The Luckiest Gal on the Planet

Yesterday we celebrated two years married.  Could I be any luckier?

Did I mention that he got me an hour Swedish massage for an anniversary gift?  :)

A Parade of Dreams

I've got it bad.  The vacation blues.  It hits me hard every time I board that return flight, return to my apartment, and realize I have to unpack and return to work.  I. Love. Vacation.  And I never want them to end.  Caleb says that traveling wouldn't be so special if life was one continuous vacation, but I have a hard time finding the flaws in non-stop laying by the pool, sipping icy cocktails, going to fancy dinners, and visiting places as amazing as Disney World.  Not to mention spending 24/7 with the people that you love the most.

Caleb thinks I'm crazy, but I asked him to find a job in Orlando so that I can end my career as a social worker and work at Walt Disney World.  He thinks I'm joking, but deep down it has been a secret desire for years.  It started when I was little and wanted to be a Disney Princess (preferably Belle) and continued through college when I learned about the work programs that Universities advertise in which they partner with Disney World.  I know that in real life it wouldn't be near as glamorous as being a princess, but I also wouldn't mind selling ice-cream in one of those cute little shops in the Magic Kingdom.  And I could definitely man the "It's a Small World" ride.  Just a pipe dream.  :)

I'm in love with this picture...

While at the Magic Kingdom, my mom and I braved the heat... and when I say braved I'm not sure that is an exaggeration... our butts were on fire from sitting on the blistering hot curb and sweat was dripping from every inch of our being... anyway... we braved the heat of the mid-afternoon sun to see the parade.  The one with all the princesses.  Snow White was there.  And Cinderella.  And Jafar and Aladin.  And Belle.  Yes, Belle.  When she rolled around the corner on her float accompanied by Beast I felt like a little kid again.  I could remember what it felt like being a child watching Beauty and the Beast, wondering what my real life prince charming would be like... sure that I would find him somewhere as glamorous as a castle (I did find my prince charming, but definitely not in a castle...).  At this point in the day I knew that my mom was ready to go and sitting on a curb hotter than the face of the sun to see Disney Princesses was probably the last thing on her to-do list, but she did it for me.  I love my Mama.

One of the floats read "A Hundred Thousand Dreams to See."  This phrase is magical.  Not only when applied to our trip to Disney World, but in relation to life.  I truly believe I have a hundred thousand dreams to see.  And I can't wait!

Sharing this trip with my mom was special and time that I wouldn't trade for anything.  Lets not neglect the fact that we also went to Hogwarts together!  :)  I can't wait to tell you all about that in my next post!

A Hundred Thousand Dreams to See

I had the most amazing time on vacation.  I'm still letting it all sink in, but here are a few pictures from our trip...

Maui, Vegas, Hogwarts.

What is my number one favorite thing to do?  Why, I'm so glad that you asked... If you know me very well at all, it is obvious that I love to go on vacation.  I love traveling and it isn't something that I get to do very often.  I haven't had much of an opportunity to do it... heck, I've never even been out of the country, but I can't help it.  I have the travel bug.

I'm a sucker for a nice hotel room and those little travel size shampoos that they put in the bathroom.  I love the fluffy pillows, cold air conditioning, and the fact that I can call down to the front desk at any hour of the night and they will bring me a toothbrush.  The thrill of take off on an airplane is rivaled by few other joys.  Who doesn't love airplane snacks and Ginger Ale?  I love reading guide books for places that I dream about visiting and some of my favorite books are 1,000 Places to See Before you Die (the regular version and the U.S. and Canada version).

But let me clarify.  I don't want to give false impressions.  I am not the backpack through Europe wearing only the clothes on my back by myself with only $100 dollars to my name kind of traveler.  I am the I want to fly in first class do everything in the guidebook and stay in The Ritz or The Plaza kind of gal.  I can't help it.  Honestly, I don't know what created this monster.  It sometimes seems a little out of character.  I tent to blame it on my job.  I'm a social worker.  Don't know how these two things correlate, but I'm convinced that they do.

When Caleb and I got married we decided that we would go on a vacation every year.  Every Year.  Even if that meant taking a long weekend somewhere in the state in which we are living just to get away.  Even if it isn't the stay at the Ritz, drink fancy champagne, and order room service kind of trip.

  For our honeymoon we were fortunate to be able to travel to Maui.

If you can't tell from this small collection of pictures it was Heaven on Earth.  The most magnificent place I have ever seen.  Love it.  

Last year we went to Vegas.  It was pretty amazing as well.  It definitely registered on a different scale than Hawaii and I would probably be struck by lightening if I called it Heaven on Earth, but it was wonderful just the same.  Give me a fancy hotel (we stayed at the Bellagio), a grand swimming pool, and endless mojitos and I am a happy girl.

