Christmas Letter 2012

Last year, I wrote a long Christmas update and included it with our cards... This year, I figured I'd send our blog address on the cards and just post it here. If people want to read it, they can, if not - I won't bore them!

This year has been quite a busy one! We started out the year by flying to Hawaii for a work trip of mine. We spent 11 days enjoying all that Kona had to offer and I did a little work in there too (since it was a 'work trip') We even celebrated Adam's birthday while we were there.

Upon our return, it was time to dive into the wedding planning! We spent the next 4 months doing anything and everything wedding related. I really enjoyed the planning aspect and did quite a bit of the stuff myself. It really was a perfect day surrounded by our loved ones and we couldn't have been happier. See here for pictures! After a brief honeymoon to Myrtle Beach we were back to work - for a few days. Then I got to spend a week at the beach with my Brother, Sister-in-law, and Nephew! You can see pictures from the Honeymoon and that trip here.

Once the trips settled down and we got settled into our newly married lives, we started house hunting. We spent about 3 months looking through listings and crunching numbers and not getting anywhere near finding what we wanted, we decided to build. We started looking at floor plans back in August and on Wednesday, November 28th, they broke ground! It will be about a 4 month project, and we should be moving into our new home around the beginning of April!

That's our update for this year. We wish you and yours the happiest of holidays and all the very best in the new year.

Love,
Suzy and Adam

Progress on the Lot!

They have been working hard on our lot! Here are pictures from each day!

House Pictures

Here is where I am uploading all the pictures taken as we watch our house go from a grassy lot to a hole in the ground to a HOUSE!

Feel free to check it out and keep coming back and watch as our house goes up!

Ground Breaking!

They broke ground yesterday!

11.28.12 - 11:15 am - Skimming the topsoil off

11.29.12 - 2:15 pm - breaking up the big rocks

There really isn't a lot to see just yet. They are prepping for footers which should go in on Monday, which is super exciting. It's all a beginning. But it's a HUGE beginning.... the beginning of a lot of things. The house which will be our home for years to come. The place we'll bring our kids home to someday. The place we'll unwind in. The place that is ours.

I'm most excited to have a place to call HOME and have it be OURS!

Husband is only one of his titles

Adam and I have been married for almost 6 months now, and today I realized how selfish I can be about him.

Adam asked me to join him for his lunch break today since he was working on a day I had off. I gladly accepted. I drove down and walked into the managers office in the store to meet him. He looked stressed and frazzled, not overly excited to see me. He grabbed his coat, pulled off his name badge and darted for the front doors of the store with me scrambling behind to keep up.

As we approached the front door, we came across a young woman coming in to shop (who happened to be an associate who is injured from her extracurricular sport), he stopped to talk to her about her injury and ask how she was doing. He knew about her sport, what she did and said she could call him to talk about a leave so she wouldn't lose her position. I was impressed that he knew her, and made the time to talk to her, even so briefly, while heading out to lunch break.

We went off on our lunch and chit chatted about this or that. Nice quiet lunch.

When we went back to the store, I said my goodbyes outside and then went in to do a little shopping and he headed back to work. While in the store for the next 60 minutes or so, I passed him or noticed him five or six times. He was working his tail off. Now I know my husband is a hard worker. I know he gives 110% when everyone else is giving 2%. But I got to witness this. I got to see him interact with customers, associates, and co-workers. He is such a genuine human being even though sometimes his job frustrates and discourages him. An older lady asked where something was, and he stopped and helped her. A electronic cart was abandoned in the middle of an aisle, he pushed it back to the front of the store and plugged it in. He guided other associates in what else needed to be done and followed up with them. That's a lot of stuff to do all in the short hour I was in the store! I cannot imagine what all he does in a normal 13 hour shift.

So what I'm taking from my observations today, is that my husband is more than just that. He wears many hats through out his day, just like I do in my job. I often overlook that, and feel slighted when his 'husband hat' isn't always the one he has on.

I didn't think it was possible, but I love him a little bit more today than I did before.

