weekend.

Legally a Malek :-)

Yup, that's right, I have updated all my info (well, except my passport...but that one can wait)!

Instead of unpacking Wednesday morning, I decided to update my SS and DL.  ;-)  I went to the Georgetown offices, since those are usually less busy.  I only had to wait 40 mins at the SS office and 30 mins at the DL office.  Not bad!  I should receive them in the mail in about 2 weeks. 

This morning was spent updating all my accounts, credit cards, work, websites, etc with my new name and address.  Surprisingly it went very smoothly.  

We've moved!

Woohoo!  We are finally in the new house.  :-D  After almost a 2 week delay, we closed on both houses on Tuesday and had to moved the same day!  It was exhausting, but we got it all done.

Our day started at 7am with last min packing, we closed on the Ranier home at 11am, then Malek let the movers in at noon while I did a last walk-thru of the new home.  Then it was back to the Title Co at 12:30pm, and signing was finally completed around 2:15pm.  Whew!  After that we went back to the old house to finish packing up everything and instructing the movers.  They finally finished unloading at the new house at 12:15am, had to make 2 trips between houses!!  We hit the sack around 1am.

We took Wed off work as well to do some unpacking.  It's going to take a while to get the house in order.  At the moment the kitchen is in complete disarray.  I absolutely hate packing/unpacking a kitchen...I have no clue where to put anything!

Last night we stopped unpacking around 9pm to celebrate our new house.  With a bottle of champagne and a cake, we toasted to our new life and home!

New life full of changes

There are a lot of changing going on in my life this year.  Apparently this is the year I'm taking on EVERYTHING!  Bring it on 2010!

• Planned a wedding and got married (3/27/2010)


• Honeymoon!!!!


• Selling my house


• Buying a new home (which has a crape myrtle #6!!!)


• New job at work (#75)


• New car - minivan!

In January, Malek and I decided we needed to look for a bigger house.  Since we were getting married and combining families and hoping to expand...we definitely needed a larger home.  We listed my house in February, and it was only on the market about a month before getting an offer!  It worked out well because right at that same time we found a house we fell in love with that was almost finished being built.  Once we had the offer on my house, we put an offer in on the Gehan home.  We are scheduled to close on both houses in April.  The new house is GREAT!  2 stories, 2875 sqft, HUGE lot with 4 bdrms, a game room, study, dining room and covered back patio.  Our plan is to stay in this house for the next 15-20yrs...maybe even for the rest of our lives.  :-)  I loath packing and moving and hope we won't have to do it again after this move.

Our wedding was in March, which I talked about in previous blogs.  Everything turned out beautifully, I couldn't have asked for more.  Perfect day, perfect weather, perfect family.  And the honeymoon in Mazatlan was great!  Even came back with a tan despite wearing 30 spf everyday. 

Also in January I decided to interview for a new position at work, which would be the next level up/promo. I interviewed with a panel of 3 people and went up against 8-10 people for the role.  I had no clue if I was a sure candidate or not, the competition was tough.  I received wonderful feedback after my interviews, apparently I blew them all away!  All my prep work had paid off (Thanks Jenn & mom for the tips!)...but they still didn't know who they were going to choose, I just knew I was in the top picks.  Finally almost 2 months later they made their decision, and I GOT THE JOB!  I was thrilled, happy, nervous......you name it I felt it.  I had been in the same role for almost 4 years and was ready for a change and challenge.  I finally earned it!  I started my new job when I returned from the honeymoon.  This is my first week in my new role.  :-D

Another change this year is the new car I'm getting through my dad at VW.  Yup, that's right, a minivan!  I am getting the Routan.  My friends think this is hilarious...so does my husband.  I was supposed to get a Tiguan but that fell through, and since we are taking a family road trip to MI in June to go camping with my mom and dad...the Routan seemed like a good fit.  We needed the room...and the DVD player for the kids on long trips.  I guess this will be good practice for later ;-)