Four months gone by and countless happy moments.

          Having just realized I haven't posted in over four months, I've decided that Blogging is definitely a hobby better left to those not working.  Okay, maybe working people blog, but working in retail, dating someone with a house on a lake, and spending the majority of my free time filling my closet with a wardrobe large enough to clothe a small village, makes for a busy 23 year old.  MANY things of note have happened in the last few months including, but not limited to:

-I was hired at Ann Taylor Loft as a new sales manager and member of the four person management team.  I have met some absolutely amazing people, have had the most fun I've had at a job, and have expanded my closet by about half.  Between the loft girls and the loft clothes, I'm having so much fun and learning more about running a successful business than I ever have before.

-Brent graduated from the University at Buffalo, completing both of his bachelors degrees and making me so proud!  He immediately started some part-time work in Buffalo with a private media production company allowing him to get a lot of experience while still spending time at home with his family a few days a week.

 -Alex and Steve were married on a gorgeous sunny day and provided me with memories that will be sure to last a life time.  Their wedding was without a doubt nothing short of perfection with a side of delicious food, excellent looking people, and some serious dance moves that were luckily, all documented to never be forgotten.  One of the happiest days of my life and I honestly could not be happier for them.

-Turning 23 and spending a fantastic day and evening with my family, the best friends a young girl could ask for, and a boyfriend to match.


-Attending a Zach Brown Band concert with Brent's family and the Fox's.  This concert blew my socks off with the intense musical and instrumental talent each of them had.  It was the first concert I could barely sing along with due to my jaw being on the floor from my amazement.  The very same weekend we all participated in Paige's Butterfly Run, like we do every year, an annual event that raises money for Galisano Children's Hospital.  Alex's family has put together a truly remarkable 5K run which reached its 1 million dollar fundraising mark in 2011 and has not lost momentum.

-Brent's family got a new puppy who has been the biggest form of entertainment apart from the Olympics this summer.  The is cuter than cute, and has a personality that will make you laugh and also believe she is far more independent than a 4 month old dog should be.

-Brent and I ventured out to Watkins Glenn for a day taking great photos and seeing the beauty that New York has to offer apart from people watching at the fair. It was a very fun day and I was so surprised to see this gorgeous little treasure in our own back yard which I had never been to.

-Attending my first Ellis family wedding with Brent's family and getting a big clue as to what many future weddings we will attend together will entail.  Brent's Uncle was married at the Frog Pond in Skaneateles and quaint and romantic setting which surprisingly can house one heck of a party.

-Brent's sister, Brittany, got engaged in July! We are all so excited for her, sometimes so excited I can't speak normal sentences.  She asked me to be in the wedding party and I was shocked and beyond honored that she wants me to be a big part of her special day and couldn't be happier or more excited.  This was just what I needed to put an end to my post-Alex-and-Steve-wedding-depression.  It's only been a month and she already has the venue picked out, the photographer, found a dress she adores, and we are all so excited to help her continue planning the rest of it!

-Just this past weekend Brent turning the big 2-3 as well.  He's not one for birthday excitement so we spent the day on the lake, like most other days in the summer, and took the boat into town for dinner with his parents and grandparents.  My gift to him will come a little late as it's an excursion for our cruise to Bermuda next month, which I'm rapidly getting more anxious and excited for.

So far 2012 has been nothing but great to me and it's only August! Needless to say I'm interested to see with the tail end of the year has in store for me.

Here's a few photos from the spring and summer so far:

A trip to the Zoo.

