Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving and almost Merry Christmas!! 

It's been a crazy few weeks in the LeBlanc household...It's my favorite time of year and that means that I love to do MANY things: First, I love to decorate my house & I am so grateful to have a husband who loves to help me. I am so excited to add too my Christmas decorations every year. Second, once Daniel and I got married, we decided that we would throw an annual Christmas Party so that we could spend some time with all of our friends before the holiday rush!  I was so excited about the turnout this year... it was amazing!!  Here are a few photos of the party!!

Lastly, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas movies and music... Here are a few Christmas Movie Quotes that I love:

The Santa Clause: 

Scott Calvin: Did I miss anything?
Business Guy Across from Him: No, we were, uh, just about to order lunch.
Scott Calvin: Great! I'm starving.
Susan Perry: I'll have a salad and iced tea, and dressing on the side.
Mr. Whittle: Ah, paste and tomatoes, uh, and very light on the oil. Can you do that?
Scott Calvin: And I'll have a Caesar. No dressing. And one of those homemade cookies, the warm chocolate chip. No nuts. And a little slice of cheesecake. Uh, crème brulee, and, um, hot fudge sundae, extra hot fudge.
[licks his lips in addiction to tons of sweets, and looks at some people looking weirdly at him]
Scott Calvin: [taking where he left off] On the side.
Waiter: Anything to drink?
Scott Calvin: [sighs] Ice-cold milk.
Susan Perry: [wondering if he was really honest with them about his suddenly big belly] Stung by a bee, Scott?
Scott Calvin: A big bee.  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas:

The Grinch: All right, you're a reindeer. Here's your motivation: Your name is Rudolph, you're a freak with a red nose, and no one likes you. Then, one day, Santa picks you and you save Christmas. No, forget that part. We'll improvise... just keep it kind of loosey-goosey. You HATE Christmas! You're gonna steal it. Saving Christmas is a lousy ending, way too commercial. ACTION!
[Max knocks the red nose off]
The Grinch: BRILLIANT! You reject your own nose because it represents the glitter of commercialism. Why didn't I think of that? Cut, print, check the gate, moving on. 

Home Alone:

Gangster 'Johnny': Hey! I tell you what I'm gonna give you, Snakes. I'm gonna give you to the count of 10 to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property before I pump your guts full of lead! One, two, ten!
[machine gun fire]
Gangster 'Johnny': Keep the change, you filthy animal!

 

I am a little out of it today

1. First thing you wash in the shower? hair

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? blue

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Yes!

4.Do you plan outfits? Only if I am going out of town

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Exhausted

6. Whats the closest thing to you thats red? my fingernails

7. Do you say aim or a-i-m? aim

8. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I was at the airport and they were selling minautre puppies in shoeboxes...

9. Did you meet anybody new today? Nope10. What are you craving right now? Sleep 

11. Do you floss? Not as much as I should

12. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? patch kid

13. When was the last time you talked on aim? every day - we use it @ work14. Are you emotional? I would like to say no, but I know that's not true

15. Would you dance to the taco song? huh?

16. Have you ever counted to 1,000? not that I remember

17. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Lick

18. Do you like your hair? YES! 19. Do you like yourself? yes

20. Have you ever met a celebrity? yes.

21. Do you like cottage cheese? gross

22. What are you listening to right now? christmas music

23. How many countries have you visited? 4

24. Are your parents strict? they were 

25. Would you go sky diving? nope but I watched my Hubby do it

26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? sure27. Would you throw potatoes at him? um NO

28. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in? yes! my rings!29. Have you ever been in a castle? does Hogwarts @ wizarding world of Harry Potter count?

