Show Us Your Life--How I Met my Soon to Be Hubby!

I met Chris about 5 years ago through mutual friends, Becky and Mel. Unfortunately I was involved with someone already and we really never talked. One day at a party we started talking and I was instantly struck! He was intelligent, could carry a decent conversation, and was a gentleman! I was still involved though but eventually that relationship floundered in late 2007. I was greatful that it ended and I think I had to go through that relationship in order to appreciate the relationship I have now!

In 2008, my friend Becky was having a party for her birthday and Chris was there!! Exciting! To keep a long story short Chris had made arrangments to go on a date with his barber (who was a girl) and I was able to convince him to go on a "non-date" with me just so I could see if there was still a true spark and not a rebound spark. Our "non-date" went so well! I found out that both of us had come from divorced families, both of us were raised relatively the same, we had common interests, and he was just awesome!

We started dating 2 1/2 weeks after that. He introduced me to his family, we went fishing (which I had never done), he took me places I'd never gone to but wanted to locally. However, much much shortly after we started dating I got pregnant with Logan! We were both equally terrified and I wanted out and fast! Chris was completely calm on the outside, even though, I'm sure he was scared as anything on the inside! He wanted to make this work, he wanted his baby, and he wanted a family. I calmed down myself and even though I wasn't ready for my new relationship to take a total upturn like this his calmness made me feel everything was going to be ok.

It's better than ok! Logan is now 13 months old, Chris and I will have been together for 2 years come May and we rarely argue about anything. He's my best friend and I sort of knew he was the one from the first time we talked. He keeps me grounded and he makes me better when I'm down.We got engaged March 2, 2010 and we're planning an October 2011 wedding.  I couldn't have asked for a better outcome!!

"So Big"

                                                       I'm taking a time out from packing to

blog about Logan's new

trick?

milestone?

I don't know what category it would fall under!

"How big is Logan"

"So Big"

(with the arms up in the air)

So, I'm following Amanda's, at My Nashville Nest, lead

and I'm doing my first Thankful Thursday list!

I'm thankful for Logan!

He makes the world a much better place.

I'm thankful for family and friends;

that includes my blog friends!

I'm thankful for a wonderful fiance!

I'm also thankful for the Earth.

Without it we wouldn't exist!

♥ Happy Earth Day ♥

Moving

So moving day is almost here, in a less than 7 days, we will have packed our moving truck, cars, and son and start the 15 hour (give or take) drive to Tennessee. It's a bittersweet transition because we're leaving family and old friends to start a new life half way across the country but we're also super excited about this new experience. I'm not gonna lie, this is a whole new start, almost like we're shedding our old "skin" for a new one and I'm excited. This is what my dining room, or storage area, looks like (not bad considering how much we've accumulated!). The only thing I love about moving is getting rid of stuff and it always feel like such a huge weight lifted off of us!

Logan playing with a box! HA!

I love being a Jersey girl and I'll always be Jersey strong! These are some of the things I'm gonna miss from home:

• FAMILY AND FRIENDS (ALWAYS)
• Definitely the boadwalks/beaches
• Fall weather in New England
• NYC being a hop, skip and jump away
• Pork roll
• Entemann's bakery items
• My Verizon Fios!
• ShopRite iced tea mix!
• Diane Dr. (my home now; It's the place where I brought my baby home from the hospital, where Chris and I got engaged, and where we decided to make a move for TN, it will always be dear to me)
• TFFC #1 (Chris' volunteer fire company where his family is a legacy, his great-grandfather being one of the founding fathers)
• Paper Wings, scrapbook of the month, with Chris' step-mom.
• Jersey Shore Premium Outlets (enough said! Ha!)

What I'm not going to miss (ha!)

• Garden State Pkwy (It's the only highway road that makes you pay to drive)
• NJ Taxes
• Traffic (everywhere!)
• Drama (ha!)

What I'm excited about in TN:

• Decorating/living in our new home
• Eclectica Scrapbooks & Stamps in Bartlett, TN
• All the sights and scenes of Memphis and Tennessee (I've been following Kerry on her I Love Memphis blog and having been getting a feel for where to go and what to see! I love her "What's to do in Memphis this Weekend")
• Making new friends
• Continuing my education at (hopefully) The University of Memphis!
• Getting in shape (our complex has a gym!!)
• Planning some sort of wedding (whether it's a destination wedding or a NJ wedding we're not sure but there will be planning)
• Enjoying the pool (it has a pool too! I'm excited to see how Logan fares this year!!)
• Hopefully getting a job that I love in TN.
• Knowing that Chris is bettering himself (professionally) and getting the experience he needs!
• Having my mom 4 hours away and my grandparents/uncle only 6 hours away! Oh and my brother lives in TX so that'll be closer too!

Whew! I've been needing to write that down. I'm excited and sad! I'm not a big fan of change but I'm ready for this! ♥ xo

13 Months

I really can't believe Logan turned 13 months old! I feel like I just finished planning his 1st birthday!!! Logan is pure love and joy! He definitely gives me a run for my money and at the end of the day I'm completely exhausted but I wouldn't have it any other way! He LOVES being outside and running around. Temper tantrums are thrown when he has to come in. He wants to talk so badly and he babbles all day long, sometimes saying things that actually sound like real phrases! He eats everything and isn't really picky about what he's given and I hope it stays that way! He also wakes up, sometimes, in the middle night which startles me but he usually just goes right back on to sleep!  I also think he's in need of a hair cut, badly, however, we were at the park and one of the moms there told me how she loved Logan's hair and that it was very rock star!! Of course, now, I don't want to touch a single hair on his head!! Ha! ♥

Sooo...

Days are getting progressively closer and closer to moving day and time seems to be going faster because nothing is really done. Only 7 total boxes have been packed! I've been enjoying being home and trying to cram in play dates and get togethers because soon they'll be far and few between. It's also been really nice and who wants to spend it inside packing!? Certainly not I. But alas, I must, because this move is happening and we do need to be on our way!

Anywho, we've bought a new car too. The 2010 Toyota Venza, their version of a crossover (which I'm starting to think is a new term for station wagon!). I love it. It drives like a car, doesn't look like a station wagon, but has the space of an SUV. I wanted a Lexus but Chris said not yet. So we went for this and I'm okay with that. I wanted red, but they sold out. I wanted black next but Chris said silver was probably best at hiding dirt and scratches, so silver it was! When I take a picture of it I'll post it up!

I think I've also decided that a NJ wedding is what I ultimately want! Outdoors in the fall near the beach. Destination wedding is probably cheaper, but I'm counting on this being my only wedding and I want our families to be a part of it. So I'll be looking at two venues, maybe, today, hopefully, this week! I'm excited!! It's gonna be tough planning a NJ wedding in TN but I'll probably have fun with it!! And that's all I got for you guys to sum up my past week. I'll make the next post fun =)

Let's hear it for New York, New York!

So Monday night I made a last minute decision to go to NYC and spend the day up there with my friend Kerri, who was doing a class assignment up there, and I took my friend's, Mel, daughter with me too to give her something to talk about when she was done with spring break! I was hesistant about the whole thing for lots of reasons: 1) I've never taken my son to the city by myself, 2) He was teething and miserable, 3) Subways and train stations are just tough to navigate through with a stroller and all of its contents, 4) I had no car seat if I wanted to cab it, 5) He was teething!!!! But even though I had to overcome these obstacles, I'm glad I took him! It was a beautiful day out, I got to see Chris in the middle of the day, and he got to come home with us, we relaxed in the park, we WALKED and I felt good doing it, and Logan was able to visit the city for the first time!! There was lunch at Planet Hollywood, relaxation at Bryant Park, shopping at Macy's, and there was a visit to the grandest Toys 'R Us ever! Above all it was lots of fun!!!

Logan waiting for his first train ride!

Empire State Building made out of Legos at Toys 'R Us!

We dressed Chris up with a flower crown and a feather boa, which he said was really itchy!

The giant MOVING T-Rex at the entrance of the Jurassic Park area of the store

Logan people watching after a 2 1/2 hour nap in the city!

A mommy and me moment! I love this little boy sooo much ♥

Happy Easter!!!

First and foremost I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Easter!! We've had a busy day today and oh, so much fun, visiting with friends and family. This time last year Logan was not even a month old (although it was only 3 days away)!

 

Here's Logan last year at Easter! He was soo little!!

Here's my handsome little boy this year!! I can't believe how time has flown!!

Anways, this year I loved watching him discover his basket, he seemed a little confused, but wasn't to phased because, of course, his basket had Logan stuff in it. The Easter Bunny gave him bath toys and his first toothbrush/toothpaste set! He actually loved doing it this morning (YAY)!  The Easter Bunny brought Chris some candy and a Lego! Yes, you read correctly! The Easter Bunny brought me blank journals, lots of candy, and books!!

Chris' friend, Kamyar, came for a visit this morning and then we spent the afternoon with Chris' dad and step mom! Logan had such a fun time playing outside in the sunshine and enjoyed his time with his grandparents. He wore his birthday pictures outfit and looked just as cute as the first time he wore them!!

He's playing in his little police car!! Following in his uncle's footsteps maybe?

This is one of my favorite pictures from today!! Logan and his Grandpop walking together! Logan LOVESS his grandpop!! It's pictures like these that make me sad that we're moving so far away! I really hope that moving so far doesn't affect the bond that he has to his grandfather!

This was my second favorite!! Logan's "great-grandparents" bought a yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy. She loved Logan and Logan loved her!! They played with each other!! Logan's face is so scrunched and excited!! Unfortunately, the puppy is still nameless. Molly was a possibility!!

My third favorite picture! My two loves, hand in hand, walking towards whatever! Logan loves his Daddy! I just realized that my son and I did not take a picture together today! =( I'll need to remember that for next year! Hope everyone had a great Easter!! xo ♥

Easter Eggs!!

One of my favorite things to do around Easter is to dye the eggs!! This is not Logan's first Easter but he still couldn't dye the eggs. We did get him a toy to keep him entertained!! Chris, Jaclyn (my friend, Mel's daughter) and I dyed them last night!! We had so much fun and the clean up was super easy thanks to newspaper and paper bowls!

There were 11 colors

(6 were made with vinegar, 5 were made with water)

Chris and Jaclyn dyeing their eggs...There was a lot of mixing the dyes going on!

My little boy hanging out with his new toy and watching the egg dye-ing going on! I tried to get him to dye and egg but when I gave it to him he just put the egg in his mouth!!

My love making his egg shiny!

The finished results!! So pretty =)

Logan's first egg we gave him the stickers to at least put on!