Heading Home

Monday is already here. What happened to my 10 day vacation? Oh yeah, I had a blast, so of course it flew by. I am now on an airplane on my way back home. 

I am happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I get to see my Husband and my fur babies soon, but sad that I had to leave my best friend. I didn't realize how much I missed her til I got to spend 10 days with her. And now the best friend withdrawals are going to begin and it is going to suck! And also sad that I have to go back to work! Ugh!

Anywho, I will try to get back into the blogging thing as soon as possible, but I am making no promises. I know that work is going to be crazy when I get back and I am sure that things will be crazy at home too. So as soon as I get some time to sit down and write out some recap posts, I will get them up. Luckily I kept kind of a journal while I was gone so that I wouldn't forget anything when I go to write my posts. 

Well that is all I have for you guys. Hope you guys have a great Monday. And hopefully I will be back to blogging regularly here soon! 

Fall Swap Sign Up Ends Today

Aloha!! Coming to you from Hawaii today. Although my trip is coming to a close, I am having a blast. But I am not looking forward to returning to the real world. Whaw whaw whah! 

But I just wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day to sign up for the Fall Swap hosted by Britt, K, Laura and myself. So don't forget to fill out the sign up form and join in on the fun! 

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Once again, here is the info that you need to know about the swap.

Swap Guidelines

1. The swap is only open to those in the U.S. 

2. For your swap package, you must spend a minimum of $15 not including the cost of shipping your package. You are welcome to spend more, but don't go too crazy.

3. Items should be things that you love about Fall. For example, your fave color of nail polish, or your favorite tea or treat during this time of the year. Get creative here!

4. Once you have been paired with your swap partner, it is your responsibility to contact each other and make sure that you 1) have the correct address and 2) to get to know your swap partner a little. After all, this is about finding new blogs and making new bloggy friends!

5. Have fun and get creative!

Dates for the Fall Swap

 September 16th-Sign ups begin

September 27th-Sign ups close

September 30th-Swap partners will be announced via email

October 14th-Swap packages need to be in the mail

November 1st-Link up to share all of your swap goodies

And this should go without saying, but I will say it anyways. If you aren't going to send a package, please don't sign up. It isn't fair to your future swap partner, so please think about that before you sign up.

I am so excited to see who everyone gets paired with and what fun goodies everyone gets! I have placed the form on the bottom of this post once again! Thanks in advance everyone and I can't wait for the fun to begin!

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Meet The Husband

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying your week. 

I realized a few weeks ago that you guys have never really met the Husband. Yes, I talk about him and the things that we do in our lives, but I have never really introduced you to him. So why not have him guest post for me while I am on vacation. Well, kinda. He didn't want to actually write a post (party pooper) because he wasn't sure what he would say, so instead I decided to do a Q & A session/interview so that you guys could get to know him a little bit. So without further adieu, meet Aran. The Husband. 

Q: How old are you?

A: "32." Said the liar! "Fine. Okay. I am 26."

Q: What is your College degree in? 

A: "Communication with an emphasis on Recording Arts."

Q: When did you know that your Wife was the one?

A: "About two months after we started dating." 

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: "Firefly."

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: "Casablanca." Even though I would have guessed he would have said Star Wars. You learn something new every day. 

Q: What is your favorite sport?

A: "Baseball."

Q: What is one thing that you do that drives Megan, your amazing Wife, absolutely crazy?

A: "Just one thing? Ummmmmm..............telling you to watch where you are walking."

Q: Have you ever been told that you look like someone? And who?

A: "Yes. I once had someone tell me that I looked like Jimmy Stewart and also Scotty McCreery."

Q: If you could be any Star Wars character, who would you be?

A: "Hans Solo cause he's a scruffy nerf herder."

Q: Favorite game of all time?

A: "Sonic 2 on the Sega Genesis."

Q: Do you have any nicknames?

