tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41254123062448481282024-03-06T04:12:33.401-05:00The Happenings of the Shaughnessy'sFinding Grace in the Little and Big ThingsShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-48625938003356273562014-01-02T14:05:00.002-05:002014-01-02T14:06:16.080-05:00Progress, not PerfectionI can't believe on October 11th, I set in motion a hard and slow trudge towards a big dream that I have...starting my own paperie/invitation business. Looking at blogs, how other people "did it", etc sometimes makes it look so simple, easy and quick. Here I am, two months later and I can wholeheartedly tell you indeed, it is not for the faint of heart. I am WAY not where I thought I'd be; in fact, I feel like I have made very little progress. I'll just be real, <b>it's hard</b>.<br />
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Being a perfectionist sometimes means that I tend to harp on the have not's, when I really should stop and look at all that I <i>have </i>accomplished. I have a tendency to want to overly perfect everything before I lay it up for the world to see. Progress is really the goal, not perfection, and I need to give myself some credit for taking steps, no matter how small they seem to me in the grand scheme of things. Here's some of the progress I've made</div>
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<li><b>Initial investments</b>. I took the plunge and invested in my biggest expense....a Macbook Pro. This computer has allowed me to do what I love faster and with better and clearer image quality. It really was the key to kicking my butt in gear and actually making things happen. I also got the latest and greatest Creative Suite (which is now in the cloud, so weird) on top of taking some classes to really refine and expand my skills. Seriously, this has helped loads.</li>
<li><b>My support system</b>. I have the best support system! My husband 100% believes in me and totally trusts the decisions I've been making.</li>
<li><b>Having a business building buddy</b>. I mentioned before, one of my dear friends, Alex, is starting her own event planning business. We have totally different product/service offerings but we have the same audience, struggles and big hopes for our futures. It's been an enormous blessing to walk alongside another creative to push each other, to counter any discouragement, and to celebrate the small victories. If you're planning a wedding in the Northern Virginia and surrounding area, seriously give this girl a shout.</li>
<li><b>And the biggest yay!</b>...I have a wedding client! This was another unexpected blessing that really forced me to figure things out quickly. I'm so pumped to see it come to life!</li>
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I'm so beyond excited for 2014. Here are some of the big things I still have to figure out:</div>
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<li><b>Find a local printer to partner with</b>. This is my biggest prayer right now, as I still have yet to find a local printer. If you know a reliable printer in the Northern Virginia area, I'd <i>love </i>to know who they are! </li>
<li><b>Refine my brand</b>. I've started a Pinterest inspiration board and I have a basic idea of what I'd like in my brand, my ideal client and my services/products, but I need to think it out and write it out. I have Lara Casey's Powersheets on the way, so I'm hoping that they'll force me to ask myself some tough and necessary questions and to create manageable goals.</li>
<li><b>Knock out the nitty gritty business side</b>. I don't think anybody will ever enjoy the administrative side of business, but I still need to wrap my head around taxes, licensing, contract/proposal language, etc. All of it makes me cringe. Basically, the yucky-but-necessary stuff. I'm beyond lucky to work at an accounting firm where I can ask specific tax questions and know I'm getting the right answer for my specific situation. It's better than Google!</li>
<li><b>Build a website.</b> This is a massive project and I've been going back and forth between WordPress and Squarespace. They both have their pros and cons. I feel like I'm leaning towards Squarespace? If anyone has had any experience with either one, I'd love to hear your feedback!</li>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-3234271048634192202013-10-11T11:27:00.001-04:002013-10-11T11:28:37.833-04:00Big Dreams and my B.H.A.G.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I'll just come out and say it...this is a scary post to write. Even now as I'm typing this out, I keep having to tell myself this isn't as silly as it sounds and to keep writing. I've never been the type to really dream <b>big</b>. Like big hairy audacious goal (B.H.A.G.), big. Sure I've had hopes and dreams but I'm always careful to make sure their attainable or my favorite word, safe. But when I really check myself, the <i>real </i>issue is that I'm afraid to fail and for other people to see me fail...which prevents me from trying or even think about trying. For the past few weeks I've honestly for the first time considered making a dream happen. It's been in the back of my mind for about a year and I've only really talked to Ryan about it.<br />
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A few weeks ago I was sitting with one of my sweet friends, Alex, while our husbands were out at a bachelor party. We talked about life, where we see ourselves in the next two to three years and our aspirations. And that's where she told me her big dream (which I won't spoil!) and I casually, quickly mentioned mine. We talked about how crazy they sounded, we made excuses and then called them out on each other, and then we started believing that we could make them happen. We were two self-doubters who finally believed that we could do it...we just needed someone to tell us we weren't crazy! I'm so thankful for that time and for that motivation.</div>
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I was inspired by brave women who wrote some of their goals out and blogged them. My wedding photog and sweet friend <a href="http://katelynjamesblog.com/our-dreams/" target="_blank">Katelyn</a> did just that and then another blog that I follow (another KJ bride), <a href="http://www.themollybuckley.com/2013/10/02/big-dreams-dreaming-big/" target="_blank">Molly</a> wrote out her dreams as well. One of my high school friends, <a href="http://dearsweetheartevents.com/welcome-its-launch-day/" target="_blank">Kat </a>even started her new event planning business a few short weeks ago and wrote about those same fears of failure. There is so much truth in the fact that verbalizing things makes you feel vulnerable. These women helped me see through their bravery to just put it all out there.</div>
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So the truth is, I <i>do </i>have a big dream, a big hairy audacious goal.</div>
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<b>I want to start my own business one day</b>. And not just any business, but a paperie business. I want to make invitations, prints, stationary--anything that has to do with paper. I know you might be thinking, paper is just paper, but it's totally not to me. I love finding the right combination of scripty handwritten font to go with a clean line san serif. I love gold foil techniques and beautiful textured paper. I'm obsessed with letterpress, calligraphy and clean lines. I love that a wedding invitation/save the date is the first thing your guests will see that will reflect that wedding theme you've worked so hard at creating. I love that invitations mark special points in people's lives--wedding days, baby showers, housewarmings, birthdays, etc. I love getting excited about a print that puts a finishing touch on making a house into a home. </div>
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There it is, friends! I still have lots of fears and it still could totally flop. I have no idea what I'd name it, I need to build out a website, I need to buy a new laptop as well as the fantastically expensive Adobe suite, I need to explore the legality side of starting a business and continue to brush up on the skill side of graphic design. All I've really done so far is start a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shanshaughnessy/dream-big/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> board of inspiration/branding ideas and started an Illustrator class. But the biggest reason for putting it all out there is to start transitioning a dream into a reality. I'm no <a href="http://www.emilyley.com/" target="_blank">Emily Ley</a> or <a href="http://lindsayletters.com/" target="_blank">Lindsay Letters</a> or <a href="http://smittenonpaper.com/" target="_blank">Smitten on Paper</a>, but that's okay...you gotta start somewhere and the biggest thing is to just <i>start</i>.</div>
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And a little printy print I made :)</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-23583568512812783372013-07-25T10:01:00.002-04:002013-07-25T10:01:45.534-04:00A Year in ReviewTwo weeks ago, Ryan and I celebrated our <b>FIRST </b>anniversary! We couldn't believe that it had already come and gone and kept saying how fast time flew by. We had a very memorable first year and accomplished way more than we had anticipated...namely buying our first home. Here is our year in review:<br />
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<li>Traveled to Italy, France, Spain for our <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2012/09/wedding-honeymoon-highlights.html" target="_blank">honeymoon </a>and made a few domestic trips to NYC, Boston and Charleston. We love to travel and it's one of our favorite things to do now that we're married!</li>
<li>Helped officially launch our church plant, <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2012/09/church-planting-window-watching.html" target="_blank">Harvest</a> in Fairfax. This has been by far one of the biggest blessings from last year. We've found the best community and church that continuously challenges us. We couldn't do life without them and are always so encouraged by their support</li>
<li>Bought our first <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2013/01/saying-hello-to-homeownership.html" target="_blank">home</a>. We were totally NOT expecting this one at all. We thought this was years away, especially given the area we live in, and seriously lucked out with the best house and buying process. </li>
<li>Had our first (and hopefully last) attempted <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-myth-of-safety.html" target="_blank">break-in</a> at above first home. This was one of those memorable, crazy and scary moments we'll never forget.</li>
<li>We both got new jobs. Ryan's in a rotational program and he switched to another component of DHS...the best part is that he now commutes within Virginia! I started at a smaller CPA firm closer to our new house and that gives me more flexibility and freedom.</li>
<li>Got a <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-furry-addition-to-shaughnessy.html" target="_blank">dog</a>. After going back and forth between what kind of dog and when we should get one, we finally pulled the trigger and got a miniature dachshund puppy, Piper, who has both exhausted us and given us so much joy.</li>
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Just looking back at this list lets me know just how blessed we truly are. We did a LOT and experienced a lot of change. I'm so grateful that I got to do all of those things above with my best friend and partner, Ryan. He has been the best husband and I'm constantly amazed at how the Lord built him specifically for me. He has been nothing short of selfless, servant-like and a God-fearing leader for our family.<br />
