Closing Ceremonies of Summer: Camping Adventures

Well, summer is definitely over. Sorry for the late closure.

(The car biz is non-stop! I've been too exhausted during the week to blog! Even though I'm blogging a season behind, I have moved on to Pumpkin beer, winter squash and scarves.)

Let me tell you how camping began for me.

Exactly one year before our wedding, August 2010, Ian talked me into going on a week long roadtrip/camping trip from Pittsburgh, to New York State, Boston and Acadia National Park in Maine, to Connecticut coast back to Pittsburgh.

He did all the work. He did all the planning, the packing and per my request, we deviated from tent camping one night and stayed in a nice Boston hotel.

It was truly my first real camping experience (except for Boston). I had camped in a tent overnight in about the 6th grade, and stayed in cabins for summer camp and Girl Scouts.... but this was a week long commitment in a tent!

I trusted Ian would make it OK for me and he did. The experience was far beyond my expectations.

We started our trip with our first night camping in New York (state) and then the next day we made our way to Boston where we biked all around the city to see the historical sites...

...which I don't recommend as it is not a bike friendly city. The sites are definitely walkable! Walk the Freedom Trail to see lots of historical sites in only 2.5 miles.

Next, we headed north to Maine and we hiked, biked and camped in Acadia National Park which had some of the most incredible views I have seen in my life.

We plan all of our meals for camping trips as this makes packing more efficient. We even plan a few "themed" dinners, like Mexican night! 

The trip was a huge success, except for when our marinating raw chicken spilled allover our entire cooler that held all of our drinks, lunch essentials and yogurt. If you have read prior posts of mine, you probably have caught on to my extreme fear of raw meat. Especially, raw meat juice. 

After a minor freak out, we cleaned out the cooler and washed off all of our food. Once that issue was cleared up, I moved on to my slight worry that we might be eaten by bears.

We also had to cancel our stop in Connecticut because of a huge storm. So, the end of the trip was a little rough, driving 15 hours from Acadia National Park to Pittsburgh in non-stop rain. I don't recommend this.

About a year later, and only two weeks before our wedding day, Ian talked me into going camping again. He had taken the bar exam and wanted to get away, so I decided to take a break from wedding-planning-obsessed-mode and tried to relax for a few nights up north in Traverse City. It was BEAUTIFUL there. The campgrounds have a path that leads to the beach and so we spent most of our time relaxing on the Lake Michigan sand. 

We went up there again this summer and discovered even more. The town is full of unique restaurants, boutiques, wineries and antiques. We also went on a camping trip with my parents near the Indiana Dunes, where I discovered fire dancing and moon tea.

More on that soon!

XO

Piper's One!

Piper turned one!!!

In one whole year she has managed to almost be 100% potty trained, she has learned how to sit, and she has managed to find her way into our bed every night... right between Ian and I. 

(I know... judge away... It's terrible and one of these days we are going to fix that. hehe)

Piper is extremely needy, loves her routines and her favorite spot is on the couch wrapped in a comfy blanket... just like me.

Although she listens to me and shows me affection sometimes... like when she licks my face at 6am because she has to go to the potty... Ian is her favorite. I can't really explain it, but he is.

Piper still has a bum leg, but we stretch it with her and do her doctor prescribed "water therapy" in the bath tub. I kid you not.

Although I had every intention of baking Piper doggy cake for her birthday, I got all "working mom" and decided to pick her up a frosted "diva" treat from the pet store instead. I justified it like this... we were already at the pet store... and even the treat was too big for my less-than-5-pound dog. Baking a cake that only she could eat really didn't make any sense. (#workingmomproblems)

Here are a few pics from our big bash. :)

XO!

my dirty secret: green envy

Pardon the interruption on the closing summer ceremonies. I need to call myself out.

I have green envy. Nope, I'm not talking about our landscaping this time.

I grew up green.

(I'm talking about earth-friendly kind! But unfortunately, the kissing kind too. #latebloomerproblems)

My mom is as green as they come. She uses things until they can't be used. And then she uses them a little bit longer. Accordingly, we were expected to follow her green-ery.

We saved cool whips containers, butter containers, spaghetti sauce jars, popsicle sticks...the list goes on and on.

We recycled everything. even toilet paper. juuust kidding.

But one habit my mom couldn't quite control was my extreme use of (bobby pins and) paper towels.

In my defense, I was really really busy in my teen years. For example, (let me stand on my soapbox for a sec) I balanced 3 jobs, a centerfold (careful now....) editor for the school newspaper, cheerleading, a competition show choir, various other organizations, social commitments as well as a small (depending on who you ask) case of OCD and germ phobia. (and spiders and raw meat).

I didn't have time to keep track of whether dish towels (that look like they survived a nuclear bomb) had been washed recently or not.

Paper towels or die. That was my motto to remain sane.

As I have proceeded through life, this paper towel obsession seems to have gotten worse, but I think that it's grown relative to the amount of domestic responsibilities that have increased?

