There's No Place Like Home..

There's no place like home for the holidays! This year is a little bit different, though. I have two "homes" to go visit. Jonathan and I did a lot of brainstorming on how we were going to do the holidays this year and make everyone happy. After some long, hard thinking, we came up with this.

On Friday, we will go to Jonathan's home, in Jefferson, to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning there. Then, on Christmas day (fairly early) we will make the 3.5 hour trip across Ohio to Springfield just in time to open presents with my family. We will also be in Springfield on Monday, December 26th. Unfortunately, Jonathan doesn't get the fabulous teacher Christmas break like I do... So Jonathan will make the trip back to Wooster Monday evening to work on Tuesday. The good news is, he does get two short weeks. :)

I will be in Springfield until around Thursday, the 29th. My mama, cousin/wedding planner, Kelsey, my bridesmaids, and I have a big week after Christmas. On the 28th we are going to do some food tasting and hopefully securing our caterer/bartender for the wedding. On the 29th we are going to Beavercreek to do some shopping for bridesmaid's dresses. Because all of my bridesmaids have beautiful (and easy to fit) figures, hopefully this process will be great!

Until then, Let it Rain SNOW this Christmas! :)

Oh, and thanks to Bob's mother in law, we got really nice gifts for Christmas. And it fits perfectly with our title, the STARS teachers! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Bob said she likes the "one size fits all" model..

Hope this made you smile!

Thankful

So after spending a five day weekend and short break from school with my family, to-be family, and friends, I realize there are a lot of things to be thankful for. It is never to late to say them (even if it is after Thanksgiving). Jonathan and I traveled a total of about 14 hours this weekend, and it was all worth it. Here is my list of things I am thankful for.

1. Mom and Dad
2. Sisters- Sara and Elyse
3. My fiance- Jonathan
4. My extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins)
5. The Mihoci family (so lucky to have such nice and caring people to call family now)
6. My first and only brother (in July)- Matt
7. My friends (from high school, college, and now Wooster)
8. My job
9. My health
10. My new apartment (with a 2 car garage for our Ohio winters)
11. The generosity, love, and support from my family and friends
12. Laughter
13. My engagement and relationship with Jonathan
14. God's blessings in my life
15. Ohio Northern (for my education and of course meeting my fiance)
16. Sports (especially NFL football and of course volleyball)- I don't know what else could calm my competitive tendencies :)
17. Coke Zero- for that little kick of caffeine
18. Insanity, P90x, or any other workout I have tried to get my butt into shape
19. My friends who motivate me to workout
20. The lessons in life that have only made me stronger

I am sure that I could sit here all day and think of more. Thank you to everyone on here for being special and apart of my life! :)

Obsessed Much?

Facewash

Shampoo and Conditioner

Body Wash

Hand Soap

Toothpaste

I may have a slight problem. What do you think?

Looking Ahead

I have many fun things coming up! I am looking forward to going home this weekend just to get a break. After volleyball, I am always ready for that breath of fresh air. I am taking a personal day at school and Saturday, I am going to go watch some girls I coached when they were 7th graders, play for a sectional final. They don't know I am coming and I think they will be excited to see me. I am definitely anxious to see them as seniors playing volleyball because I remember them at age 12.

My mom and I are going to go over to Alter Bound Bridal and try on my wedding dress that came in! I am super excited to see if it fits me and to just try it on again. We are also going to tackle some wedding to-dos this weekend. It will be nice to spend some time at home and think about the wedding..I am so excited that I have time to think about it now!

The title was looking ahead. That is what I need to do. I did something really stupid and scheduled my student loan (appx $500) twice. So you think oh well just one mistake. Nope! This has happened TWICE. That is what upset me the most. This leads to my Facebook status: Why am I so absent-minded? This mistake makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time. You can imagine how it feels not to have that budgeted (and then it happened twice)! But, I get my coaching paycheck so I can pay myself back, and I am one month ahead. Looking ahead. Now I am actually ahead. It hurts now, but it will be OK. Thank God for Jonathan. He keeps me going and is the calm in life! He can even take it when I get mad at him for being so calm. (I know. Doesn't make sense!) Again, looking ahead.

