Pantry ... I'm in LOVE!

Absolutely LOVE this post on a pantry re-vamp. Definitely my kind of project - check it out.

Grow, hair! Grow~!!

I have had some very bad haircuts and very bad experiences at the "salon." Growing up, I would always get my hair cut at Great Clips or the equally sucky equivalent, because I had a basic hair style. It was long, with long layers. I mean, how can you really screw that up? I was fine with these $15 haircuts until a lady got her rings tangled up in my hair while she was washing it. I mean she tugged and pulled to free her gaudy rings from my hair - to the point that tears ran down my cheeks. That was the last time I paid less than $50 for a haircut.

Then I went to college and found Nathan. He was a very good stylist, and gave me a scalp massage first thing every time. It was Ah-MAZ-ing. However, I don't really want to drive 45 minutes there and back AND spend over $50. I don't need a day trip, just a trim.

So, I tried Beauty Brands and got the cutest angled haircut ever. I mean, it was so cute. It was high maintenance, but so worth it - so cute! Then ... there was Bertha. You laugh. You think I'm kidding. No. Her name was Bertha and she butchered my hair. There is photographic evidence, but I refuse to share. It was just bad.

So, I've been growing my hair out ever since and still have yet to find a stylist who I trust and like and doesn't live in Timbuktu, and I feel is worth the $50 I shell out. Any referrals, ladies??

Here's the look I'm going for. Connie Britton from Friday Night Lights. See how long and flow-y it is??

LOVE those big, flowing curls. Curling iron?? Hot rollers??

Now, just 10 more inches to go. Grow, hair! Grow~!!

We went to Arizona ... in April...

So back in April Jason and I went to Arizona to meet up with one of my best friends who lives in California, and then met up with Jason's family for a good old fashioned Smith Family Vaca. It was a full week off of work and a great time away with lots of people we love. Tayler's parents own a house in AZ just outside of Phoenix that was within walking distance of this super cute little town square. They let us stay in the house, which was so awesome. It was so beautiful and I totally love her family's decor tastes. It was a nice way to relax and feel more at home than to stay in a hotel. I just wished we could have seen her family - miss them. Maybe a trip to CA is in order for sometime next year.

Tayler and Alina - friends for 10+ years (since high school)

I'm so jealous of Tay's long hair - isn't it beautiful??

This is Tayler's boyfriend, Brett. Super cool guy. Jason and I totally approved. ;)

Me and the hubby.

We also got to eat at In-N-Out while on our trip. LOVE this.

This is Jason and me enjoying a delicious dinner at this cute pizza place.

This is Jason on our hike up a AZ trail. There were TONS of people hiking and it was a weekday mid-morning. It's like just another way to exercise in AZ, just drive up to the trails and hike for some extra cardio. It was the most intense trail there, which we didn't know until later flipping through a magazine. Ha! It was BEAUTIFUL, though, and the weather was perfect.

These are Jason's parents posing next to a frog statue in Sedona. Lots of pretty scenery, but it was a little overcast and chilly. Still very breath-taking and a wonderful experience.

Barry rode with us for one leg of the road trip and Jason caught this photo while driving.

Me and Jason on the road - my camera got this weird fleck in the lens (you can kind of see the blurry spot), so I kind of stopped taking pictures after this. We fixed it later at home, thankfully.

All in all it was a great trip and we got to spend a lot of great time with Jason's family. We hardly ever get to see them, so it was nice to be able to spend so much time together just hanging out. We got to see a lot of sights, including the Grand Canyon (my second time), the Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas. It was a great experience, and hope to do another road trip sometime next year, too.

Time to finally breathe...

So, we've been in the house for over a month now, and it's been great. Most everything is unpacked and has a place ... but nothing has been hung on the walls yet. Our color schemes have changed, so we may need to rethink what we have/what we need. We still need to install the ceiling fan in the kitchen and get the mantel/tile installed. We've been to IKEA and gotten some ideas for some pieces of furniture we're wanting. It's all the fun stuff now. Finally!

So ... photo time?

Jason painting KILLZ on the big cat pee stain on the concrete so Stella didn't think that was her new place to go.

Chris painting baseboards - he did practically every door frame, baseboard, and shelf in the house. Which was a HUGE thing for me. I couldn't seem to get the hang of it, and he did AWESOME!

Kylee painting some doors. That was the quickest process EVER.

Jason carrying the boxes I brought home from work up to our 3rd floor apartment. Gotta love those long arms! Ha!

