My trip to California

Technically when I was around 1 years old my family took a vacation to California and Mexico.  We swam in the ocean, went to Disneyland and spent a lot of time with friends and family...and I don't remember ANY of it.  I've seen a few pictures but that's it!

So now, 24 years later, I was FINALLY able to go to California-a place I've always wanted to visit!

But our trip did not start off so great.  First-we had to board Tucker.  That may not seem like a big deal to some but Tucker is pretty much our fur baby and leaving him is always hard =(  Any chance we get to take him somewhere we always do, even if it's just to my family's for the weekend!  So he had to get an evaluation and they stated he was really shy and seemed anxious. They recommended that he come a few more times before we board (it's also a doggy day care) but with time running out we had to bite the bullet and board him there.... (Luckily, after we picked him up they said he warmed up a lot and seemed to have a good time over all.  He did get extremely sick when we got hom and was for almost a week but we don't think it was the boarding as much as it was the food change and new bone he got)

Next we got a call right before we headed out the door early Wednesday that our flight got canceled! Due to severe storms and tornadoes in Dallas (our layover city and AA hub) we had to get a flight almost 12 hours later and in a completely different airport than planned (we were trying to land in Ontario, CA so Derrick's grandparents could pick us up but instead had to land in LAX-luckily Der's Aunt Patty was able to get us!)  I was a bit motion sick but after getting some food (In N Out Burger) and some amazing hot tea,
we finally make it to Derrick's Uncle Mike and Aunt Patty's house to crash.

The next day we got to go exploring in El Segundo, California!  This little place is located less than 10 minutes from LAX and only about 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean!  I got to see the Pacific Ocean for the FIRST TIME! I teared up at seeing it-it's absolutely beautiful!

Look at that water!

The sun was in our eyes, lol.

Next we went to grab som brunch at a local eatery right on the beach.  We saw surfers coming in, lots of people playing volleyball, and even more people jogging or strolling along the coast.  It was awesome!

After brunch we went exploring around the area for a bit, taking in the scenery and enjoying the weather (a wonderful 75ish degrees and sunny) before heading out to Reddlands, CA to visit the rest of the Raleys!  They were all coming in for Easter weekend so we were lucky enough to see them all!

From L: Me, Der, Grandfather David, Mark (Der's dad), Michelle (Der's stepmom), Andy (the dog she's holding, Cole (Der's half brother, in blue), Grandmother Diane, Guy (Der's other half brother, in front of me), Whisper (black dog) and Saddie (cream dog).

It was a great time getting to meet many of Derrick's family members, seeing where he gets some of his quirks and traits from.  They were all SUPER nice, making it less stressful for me and I felt very relaxed with them.  We mostly hung out, exploring Reddlands and the surrounding area with the family, getting grub and laughing back home.

This was a coffee shop/diner that serves fresh hot apple pies.  They used apples straight from California vineyards!

Unfortunately it was a short visit because we had to head to San Diego, CA the next evening for my SSSA conference presentation.  Derrick's dad Mark and grandfather David drove us to San Diego and said goodbye-it was bittersweet!

We checked into our room, perused the hotel, and then went to bed since I had a big day in the morning.

The next morning I got up and got ready for my SSSA presentation.  I was to be presenting over work I've done with my GA professor regarding religiousness and spirituality as a way of coping for women with life sentences in prison.  I go, check in, make it back to the conference room where I would present alongside 4 other speakers...only to find out that no one had come!!  Only me and one other presenter ended up showing up...I won't lie...it was kind of disappointing.  I mean, I realized there wouldn't be a lot of people because it was the last day of the conference, in the morning, on Easter weekend, but still...I was a bit bummed.  Luckily, the other speaker was presenting on similar data so we just talked for about an hour about our work and the future needs for studies like ours.

After my "presentation" I headed back to the room and lo and behold our friend Patrick was there!  He and his girlfriend Laina had driven to us from Los Angeles, CA to visit.  We haven't seen Pat for over a year!  We 4 packed into the rental car Patrick had and went to the San Diego Zoo for the day!  Check out the pics below of some of the awesome things we were able to see!  There were so many more pictures but here are a few for laughs and intrigue.