Anyways, I will keep you updated on my weekend. I obviously won't upload pics of the dress because there are certain people out there who aren't allowed to see me until the moment I walk down the aisle. (Jonathan!)

It's an exciting time. People can actually start booking their hotel rooms for my wedding!

It's that time of year..

I hope you LOVE my background change. I love fall! It is my absolute most favorite season ever. Plus, fall brings the holidays and that means I get to spend time with family! :) I am excited that I am getting more family after our wedding next summer! Double fun!

Oh wow! I have not blogged in so long. It is partially because I have been so busy and tired, and thinking about blogging made me more tired. I didn't want it to feel like a chore, I want it to feel like something I enjoy. So I am going to try to keep up with it this fall now that volleyball is over and I will have more time!

Speaking of time, Jonathan and I didn't have anywhere we HAD to be this weekend. It felt wonderful! So we took advantage of it and did a little fall decorating in our house. So we headed to the north side of town to Pat Catans. I love craft stores, especially around the holidays. They had so many oranges, reds, and yellows; all my favorites for fall! I could go in there and spend too much money! I have always wanted one of those things that sit in your living room that you put bamboo or something in. So we bought one. Jonathan calls it my $50 project (inspired by my All You magazine), but it is very autumn like and it is pretty. Can't wait to switch it over to something fun for Christmas time and then something bright for the spring.

I also love the fall leaves. I love driving down the road, with the crisp fall air (only if it's not too cold) blowing into my window, looking at the bright leaves. The only down fall is that I think the fall leaves do not last long enough. So I decided to get some to put in my living room so it will never get away! (Also, in case you noticed the football on our TV-football Sundays! Another fall favorite!)

Jonathan and I also found a wreath to put on our door. I love wreaths! We bought a pumpkin that we will carve and some yellow mums for our porch. We are so festive!

 I am thinking that Jonathan and I will pick a project for Christmas. I want to do a wreath. We will see how that goes. My mom always did one when we were growing up. It is work, but we like projects! And, it will be special.

My latest project has been decorating the tops of my cabinets. I got more ivory at Pat Catans and added to it. My proudest moment so far was when I found an old table cloth that I don't use anymore and made it into a decorations. It adds color to a bare spot up on top of the cabinets. I love how it turned out and that means that my money wasn't wasted!! Look closely, it is kinda draped over the basket and around the vase.

 My favorite would be the plates in the basket as well as the purple vase. I am loving purple more and more. It is a nice splash of color along with the red flowers. My mother will be proud!

It's still not done, but it is looking better. I love it!

Another fun project was doing something with our small windows by our door. So, like so many of us do these days, I Googled it! (What a useful tool...I can almost diagnose my own illness through Google!)

So Jonathan and I broke down and replaced them with beautiful stained glass. Just kidding! This is actually about $30 at Lowe's. We bought window film that is translucent. It let's light in but you cannot see through it. Maybe I am bias but I think it looks really good. I chalked it up as a great find. It was also really easy. I highly recommend if you have a window you don't want people looking through, you invest in this!

 Lastly, Jonathan and I just started P90x! It was day 2 today and we are SO sore. It is almost pitiful, yet funny, watching us stand up and walk around. And I was nervous that it wouldn't tone my "trouble" spots. Well, all I have to say, is they are sore. HA HA! We have decided that we want to do it the summer before our wedding if we like it. Jonathan groaned when I made him take before pictures, but he'll be glad when he sees how great his after pictures look! I don't think you want to see those before pics though. :)

Hope you have a great week!

Stress

So I have not written in a while and that is probably because I have a lot of things going on right now.

1. We moved! This is so exciting and we love all of our space now. We are busy arranging our new home, and the next step is hanging things on the wall to make it really feel like home.

2. School is always stressful and busy. This is not a negative things at all...it is just reality. I was so ready to start the school year, but with that, like any job, comes stuff, stuff, and more stuff!

3. Volleyball season is progressing forward and I always have decisions, meetings, practice, games. It takes a lot of time and emotion to coach. The good thing is we have fun, nice girls. Bad thing is, I want to play all the girls because they are so nice. However, you can only have 6 girls on the court at a time, so that doesn't always work out with 15 girls total. These are the things that keep my mind racing at night.