30. Do you rent movies often? We have a Netflix subscription.

31. Who sits in behind you in your math class? no one b/c I am way too old to be filling this out I guess 

32. Have you made a prank phone call? I am sure I have33. Do you own a gun? nope.

34. Can you count backwards from 74? I am sure I can35. Who are you going to be with tonight? my hubby and pups 

36. Brown or white eggs? white

37. Do you own something from Hot Topic? No and will never

38. Ever been on a train? Yes

39. Ever been in love? Yes

40. Do you have a cell-phone? Yes

41. Are you too forgiving? Yes

42. Do you use chap stick? yes and i love it43. What is your best friend doing tomorrow? hopefully sleeping b/c she's sick44. Can you use chop sticks? yes45. Ever have cream puffs? yes - yummy46. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? no

47. What was the last question you asked? "When would you like to implement your HeartCode contract?" 

48. What was the last CD you bought? oh geez -I just buy them on itunes 

49. Boys or girls? huh?

50. What is your bus number for school? I am 26 so I don't ride the bus...maybe I too old to take this.51. Is your hair curly? Nope

52. Last time you cried? within the last week

53. Ever walked into a wall? yes

54. Do looks matter? No

55. Have you ever bought anything from Pac Sun? not in 10 years or so.

56. Have you ever slapped someone? no

57. Favorite time of the year? Spring and Fall

58. Favorite color? it's a tie between blue, pink, purple and black

59. Are you sarcastic? Yep

60. Do you have any tattoos? nope

61. The last person you held hands with? Daniel62. Do you sleep with the TV on? No.

63. Where was your default picture taken at? My wedding.

64. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? yes, I dislike more than 3 people right now.

65. Do you like your life right now? Love it!

66. How often do you talk on the phone? Everyday it a job requirement

67. What is your favorite animal? Elephant68. What was the most recent thing you bought? lunch

69. Do you have good vision? No. I'm almost legally blind.

70. Can you hula hoop? I am sure I can71. Could you ever forgive a cheater? no

72. Do you have a job? Yes

73. Can you handle the truth? Yes74. What are you wearing? Clothes

75. Have you ever crawled through a window? don't think so



42 days until Christmas!

My favorite time of the year is upon us!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the holidays!  I am one of those people who start listening to Christmas music and decorating their house before Thanksgiving. I am even more excited because we will be putting up our first 7.5 Cashmere Fur Christmas tree. Here are some of the fun stuff I have in store for this year!

Heaven gained an angel ...

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. 

~From a headstone in Ireland

I learned a huge lesson in life over the weekend.  I've always known that it's short...but never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that a kid I had the pleasure of taking care of when he was younger would take his own life.  Will was such an amazing kid.  He was only 15 and left behind an amazing family.  He has 2 younger brothers and a younger sister.  I still talk to this day about him and his family today. Will would always look out for his brothers and make sure that they were always having fun and getting into something :)  His parents were the kind of parents we all want, the ones who work hard but are always making time for their kids.  It is so hard for me to even imagine what they are going through but I know that they will be ok.   They know that Will is never truly gone and that he would want us all to live life to the fullest. 

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know him all those years ago and I hope that he knows how much we all love and care about him.  I know that he will be in our hearts always....

Rest In Peace Will - I love and miss you!

Family Fun & the iPhone 4 :)

This past weekend was a lot of fun because my mom and sister came to visit and celebrate my brother’s 24th birthday! It’s been a while since they have visited so it was a lot of fun to hang out and spend time with them. Here’s one of the photos we took while hanging out!!

So, my sister and brother both have the iPhone 4 and after seeing how much they liked it I really wanted to get it. Since I had some Apple gift cards that I was saving to use on getting the MacBook but I went ahead and said what the heck – let’s just go get it! Since I wasn’t yet eligible for the upgrade we had my hubby upgrade his phone. So, after we did that he and I took the phones to ATT and got the SIMcard’s switched!! He was so excited because he got the 3GS (he had only had the 3G) and I got the 4!!! Isn’t it beautiful?? 

The leaves are turning...

I cannot believe it's fall again in Nashville... this is my favorite time of the year here not only because it is starting to cool off but also because the leaves are starting to turn colors.  It is always at this time of year I think about two things 1. how quickly another year has gone by & 2. reflecting on how much has changed.  

I am always the person who loves to live.  I always have a count down to something - a vacation, a holiday - you name it, I probably have a countdown.  I don't do this because I can't stand the present but because I am so excited about the future.  It's how I've always been but as I experience these small milestones I find that I am wishing I had more time to soak them up and taken them in. Everything goes by so quickly... it's like a blink - I am always afraid to miss something fun. This leads me to the other thing I always do in the fall - reflect.


I think I like to reflect during the fall because it's the last little amount of "down time" I have before the holidays.  With that said, this year my mom and sister are coming to visit and while I was cleaning and organizing I found a journal I kept from July 2006 to March 2008.  Now I am not that great at keeping a journal (my blog is proof of this fact). Needless to say I think I only wrote a total of 20 pages or so over the two years.  The funny thing is that this journal documented my moving permanently to Nashville and meeting this amazing guy who is now my husband.  I decided to read it and, at the very least, laugh and how silly I was.  Instead what I found was a very clear picture of how blessed I am.  I think we all forget the crazy feeling of falling in love and the surge of independence as we make that transition from student to adult. I found that I never wrote down the hard times but made sure to write down the positive life changing moments -like the moment I knew I would marry Daniel and when I got my first job. When I was done reading I realized that this was why people have journals - they are not only to document a year or in my case years, but also to have a place where you can go back and relive those amazing (and sometimes not so amazing) moments.


So, reflecting on 2010 so far has really put a smile on my face.  I go to have a snow day or two :) I was able to celebrate my 1 year anniversary with my amazing husband in New Orleans.  I was able to spend my birthday with my husband's family and my brother at the Camp.  I was able to travel to the BVI's with my family whom I hadn't seen since Christmas 2009.  I got to spend Labor Day weekend with two of my best friends at the most magical place on earth.  What more could a girl ask for???

Yet, there are still so many things coming up but it's amazing to see what a wonderful year it's all ready been and I have so much to look forward to:  my mom and sister coming to visit this week, traveling a little for work, making my first thanksgiving dinner ever (!), seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra and Michael Buble in concert in December and last but not least spending Christmas with my in-laws in Key West!  All I know is that I am so thankful to have had all these amazing experiences and I cannot wait to experience more. 


Love,
SML

 

Crate&Barrel now has pet accessories :)

So I love a ton of stores we don't have here in Nashville... Bloomies, Nordstroms, and most of all Crate&Barrel!!

I just recently got an email that they now have pet accessories!! Having 3 (loving but crazy) dogs we are always looking for cute bowls, beds and toys!! Check out how cute these are...

Wishful Wednesday....

So, in an effort to blog more I am going to try and post a "Wishful Wednesday" post every Wednesday. I have a couple of wishes for today...

Wish #1

....to finally get my MACBOOK ... I need it so bad. My poor little PC just can't seem to do what I want... all I need is for a computer to make editing photos and videos EASY. Isn't it B-E-A-utiful?

Wish #2

That I was back in Disney World.... It was so much FUN! I am in LOVE with the new collectibles called Vinyalmations!! So far I've purchased the zebra and giraffe... I can't wait to get a few more!!

Clearly, I'm not good at blogging

So it's been a LONG WHILE since I've blogged. And to be honest, I don't have much of an excuse. I have had a great couple of months... but just haven't taken the time to sit down and write about it. Let's see - where to start.

July was awesome! Daniel and I spent my birthday weekend with his family at their "Camp" in Lousiana. It was a lot of fun spending time wiht him and his family and what made it even better is that my brother was able to come with us!! It was quite the drive, but it was a lot of fun. I also went to Aubrie's Bachelorette Party @ Holiday World! It was a blast! All the girls were great and we had a fun time "camping" out in the RV's!

August has been quite an exciting month for us as well! It all started off with Aubrie and Jeremy's wedding! Which was SO MUCH FUN! It was so wonderful to be there to witness their special day. I love it when my friends get married - it just warms my heart! Right after the wedding we got home and packed for our trip to the Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands.

This trip was amazing. We spent 5 days lounging on the beach, by the pool, snorkeling and hanging with my family. Here are a few photos of the trip!


Until next time....
XOXO, SML

It's been a while...

So it's been quite a while since I’ve blogged ... I have been incredibly busy. The whole month of May seemed to just fly by in a blink. The biggest thing that happened was that Daniel and I celebrated our 1st anniversary together in New Orleans! It was so much fun - it's was full of firsts ... but I will save the trip details for another day (that way I can put up some photos too)!