A: "Yes. Biggs." And there is no real story/reason behind how he got this nickname. Maybe because he is tall. They just started calling him this at work one day and it stuck. 

Q: Who is your favorite band?

A: "Less Than Jake."

Q: Do you have any special or hidden talents?

A: "Playing guitar. Pushing my Wife's buttons and I can do character and accent voices. 

And there you have it folks. My Husband. He can be an absolute goof ball at times, but I love him. And he is mine. 

Do you have any other questions you are just dying to know the answer to? I would love to hear what they are. If I get enough, I will definitely be doing a second interrogation errr, I mean interview. 

Guest Post: K from Down at Fraggle Rock

Hey There! I'm K from over at Down at Fraggle Rock. You may have seen me around these parts before since Megan and I are pretty close blog friends.

Megan has asked me to fill in for her while she is off to Hawaii (brat) awaiting the arrival of her bestie's new baby, so I'm here to talk about my favorite season...FALL!

I love me some Summer, don't get me wrong, but since my waist line is expanding by the day (I'm knocked up, not letting myself go! Haha) and I can no longer enjoy some ice cold Coors Light, I'll take sweaters and hot chocolate instead.

So... without further adieu... here are some of my most favorite Fall things.

(Oh, and I tried to make the pictures all pretty, but I'm home today and my computer is NOT my friend. This is why I usually blog from work...during non-working time of course...)

1. Spiced Pumpkin candles.

I love Fall scents. Flowery scents usually make my throat close, so when I can finally break out my Fall scents, I'm a happy girl. Especially now, when I think everything smells bad. They are a savior.

2. Bonfires.

I'm not a huge fan of fires in the Summer. It gets too hot. The Winter... is too cold. I don't want to be outside if I have to put on a jacket and a hat and mittens and boots and blah blah blah. Fall is perfect thought. If I can hang out in a hoodie, then I'm in.

3. Foliage.

I'm from Massachusetts and we have some pretty crazy weather. You know how they say, "Don't like the weather in New England? Wait a minute."? Yeah... that's pretty much true. So, our nice seasons are fleeting. Our winter last forever though, so if you like that then you will love it here. BUT, my most favorite thing is watching all of the leaves change into beautiful shades of red, gold, and orange. Gorgeous!

4. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins.

These things are to DIE for. Shannon is one of my faves and she posted this recipe last year and I was hooked. They are super easy to make and Big A (my hunky husband) loves them, so I'm pretty much the best wife ever when I make them! Love, love, love!

5. Starbucks Sea Salted Caramel Mocha Latte.

Since I was watching my weight for the wedding, I got used to drinking Skinny Vanilla Lattes. They were OK, but now that I can have a little more freedom with what I eat, I wanted something delicious to drink while I could still afford to go to Starbucks. (Plus, let's be honest, Starbucks isn't the place for a screaming infant and we all know that my kid won't be well behaved in public places) I tried this one day, since I'm totally obsessed with Sea Salted Caramel Gelato (buy it NOW) and I LOVE it. I limit myself to only one (or two) a week though since they are a million calories and like five bucks. Woof.

6. Last, but not least... my boys... The Patriots.

I should have had this with the bonfire, since they go hand in hand in my world. We watch all of the games outside. ALL season long. Yeap. We are out there in the snow in January. It's an experience. Although, since I won't have the booze to keep me warm this year, I might be staying home. Haha. I love me some Patriots. And even though Gronk is out with an injury, Hernandez is in jail (idiot), and Megan stole my man Welker got traded, I'm still watching. I'm not as into it, but I'm there.

That's all I got for you today! I hope Megan is having an absolute blast in Hawaii and I can't wait to hear all about her trip!!!

Also, speaking of Fall Favorite Things, don't forget to enter the Fall Swap that Megan and I are hosting with two of our other awesome blog friends Britt and my fellow knocked up lady, Laura! Go here to enter!

I'm Going To Be An Aunt! AGAIN!!!

