Happy (early) Anniversary!

I can't believe it's been almost a year already - time really flies!

It's hard to believe that this time last year I was eye deep in last minute wedding details. I must say, I don't miss it! Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to create those wonderful memories, but I'm glad I only have to do it once!

Since we'll be hopping on a plane to Vegas tomorrow (woohoo!), I wanted to post this today.

Here's a little photographic trip down memory lane, courtesy of the talented Adam Shea:
(photos in no particular order because Blogger is being a royal PITA)

Everyone always asks: "How's married life?" or "Is being married any different?"

I loathe these questions.

But to answer: "Good" and "No".

Book Review: "Vanishing Acts"

"Vanishing Acts" by Jodi Picoult

Delia Hopkins has led a great life, living with her father, Andrew, and her daughter and fiance in New Hampshire. She makes a career of Search and Rescue finding missing persons with her bloodhound, Greta. Everything is great, until Delia starts to have flashbacks of events that she doesn't remember ever happening.

One day, the police turn up at their home and Delia's life as she knows it is turned upside down. Delia and her family end up traveling to Arizona, where she is faced with a past that she didn't even know existed. Memories come flooding back and she learns about an identity that should have been hers - relationships are tested and memories are challenged. Delia needs to figure out who she is and what really happened to her.

Would I recommend this book?
You bet I would. This was my first Picoult novel, but I think I'll be reading more from her in the near future. I just have to say (and you won't know what I mean unless you read the book!) I love Fitz - he seriously breaks my heart in his earlier chapters. LoveloveLOVE.

Book Review: "Water for Elephants"

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen


This book follows the life of Jacob Jankowski as the ninety (or ninety-three) year old relives his early years working for the circus. After his parents were killed in an auto accident when Jacob was twenty-one, he ran off and found himself as the veterinarian for the Benzini Brothers Circus - traveling the railroad with the show during the 1930's Depression.

Gruen really did her research with this book. She left out no details when it came to the happenings at a 1930's circus, however unnerving some of them were. You really get a good look at how things worked.

Jacob takes over the vet services for all the animals. He is supervised by August, who is a certified paranoid schizophrenic - his occasional outbursts are usually directed towards Jacob, or his own wife, Marlena. In a short time, Jacob falls in love with Marlena - not the best idea since she is the bosses wife.

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely! I was expecting this to be a more serious story, and while it WAS serious, it also held a humorous side that made the story really come together. Sara Gruen did an amazing job with this book, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I can't wait for the movie to come out later this year.

Picture Time: New Camera Special Edition!

I normally only post photos once a month and only 5 at a time, but I'm going to do it twice in September for two reasons:

1- September is going to be huge for photos! Between Vegas, The Grand Canyon and the leaves beginning to change - there will be a ton of photos!
and
2- I got a new camera! Time to show off what it can do!

All of these photos were taken yesterday and today with my brand spanken' new Canon T1i!

This was the very first photo taken with my new camera straight out of the box:

I has skillz...

... organizational skills that is!

Jamie and I recently decided that we should maybe have our dining room function as... oh I don't know... an actual dining room? For the past year or so, I've claimed that space as my own and created the organized chaos that was my "office".

Well, I've been booted upstairs, so I had to make use of the space! I already had a desk up there, it was just a matter of clearing it off and cleaning up the rest of the room to make it functional for both myself and Jamie - who plays Playstation up here. There is also a bed in the room that serves as a place for my Mom to stay when the weather is bad in winter.

I forgot to take "before" pictures, but let's just say that this room was a complete pig-sty. There was remnants from the wedding EVERYWHERE! The desk was covered with the nice place settings we received (all still in their gift boxes...oops) and random other wedding things.

The bed still houses my wedding dress.... yes, almost a year later. I've vowed to send it in to get cleaned as SOON as we get back from Vegas. No ifs-ands-or-buts!!

Ok, so here is my new workspace!

The desk itself is about 6 feet long, so I had a lot of space to put out pictures:

I have yet to purchase a bookshelf, so some of my books are on display upon my desk, along with my "cord caddy" - which houses all of my cords and chargers for my various "toys": (and yes, that my friends, is a Rubix Cube - AND it sparkles.)
Then there's my computer/workspace. There's also a cordless phone and a fancy homemade pen jar:
To the right of the desk, is my new craft storage area. That plastic bin holds A LOT of stuff! Most of my craft supplies are in there and whatever didn't fit I was able to fit in the desk drawers. There was just enough space to store my sewing machine between the bin and the bed:
And last, but not least: My Care Bear. Lurking the shadows behind my picture frames is one of my more prizes possessions. This bear is very special to me because it was the first gift I received on the day I was born nearly 25 years ago. The bear was a gift from my Grandpa, the scarf it has on it's head is something that my Grandma made for me and it's been on the Care Bear ever since. So you're looking at a little piece of history right here!
In organizing and cleaning this room I accomplished three of my 101 in 1001 goals:

#92: Find a way to better organize all my craft stuff

#87: Clean and organize my stuff upstairs

#37: Clean up all the stuff from the wedding

This puts my list at 33% complete with 747 days left to go!

New Toys for Michelle

I've been shopping around for a while for a new camera and accessories as it was time for an upgrade. Photography is a hobby of mine that I hope to turn into an "on the side income" sometime in the near future.

At some point soon, I would like to go back to school and finish out my Photography degree. I'm actually only 4 classes shy of it right now because credits from my Design degree carry over. However, with a full-time job and many other duties, going back to school may take some creativity when it comes to my schedule! Hopefully it will happen soon, if not, I'll maybe consider online courses or something. We'll see!

Ok, onto my toys! To say I'm excited is probably an understatement. With my upgrade to Free 2-Day shipping (thanks to my Amazon Prime free trial!), my goodies should be here by Friday!

Here's what I bought:

Canon Rebel T1i - Body Only - A GREAT deal on Amazon compared to anywhere elseTamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 - another steal, this time from Amazon Warehouse. The lens is slightly used, but like new and still has the warranty. I couldn't pass this deal up at 84% off the list price!

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - this was a steal at less than $100. Great for portraits!! This lens is on backorder though, so I'm not sure when I'll receive it.

So watch out for some new photos, hopefully more often. I can't wait to whip this stuff out in Vegas and at the Grand Canyon!

The Big 600!

Congratulations to The Milwaukee Brewers Trevor Hoffman on getting career save number 600 last night!(image from brewers.com)

In a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers right-handed pitcher got number 600 sending the crowd at Miller park of 33,000 to their feet and Hoffman into the record books. Hoffman now stands 45 saves ahead of the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, who is No. 2 all-time with 555. Lee Smith (478), John Franco (424) and Atlanta's Billy Wagner (417) round out the top five. This is sure to earn him a trip into the MLB Hall of Fame when the time comes!

You can read the feature article and see the video of it here

Hoffman earned save number 599 on August 29th against Pittsburgh, my husband and I were at that game! We were a little bummed that it was only 599, but hey, he had to get 599 first in order to get to 600, right? Either way, we saw history, and that's pretty damn awesome!

Congrats Trevor!!

Book Review: "Such a Pretty Fat"

"Such a Pretty Fat" by Jen Lancaster


One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer

Again I found Jen Lancasters wit to be hilarious. Love her! This book followed Jens weight loss journey. It hit on the many different diet plans and what worked and didn't work for her. From Jenny Craig to Weight Watchers, and everything in between, Jen tried it and shared every detail in a hilarious way that only she could.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes!! It's light, funny and will put you in a great mood.