Now, I am in control of dish towel washing (and replacing as necessary). I use a dish towel to dry off the dishes after they run through the dishwasher. Then it goes to the washing machine. I use a different dish towel that hangs on my oven for drying washed hands, but I can only stand to see the same one for a few days before it gets sent to the washer too.

I use paper towels when piper has accidents, cleaning up after raw meat and most food prep, and after washing my hands when dealing with raw meat, or giving piper a (salmonella filled) treat.

I use paper towels when cleaning with harsh chemicals in my shower, and even not-so-harsh chemicals cleaning the toilet and the rest of the bathroom.

I use paper towels to dry off the veggies that come out of our garden.

I'm sure I am forgetting some...

Before I show you the next picture...keep in mind that we fill our recycling bin (on the right) twice as fast as we fill our trashcan.

(drumroll please...)

You can't tell from the picture, but it is (not tightly) filled 3/4 of the way with paper towels (and some onion peels and tomato cores..wait until you see what I have been cooking up!). We go through a huge sam's club pack of paper towels once a month.

Do you have any ideas to help me wean myself off?!

I should probably just trust that my washing machine could handle cleaning dish towels and rags with chemicals and dirt... and salmonella, right?

free-me-from-this!
XO

Closing Ceremonies of Summer: complaints and cocktails

So long summer.

Growing up, my friend Emily alway said her favorite season was fall. I thought she was crazy. sorry Em. (She really, really likes fall... her birthday, her husbands birthday, her wedding anniversary and her son's birthday!!!)

Summer was my favorite. We had summers off... sort of. I worked. a lot. But, I always managed to find time for pool parties, movies and going to the mall with friends. Summer seemed relaxing.

Now, the summer is filled with the same full time work schedule as the rest of the year, except jam packed with weddings, showers, family events, and weekend trips. During the week we to try to cram cleaning, chores, paying bills and yard work between sleeping and working, and then almost every weekend we are off on another adventure. poor me, right?

And, is it just me or are summers getting hotter? There have been very few weekends that it has been bearable to sit out in the sun (with sunscreen of course)!

camping in Traverse City

(It was a little cooler in Traverse City, which is why we are bundled up in the above photo. More on Traverse city soon...)

This post is one big complaint so far, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY thankful for the invitations to weddings and showers. I am SO thankful for the weekend trips away camping or visiting friends and family. I really am. I wouldn't have it any other way! But, now that things are winding down, I am beyond exhausted.

Summer has been good to us in so many ways, but it also has been a tad stressful. I changed jobs, and my commute is done-zo (thank goodness!). However, with a new job comes a learning curve. I'm trying to learn all the car lingo as fast as I can... and it goes a little like this... power stroke, dually, bearing and bed liners.

Also, Piper, our little yorkie friend, has kept us on our toes. Piper is finally communicating better about telling us when she has to potty. (yay!) However, Piper had an accident and she dislocated her knee. The animal hospital that was referred to us wanted to charge $2500. Luckily, we shopped around and found a closer hospital that charged about $700. phew. She is healing, but we have been assigned some stretches to do with her so she will start using her leg again. She is getting around very well on 3 legs though!

pre-surgery

Lastly, we had a little health scare. Everything turned out to be OK. But the roller coaster continued when we were improperly billed a very large sum of money from the hospital.

Needless to say, I am ready for fall. Emily, you weren't crazy. I get it. 

I'm ready for the colder weather. (Especially, now that I am not commuting in the snow!) I'm ready to bundle up, and snuggle on the couch with Piper and Ian. I'm ready for the good shows to start up again on TV. I'm ready for butternut squash soup and pumpkin everything.

I know Piper accidents and health scares can happen any season, but things will slow down. We only have two weekends planned out for this month, a weekend in Indy and a weekend in Chicago. How wonderful.

Wow, if you are still reading, this didn't seem much like a ceremony, did it? I am going to do my closing ceremony in a few posts, because I had a full summer of events that needs to be properly over-shared.

To begin the ceremony, if you are under the age of 21, pop open a bottle of sparking white grape juice and enjoy!

If you are over the age of 21, you can continue reading.

Inspired a wonderful raspberry champagne drink I had enjoyed at lunch with friends in Carmel, IN in early summer, I decided to look up how to re-create it for a party we were planning. I looked it up and was delighted to find that the drink was one of Oprah's (my bff) favorite things.

It's a tough recipe. (jk)

All you need is chilled Champagne and Chambord (raspberry liquor).

I didn't follow Oprah's recipe, because although I'm a perfectionist, I'm also impatient. Why take the time to measure? I just poured a little bit of Chambord in the flute, filled the rest with Champagne, stir and throw a raspberry in.

(shallow bonus: the drink matches my dining room. hehe.)

If you prefer sweet drinks, then use a bottle of sweet sparkling wine. If you prefer a more tart drink, use Champagne that says Brut, Extra dry or Dry (here is a cheat sheet for Champagne).

Also, we forgot raspberries the day of the party, but I realized I had a bag of mixed berries in our freezer. I used the raspberries out of the bag and it worked out great, and kept the drink chilled longer!

Well, that's it for now. Hoping to join you again soon with some camping tips, weekend trips, and some other fun summer things.