A few weeks back I got some of the best news from my Brother and Sister-In-Law! I'm going to be an Aunt! AGAIN!! 

Source

I'm going to be an Aunt to a beautiful baby boy or girl sometime in March of 2014!! And I am so excited about it. This is baby #4 for my Brother and his Wife and according to them, the last. We are all just hoping it is a boy because if it isn't and they end up having four girls, I fear for my Brother's sanity! 

Congrats again to my Brother and his Wife and their growing family! I can't wait to meet the new little one and spoil the crap out of them!

Guest Post: Britt from First Comes Love

Hi all, my name is Britt and I brain dump over at First Comes Love. I’ve been reading Megan’s blog for some time now and I was so happy to guest post for her!

Over the past year, I've had quite a bit of “firsts” – I got married and my husband and I bought our first home together. Now, we've been happily navigating the first few months of marriage and it’s been so wonderful. But that’s not the point of this post.

Megan loves fall, so what better topic to write about than what I love about fall? I think it’s safe to say that everyone loves this season. It’s wonderful to drive the winding roads littered with colorful leaves or even to just feel cold after the blistering heat of summer. I relish the first time I pull on boots and a light jacket. The air smells better – I personally am a fan of burning wood piles/leaves – everything is pumpkin flavored and it’s the precursor to my absolute favorite holiday…Christmas.

This year is going to be really, really special for us. We closed on our current home the day after Thanksgiving last year, so by the time we moved in, there was snow on the ground. I remember feeling for a while like it wasn’t real – like the place wasn’t ours. There was that short span of time where you feel like you’re house sitting and slowly learning all the weird quirks, noises, and personality pieces.

There’s the overwhelming ZOMGDECORATE feeling as you stare at all the blank walls, mind spinning with ideas but at a total loss of where to start.

There are weeks where your favorite sweatshirt still looks odd slung over that chair or you can’t find any of your proper pots & pans because you’re trying to remember where you put everything. The walls are now full but it’s still not quite home.

All the tiny trademarks of you are there but the feeling is still evasive. You feel almost guilty about it because you love where you’re living.

But then, we turn the corner. Maybe it’s because the dust finally settles but all of a sudden, avoiding the squeaky floorboard in the middle of the night is instinctual. You know the exact schedule to run the dishwasher and the washing machine with enough hot water to take a shower. The gas fireplace isn't so scary since you can actually work it without your husband’s help. All of a sudden, that place you used to call home? It seems like a distant memory.

We still have so much we want to do to our home, especially now that the feeling of home itself is with us. This house will see so many amazing things and hold so many memories for us. So, this fall is extra special, as our first in this home and as a married couple.

We spend the time daydreaming about all of the wonderful things the future holds but meanwhile, this fall is inching its way in. And with it comes an overwhelming urge to cozy us into this home – to organize closets, put the warm, comfy sheets on the bed, and tuck us until this brand new season that we can’t wait to fill with homemade apple and pumpkin pies, hot chocolate, and long wind-swirled walks.

For us, fall is the sign of new beginnings – firsts.

Just Stopping In

Happy Friday everyone! This post is being brought to you from Seattle, WA today! That's right. I am on my way to Hawaii! And yes, I realize that it is weird that I am flying through Seattle. But seeing as I am flying with Alaska Airlines, this doesn't seem out of the ordinary to me. 

Anywho, I have already been on one flight today and now I am just waiting for my next flight which isn't for another two hours. And waiting for my ears to pop. It is seriously annoying. I have tried chewing gum, fake yawning and holding my nose and blowing. That only seemed to make it worse. Annoying! 

But I digress. I just wanted to stop in and say hi! I will have a few posts for you guys next week, along with a few guest posts. Thank you again to those that are guest posting. But for the most part, I won't be around much. Sorry, but best friend time will be happening and the beach will be calling my name! 

I hope you guys have a great weekend and I can't wait to tell you all about my trip. 

Don't forget to sign up for our Fall Swap!

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