4. Wedding planning! On top of the rest of it, I have to plan my wedding. Kelsey has been a big help with making phone calls and doing some of the behind the scenes stuff. WOO.

So with all that being said, that is why I have had no time to blog and why I have just a little stress to go along with it all. I hope to be visiting more often. Until then, everyone have a good one!

:)

No Time...No Time at All!

Just a quick, boring post.

1. I am thoroughly enjoying being engaged and I have only been frustrated with J once about wedding stuff. (HAHA...he asked me for permission to tell me if I am being a bridezilla!! I said yes) I NEED TO INSURE MY RING ASAP!

2. We set a date: 7/21/2011 <3 This is the day I will marry my best friend!

3. Jonathan and I have a lot going on this month and added more with wedding planning. I have school starting on 8/22 and am getting all of my stuff together for it. I am doing the finishing touches on my new units and also finishing up my classroom! We are also moving the last weekend of August (same weekend as my first volleyball game) so I have to pack, call our utilities, change our address with the post office, etc. I am coaching every day but Sunday. And sometime in there I am supposed to go home and look at wedding venues. SIGH!!!!!

"Life ain't always beautiful, sometimes it's just plain hard. Life ain't always beautiful but it's a beautiful ride.."

4. We are going to look at 2-3 venues this weekend (only open weekend except 1 in September) and are hoping to find one!

5. I really am happy about life...we just need to get through August.

6. I will create a wedding page on here to keep you posted in case you are interested.

Speaking of Weddings....

It's official! Jonathan and I are getting married. I couldn't have found a more wonderful person to spend the rest of my life with. I can't stop smiling and I can't stop looking at the sparkling diamond on my finger! :)


Engagement story: He said to me the night before that he forgot to pack his lunch and told me maybe he would just come home for lunch. That didn't seem funny at all because he always forgets to pack his lunch!So anyways, I had practice until noon and his lunch is from 12-1 but I forgot he was coming home. He called me and when I saw his missed call I was like OMG he's home right now. I called him and said told him not to leave before I got home! When I walked in the door, he was on one knee, with flowers and a ring. He told me he loved me and asked me to marry him! :)

I am so excited! I can't wait to start planning! 

A big thanks to my cousin Kelsey who agreed to put up with me and be my wedding planner! :) Love her!

Eat, Drink, and be Married

Jonathan and I went to a gorgeous wedding this weekend. Jonathan's cousin, Kip, married Vicky in Pittsburgh, PA. The wedding was in a catholic church and I was freezing hot the entire time due to no air conditioning. However, the church was huge and beautiful, so it definitely took my mind off of how hot it was. The reception was pretty cool for all you Steeler's fans out there (or even us Brown's fans). We spent our evening at Heinz Field. The reception has one wall of windows that overlooked the city! I know this isn't the best picture, but I wanted you to get the idea. You couldn't tell you were at a football stadium at all...and how cool is it that the bride and groom ran into Hines Ward and got a picture taken. They were pretty excited!

The wedding festivities were fun and we enjoyed out evening on the dance floor. The Mihoci's knew how to tear up a dance floor whether Bon Jovi was playing or the Mihoci Pokey (yes they played the hokey pokey since it rhymes with their last name)! HAHA.

Probably the best part of the night was right at the end of the reception when the Pirate's game let out. They set off fireworks and we had a perfect view from the reception. I don't know that it could have been more perfect. I love fireworks! It was an end to a great night. We were exhausted.

I look forward to planning my big day.............but who knows when that will be. Until then I will just dream :)

Have a good week!

New Things

I have some new things to share with you! I love change!


1. Jonathan and I are moving! We have found an adorable duplex on the other side of town that we have just fallen in love with. We are still renting but this is kinda the next step for us. It is also ours together. Next, we will probably buy a house. We love that it is bigger. It is amazing how small my apartment now feels with 2 people in it. We actually have a basement (unfinished) for storage. The people that were there prior to us actually put a treadmill down there...so we are thinking that it has potential! Also, it has a two car attached garage. We all know how Ohio winters can be. SNOW, ICE, and more SNOW!!!! I am looking forward to not having to scrape the snow and ice off of my car. The garage also gives us additional storage. Another perk is the kitchen is way bigger. It is open and probably triples the cabinet space. It was hard not having a pantry AND not having many cabinets. We also now have a deck that is big enough to put patio furniture on and a grill. It will be nice to sit outside and not have to go downstairs to grill hamburgers! Lastly, our bedrooms are much bigger. As you can see...this place just gives us more space and it is less apartment like and more home like! We are super excited!

