The Big Reveal.....

With all of the other things we had going on, Justin and I were also trying to complete our home renovation projects!  As I mentioned in a previous post,  we were planning on ripping out the carpet in our dining room and putting up a tile backsplash in the kitchen.  I am happy to report that all projects are now complete!  We are so pleased with the results, and we're thanking our stars, that we did not take on these projects ourselves!  Whew! 
And now, for some before and after shots..........

                                                      Dining Room Before


                                                      Dining Room After

Kitchen Before

 

 



                                                  Kitchen After

And there you have it!  I think we are done with BIG projects for a while!  I have a few smaller projects that I would like to accomplish before summers end, unless HGTV inspires me with something else!!! I know Justin would say, "NEXT"!

A Bittersweet Reunion

As some of you might know, my uncle Don passed away the day before Father's Day!  He was my mom's brother (twin brother at that).  He was such a great uncle and brother to my mom.  Eventhough we live in Arkansas, most of my extended family livesn in Illinois, but we always managed to stay so close to him!  He will be missed! 
Isn't is funny though, how such a sad occasion, can bring everyone together?  I have 12 first cousins on my mom's side!  Out of that 12, I am close to 4, that is a pretty sad percentage!  It's not that we don't get along or like each other, we are just so spread out!!!! I got to reunite with all but 1 of my cousins.  It was so nice to catch up with all of them and form a new relationship! We vowed to stay in touch better and get together once a year (hope we can stick to that)!  If anything, the passing of our uncle taught us is, to cherish your family while you have them!  Life is just too short!!!
While in the Chicago-land area, I also got to go to the city to see my BFF, Amanda and my other friend Monika!  We had originally planned a summer weekend trip to Chicago many months before my uncle's passing!  I was still able to make our weeeknd trip, but had to cut the weekend short by a day, since we were driving back home instead of flying!  It is always fun to spend time with Amanda!  Distance also seperates us, but when we get together, it is like there is no distance between us!  We stayed downtown at the swanky W hotel, it had awesome views of Lake Michigan!  Our short time there we packed in A LOT!  We ate (of course), went on a haunted city tour at 10pm (talk about freaky), drank some coffee at an outdoor cafe, shopped, and the best of all, went to the Taste of Chicago!  This is a food lovers dream!  We ate our way through that bad boy!!! If you ever want a fun summer get-a-way, plan a trip to Chicago!  It truly is one of the greatest cities! 
P.S.  I forgot my camera with all of the comotion of leaving in a hurry, so no cool Chicago pics!  I managed to get some with my phone, so when I figure out how to upload those, I'll post them!

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes...

Well, Justin and I decided that we would start blogging.. hence the title, "Go Forth & Blog!"  Not that our lives are extremely interesting, but I wanted a way to keep track of the certain excitements that our lives do occasionally bring! I entitled this entry ch...ch...ch...changes, because we have had some changes in our lives in the last year and we are undergoing some more changes! 

Change #1
We dated for 5 years (I know.. it was a L-O-N-G time) and on our 6th "dating" anniversary we got MARRIED!!! Married life is not all that different from our dating life, the only difference is that my name changed!  I am no longer called "pickle," now I get, "go-forth and multiply", "go-forth and prosper", and my vice principal likes to say "just go-forth Debbie."  I am so blessed by my wonderful husband!  He is a "precious peach," as I so lovingly say!  He truly is my best friend and partner in this thing called life! 

Change #2
Our second big change is tackling some home improvement projects!  We have decided to put down hardwood floors in our dining room (currently it is carpeted, who does that?) and after a trip to Lowe's, we are also putting in a tile backsplash in the kitchen.  I believe my love for HGTV and TLC has gotten the best of me, and I wanted to take on some of these projects in our own home.  The only problem is...... Justin nor I want to do them "ourselves."  We really considered the thought, but then visions of home improvements gone wrong flashed in our minds!  Both of us figured that we would spend more money and time fixing our mistakes, then just paying someone to do it for us in the first place!  We'll be sure to post some pictures of the finished projects soon! 

Change #3
We have been looking at some new houses for quite a long time....  This is a big change, because the thought of moving does not sound pleasant!  We found the home of our dreams twice, and both times were let down.  The first go around, we were about to make an offer, only to find out the very next day that some put in an offer that morning and it was accepted.  The second go around, we were outbid!  So, they always say the third time is the charm, right?  We are going to continue to keep looking, make some updates on our current house, and try to find a house or some land to build on!  This way in the future, we have a home we truly want and enjoy AND a place to begin a family!!! 

So, my first blog entry is complete!  I figured that blogging would be a fun and exciting challenge to take on this summer!  BTW, it is not as easy as I thought! :)