          March marked the month which held Brent's last ever Spring Break from Buffalo.  In order to make it count we made sure to keep a full schedule of events to keep us happily occupied.  That list consisted of; the Corning Museum of Glass, St Patrick's Day with his family, watching an abundance of March madness, a going away party for a dear friend of our who has moved to DC, and the Syracuse Zoo!  Brent and I headed to the Zoo for the day with Dylan and Leda, friends of ours who are a quite adorable couple, and Leda's friend, Kelly, from North Carolina who was visiting for the week.  I hadn't been to the Syracuse Zoo, or a zoo at all for that matter, since I was about 11.  Though I haven't been to a plethora of zoos in my lifetime, I imagine that the zoo in Syracuse is not the most awe inspiring of them all.  Regardless, it was still super fun and interesting to read about the animals and, obviously for me, to take their photos!  Confession: Okay, I took more photos of Brent and my friends than the animals, but they are just as cute as Red Pandas, and far less camera shy.  I will definitely go back again this summer as it's a pretty cheap form of entertainment for a nice day.  If you ever go and are short on time, the penguins are a must-see.

Weiner's a Winner.

          Having gotten to bed early most nights as of late, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of "bedtime reading".  Two of the books I read recently were the contents of my care package from Alex mentioned in a previous post and they both were quick and easy reads.  Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes, and Best Friends Forever were the books in question.  Her books each gave the points of view from each of her significant characters which I think made it interesting to see the events play out from inside their minds rather than a narrative of events.  In Her Shoes was definitely my favorite of the two.  I hadn't seen the movie before so it was nice to be surprised at how everything played out.  Best Friends Forever didn't necessarily captivate my attention to the point where I couldn't put it down, but I still finished it in a matter of a few days.  All in all, both good reads and I will definitely keep Jennifer Weiner as an option when picking out books in the future.  I recommend them both! 

Glass is underrated.

          In March, Brent finally took me to the Corning Museum of Glass after 4 long years of me begging to go.  Though a museum of glass is not primarily what Brent loves to do on his spring break, he was nice enough to oblige and watch the hot glass shows and demonstrations with me, front row!  We saw glass breaking demonstrations, where we learned which glasses are used where in life, and for what reasons. We looked through the museum of all the old pieces of glass dating back ages, and we watched a lazer demonstration using glass fibers in comparison to copper ones where we learned why High Definition televisions are so high quality!  I loved the whole day, but the hot glass show was like nothing I'd seen before. Watching them manipulate the glass into beautiful pieces is all in a day's work for the gaffers and it seriously made me re-think my profession.  Corning is a quaint little town where we enjoyed a meat free lunch at a pizza place on account of lent, and we enjoyed the long ride back with a gorgeous view of Seneca Lake, it's wineries, and all the little towns had to offer.

Florida lovin'

          Though this post is coming a little late, Brent's family and I did go directly to Florida after our trip to South Carolina.  We had an incredibly relaxing afternoon by the pool at the hotel which we followed up with watching the SU game at a local Irish pub.  The following day we made our way to Islands of Adventure, Universal where I had a life changing day! Okay, maybe it wasn't life saving/life changing but it was a very intense day for me and my deep seeded Harry Potter love.  Having been to Florida only once when I was four, and remembering absolutely nothing from the trip apart from what the photos looked like, this was like the first time for me.  Nothing could have made my Hogwarts experience better.  I was so impressed by the attention to detail that was taken inside the castle and Hogsmead that I found myself feeling real magic all day long!  My incredible cousin Jeff was nice enough to come meet us for the day since it's only a half hour trip from his school.  He served as our own personal tour guide of the park and was equipped with many interesting facts one wouldn't know without being informed.  We had a blast all day at the park and after relaxing a bit we took on the night scene in Downtown Disney.  Jeff had mentioned an Irish restaurant earlier in the day and when we found it, we all agree it was absolutely incredible.  It was a large restaurant with a beautiful bar and a stage for live music.  After all of us sat at the bar enjoying a few drinks and taking in the authentic Irish music we were seated and served meals that I'm sure they serve in heaven.  The restaurant, Raglan Road, has a band perform there 6 nights a week who are accompanied by very talented Irish step dancers who danced close enough to us that we could have tripped them. The whole ambiance of the restaurant and the band kept us there until after midnight and wanting more when the band wrapped up, but we had to settle with buying the CD to listen to on the long 24 hour car ride home. 

          After Orlando we drove to Gainsville for a day to see Brent's cousin Nora play in her freshman year for the Florida Gators woman's lacrosse team.  After countless awards and accomplishments in high school, Nora isn't slowing down in college.  She's already tied the schools record for draw controls in a single game and has been named Rookie of the week twice for her division.  It was so nice to spend the day and night with Brent's extended family and cheer on Nora and she continues on her path of greatness as another female athlete of the Ellis family that is making a name for herself.

Cheers to Charleston!

          Last week Brent and I boarded a plane (a few planes actually) headed to Columbia, South Carolina where his sister relocated to last summer.  While we were only there for a day, we were able to drive into Charleston for a quick trip which led to my absolute adoration of the quaint town.  Driving into Charleston I began to see the history of the city that lies in the architecture of the old houses and buildings.  Charleston is a particularly low-rise city where most of the noticeably taller points of the city are steeples of the many churches that lie there.  The architecture is stunning and Rainbow Road was by far the most memorable road in the city that I came across.  Rainbow Road consists of many different houses all painted different pastel colors. These houses face where the Atlantic meets the coast, where I coincidentally saw my first dolphin! It was a treat to wander around the streets in February without bracing myself against to cold.  The park that resides on the edge of the city has the most magnificent entry walk way leading up to a beautiful gazebo which looked to me like the perfect spot for photos.  Over and over again I have to thank Brent's family for always including me in their family adventures! I'm very lucky to have them as well as Brent and the fact that they let me practically live at the house on Skaneateles Lake with them all summer is enough for a girl to ever want without them taking me on vacations with them as well.  Here's Brent and me on Rainbow Road!

February Showers Bring May Weddings

          Last weekend was the much anticipated arrival of Alex's bridal shower and bachelorette party.  Having a best friend living life with celiac disease, it proved to be interesting trying to plan a party where everything on the menu was prepared and served gluton-free.  Despite our worries that our dear friend might get sick, everything went off without a hitch! The shower was at my house where the Bridal Party provided the makings of a fantastic day!  We had many games to play, courtesy of the Bride-to-be's future sister-in-law.  We played Bridal Scattegories using the letters B-R-I-D-E to help us come up with answers for certain questions like where Alex and Steve have traveled together, items they may need on their wedding day ect.  These were an excellent form of entertainment as well as a way to look back on the Bride and Grooms lives thus far together as they've been in item over 6 years.  With the decorations, party favors, gifts, and wonderful array of guests everything went beautifully.  I have to give a shout out to "Pinterest" for giving me the decorating idea that I used for some of the cookies which were also a hit at the shower.

           The bachelorette party was an evening filled with fantastic fun, fantastic people, and a fantastic limo.  We took our limo to down town Syracuse for the evening where the guests each gave Alex a task to complete before the evening was finished and we all had fun helping her complete them as well as celebrating the beginning of the next chapter of her life with her.  If the bridal shower and bachelorette parties were this entertaining, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the wedding in May even more now.

My Funny Valentine

          Though this post is somewhat late, I thought I'd share a wee bit 'o my Valentine's Day with you all.  Having had a busy week preparing for Alex's bridal shower, I drove to Buffalo just for the evening where Brent and I shared a classic date night consisting of dinner and a movie.  We dined at Gordon Beirsch Brewery right in Buffalo where we both had absolutely delicious meals and Brent was able to try one of their home brew beers made right in the restaurant.  I do recommend it strongly to anyone in the area as the food and ambiance proved to be the makings of a wondering evening.  We then saw the typical Valentine's Day movie, The Vow, with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.  Now I do love a good love story and movie that provides me with plenty of "cheese", but this movie was a wreck for me from start to finish.  I didn't find their love story to be very compelling and their chemistry was lacking for me as well. Alas, I have severe judgment for the movies I watch so do see it yourself and form your own opinion of it.
           Having decided that the iPad and flat screen TV giving between Brent and me had gotten out of hand, we toned down our gift giving this year.  I gave Brent a collection of Micro-brewed beers from Wegmans along with some wee bottles 'o liquor and cigars to make him what I called the "Man bouquet".  While on the other hand, he gave me an actual bouquet of flowers and a picture of the two of us that he painted himself using an app on his iPad.  What a talented boy he is!

       

Quila on Tour

          This past weekend I spent in Buffalo, as usual, but I was delighted to have an unusual guest with me!  Brent's sister's dog, who currently resides at his parents house, spent the weekend with Brent and me in Buffalo while his parents celebrated his brother at a Military Ball at Michigan State.  Though I've watched Quila countless weekends before, I've always done so at Brent's house where she is most comfortable.  Honestly, half the time we didn't even notice she was there since one of her favorite past times is silently cuddling up next to our legs and getting some beauty rest.
            She made an exciting trip to Wegmans with us where I patiently waited for Brent to return from inside the store, while she on the other hand, felt the need to express her serious concern for his well being by keeping watch at the window and forcefully barking at anyone who came close to the car.
           I'm always so happy to spend time with her, as is Brent, though he'll deny it til the end.  She is such a sweet puppy and loves being with her family more than anything else.  Laying in bed at night I felt so grateful to have her pressed up against my leg to share my body heat while I watched her little chest rise and fall.  How people don't see the beauty in dogs and their unyielding friendship and loyalty will always baffle me. 

           After a calm weekend, with the biggest excitement besides the presence of the puppy being a delicious home cooked meal of breaded chicken cutlets and french fries, Quila and I made our way back to good 'ol B-ville.  It was the fastest two hour car ride to date because I got to continually look over at her snuggled in my blanket, or got to drive while she slept in my lap.  There's no better feeling then coming home to a puppy who wants nothing more than to be with you.

Back Yard Bucket List

          This past weekend, Brent and I decided, (well I decided and told him about it), that as fortunate as we have been to travel the world, we have seen a very limited amount of our own country, in fact, of our own great state of New York.  Each of us has had the chance to study abroad while in college.  I studied in France, where I was also able to visit Ireland, Italy, England, and Scotland.  Brent studied in Singapore, where he was also able to visit Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Brent also took a trip to Europe when he spent 10 days in Prague watching his sister win a bronze medal in the Womens Lacrosse World Cup.  Both trips proved to be life changing adventures, but this year I've decided to take some less expensive and less time consuming weekends to explore New York and what it has to offer.  Here's my to do list as of this weekend, hopefully I'll add some more as the months progress!
          1. Howe Caverns
          2. Watkins Glenn Waterfalls
          3. Letchworth State Park
          4. Ithaca Gorges
          5. Cooperstown
          6. The Corning Museum of Glass (I've been begging Brent to take me here since we started dating so maybe 2012 will provide me with some luck.)

My very own SPK

          Another weekend spent in Buffalo with Brent, another weekend spent blissfully happy.  After spending four and a half years with him I still found myself entertained and thankful to have him as he repeatedly shot me with a Nerf gun this weekend.  Having gotten one for Christmas, and his room mate having one as well, their new form of entertainment comes in the shape of making me their personal moving target.  After some fake attention seeking frowns on my part, and some sweet apologies for the accuracy on his part, I decided he is just like a sour patch kid, sour then sweet.  I never find myself wanting to be more than two feet away from him and I still wake up every day wondering how I got so lucky.

Time spent reading is never wasted.

           In the past week or so I've had the chance to read two of the books I mentioned in my previous post.  The first book I picked up, to my slight embarrassment, was Kris Jenner...And All Things Kardashian.  For starters, I will say that it was, for the most part, entertaining.  Kris Jenner tells what I think she believes to be a very honest story.  In retrospect, however, her stories of her families experience with affairs, death, and fame seem to be lacking.  The story line of her marriage with Robert Kardashian and their close friendship with O. J. and Nicole Simpson was worth reading.  Having the trial of the decade as only a faint memory from my childhood, it was interesting to hear what happened with a more in depth and detailed story than was portrayed in the news.  Kris remained close with Nicole until her horrific death and that proved to be the most riveting part of her biography.  I'm assuming this story line was there to hook readers before she went on to the Kardashian family portion of the book so people would be inclined to buy the sequel if there is one.
          After her whirlwind affair, divorce, and second marriage to Olympian Bruce Jenner, she became what she calls "momager", the mother and manager of her children.  I'll be honest, every episode I have caught of Keeping up with the Kardashians and the shows spin offs have always succeeded in entertaining me and keeping me interested in the family that's famous for being famous.  However, Kris' story of their journey to stardom fell short for me.  In fact, it really left me with the burning imagine of her essentially "pimping" out her daughters for her meal ticket to fame, as well as the 10%. Criticisms aside, Kris is my least favorite of the family and you would be correct in assuming that if another book comes out of their 15 minutes of fame, I'll be sure to read it. 
        

Give a little, get a lot.

        Two things of note happened today.  First, I sent out the invitations for my best friends Bridal Shower. It's been a bit over a year since their engagement and all of the plans are finally becoming more concrete and fixed rather than ideas floating in the wedding abyss. I feel so blessed to be involved in her wedding, and even more blessed to be one of two Maids of Honor.  It has been hectic, exciting, and fun getting everything together to make her a beautiful shower and we all can't wait for it to arrive!
        On a similar note, that very same bride-to-be sent me a package today from her work!  It included not one, but eight books for me to read.  I had just recently been telling her that I wasn't quite emotionally in the mood to read all the depressing novels I had at my fingertips as of late, and I was in need of something more upbeat.  Voila! Not two days later and I have eight new fun and enjoyable reads to get started on, including two that haven't even been released yet!  Not only did that package put me in a phenomenal mood but it also inspired me to get together a few letters to send to friends as well as make another package to give away -to the salvation army that is!  Clean out your closet, under your bed, and in your basement, I'm sure there's plenty of things you're not using that someone less fortunate would appreciate greatly!

First Family Photo Shoot

I had the opportunity to shoot family portraits for my best friend and her beautiful family on Christmas this year.  It was the first time I shot family portraits and though they didn’t come out just like I wanted, I learned a lot and am excited for the next shoot! Natural light photography is pretty much what I'm limited to at this point, so we'll see where this takes me. Here’s one of my favorites, the rest are on my photography website. Enjoy!

Think like K-Wood

A good friend of mine is always complimenting people. Some people aren't complimenting you because they mean it, but simply to blow smoke up your you-know-what. I know for a fact that my friend truly means all of the compliments she gives out and she brightens everyone's day.  People are always excited to talk to her and she makes everyone feel great about themselves. Even if she thinks she's having an off day, she'll still tell you she thinks you look like Giselle Buchen if she means it.  My advice, instead of silently being jealous of something someone has or the way they look, tell them how great you think they are.  It will feel so much better coming out of your mouth as a compliment rather than an inner I-Hate-You-Cause-I-Love-You moment.  If you do, people may think about you the way I think about her, and I think she's fab.

Why Start a Blog?

I’ve joined the blogosphere, the rumors are true.  Okay, so there aren’t any rumors because I haven’t told anyone about it yet. I attempted to write a blog when I was studying abroad in France, but that only got as far and reading someone else’s and deciding I didn’t have enough time.  Well, two years later I came to the conclusion that because I was no longer in France, a blog would not be interesting anymore.  Then I came to a second conclusion that if the best part of my life was two years behind me then I was going to live a really ungrateful and subdued future.  Fortunately now, I have tons of time to write nonsense on the internet with the assumption that someone may care what I have to say, so here goes!