A Big Catch-Up!

Oh my, where has the time gone?! I didn't know so much had happened that I actually FORGOT about blogging.  Not even joking.  The past month has gone by so fast, but so much has happened!  (And, I've had several people tell me that I need a new blog post up, so hopefully this will get you through! :)

For those that haven't heard, I actually started a new job a little over a month ago.  I'm still at Varina, just in a new position.  I'm now over in the School Counseling Office and it has been great! Everyone has made the transition very easy!  However, the first couple weeks were nuts because I was out some days for training, out for snow..I think by the third week I was finally there all five days! haha.

Matt was out of town for a few days for work, and Maple was NOT happy about it.  She sure did miss him.  This is when she found her new favorite sleeping spot.  We don't use our comforter, so it's usually folded up in the floor.  Well, Maple has found that to be quite comfortable and would prefer to sleep there. One night when Matt was gone, she wouldn't even stay in the den with me...she would just stay in there!  Then, there was the day I came home and found one of Matt's socks on the floor by his side of the bed, that Maple pulled out of the hamper...it was both sad and cute.

A couple weekends ago, we headed down to Eden, NC, where we usually go for the family reunion on my dad's side, known as just "The Reunion" with no explanation needed.  This time, although we did get to see a lot of family, it was for a funeral.  My Memaw was one of thirteen and one of her brothers, Uncle Troy, passed away earlier this month.  There was no question as to whether or not we'd go, so we headed on down.  Also, Uncle Troy and I have the same birthday, so I always thought that was cool!

Matt and I stopped at Longwood first to pick up Abby...when we stopped for snacks, Abby introduced me to these tall cans of Coke and I couldn't pass it up, haha.  Then Abby and I found it funny (almost too funny) that all of the snacks and drinks she, Matt and I got were all round or cylindrical.  Clearly, we had a lot to think about. haha.

We kept on driving and after lots of confustion, we met up with Mom, Dad and Vickie.

After going to the visitation, we headed out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant right by our hotel.  This Hampton Inn really is our home away from home every August!

I was so amused with the new coffee cups they have!

These were pretty appropriate for Matt and me!

On the way back home, we stopped back at Longwood to drop Abby off.  Matt suggested that we go walk around campus, and we're both glad he did!

As soon as we got out of the car, Matt noticed that something was going on in the Student Union rooms, so we joked that we should post on Facebook and ask if any RAs were having programs and we'd stop by.  As we walked down Brock Commons and got closer to the Student Union, the front doors were open so we could see.  Matt pointed out the huge gaming screens and I said, "Isn't that usually Phi Mu Delta's event...?!" and we slowed down.  Matt kept looking and said, "yep, I see our letters."  We didn't say anything, just walked in, and one of Matt's brothers jumped up to see him immediately!  It was GREAT seeing everyone's reactions to seeing Matt (not many of them know me anymore; it's sad we've been gone so long!)!  

We did run into a few Longwood grads and RAs, too! Jesse (left) and I worked on the same RA staff in The Hams my senior year, and he was also one of Matt's groomsmen. Danny (right) also worked on The Hams staff with Jesse and me.

P.S. Like my Pi Day shirt? It was, indeed, Pi Day :)

Last week, we tried a new recipe, found on Pinterest: Jerk Chicken Tacos!  When we were in Jamaica, the jerk chicken and jerk steak were AMAZING!!  This jerk chicken was quite the same, but it'll definitely do!  Also, if you go to the original link, you'll see that we did ours slightly differently.

Ingredients:

chicken

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

mayonnaise

tortillas

taco toppings (we only had lettuce, cheese and cilantro, but Matt did add salsa on his, too!)

The recipe was super simple:

1. Cover your chicken in jerk seasoning and grill it.

2. While this is cooking, make the jerk mayo: mix 1/3 cup of mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons of Jerk seasoning.  Top your tacos with this!

3. When your chicken is done, cut into strips or bite sized pieces.

4. Assemble your tacos and ENJOY!!

Saturday, in the windy cold morning, we saw all the fun sights along Monument Ave in the Ukrop's Monument Ave 10K! We do this every year, but this year wasn't like all the others.  We weren't trying to beat a time.....we didn't even RUN.  It was weird and I really did miss running it, but I know we would've been disappointed with our time if we ran anyway.  Matt hasn't been feeling well, and my feet have been hurting a lot lately, so we walked with Mom and some family friends!  Walking definitely made the 6.2 miles feel TWICE as long, and the cold didn't make it that much better, either!  Either way, that's another 10K in the books for us!  And, there's always next year!

Waiting to start:

We passed Ronald McDonald..

and this was one of the most creative costumes we saw! (I was bummed I couldn't get the whole DreamWorks sign...)

Now that I've done a pretty much month-long catch-up, I will TRY to be better about blogging! This month clearly got away from me!

Our Bedroom: Before & After!

When it's come to home projects and painting, our bedroom was put on the back burner.  I don't really have a reason why, it just happened that way.  

We painted two rooms upstairs, found some furniture pieces, and neither room is in any complete.  "My" room upstairs that was intended to be a craft room, isn't quite that.  I have a bookshelf dad made me and I painted white, which does in fact store all of my craft materials.  Well, at least 95% of them.  I also have a bookshelf I've had for years, which my book collection has definitely (and quickly) outgrown.  I also have an awesome chevron chair that I fell in love with, which I rarely sit in, but I know that's where I can always find my notebook that I make our grocery lists in! haha

Matt's mancave has a bit more furniture.  He likes old, wooden, vintage-looking furniture, and he was able to grab a few things from his grandparents that they weren't using.  He also has two very comfortable leather chairs that we picked up at IKEA.  Oh yeah, and a bookshelf for holding a lot of momentos, such as a picture from Nationals for Outdoor track and his CHI Commendation.  Matt has also found and been given decor items to have, such as a standing globe, old golf clubs to hang on the wall, and a picture of cigar labels.  He's definitely been more proactive about buying things to finish his room. haha

Other than what I've mentioned, those two rooms have mostly remained "holding places" for things that have yet to find a home.  Rather than waiting for these rooms to be finished (which may or may not happen), I decided I just wanted to go ahead and take care of our bedroom.  It has been so bland for far too long.  It's definitely still not finished, but at least we've made some great progress!!!

BEFORE:

Time to get to painting!

(Also known as the time I discovered I'm a terrible painter...)

My own Michelangelo painting the ceiling.

So, this is pretty funny.

This spot on the wall is actually purple that somehow wore off of Matt's pillow! I've never seen such a thing.

Good thing it's the same color as the paint that we covered it with! haha

Getting close to the end!

At first, Maple wouldn't come in the bedroom, because she had no idea why everything was moved around (and she couldn't get on the bed).  But when she found the open window that was just her height, she was in a happy place!

AFTER!!

I love the lighting in our room now that we have lamps!! 
 

Matt did a great job painting!! Love how there's both purple and gray on this wall!

Our "his and hers" lamps:
 

Can you tell I like this pattern?  Mom gave me this awesome candle for Christmas!
 

So excited about this canvas of one of our FAVORITE wedding pictures! It looks so much better in person!
 

Abby gave Matt this awesome Doctor Who print for Christmas:
 

And this mirror we got from my great aunt and uncle! Love the shape of it :)

Just a different view of our room: