Travelin' Tuesday: San Antonio

To go along with my photo albums, I thought it would be a great idea to have an electronic account of the travels we have made and potential future trips.  Since we don't travel all of the time, this series won't be every week but I like the structure of having a day for travel related posts when I write them.

I figured the best place to start would be our first trip together which was to San Antonio in August 2007.

We drove down to celebrate Chris' birthday and started our tradition of birthday trips in our relationship. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and enjoyed the fact that it was walking distance from everything that the Riverwalk had to offer.

We didn't do too much pre-planning for the activites, but had a blast on the Riverwalk cruise, at Ripley's and the wax museum. 

I surprised Chris with a little cookie cake, chocolate covered strawberries and wine to celebrate his birthday.

We stuck to the Riverwalk for our dining options which included the Hard Rock Cafe, Laundry's and Casa Rio. 

We couldn't go to San Antonio and not check out Sea World!  The lines for the attractions and rides were pretty short in the beginning of the day, but as expected grew longer around lunch time.  We took relief from the summer heat with a second spin on the water rides.

Do you have any fun destinations within driving distance of where you live?

Five For Friday

Thanks to Ali from His Birdie's Nest and Monica at C'est Law Vie for this idea.  To always appreciate the things Chris does for me, I'm going to start the Five for Friday and try and do it every week along with a favorite picture of us.

1. You brought home cold medicine when I was sick, and then exchanged it because I deal with pills better than liquid.
2. You went to throw out Gypsy's poop bag so I wouldn't have to walk in the big puddle.
3. You played Dance Central with me.  Our moves aren't great, but it's so fun to play together.
4. You didn't blame me when you started to come down with the sickness I probably gave you.
5. You told me my Visio skills were amazing.

One of the first pictures we took together

Furniture Shopping at Home

I was walking around my parents house this past weekend and noticed that there were a couple of furniture pieces I wouldn't mind sneaking away with when we move.

The first piece is found in my dad's office, which used to be my bedroom through middle and high school.  It's amazing how different the room looks with all of my 'NSYNC posters off the wall. I love the curve of the back and the legs on this chaise lounge.

Our current room actually used to be my brother's room in high school.  Mom and Dad weren't kidding when they said they were going to redo our rooms after we moved out.  I am loving the detail in the frame around the mirror above our bed.  I might be tempted to paint it another color depending on the room.  While we're at it, Chris and I have both talked about how much better we sleep on this mattress.  Guess that means it's time to finally replace our old set.

Love, love, love the lines on this chair.  I was a little jealous when my mom told me about the great deal she got on it.  Right now it's hiding out in the second guest room among other items, but I think it deserves a spot  downstairs once she completes her make over of the formal living room.

And last but not least, we have dad's old recliner.  This thing has been around for some time and is now Chris' go to when we're relaxing in the gameroom.  He has already stated that he needs a recliner for future gaming in our house. Wonder if my parents would really miss any of these pieces if they just happened to find a way onto the moving truck

Have you been into the home of a family member or friend and had the urge to make off with some of their furniture? 

CatDog?

I think Gypsy may have a few extra cat traits in her.

She is a big fan of sleeping.  It seems like she's always napping.  This of course could be because she is getting up there in age.

She likes to groom herself, for a good amount of time.  It's even at the point that she stops licking her paws and just starts licking the couch.  Do other dogs do that?

She loves milk.  How did I find this out?  I made the mistake of not drinking all of the milk out of my cereal bowl and left it on the coffee table when I ran out for errands.  When I came back all of the milk was gone.

Please drop some food scraps

She likes to jump up on the couch and walk along the back.  She loves to nestle into a spot on the top cushion (which she then weighs down).

Catdog or not, I love little Gypsy and will never forget the day I picked her up from the animal shelter, almost 6 years ago.

Do your pets have any weird habits or traits?

Putting It Towards The House

I seem to have this habit that both Chris and my mom have started to notice.  Whenever I'm given a gift card, I tend to spend it on something for the house instead of myself.

Take for example a recent trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods with mom.  We both got a couple of gift cards during the holidays and while mom was busy looking for a new suitcase, socks and a new top, I was over checking out silverware, cutting boards and food storage containers.

the new lock top containers

In all honesty, they are all things that we needed to replace.  While packing for the move I wanted to get rid of items that were well past their prime which included the cheap silverware that was starting to rust, old containers that were stained from pasta sauce, and flimsy cutting mats that were scored from countless knife stokes.  I had every intention of making the rounds over to the clothes section, but with the goal of better fitness and eating I want to hold off on buying clothes until I feel a little better about myself.  I found myself doing the same thing at Target and walked out with some new everyday plates.  I need to hold off on looking at any more home items until we get into a house and can finally unpack all of the wedding gifts that are sitting in storage.