Hunting the Good

Recently I had a fabulous friend share a website with me called Super Better. It's a little overwhelming to get started but the goal seems to be, to really put yourself in a better place, mentally, emotionally and physically.  It's your own personal motivator for whatever it is you need motivated with. You set goals and select the things you want to work on and it helps motivate you to keep with those goals. I decided I'd give it a shot and see what happens. My two goals are Stress Management and Weight Loss.

Today, one of my Quests was to "Hunt the Good" to help me handle being stressed.


Hunt the Good:

Description: When we're stressed, we can often only see what's wrong with the situation

Quest: Combat negativity by hunting the good. Make a list of five things in your life that are awesome and that you love right now.

1. My Husband: he works so hard to provide for our family and give us everything we need and want. I often over look this and just see the extra time spent at work, stressing about work, taking phone calls from work, and so on.
2. My Family: They are 100% there for me, no matter what I'm doing or what is going on. This includes Adam's family too. They are here to support us, but the key is letting them!
3. My Friends: I truly have some fantastic friends and encouragers in my life. I can share my stresses to them, and they listen, and offer advice and support. 
4. My Job: How many people can really say they love their job and the people they work with? I often let myself get overwhelmed with what I need to accomplish that I forget how fortunate that I have a purpose here and am truly needed in my position. It's so easy to just say that I'm just here, when I know that I do a lot, and am a worthwhile addition to the team.
5. My Fur-Kids: I know this one is silly... but good or bad day, when you walk in the door the wheak to welcome you home, and you can go up to Gabbie and she'll greet you with "nosies". 

House Updates!

We had our final pre-construction meeting yesterday! It went very well and we got to see all of our 'finishes' choices again which was a good re-confirmation that we picked things we loved. (I'll post some pictures below)

We did a LOT of reading and reviewing documents we had seen before, lots more signing and initialing, but now we are set. They will now apply for the building permit early next week (week of 11/12) and as soon as that's in, we'll get a ground breaking date.

They put in our contract, that we signed yesterday, a projected ground breaking date around December 1st with a projected completion date of April 1st. Now, the key word in this is projected. It's not set in stone. If the building permit takes longer than anticipated, they won't start by Dec 1. That pushes everything back. If an item gets back ordered, broken on site, etc. So I'm working really hard not to get my heart set on April 1 (although it would be a fabulous birthday present!)

That is where we are at. VERY exciting to have an idea of the timeline, it makes it more real!

______________________________

This is what we selected for both the master bath, and the house main bath. It is a pattern of varied creams/browns for the vinyl flooring, Espresso (or black in 'man terms') cabinetry with brushed nickle handles and pure white counters tops, toilet and bath/shower unit.

This is the vinyl for the foyer, it's a glossy grey. We thought would add a bit of elegance to the 'formal entry' of our home, and then a contrast to the cream colored carpet in the Great room.

 This one is my Kitchen! I was hesitant on the counter tops a bit. I thought it was too light and creamy, but seeing it again with the flooring that has grey with swirls of the maple and cherry color that draws in the Maple cabinets, and then the swirls of cream that pull in the cream based counter choice, I think it works.

This is a close up of the counter choice. The flecks of grey pull it all together with the grey in the flooring. (at least I think so...)

Birth announcements for a friend

As some of you may have read earlier I blogged about getting back into some crafting after the wedding, for my friends baby shower. Since then, our dear friends Christine and Justin have welcomed their beautiful daughter into the world! I am honored that they let me make their daughter's birth announcements.

The First (Annual?) Unger Halloween Party!

We had a party!

For Halloween we had 3 separate groups of friends over and honestly, I was a little concerned how the interactions would go. However, it went so very well! Everyone got along and was VERY social! It was fabulous! We had a food area, a pumpkin carving area and a Rocky Horror Picture Show Viewing area.

Pumpkin Carving Station! Everyone is hard at work!

The award for best costume goes too...
The Walsh Family!

Sarah's Cat-O-Lantern

The spread before people started bringing stuff!

A Fall Family Visit

Bob, Becky and Noah came up to visit for the weekend because Bob wanted to head to camp for turkey hunting.

Becky and Noah stayed at grandmas and visited with her and Aunt Suzy. Since Noah was so young last fall, he really didn't get to play in the leaves, so this weekend we introduced Noah to playing in the leaves. He didn't totally go for it. He would tell you "it's a mess!" and pick the leaves off you. But eventually he got a bit more into it.

