Burger Bar & Birthday Celebrations!

I wanted to do a quick post before I head out to share with you the excitement that was yesterday and all the birthday festivities that went down!

The day started with a sprinkle donut from my godmother slash painter, followed by a crap ton of tunnel traffic on my way to try on my wedding dress!  Yes, the dress is in!  Yes, it is early!  And yes, it fits!  We may have a little bit of altering in the future but thank goodness it's nothing major!  :)

I happily stopped by Home Goods (since it is 3.4 seconds from my dress shop and about 1.3 hours from my new house...)  I picked up a few more goodies for the wedding at a bargain deal!  

After swinging by the office for some cake I headed back to the Peninsula to get the house ready for the party!  I was so excited to have people come by the new place to see all the work that has been done to it and to grill out for my birthday!  

I decided I needed to have a Birthday Burger Bar!  Honestly, I wanted steak and veggies for my birthday but when I realized how many people were coming I knew I couldn't afford to feed everyone delicious steak... so burgers it was!  And to be quite frank - burgers are rarely my thing.  I needed to think of a way to make them awesome... and let me tell you... having a DIY Burger Bar with a ton of toppings was quite awesome!

The concept was quite simple... pick your bread, pick your protein, pick your toppings, stuff your face. Done and done.  

We had a ton of options for burger toppings.  Pickles, Cheeses, Lettuce, Tomato, Pineapple, Onion, Bacon, Jalapeno, and Guacamole.  I had two types of buns: the norm and then the delicious potato rolls.  We had four types of protein to suit everyone's different diets: Chicken, Veggie Patties, Turkey Patties and Beef Patties. 

We definitely had quite the spread!  I think everyone could find SOMETHING they liked.  AND the best part - if you wanted to eat Paleo you totally could!  Since it was my birthday I caved and had cake and a potato roll.  It happens.

Michael surprised me all the way from Japan with a cute little patio set!  I added some color and we had everything ready!  With a couple of tables and a bunch of chairs there was plenty of space for everyone!  

These two lovely ladies came from RVA to have dinner with me!  The silver lining of now living in Newport News, Richmond is only an hour away!  I have a feeling that will lead to some fun dinner dates more often!!  

My sister baked one of my favorite cakes.  It a Mandarin Orange Pineapple Cake.  I will have to share the recipe one of these days.  And yes - there are 29 candles on that cake.  Frankly I was surprised the smoke detector didn't go off!  Why the sideways look?  Here's what you don't see in this picture... 

Little Kinsley really wanted to get some cake for herself!!

We stayed up drinking and eating and socializing past my bedtime but it was well worth it!  This morning I had the last of the cake for breakfast (it has fruit in it so it's a-ok right?!) and skyped with Michael as my body kicked into too-much-sugar-recovery-mode.

Time for me to pack up and head to the southside because tonight Leslie is taking me to see the Lumineers!  I'm pretty pumped!  Talk about an awesome birthday!

Hope you all had a lovely June 11th as well.  xoxo 

Birthday Week, Broken Promises and Happier than a Camel on Wedneday

First and fore most... I should never EVER promise to blog.  I'm pretty positive THAT is my curse.

A week (or so) ago I blogged, and I promised to come back the next day with a list of positive things I am experiencing at my new house.  Eh... it never happened.  Don't fret, the list is still saved in an invisible composition notebook in my head... so maybe one day.  It will be written and it will be awesome.  Because it would be a total diservice to you, my reader, if I did not share the new things I am learning to love... like my zebra stripe house key or the fact that the bath tub here is long enough for me to actually take a comfortable bath.  Let's not forget all three living rooms.  Simply stated, all are winning and beyond blog worthy.

Today I am here to talk about more important matters.  

Birthday Week.  I'm pretty positive I am getting old because I am only semi-giddy about this week.

{via}  

Find me that shirt in an adult size, before Tuesday and you WILL be my Best Friend FOREVER.  (Honestly, I would probably wear it every single day for an entire year... but that's beyond the point.) 

So this year, with the fiance being deployed to a far off land where they eat with chop sticks and apparently have grass ninjas, my family living an hour away, and my birthday falling on a Tuesday... I need help trying to come up with my birthday game plan.  Get your party hats on (get it?  instead of thinking caps? lololol) and think this over...  because I'm stumped.  And it takes a lot to stump a professional party & wedding planner when it comes to celebrating!

