Good times with good company...and probably a few bottles of wine!

So I am just so excited that I have to let everyone know that this weekend is Mel's bridal shower! Mel is a very dear, close friend of mine from Wilmington who I miss terribly(HG)! She is getting married this april and I will be doing a reading at her wedding (so honored and excited!!!) Josh is going to have a boys weekend with Joe (Mel's fiance) and I sure it will be filled with tri-bikes, guns, beer and turkeys (please refer to Mel and Joe's blog to learn what a "turkey" is)! I'm just thrilled to have a girls weekend! Can't wait!

I also get to see my good friend Lauren this weekend as well! Oh how I miss Wilmington some days! Lauren has been my turtle buddy, movie goer and all around shopping buddy for some time now and a weekend would not be complete without seeing her as well! I truly miss everyone down there and wish we all lived closer! There is a lot of fun that is being packed into this weekend! Just name a few things that must get done...Bridal Shower, Flaming Amy's, Valentines Day Movie, Shopping...and all around just good times with good company. It can't get better than that! Wilmington here I come!

Dear God, Please make it stop snowing! Oh yeah and Happy Valentines Day!

I just wanted to tell everyone Happy Valentines Day! Josh and I have a tradition when it comes to this holiday! The first Valentines Day that we were together Josh decided to surprise me by cooking me dinner! He got roses and made a three course meal at his house in Wilmington! I loved it! Now its our thing to pick out recipes and a bottle of wine and just enjoy each others company! Whats funny is that it is 5:30 in the afternoon and we still haven't picked out recipes yet! Its our style to fly by the seat of our pants every now and then! I'll let you know how it works out! I have attached one of my favorite photo's and Josh and I! This is from when we first started dating! I think it sums us up pretty well!

Oh yeah and we have had yet another weekend of snow! I think that this is a record for the Raleigh/Durham area...and hopefully a fluke! I want warmth...bathing suits...I want to sit on my porch with a glass of wine and Josh and not be freezing!

So I just wanted to give everyone a sneak peak of some of the pictures Josh has taken while in Switzerland! He says its been snowing there almost everyday! He actually got to go on a 12 mile run there today! I think thats awesome to say the least! So far Josh has gotten to see Italy, Germany and Switzerland! Pretty outstanding!

I can't wait for another insturment repair! Hopefully I can make an appearance and go explore with him! And he'll be home in 4 days!!! I can't wait! I have missed him a ton!!!

Buttons

SO I thought I would share my latest creations with you. To begin with I have a new found love for buttons. I have a huge bag of them that I just keep adding to whenever I can. One of my favorite things to do is go to this really cool vintage shop on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and sort through their buttons. They have an old red wagon just filled with them...all kinds and colors. It paradise for someone like me. I think Josh gets a kick out of it too...its like I'm on a treasure hunt trying to find the most unique buttons I can.

Now to go back to the beginning though I first started working with buttons last year. I made my mom a mothers day present last year and the idea was to use buttons to represent thr foliage of a tree. It was really cool in my opinion and from there I decided that I wanted to make another button tree for my house as well!

The other button project that I took on tonight was making button flowers as I call them. I saw something very similar to them on a trip this past summer and I fell in love with them. I hope you enjoy my latest creations! I had a good time today making them! I miss making art...its something that I wish I had more time for!

Its Snowing!!!

So the one time Josh goes out of town of course there has to be an extreme snow storm!!! We have about 5-6inches of snow on the ground and its still coming! Now let me give you some background information on me...I don't do cold. There is nothing joyous or happy about it being so cold that water freezes before it hits the ground! I have never lived anywhere where snow is a common phenomenon! But since I am one of those "glass half-ful" people I decided that I would go romp around outside and have some fun...that was until my fingers froze and I came back inside and sat by my fire place until I thawed back out!

Since this is my first snow experience here in Durham I figured that it was only right to build a snowman and use buttons for his eyes and nose...I think my favorite part of him are his stick arms though! He isn't very tall but for my first one here in Durham I didn't think he was half bad! Now Nina (our great dane)and I are camped out for the rest of the weekend. I can't really tell if she likes the snow or not...she just keeps running around trying to figure out why her feet keep sinking! My neighbors are all outside sledding on the ice slick that is now our street...I think I'm going to have to pass on that one because I like my bones to stay in one piece! I know, I know...I should probably go out and give it a try but I think I'll hold out till I go somewhere that does have a base layer of cement and asphalt! So I think the rest of the day will be filled with painting, riding my trainer, doing school work and reading books! I'll be sure to keep you posted though since I won't be going anywhere anytime soon!

Quite a busy start to the new year!

So far this year is starting off with many "firsts" to say the least! To just name a few I started my PhD this month at NC State University. I'll be getting a degree in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science...very long winded I know! I basically want to teach at a college level when I get done in some type of environmental science department. I think that one of the biggest crimes happening right now is when uninformed people try to inform other uninformed people on how to make an informed discussion. I want to help teach people...I want them to want to learn. Another first of this year is that Josh is going on an adventure to Switzerland! I am so jealous (I will be hanging out at home probably watching chick flicks and working out for 10 days on my own...let me know if you want to come visit)! I wish I could go with him! He is going to get to go to three places this trip and see some pretty amazing things! He leaves this Saturday!

The other big first of this year is that Josh's brother John just had successful heart surgery this past weekend! He had to have a valve replaced and everything went great! He got up and walked around some today! Although he has a long road of recovery ahead of him everything is looking good! We are so thankful that everything went so well this past weekend!

Gainseville, Florida

I just got back from my mini-vacay in Florida with the best! We sat around and watched movies and drank red wine for three days...life was good! Now its back to the real world...school starts tomorrow and I am a nervous wreck! Here goes nothing...all I have to say is after reading the syllabus for one of my classes Josh had to come up and tell me that I would survive and to keep breathing!