Welcome, come on in!

When we moved into our house the shutters were painted a shade of baby blue. The very first change we made upon moving in was having the shutters and front door painted. We opted for a dark navy on the shutters and red for the door.

 We liked the color choice, but upon having the door painted a darker color, we immediately realized the door had 2 pretty large cracks running through it. When you stood back in the living room you could actually see sunlight coming through the middle of the door. This was a clear sign the door needed to be replaced.

When we set out to get a new door I had no idea how much of a process it would be. Apparently they don't just hang up a new door on the existing frame and hinges. The whole door frame would be replaced and the process requires pulling permits. After several quotes and much debate we finally settled on a wood craftsman style door. And after waiting months for it to be custom fit, it was finally installed last week. I think it turned out well. I know it's just a door, but I feel like I need an adjustment period to get used to it. Every time I drive up to the house it looks really different to me.

Due to the fact that there's a covered front porch it was really hard to get
a picture with good lighting. Probably didn't help I was just using my iPhone.

 We also had to change out the mailbox because once the red door was gone, our existing mailbox no longer matched.

Here's a close up so you can see what the door color looks like without all the shadows.

I think the biggest change is from the interior. Instead of a plain white door, we now have a nice wooden door on the inside and out. Here's a view from the entryway.

Excuse the glowing light coming through the widow. I didn't know how to fix that.

So we can now cross new front door off our list and move on to the next item on the renovation list.

Friday String of Thoughts

Today Kurt Cobain would have turned 48. That just seems crazy to me. While Kurt obviously died too young I can't imagine what he would be like as a nearly 50 year old man. (Though the words "hot mess" come to mind.) Happy Birthday, Kurt, we miss you! Enjoy this performance from Unplugged while I go and try to find my old flannels.

 

Speaking of Nirvana, has anyone been watching the Foo Fighters Sonic Highways series on HBO? If you haven't, I'd definitely check out the Seattle episode, it's pretty great.

While we are on the topic of music, is there a song you really loathe? Like it actually makes you angry when it comes on the radio. That current song for me is Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk". I know it's crazy, but that song makes me irrationally angry. I HATE IT! I can't change the station fast enough when it comes on.

Another thing that makes me irrationally angry is people who back into parking spots. I have a working theory that people who back into parking spots on a regular basis are all assholes. Think about it, is there someone at your office who always backs into their spot? I'm willing to bet it's the person in your office that everyone hates. (This is 100% true at my office.) "No, please, go on. The rest of us will all wait to pass until you take your third attempt at backing into that spot."

And finally, because it's Friday and cocktails are in order, here's a picture of my bar cart. I've been slowly trying to put it together and it's finally coming along. Though I think there might be too much booze on the bottom. Perhaps fewer bottles might look better. Maybe replace a couple of the bottles with a decanter. Thoughts?

This is a pretty crappy picture. I should have taken some close ups. A photographer I am not. 

Those are all the thoughts I have today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Throwback Thursday: "That time I met Sara Bareilles"

You know when a company advertises a contest they are holding and you think "I'll never win that". Well, you should enter anyway, because someone has to win and that someone could be you!

Back in 2011, I saw a contest from 8th Continent Soy Milk called "Nice Job Moms, We Rock!". I'm not a mom and I'm also not that cool, but I checked out the rules and saw that you didn't need to be either of those things to actually enter. There were several categories you could post advice to and they'd select winners based on these responses. The category I chose was about saving money and budgets. It's been a few years but I think my response was something along the lines of "When attending weddings or other events where you'll be frequently photographed, swap dresses with friends who are the same size so that you don't have to buy a new dress for every event". At the time I was 28 and pretty much attended weddings as a part time job. They must have liked my answer because I got a call about a month later saying I was one of 4 1st place winners in the contest.

