La Petite Chic

Our Florida Adventure - Part Two

Orlando

Our primary reason for visiting Orlando was to go to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  We absolutely love going there, but haven't had the chance to go since we got married. There are unique and delicious food and drink tastings available in each country at the World Pavilion for just a few dollars each  and we enjoy just walking around and sampling here and there. They also have food demonstrations and seminars which are fun to stop into to beat the Florida heat!

Entrance to the Festival

 

Olive oil demonstration in Italy

Spirits tasting from Ireland (they had moonshine!)

The Wedding in Naples

Oh, my goodness, the whole wedding weekend was so gorgeous and romantic and most importantly, FUN!! They had a minor, okay, major, wind issue on the actual day of the wedding which threatened to blow over their chuppah and tangle all the ladies hair, but it's those unexpected things that makes a wedding memorable, isn't it?

On the beach at sundown during the rehearsal dinner
(Ignore the shiny forehead!)

Love this photo...they are always making each other laugh!

The new Mr. and Mrs
(Doesn't Amanda look gorgeous? I loved her hair and gown!)

Beautiful centerpiece and sand art

A candy bar in whimsical beach buckets!

Me with my cousin (the groom), Mike, and a groomsman
(Did I ever tell you all that he gave me a black eye when I was 6? Funny story!)

Lovely handmade favors of little shells with a pearl

I barely left the dance floor and managed to get Jon out for a few songs too!

Miniature desserts!
(Yes, that's mini creme brulee!)

My beautiful new cousin-in-law!

And last, but not least, the cake!  So pretty...and yummy!

Our Florida vacation went by so quickly, but it was well worth the over 1,300 miles of driving around the state!  Le sigh...until our next vacation!

Our Florida Adventure - Part One

In typical fashion, we packed as much as possible into our Florida anniversarymoon/road trip/wedding weekend. We are crazy and fully embrace that, but we also know that we might not be taking any vacations quite like that once a kiddo comes around so we wanted to make the most of it.

The Departure

The week actually started out on a sour note when we learned that we were bumped from our flight to Ft. Lauderdale...the flight we booked nine months ago and checked in 1½ hours early for! To say that I was pissed off would be a major understatement. However, Air Tran (yes, I'm naming names) quickly rectified the situation by offering Jon and I each two free round trip tickets to any of their destinations in the US and Caribbean. Umm, hello, 2010 cruise leaving out of Puerto Rico! Also, hello, Texas girls whom I've been wanting to visit since forever ago! 

They were able to book us on a flight into Ft. Myers leaving a ½ hour later which was not a bad compromise to make except for the fact that they overbooked that flight too and guess who got bumped again? Yes, that would be us. Then they offered us another round trip ticket, plus an upgrade to Business Class (free alcoholic beverages!) on the next flight to Ft. Lauderdale which was four hours later. We got to Florida a bit later than expected, but hey, I'll take three round trip tickets (each!). 

Key West

As you might have guessed from my tweets, I spent most of our time here drinking margaritas. When in Rome and all, you know?  I really love that town, though.  Gorgeous sunsets, friendly people and a clothing optional bar!  Yes, you read that right.  On our first night in town, Jon and I stopped into a bar called The Bull.  It has three levels, including the top level which is on the rooftop.  It was a beautiful night so we decided to head up to the third floor.  When I rounded the corner to walk into the doorway, I noticed a bare-assed naked man standing at the bar. Saggy butt, gray hair...not the sight I was expecting to see.

I turned to tug on Jon's shirt as I whispered to him, "Jon!  There's a naked man at the bar!". I never got a response from him because he was staring in complete shock at the dance floor where there was a nude dance party going on! Insane. The bouncer saw our gaping mouths so he laughed and told us it was clothing optional.  Oh, and the name of that bar?  The Garden of Eden. Appropriate, yes?

My parents joined us in Key West our last night there and we made it a point to take them there, though we didn't mention it was clothing optional. That was a hoot!  My mom had quite the same reaction I did, but my dad was pretty calm about it.  He just sat down at the bar (next to a naked man!) and ordered a drink. So hilarious!