So I’ve read quite a few books recently (in between working, studying for my real estate license and spending time with my hubby)... here are a few that I’ve read and my thoughts on them...

Beautiful Creatures was an AWESOME book - if you are into the whole fantasy thing. I was a little skeptical to read this one but it came highly recommended and I was NOT disappointed. The book has suspense, puppy love, mystery and light hearted fun. It could be a great first novel in a series (which I think is the plan because they kind of leave you hanging at the end.)

Book Club book #3 = A Gate at the Stairs was a pretty good book. It took me a little time to get through, which basically means that I couldn't get into it. I did force myself to finish it though and thought that there was a lot that left you wanting more and yet other parts that you had no idea why they were even part of the book. I really feel like the author tried to hard in this book and didn't leave enough to the imagination. BUT, don't take my word for it.... read it and let me know what you think!

The Kept Woman was a great "light" read. It was funny, feisty and a great way to just spend a lazy afternoon. It was such a quick read too - I loved every second of it. It was slightly predictable and could have had a little more substance but overall it was an entertaining read and worth the price of the book. If you are looking for a good beach read - get this one OR if you have a NOOK let me know and I will lend it to you!!

Book Club book #4 = Serendipity this is the BEST book we've chosen thus far. You are taken on a emotional ride with Carrie - who's mother just died- is trying to figure out who she is and why her mother never let her have a relationship with her grandmother. This book is very entertaining and has a fast paced easy to follow storyline. I give this one 2 thumbs UP!

I have a thirst for all things Italian - I guess that's due to my being part Italian - it's gotten much worse since I went to Italy on my honeymoon. Everything over there is so fresh and exciting. It is laid back and energizing at the same time. It’s heaven really - if only I didn't need money ... ha-ha. Very Valentine tugged on those heartstrings. This book has everything I love to read about - strong, driven, passionate women who will do whatever it takes to accomplish what they want to do, SHOES, Italy, vineyards, Italian culture... I could go on and on! This is a MUST READ!

Book Club book #5 = Secrets to Happiness … I am about a quarter of the way through and really like it. It’s about a divorced author who is trying to figure out what the ‘secret to happiness’ is and how it relates to her life. So far so good …. More insight to follow!

That's enough for today!

Love, SML

Nashville Flood 2010

Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think that I would be witnessing Nashville and the surrounding areas flooding. I am sorry to say that I have friends and co-workers who has lost everything in this horrific event. Here are some photos from the flood in Franklin, TN.

Time's Flying...

Really. It is. It's going by so fast. I feel like it was yesterday that I was getting all excited that I was getting married, going on my bachelorette party and finalizing all the little details. I find it crazy that it's been a year almost. Now instead of making sure the invites are in or that the table numbers are done, I am thinking about getting my real estate license and what colors to paint areas of the house.

I am so excited to be celebrating my 1 year anniversary in New Orleans. I haven't ever been, so I am counting down the days. I cannot wait to see what Daniel's been talking about for the last 3 years we've been together.

I am hoping to get to do the following things:
Eat At Delmonico (one of Emeril's restaurants)
Hang in the French Quarter
Take the St. Charles’s Street Car
see Julia Street
shop on Magazine Street
go to the Aquarium
the Zoo
go out on Bourbon Street
see the St. Louis Cathedral

Daniel and I have decided to celebrate our anniversaries by going with the traditional gifts...This year the gift is paper. So, we've decided to write each other a one page letter. I guess our plane tickets would suffice for the "paper" gift but we wanted to do something in addition to the plane tickets. I think it's crazy how so many people do not know of the traditional gifts to give.... you can find those traditional gifts on: http://www.happy-anniversary.com/year-of-marriage/index.html.

Reading between the WINES and South Beach

Ok, I know - those two things really don't go together. Let me help you understand -aside from my job and hanging out with Daniel these are the two things that take up most of my free time... which I don't mind in the slightest.

