Home Again

Hellllllo friends!

It feels like months since I have been on the internet, even though in reality it has only been a couple of weeks!  We made it back home from vacation late Wednesday, and I've spent the last two days readjusting to this time zone, unpacking, doing laundry, and catching up on what I missed during the last two weeks.  Which really just means spending a lot of time on Hulu trying to watch all the shows I missed while we were gone.

Why we chose to take vacation when so many tv shows were premiering is still a mystery to me.

Via

One of the many shows I am excited about this season (even though I'm going to miss Kelly on The Office)

I still have to sort and edit the 1000+ photos we took during our trip, but as soon as I get that done, I'll be sharing all the details on here!  

I feel so out of the loop, what has everyone else been up to?!

Little Bites of Heaven

No, really.

A couple of months ago, Brian and I were invited to attend the wedding of fellow Weddingbee blogger and all around wonderful lady, Mrs. Fox (you should really check out the recaps of her beautiful wedding).

These mason jars with sparkly teal hearts and striped straws were one of my favorite details from her wedding!

Mrs. Fox had some amazing food at her wedding, but my absolute favorite thing were an appetizer I failed to get a picture of.  They were goat cheese balls covered in candied nuts and topped with honey.  These little balls have haunted my memory (in a good way) and I've been looking for an excuse to try and recreate them myself.  Enter anniversary dinner and a perfect excuse. 

Now, I'm going to share them with you.  I insist you try them.  You can thank me later. 

Paper Anniversary

Even though B and I decided we would not be exchanging gifts for our first anniversary, I still wanted to do something to commemorate our first year together.  And, since the traditional gift for the anniversary is paper, I thought I could make something relatively easily and cheaply.

After some finding some fabulous inspiration on Pinterest, I settled on a project inspired by this collage:

Via Etsy seller Bombus

I asked you lovely readers for some advice on how to make it more appropriate for a man gift, and I set off to make my own.  Here's the finished product so you can see 

Year One

Last week, Brian and I celebrated our first anniversary.  The year went by so quickly, yet it feels like forever ago that we stood in front of our nearest and dearest and pledged our lives to one another.

They say the first year is the hardest, and while I have no other years to compare to, I don't disagree with this sentiment.  This has been a difficult year for Brian and I, but not necessarily due to the reasons one normally suspects.  Of course, we have experienced the growing pains that come with living together alone for the first time (we previously lived with my dad, so I don't really count that), but aside from the occasional argument over household chores, we transitioned quite easily into marriage.

What has made this year difficult were the life transitions we've experienced.  We live far from our families, and our families live far from each other, so holidays have to be planned out and divided.  We have had to learn to live on one income in a very expensive city.  We had to learn how to find our own space within eight hundred square feet of living space.

In this, we have learned to rely on each other, for the good and the bad.  I never really understood why people called their spouse their best friend, but after this year I can't imagine anyone but Brian having that title.

But, enough with the sappy stuff.  Let's talk about how we celebrated.

Away We Go

Today, Brian and I are off on a much anticipated anniversary trip!  We will be gone for about eleven days, and although I have a few posts lined up while I'll be away, I hope you'll accept my apologies for the lack of posts over the next two weeks.

Bags are packed and ready to go!

I promise to be back with tales and even more pictures!

The End of an Era*

Today, I retired from blogging on Weddingbee.  *tears*

My alter ego, Mrs. Pony

I'm sad to no longer be contributing to the hive on a regular basis, but I can now devote all my time to this blog!  This blog, and finding a job.

So, if you've joined me over here from Weddingbee, welcome, I'm so happy to have you here!  I hope you find something that strikes your fancy and keeps you around.  And, if you were already here, I love you and will bake you a cookies for being my friends.

*Who else loves Friends?

Hair Raising

I have a horrible confession to make.  I have not cut my hair in almost two and a half years.  I remember this only because my last haircut was right before graduation.

Healthy hair, how I have missed thee

I knew I would be growing my hair out to accommodate a fancy updo for our wedding, but our wedding (and anniversary) has come and gone and my hair just keeps growing. You guys, it is long.  And unruly.  To prove this point, I give you this terribly unflattering picture of me and B back in July when his mom and stepdad came to visit.  Add about another inch and that's where my hair is at today.

Long, scraggly hair

My reasons for letting my hair get so long are two fold.  First, I've never been to a hair salon to get my hair cut in my entire life.  I am aware that such a statement sounds implausible, but  it is only because my aunt has cut my hair as long as I can remember.  The prospect of going to a real salon is kind of terrifying to me, but I'm willing to get over it to finally have healthy looking hair again.

My second reason for procrastinating cutting my locks is that I am very indecisive about how I actually want my hair to look.  I definitely want a change, but I'm too scared to do anything drastic.  It doesn't help that other ladies told me not to cut my hair and that I would regret it as soon as I did.  Thanks guys, that helped a lot.

So far, these are my favorite hair hair styles in the running for my big chop:

Via

Via

Via

And, to show I am not just partial to blondes actresses, the wondrous Tina Fey:

Via

What do you think?  Would one of these cuts be a good change for my hair, or should I be more daring with my style?