Should I go to the beach?  Should I go to the river?  Should I force my family to come all the way to Newport News (an hour from their save havens in Chesapeake) to grill out with me?  I should probably get the Jeep inspected and go topless for the day.  Maybe I should stuff my face with Cold Stone's Birthday Cake Remix all day long... 

{via}

Luckily I still have a few days to think this nonsense over... All I know is I need to find something to do that makes me happier than a camel on Wednesday.  Happy Wednesday friends. 

Hello from Newport News!

In the past week I have had three more times when people have said something like "You're such a good story teller" (I hope they don't think I'm a liar...) or "When are you going to start blogging again?"...

Believe it or not, I love writing.  It's the actual sitting down at the computer that I don't like.  I mean, I sit at my computer to do work for a good part of the day.  So by the time it's dark and Big Bang Theory re-runs are on, that last thing I want to do is sit with my gloriously pretty Mac.  No offense Mac, you know we have a lovely love/hate relationship.   My love than hate.  For sure.

That being said, it's 11:25am.  I figure if I want to do this, maybe I should write before I don't feel like writing later.  Oh, and it's supposed to start storming this afternoon and this girl takes all precautions when it comes to lightning.  Yes, I canceled my gym training session today and yes, my computers will be shut off prior to that first bolt of lightning.  {In case you're new here, I've been struck.  And no, I don't mean by cupids arrow.}

In other news... 

It's official:  I have moved to Newport News, Virginia.  Yesterday was the first day in a couple of weeks when not one tear was shed from my big, almost-zooey-deschanel-size, blue/green eyes.  The emotions are still all over the place but hey, one day without tears is a good start!  

Things are coming along I suppose.  My townhouse is still a hot mess.  I need to get back over there to pick up the remains of my stuff and vacuum up such a large amount of pet fur you'd assume it was a real life animal.  Quite frankly, I need to get my stuff out of there as soon as possible.  It's like the bandaid is just hanging by a few, painful arm hairs.  Arm hairs that make you cry.  A lot.  

via

I found that little nugget of truth (above) on pinterest yesterday.  I love pinterest.  I am obsessed with pinterest. {you can follow me here.} So I decided to use it as a bit of inspiration... I have started a list of all the good I am finding in this house /slash/ move.  I must look past the fact that the house hates me: my key only works half the time, the yard has more weeds than a college freshman, I'm an hour from my family and the fact that it hasn't stopped raining since I got here.  Positive thoughts are on the way!  I'll do my best to share my list with you tomorrow!  Promise!  

In the mean time, one last update for you:

The pets.  They are adjusting.  Spitty is the most adventurous of all the furbabies.  She has explored most of the house at this point and has almost accepted it as her home.  She's even vommed in three of the rooms.  She's on a roll.  Chloe, who was familiar with the house, has been a bit nervous and has become even more of a velcro dog.  She is thrilled to see Mr Michael more often.  Rockie (and myself) are adjusting at the same pace.... only, while he is hiding under furniture trembling, I am unpacking boxes.  He wanders around the house crying (as do I) and has yet to get a good nights sleep (guilty as charged).  We need to adjust to the new noises, creeks, and the toilet flush that sounds like a space ship taking off.  

We will get there though.  I'm hopeful.  

Spilling my heart out on the last night in my house...

It's been a while friends.  It's been a crazy six months.  It's been six months of tears and fears.  And a tad bit of joy.  My mom actually said to me a few days ago "It's all gone down hill since Michael proposed hasn't it?"   

It's definitely been a roller coaster.  But...

Yes and no.  I had a dear friend from high school slap me in the face over the phone when I called her sobbing about how my life sucks.  I'm not going to get into the details, but she definitely reminded me about how life could be so much worse.  It was the wake up call that I needed.  But that doesn't mean it's easy to feel happy right now.

I'm no good at change.  I cannot even begin to explain how horrible I am at change.  Like no joke... I'm sure I would be better playing the piano with chopsticks while doing a headstand on a pogo stick and juggling fire balls at the same time.  Yes, fireballs.  Like the ones Mario shoots from his body after he runs into the flower. 

