Happy Friday!

This weekend I will be turning 29 and beginning my last year in my 20s. Turning 30 really doesn't bother me. Each year I get older I find myself becoming a little bit more reflective about life, what I've done, what I've learned, and where I see myself going.

For this week's Friday Five, I thought I'd write five messages that I would have told myself 10 years ago on my 19th birthday.

//1// You will find a job after graduation.

//2// Don't compare yourself. Be confident in who you are and what you are doing.

//3// This is not the last degree you will get.

//4// Take more French speaking classes because you're going to go to Paris more than once in the next 10 years and will wish you could speak more fluently.

//5// That man you're sitting next to at your birthday dinner....you're going to marry him.

I'm off to celebrate with friends, family, and of course that guy I was sitting next to 10 years ago!

T-30 Days!

In one month we will be flying to Budapest! We bought our plane tickets for this trip almost six months ago and now it's finally almost here. I cannot wait for two weeks of adventure and relaxing with P in Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Stuttgart, Paris, and Dublin!

Aerial view of Budapest

Favorite Weekend Picture

We had a great weekend in Pennsylvania. I loved seeing my family and spending so much time with Aubrey, Brent, and their kids. I feel so lucky to be their Auntie Em and godmother.

Here is my favorite picture from the weekend. If you can't tell, Taylor is actually sit on my legs. I was lifting her up and down while getting some snuggles in with Chris.

Friday Five

Happy Friday!

Here's 5 things I'm looking forward to this weekend....

//1// Lunch with my Grandma, aunt, and cousin in Pennsylvania tomorrow. It's been too long since I've seen them!

//2//  Becoming godparents for the second time. Almost three years ago we became godparents to Taylor and have loved every moment of watching her grow. We are honored to have the same role for her brother Chris.

//3// Calvin boarding at a new kennel/resort that he loves. Unfortunately we had some issues the last time we boarded Calvin in his usual spot. Last weekend we took him for an evaluation at a place that he loved and is sure to get all the love and attention he needs.

//4// Watching football with friends on Sunday evening. My Fantasy Football team is playing my friend Amanda's team. Neither of us is doing particularly well in our league so after this weekend one of us will finally have a victory!

//5// Date night tonight to see the movie This is Where I Leave You. P and I both read the book earlier this year and have been anticipating the movie release ever since.


Hope you have a great weekend!

Life To Do List

I am a big fan of making lists and I especially love crossing things off of my list.

I thought it would be fun to develop a giant "Life To Do List." Basically a list of all things I want to accomplish, ideally in the next 5-10 years but could be longer. I've seen other bloggers create lists like "30 Things Before I'm 30" or "101 in 1001" (101 things in 1001 days)  but I didn't want to restrict myself with time.

I'm sure this list will grow and evolve over time and I hope to update it periodically on the blog.


1. Start a family.
2. Buy a house.
3. Take another trip to an island in the Caribbean.
4. Visit NYC at Christmas time.
5. Run another half-marathon.
6. Spend a weekend at a cabin in the mountains.
7. Visit all 50 states (only 23 more to go!).
8. Give up Diet Coke for at least a month.
9. Take a trip to northern Europe to Norway and Denmark.
10. Get a second dog.
11. Go to a Penn State Bowl game.
12. Embrace a healthier lifestyle by incorporating more greens and vegetables into our daily eating, walking/biking more in the city, watching less tv etc.
13. Drink more hot tea.
14. Pay off all school loans.
15. Research our family's genealogy (I have a lot of information on my dad's side of the family but would love to learn more about my mom's family and Patrick's family)
16. Make homemade ice cream.
17. Bake homemade bread.
18. Consolidate my grandmother's cookie (and other) recipes into a book that my sisters and cousins can enjoy and use in the future.
19. Start a garden and maintain it.
20. Cook a Thanksgiving dinner by myself with minimal help, i.e. prep the turkey without needing assistance from my mom or mother-in-law.
21. Teach a CCD (Continuing Catholic Development) class at church.
22. Go stand-up paddle boarding on the Potomac.
23. Run the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler.
24. Buy a new Volvo (once my Jetta reaches its final days).
25. Lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery.
26. Take a tour of the White House.
27. Take a tour of the Capitol.
28. Go to the top of the Washington Monument.
29. Visit George Washington's Mount Vernon home.
30. Visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
31. Leave 100% tip for excellent service.
32. Grow fresh herbs and use them in my cooking.
33. Consistently read 20-25 books each year.
34. Explore more hiking trails near Washington, DC.
35. Maintain my blog.
36. Continue to create "Year in Review" books to document our lives.
37. Visit State College on a non-football weekend.
38. Buy a season ticket package for the Washington Nationals.
39. Attend mass regularly.
40. Complete scrapbooks that I have already started.
42. Host a Christmas cookie exchange party.
43. Play a whole round of golf with P.
44. Read a book written in French.
45. Watch 5 classic movies like Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
46. Read 5 classics, like Catcher in the Rye and The Sun Also Rises.
47. Donate annually to Penn State.
48. Learn how to curl my hair quickly.
49. Take a flower arranging class.
50. Take a cooking class with P.