We did a booze cruise one day (Danger Charters, thanks for the recommendation, Jess!) and had a wonderful time snorkeling, kayaking and, yes, drinking, in the beautiful and extremely warm water. We didn't see any sharks or other scary marine life, but we saw a lot of really cool birds.  Another day, Jon humored me and took me to Ernest Hemingway's house where we just about passed out from the heat, but I'm so glad we saw it. I'm a nerd for stuff like that. We also met another young couple while watching the sunset from Mallory Square one night and had a fun-filled and crazy night bar-hopping with them. We always manage to make friends while on vacation!

On that same night, we ended up in a bar where they had an old man playing guitar who could sing and play just about anything. I had him play our song, "Can't Help Falling in Love", and enjoyed a romantic slow dance with Jon.  I did a lot of dancing that night.  An old man grabbed me to dance as soon as we walked into the place, but he was totally harmless and I ended up dancing with him to several more songs throughout the night. There was a big group from Maryland in the same bar and they kept sending us shots. Miraculously, neither of us had a hangover the next morning! 

I think the thing I loved most about Key West is that everyone you meet is laid-back and happy and just there to have a good time.  It's my kind of town.  Also, amazingly enough, Jon and I both met people from our relatively small hometowns while there.  It's such a small, beautiful world!

Me in front of the Hemingway House

Kayaking

Delicious conch fritters

And Key Lime oysters

Beautiful (albeit, sweaty) sunset

 My margarita (and Jon's dirty banana) at the original Margaritaville

The Mile Marker (blurred camera from the humidity!)

Perfection
 
 

And one more sunset for good measure!

Coming next, my recap of Orlando and my cousin's wedding! 

Already Missing the Sun

I'm back from sunny Florida with lots of photos and stories to share, but of course I haven't actually downloaded any pictures from the camera yet. Hopefully I'll get around to that tonight, but until then you can check out my latest post over at Style Lush on how to make your very own homemade chicken stock. This is the perfect time of year to do so, no? Mmmm, just think of all the delicious things you can make with it!

Also, I have a random question for you all.  Do I have any DC, Maryland and/or Northern Virginia readers?  If so, please be so kind as to leave me a comment or send me an e-mail to let me know that you're local (to me).  You don't have to tell me where exactly...I just have something up my sleeve. :)

The Memory Keeper

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm a saver.  I save every little thing that has even the slightest bit of sentimental value, and seeing as how I'm extremely sentimental, that a lot of little things.  Thankfully, those little things are mostly paper items because, (surprise, surprise), they have meaningful words on them.

I have letters from pen pals dating all the way back to elementary school, including those written by a soldier from Mississippi that I corresponded with during Operation Desert Storm.

I have a reply from Dear Abby when my sixth grade self wrote to her complaining about my horribly mean Social Sudies teacher.  (She really was quite awful.  Back me up here, Claire!)

I have the elegant invitation from my Junior Ring Dance at Richmond and assorted Save-the-Dates from cherished friends.

There are ticket stubs from wine festivals and plane tickets from all our travels and colorful post-it love notes that Jon has left around the house for me.

Of course, as opposites tend to attract, Jon saves nothing.  He enjoys making fun of me for being attached to inanimate objects, but to that I say, "Honey, be thankful it all fits into shoeboxes!"

And sometimes, not very often, but sometimes, the fact that I'm such a saver works out in his favor.  I ripped the coupons below off the paper menus from the Montego Bay Margaritaville on the way home from our honeymoon.  That's right, the honeymoon we took three years ago.  I've held onto them the entire time, waiting patiently for our next visit to a Margaritaville for my favorite alcoholic beverage.

Turns out, we'll be stopping by the original Margaritaville at some point during our trip to Key West (T minus two days!) and we'll definitely be redeeming them for our two free margaritas.  I'd say that's a very happy ending for my treasured keepsake and Jon's thrifty wallet!

Back to the Drawing Board

As you probably guessed from the title, we didn't get the house.  Since we had such a strong offer, our realtor is pretty certain that another buyer ponied up cash which is a lot more desireable than the conventional buyer like us who would need a 30 year mortgage.  To say that we're disappointed would be a gross understatement.  However, we can't dwell on what isn't meant to be and so we're going back out tomorrow night to look at more houses.  We really want to find a home before the holidays and when you figure in the time it takes to make an offer, have your offer accepted and then finally settle on the house, that would put us into November.  Crazy, isn't it?  Just where did 2009 go? 

If you're sick of hearing me talk about house hunting (I'm sorry!), head on over to Style Lush, a new blogging venture that I'm so excited to be a part of.  I posted a fabulous recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Almonds today that I think you'll love.  They're delicious and make the perfect autumn snack!

(Also, this post was about three times longer and told a story about a house we saw this past weekend with serious mold issues (think three dimensional mold growing out from the wall), but our network decided to fail right as I hit the Publish button.  ARGH!  Trust me though, it was really gross and that house was quickly crossed off our list.)

Chopped

Photographic evidence that I'm the most indecisive person ever:

Err, yes, I decided to chop my hair off.  I love it so far, but it's only been eight hours so let's wait and see how I feel tomorrow.  The stylist did a great job though.  My hair looks much healthier and she textured and thinned it out a bit to keep it from looking like a big poof ball (which tends to happen when my hair is short).

We also went house hunting again today to give ourselves some backup options in case we don't get the foreclosed home.  We found a couple of houses that we liked, but none of them came close to our dream house.  We'll keep looking while we wait to hear back on our offer, but we're crossing our fingers that it won't even come to that.  The waiting is pure torture!

P.S.  How cute is my Lola Bean in that picture?  She's my little sassafras.

Whew

In case you were wondering, no, I didn't run off and join the circus to become a trapeze artist (although that would be admittedly cool), it's just been a hell of a week.  There's that pesky little thing called my new job taking up a huge chunk of my time, then there's the business of house hunting and everything that goes along with it, and let's not forget the throwing of a 40th anniversary party/Oktoberfest celebration for my parents and last, but certainly not least, the celebrating of Jonathan's 29th birthday which just happens to be today.  Just typing all of that out makes want to crawl into bed with a bottle of wine.

Oh, and speaking of wine, I'm on day 4 of Provera to jump start Aunt Flo whodecided to go back to her old ways of RSVPing to the damn party and then not showing up.  Gotta love her.  Also, in case you missed the connection, in my head Provera --> Period --> Ovulation --> Conception --> Pregnancy = No Wine.  Stream of consciousness, much?

Anyhow, we are getting ready to head out for Jon's birthday, but I just wanted to check in to let you know that I'm still alive.  Oh, and we did make an offer on the dream house I mentioned in my last post, but unfortunately so did four other people.  We are just waiting to hear if our offer was accepted and you know I won't waste any time in telling you if it is!  Happy Friday and happy birthday to my love, Jonathan.

Fingers Crossed

Whew!  Life has been a blur since last Thursday!  I'm resorting to bullet points...

• My spa day on Friday was absolutely perfect!  If you ever have the opportunity to have a hot stone massage, definitely go for it.  It was just like a regular full body massage, from my head to my toes, but with the added benefit of the heat and pressure from the stones.  AMAZING!  It was such a great way to relax after all the recent stress and craziness in my life.
  
  My haircut was scheduled after my hot stone massage and I didn't know what I was going to ask for until I sat down in the chair.  Sorry to disappoint most of you, but I kept my hair long.  I know, I know, I need to be a bit more daring, but as I pondered haircuts, I remembered how I always end up regretting major cuts.  We're talking tears, people.  So I ended up with long layers and that is just enough to satisfy my urge to chop for now.  You can see the new cut below from a photo Jon took while house hunting on Sunday.
  
  

  

• Speaking of house hunting, in case you missed my ecstatic tweet on Sunday, we found our dream home!   It's in a neighborhood we love, has the perfect patio for all of our entertaining, a great backyard for our future kids and more bedrooms and bathrooms than what was on our wish list.  It also happens to be a foreclosure, which means the price is great (grand! wonderful!), but the road to get it will be a long one paved with a lot of uncertainty.
  