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I'm so excited for this weekend! My best friends and their husbands are coming into town and we'll be headed to the Nats game on Saturday. Ryan turns the big 2-5 this Sunday and he will be preaching at <a href="http://www.harvestfairfax.org/" target="_blank">Harvest</a>...on his birthday. Crazy man! He's been prepping for awhile now and his message is awesome. I'm so anxious to hear it "live". I'm already so proud.<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-89674490168920086742013-07-09T14:16:00.001-04:002013-07-12T12:17:56.841-04:00New (Furry) Addition to the Shaughnessy HouseholdIt all started when we bought a house--the puppy talks. I grew up in a family complemented by a dog for most of my life and Ryan always had cats. To say that I'm not a cat person is an understatement, so I always knew we'd get a dog eventually...it was just a matter of when and what kind of dog. Ryan was in the Dachshund camp and I was holding steady in the Labrador camp. Total opposites might I add. After our near break-in when we first moved into our house, the puppy conversation resurfaced in a more serious (and practical) light. We went back and forth between adopting and finding a breeder.We started looking into adopting at first, even went to adoption events and just couldn't find the right dog. I'm not sure if it's just the case in Northern Virginia, but adopting a dog is way more complicated than it's worth. There were lots of dogs that we did like, but they had such specific need criteria (i.e. bonded pairs, needs a fence, can't be home alone, etc.) that didn't work for us. Plus, after you paid your fee, there was an interview process and a home inspection to make sure all the "requirements" were met. We decided to go the breeder route in the end.<br />
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After dog-sitting one of our friend's miniature dachshund for a week, we decided that a dachshund was the best fit for us. We found a breeder with a 3 month old miniature short-haired female dachshund that melted our hearts. And just like that we found our family puppy! I'm convinced girl dog names are harder to come up with than boy names. Ryan started reading out names of authors from our bookshelf, we were that clueless what to name her. So whether you think it's cheesy or theologically awesome, we decided to name her Piper after John Piper. We're headed out to the boonies (on our 1st anniversary weekend I might add!) of Harrisonburg to bring her home this weekend.<br />
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Meet Piper:<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-75027720785396210502013-05-20T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-20T09:17:57.991-04:00House Progress UpdateSo I've been terrible with the blog updating lately! Once we moved into our new house, our weekends and free time have been filled with home improvement projects. We are just now winding down and I'm happy to say that it's beginning to truly feel like home. After our <a href="http://imforgivenandloved.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-myth-of-safety.html">bumpy first night in the house</a>, it's been extra important to turn our house into a safe, comfortable and homey place for us...probably more from my perspective. Ryan would be happy with a blow-up couch and a tv. But he knows who he married :)<br />
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Being a perfectionist, I've held back on wanting to post pictures of what the house looks like right now. I'll keep pushing it off until it's "officially" finished--i.e. things are on the wall, every piece is in it's place, all the gaps are filled, etc. But part of owning a home and making it your home is that decorating in particular, is a gradual process. I can't make it look just like my Pinterest inspiration overnight and I'm not on an HGTV show that has a turnaround time of 3 days. Nor do we have the finances to do it either! Here are some peeks at some of our rooms:<br />
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The living room, so far, is my favorite room. We spend the most time in here and we just got this big fluffy couch that we love. Ryan has "claimed" the chaise part of the couch already. Obviously, something is going to go on the wall behind the couch. I think I'm pretty set on doing a gallery wall...it's just a matter of collecting everything we're going to hang and then arranging it. My dad is building a mantle for the fireplace so we can hide the cords to the tv/cable and put our sound bar in a more practical place (right now it's sitting below our gas fireplace which won't work in the winter time).</div>
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The kitchen was completely redone by the previous owners (thank goodness). The massive island has already been great for entertaining. People just naturally stand around it eating whatever is out. Apparently I'm spoiled with a double oven, although I've never actually used both at the same time. Because I'm a terrible cooker/baker, it hasn't gotten it's best use. We'd love to replace the white and older appliances with stainless sometime down the road. The guest bedroom is probably our most colorful room so far. I'm trying to break my habit of being color shy! We're going to hang a big round mirror above the bed. We still need to find a dresser of some sort and some curtains, but the room has already been functioning as a guest bed.</div>
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Luckily, we bought a house that didn't need a lot of work. A lot of what we have changed/replaced were simple, quick fixes. For example, we replaced most of the outdated, ugly, gold and shiny doorknobs, light switch plates/outlets and a light fixture. A simple change, but with an obvious impact. I felt like we shaved off years from the house because of it. Granted, we still have work to do...our bathrooms are still the ugliest rooms in the house thanks to yellow linoleum flooring and contractor-style vanities. One of these days we'll get around to completely revamping.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT7C3r871Er6YOeJTFHo3BhyphenhyphenUxzgz5EeUKLDtERdbTTVqd66JIgiF-5dGtN1Yp8220LToDLq-WPPuqUfLsc1GrWTe7Nknju4ZNVr4MO0b1C9ilOaTjYkBiYVaCrFABGjefPkWee9Jy-U/s1600/Nov+Cruise+Itinerary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxT7C3r871Er6YOeJTFHo3BhyphenhyphenUxzgz5EeUKLDtERdbTTVqd66JIgiF-5dGtN1Yp8220LToDLq-WPPuqUfLsc1GrWTe7Nknju4ZNVr4MO0b1C9ilOaTjYkBiYVaCrFABGjefPkWee9Jy-U/s1600/Nov+Cruise+Itinerary.jpg" /></a>We also just booked our 1 year anniversary trip! We're deferring to celebrate in November, since we'll be in the OBX the week before our REAL anniversary, by going on another cruise-- this time in the Caribbean! We'll be leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico and "island hopping" in the Caribbean. We're so excited! As soon as we got married, we started saving for our next vacation. One of our favorite things to do together is to experience new countries and to travel. But when you're not making big money and have important things to pay for (um, like maybe a house?!), saving becomes even more important. We're so excited!<br />
<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-18665363478680326462013-04-03T13:09:00.000-04:002013-04-03T13:09:40.300-04:00The Myth of SafetyI've been waiting and waiting to post on our first few days in our new home because, truth be told, I'm still processing. On Thursday, March 28th we turned a page in our still newly-married Shaughnessy life and moved into our new home we had so patiently waited for and had been graciously given by the Lord. But that day will also forever be ingrained as a day that rocked us to the core when we awoke to someone aggressively attempting to break into our precious new home on our first night there.<br />
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I'll never forget the sound of our doorbell being rung repeatedly, the kicking and pounding on our front door, the echoes of our empty rooms and hallways and the sound of this terribly mistaken man demanding us to come out. I woke up to the doorbell in a panic and immediately shook Ryan awake who quickly called the police. I'll never forget the moment I thought he had broken in and was walking around downstairs and the utter feeling of helplessness as we literally had nothing to defend ourselves with. I was shaking and praying and hiding in a corner, desperately crying out for the Lord to save us. Finally after what felt like eternity, several police officers arrived and we could hear the hum of a helicopter above. They swept our house, inside and out, and concluded that he had gotten away.<br />
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Now, almost a week later, we're trying to figure out how to move forward...how to not live in fear, not think every sound our house makes is a replay of that night, reclaim our excitement and joy in our new house and yet not live in naivety. The honest to goodness truth is that nobody ever thinks that something like this will ever happen to you--until it does. We were so fortunate that this guy didn't break anything significant or expensive. Sure we have a significant dent in our door, we need to replace some window screens and a door knocker, but that's all minuscule in comparison to what could've been damaged or taken. But he did take a lot from us: our sense of peace and comfort in our new home.<br />
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If anything, the experience has caused me to think a LOT about where my security lies. In those quick moments of fear and defenselessness, we were at the will of whatever this man wanted to do. But even in those moments, we were still under the will of the Lord...and ultimately under his protection. We weren't even supposed to be staying there that night, but due to our electricity cutting out 2 days early at our condo, we packed suitcases and brought the bare minimum until we officially moved in on Saturday. For some reason, the Lord placed us there to experience it that night. His will is perfect. He has a reason for everything.<br />
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What has been the biggest help is reminding myself every second of the day the promises and the steadfast truths of our great Protector: He is with me, He is my God, He will strength and help me and He will uphold me (Isaiah 41:10). The truth is we don't know what tomorrow holds (Proverbs 27:1), safety is indeed a myth, and only the Lord truly is our Protector--not walls, not deadbolts, not guns or alarm systems. Even living in a neighborhood known to be extremely safe like we do can't protect us from the unknown. I'm still learning to rest in this reality in light of our safety being shaken. I'm still waiting for peace to fully sink in, to be able to fall asleep soundly and to feel "at home" in our new house. The Lord never said we wouldn't encounter fears, but rather that he <b>will </b>sustain those fears.<br />
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<i>Cast your burden on the Lord, </i></div>
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<i>and he <b>will </b>sustain you; </i></div>
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<i>he will never permit </i></div>
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<i>the righteous to be moved. - </i>Psalm 55:22</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-74349173265124768062013-03-28T09:38:00.001-04:002013-04-01T13:23:45.111-04:00Let the Moving Begin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8KppIMdEiaYsFHA7GpWOw_9Z7qwlo97U_dyeSm7f6Irz0Yb2d4CSdIGkUk-6Ls-utTGiaO5maHMP90gNWbQR7Qb8H-2p-0tYENXPHOBLKfUDgtsKRTCyxEHajeRqbyDQIAg6PdK30zU/s1600/packing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8KppIMdEiaYsFHA7GpWOw_9Z7qwlo97U_dyeSm7f6Irz0Yb2d4CSdIGkUk-6Ls-utTGiaO5maHMP90gNWbQR7Qb8H-2p-0tYENXPHOBLKfUDgtsKRTCyxEHajeRqbyDQIAg6PdK30zU/s1600/packing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8KppIMdEiaYsFHA7GpWOw_9Z7qwlo97U_dyeSm7f6Irz0Yb2d4CSdIGkUk-6Ls-utTGiaO5maHMP90gNWbQR7Qb8H-2p-0tYENXPHOBLKfUDgtsKRTCyxEHajeRqbyDQIAg6PdK30zU/s320/packing.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
So today, our moving process begins! We've been living in a chaotic disorganized condo for the past week and it's been driving me crazy. We've got boxes galore and I haven't bought a good load of groceries in 2 weeks so we've been having interesting dinners to try to have less food to transport to the new house. Which also translates into we haven't been eating very well hah! For example, last night we had perogies and chips and salsa for dinner. As if being a horrible cook wasn't bad enough, I've hit a new low.<br />
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For someone who likes order and everything in it's place, there's nothing like literally having <i>everything </i>out of it's place to stress you out! I can't even look at that picture for too long...and that was a few days ago, it's gotten much worse! For sure, the awkward kitchen appliances are the hardest to pack. Like how do you pack a heavy stand mixer? Or the unnecessarily large chip/dip tray? Or the Keurig? I've realized that I've inherited a quality of my father's. And that is being awesome at packing. It's like a giant puzzle/rubiks cube. Which is good because, Ryan is self-admittedly NOT good at packing. He's been filling holes with spackle and packing his books. Books he can handle ;) Gotta love his effort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9RrLL_ZfS_Nbks6Xvavj7Ew90OpRzWydBt0WEbZmvl16UElOKVmhs0bJGwdkngL7FGu1XpnnBsNweS-YJmxwtGVKkclmvKDdRvudkN8mM-5dcRpsQD_gJ4t2B_i1n9QlyzDPR2B6C5E/s1600/light.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9RrLL_ZfS_Nbks6Xvavj7Ew90OpRzWydBt0WEbZmvl16UElOKVmhs0bJGwdkngL7FGu1XpnnBsNweS-YJmxwtGVKkclmvKDdRvudkN8mM-5dcRpsQD_gJ4t2B_i1n9QlyzDPR2B6C5E/s320/light.JPG" width="240" /></a>My parents and brother are coming and up and are staying as our first house guests this weekend. We'll round out the weekend celebrating Easter with our Harvest family, surrendering our condo keys to our landlord and a big Shaughnessy-Hopper brunch at PJ Skidoos. Hopefully, we'll all still be sane at that point. It's definitely going to be a full weekend and without a doubt a joyful one too!<br />
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This weekend we took advantage of a furniture sale and bought ourselves a nice new sectional L-shaped couch...luckily it has to be ordered otherwise we would have <i>no </i>place to put it at the moment! Ryan has always wanted a couch with a chaise to prop his feet up. We also bought some gallons of paint and two ceiling lights to replace some ugly outdated ones. I have a feeling we'll be spending lots of time (and money) at our good friends Lowes and Home Depot. We're excited to get in there and finally roll our sleeves up!<br />
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Happy Easter everyone! <b>The tomb is empty!</b>Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-84473975953752035772013-03-19T12:20:00.001-04:002013-03-19T12:20:32.688-04:00It's Official! We are Homeowners!So guys, it's official, we own a house! Last Thursday, we signed lots of papers (I got LOTS of practice with my signature; still trips me up!), met the sellers and were handed the keys. I never in a million years thought we would own a home as early into our lifetime and marriage than now, let alone in the expensive and competitive area we currently live in. We are incredibly grateful and lucky to be homeowners at 23 and 24. I just also have to say how proud I am to be married to Ryan. He handled all of the details, made sure we were both well educated to make good decisions and let me pin things while he handled the nitty gritty details.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1ZhEqcN7Lx1UNGUajNe5QseV1il-lOytJwzs0tleE3IX4FMq0Oy5k9T9Y5oIUQH7XpuO-HHSVWS2vdERHREma0bJrlXaL4cDKntUB8rocHQ3zJa25v6peLh3Misra_p5Noouqvn6tto/s1600/closing+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1ZhEqcN7Lx1UNGUajNe5QseV1il-lOytJwzs0tleE3IX4FMq0Oy5k9T9Y5oIUQH7XpuO-HHSVWS2vdERHREma0bJrlXaL4cDKntUB8rocHQ3zJa25v6peLh3Misra_p5Noouqvn6tto/s400/closing+pic.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Can I just add how cute my husband looks??!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4THU36HR8sk_HhqqVXwM97DS6YX5kWQ6i0VQktzg9_jICs53ZJBuSkP6NTjstO4pwm3FTx7vSgHxhtNgRlzhZ2apRhu9yeJfMTT_eg597s2FMt7ao8AjU9i3g6HNz0QvXx328Ga8UrI/s1600/house+key.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4THU36HR8sk_HhqqVXwM97DS6YX5kWQ6i0VQktzg9_jICs53ZJBuSkP6NTjstO4pwm3FTx7vSgHxhtNgRlzhZ2apRhu9yeJfMTT_eg597s2FMt7ao8AjU9i3g6HNz0QvXx328Ga8UrI/s200/house+key.JPG" width="200" /></a>Now, we wait! And pack. We'll be moving in Easter weekend. I'm already finding with the little packing we've done that we have a lot of stuff. It all hides in the kitchen cabinets and drawers, people! We've had several sweet friends offer to help us move and are attempting to move sans moving truck. I have a feeling this will be the last time we do that. I'm anxious to get into the house, start painting and really making it ours. And you know, put my <a href="http://pinterest.com/shanshaughnessy/our-first-house/" target="_blank">Pinterest </a>board into action! The house doesn't need a ton of work, but there are some minor changes we'd like to make that I think will have big impact!</div>
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And while we're still talking about big news and change, just yesterday I put my two weeks in at my current job. For someone who doesn't like change, a lot of change is happening! The job that I almost took around this time last year held onto my name and passed it along to another smaller accounting firm who was looking for someone in marketing. They reached out to me on LinkedIn and over the past month, I've been talking and interviewing with the firm to see if it would be a good fit. After a lot of careful prayer and thought, I decided it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. The best perk is that my commute will essentially stay the same (instead of doubling). Oh and they're right down the road from a Potbelly. Just saying. I'm excited for the fresh start and what's ahead! I see many-a grilled chicken and cheddar with mushroom sandwiches in my future!</div>
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Thank you to all of the family and friends who were our prayer warriors, advice-givers and sometimes just a listening ear through the homebuying AND new job process! We feel so supported and loved and couldn't imagine going through life without the awesome support system we have. I can't say enough how blessed we truly feel and how moved we are to see the Lord orchestrating the big and small pieces in our lives.</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-49253272009534340142013-03-01T10:45:00.000-05:002013-03-01T10:45:22.963-05:00The Travel BugOne of our favorite things to do now that we're married is traveling to places we've never been to before, just the two of us. We haven't wasted any time doing some traveling here and there in the Fall and Winter. We've been to New York City, Charleston and Boston within the past three months. But I'm still feeling the travel bug! It's bad when you've just bought a house and don't have the budget for places like Europe or St. Lucia. Sigh.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doing what we do best: Eating</td></tr>
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I have to say, one of my favorites and most memorable trips so far was this year's Valentines Day. Ryan pulled the best Valentine's ever and booked a hotel in DC at the <a href="http://www.doylecollection.com/locations/washington_dc_hotels/the_dupont_circle_hotel.aspx" target="_blank">Dupont Circle Hotel</a> for the weekend. He's a keeper! Even though it's practically our backyard, we had so much fun really exploring the city we live <strike>in</strike> just outside of. As per usual, our whole itinerary revolved on where we were eating. It's proof you don't have to go very far to really "travel". We got to (finally) visit Eastern Market. I've heard so many of our friends rave about this place and now I know why! There are so many adorable vendors and eclectic things people are selling. Of course, now that we're gearing up to move, I'm always looking for fun things we can hang on the walls. We found the "Map Guy" and bought a map from the 1800s of the Amalfi Coast, one of our favorite spots from our honeymoon. I'm excited to hang it up! I already can't wait to go back during the Summer when there are even more vendors/fun things to see! If you ever come up and visit us, we will definitely be taking you to Eastern Market!<br />
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On a side-note/house update: We finally have an official move-in date! We'll be moving in at the end of March. So since today officially marks March 1st, we get to say we're moving in <i>THIS </i>month! We're so pumped!Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-67886155344642436922013-02-11T14:16:00.001-05:002013-02-11T14:17:20.135-05:00Virginia is for Lovers: DIY String ArtSometimes Pinterest seems like a sea of endless possibilities when it comes to DIY. When I was planning our wedding, I got severely overwhelmed by the amount of tiny details I could DIY. Sure, I loved the look and the level of personalization but the problem was, I didn't want to actually have to <i>do </i>it. It would have been too time consuming to actually make 21 table numbers in string art. Which is what I initially wanted to do for one of the many projects. I quickly scaled back a lot of things, and even completely nixing some of them. When Pinterest turns you into to a perfectionist-driven bridal breakdown mess, it's time to reevaluate what you're doing.<br />
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Now that wedding planning is behind me, I'm tackling some of the projects I didn't get to do on a smaller scale and all home decor-style. I think homemade and personal art always looks 10x better because it really defines <i>your </i>house. I always wanted one of those dark wood string art pictures of Virginia to hang since we met, fell in love and live in Virginia. Sure, I could've bought one off of Etsy for $35+. But really, this was so easy to do, and super therapeutic to make (not to mention did NOT cost $35 to make)! I used a combination of tutorials from different pins and decided there's no real wrong way to do it. </div>
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<b>Supplies: </b></div>
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-<b>8 x 10 wood canvas</b> (I got this one from Michaels), but really you could use any piece of wood lying around</div>
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-<b>1 package of 11/16" linoleum nails</b> (I did have to go Home Depot for these babies, it was worth it) You could use any nail that has a large enough head to keep the string from slipping and where the nail is short and stubby. I had about half of the nails left over.</div>
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-<b>Wood stain</b> (I used some leftover wedding stain)</div>
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-<b>2+ bundles of embroidery floss</b> in any color you like. It depends on how big your outline is, but I always ere on the side of having too much in case I underestimate.</div>