XO

Happy Wedding Anniversary: One Year!

Photo by Lucy Hewett

On August 19th, Ian and I celebrated our one year anniversary.

We made it! (Unlike our August celebrity spotlight stealer Kim Kardashian.) 

I can't believe this wonderful day happened one year ago. In some ways this year has flown, but in some ways it's hard to believe it's only been a year because we have done so much!

Photo by Lucy Hewett

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in wedding obsessed  mode, decorating candy jars and candy bags, planning the table settings, and tying ribbons around...everything...

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Photo by Lucy Hewett

Is it just me, or did my wedding cake taste better after being frozen for a year?

(before)

Photo by Lucy Hewett

(after - I squished the top layer in a Pyrex container for our anniversary! PS - why did we keep the ribbon on it?!)

One year of marriage is really something to celebrate! Whoo hoo! We have heard it's the hardest year... boy if that's true, then I don't think it was so bad! It was actually pretty good. Sure, we have really really gotten to know each other better.... the good and the almost good.

On an almost good note, kudos to me for keeping my OCD tendencies under wraps for over five years of knowing Ian. (high five) Recently, and very innocently (and calmly), Ian mentioned that I might have OCD.... (after I asked him to wash his hands for probably the 50th time that week. Ya, think Ian? In my defense, it revolved around raw meat prep and camping!) 

And I have learned to make room, and have patience for his spicy condiment addiction... this is almost all of them... 

But it's true, the really good completely outweighs the almost good. It's so fun and such a special thing to be able to share my life with my best friend. Here are some photos to recap some of the events of this amazing year (not completely in order):

 We had five weddings between our wedding and our anniversary! 

Our friends Emily and Aaron Reddington had their first child, a son, Quinn!  I have his photos below. This year was full of first born babies including: Matt and Jaaci Carr had a little girl, Raymi. Kevin and Julie McCann had a little girl, Ava. Ryan and Krista Robinson had a little boy, Briggs. Jason and Kristin Henney had a little boy, Jackson.

from Emily's blog http://thereddingtonfamily.blogspot.com

from Emily's blog http://thereddingtonfamily.blogspot.com

Ian and I got our own little baby, but furry. Piper.

We hosted Christmas in Defiance for both sides of our immediate family.

New Year's Eve in Chicago (with my brother Sean & cousin Sammie and our significant others)

Ian was there too, you heard that story here.

I joined a community choir in the spring.

Went to my first Michigan game with Ian. (Go IU!)

Weekends in Indy with friends!

And let's not forget about a cruise, and lots of house stuff. 

And a whole summer of events I still need to recap, but I'll save that for next week... 
the closing ceremony of summer.

Cheers to love and memories!

xo

In Memory of Marcella

Just a little over a year ago, on August 14th, 2011, I lost a very important woman in my life. My grandma. 

My mémère.

It was 5 days before my wedding, Ian and I made a last minute trip to Indianapolis so I could help my little sister Sydney get ready for her middle school cheerleading tryouts. I spent Saturday practicing with Sydney, and then on Sunday morning we visited my grandma. At this point in her illness, we had already determined she wouldn't be traveling to the wedding, but she was very tuned into the the whole event and we were planning on sharing the video footage with her. 

That sunday after we said goodbye, she passed away a few hours later. Looking back on our conversations, I didn't realize it at the time, but she knew. She was saying goodbye, for now. 

Although she had told us she was grateful for her full life, selfishly, I wanted more time with her. Her last months were filled with pain medicine and pain due to lung cancer. In our last conversation, she was telling us passionately that we needed to get another family member to stop smoking. She didn't want anyone else to bear the pain she had endured in her last days and months. Not to mention the burden of having her daughters take turns taking care of her 24 hours a day for the last couple months.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking, I fully and completely understand it will be one of the hardest things you will do in your entire life. please do it. quit.

I smoked for a little over a year. I hate to admit it. A stressful year... the start of my career and a move out of state...I was weak.... and I took social smoking my last year of college and it turned into a bad habit. Even though I only smoked for a year, quitting was much more difficult than I had ever thought it could be. I weaned myself off, starting with one a day, to one a week, to one a month. 

It's been 4 years and I still get cravings on stressful days. Can you believe that? I smoked for ONE year. It is FOUR years later and I still get cravings a few times a year.

But the cravings can kiss it. After watching my grandma go through that, and also losing a great Aunt to lung cancer, it's not worth it. 

I didn't want this to turn into a non-smoking ad. I'm sorry. But while I'm at it, just remember addiction is a very selfish disease. It affects you and the ones you love. I understand the information available to us today, was not available once upon a time. So, be thankful for our information and try to do something about it, please.

Marcella Harper - November 6, 1939 - August 14, 2011

She was beautiful inside and out.

She was fashionable.

...and full of sass.

She was a wonderful mother to my mom.

She was a fabulous grandmother. (that's me on the far left with my cousin Lindsay)

did I mention fashionable?

This was about 6 months before she passed. (My sisters and I with her.)

I miss you Mémère.

Love always, Savanna