Tuesday, December 8, 2015

House & Life Updates

Well, I did it again. I unintentionally took another blogging break! We had a great Thanksgiving filled with family, food, and football--just the way I like it. Kevin's cousin got married Thanksgiving weekend, and he was in the wedding, so we were busy with all things wedding that weekend.  We also had a wedding the following weekend, so we've been keeping busy, that's for sure!



Not only have our work and social lives been busy, but we've also done a big thing with our house...we had a new roof put on!  We had a big wind storm about a month ago that caused some minor chimney damage.  We had a few people come out to look at the chimney, and they all commented on the condition of our roof.  In the back of our minds, we knew the roof would have to be replaced soon, but we were hoping we could put it off longer!  I could think of a million things I would have rather spent that nice chunk of change on, but I am also thankful that we were able to get it taken care of before winter hits Michigan.


So that's what I've been up to lately, instead of blogging. But I'm really ready to make a serious come back in the blogging world. I'm thinking of changing my blog name to something more specific to me.  Along with that, I'd like to get a new blog design.  If you have anyone you'd recommend for a blog design, let me know!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying this holiday season. Thanks for sticking around!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

All About Fall & Me

I saw this fun little fall survey on p!nk persistence and I thought I'd join in and do it too!

Favorite Fall Drink: That's hard...I love anything pumpkin, so PSLs are always good. I also love apple cider, especially when it's warmed up.  And if you add a little fireball to some hot apple cider--yum!

Favorite Fall Candle: I pretty much love all fall scents and I always have candles burning in the fall, so I can't pick just one. Give me all of them!


Favorite Thanksgiving Food: I'm not a big turkey fan. I love all the sides. Green bean casserole is one of my favorites!

Favorite Type of Pie: Apple pie for sure.

Football Games or Jumping In Leaves: Football is my favorite sport, so I love watching football during the fall!


Favorite Fall Attire: Boots and scarves--I could wear those every single day.

Favorite Fall Television Show: We watch so many shows in the fall. Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder are two of my favorites. We started watching a couple new ones that we really like too: Blindspot and Quantico.

Combat Boots or Uggs: Actually, I'd rather wear riding boots. All day, every day.

Is PSL Worth the Hype: I'm not sure that they are worth the hype, but I do love them!

What is Fall Weather Like Where You Live: It's cold. It was 28 degrees when I woke up this morning and supposed to get up to 50. Maybe. The leaves fall (and we spend every night cleaning them up). And the days are short...dark by 6:00 pm and getting shorter every day.  Summer is my favorite and I'm not a fan of winter, so when fall comes, I know that winter follows and I'm not happy about that!


What Do You Think About Black Friday: I'm one of those people that goes out shopping on Black Friday, but I don't wait in line and go crazy...I love finding deals, but not worth fighting all the crazy people for them in line.

Fall Mornings or Evenings: Fall mornings on the weekends. It gets dark too soon in the fall, so I love mornings when the sun is shining :)

Sunday, November 1, 2015

5 Things

I posted over a week ago and said I was back...and then nothing. Oops! I'm working on getting back in the blogging groove, so today I'm sharing 5 things that I've been up to since you last heard from me. Get ready for picture overload!

ONE. Running.  I've done a few races since the last time I posted.  I've been getting better and finally made my goal of running a 5k in under 30 minutes!

Alger Heights 5k

Grand Rapids Marathon Relay

The Great Pumpkin Run (5k)

TWO. Halloween.  I dressed up this year for the first time in probably 10 years!  Kevin and I went to a Halloween party at our friend's house last weekend and we dressed up as Clark Kent and Wonder Woman.  We stayed home and passed out candy on Halloween night.





The photo on the left is of my mom in the early 80s, and me on the right, this year.  I wore her Wonder Woman costume from about 30 years ago!  It was so fun to be able to do that :)

THREE.  Yard work.  Now that fall is here it seems like every night is spent cleaning up leaves...the joys of being a homeowner!  But I do have fun decorating the front porch for fall :)






FOUR.  Softball.  We played a lot of softball this summer and fall.  And we won our league and tournament on our fall team!





FIVE.  Girls weekend.  I spent a weekend in Traverse City with some of my girlfriends.  We had so much fun wine tasting, eating, and laughing!














What have you been up to?  What have I missed in the blogging world?

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Remember Me?

I'm the girl that used to blog here at This Crazy Thing Called Life...and then I unintentionally took a 1.5 months off.  Life just got BUSY.  What have I been up to since you last heard from me? SO much! Working two jobs, playing lots of softball, spending time with family and friends, running, and trying to keep my house clean at the same time. You can see more of what I've been up to on my Instagram (ErickaMarie87).

Now that life is starting to slow down a little, I plan to come back to this blog of mine because I miss it!  I miss all of you.  I miss reading your blogs and seeing what you are up to.  I'm hoping to start by posting 1-2 times a week and then work back to 3-4 times a week.  I need to work on balancing work, fun, and blog time.