First Prize Included:

•  Night out on the town for you and up to three (3) guests. Prize consists of:
• professional stylist hair and makeup sessions for you and your guest(s)
• entrance to a local nightclub
• music artist autographed memorabilia for both you and your guest(s)
• limo service to and from the club
• one (1) night deluxe hotel accommodations 
• A spa package for you and your guest(s) at the hotel
• A $10,000 music program donation on your behalf will be made to a local school’s music program of your choice

 I was excited, as were 3 of my closest friends! They let me pick any Orlando hotel for the 1 night stay. We had recently done a little girl's weekend at the Ritz Carlton, so I chose the Waldorf Astoria since none of us had ever been there. We spent a great day at the pool having cocktails and decided to pass on the nightclub and limo in exchange for dinner at Bull & Bear. Dinner was amazing as were the SEVERAL bottles of wine we ordered. After dinner we went back to our suite to order more wine from room service. I went back to look for pictures of the evening, but couldn't find any. (I'm assuming this had something to do with the many bottles of wine ordered).

A couple of weeks later the company contacted me to find out which school I wanted to give the $10,000 donation to, and I decided on my former high school. The most exciting part was that Sara Bareilles would be traveling to the school to present the check for the music program and I was invited to attend! I invited my friend Lindsey to join me. We've been to several Sara concerts together so I knew she'd appreciate meeting her as much as I did. We packed our Sara Bareilles concert shirts to get autographed and hit the road!

We got a chance to meet Sara backstage before the check presentation. She's as nice and awesome as you'd expect and completely down to earth. She didn't even travel with a large entourage. It was just her and one other person.  

Yes, we brought shirts that said f*cking to a high school to get them autographed! We bring the class wherever we go!

My mom came with us and got to meet Sara too! Hi, mom!

At the ceremony I had to give a speech about winning the contest and why I chose that school to receive the gift. I also had the honor of introducing Sara Bareilles to the students. They were so thrilled she was at their school. It was pretty adorable. We presented the check to the music staff at my high school and they were very appreciative. It felt great to be able to give back to a school that gave me so many fond memories.

Always nice to hold a really big check!

Up next was interviews with the local news. What do I do with my hands?

It was an amazing experience I'll never forget! Since meeting Sara we've gone to several more of her concerts for girls weekends. It's a great tradition that I'm sure we will continue as long as Sara continues to tour.

"Sara Selfie" Little Black Dress Tour, St. Augustine July 2014

Lesson of this experience, keep entering contests. You never know, the winner could be you!

Valentines Day Recap

We normally aren't big on Valentines Day around my house. I don't see the appeal on fighting crowds at a restaurant when you could go out to dinner the night before or after without all the fuss. Well, imagine my surprise when I came home on Friday to some lovely Valentines Day surprises.

The candy dish is empty because we ate all the
Peanut M&Ms weeks before Valentines Day.

I recently convinced my boss that those of us who travel should get a Surface Pro 3. While I was very excited he said yes, the cover they got us is not exactly attractive. Ashley must have remembered me mentioning that, because he picked out this Kate Spade carrying case for me to carry around my new Surface Pro 3. All the other girls at the office are going to be so jealous! He picked it out all by himself and it's actually the one I had my eye on that I was going to get! Boy has great taste.

You want to know what I had gotten him...Skittles! (I told you we weren't big on holidays.) So on Saturday morning I thought I should run out and at least grab a little something for Valentines Day treat. Krispy Kreme and Starbucks to the rescue!

We spent the evening with friends at our local bar. Which is actually kinda fitting since we've marked nearly every relationship milestone at our favorite watering hole!

So, Ashley crushed our first Valentines Day as a married couple. I guess I need to step up my game for next year!

SNL 40

This weekend marks the 40th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live and to celebrate the occasion NBC has star-studded show that is taking place on Sunday night. Though "Live from New York, it's Sunday Night!" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Though few details have been revealed, the announced line up for the event sounds great, so I'm eager to see what they have planned. I know the past few seasons have been a little rough, but we still record all the new SNL episodes. I'm fairly certain my husband has seen every single episode since about 1989.

To celebrate I thought I'd share a few of my favorite moments from the show. And yes, I know they all pretty much involve Tina Fey or Amy Poehler. I make no excuses for my love for Amy and Tina!

REALLY? with Seth and Amy: Birth Control

Preach on, sister!

I wanted to include the Hilary Clinton Bitch is the New Black Weekend Update bit, but wasn't able to find any videos that I was able to share. I loved it so much I even owned the Bitch is the New Black Hllary '08 Tshirt. So instead, I'll share another great video from around that time.