Anyway, why am I posting about this???  NEXT WEEK I AM ON VACATION!!  Guess where I'm going?  Okay, I'll tell you... TO HARRY POTTER LAND!  Ha!  And guess what one of the best parts is?  My Mama is coming with us!  

Marigolds, Fireworks, and Fireflies.

Have I ever mentioned that I love summertime.  Kids are getting out of school and to me, even though I'm no longer a student, that marks the true beginning of summer.

I love the hot weather.  Campouts.  Running outside.  Farmer's market.  The smell of freshly mowed grass.  Vacation.  Drives with the windows down and listening to music.  Strawberry shortcake.  The green leaves on the trees.  Ice-Cream.  Cotton dresses.  The Fair.  Sugar Mill.  Fireworks.  Watermelon.  Boating.  Marigolds.  Eating outside on the patio.  Fireflies.  The sound of crickets.  Cooking using fresh ingredients.  The general sense of happiness that comes with the change of the season.

From my patio last summer.

Does anyone else love the season changes?

It seems that with every season I find myself anxious for the different traditions that I associate with each time of the year.  During the summer its time to wear light fun clothing, catch up with friends, plan trips and excursions, and cook summery dishes with fresh ingredients.  I associate summer with excitement, fun, and adventure.  Its time to let loose and try new things!

Now its the weekend, and I am feeling a trillion times better that last weekend.  Time for some adventure. 

Happy Friday!

 

Too Much of Good Thing?

Can you have too much of a good thing?  Too many fabulous weekends?  Did the giant scale that measures out good weekends finally tip in the direction of bad?  I think so.  Caleb and I had another jam-packed fun weekend planned for Memorial Day, but for me it came to an abrupt halt with a headache, fever, and a tummy rumble.  Yep, the stomach flu.  Ick.  

I managed to squeeze in one great evening in Hanover, IN with my sister-in-law and Caleb's family.  We celebrated Micah's graduation with a picnic and some karaoke... hopefully a video of Caleb singing his heart out to "Let It Be" is soon to come.  

I was actually feeling really crummy here, but I think I
hid it pretty well!

The following day I made it to the graduation, but admittedly slept through over half of the ceremony (sorry Micah).  I did get to see Micah walk across the stage and I am so proud of my sis-in-law.  The rest of the day was spent laying in bed not even caring that the rest of my family attended a riverside graduation celebration under a white tent that included homemade fried chicken and all the sides, a DJ, dancing, toasts, and plenty of wine.  

We stayed in this cute little room at River Boat Inn.  I was real familiar with the smaller of the two beds by the end of our stay.

Caleb's feet littering the picture.

Luckily, on Sunday my fever was gone and I was able to make it to Sugar Mill for my family's annual fish fry.  I managed to enjoy some fish and onion rings, but was totally bummed that I wasn't able to hold Baby Cannon.  :(  How adorable is he?  I would have hated for him to get sick on my account.

Caleb, fish fryer extraordinaire!

Monday things started going downhill again and today I finally went to the doctor.  Thankfully he confirmed that I was not contagious after my fever broke on Saturday, wrote me a prescription, and encouraged me to lay on the couch all day.  I stopped at the pharmacy, picked up my medicine, and rented two movies from the Redbox.  I also managed to do 6 loads of laundry so the day wasn't a total bust.  I always feel so guilty staying home from work sick though... 

The extent of this weekends plans consist of a date with my hubby to go to the theatre and thats that.  I'm going to sleep in, read, sew, and take it easy!  

I hope that you all were well over Memorial Day.

Pizza Oven. Enough Said.

While I was in Evansville spending the weekend with my friends I had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite establishments.  

Alright.  I know it doesn't look like much... looks can be deceiving though, right?  I mean, thats the first thing you learn when you go to Kindergarten and your mom is trying to teach you how to make friends... don't judge a book by its cover... whats on the inside is the thing that counts... good things come from unexpected places (or maybe its good things come in small packages)...  Well, its true.  

I'm now going to introduce you to the best pizza place in Evansville, Indiana.  Make that the world.  Yes, the best pizza place in the world.

PIZZA OVEN

It's right next door to this sketchy looking tanning parlor... not sure if tanning is whats really going on inside, but thats not the point.  I wanted to take some pictures of the inside so you could get a complete feel of the rustic nature of this amazingly wonderful aromatic piece of heaven, but the workers were already looking at me like I was a tourist from the wrong side of town.

I could hardly contain myself as we were driving the pie back to Brittany's.  Truthfully I didn't contain myself.  I had a slice before the restaurant was even out of sight.

I ripped the paper off with the determination of someone who hadn't eaten in three days.

And then I proceeded to eat nine pieces.