Pat (L) and Der (R) being silly at one of the children's exhibits.

FLAMINGOS!!

A sweet giraffe that looks like it's a out to fall!

Baby monkey

Hungry panda

Patrick and Laina

Me and Der at the waterfall in the bird terrarium. 

After the zoo we went back to the hotel to figure out food plans before Pat and Laina left.  We walked along the bay and ended up settling for a little steak house there (although it was over priced and not that great considering...).  We ate and said goodbye to Patrick and Laine then headed back to the room to re-pack and sleep.

Der at the San Diego Bay.

The Bay at sunset <3

We got up the next morning, got a cab to the airport, and once we got to Dallas we had another issue with delayed flights-apparently in the ENTIRE DFW airport all flights to Nashville and the surrounding areas had been cancelled!  We were so frustrated by this happening again...we had to stand in line for approximately 2 hours to speak to someone who basically said there was no way we were leaving the airport and heading that way that night.  GRRRRR!!  So we had the choice of sleeping in the airport for free or we could obtain a discounted hotel voucher and stay somewhere else.  Thankfully, since DFW is so huge, there were 2 hotels joined to the airport.  We chose to stay in one of those (which ended up being SUPER nice considering) and went to the room to sleep.  Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal but since we were flying home on a Sunday and got delayed I had to: 1-call in to work using PTO and no pay time to cover for it, 2-pay to stay in a hotel when we hadn't budgeted for it (thank god I had money on my CC!) and 3-pay an extra day to board Tucker.  Talk about aggravating! And the most frustrating part was that they said it was due to storms in the East but everyone I talked to in and around Nashville said they saw nothing but sunny skies and great weather... *SIGH* We had to get up at 5 am, catch a flight to North Carolina, then finally, headed back to Nashville.  We picked up Tuck, made it home, and CRASHED.

It was a whirlwind of a trip!  I can't wait to go back-it was too much fun outside of the stupid travel issues!

Gatlinburg-Spring Break 2011

Well-we actually went somewhere for Spring Break! Just few 2 days but it was much needed and we really had a lot of fun just hanging out-in good ol' Gatlinburg, Tennessee!  Derrick has never been before so it was really fun to show him a cool part of Tennessee and I hadn't been in a LONG time so it was neat to see what's changed and what hadn't!

Check out the pictures and details below from our trip!

The name of our cabin! How cute is that?! 

Our home away from home <3 

View 

Our in-room jacuzzi-so nice after a long drive! 

Our awesome little kitchen. 

View again-just gorgeous! 

Paradise.  

Our living space. 

Our neat bear fireplace. 

Thursday night when we checked in they said it may snow that night...they were right! Luckily, it wasn't cold enough to freeze but it sure was beautiful!  

In downtown Gatlinburg-checking out the sites! 

The Ripley's Aquarium! Totally cool and had a lot of really neat exhibits! 

I LOVED the way these seahorses were holding tails-too cute! 

This sword fish shark was just laying on top of the tank, watching people walk under him and hanging out-it was so funny! 

This shark kept swimming right over our head-check out all of those ferocious teeth! 

Derrick being silly. 

Then me being silly.... 

Me loving my "penguin friend" after the cool penguin exhibit.  

This was where we had breakfast Friday morning-it was DELICIOUS! It has the premise of an IHOP but with pancakes-I got some strawberry crepes that were out of this world delicious! 

How adorable is the place?! 

It's like right out of a book.

Me and Derrick getting ready to eat at No Way Jose's! SUCH good Mexican. 

Love <3

And that was that! We got in Thursday evening and left Saturday morning.  Quick trip but enough to get a breather, get some AMAZING relaxation (and homemade candies!) under our belt before getting back to the grindstone of work and school.

A trip well worth in in funds, fun, and family.

Another Wedding for the Raleys

So I've realized, by accident of course, that I've had the same dream just with different details about getting married TO DERRICK again.  Now at first I was a bit worried because I was like, "does this mean I didn't enjoy the first one?!" and proceeded to review pictures and my wedding book again to evoke memories and the like...then it hit me-I'm such a dolt.

