30 Before 30: Prep Time

One of the last items on my 30 before 30 list involved prepping for a family.  I know you can never truly be prepared to become first time parents, but there were 3 major accomplishments that Chris and I wanted to achieve prior to trying for kids.

1. Pay off credit card debt

It's embarrassing to admit, but my credit card debt had crept up into the 5 figure range.  I always paid more than the minimum amount, but interest was eating me alive!  When we moved in with my parents I was able to really focus on the debt and knock out balance after balance until I was down to $0.  During this time period I also read up on credit scores (the blog at credit.com and the forums at myfico.com) and did regular checks of my credit reports.  Now I use my cards responsibly, making small purchases here and there (to keep the cards active) that I quickly pay off.  That hard work resulted in an 60-80 point (depending on the credit bureau) increase in my credit scores and lead us to a better rate on our mortgage.  As an added bonus, once my credit cards were paid off I was able to pay off my student loan early!

2. Graduate from UNT

Chris has worked so hard to achieve this goal of his!  After meeting him, I truly realized how fortunate I was to be able to go to a four year college straight out of high school.  Chris went to school and worked full time while earning his associates degree and now his bachelors in information technology, even making the Dean's List one semester.

Thanks UNT and USPS for bending this

We had a set back when he found out the advisors made a mistake with his transferred electives, but Chris pushed forward and accomplished what he set out to do.  I was such a proud wife, watching him cross that stage and receive that degree in August!


3. Buy a house

I know you don't need a house to have a baby, but it was a major goal for both of us.  Chris' family moved frequently growing up, and he has always wanted a house that was truly a home for him.  We are so excited to do what we want to this house and make it our family home!

And with those three goals achieved, we're excited to announce...

We have hit for a 1UP (nerdy video game reference) and can't wait to welcome our first child April 2014!

And for anyone counting back - we found out right before our trip to San Fran/Napa so I did not get to partake in all of the wine tasting.  Instead I sipped on water and a couple of these:

30 Before 30: Photobooth Smiles

As part of our wedding back in 2011, our guests enjoyed a photo booth that was set up near the bar.

The guests took home one copy of the photo strip and left the other in a box for us.

My original plan was to take the copies along with the postcards that guests signed in lieu of a guestbook and make a scrapbook, but there was always another idea in the back of my head.  Inspired by a Martha Stewart Weddings image, I decided to frame some of my favorite photo booth strips.

It was so hard to narrow it down to the final 28 that made it into the frames, but once the selections were made I split them into a frame of friends and one of relatives.

They are now hanging in the main guest room which I think is the perfect location so our visiting friends and family will be able to remember the fun times from that night!

One more item crossed off the list!

No More Work!

For my dad that is.  Yesterday we took dad out to brunch to celebrate his upcoming retirement.  My dad has worked since he came to this country, starting as a taxi driver up in New York while he was in college.

We headed over to Blue Mesa which was the scene of our rehearsal dinner before our wedding.  No one in the family (except for one happy hour for me) had been back since that weekend, so it was fun to remember that special time.

Thanks to mom who had the smarts to make reservations, we were seated quickly after arriving.  That place was packed!  After enjoying the mimsoas and brunch buffet I can understand why it's so popular.

For the many years he has put into work, I hope he can enjoy this well deserved time off!

Times, They Are A Changin'

Any other fans of the movie Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead?  I always find myself quoting that movie, especially with my brother.  Love it!

Not that surprising, as my current stage in life changes so do my interests in shopping and internet research.  Prior to getting engaged I was all about travel research.  When we were planning our wedding it was numerous stops to Michael's for paper products.  Now that we're saving for our house I find myself reading up on home renovations, watching HGTV and browsing the listings on realtor.com and trulia.com.

The other weekend my parents told me they were going to be in my area looking at new appliances so I decided to join them.  Before I would have had no interest in spending hours looking at dishwashers and refrigerators, but I was actually excited to see what is out there and make wish lists for the future.

We headed over to the Sears scratch and dent outlet where they had amazing deals on practically new appliances (some were never used and returned because they did not fit in the customer's kitchen).  Honestly, there were some that looked like they had been through a hail storm with the amount of dents.  On the other hand, there were several that only had scratches on the back side which would never be seen.  Mom & Dad fell in love with a dishwasher (the original reason for the excursion) and a new fridge (a splurge that they couldn't pass up).

Of course, things always seem to come with a story in my family.  The appliances were delivered and they hooked up everything.  Then mom noticed it wasn't their fridge!  The outside looked exactly the same, but some of the additional slide out shelves (you can see them in the top right corner of the picture above) were not there.  Mom did some more research and found that this fridge was for a Clara Williams, in stead of my dad (who's first name is William).  After a couple of calls and another day of delivery they finally had the fridge that they picked out, only to find out that it was dipping in the back because it was missing wheels.  Well long story short, Sears customer service really came through.  They delivered a brand spanking new refrigerator to my parents home.

Do you find that your shopping and internet searches change as you enter new stages in your life?

Home Cookin'

I love home cooked meals, even more so when I don't have to do the cooking!

Chris' schedule with school and work normally has him working at night and on weekends.  It sucks because it reduces the amount of dinners we have together to 2 or 3 nights a week.  Well I take that back.  It doesn't always suck, sometimes I'm all for not cooking and just doing cereal or soup for one.

Anyways, Chris had a rare Friday off after his birthday so we headed over to my parents' place to enjoy a home cooked meal (and pick up more boxes for the move).  Mom did an amazing job, as always!

Seafood Caesar Salad

A little Surf & Turf

Twice Baked Potatoes 

While we ate, Gypsy was preoccupied with a treat of her own. 

Do you get the opportunity to enjoy time with your family often?