Noah also came to visit Uncle Adam and Aunt Suzy's house to see the Guinea pigs! He was just fascinated with them!

For Halloween this year Noah is a dog, which is one of his favorite animals.

Saturday evening, Noah watched the first bit of the psu vs. osu game.

He is talking a good bit, saying lots of things and learning new things everyday! A few of the very clear ones are Momma, Dada, Applesauce, School Bus, Chase and Sarge (their dogs). It really was a great weekend and so nice to see all of them again. Unfortunately it will most likely be Thanksgiving until we see them again!

It's official!

Our lot has a sold sign in it!!!! We go on Thursday to start the process of picking the "finishes" for our home! We will pick things like cabinets, counter tips, carpet colors, door styles, lighting and plumbing fixtures, as well as all the external finishes- siding, shutters, garage door, etc.

Wish us luck!

The papers are signed!

We signed a contract on Friday to build a house! 

We will be building with S&A homes in a neighborhood about 4 miles from where we are now. We have always liked this neighborhood and were always drawn to homes that were for sale in the neighborhood. We will be hopefully moving into our new home sometime in April 2013. We get to pick all the finishes and have customized the floor plan to suit us best, with a partially finished basement, expanded kitchen counters and extra cabinetry, open concept living/dining/kitchen, and a deck / yard for outdoor entertaining! 

We are very excited to be moving forward with our house plans and will be posting pictures as the process moves along!

A weekend with the in-laws...

I (voluntarily) spent the weekend with my in-laws. On my own. No Adam (he was working). Just me.

I had a blast! I drove down Friday afternoon and made it just in time for Heather's Girls Wine Tasting event! It was nice to meet some of her friends and socialize with a different group! (plus taste some good wines and a lot of amazing foods!) I even bought some Sweet Red wine to bring home!

Saturday, Heather and I got up and walked 3.5 miles. It was a beautiful (but humid) fall morning and it was so very nice to get to catch up and chat. Then we had our coffee, breakfast, showers and were ready to head out to the Waynesboro Market Days. It's like a Fall festival type thing were people sell their crafts and things. We walked around town and checked out blankets, pillows, purses, headbands, hair bows, shoes, wooden sculptures etc. It really was a fun day to spend with my new family!

That evening we all met up with Adam's dad for dinner at The Green Turtle.

It really was a fabulous weekend and so very fun to get to spend some time with my in-laws with out Adam. I got to learn more about them directly from them, not through his stories. I look forward to doing it again!

A super busy weekend!

Last weekend, was  busy one! Saturday morning Adam and I got up and headed out on a road trip - to Chester, Virginia. Adam's college buddy got married so we made the trek to attend! we drove the 6 hours to Chester, checked into our hotel and got settled in. We had about another 30 minute drive to get to the church for the wedding, so we got ready and set out early.

Here is us as we are about to head out the door at the hotel:

Here we are waiting for the reception to start: 

The Bride and Groom's First dance

Adam and Jeremy, the groom.

We stayed one night in the hotel and were up early and back on the road, heading home by way of Waynesboro to visit with his family. Our wedding albums had come in so we stopped to give his mom hers and let them see all the rest. We went out and had a very nice lunch and great time catching up before finishing the last 3 hours of the trek home. 

It was a whirlwind 2 days, but it was very nice to get away even if for just one night. Life has been really crazy lately and only going to crazier in the upcoming weeks and months.

The loss of a dear old friend...

Those of you who know where I lived before the current address, know how amazing the setting was. 

I was looking to get out of a musty, squirrel infested ceilings, basement apartment and came across an add in the local paper for a small 2 bedroom apartment for rent. So I called and went to check it out.

This was the first time that I met Ollie and Lita. A wonderful older couple who rented out their re-purposed summer house to individuals in the area. They told stories of previous renters and listed their expectations and price. Dad walked through the apartment with me and I was instantly sold on its charm. Two months later I moved in.

I rented this place from them for close to 2 years, and in that time, I got to know what an amazing couple they were. I learned about their love for Penn State, his love for fishing, her love for antiques, their mutual love for their second home in Chincoteague, Virginia. We grew to enjoy chats over drinks and sweets, and tried to 'check-in' on each other every so often.

