Snips & snaps

I thought I'd "pull a Lindsay" and write today about a few random things going on in my life. . .

- We have another exciting tidbit of news - - we're buying a house! We signed the papers in January and the house should be move-in ready by the end of May (hopefully!!) It's about 15 minutes from where we live now and we are really really excited about being homeowners. We got to pick out literally everything for the house (from paint color and flooring to peepholes and the width of the floor trim!), so it is exactly what we want in a home and we're going to be spoiled! You know, it's the small things in life that get me excited - I'm pumped about having a brand new house, but I have to admit that I am most revved up about the drawer thingee that pulls out with a trash can & recycling bin next to the kitchen sink.

- I am going to try my best to be a couponer. My boss came into work yesterday and said that she got $70 worth of groceries for $11. There are a few other girls in my department that are big into bargain grocery shopping and I am really surprised that I've not jumped on this before. I mean, I love a good deal (and I have the tendency to be a cheap skate!). This weekend will be my maiden voyage ... I will let you all know how it goes. Right now I feel like I do pretty good on the grocery budget - around $60 per week for the two of us, but I know there's room for improvement there. Plus, when Saturday rolls around (I shop on Sundays) we are literally like Old Mother Hubbard because there is nothing at all in the pantry or fridge! Randy will be happy to get more bang for our grocery buck!

- While we're on the subject of food, I am really into Vitatops right now. As of late, my breakfast has consisted of a toasted Vitatop muffin and a banana. Well, the rinky-dink Kroger where I do most of my shopping only has the Chocolate and the Cornbread varities, so I got on the website to check out what else was out there. I got really excited about a deal they were having - and plus I wanted to try a few other of the flavors...so I made an online muffin purchase. The muffins arrived today today and I got quite a strange reaction from my hubby when I revealed to him that I bought $30 of muffins and was having them delivered to our home. (In my defense, they are stored in the freezer, so they'll stay fresh til I get through them all!) I got the apple berry, chocolate mint and chocolate pommegranite varities. YUM!

- It was a beautiful day here in Carolina - near 70 degrees and mostly sunny. Along with spring, here comes another season that I lovingly refer to as "baby season." I personally know 6 ladies who are giving birth within the next few months. Roommates from college, childhood friends, siblings - it's crazy! And the funny thing is that all but one are having boys. Don't worry ... I didn't mention babies as a segway into spring any more news on yall. I've done that already this month!

- I have to run to class now, but hopefully I'll get around to posting more pictures and tidbits behind our wedding!

Our getaway wedding

I'm not quite sure how we did this, but Randy and I managed to keep our wedding a secret for the most part. Back in November, we decided that we wanted to take the plunge (and honestly, marriage had been a topic of conversation for months prior to that). But the idea of having a big wedding was very complicated, since he is from PA and I'm from IL and we both have friends scattered across the States. Even having a wedding out in NC would be complicated, since literally everyone would have to travel. So after considering all of our options, we decided that we wanted to get married - just the two of us - on a beach.

We settled on the Sandals resort in Nassau, Bahamas. We booked our tickets just before Thanksgiving and it was honestly very difficult to not make the big announcement to our friends and family over the holidays. But we knew that keeping it to ourselves was the best way to do it - not only would it be super fun to tell everyone after we have done it (which it has been, by the way) but we also wanted to eliminate hurt feelings over not being there to spend the day with us.

Well, I do have to make a clarification. Our parents knew. We thought it was important to include them in the plans - and they all gave their blessings and were very excited about our marriage. Not that they were surprised (after being together over three years!), but they were very supportive of us "running away together".

Our wedding took place on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. We were married on a gorgeous, sunny day under a gazebo overlooking the beach. Island music (actually it was a Bob Marley song) was playing in the background as we went down the aisle. It was a perfect day.

So when I say that we "eloped" that may sound misleading. We weren't running from anything or anyone - we weren't doing something rash or last-minute. We had thought a lot about this decision and it had been in the works for months. But it was absolutely beautiful and romantic and the perfect way for us to say "I do."

Our trip has given me some items to post about and lots of pictures to post, so look for those soon!

El tiempo vuela ...

That is Spanish for "Time Flies!" I simply can't believe that it is MARCH already. Seriously.

Hopefully soon I'll have more amusing and/or entertaining stuff to share...but for now here are few tidbits...

Randy & I joined Gold's Gym this weekend. Since moving to Raleigh almost 2 years ago we have been members of three different gyms. The first one was great - it was close to home, reasonably-priced AND I was so excited to have some classes. (Somehow I feel more motivated to go to the gym consistently when I have a class waiting for me). Well, then that gym went bankrupt - so then we joined another gym just down the road to the first one. However, this gym didn't really "fit" either, because although it was only $10/month, there were no classes and it was always very crowded. Well, last week our employer announced that they'd worked out an enrollment deal with Gold's Gym - and we jumped at the chance to join the gym. It isn't particularly close to home - but it is less than 5 minutes from work. So we went for the first time yesterday and it is rediculously nice. It even boasts an indoor pool, a sauna, and a steam room. Did I mention CLASSES?! I did the spinning class last night and I'm really excited for it again tomorrow. So excited that I'm getting up at 5:45 a.m. to get there! (I figured if I blogged about it, somehow it would hold me to getting up that early!!)

It's almost SPRING BREAK already. My students have their oral interviews this week - which makes for an easy week for me. Thursday is the last day before break - then I have a week of freedom. WOOO!!

Last year Lindsay & I made a pact to not cut our hair for the last 3 months of 2009. Well I've not had a "real" haircut in 6 months (I've only had "dustings") and while I don't think I'm going to go super duper short (or get bangs again) I am feeling an itch to get a new coiff. I do like having long-ish hair, but I think I need some more layers in there to give it more oomph. Does anyone have any ideas?

Last tidbit - tonight is total comfort food night. Meatloaf and macaroni & cheese, anyone?