Unused Room Now Useful

Below is a picture of the room in front of our house; it's sort of like an enclosed front porch. So I never really knew what to do with the room so for awhile it was empty and then it had some junk in it and finally I decided to change that. It still has some tools in it, but I'm working on a storage bench to put them in.

So I painted and got some chairs and painted those and made the little table and painted that and now it's finally starting to come together. I still have some accents and decor to collect so stay tuned for the final result! (This picture is actually the opposite side of the room but you get the idea.)

Summer So Far

It's not even officially summer yet but I feel like I've already gotten a head's start on summer festivities. Memorial Day weekend I went to the lake with Justin's family. Last weekend I visited Rehoboth Beach. I've hiked Dragon's Tooth, gone tubing down the New River, picked blueberries, eaten many a lunch outside, and had many a half-priced milkshake from Sonic. Part of me feels like my summer is kinda over because we don't have any more vacations planned (but I'm working on something for the fall). But I've got a lot of other short trips and fun day trips in the works to keep the summer spirit alive! Hope you're having a fun summer so far!

Home Improvements

Lately I have been watching a lot less TV and doing a lot more home improvements. The picture below is and example of our driveway before pavement. Anyone who has ever driven on our driveway knows what a huge deal this is and much appreciated!

Driveway after pavement

I added some decor to the stairwell as well.

Top of the stairs:

(left photo is an aerial picture of the Virginia Tech campus and right is a painting done by Justin's aunt of our house)

Bottom of the stairs:

(left is a drawing of two hokie lovebirds and right says "home is where the hokies are"

I made these curtains for the living room as well as rearranged it (only took me almost 4 years of living here)

and the other window

This project's not quite finished, but here is the old back door:

and here is our new pretty door that is still on the floor waiting to be put up!

I also cleaned out my downstairs guest room in preparation for my brother coming to live with us. He should be here in about a week. Needless to say our trashcans have been full of junk that needed to go. 

And I still have at least one more project to work on but the weather's not been cooperating with me lately.

Better Eating Habits

This past week has been very restful.  We had some great warm weather at the beginning of the week and the only day it rained I was at work so I was very happy about that! It was also nice to be off this Easter weekend. We had a nice lazy weekend and plenty of good food. I've lately been keeping track of my food intake with an app on my phone. It's funny because I always felt like I knew the nutrition facts of foods but you really don't realize how those little things add up until you start keeping track! It helps you make a conscious choice of eating something good. Like before when I was hungry I would grab something quick, like a cookie or a piece of chocolate but now I'm better able to plan what I should eat. Like for the same amount of calories as a cookie I could have this other thing which would be more filling. It's especially hard with eating out how to make sure you don't spend all the day's calories in one meal! After eating out a couple of meals this weekend and splurging on some Carol Lee donuts, I hope to get back more on track with better eating habits this week.

January-March recap

Well it's been awhile since I've last posted, not necessarily on accident. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to keep up the blog. It's not that I don't have anything interesting to write about, but I feel like I post a fair amount on Facebook and am not sure if the blog is overkill. Since my last post, I've started day-shift, had a birthday, gotten a new recliner, and have really been enjoying this nice weather.  So glad I don't have to sleep the day away anymore!

I switched to day shift at the end of January and it has really been great. It was a little stressful my first couple of weeks because of the difference in pace but I've settled back into things and am enjoying myself most days.

At the beginning of February, my sister and nephew came for a visit. We went to the aquatic center which my nephew really enjoyed though probably not as much as my cats!

Even though I had to work, I had a really great birthday. My coworkers surprised me with a card, balloon, and ice cream cake and all got together to sing happy birthday to me. It was really nice. I haven't had that many people gather together to celebrate with me probably since college. That night for dinner, Justin made me a nice dinner (he has never cooked me dinner before). The night before we had had dinner at Carrabba's since I would be getting home late from work on my birthday.

St. Patrick's day weekend, I made another trip to Norfolk to visit my sister, her husband, and my nephew. We had a very relaxing time and I got to tour Aaron's submarine (I've always wanted to go on one!) I definitely don't see how they fit so many men on one but I'm sure it's a tight squeeze!

April doesn't look too busy right now but May sure does! So excited for a fun-filled summer ahead!

Christmas 2011

Well it's been a little while and I have lots to update. Christmas was lots of fun. We went to Norfolk for a few nights at my sister's. We had a fantastic Christmas feast. My brother-in-law Aaron smoked a turkey which came out really tasty. He's hooked on smoking things now! I had a really fun time hanging out with my sister and nephew.

making a gingerbread house

The day after Christmas, we met up with Justin's brother and dad at Maggiano's for a fabulous Italian meal!

Daniel & Justin

I felt so blessed to have Christmas off and spend so much time with my family. In fact, I had so much fun with my sister, that I went back this past weekend! We still had some movies to watch and food to make. This time, Aaron smoked chicken and it was equally as great as the turkey.

Now I have saved possibly the best news for last. I found out about a week ago that I finally get to go to day shift next month! Two weeks from tomorrow with be my last night shift! I'm very excited and feel very grateful for the switch!