Painting the walls in the pantry green. So pretty. And Jason's idea, might I add. :)

Mom helping out with the cutting in... I was too tall.

Our BEAUTIFUL blooming Bradford Pear tree.

Dad pulled weeds for 4 hours ... and we had so many that you couldn't even tell where he had gone over. So that's when we decided we needed professional help. The first step is admitting you have a problem...

APPLIANCES!!!

Finished pantry. So pretty.

The whole family helping out. This was so fun to open - it was like Christmas. :)

The boys reading the instructions ... momentous.

Everyone helping out ... okay, this was posed, but they kept working too fast for me to snap pictures of the process!

Setting the time on the microwave.

Appliances!!!  :)

Okay, so that's as far as my pictures go that are uploaded on the computer. But it gives you an idea of what all happened at the house right before we moved.

We made it!

What.a.weekend.

Saturday morning ... was D-day. We had a U-haul truck all ready to go, friends and family on their way to help, and rain was falling from the sky. Didn't look too pleasant, but we persevered. Everyone came as promised and the rain stopped mid-morning, and so we continued! The weather got cooler and cooler, and it was windy - which actually turned out to be a good thing. I hate moving when it's hot, and it was definitely cool enough! We were completely done by 3:00pm, and had the rest of the evening to relax and unpack.

I've got tons of photos of the remainder of the renovations, and of some of our moving process... and of course photos of what we're living in now. We won't have internet at the house until next week sometime, but I'll post them as soon as it gets hooked up. It's been a great experience, and there's still work to be done, but at least now we can head to bed when we get tired, and no longer have to trek it back to the apartment.

Home, sweet home.

25?!?!

So, I turned 25 on March 6 and I seriously can't believe how fast my life is going by! It was a great week of celebrations with my family and friends and I definitely feel like a very blessed girl. Here are some photos:

Jason and I went to CPK for dinner and he gave me presents! He's so good to me. :)

Opening presents wrapped in birthday hat paper. (Jason wrapped my Christmas presents in this paper one year because he thought they looked like Christmas trees. LOL)

Friday night we painted at the house just the two of us. It was really fun and we got a LOT done.

Check out the finished product - lots of cutting in, but so worth it. I LOVE the green!

Celebrating at my parent's house. My mom made ham, dressing, broccoli casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, AND chocolate cake. She deserves the Mom of the Year award.

I got my very own CROCS! AND they are pink!

Cut in cabinet wall. We're getting our appliances on Monday. We are SO excited.

Here we are at The Melting Pot with our best buds. Jason took the picture, but didn't make it in the photo!

The best husband in the world with the birthday girl.

This picture is AWESOME. LOL!

Our sweet friends, Chris and Kylee.

Jason is excited for the MEAT.

Kylee being mischievous with the lobster tail...

Look how red it is!

The waiter totally called her out - but admitted he's done it too. It was SO funny. But you had to be there.

Chris cut the tiny sliver of cheesecake in half and it was hysterical. He's a skilled knifist.

So these are the updates from this past weekend. Lots of fun and I'm a year older. YAY!

Weekends 3 & 4

Okay so it's been a while since I last posted, but things have been crazy working at the house. We're trying to make our move-in date of March 20, and will barely make it. So instead of a recap of each weekend I'm just going to post some photos we've taken along the way.

 

The fireplace all done - just waiting on our mantel!

 

Making progress!

Check out that pretty painted closet. :)

A little lighter now...

More progress - that green wall will be blue.

We have an attic!!

Chris talking to Jason through the ceiling. Ha!

The best baseboard/door frame/window sill painter in these here parts.

Let there be LIGHT!

Always ready for anything.

Teamwork! We are painting the master closet - it was a BEAST to paint and felt like a prison of beige...

Patched wall in the laundry room and no more shelf!

Getting ready to cover that yellow. :)

First painted door in the house.

Kylee, touching up the green.

Measuring for the bathroom light fixture.

Chris and his funny faces... :)

So proud of myself that I didn't even realize I painted this green on the wrong wall!

The beginnings of blinds.

Pretty greens.

Hard at work.

LIGHTS!!!

Totally painted my shirt accidentally. And check out the wall with both greens ... silly me.

Getting closer...

Kylee's pooped and ready to go home to sleep!

GREEN!

Bathroom light~!

Look at those WHITE baseboards and door frame!

Blinds!

I plan on updating the blog in between packing - finished 7 boxes last night and 10 this morning! So much more to come... but so encouraging that we're less than 2 weeks away from living in our first HOME!!  :)