First, Reading between the WINES is what I affectionately call the book club that Aubrie and I started in January. Why start a book club? Well, I am now an old married woman (haha, J/K) who happens to LOVE reading, but I haven't had anyone to talk about the books with. Thankfully neither had Aubrie (BTW, she's a/b to be an old married woman too: wink wink) so we put our heads together and came up with the idea of a book club. I know I know, the book club isn't an original idea, but we decided to get together a group of our friends who all love reading and have monthly meetings to discuss the book. We've currently read the following books:



This is the first book we read. It was good - a little less suspenseful than I would have liked, but overall it was a quick and entertaining read.



This was our second book and I can sadly say that this is the first book I never finished. I just couldn't get through it. I am not sure what it was, but it just didn't keep my interest. Part of it I felt like I couldn't relate to it as I am only newly married, have no kids and my husband isn't married to his job. BUT, never the less it just didn't keep my interest. I think I will try and pick it up again in a couple of years when I have a baby or two and can relate better.



This is the current book we are reading. I am about 12 pages in and I like it so far. The author does a little too much description for my taste (I like to have to use my imagination) but it does paint the picture for you. I will keep you updated on my final verdict once I am finished.

So, now on to South Beach Diet - that is...



Ever since I got married I've gained a little bit of weight. Yeah, girls I am telling the truth - once you hit 25 and/or you get married your metabolism changes and you gain a few pounds here and there. I am a self proclaimed CARBOHOLIC and CHOCOHALIC which really didn't help my situation. Because of all the trips Daniel and I are taking this year that require a bathing suit we both felt that we needed to not only change the way we eat but we needed to lose some LBS'. Now, not all diets are for everyone, but this is the diet for me - since starting it on Monday, April 12 I have lost 6 lbs - yes, you read that correctly - 6 lbs. Yes, it is difficult...you basically cut out all sugar, fruit, candy (unless its sugar-free), pasta, bread (you get the picture)- for the first two weeks. Then you start gradually adding back in your carbs and fruit. But once you get past the first couple of days you feel great and look great too!!!

For those of you who are interested, skeptical, just wanting to know - got to www.southbeachdiet.com to learn more.

Needless to say, this has been a total lifestyle change for me. It's helped me get over my constant cravings for sugar and carbs and learn that the over processed foods (i.e. white bread, cookies, cake, snickers bars) are not good for me. When this is all said and done you can still eat that piece of chocolate cake or have a couple glasses of wine, but you just know not to do it as frequently. It's all about being knowledgeable about what you are eating and showing some discipline when eating those "not so good" for you foods.

Well, enough rating/raving for today!

LOVE, SML

Offical First Entry

So, lets just admit it... I am new to this whole thing. I've always wanted to have a blog to just rant and rave over things that are going on in my life and so I finally bit the bullet and here I am! Please make no mistake, I am sure this will not be a daily thing, but I will try my best!

Life is going by so quickly - it seems like yesterday that Daniel and I got married.... I still am in awe that it's been 11 months so far. They have been awesome. We've really taken a liking to doing DIY projects to the house. Specifically, we've renovated our laundry room - which looks amazing (I wish I could show pictures, but I can't access facebook right now...). We also finally got one of our guest bedrooms complete. The next projects on the list are landscaping (my least favorite chore to help with), getting the future nursery room painted and getting our room/bathroom painted.

2010 has been a pretty exciting year to say the least & we have so much more to look forward to. May starts our fun weekend trips...

• Daniels sister, Lauren is graduating from University of Alabama on May 3 so we will be there to celebrate with her for the weekend.
• Our 1 year Anniversary is on May 30th and we will be spending the LONG weekend in New Orleans (I am so excited because I have never been).
• We will be going to "the Camp" for 4th of July weekend in Homer, AL with Daniel's family. I've never been so I am looking forward to it!
• Daniel and I each have a bachelor/ette party for Jeremy and Aubrie who will be getting married on August 14th!
• On August 16 we will be traveling to the BVI - Virgin Gorda and staying in a villa with my family called Aquamare (http://www.villaaquamare.com/html/index.php). We are so excited and it'll be a much needed long vacation for us!
• The last vacation for me before the holidays is with two of my best friends to Universal Studios to see the Harry Potter Theme Park (I am a fan of all of the books) and to Disney World.

Ok, well I think that's enough for today.... hopefully I will be able to get pictures up of the renovations!!

Love, SML