Side note - Those storage containers above actually started a mini internal debate.  I found them half off at Home Goods, but wanted to add a couple extra to the bunch.  I found them on Amazon and spent a day debating back and forth on heading to another Home Goods or Ross to look for more or just order them at full price online.  In the end the savings of finding the 3 exact sizes that I needed in the store did not outweigh  the gas it would have cost to get there.  No tax and free shipping on Amazon? Why yes that will make the decision easier.

Anyways, back to the habit.  It's nothing new, it was around before (putting money towards the wedding instead of spending it on myself) and I'm sure it'll transition towards our children in the future.  I don't think there is anything wrong with focusing on something or someone else, but every now and then I will have to remind myself that it's OK to pick up a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for myself.

Do you find yourself putting more towards someone or something other than yourself?

2011 Photo Recap

I have to give a big thank you to Amanda over at The Fix-Its for this post.  After checking out her year in photos, I thought it would be a great tradition to start!

January

We kicked off the year sending off our wedding invites, working on DIY projects and picking out our menu for our reception.

February

We finished my beloved passport programs and received some special packages in the mail - my something borrowed earrings from Kate (Mrs. Champagne from Weddingbee) and our first wedding gift.

March

A month where I was showered with love and had an amazing night out with my friends.

April

We got married!  I also had the chance to hang out with some awesome bees in New Orleans and we headed south to San Antonio for a mini moon.

May

We honeymooned in Mexico, fell in love with all-inclusives and lived out the dream to swim with dolphins.

June

Flew to the east coast to celebrate Corinne's bachelorette weekend.

July

Found Pinterest and started to branch out in the kitchen.

August

Headed back home to Philly for Corinne's wedding and then celebrated my birthday with 24 hours in Atlantic City.

September

Discovered some local wineries.

October

Relived our childhood with Legend of the Hidden Temple Halloween costumes and dealt with car issues that resulted in a new truck.

November

Spent some time with my friends and their little ones and was thankful for the year we were having.

December

Packed up, moved out and spent the holidays with my family.

2011 was an amazing year, can't wait to see what the camera captures in 2012!

Off To A Good Start

Well something is better than nothing, right?

As the new year rolled around I knew I wanted to refocus on the fitness section of my 30 before 30 goals.  I know, I know...we all say it every year.  What is going to make this year different?  For me, I know I need to make the lifestyle change.  I've gotten to a point I'd rather not be anywhere close.

I've done it before, but the last time was almost 5 years ago.  I was living on my own and just starting the whole match.com scene.  I was able to cut back on eating out, stock up on fresh foods and work out all the time.  I lost nearly 30 pounds and was in better shape than I was in college.

Then I met this guy.

I don't blame it on him whatsoever, but all those date nights out and getting into that comfortable relationship didn't help the motivation.  And so the weight crept back.  I tired of being tired (although that probably has more to do with my low iron) and I'm ready to make the change.  Lucky for me, the whole house is in on changing for the better.  We've stocked up on fresher foods, started taking a daily vitamin, looking into better recipes and I'm feeling really motivated.  One of my goals was to work out 3-4 times a week for 2 months straight.  Weeks 1 & 2 are now down in the books.  Hopefully I reach the goal by the beginning of March and keep it going for many months after that!

What are some of your goals for the new year?

Click 366

To get in the habit of using my camera more, while testing out new techniques, I have decided to jump on the Click 366 train.

Gypsy mid yawn

I'll be uploading my daily pictures over on my new tumblr site (I've also added a tab up at the top).  I had to catch up since I didn't start until this past weekend, but from here on out I'm trying to post one every day. At the end of each month I'll share some of my favorite pictures here.

Are there any new projects that you are taking on for 2012?

A Little Bee Holiday Cheer

Look what came in the mail this weekend!

Isn't it cute?  Every year the Bees over at Weddingbee do an ornament exchange and this year the lovely Mrs. Tulip pulled my name.  Unfortunately, thanks to the USPS cutbacks which changed the mail forwarding process from the local stations to a central plant, my little bee ornament was held up until January.  But it's here now, I love it and am looking forward to hanging it on our tree in December!

Side note - there's a little taste of some of the holiday goodies I scored at 70% off.  I already have an idea for them (thanks to Pinterest) and can't wait to see it all come together later this year.