What are some of the things on your to do list?

My Favorite Time of Year

Ahhhh my favorite time of year - fall! I just love the colors, crisp air, and football-watching that fall brings. This past weekend while doing my weekly trip to Whole Foods I could feel the energy that a new season brings. Whole Foods is slowly beginning to roll out fall goodies (pumpkin everything!) and decor (ghords and pumpkins!). Even though it was still pretty warm on Sunday, there was a slight breeze that got me excited for the approaching cooler temperatures.

While watching football on Sunday, I decided to bring out our fall decor and pumpkin-scented candles. P thought that I was being a little premature but nothing made me happier than when he said "it smells like fall in here" after the pumpkin candle had been burning for a while.

I decided to put together a little collage of the things I'm most excited about this fall.

1. Changing leaves// 2. Darker nail polish colors // 3. Seeing Europe during fall
// 4. Pumpkin flavored treats // 5. Football (college and professional) // 6. Fall scented candles //
 7. Puffy vests and flannel shirts // 8. My Birthday!

Outer Banks Wedding

This past Thursday, P & I traveled to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for his dad's cousin's daughter's wedding (did you follow that?). Kristen sang at our wedding and at Patrick's sisters wedding so we were all so excited to see her marry Andrew. I was honored to be asked to do a reading at the wedding and Patrick's sister was a bridesmaid. We had beautiful weather all weekend and it was the perfect backdrop for their special day. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

We went for a nice, long (and hot) walk on the beach on Friday with P's parents

After the rehearsal, I knew I wanted to wear my hair up so it wasn't blowing in my face while I gave my reading. I somehow created this updo which I was very happy with. But I know there's no way I could recreate it again!

Mr. & Mrs. Nuss! 

My brother and sister-in-law!

My beautiful sister-in-law. We affectionately call ourselves E Squared =)

My handsome date.

Unfortunately our drive home was not easy. We were delayed due to terrible traffic and ended up getting a flat tire (there was a huge nail in the tire and it was not repairable).  After having the tire changed by roadside assistance and starting our long, slow trip home we both agreed we would feel more comfortable getting a new tire before making the 70+ mile trip home. We stopped at a Merchants Tire in Fredericksburg, VA and are so thankful for the amazing customer service there. It was after 5:30pm by the time we got home (we had left at 8:45am and it was only supposed to be a  4.5 hour drive). Our delayed arrival meant Calvin had to spend two extra nights in the kennel and P missed a work meeting. Despite the frustrations, we are thankful to all be home safely.

This weekend also marked another very important event....my little sister's birthday!! I am so excited for what this year has ahead for her and proud of the woman she has become. Happy Birthday Buddy!! I love you!

I cannot believe my baby sister is 24!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Fantasy Football

Last night I participated in my first Fantasy Football Draft. P and I are in a league with a group of friends (4 other couples) so we had a fun night filled with pizza, beer, and some smack talking. I was pretty intimidated since I didn't get a chance to research and prepare as much as I had wanted to. Although I'm not even sure how much the research or preparation would have helped me.

While I based most of my picks purely on numbers, there were a few that I picked for other reasons. My first pick was Calvin Johnson simply because his name is Calvin like our dog (he happened to be pretty highly ranked which was an added bonus). Other picks were based on looks (helloooo Eric Decker), where the player went to college (Robbie Gould is a Penn State alumni who I've actually met), the current team they played for (I thought it would be fun to have a couple of Redskins), or where they grew up (Terrence West is from MD and went to a local college).

My overall grade was a C+ which I was a little bummed about. P did reassure me that the grades don't really mean anything and we won't know who has a good team until the season gets started. I did find some comfort in hearing that our friend Jeff thinks I have fantastic wide receivers (this is a big compliment since Jeff takes his draft seriously - he had print outs, highlighters, and red pens!).

So for the next 12+ weeks I will be spending Sundays watching the NFL Red Zone and checking stats on Yahoo.