I've had so many dreams and thoughts about our wedding because I want to do it again. I had SO MUCH FUN on our wedding day (even though there was a bit of drama involved) that I want to get married to Derrick again, lol!  I've had dream after dream with different scenarios, different locations, different guests and food (though I will admit: I'm not sure if my dress is different)...and the 1 constant that stays true is that I am marrying him-Derrick Michael Raley-and I love that constant.

*Wipes sweat from brow* Silly Goose.  

Der and I have already decided to re-new our vows every 5 years and also go to Disney (Land or World) at least every 5 years (though they don't have to occur at the same time).  I think that's appropriate.  It'll keep things a bit more fresh as we get older and busier, it'll give us a countdown towards some AWESOMENESS every 5 years and it will be just plain fun. No, we probably won't have a huge blow out party except for the big years (10, 25, 50, etc.) but we'll still have fun and love with it...and that's the whole point of having a ceremony of any kind-right?

I stumbled upon his vows he wrote to me the other day and it made me so joyful and teary.  His were sweet, funny, honest, and simple-the epitome of Derrick.  I feel a little selfish in that I don't really want to post them on this blog-NOT because I don't love you all to pieces-but because they were my words; does that make sense?  They make my heart flutter, girly as that may seem.  He wrote from his heart, from his intelligence (it was a rhyming poem) and from his earnest-meaning he would have said those things to me in front of 1037502 people or just me, him, and a judge.  I take pride in that.  Actually I take pride in him as a person-let alone my husband and my friend.  He's so silly-just check him and the groomsmen out below.

I like him. And I love him.

Which to say you like someone is COMPLETELY different than saying you love them.  You can love your  mother but not like her.  Or you can like a friend and not love them.  I am fortunate enough to like and love my Der.  I genuinely enjoy his company and companionship.  I like to hang out as well as have fabulous and romantic dates and moments.  I think we're a good pair (I know some of you were probably like "well I hope so seeing you married him!" lol). He makes me laugh and smile every day-and thankfully he tries to. He goes out of his way, putting a lot of his masculinity, seriousness, and time on the line just to hear me giggle-and hey, this girl has NO complaints with that.

I hadn't intended for this blog to get all mushy but it's nice to sit in retrospect of coming up on 2 months of marriage and still getting butterflies 2 months (and 2 1/2 years later) with my husband and friend.  It's a good feeling to wake up to, you know?

So now I don't fret anymore over wedding dreams and tears through vows-I realize that I can't wait for year 5 so we can do it all over again and I can continue these butterflies and smiles.

Share the love today-it's Saturday.

<3

P.S.*I've scattered a few wedding pics in this blog, but obviously there are more scattered throughout the top of my full blog and my profile...what can I say?! I like the pics.

Photos for the Bathroom (Home is Where You Make It: Part IV)

Yes, it seems a bit awkward that I have been Googling "black and white photography of bathrooms" for almost 30 minutes...BUT our bathroom walls are bare and they need something on the walls...and since our shower curtain is a kinda of a colored MOD theme and we have matching light blue towels...it was hard for me to think of what to hang in there on said walls, especially within this bizarre color scheme...

So, I've been Googling pictures of bathroom things (faucets, toilet paper rolls, bath tubs, etc.) to get some good black and whites to put in white frames -they will match everything perfectly and shouldn't be awkward when viewing while one does his/her business.  I was debating on some semi nude photos (since it's a bathroom) but I haven't found any that I find tasteful enough to be hung...so I journey on.


I've also found some great black and whites of flowers to hang in the bedroom.  I ripped them off one of my facebook friends pics since she was doing photography and they turned out really well.  I find no shame in that because I will be displaying them in our new home and I think they'll go really well in the bedroom with the blues, grays and whites.


So, obviously, with the next paycheck I'll be buying: frames for both the bathroom and bedroom in which I will place these photos and I'll be printing these photos (along with the ones that are to go in the frames I bought last paycheck for the living room).

It's all coming together! With each paycheck if we can get at least 1 thing our little home will soon be complete!!