I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I'm still here and I'm back :)

Oh and guess what happened this morning as I was getting ready to head to work?  Admiral got sprayed by a skunk!  SO GROSS!  So I'm spending my day trying to get the smell out of him, me, and our house.  Fun stuff around here.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Labor Day Weekend Recap

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!  We spent Saturday playing softball in a tournament in Mt. Pleasant.  Sunday was spent doing yard work, grocery shopping, doing some laundry, cleaning, and making food for Monday...Monday was spent at a cookout with Kevin's side of the family.  Overall, a great weekend!  And now I'm looking forward to a 4-day work week :)

All of the girls at the cook out on Labor Day.
How was your weekend?

Thursday, September 3, 2015

A to Z Survey

I saw this fun A to Z survey a while ago on Peanut Butter Fingers and I thought it'd be fun to do, since I have new followers (hi there!), and even if you've been reading for a while, I think these surveys are always fun to read :)  If you decide to do this, let me know so I can read yours!

A – Age: 28

B – Biggest Fear: Frogs/toads...I'm terrified of them.  I have no legitimate reason to be afraid of them, but my mom didn't like them, so I think I grew up with it in my head that I shouldn't like them either.  I'm totally ok with bugs, spiders, etc.  But no frogs or toads.  YUCK!


C – Current Time: 7:45 pm

D – Drink You Had Last: Lemonade


E – Easiest Person To Talk To: Kevin


F – Favorite Song:  I always find myself saying "I love this song!"  But my favorite song is probably "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks.



G – Grossest Memory: Kevin throwing up in my car on his 21st birthday.  Then again on his 23rd birthday.  So gross!

H – Hometown: I grew up in Whitehall, MI...born and raised!  I've now lived in Grand Rapids, MI for five years and love it!  I do miss being close to the beach (Lake Michigan), but it's only about a 45 minute drive to get there.


I – In Love With: Kevin...and of course Admiral :)


J – Jealous Of:  Creative people...who can pull an outfit together without even thinking about it, or design/decorate a room with no effort.  I try so hard and just can't get it right haha


K – Kindest Person You Know: My mom


L – Longest Relationship: Kevin...we've been together for about nine years now!  Married for two.


M – Middle Name:  Marie


N – Number of Siblings: One sister


O – One Wish: That all of my family and friends live happy, healthy lives 


P – Person You Spoke To On The Phone Last: My mom, on my way home from work


Q – Question You’re Always Asked: "What kind of dog is that?" whenever I'm walking Admiral or when we go to the dog park...

R – Reason To Smile: Summer decided to last another week or two...after cool, fall-like temps last week, we have been back in the 80s this week!  Definitely not ready for summer to be over.


S – Song You Last Sang: "Wrecking Ball" by Eric Church.  It was on the radio on my way in to work this morning.

T – Time You Woke Up: 6:45 am


U – Underwear Color: Pink


V – Vacation Destination: I'd love to go to Bora Bora some day...but any place with a beach is fine by me!


source
W – Worst Habit: Picking my hang nails/dry skin on my fingers.  Can't stop.


X – X-Rays You’ve Had:  Not many.  Lots of X-Rays from the dentist (I have horrible teeth), a chest x-ray once, and one time on my foot.


Y – Your Favorite Food: My mom's sloppy joes and homemade mac n cheese.  I also love pizza, lasagna, spaghetti...basically, just give me all of the carbs!


Z – Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Monday, August 31, 2015

Weekend Recap: Fantasy Football, Hard Cider Run, Class Reunion, & More!

I had a busy, but fun-filled weekend so let's get to it...

FRIDAY:  Kevin and I headed to Muskegon Friday night for our fantasy football drive.  We try to do an "in person" draft when possible, because it's just more fun that way.  We had lots of yummy food to snack on while we all made our picks.





SATURDAY:  My sister and I headed to Grand Rapids Saturday morning for the Hard Cider Run.  Unfortunately, it rained most of the night and continued all morning, so it turned in to more of a mud run, but we still had fun!  The rain stopped by the end of the run, so we were able to enjoy some cider outside after we finished running.





I dropped my sister off after the run, and then I headed to my mother-in-law's to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday.  Then it was time to get ready for my 10 year high school reunion!  Kevin and I met up with some friends for dinner before the reunion, and then we headed out.  There wasn't a huge turn out, but it was fun!  It nice seeing people I hadn't seen in a while and chatting with everyone for a few hours.






SUNDAY:  Sunday was a lazy day.  I caught up on laundary, and that is about the extent of the work I did on Sunday.  Kevin and I took Admiral for a walk and I enjoyed an afternoon nap, magazine reading, and blog reading.  It was much needed after a busy week and weekend.  And now it's time to tackle another week--bring it on Monday!

Bella And The City