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After staining the wood canvas and letting it dry for a day, I was ready to start nailing. I Googled "outlines of Virginia", found one I liked, and printed it out. That simple. I contemplated for forever whether or not I should attempt to include the peninsulas. The nails would've been too close together and it would've looked like a mess so I decided to stick with the basic outline--aka skipping the peninsulas. I placed my outline right over top of my wood canvas and started nailing away. The tighter (closer together) you make your nails the more accurate the outline will be. This is especially important for complicated outline states (like Virginia). For states like Colorado, South Dakota, Utah, etc. I'm sure you could be a little more liberal with your spacing.<br />
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After lots of nailing, I ripped the paper outline off of the wood canvas. Then the fun part-- stringing the floss. I used the random method so that I could get the best coverage. You just simply need to knot the string to your first nail (you can cut the excess if it's too long). I went through about 1 and a half bundles of embroidery floss until it was completely covered.<br />
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And voila! I stuck a sawtooth hanger in the back so that we can eventually hang it in our new house! And now I'm wishing we lived in 5 other states so that I could create a collection. I just may do an Italy version to represent our honeymoon since we loved it so much. But that boot looks mighty intimidating!<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-16780106862249053152013-01-28T11:53:00.000-05:002013-01-28T12:00:44.541-05:00Confessions of a Non-CookerI would love to be one of <i>those </i>women. You know, the women who think baking is therapeutic, who can stray away from exact measurements and a recipe, who were taught by their grandmother and mother to cook from scratch. Yes, that was <i>not</i> me. Sometimes I feel like I missed something. Like I missed the "cooking" gene that is ingrained in many women and wives. I wondered if it would just magically sprout when I got married, but alas I still dread that question "<i>so what's for dinner?</i>".<br />
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Ryan and I will both admit that even before we got married, we ate out a lot. And unfortunately, if we're being honest here, that habit has carried on over into our marriage. So here we are 6 months into marriage, with a significant portion of our budget going towards food...more specifically restaurants and we're about to buy a house that has some serious money-saving implications. Something's gotta give.<br />
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Several factors have prevented me from being able to whip up meals like it's nothing:<br />
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<ul>
<li>It seriously stresses me out. Typically, after I get back from work the last thing I want to do is spend an hour slaving over a stove for a meal we won't be able to finish. </li>
<li>I had very little go-to recipes. I haven't been cooking long enough to have a good number of tried and true recipes.</li>
<li>My husband is the pickiest eater I know. Which makes narrowing down recipes even harder. So I may love mushrooms but choosing a meal that's got mushrooms even in the sauce isn't worth it because he won't eat it. </li>
<li>I never have everything I need on-hand. I usually go to the grocery store once a week but if I haven't thought ahead of time what I'm making, I likely won't have everything on-hand and I end up going back to the grocery store for 2-3 items.</li>
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So all that to say, I got desperate. I asked around to a couple of friends who have used meal planning services to get their recommendations and settled on one that I thought met our needs. So yes, I'm paying for a service to send me an email every week telling me what to cook. Granted, I change out almost every suggested meal due to my picky eater, it's still been a great motivator (so far) to actually plan a week's worth of meals. Six O'Clock Scramble explains recipes in beginner language and also gives you different ways to cook the recipes. We love slow cooking so for some of the recipes, we opt for the slow cooking option. It also tells you the things you can chop/cook/portion ahead of time. Now, I haven't been using this for that long at all, so I can't say that I've found my love for cooking. But for those who need the kick in the pants, meal planning is a great option. There's a Groupon for the Scramble too, which I definitely used! </div>
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So here's to a week of NO eating out! This is a big deal to us! And to honing in on my inner cook...I'm still not convinced it exists. Tonight, I'm slowcooking beef and broccoli teriyaki! </div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-54248550741649820342013-01-21T12:55:00.000-05:002013-01-24T15:20:56.762-05:00Saying Hello to HomeownershipSo we've (kind of) kept our house hunting on the downlow. Mostly because we weren't sure if we would come out with anything when we first started. It even took me a few weeks into the process to realize we were getting serious. We've been actively searching for a home for about 2 months now. It alllll started with a casual unintended peak at Trulia and finding what I thought was our dream home in our price range. We quickly found a realtor, applied and qualified for a loan and went to look at the house that weekend. We quickly came down from our cloud and realized through our realtor what a terrible decision it would've been to have bought that "flipped" house. There were visible cut corners and even externally we could tell they were hiding some major issues.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, we had opened the pandora's box that was house hunting. We quickly realized how un-fun the house hunting process was when you're limited to a lower budget for the area, increasing demand/competition and a shrinking inventory. The housing market in NOVA has quickly become a seller's market rather than a buyer's market. Houses get scooped up in days, we saw it time and time again. And we were having no luck finding a place that met all of our major needs.<br />
<br />
After again, coming out of my cloud, we realized we had to move our house search further outside of Fairfax. We had a few criteria must-haves while we were looking:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>It had to be close to our church</i>: We want our house to be used for ministry purposes and to be an option for hosting church functions, small groups, Christmas parties, etc at our house. Currently, our church has few options where more than 10 people can show up and not have parking issues. We want our home to be open and used for Kingdom work.</li>
<li><i>It had to be close to move-in ready</i>. Obviously, this eliminated a <u>lot</u> of the properties we saw that were closer in--like almost all of them. The comparison to what our money could buy closer in was simply not worth it once we saw what we could get 15 minutes (without traffic) out. Granted we'll have a slightly longer commute, but that was really the only con. </li>
<li><i>It had to be detached</i>. I personally was on the fence with this one...I would've moved into a townhouse if it meant we could be closer in and it didn't look like 1970s had thrown up all over it. But Ryan on the otherhand, would not settle for a townhouse or condo. He wanted a yard. I could've cared less about a yard. I think it's because deep down he sees a dog in our future. I eventually came around and besides, who really wants to share walls with people and have to constantly worry about your sound system having too much bass? Right, Ryan?? ;)</li>
</ul>
<div>
I was also picky about a lot of random things that I originally didn't think were a big deal. For example, I hated any house with those old rectangular 70s small windows, I automatically loved any room that had recessed lighting, I actually wanted a fireplace, and if the bathrooms were horrendous it was a no go. All of that to say that last Sunday, we randomly decided to attend an open house advertised on Zillow out in Centreville. We went and fell in love with it. It met every single one of our needs. So we went home, signed all the necessary documents and put in our offer on a house that had been on the market for 3 days. Ryan made me wait until we went through inspection before I could announce anything, but I can now say that on our 6 month anniversary our offer was accepted and we are officially <b>BUYING A HOUSE</b> and will be homeowners! We are thrilled and excited and we are praising the Lord for his sweet provision!<br />
<br />
So without further ado, say hello to the new Shaughnessy household:<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-16551568415860317672013-01-03T10:05:00.000-05:002013-01-03T13:03:58.665-05:00Christmas RecapIs it just me or did the past few weeks FLY by! It's always when you're off work, does the week just seem to go so much faster. We had a busy first married Christmas! It was the perfect balance of rest, family, adventure and busyness for us. I felt well rested and almost ready to go back to work (I mean who ever feels fully ready to go back to work?)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36x-sTHeMq3xqL8oDD-YOTdROwaxjDTACkegzvPK-Lob9mrWfT81atJfMUFRP13eDvftJOdZqLmtQF2oFq-UxtRcTOZS_YrNvQI5VhU6FYQDT7aH7ZnoVfRCyWfPIgrPeFJOu-EW1hj0/s1600/carriage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36x-sTHeMq3xqL8oDD-YOTdROwaxjDTACkegzvPK-Lob9mrWfT81atJfMUFRP13eDvftJOdZqLmtQF2oFq-UxtRcTOZS_YrNvQI5VhU6FYQDT7aH7ZnoVfRCyWfPIgrPeFJOu-EW1hj0/s200/carriage.JPG" width="200" /></a>We started off our week by heading to Charleston, SC for a mini weekend getaway at a place we've always wanted to explore. We left Saturday morning in the thick of Christmas traffic and after about 8.5 hours we finally made it! Now, I planned this trip as a Christmas present for Ryan. I booked the hotel. I figured out what we would do. I researched where we could eat. I booked the Inn at Middleton Place which was a sprawling southern plantation and not to mention totally out of my normal scope of hotels. I always say that I'm not an inn or B&B type person, but after reading some mixed reviews and looking at pictures I just decided to go for it. We got there late at night, got lost because the place was so big, checked in and set our bags down. As soon as Ryan opened the door I thought to myself, "Oh dear, what have I done." It was nothing like the pictures, but I decided to stick it out because Ryan loved it. Let's just say that after that one night and even into the morning there were so many things that I didn't like about this place that I couldn't imagine staying another night. So I did what I hate doing...I pulled my high maintenance card. The Inn was literally sucking my joy out of the trip. And this is how great Ryan is. He didn't care that he loved the place, or that this was as close to camping as I'll ever get, he just wanted to do whatever it took to make me happy. And that included checking into a tried-and-true Marriott.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ07WLReElOAzf8chaIP4KWM_1URlrHuicVkvNLUHwJLK5EFYcwKNFg9vTtpXGXWaXp2AxcVQ9IsBj8bkt2E-GIDUXHACikwqf5EYFa1h50l0OvQDg6wFnXjjU1Oj0cEhifclgmNILi4s/s1600/old+city+market.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ07WLReElOAzf8chaIP4KWM_1URlrHuicVkvNLUHwJLK5EFYcwKNFg9vTtpXGXWaXp2AxcVQ9IsBj8bkt2E-GIDUXHACikwqf5EYFa1h50l0OvQDg6wFnXjjU1Oj0cEhifclgmNILi4s/s200/old+city+market.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
