Easter 2012

As this was Nash's first Easter that he really remembered/took part in, Joe and I wanted to make sure we pulled out all the stops.  So in the weeks prior, we stocked up on eggs, colored grass, and small trinkets.  We scoured our friend base for insider tips on the best egg hunt in town.  And we cleared our schedules for a weekend of pastel cuteness.

Our first big event was easter egg dyeing.  I knew from friends that this is complicated with a toddler, but I really wanted to attempt it.  My husband is much less fond of letting the baby make big messes, whereas I'm always handing him sticky candy or letting him eat rice on his own, so I knew he'd be a little on edge.  We busted out the dyes, strapped the kid in the chair, and went for it.

Blue fingers and smashed, but pretty, eggs later, we think it was a success!  Nash was not happy when we ran out of eggs though...must remember to make more next year.

On Saturday, we met our friends Chad and Kristina and their little boy, Bradley, over at their church for an Easter egg hunt. There was swarms of kiddos, 8000 plastic eggs just waiting to be nabbed, and tons of photo ops.

Trust me when I tell you these are but a fraction of the photos I took.

Nash really didn't care much about putting the eggs in the basket.  He would just grab them, rip them open, shove them in his mouth, then move on to the next one.  Apparently we should have practiced the whole basket thing.

A doggie and some little chickies just made his day.

Nevermind my crazy hair in the photo above...that was the best pic out of the ten Joe took.  Either the kid was squirming or my hair was literally blown into my face.  But at least the pic of them looks good!

Easter morning began late since Joe had to work the night before and needed to catch up on sleep.  Mama whipped up some carrot cake waffles and cracked open the easter eggs and we waited for the snoring to subside (just kidding, Joe Joe).

Grandmom and Grandpop got him a beach toy set!  Perfect timing because, like I mentioned yesterday, we hit up the beach later that day!

It didn't take long for Nash to bust into the caramel eggs...although he was nice enough to share a teensy bite with Daddy (who decided candy is not good before 10 am).  Along with the sand tools, Nash also got a stuffie, a sweet Hot Wheels car, a little train, some stickers, and some colors/shapes flash cards.

My sweet little bunny and his Mama!

It was so nice to spend time with my little family and begin those family traditions that will stick with us for years to come.  Who knows, maybe we'll make it a tradition to go to the beach every year.  And candy before 10 am is a must!

Easter Surf Fest

Instead of a traditional Easter at church or with our families, Joe and I decided to do Easter the Florida way.  With a good old fashioned surf competition.  My friend Tiffany told me her husband Elliot (who's an incredible amateur surfer) was competing in the Easter Surf Fest in Cocoa Beach on Sunday, so we packed up the kiddo and hit the sand.

Nash got to hang with his sweet little BFF Kyla and we got some much needed sun time (which ended up being too much for pasty ole Mama).

The beginnings of sharing, we think!

Isn't Kyla just the prettiest little thing?!  She makes my ovaries ache...

While I was snapping pics of the surf action for Elliot, the hubs was playing dadddy day care with the kiddos.  Apparently they all thought it would be hilarious to bury Nash in the sand...or his legs at least.

Elliott ended up taking 1st place in the semi-finals (which is the part we saw) and 4th overall!  All that despite surfing in a very broad age bracket (25-45).  Woot woot!

And don't worry...a more traditional Easter post should come tomorrow!

Gettin' Friendly with Black and White

Sitting around one day, I decided to pick out a few of my favorite close ups of Nash and give 'em the ol' black and white treatment. 

All of the photos with the exception of the bottom one were edited using actions I downloaded from Pioneer Woman or other tutorial sources (with my own minor tweaks, of course).

As I continute to expand my knowledge of photography, I'm noticing my photos getting better and better, but perhaps very similar.  So I've made a vow to apply some of techniques I've been reading out and step out of my comfort zone.  Hopefully, that will result in even better pictures!

Friday's Fashion Wrap Up - vol. 9

This is the first post following my new fashion feature plan...featuring one really good outfit each week, rather than filling all this space with outfits that are, well let's just say it, meh.

I got a lot of compliments on this one...perhaps it was that people were expecting me to return from a sick day wearing the business casual equivalent of a potato sack (trust me, if jammies were authorized, I'd do it). Or maybe I just managed to put a good one together... You be the judge.

Skirt:  Express

Ruffled Tank: New York & Co

Cardi: H&M

Belt:  Stolen from another dress in my closet

Ring: Aldo Accessories

Wedding and Engagement Ring:  Zales

Skinny Waist:  c/o 24 hour flu

Earrings and Bracelet:  Charlotte Russe

Shoes: Jessica Simpson circa 2005

Pasty Skin: c/o no free time

I must admit, I caught some flack from a certain fashion-conscious-even-if-he's-batting-straight coworker of mine for pairing a black and gray ensemble with the brown belt and shoes.  I politely informed him that it's exactly this unexpected pairing that takes the outfit from office ordinary to casually cutting edge.  Agree or disagree?