  Basically it's a dream come true but I swear to God it's already giving me an ulcer.  As much as we're trying not to get emotionally attached, it's all Jon and I can think and talk about.  We're so afraid that someone else is going to come and snatch it away from us so that's making our offer strategy really difficult to formulate.  Offers are not being accepted until this weekend, which gives us a little time to think about things, but that also means it gives us a lot of time to stress over things. 
  
  Bottom line: We are in love with a house and will cry very, very hard if we don't get it.
  
  (I'm not posting any photos of it until there are keys in my hand for fear of jinxing us.)

• While we're talking about house hunting, let me mention how hard it is to locate a W-2 from a job I held in 2007 when it's packed in some box in my parent's basement.  Poor Jon has had to listen to a lot of shrieky "This is why we need our own house because I would know where it is!!" rants from me lately.  Also, I had a very major cry and breakdown tonight as Fidelity would not let me access my (also required) 401(k) stuff online because I forgot my pin.  The call center wouldn't help me because even though I could supply them with my SSN, I did not have my account number on hand because guess what?  That stuff is also in a box in an undetermined location! 
  
  Buying a foreclosed home requires a whole lot more evidence of funds and documentation and general jumping through hoops than a regular home sale.  Thank god my emotional state is not affected by pregnancy or Clomid just yet because I imagine my reaction to things would be a lot worse than what they've been.  DEEP BREATH.

• Oh, and I turned 28 yesterday!  Since I've been too busy crying over missing W-2's I have not yet had the chance to cry over the fact that I'm so close to 30.  It was really a lovely birthday though and I was generously spoiled by my loved ones.  I think my favorite gift was imported olive oil from Jon.  You're probably scratching your heads over that, but what you don't know is that it's a very special olive oil that we discovered while in France last year.  Eating crusty French bread and olive oil is one of our favorite after-work rituals and we just recently ran out of that special one.  Jon searched for it and actually found it online and spent more than I would like to spend on a freaking jug of olive oil, but believe me, it is so worth it.

• Finally, I also started my new job yesterday.  I'm in orientation until Thursday and then I finally report to actual work on Friday.  It is so nice to leave work at 4:00 and be home by 4:30!  I'm not going to know what to do with all of this free time.  Actually, I do.  I'm not going to be able to check blogs at work anymore, so you won't see me around on Twitter or your blogs until the evenings.  That's okay though...it's about time I got a job that will occupy all my time during work hours!  I met a really nice girl who will be working in my department and that's a huge relief for a nervous Nelly like me.  I hate being the new girl in the office, so I'm thrilled that she'll be a newbie with me.

How Lovely to Be a Woman

Tomorrow is my last day of work and if you're wondering why I chose to leave on a Thursday, my only answer is D.C. rush hour traffic on a Friday is to be avoided at all costs!  I actually gave my four weeks notice based on that.  Thursdays aren't much better, but a two hour drive home versus a three hour drive home is reason enough for me.

I also have some errands to get done before I start my new job on Monday, the most important of which is finally getting my car titled and registered in the state of Maryland.  Yes, we've been living here since April and I'm just now getting it done.  Apparently I haven't learned my lesson at all!

To make up for a morning spent in the DMV, I'm devoting my afternoon to getting pampered.  After my mother-in-law and sister-in-law learned about our miscarriage, they went right into action to find a way to cheer me up since they couldn't be here in person.  They sent me a very generous gift certificate to a local salon and spa with the instructions to pamper myself.  We've been so busy that I haven't had any time to schedule an appointment, but I'm finally going on Friday, which incidentally marks four weeks since the D&C. 

After pouring over all of the spa treatments, I ultimately decided to go for the Hot Stone Massage.  I've always been curious about them and decided now was the perfect time to try it out.  The last massage I had was on our honeymoon (a glorious couples massage on the beach in Jamaica at sunset - swoon) so I am really looking forward to this.

The pampering doesn't end there, however!  When I mentioned to my mom that I was considering getting my hair cut with the gift certificate rather than getting a spa treatment, she insisted that I get the massage and that she would treat me to a hair cut.  Love!  I really am a lucky girl to be surrounded by all of these caring and thoughtful women in my life.  Now I just have to decide on a cut. 