We loved Charleston! It was everything we expected it to be--southern, classy yet still had a hometown feel. We just explored the city, ate at some amazing places, did a little shopping at some stores and the Old City Market and ended our day with a carriage tour of the old city. One day, we would still love to find ourselves there. We even made the mistake of pulling up our Zillow app and seeing how "cheap" the houses were. I'm in love with the double porch and ceiling fans! We drove by a couple that we'd scoop up in a heartbeat...if we were down there. Someday!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbssfhJ8ke1_9mEYK6eWjKo1zNT9C7EABm6Wd0OlLlftNL07BGe0SmiGT6oO0QNJI_l8b0oei4VwLZQqwvtz_hKvnWDowBvYqBHW2_aLm80lTx0hKU_n8IvbBy10nX9vMFef47BmtlpU/s1600/christmas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbssfhJ8ke1_9mEYK6eWjKo1zNT9C7EABm6Wd0OlLlftNL07BGe0SmiGT6oO0QNJI_l8b0oei4VwLZQqwvtz_hKvnWDowBvYqBHW2_aLm80lTx0hKU_n8IvbBy10nX9vMFef47BmtlpU/s200/christmas.JPG" width="200" /></a>We headed by to good 'ole Virginia and kicked off Christmas at my parent's house. We spent Christmas morning there, drove up to Northern VA and had Christmas at Ryan's parent's house, headed into DC for Christmas dinner at Carmines, went to see Ryan's brother and sister-in-law for Christmas dessert and THEN went home. It was the longest day ever, but we were so glad to see all our family all in one day. We didn't have a chance to do Christmas just the two of us until about 11:00 p.m. that night. Next year, that will be different! We put lots of miles on our poor CRV traveling all over the East Coast, but we loved it and it was memorable.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYTG9eTfnXxJqF1Mct1SSivu_dwD73IDhroBHCBZUY2Bn-gnEi5rgrXwCgn6cqINcbdr9-WA1Muz6KgVmwEZvA-JGUSv8fjEabTRI3m4hDPqAQgff67YWHsLocJ2Uy6pp-dFX2otK6Yg/s1600/mo+and+Shan+at+wedding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYTG9eTfnXxJqF1Mct1SSivu_dwD73IDhroBHCBZUY2Bn-gnEi5rgrXwCgn6cqINcbdr9-WA1Muz6KgVmwEZvA-JGUSv8fjEabTRI3m4hDPqAQgff67YWHsLocJ2Uy6pp-dFX2otK6Yg/s200/mo+and+Shan+at+wedding.JPG" width="200" /></a>We ended our break by watching Melissa and Joe get hitched. I had to give my first (and hopefully last) ever MOH speech, but I'm thankful I had to do it with Rachel. Now, I didn't really cry at my own wedding. I think so much was going on and I was so worried about the clouds opening up. We got to watch their first look and I bawled my eyes out. Didn't even see it coming. And when she was coming down the aisle? There went the tears again! It was such a joy to watch one of my best friends finally find <i>the </i>guy, her soulmate, her husband. It was a whirlwind of a day for sure, but I'm so glad they're finally married!!Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-88226478623292826562012-12-06T09:44:00.000-05:002012-12-06T15:13:55.267-05:00Peppermint-Chocolate Sugar CookiesEvery time there's a church event that involves bringing food, I've noticed that I try extra hard to bake/cook something new and from scratch. It's like I'm tricking people into thinking "Shannon knows how to cook". We're having our <a href="http://harvestfairfax.org/events/event/16/christmas-party/2012-12-06" target="_blank">Harvest Christmas party</a> tonight and due to my new last name, we fell under the dessert umbrella.<br />
<br />
Several months ago, I bought a Martha Stewart Living Groupon subscription which also got me a free subscription to Everyday Food (which sadly they're discontinuing!). I've already grabbed so many great recipes from this little digest! It's full of hints and baking tips that are actually helpful for a basic cooker/baker like me. So when I saw a Christmas cookie section this month, I knew I had to make one for our church party. I settled on the <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/951668/peppermint-chocolate-sugar-cookies" target="_blank">Peppermint-Chocolate Sugar Cookie</a>--mostly because how festive they looked and who doesn't like peppermint? Plus I got to use my trusty mixer!<br />
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<li class="ingredient first" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients</li>
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<ul class="content-multigroup-group-ingredient" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="ingredient first" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 tablespoon baking powder</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1/2 teaspoon fine salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2 cups granulated sugar</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1/4-1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 large egg</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (just a note, I didn't sift, I wasn't patient enough and it was fine!)</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">3-5 tablespoons heavy cream</span></li>
<li class="ingredient last" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">12 round peppermint candies, crushed, for decorating (I used more)</span></li>
<li class="ingredient last" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i>*Makes 2 dozen*</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Directions</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in egg, then flour mixture on low. Stir in chocolate chips.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place, 2 inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are lightly golden, about 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely.</span></div>
</li>
<li class="step last" style="border: 0px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.38em;">
<span style="color: #666666;">Stir together confectioners' sugar and enough cream to make a spreadable glaze (if you like a strong mint flavor, stir in up to 1/4 teaspoon extract). Spread a thin layer of glaze on top of each cookie and sprinkle with candies (I used my Martha chopper!). Let dry completely on racks.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">And here's what mine looked like:</span></span></div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-27724442806650484332012-11-09T11:53:00.001-05:002012-11-09T11:53:51.271-05:00Not to Brag or Anything......But I have the best husband. Even though we've only been married for about 4 months now, he's continued to impress me in new ways.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>He's not afraid to make dinner.</li>
<li>He'll never turn down a trip to the grocery store with me.</li>
<li>He'll join me on trips to HomeGoods and World Market...for the 3rd time in a week.</li>
<li>He cleans the shower, because it literally tires my arms out so quickly that I can't finish.</li>
<li>He cleans on his days off</li>
</ul>
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BUT there has been one obvious thing that I have noticed that he is the bomb.com at...<b>He loves inviting people to church.</b> Ryan has been intentional with almost everyone we know up here (known for awhile or just a little) and invited them to church on multiple occasions. Some we know are saved, some we know are not saved, but either way Ryan loves seeing people we love and care about come to the church we have grown to love and care about. Usually the woman in the relationship is inviting couples over for lunch, or hangout time; nope that's all Ryan! He's constantly reaching out to multiple people to check-in, stay in touch and invite them into community with us. And I just love that. So, I had to brag, and if you haven't been invited to <a href="http://www.harvestfairfax.org/" target="_blank">Harvest </a>yet...it's coming :) Love you boo!<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-77158492331014452722012-11-02T09:24:00.000-04:002012-11-02T09:24:57.842-04:00Gratefulness in Livin' SmallWe live in a slightly greater than 800 square foot condo. We only have one parking spot, we can only park 2 visitors at a time, we have only one bedroom and one bathroom and we live 4 stories up. Real transparency here, I sometimes get bummed out when I see other people's houses, heck apartments that are 4 times the size as our humble abode AND paying maybe half as much as we are for rent/mortgage. Sometimes these ungrateful words want to jump out of my mouth: <i>it's not fair</i>.<br />
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Ryan and I have always shared thoughts and dreams about moving South--you know, just somewhere outside of Virginia and well, anywhere below the Mason Dixon line. We would love to settle down in the Carolinas, or maybe even Georgia. I would love for our children to grow up with an adorable southern accent, live on sweet tea and sunshine, and then skooch them off to a college so that Ryan and I can feed off of their school spirit--Clemson anyone? We'd totally be those parents. But we aren't there yet, we might not ever get there. We've been talking about it more, but who knows the Lord might have something different for us!<br />
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Back to our itty bitty condo--for a LONG time, I was not a fan of living in Northern VA. The DC Metro area takes a LOT of getting used to. There is a laundry list of things I still don't like about this area--the price to live up here, the amount of time you lose commuting to and from places, the crowds, the traffic. But in living here, I'm finding that I'm incredibly grateful and blessed to be where I'm at in life, living in NOVA, livin' small. Sure we are living in a condo the size of most people's master bedroom, but we still manage to entertain, to set aside time to intentionally invest in friendships we have grown to love, to attempt to cook decent meals and to decorate our small space exactly how we want it.<br />
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For now, I'm grateful that we don't have to fill a huge space, because in all honesty I probably couldn't handle it right now! We are incredibly blessed to have a roof over our head, to be living 30 minutes from our Nation's capitol, to both have secure jobs, to live near a metro and to have the time to spend together in an area where time is so precious. I'm grateful for our small space because really, when you think about it, it's hardly a small blessing.Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-34468365567607854612012-10-19T13:41:00.001-04:002012-10-19T13:41:33.968-04:00To DIY or Not to DIY: FavorsFor some reason, our idea for favors came relatively early on in the wedding planning process and as soon as we figured it out we couldn't walk away from it! I'm a HUGE proponent of favors that make sense. If we didn't figure out a favor that made sense, and emulated us as a couple then we probably would've scrapped them all together. Here's the thing about favors (and here I go with lists again):<br />
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1) <i>They aren't absolutely essential</i>. Honestly, 50% of the time I go to weddings I will completely forget to take a favor, either on purpose or unintentionally. For something you're buying with the expectation that every one of your guests will take a favor, those statistics are not in your favor and that will also eat up cash monies!<br />
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2) <i>If you want people to take them, make them useful.</i> And here's where I'm gonna get opinionated...When I'm a wedding guest, I'm not going to take a plastic container of bubbles with curly ribbon on it, or a handful of almonds packed in a tulle, or a tiny picture frame with your faces in it and date. It may be cute and sentimental but it's clutter in my eyes. Your guests want something they can use and not clutter their house.<br />
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3) <i>Make it YOU! </i>Favors should say something about the two of you! If you're just having favors because it's "protocol" see number 1.<br />
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At first, (again I was super DIY advantageous in the beginning) I wanted to make homemade salsa and can them in cute mason jars. I can't cook super well, but I can make a mean Chili's-taste-alike salsa. Chili's was our go-to restaurant while we were dating so I thought it was perfect! And it would've been, except the logistics, time involved in preparation, transportation, etc started making my idea more complicated. Not to mention, it also didn't really go with my theme or the Italian food we were serving. So we scrapped the salsa and went back to the drawing board.<br />
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We went with cotton candy--something we both love, and let's face it everyone loves some cotton candy every once and awhile!<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Supplies</h3>
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150 1.0 oz Cotton Candy in Pink from <a href="http://www.flosszone.com/">Flosszone.com</a></div>
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Kraft Brown Stickers from <a href="http://www.staples.com/Avery-Easy-Peel-Print-to-the-Edge-Kraft-Brown-Round-Labels-22808/product-nr_323097">Staples</a></div>
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Umm and that's it!</div>
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Now if you go to the FlossZone website, it looks super sketchy. I originally wasn't going to use them just based off of their stuck in the 90's website with flashy background. However, there weren't many others that shipped out cotton candy in bulk in clear packages, so I was limited. You had your standard carnival type, but that was way too big for what we were using them for. I even emailed them some questions, and they got back to me quickly. I had these arrive a few weeks before the wedding. I splurged and bought the Kraft brown stickers instead of the standard white and designed the sticker to match our invitations/theme in Adobe. They were that easy. We ordered 150 (we had 160 guests) because knew not everyone would take one. Grandma would probably not like any cotton candy. And yes, I'm sure there are some other crazy people who don't like the goodness of cotton candy. We STILL had leftovers-- I would say we had about 25-30 leftover. </div>
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What we came up with was one of the easiest to prep, was SO us, matched our color palette, and it cost about $0.80 per person. Not to mention we ate a LOT of those leftovers :)</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-32021548736460205672012-10-10T10:41:00.000-04:002012-10-10T10:42:31.149-04:00To DIY or Not to DIY: CenterpiecesCenterpieces oh the great centerpieces. These guys were one of my favorite parts of our wedding! The thing about centerpieces is that you have to think of everything in multiples. In my case, I had 20 tables not including our sweetheart table. Costs AND your time can really stack up when you're making or buying things in quantities of 20! The centerpieces were the first major decor decision that I knew I had to make 1) because I would need to start gathering items early and 2) because it was my first budgetary priority in decor.<br />
<h4>
The Inspiration</h4>
For months, I combed through Pinterest, Etsy and countless wedding blogs. I knew I wanted flowers, but that's it. I also knew I fell madly and deeply in love with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68304563/rustic-barn-wood-planter-vase-wedding">these</a> wooden planters (below). Sadly, I knew I would not spend $20 per box.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqzr83ZKF7C44h6U10eWx_Vo6zdwUfHr9iIO7uybuzE4H7zNS-ox2eMJzUK5uknrNGsvdvzMXfIvZNFFGh_Ip0U2lNZWWeWuS3nXTv6R1LqQ3YZSJHi_F7WIzy-xxNW5xMGPM6RhyAOU/s1600/etsy+ex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqzr83ZKF7C44h6U10eWx_Vo6zdwUfHr9iIO7uybuzE4H7zNS-ox2eMJzUK5uknrNGsvdvzMXfIvZNFFGh_Ip0U2lNZWWeWuS3nXTv6R1LqQ3YZSJHi_F7WIzy-xxNW5xMGPM6RhyAOU/s200/etsy+ex.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
Then I remembered my resources. My dad. You see, my dad built my childhood home. Surely that means he can do anything. As it turns out making a square box wasn't so hard after all (who would've thought!). Now the wood, where could I get my hands on some barnwood? My mother, who was also a great resource, is an expert at finding things for free. She asked everyone under the sun if they had any barnwood. Turns out my dentist, who is also a good family friend I might add, had a barn. With wood. That was falling over. And gave us the wood for free! Thanks to my awesome dad, I had a handmade centerpiece on each table. It made it extra special that I had such a unique touch at the hands of my dad.<br />
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After I had figured out the main focal point of the tables, I started to think of the table as a whole. My mom made burlap overlay squares to break up the white table clothes, we collected grapevine balls, mercury glass tealights, pinecones, acorns/nuts, etc to fill out the table. I wanted everything to be natural, simple and not too overpowering. I also decided to DIY the table numbers. I kept it super simple and cheap by going all paper. We went with two different variations, here was the end result:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In action!</td></tr>
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The table numbers were relatively simple. I used:</div>
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Mini easels from <a href="http://www.joann.com/reeves-mini-easels-2-pkg-2-75-x4-75-/zprd_10085603a/">Joann's</a> (these were about 99 cents in store)</div>
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<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Minwax-Wood-Finish-1-qt-Special-Walnut/17300115">Stain </a>from Walmart</div>
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Kraft brown cardstock from Michaels</div>
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Assorted craft paper from Michaels</div>
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White photo corners from Michaels</div>
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Martha Stewart <a href="http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/product/Ball+Point+Glue+Pen.aspx">Glue Pen</a> from Michaels</div>
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Martha Stewart Fine <a href="http://shop.marthastewart.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Fine-Glitter-White/A/B002BTQT1M.htm">Glitter</a> in White Gold from Michaels</div>
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<i>Clearly, I kept Michaels in business.</i></div>
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For the flower illiterate (that I still am), our florist used: pink stock, yellow zinnia, white asclepia, yellow black eye susan, and september aster. My favorites were the fluffy light pink stock :) I was not about to DIY flower arranging. The stress of that far exceeded the "cost savings". It would have been far too time consuming to order wholesale from all over the country, pray that they don't die on the way, and then arrange them the day before/day of. No WAY! So glad I had an awesome and creative <a href="http://www.janeguerinflowers.com/">florist</a>.<br />
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Favors are up next!!<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-10818670015537676452012-10-01T16:08:00.000-04:002012-10-01T16:08:01.390-04:00To DIY or Not to DIY: Invitations<div>
I've had several people ask about this and that from our wedding, soooo I decided to blog about a couple of the DIY things we made and DIDN'T make.</div>
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Anyone who has a Pinterest account, is engaged or knows someone who is engaged knows the term DIY all too well. And to be honest, I thought I would DIY 10x more than I actually did for my wedding. A DIY wedding is actually more time consuming and sometimes more expensive. I quickly realized that I realistically didn't have the time to DIY everything I wanted to. But I still wanted to be creative and to DIY some. I assessed a couple things:</div>
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<li><b>My abilities</b>-- what could I handle on my own (realistically) and what did I have to leave up to a professional? For our wedding, I knew I could handle a lot of the paper/signage since I dabbled in a little graphic design. My graphic designer brother, <a href="http://www.jhopperdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Jeff </a>would say otherwise haha!</li>
<li><b>My time</b>-- how much time was this going to take away from other more important projects? i.e. should I spend more than 2 days on my "dream" Mr. and Mrs. chair signs for one picture? This came to a conclusive "no". </li>
<li><b>My resources</b>-- do I know someone who is really good at _______? For example, I knew my dad could build everything under the sun (he built my childhood home afterall), my mom could sew and I had some crafty friends who did have the time to focus on one specific thing.</li>
<li><b>My priorities</b>-- this guy is important. Is this something that you absolutely want to make a priority to try to do on your own? For me, my priority was to do the invites on our own. I wanted something totally unique and very "me". Who knows me better than me??</li>
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Invitations/ Save the Dates</h2>
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Let me say this. Doing your own invitations is a LOT of work and very time consuming. I now know why they pay people the big bucks to have someone do it for them. If you don't understand what resolution, dpi, bleeds, kerning and have your measurements exactly right, you could have a big costly mess on your hands in quantities of 150! I had to do a lot of learning in order to make sure that everything came out right the first time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidakIINyiulAoGgiAI_JqCMMLM2RiXI8H14aEAO3nu1fcn8HAUiJrDLPTxlgIY0S2KD9JRCmGSY8q-vqjWR9WS-VB56T6gwGyDASpdsC-Y7D1CPNSG1gbfBjluVM-mI0Lb-MrLAZcLjg/s1600/Ryan+and+Shannon-0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidakIINyiulAoGgiAI_JqCMMLM2RiXI8H14aEAO3nu1fcn8HAUiJrDLPTxlgIY0S2KD9JRCmGSY8q-vqjWR9WS-VB56T6gwGyDASpdsC-Y7D1CPNSG1gbfBjluVM-mI0Lb-MrLAZcLjg/s400/Ryan+and+Shannon-0031.jpg" width="400" /></a>The Save the Dates were sort of my first "trial run" of do I really know what I'm doing and can I handle the invitations. After we got our <a href="http://katelynjamesblog.com/washington-dc-engagement-shoot/" target="_blank">engagement pictures</a> taken in October, I went right to work on save the dates. The great thing about using your engagement pictures for the main focus of your save the dates is that it's a relatively simple paper good. Let the picture do the talking! Because I'm a marketing nerd, I really wanted the save the date to set the tone for what the wedding would look and feel like. I essentially branded our wedding. If you were a marketing major, you understand! The fonts and the "logo" I used were seen in many different aspects of the wedding. DIY-ing our save the dates was probably the cheapest thing I did. It only cost me about $25 bucks through<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://smartpress.com/offering/postcard-printing" style="text-align: center;">Smartpress</a>. </div>
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Invites were a lot more labor intensive and ultra detailed. For example, your invitation card has to be slightly smaller than your envelope. Talk about tedious. And of course, I was going to be picky about everything. We had a soft, rustic and simple theme and I wanted this to come out in the invites! I did go with a little splurge on the pocketfolds. The thing that I loved about Paper and More is that they detail out every measurement you need to know. This was SUPER helpful!<br />
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Supplies:</h3>
- Pocketfolds in Recycled Kraft Brown (A7 Himalaya) from Paper and More <a href="http://www.paperandmore.com/product/2999/brown-kraft-recycled-a7-himalaya-pocket-invitations">Here</a><br />