There are still some "bigger ticket" items that we need such as:

*Wall art for the dining room (the picture I've found and like is $50 so I'm waiting to see if I can find one cheaper first)
*Curtains and rod for the bedroom (large windows so everything will have to be doubled [sheers and curtains + 1 REALLY long rod])
*Area rug for the living room (the size we'd like runs about $60-$70)
*New sheets, blanket, and comforter set for the bedroom (runs about $100 IF they still have it in the colors and size we want/need)
*Medium wall shelf for the living room
*DVD rack (not expensive but I keep forgetting about it, lol)
*Baskets for under the bathroom sink for storage and a basket for Tuckers toys (again, not expensive-I just keep forgetting)
*A new couch (this is the LAST thing on the list...since this is the most expensive-but we're working with what we've got for right now)

I am loving our place.  I can't wait to look back on these blogs and photos when I'm older (and maybe with kids?!) and show them Mr. and Mrs. Raley's first home as husband and wife *love sigh*

It's good to finally be home.

<3

Home is where you make it-Part III

Alright! More Raley home updates-with pictures this time!!

Now let me go ahead and forewarn you: these pictures are taken from my cell phone so they're not of good quality AND I didn't "tidy up" before taking them...so no judging that it's a bit unkempt.  =P

This is the main entrance to the Raley household. The closet on the left is HUGE and has a ton of storage space (currently where the holiday decor and my guitar are being stored) and also holds our AC unit...the bad part about that is that it's SO LOUD in the living room since it's in the wall instead of the ceiling...but we still love it here.  The pictures on the wall need to be updated and added to but for right now-it works!  I hope to kind of smother that wall with pictures of everything-to chronicle our relationship, friendships, and family if able.

The picture below is 1 of 2 of our living room. Our living room and hallway(s) are painted a good celery green and I LOVE it!  The couch is old and HIDEOUS but for the time being it serves its purpose for date nights, napping, and guests. We need 1 more shelf above it and that wall will be complete! Our bookshelf is overflowing, so maybe if we get another one, we will rearrange.

The next picture is the other side of our living room-note: we have a set of french doors that leads to a little private brick patio!  It's very sweet and if we can get some patio furniture or even a chaise lounge it will be p.e.r.f.e.c.t. These doors we use for our common entrance into the house-the main door sticks a little bit.  You'll have to ignore the blinds in all of these pictures-silly us: we taught Tucker how to look out the window and he has done so excessively...and at such an excited pace that they are ruined (and we've only lived here 1 month!) So naturally, wooden blinds are on the "Still Need" list, lol.

We're also getting (tomorrow I think?) 3 wooden picture frames to hang on this naked wall-filled with wedding pics probably and that should do it! We need a chair of something but it's just fine for us right now-a chair isn't a huge priority. It seems silly but just a little paint can make it feel SO much more homey and comfortable, ya know?  We want a few little knick knacks around but outside of that, the only room that really needs more stuff is the bedroom-and even then, not too much.  I mean let's be honest: if we added NOTHING else to this place, I still feel comfortable and happy calling it "home".  If we can add the little finishing touches though-great!

Alright, now this is a dim picture of the bedroom taken from my crappy cell phone, lol.  It will probably change within the next 2 weeks (layout) but I'm showing you what it looks like right now.  Here we've got the dresser, hampers, hair stuff and jewelry box.  You can't see it-but our big closet (that has both of our clothes) is on the right (and it also has a TON of storage space!)  It is painted blue (see this blog in regards to the paint choosing for the bedroom between Der and I) but it goes very well with the iron/pewteresque lighting we've got in there.

This is the other side of the bedroom (forgive the unmade bed) with my home made art work above! I've got to make the sister painting to go next to it but I am quite proud of it  =]  We've got the cute iron side lamp and the DisneyWorld picture frame (also in blue and silver, surprisingly) that we'll be putting our kiss at Disney in!  I think it's precious.  We need updated bedding to match (I'd prefer something in navy and grays but NOT too masculine) and then a little rearranging and pictures and it's set!  We'll probably change the layout since this is kind of inconvenient but it's working eight now and it still cute.

It's a small place-but it's perfect for us 3 and we love it.

Well: what do you think?  Would you come visit and adore the Raley household? Because you're invited-no matter what  =]

Xoxo