2. I took the job as JV coach this year. I had been coaching 8th graders and so this was an exciting jump for me. It has been different coaching high school girls but I am really enjoying my team. We started practicing this week just with our teams. I have been working on breaking bad habits and learning new and better ones. I look forward to testing us on Monday to see what we really need to be working on at our scrimmage! Cross your fingers that we do well. :) I will keep you posted on my team as season goes on. Oh how fast August has gone!

Happy (rest) of summer!

Favorite quote from my last blog (that is good for athletes): "Don't let your attitude write checks that your ability can't cash." -Johnny Bench

Weekend Festivities

Jonathan and I spent the weekend in Springfield. First of all, it wasn't a fun drive in. We got caught in the biggest storm ever. I was driving and have had bad experiences with getting caught in hail/rain while driving in the past so let's just say I was feeling deja vu. There were sheets of rain hitting the windshield and I felt like the lightening was practically striking my car! Thankfully, we made it home safely!

The rest of the weekend was really fun! We went to a Cincinnati Red's game and we watched the Red's beat the Giants!! My dad has really wanted to see the Red's Hall of Fame and we were there early enough so we did and it was really cool!

Johnny Bench jersey from his last home game! My dad went.



Oh just chillen with Sparky!



Johnny Bench's Vowels of Success





My favorite quote from Johnny Bench's Vowels of Success about inner conceit was, "Don't let your attitude write checks that your ability can't cash." BOOM! If that doesn't say it I don't know what does. :) I thought that Red's Hall of Fame was really fun and interesting..plus my dad really enjoyed it too.

On top of the Hall of Fame, we ate some Skyline and watched some good baseball. It was super fun and hot!!


After the game, we ate at an Irish Pub across the river in Newport, KY. It is an adorable little place right on the Ohio River! We didn't get home until about 2 am but it was worth it...love weekends at home every now and then!

Sorry this is late. We are heading to Pittsburgh this weekend for Jonathan's cousin's wedding. Their reception is at Heinz Field! I guess us Brown's fans are going to have to suck it up! Have a good weekend. :)

Short and Sweet

This weekend was the last one in a little while that Jonathan and I will be home for the entire weekend. This coming weekend we are going to watch the Reds and Giants play at Great American with my mom and dad. I am super excited about that. The last time I was at a Red's game at Great American was with my dad in July of 2009, right before I moved here! We are celebrating Jonathan and Dad's birthdays too!

Since we won't be home for a few weekends, we decided to make this one a productive one. Friday night we went out to dinner just to have some us time. Saturday, we went to the book sale in Wooster, and I was allowed to fill an entire paper bag for $5. My seventh graders will be happy, and I came home with some good books as well. We are also thinking long and hard about buying a TV. Jonathan likes 55" which is extremely big...but it's that or 47" and we can't go that small! HAHA.

Today, we went grocery shopping and got stuff for all of our meals for the week. We also cleaned our ENTIRE apartment. I am talking wiping down our cabinets and everything. The reason we made it such a serious cleaning day was because we are thinking about moving in the next month to a duplex. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and much more space. I love the open kitchen and the deck off the back. The best attraction for us is the two car attached garage. NO more clearing snow off my car at 7 am in the winters!! It is a little more expensive and Jonathan and I feel like we have negotiating room with the construction going on the road in front of our entrance. Thank God for Jonathan knowing and understanding road construction plans.

I'll keep you posted. I am hoping for a quick work week for both of us (I work 4 days at Gap) and then home! :) Have a good one.

Then and Now

Then

Now

I can't wait to put them side by side in a frame! So fun :)



Top Chef

One thing that Jonathan and I have really liked about living together is the opportunity to cook good meals. We rarely eat out, which saves calories and our waist size, which means we cook more! We definitely save money in the long run not spending money on tips and things like that. We were excited about this past week because we went to the Farmer's Market and The Butcher Shop in Wooster. We picked up yummy ribeyes, pork chops, ham loaf, and ground beef, as well as squash, zucchini, blueberries, tomatoes, green beans, and peas! There is nothing better than fresh veggies and great meat!