- Reply card envelopes (4 Bar size) from Paper and More <a href="http://www.paperandmore.com/product/1485/a1-brown-kraft-recycled-square-flap-envelopes">Here</a><br />
- Envelopes in Recycled Kraft Brown (A7 size) from Paper and More <a href="http://www.paperandmore.com/product/1484/a7-brown-kraft-recycled-square-flap-envelopes">Here</a><br />
- Twine in "Blossom" from The Twinery <a href="http://thetwinery.com/">Here</a><br />
- Large tag punch and scalloped edge punch from Michaels<br />
- Custom stamp via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/modernartstamps">Etsy</a><br />
- Invitation, reply card, info card all from Smartpress<br />
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Here's how they turned out.<br />
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If you ask me, those would cost upwards of $600 if I had gone through a stationer. It probably cost me around $300, which wasn't really saving money in my books. I totally could've done invites way cheaper, BUT I loved them to death and they were a big priority for me. </div>
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Stay tuned for centerpieces!</div>
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<i>**All the lovely pictures are from my fabulous photographer, <a href="http://www.katelynjames.com/">Katelyn James</a>**</i></div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-83780906475986583382012-09-28T15:30:00.002-04:002012-09-28T15:30:56.271-04:00So We Bought a Car...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYDWuj_5AKm3nAvUbWtK53QL9a28xxsP7EXFw7RHEISQW8mJukUZ5-vnfQop6WgLO9bbJnRn8pwzIC4ekoHNiR8keSERhUTYzevP5si67Jjt20TsE-JmVhPwpBYNGIopwiv64XI9gwus/s1600/oldcar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYDWuj_5AKm3nAvUbWtK53QL9a28xxsP7EXFw7RHEISQW8mJukUZ5-vnfQop6WgLO9bbJnRn8pwzIC4ekoHNiR8keSERhUTYzevP5si67Jjt20TsE-JmVhPwpBYNGIopwiv64XI9gwus/s200/oldcar.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet little 2002 Cavalier</td></tr>
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I have been saving money ever since I got money for birthdays and Christmases. Ryan and I are both the type of people that once it's in savings, it stays there for a VERY long time...until it gets used for something big! I was lucky (and blessed) to be essentially given cars ever since I've been driving. Granted, the first car I drove was a taupe Plymouth Voyager van, I was lucky to NOT have to pay for it. After my grandparents passed away, they willed me their tiny Chevy Cavalier. I was so thankful for that car...it meant I no longer had to drive a minivan! It was also free! The Lord provided for me in the car department, even though they were not the most glamorous, nor did they have any "fancy" features. 108k miles later and after saving for forever, I finally looked at my savings account and made a mighty fine sales pitch to Ryan that a new car was in our near future.<br />
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For two introverts like Ryan and I, car buying is essentially the equivalent to getting all of your teeth pulled. Some people, namely my mother, love to wheel and deal and to make demands for this and that. We on the other hand, are terrible at it and dread it like the plague. I hated knowing that it was going to be a war as soon as you stepped foot onto the dealership. A war where knew we had a significant disadvantage and the wrong personality for.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the awkward stance, but I was excited!</td></tr>
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It wasn't a pretty process. We got let down a few times, we felt disrespected sometimes, we felt completely taken advantage of sometimes, and we even got ugly with each other. Hello first major marital dispute! Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed with joy that we don't have to do this for years. After about 3 weeks of looking, we knew exactly what we wanted, how much we were willing to pay for it, and who we didn't want to buy it from. When they say that it becomes a game of emotions, it's really true. We didn't want to buy it from one dealership strictly because we didn't want to give commission to the manager on our deal.<br />
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Last night, we drove all the way out to a Pohanka Honda dealership in Fredericksburg and were in and out in 2 hours and drove our brand new 2012 CRV home! We loved the quick experience we had, they cleaned/detailed the car before we even got there, and we felt really good about the people that earned our commission. Praise Jesus for power windows and cruise control...oh and a sunroof ;)<br />
<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-21279343466833255882012-09-24T12:36:00.000-04:002012-09-24T12:36:37.240-04:00Church Planting & Window WatchingIf you've kept up with Ryan and I over the past couple months, you probably know that we are a part of a church plant called <a href="http://www.harvestfairfax.org/" target="_blank">Harvest Bible Chapel</a>. For several months in the early spring, we had been wrestling with some things with our previous church and eventually decided the best thing to do was to leave and start the church hunting process. Again. It was a hard decision for us, since we had made several great connections with some people and staff there. After Googling what seemed like every church in a 30 mile radius of Fairfax and visiting a couple, we came up empty handed. What? There are LOTS of churches in Northern Virginia, and we couldn't find just one to plug into? We were frustrated and confused. We did know that Jesus calls us to be a part of the local church. So, we kept going.<br />
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The long-story-short version is that we found our church home in a church that didn't even exist yet. Through Twitter. Thank you social media. We've now been a part of a small team of a handful of families to help build up Harvest in Fairfax that just launched in the beginning of September. It has been a blessing to be a part of, but boy has it been a lot of work. I have a new respect for just how much work it takes to run a Sunday service. And right now, we're a bare bones version compared to some other local churches that have countless ministries that go on every Sunday. I also feel terrible for being a "bystander" for so many years. The truth is, I never really got plugged into a church until I graduated college. Sure I went, but I never served. I was strictly there to get fed and to evaluate how they did this and that. I was not a part of a local church, I was the window watcher and because of that, I missed out on <i>really </i>being a part of the church. So much of my mindset towards church was what was the church going to do and offer <i>me</i>, when it really should have been the other way around.<br />
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After jumping into facets of ministry I said to myself that I could never do, having to step out of my comfort zone and putting my "needs" and wants aside, I've found church planting to be both immensely rewarding and simultaneously exhausting. Sure we're the only couple without kids, we're the youngest and least experienced in life and we're in a completely different phase of life than most, but it's in those things that the Lord has chosen to use us and bless us beyond those differences. I've actually really enjoyed being around lots of kids, learning from those who are older and more established, and most of all serving under the same purpose.<br />
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The truth about church planting is that bottom-line it's not easy. There might be personality difference, you'll almost definitely do things that will stretch you, and Sunday will be a much longer commitment than your hour to an hour and a half service. My pastor, Dan always quotes <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:%2018&version=ESV" target="_blank">Matthew 16:18</a> where Jesus says, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus <i>will</i> build his church regardless of bystanders and window watchers, like I was. But there is a greater joy that we can freely partake in by being a part of the building and serving of His church. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to use my gifts for a purpose greater and bigger than me and that the Lord changed my heart, the heart of a bystander.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JCId-0CSkKnq9fIiEupOFqJYQ9935Zije7u3Sz9ErWdmlA8yo-WdfdPmpabCbF0Vxvjq8kfm7WODnpKulijCe5Za-fIFIq_ronpZywueT-5KvhCkZ2mTrLB7p2fD4nxaSvHR4RpjkNY/s1600/launch+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JCId-0CSkKnq9fIiEupOFqJYQ9935Zije7u3Sz9ErWdmlA8yo-WdfdPmpabCbF0Vxvjq8kfm7WODnpKulijCe5Za-fIFIq_ronpZywueT-5KvhCkZ2mTrLB7p2fD4nxaSvHR4RpjkNY/s400/launch+team.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From our first launch team meeting!</td></tr>
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<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-42385368881241214302012-09-21T09:58:00.000-04:002012-09-21T09:58:06.992-04:00Homemade Queso Blanco Dip: The Best Stuff on Earth<div style="text-align: center;">
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Whenever we have friends come over for dinner, I always feel the need to fool them that "oh I cook like this all the time!" Just kidding, I totally don't own up to that. I do get motivated to really cook food and to start from scratch. Last night we had some friends coming over and we had some tasty tacos complete with homemade queso blanco sauce. I've always wanted to make this from scratch since the canned stuff is pretty sub par. My heart gets weak for anything with queso sauce. It always means that whatever it's slathered on, is bound to taste 10x better. We also got to use our sweet little server that they got us for our wedding! Gifts in action!</div>
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There are lots of different ways you can cook this stuff. I saw lots of recipes where you do it on the stove and some were microwaved. I've had them both ways, but I was short on time and decided to go the quick and easy microwave way. Honestly, I think it tastes the same whether you microwave or use the stove. Stovetop recipes will have you standing in front of the pot constantly stirring so the cheese doesn't burn. When you're cooking things at the same time, this make it extra hard. I would've burned it for sure! I finally found this <a href="http://penniesonaplatter.com/2011/11/30/queso-blanco-dip-the-second-and-final-attempt/" target="_blank">recipe </a>that I pinned on Pinterest and followed it exactly other than cutting the recipe in half. Here's the full recipe. You'll definitely have leftovers! Here it is:</div>
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1.25 lb of White American Cheese (I also used Land O'Lakes and it was delish!) cut into cubes</div>
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<i>You can find this at the deli counter, I had the lady slice it so all I had to do was rip it into little pieces instead of cutting</i></div>
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1/4 cup of diced green chiles (these come in a cute little tiny can)</div>
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2 pickled jalapenos, chopped</div>
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<i>This is what's giving it some kick! The more you put in, the spicier it gets.</i></div>
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1 ounce of pickled jalapeno juice</div>
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<i>This measurement stressed me out, I just poured some juice from the can of pickled jalapenos (above).</i></div>
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2/3 cup of whole milk</div>