In the past six months I have not blogged because I was afraid I would say something that I would regret.  A lot of snarkiness has been dwelling in me.  I was let down and crushed by a company that I gave eight slash 23 years of my life.  A new boss lady harassed my mom, and even though we are no longer with "said company" she still leaves more than a "Harry & the Hendersons" sized footprint on both of our hearts.  I was upside down on my house and I had to sell it.  I quit my job of $50k (plus) for a few grand in 5 months.  I gave up my independence.  I rely on my mom and my fiance to pay my bills right now.  I had a friend whom I trusted, bail on me and hurt me in a way she will never know.  My fiance will be deployed in 10 days.  And now, I am in the midst of a move. Well, not so much midst... hopefully at the tail end of it.  (This said as I sit on the one single chair that is in my house in the middle of my living room watching the finale of The Office and the season finale of Grey's - with half a bottle of wine...)  

To say I have cried a lot is an understatement.  I'm pretty sure all those sleepless nights my parents had when I was a newborn and all the tears I shed during my childhood and high school years would not fill half the bucket needed to collect the tears I've shed in the past six months.  And now, it's time I find happiness.  

I had brunch with one of my bridesmaids a couple of weeks ago and was venting about life.  I told her that even though I am beginning to run my own wedding planning business fulltime and assist my mom in her real estate business (because let's be real, we make a damn good team) I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up.  

Her response:  My dad thinks you should be a writer.  He thinks you're hilarious. 

A week later I was at a wedding.  When a college friend /slash/ acquaintance, who I had not seen in probably seven years came up to me and said "You haven't blogged since that day in Switzerland and your engagement!  What's going on?!" I remembered the joy that blogging brought me.  And apparently other people.

I had no clue that either of these people were reading my blog and following along in the ups and downs of my life-tales and craft projects.  It made me feel good and confident for the first time in a while.  So here I am...

For the past week, I knew that writing one last blog post in the house I turned into a home all by myself, was super important to me.  You may not believe me, but I promised myself that I needed to close out this chapter of my life with some quiet time and a blog post.  

So here I sit.  On my pink chair.  In the middle of my living room.  All alone but here with you.  Spilling my heart out.

Tomorrow I will finish packing the last of my belongings and move them to Newport News, Virginia.  Not far (an hour) from home and my family, but far enough.  Really, it's not that far... you can't even watch a good solid Disney flick in an hour or less.  Not to mention I 100% believe that New Girl should be an hour long... so why shouldn't my commute?

Did I mention I will be 10 minutes from a Trader Joes?  Silver lining.  

Tomorrow marks the day that Michael will be my forever roommate and eventually (less than 6 months now) my husband.  {Even if he will be leaving 9 days after I move in.}  Tomorrow will be the day that my two cats hate me for about a week as they go into hiding in whichever nook they can find in their new house.  Tomorrow will be a day of chaos and change.  Two things that make me have panic attacks.   Tomorrow will be a day of tears for me... even though I know happiness, clarity, adjustments, organization and love are on the way.

Tomorrow will be bittersweet.

With that ladies and gents - it's time I go upstairs and wrap up some loose strings before snuggling into my bed with my fur-babies for the last time in this cute little, practically empty townhouse that taught me so much about myself.  

And since a blog post is lacking in it's awesome-ness when it is lacking in pictures... here's a few for you from today:

I had to laugh when his response was "I bet they thought you were crazy."

After all the paleo, delicious cookin' and parties that took place in this house, the fact that my last supper was WENDY'S breaks my heart just a bit.   The fact that it was sitting next to my dad, seven years after we "broke Wendy's bread" while working to paint, caulk, clean, and everything else needed to make this townhouse "Suz Approved" when I bought it made me happy.  Even if he thought I was nuts when I painted the entire downstairs yellow... :) 

U-Haul claims to make moving easier... but nothing really does... #movingmakesmecry

My pink chair.  In the middle of the living room.  There's gotta be a country song that starts like that... 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter dear friends!  He is Risen!  

I wish you all a wonderful day (even if it is rainy and you cannot have a cut-throat egg hunt!) spent with family and friends!

Love to you all, In Christ and all his awesomeness,

Suz, Chloe & the two cats