When it was time for me to move on, and Adam and I had decided to move in together, my heart broke at the thought of having to tell them that it was time for me to go. They had grown fond of having me around, Adam too. So in May of 2011, I moved out. 

We spoke a few times since then, bumped into each other in the grocery store, but haven't really kept in touch too well... Until this weekend.

We learned on Thursday evening that Ollie had passed away after a year long battle with cancer. I was surprised at how upset I was as Adam and I reminisced over the stories we remembered and his fun sense of humor. He always invited me in, offering me a (very strong) drink or to stay for dinner. They always asked how I was, how Adam was, and were just super fun loving individuals. We knew we needed to go to the services and pay our repects.

Today's service was such an honor to attend. We learned that others had just as fond of memories of Ollie and that he was so widely loved and enjoyed. A great great man was lost this week, and while he is no longer suffering his battle, I pray for those who are still here with a hole in their hearts that will never be filled. There is no forgetting Ollie - he was a one of a kind, amazing guy!

Here are some pictures.

Every Spring we got a family or two of ducklings!

Photo Book project with Shutterfly

I have been working on this photo book of our wedding pictures for quite awhile. I finally finished it up and ordered it tonight. Upon check out, it asked if I wanted to share my book on my blog! How neat! So here it is- Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own custom photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Family time

Labor Day weekend was full of Family time, and I loved every second of it! Unfortunately Adam had to work Saturday and Sunday, but he got to spend some time with my family Friday afternoon.  Noah enjoyed Grandma's garden, helped pick green beans and tomatoes, we ate lots of good food. I grilled kabobs for the first time!

Saturday, we went to Lakemont park. Noah got to ride the antique cars, the carousel and the train. He had just changed for the water park when the thunderstorm hit and they had to close it up. He was a good sport and waved bye!

Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Noah helping pick Green Beans

Helping Grandma pick tomatoes

Noah and Aunt Suzy watching the Tractor behind Grandma and Grandpa's house

Playing with toys that Daddy and Aunt Suzy used to play with!

Wedding Shadow Box

I have been wanting to do this simple shadow box for awhile, but life kept getting in the way. Today I finally stopped for just over an hour to plan out and create this!

This has the program from our wedding ceremony, and the custom jewelry and flower that I had made by Rebecca O'Donnell of Stella Blue Jewelry! (She also made my bridesmaids jewelry in the same style but shades of blues!)

So - post wedding project, FINALLY done! 

Now where to hang it...

I've been crafting!

I've been crafting, but since they were presents, I couldn't blog about them! Our good friends Justin and Christine are preparing to welcome their first child into the world next month, so along with Justin's sister, I hosted a baby shower for Christine. There was lots of fantastic foods and an adorable cake .

I also made a diaper cake since the theme was a diapers and wipe Shower.

I also made owl wall hangings for in the little ones nursery. (owls are a favorite for Christine)

All in all it was a great afternoon for the Walsh family and I got to finally share my projects that I had been working so hard in!

Now to decide what is next!

A few quiet weeks

Sorry for the lull in posts, thankfully it has been quiet here lately! We've been enjoying a quiet bit of summer!

We of course went to see Dark Night the day it came out, I helped a friend move and get settled in, we had our friends Justin and Christine over for dinner and I am throwing Christine a baby shower next weekend along with her sister-in-law.

Adam has some time off coming the end of August so we are trying to figure out what we'll do then, but it can't be a big trip since I have already taken so much time off work.

In other news... we are just starting to house hunt! Since we are new to this we are taking our time and slowly getting our feet wet with what to look for... I never thought it would be as stressful as it has been!

That's really all for now.... I'll let you know when something noteworthy happens! :)

Advice for the Bride and Groom

At our wedding, we had a basket with advice cards for our friends and family to fill out. We have had quite the laugh at a few of them and love the sentiment of the others! My Uncle Ron has quite the sense of humor and put a handful of 'thoughts' in the basket.... so some were just plain off the wall, and some were good bits of advice!

 I made these little cards into a little booklet for us to look through every so often, maybe on anniversaries. I did this with all of our wedding cards too!

Here are a few of my favorites: