Happies & Crappies 2/14

Thank goodness it's Friday again!  Not only is it my favorite day of the week, but it's also time to link up with Amber and Steph for Happies & Crappies!

Happies
~Scott and I went grocery shopping yesterday!  We have tons of food, and it feels good to know we can have just about anything we want to make!
~There are a few odds and ends we didn't pick up yesterday, but Scott is going to stop at the grocery store on his way home from work to get them!
~It's Valentine's Day, and our marriage anniversary is tomorrow!  :)  We don't typically do anything special, but it's just nice that these days are here.  I am blessed to have a marriage anniversary (in February) and a wedding anniversary (in August).  Since there are so many new people around here, please check out our love story.  A year ago today (and tomorrow), I wrote post explaing why I get to have both!  Our Story and Our Story Part 2

~I have a new sponsor on my sidebar!  Stop by and say, "Hi!" to my friend Kristin from Life's an Adventure!
Crappies
~There is SO. MUCH. SNOW.  It's supposed to snow more tonight.
~I got my car stuck trying to pull into my parking space in front of my house.  I had to shovel myself out, and THEN I had to shovel snow out of the way to actually get into my spot.  <sarcasm>Thanks so much to the borough for plowing my space after I went to work.<end: sarcasm>
~My arms and back hurt from all of that shoveling.
~My students really got on my nerves today.  We had our Valentine's Day party, and truthfully, those 6th graders had worse behavior than my first graders EVER did at their parties.  Sheesh.

Sweetheart Swap Reveal

Back in January, I signed up for another swap!  Swaps are so fun to do!  You get to "meet" and know another blogger, and then you get a box of awesome goodies!

A big thanks to Kristin and Meg for hosting!

I was paired up with Celia from the Houck Diaries.  It's been great getting to know her through all of our social media sites!

These photos were actually taken with my iPhone 4S, and they don't look terrible! :)



 

Loved the pretty tissue paper, and the cute card!

 

I got such great gifts in my package!!  I'm sure you'll all be surprised to know that I did NOT immediately devour that Reese's heart.  I'm saving it for this weekend.  :)

 

There's also a yummy smelling candle in vanilla biscotti, a cute "love" mug from Pier I, this adorable little note pad with birds on the front (they each have a speech bubble that says "tweet"), and this great pad for meal planning!

 

Celia was certainly doing her research on me.  She totally hit the nail on the head with everything in my box, and she even worked in some purple with that tissue paper!  :)

 

The funniest part is that she included that meal planning sheet in my package that was mailed DAYS before I posted this tweet:

 

I NEED to start #mealplanning. When I don't, I eat a bunch of crap & am not satisfied. Life is too short to not have a meal you love! 😌
— Becky D (@rebeckann2) February 7, 2014

She must have been reading my mind.  Scott and I desperately need to go grocery shopping.  I'm not sure how we always end up doing this to ourselves.  We somehow end up waiting until we have practically no food before we go.  It's something we like doing together, and inevitably, we always need to go on a weekend when Scott is working.  :-p  ANYWAY, I'll be certain to start using this right away!

Thanks for all of my awesome goodies, Celia!! :)

Have you ever participated in a swap before?  What's the best gift you've ever gotten in a swap?

I'm also linking up today for Live & Learn Thursday because I learned what was in my Sweetheart Swap package!  (See what I did there?? ;) )

 

Valentine's Day Style Challenge

In January, I was contacted by a representative from a company called Brilliant Earth and asked to participate in a Style Challenge.  (The company uses ethically sourced diamonds and they also specialize in engagement rings.)  Unfortunately, I got busy, and I was unable to create a design, but luckily, they were having one for Valentine's Day, too!

I was sent a few pictures of their beautiful pieces to choose from, and here's what I came up with!

I'm such a girly girl, and I've always been a sucker for heart-shaped jewelry.  Right away, I was drawn to the heart pieces from Brilliant Earth.  These earrings are the 18K White Gold Pave Heart Diamond Stud Earrings.  I also chose the Silver Heart Pendant with a Pink Sapphire. 

I went with a classic little black dress.  I'm pretty sure that you can never go wrong with a LBD.  I just used Google to search for images of a little black dress, and I saw this one. I loved the look of the material, and I especially love the sweet heart neckline!  They are so flattering, and I also think it fits my heart theme.  Finally, the shoes.  Ohhhh, the shoes.  These shoes actually came up in my Shoedazzle.com showroom for the month of February.  They are also available in a light pink.  Frankly, I want both.  I keep arguing with myself about buying or not buying them, and I can't decided which pair I want more if I do get them.  I already have red heels.  #firstworldproblems

If Scott didn't have to work, and if it weren't insanely cold here in PA, I would love to wear this for Valentine's Day! 

What do you think??

Our Story

I realized that I've never shared my "love story" with my blog readers.  Since today is Valentine's Day, and now that I have actual real followers, I thought it would be a great time to tell you how Scott and I became Mr. & Mrs.

It all began in May 2006. 

Well, maybe it began earlier than that.  Scott and I grew up in the same town.  We went to and graduated from the same small school (although, he graduated in 1995, and I graduated in 2001).  Scott's older sister was a friend of my aunt's growing up.  She attended my church, and I had known her my entire life.  We were so close that I used to refer to her as "my other mother" and I was her "other daughter."  Earlier that year, she moved out to Oregon with her daughters to get married.  She asked me if I would fly out to sing at her wedding.

And THAT is where things really began.

Scott's mother is terrified of heights, and therefore, deathly afraid of flying.  His stepfather feels the same, and he flat out refused to fly to Oregon.  Because he didn't want his mom to fly alone, Scott got on the plane instead.

When they first arrived in Oregon, he just assumed that I was a friend of one of his nieces.  Soon, he found out that I was actually there from Pennsylvania to sing at the wedding.  He didn't think much of it...until he heard me sing.  :)  That's how I won him over, friends.

This is me at the wedding rehearsal...it seems to be the only picture I have from the wedding on this computer.

After the wedding, we went out with another couple that was part of the wedding.  We had a great time!  VERY early the next morning, I went along to take Scott and his mom to the airport.  I didn't have anything to write on, but I told him my number.  I totally expected him to forget it.  My flight didn't leave until the following day, but we had about a 6 hour drive to Portland to fly home.  While I was still in the Portland airport, my phone rang.  It was Scott!

The rest, as they say, is history. 

Taken in the summer of 2006

 

At my friend Lindsay's wedding in May 2007

 

This picture makes me laugh.  This is from a wedding reception in October 2008.

 

Ocean City, MD Summer 2009

 

Our legal marriage ceremony on February 15, 2010 with Scott's daughter, Amber

 

Our Wedding, August 7, 2010

 

At the Absinthe Lounge in Dallas, Texas in May 2011

 

At Medieval Times in Dallas, Texas in August 2012

 

There is certainly A LOT more to our story.  I'll share more tomorrow....it's our anniversary! :)