I know that actors aren't supposed to "break" on live TV, but when it happened in this sketch the result was hysterical. This might be the SNL sketch that made me laugh the hardest. If you're ever having a bad day this clip is guaranteed to make you laugh.

My favorite recurring character is definitely Stefon. I had a hard time picking just one Stefon clip, so I decided to include the last Stefon from when Bill Hader left the show. If they made a Stefon movie I'd be there opening night.

I'm excited to see what's in store on Sunday night. Hopefully it won't be just a clip show! And here's hoping Stefon is the red carpet correspondent! 

Throwback Thursday - Hindsight edition

One of my favorite shows on TV right now has come from a very unexpected place, VH1. I know, I know, I was skeptical at first too, but hear me out.

Here's a brief synopsis and preview from the show's site:

"The series begins with Becca (Laura Ramsey) on the eve of her second wedding. It all seems perfect this time around, but she is still plagued by doubt. What if she could fix everything, and make the 'right' choices this time? Becca finds herself thinking about her former best friend Lolly (Sarah Goldberg), with whom she had a falling out many years ago. If only she could talk to her once again… Suddenly, after a freakish elevator ride, Becca gets the opportunity to do just that as she wakes up in New York City on the morning of her first wedding day in 1995. She's about to marry Sean (Craig Horner), a bad-boy artist who is all wrong for her – and she knows her first move must be to reconnect with Lolly to re-live that day. Can she 'make it right' by living her life all over while re-adapting to life in New York City in the 90's – a time of smoking in bars, carrying pagers, having an AOL email address? Becca will soon discover there's no sure-fire way to make the right choices in life – even knowing everything she thinks she knows now."

This show is so much fun. It's a great trip down memory lane and worth watching for the music and 90's nostalgia alone. At least twice an episode I find myself thinking "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about (insert random 90's topic here)." I was worried a show on VH1 would be cheesy or juvenile, but much to my surprise, it's really not. The story centers around Becca trying to fix the problems she's made in both her personal and professional life. But when she gets the chance to start over, she still struggles to make things right. The result is a really funny and sweet show.

The best part about this show is the (doomed?) friendship between Becca and Lolly. They have such great chemistry and you'll think these two really are best friends in real life. I swear the character of Lolly is Six from Blossom grown up and in her 20s. 

So this Throwback Thursday I encourage you to bust out your Collective Soul CD, lace up your Doc Martens, and check out Hindsight Wednesday nights on VH1. Five episodes have already aired, so if you want to catch up from the beginning (and I suggest that you do), the episodes are available on Amazon Instant Video or the VH1 Mobile App.

Warning, you will be tempted to rush to iTunes and download a bunch of 90's music after every episode!

It's in the Cards

Let's face it, greeting cards are cheesy. Every time I go to Target to grab a card I always leave thinking there are never any funny or creative ones. I like to joke that I should write inappropriate greeting cards for various situations. Well, it turns out there are some great nontraditional cards out there if you look in the right place. (Hint: Online, not the grocery store)

With Valentines Day approaching I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

This one keeps it vague. I'd like to think this is good for a newer relationship.

Buy it here

This card would be perfect if your significant other is a Friends fanatic.

Buy it here

A little dirty and a little bit of smarts. My kind of card. 

Buy it here

Did you meet your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend in college? This card probably applies. 

Buy it here

I can appreciate a card that gets right to the point.

Buy it here

This one is for my friend Norma. Or anyone who appreciates "the F word".

Buy it here

I strongly believe that interest in similar TV shows is the foundation for any marriage.

Buy it here

If my husband got me this card I'd know he truly loves me. 

Buy it here

Pop culture royalty. Who wouldn't want to be compared to Bey and Jay?

Buy it here

And don't forget your lady friends for Galentines/Anna Howard Shaw Day!

Buy it here

This one is perfect for my sister over at For the Love. Giving up your pie = true love.

No matter if you celebrate Galentines Day, Anna Howard Shaw Day, or Valentines Day, I hope you can use these to make someone smile and laugh. As Liz Lemon would say, "A HAPPY ANNA HOWARD SHAW DAY TO US ALL!"