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<i>We only had 2%, and I wasn't about to buy milk that we wouldn't drink otherwise. Use whatever milk you have on hand.</i></div>
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1/2 a cup of cold water</div>
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A pinch of cumin (optional)</div>
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<i>We threw this in. Also, this measurement stressed me out.</i></div>
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1. Throw all the ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. I used a medium sized measuring cup which worked really well since it does bubble up quite a bit and I could pour it out easier.</div>
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2. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping every minute (or so) to stir. You'll notice it's really watery at first, but it firms up once it's out of the microwave and fulled mixed.</div>
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3. Serve and enjoy! We poured it all over everything...our tacos, our chips. Only the best way to eat it!</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-42968897759899178532012-09-17T15:38:00.000-04:002012-09-17T15:38:22.369-04:00Easy Oatmeal Apple Crisp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pinterest is seriously my best friend for finding new and easy recipes. Fall graced itself with either an early arrival or a preview of the awesome cool weather we'll be getting soon! Because of the weather, I was feeling inspired to make something fallish for our last <a href="http://www.harvestfairfax.org/" target="_blank">Harvest</a> Launch team meeting a few weeks ago, but I wanted it to be fresh, not from the freezer. I also wanted it to be EASY! I pinned this <a href="http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/easy-oatmeal-apple-crisp-recipe/" target="_blank">gem</a> while I was on just about every wedding blog known to man trying to plan my own wedding. Here's the recipe:</div>
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6 medium apples, pared and sliced (I used gala but I heard Honeycrisps from Whole Foods are super sweet and good!)</div>
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1/2 cup all purpose flour</div>
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3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon</div>
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1/3 cup softened butter or margarine</div>
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3/4 cup brown sugar</div>
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1/2 cup of oatmeal flakes</div>
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3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg</div>
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</div>
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Grease baking dish (I used a 9 x 13) with additional butter.</div>
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Cut your apples. I went ahead and cut mine twice so they were more bitesized.</div>
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Cut your flour into the softened butter until well mixed. Then add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. </div>
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Sprinkle yummy goodness topping over your apples. <i>I will say that I found that I needed more topping since it didn't cover the apples. I just took the remainder of the butter and added in a little bit of everything (oatmeal, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, brown sugar, etc.)</i></div>
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Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbling.</div>
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I've already made this recipe twice, and it's been a hit! Serving warm with vanilla ice cream is a MUST!</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-31360723823472601732012-09-14T14:40:00.000-04:002012-09-18T09:56:16.962-04:00Wedding & Honeymoon Highlights<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, Ryan and I have officially reached our 2 month mark of marriage! It has flown by and yet at the same time we both feel like we've been married for WAY longer. We love not having to say goodbye to each other at night, watching an episode or two of Big Bang Theory (our latest obsession) before we go to bed, making dinner together and having "our" place to share. </div>
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I completely neglected to blog about our wedding/ honeymoon! So, here's my quick attempt at recapping two of the most memorable events in our life thus far:</div>
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The wedding was simply 100x better than I could've imagined. I had several awesome and creative helpers who made the reception look amazing, vendors who were phenomenal at what they do, and the best wedding guests a girl could ask for. We loved having family all together, literally seeing everyone off their feet and dancing, and just had such a blast celebrating with each other and so many others. It will forever be a day that I treasure and look back on as such a blessing. Jesus even held back the nasty storm looming during the ceremony by about 20 minutes. We got really lucky! </div>
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Now, I know that most girls get very caught up in the whole wedding planning process and the actual wedding day itself. BUT I was super pumped about the honeymoon! It's like the icing on the cake after the wedding! Ryan and I love traveling so we couldn't wait to cross the pond and see so many awesome places.</div>
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We flew into Rome after a long overnight flight. It was 10 a.m. there but our bodies felt like it was 3 a.m. We both didn't get much sleep on the way over, maybe about an hour. I confess I spent many of those hours I could've been sleeping, reading Hunger Games instead. All we wanted to do was sleep! But, like every other hotel, you can't check in until after 2. We only had that day to check out Rome before we left on our cruise so after finally getting into our room, showering, taking a 30 minute nap and running after the shuttle like crazy tourists, we made it to heart of Rome. We saw as much as we could--the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, and may other ruins that were just hanging out in the middle of the city. We definitely want to go back to see more since we felt like we missed a lot. </div>
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I must say, after being hesitant to go on a cruise for our honeymoon, it was such an awesome way to see some pretty awesome places in Europe. We quickly found out which places we liked and want to come back and visit longer (everywhere in Italy) and some places we would never have to visit again (France). The Norwegian Epic was an intense boat packed with countless enterainment and food options. There was never a shortage of things to do. We can't wait for the next cruise we go on...now we have to go on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise, right Ryan?? ;)</div>
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Here were some highlights:</div>
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-We got lost in the airport for a good 45 minutes trying to find the hotel when we arrived. </div>
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-Fanta from abroad tastes 10x better than it does in the States. It's not as sweet.</div>
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-We almost got picked to be on the boat's Newlywed Game. I was mortified.</div>
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-I learned how bad Ryan's snoring really was :)</div>
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-Florence had the best food and was the cutest town we went to. Unfortunately, we were so directionally challenged that we couldn't find Michaelangelo's David sculpture even though we were one street down</div>
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-We walked Barcelona by ourselves and probably covered at least 8 miles of ground trying to see Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia and Las Ramblas</div>
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-We met at least 8 other couples that were on their honeymoon. They were easy to spot :)</div>
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-France.....was not our favorite. The people were rude, the food wasn't great and if you don't know French you're not worth their time of day. They did have good shopping however!</div>
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-We learned that we liked edamame after being shown how to eat it by 2 Japanese ladies who didn't speak a lick of english. They looked at me like I was crazy for not knowing and kept asking where I was from. </div>
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-I finally got to enjoy a nice glass of sangria and tortilla espanola in Barcelona...I always knew I'd come back just to eat it!</div>
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-We bought lots of beautiful ceramic goodies in Amalfi and then they plumetted to the ground in peices from the bus. It was terrible luck and we were so bummed.</div>
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Okay this is getting long, but long story short we are enjoying each other and married life! As scary as it is to jump into a huge life-long commitment, I couldn't ask for a better partner to be walking through life with. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/47137094" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/47137094">Ryan + Shannon // Wedding Highlights</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/joshgooden">Josh Gooden</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04823886238666987517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125412306244848128.post-63344078695530698422012-07-14T07:57:00.000-04:002012-09-18T09:56:35.985-04:00Today's the Big Day...Ryan,<br />
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Today's the day! The day two of us as individuals will join together as ONE team. I am humbled and thankful that the Lord has brought us to this moment in his perfect timing. There are lots of fun things that I love about you:<br />
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-That we both get excited about every season of the Bachelor/Bachelorette (#teamjef!)<br />
-That we both can ALWAYS find room for Sweet Frog<br />
-That we both love to eat food, very selective food I might add!<br />
-That we both love to give and serve others<br />
-That you love pedicures, not ashamed!<br />
-That you can't grow a beard<br />
-That you would rather wash the dishes by hand<br />
-That you have a love for highschoolers that I will never understand<br />
-The way you laugh<br />
-The way you fold your t-shirts and sweaters<br />
-The way you smell (when you're clean!)<br />
-The way you hug<br />
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It's in those small things that my love for you spills over the criteria of the typical "perfect man". There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord gave you these qualities, these quirks, these strengths to be ready to team up with me. I can't wait to see you today, to celebrate with you, to commit to you and to officially be "Team Shaughnessy". I can't wait to experience the adventure of life we're about to embark on, for the people we'll encounter and the places we'll go and see but most of all, to do it together. I love you! <br />
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AH WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!<br />
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-Your BrideUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0