Finances and Happiness?

As my husband and I face uncertain times - with the pending sale of his business and me wasting away at a job that pays like a Wal-mart greeter - I find myself searching more and more for any kind of information, enlightenment, biting sarcasm about money.  How to get it, how to keep it, and why it's such a damn hassle to hit that sweet spot of having enough, but not too much.

And then I stumble upon this article.  It's an interview with Laura Vanderkam, who has a book out titled All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending.  I feel like I must read this book.

I often wonder what job would bring me the ultimate happiness...which often directly correlates to how much money I would make in comparison to the amount of work I would have to do intermixed with the level of pleasure and personal satisfaction derived from said work.  According to Laura, there is a sweet spot:

The "how happy are you right now" question and what your current mood is -- that seems to max out at about $75,000 a year, which is probably the point where people have solved most of their day-to-day worries of a car breaking down, or an unexpected bill or paying a mortgage. But past that, people's day-to-day happiness does not go higher.

So, I need to make $75K to feel my most happy.  I would tend to agree with her...just enough money to buy a few frivolous things here and then.  Plenty of money to stash away for an unforeseen emergency.  And more than enough to live in the house and drive the car I need at this point in my life. 

People should save far more money than they do. Instead of saving for retirement, save for now. If money doesn't buy you love, what it does buy is freedom. More assets give you more options in life. You have the ability to walk away from a job that's not making you happy, and if you do like your job, if you have assets in the bank, you can push back. You can say, "I don't want to do this" or "I'd like to do something else." What's the worst they can do? Fire you? You don't care.

Indeed...my issue with most jobs is the feeling that you "need" to be there.  Even when they abuse you, or just take you for granted, you really can't tell them where to shove it.  Apparently that kind of power can be had for just $75,000 a year.  With the amount of time and money I've spent on my education, and the (wo)man hours I've put in at less-than-glamorous jobs, I think I deserve that $75K. 

Now, on the important stuff...save more money. 

Wordless{ish} Wednesday - Baseball and Firetrucks

Last weekend, Bubs and I hauled our butts out of bed early on Saturday to go run the Game Day 5k...partly because I really want to keep running at least one race a month, but also because it meant you got 2-for-1 tickets to the Spring Training game later that day. 

Although it was not the best organized race I've ever done, the game was decent.  The Washington Nationals got slaughtered by the Cardinals, but we didn't care either way (we're Philly fans, you know), so we just went for the park food and the fresh air.  The first and last game we ever took him to was when he was only about 3 months old, so this was a whole new experience.

First Baseball Game - March 2011 - 3 Months Old

Eating his first ballpark french fry

Nash did so well during the game...although a couple of kids next to us had a baseball.  Once he caught sight of that ball, it was all he could think about.  After about 10 minutes of fighting him off, we decided to take a walk and check out the fire trucks.

This truck was from NYC and was actually used during 9/11 (the entire crew died that day).  It was finally decommissioned in 2010 and they've been visiting stations around the country.    It was pretty awesome to see it, and Nash was enthralled!  He kept trying to close the giant doors...

Checking in on the Dirty Thirty...

A fellow bloggie friend of mine asked about how I was coming along with my 30-Before-30 list, and I realized I needed to do a check-in to see how I'm doing.  I know, sadly, that some things have fallen into the category of less-than-possible, but hopefully I've made some satisfactory progress.

5 months later, I've accomplished:

1. Run a half-marathon
2. Start a retirement account
3. Get paid for photography (one photo, one session, whatever...)
4. Sew an outfit I'd wear in public
5. Take Nash to see the snow (unless it snows early in the fall AND I'm randomly there for it)
6. Bake and decorate a multi-layer ombre cake
7. Capture a great "fireworks" photo
8. Take part in a haunted house
9. Go on a big family vacay
10. Visit a foreign country (kind of a gimmee since my unit is going to Japan in Jan)
11. Start a business
12. Get paid to design something (biz cards, flyers, logos, invitations, whatever...)
13. Take a real roadtrip somewhere new and random
14. Can something I grow or make myself
15. Try bikram yoga
16. Begin composting
17. Kick my sugar habit
18. Set up and maintain a photo archive system
19. Do a mud/fun run with a group of friends
20. Go on an adults-only cruise
21. Complete a 30-day photo challenge
22. Buy a new house (near a playground)
23. Master the perfect sourdough bread recipe
24. Start a family tradition
25. Perform a full pull-up unassisted (might be easy for some, but I've never been able to do it)
26. Meet Giuliana Rancic and tour the E! Networks building (ok, this may be dreaming)
27. Build Bubs a sand box from scratch (no plans, no kits)
28. Donate 10 hours of time to either a kids' charity or an animal shelter
29. Learn how to swim
30. Have an awesome 30th birthday party

So...almost half way in and I've accomplished...two things.  ::Sigh::  I better get moving!  It's so good to look back at it though...I'd almost forgotten about some of these!