I'm really leaning towards going short again.  I adore my hair long and love all that I can do with it, but it's a pain in the butt to take care of, not to mention that I'm losing it like crazy due to the sudden drop in pregnancy hormones.  Seriously, thank God I have thick hair because I swear I should be bald by now.  (Another lovely miscarriage symptom they forgot to mention!)

The only trouble is that I have this weird, romantic attachment to my long hair.  I'm a very feminine girl and I tend to attach my femininity to the length of my hair.  Stupid and archaic and so un-Gloria Steinem, I know.  (And this is coming from a girl who almost minored in Women's Studies!)  This has nothing to do with Jon's preferences, either.  He actually prefers my hair short and is always begging me to cut it.  And honestly, I love short hair too.  I think it's so cute and chic and fresh-looking.  And I can pull it off too! 

February 2007, after chopping it off to donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths

But you can't pull it back in a ponytail, and lord knows I'm a ponytail girl!  What's a girl to do?  HELP!!

The Other Side

Almost exactly five months after selling our condo Jonathan and I are finally ready to begin house hunting for our second home.  Can I get a collective "HOORAY!" for that, please? 

This has been a long and eye-opening experience for us.  We borrowed from our 401(k) and depleted our savings to avoid a short sale.  We scrimped and budgeted every penny that goes in and out.  We got creative with alternate ways of bringing home some extra bacon.  We moved in with my parents to save money and replenish said 401(k) and savings accounts.  We have grown as individuals, as homeowners and as a couple and though it was an experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone, I'm grateful for the lessons it taught us. 

The funny thing about all of this is that the few trolls I've had on my blog have all come out from whatever nasty bridge they live under when I post about this subject.  Well, and the one who commented on our completely unrelated financial situation on my baby post, as if they really know anything about our finances except that which I decide share.  (Which is very big picture, mind you).  (Also, note to trolls: You get deleted).  It's absolutely puzzling.  We have never asked for pity or a handout from anyone and the only reason I decided to share our story is to show a different side of the housing situation from the ones they usually highlight on the news. 

We pay our mortgage every month, on time and in full.  We don't keep a balance on our credit cards.  We have a very strict and elaborate budget that we stick to every month which tracks every last cent.  The vacations and travel that we love?  They're all saved for, usually a year in advance.  The little things that we buy?  Jon and I each have a monthly budget that we're allotted to buy whatever we want, no questions asked.  Both of our cars are paid off, we use coupons and we shop secondhand or discount, first and foremost.  Financially, we do everything right.

Truth be told, we adored our little condo.  We lovingly made it our own by tearing down walls and installing granite countertops and bamboo floors with our own hands.  We painted and hosted parties and decorated it for the holidays.  It was close to work and Washington D.C., close to great shopping and restaurants.  The only thing it couldn't do for us was make room for a baby, nor was it near our families, whom we are very close to.  And above all else, family is most important to us.

We bought at the tippy top of the inflated housing market, never expecting it to crash so hard and so quickly.  When we sold our condo, the market was nearing bottom.  If we knew then what we know now, would we have bought back in 2006?  Of course not.  But we did and there was a price to pay if we wanted to move to start our family and that was a price we willingly paid.  

We're at a place now where our savings account is replenished and we've made a significant dent in Jon's student loans.  With the current mortgage rates and the difference in home prices between D.C. and Baltimore/Annapolis, we can afford a home with four times as many bedrooms as what we had, with a lower monthly payment to boot.  People are still desperate to get rid of their homes so we'll thankfully get a break on this side of the deal. 

We're in a good place, a very good place.  I've learned a lot about saving and patience and need vs. want, lessons I won't soon forget.  Our goal is to be in a home by the holidays, though we're being non-specific on whether that means Thanksgiving or Christmas.  We're going to take our time and slowly dip our toes into the housing market the second time around and hope that we'll find our dream home, the one we'll eventually bring a baby home to.  HOORAY!