Here is our fiesta with the grass fed ground beef from the farmer's market.



My taco without the carbs from the tortilla! :)

We also had pork chops one night. Jonathan is picky about them....but so far he has liked the ones I have made!

Lastly, we attempted our first ribeye on the grill. Our newest purchase was a meat thermometer so we knew when the steak was done! They turned out pretty good. We both agreed they were a little too done (just a tad) for us. Some of you may disagree when you see the pictures! All you medium well to well done people!!

Anyways, we had fun cooking up all of our purchases. The zucchini and squash, green beans, and steak were all from our purchases.

Have a good week! Summer is FLYING!






Sweet Puppy

Jonathan and I had a fun filled evening last night. We went over to Matt's new place in Milltown Villas. The highlight of the evening (besides the good food) was meeting his sweet puppy, Chico. Chico is a golden retriever and is 15 weeks old. I was impressed by how good of a job Matt has done training the pup. He is so good! He knows how to sit, stay, shake, and lay down. Of course, like any puppy, when he gets super excited, he doesn't want to listen! :) Here is a picture of Chico that Matt sent me after we left. Apparently, he was worn out!

Have a good week! :)

Welcome to Nashville, y'all!

It all started when Jonathan and I got on the plane to Nashville. Jonathan is scared to fly, so we hit up the Columbus Brewery before our flight, ordering double shots in his Bloody Mary's...I drank water. :) When we arrived in Charlotte, my college roommate and good friend Sarah Bailey walked around the corner. Not only is it random to run into someone you know but even more random in Charlotte's airport. We enjoyed a drink, calamari, and hush puppies before our flight left. :)

Jonathan and I spent a wonderful weekend in Nashville visiting Ben, Molly, RJ, and Renee. We had a fun and college weekend. Molly told me before I went that I needed to put my "big girl" pants on for the weekend. I tried my best! The first night we were in Nashville we went to a cute bar and grill called Sam's. It was a pretty early night considering we had a big weekend ahead of us.

On Saturday we spent all day at the lake and we went out and enjoyed downtown Nashville at Paradise Park. We went to a part of the lake where it is about 2 feet deep and comes up to your thighs. It is the perfect place to hang out, listen to music, and enjoy cold beverages. We did just that and soaked up some quality southern sun! Jonathan and the boys stayed out super late. R.J's parents also cooked us a wonderful supper of brats, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Here are some pics of us out and about!

Sunday was the big day. I just want to say that the northerners showed up to compete. They held the 2nd annual Fourth-a-Palooza at R.J.'s friends house. Basically, it is where you compete in 10 events such as flip cup, corn hole, sack race, 3-legged race, etc. and the winning team gets $100. Jonathan and I were on a team and got 3rd. Molly and Ben won it all and Renee and R.J. came in 4th. Molls and Ben were kind enough to treat us to dinner that night with the winnings. (We would have done the same!) I must comment on the southern hospitality as well. As an out-of-towner, I felt completely welcome and everyone was so nice. I was very impressed. If I wasn't sure about wanting to move south before I visited Tennessee for the weekend, I am completely convinced now that the south would be a great place to live for a little bit. The funniest part of Sunday were the outfits.

Needless to say, we were 3 very good looking couples on Sunday!

Monday Funday was the day we flew back. Jonathan did not need a brewery this day, so that was good! :) He is getting so brave! The flights were rough because of storms, so that was not fun for him and I felt bad. We only arrived about 40 minutes late safely in Columbus and got home at about 9:00 pm. Tuesday came quickly and Jonathan and I are exhausted, but we wouldn't trade anything for the weekend we had. I miss my friends already!

If you want to see some more pictures from our weekend you can check out Molly's blog, Hey Y'all.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th, just like we did! :)

God Bless the USA

Just wanted to update you before I leave for the weekend. Jonathan and I are going to Nashville to spend some time with Molly, Ben, Renee, and RJ. I am so excited to leave! We will have a wonderful 4th of July with sun, food, fireworks, laughter, and I am sure some country music! I will update with pictures when I return. I look forward to a perfect getaway this weekend.

Also, it is the 4th of July, so along with the fireworks, BBQs, and cookouts with family and friends, let's not forget those who are fighting for our wonderful country. We are truly blessed. I am proud to be an American! God bless the men and women fighting for our freedom!

Lastly, you may notice the change on my page. I just felt like refreshing it and making it new! :) Enjoy the new colors.

Cheers to a wonderful holiday weekend!

Diet, Nashville, and Shopping

Jonathan and I were looking into getting away, even if it were only 4-5 days, and originally we were thinking around Thanksgiving. Well, Molly (one of my best friends from college) called me and said she and Ben were moving to Nashville and that Jonathan and I should visit. We then decided that the 4th of July would be a good time to get away and J gets the 4th off. So, after swiping my credit card at Hotwire.com we are booked to fly out Friday! We are super excited and look forward to seeing good friends (RJ, Renee, Molls, and Ben). I am pumped to spend some time on the lake and see some great fireworks. Should be an awesome time!

Fireworks are beautiful!!!

On that note...I took Jonathan shopping with me and he was such a good sport. I got my first romper, and wasn't sure that it looked good at all, but decided this one is the only one I have found that doesn't look stupid on me! HAHA. I also got a dress from Old Navy. Part of the reason I looked there was because I had $20 dollars in rewards by using my Gap credit card....if you don't have one, I would definitely recommend one! You don't have to spend that much to get $10 rewards. I also got a really pretty dress. I can't wait to wear it to a wedding that Jonathan and I are going to in August! Lastly, I got two Victoria's Secret bathing suits. Ironically enough, I only had to get 3 pieces....you ask how? The bottoms are reversible and were only $9.99!!! I got two tops and both match one side of the bottoms and one matches the other. I also have black bottoms at home that match one. Technically, that is like 4 combinations!! I was so pumped at my thrifty mixing and matching...it's the way to go and is so in style!


Lastly, I have found a new diet that I like. I know, I know, it seems like I am always trying something new. Not really, I just get interested in new ways to stay healthy. After I lost all that weight last year, I plateaued. I am at a happy weight, so I wasn't that mad, and I thought it was my body telling me I couldn't lose anymore. Since I started this diet, I have lost 5.4 lbs in about 5-6 days....and I am NEVER HUNGRY!!! The book is written by a doctor and I will attach the link if you want to look it up and order the book. Not only is it motivating, it gets you thinking how to get your healthy filling of veggies, fruit, protein, probiotics, fats, etc. What I like the most is that there are 4 cycles and the goal is to reach your goal weight and then get to cycle 4 where you learn to add in your favorite foods (that you couldn't have before) but in a healthy way that will not make you gain your weight back. Since my goal was to see if I could lose 5 lbs, I will be at my goal weight after cycle 1 and will be able to jump to 4 right away. If I get off track and gain a few lbs back, then I can go back to cycle 1 and lose them. For people that have considerable more weight to lose than 5 lbs, you would benefit from starting at cycle 1 and working your way through...you stay on each cycle for 17 days. Here is the link: The 17 Day Diet.

I uploaded a picture of the book so you would know what you are looking for. Cycle 1 is the toughest, but I look forward to working in my favorites after I reach my goal. I have felt cleansed and less bloated since I have started everything!


OH AND....don't forget to check out my books tab. Thanks to Elyse for adding a book to the comments section!! I love to know that people read my blog. . :) I got my book "Heaven is for Real" and am reading it...it is GREAT! It's a 3 year old's account of heaven when he almost died from an emergency surgery...gives me the chills. He tells his parents that he sang with the angels and sat on Jesus's lap. Amen! I'll update you as I get into it further.


Heard a song on the radio that makes me feel strong, even on my weakest days. Lately, life has been so positive, but everyone has their days. I love "Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans.

"I tell myself I'll be OK, even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger."



Have a wonderful week, and if you wouldn't mind please pray for safe travel for Jonathan and I this weekend!

Beauty

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."
-Henry Ward Beecher

Jonathan got me the desk calendar "1000 places to see before you die" and this was one of the quotes out of it. I thought these pictures fit perfectly.

The calendar pointed out Grafton, Vermont. Here is a picture of that.

Be happy!