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 :)

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!

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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

Get to Know Me

A couple weeks ago, my blog friend Sam from Away She Went nominated me to do a fun "get to know me" post.  I love reading these types of posts because it's a great way to quickly know a little more about other bloggers.  I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better too :)

What's Your Favorite....

City...I do love Grand Rapids, MI.  Not only is the place I live, but I love that has a big city feel, but it's not a big city.  There is always so much to do, close enough to beaches, and it's Beer City USA :)

Book...Anything by James Patterson.  I love his Women's Murder Club Series.  His books are always such a fun, easy read.

Movie...A League of Their Own.  It's been my favorite forever!

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TV Show...My favorite show is 24, but it's not on anymore.  My current favorites are Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder

Perfume...I'm really not partial to certain perfume.  I like floral smells over fruity smells.

Nail Polish...I don't have one favorite nail polish either.  I like to change my colors with the seasons.  Right now, my nails are a pale pink for Spring.

Skincare Item....moisturizer.  I ALWAYS have to put moisturizer on my fave after I get out of the shower--it's a must.

Lipstick...I don't really wear lipstick.  Usually just a gloss with some color in it or chapstick.  I'm pretty simple when it comes to makeup.

Food....Mexican is my ultimate favorite.  I could eat it all day every day.  Especially chips and fresh salsa--my weakness for sure.

Dessert...Carrot cake.  Or anything mint chocolate.

Carrot Cake on my 21st Birthday

Place to Eat...Hmmm good question.  I do love BoneFish Grill for their Bang Bang Shrimp.

Alcoholic Drink...In the summer, I love drinking sangria outside on the patio.  I'm not a big fan of fruity/sweet drinks, but I do love margaritas.  When we go out, I usually just drink beer.

Non-Alcoholic Drink....I don't drink pop, so I usually drink water.  In the summer I love infused water and lemonade.

Actor/Actress....I've always loved Eva Mendes because I think she is absolutely beautiful.  I don't really have a favorite actor or actress though.

Singer/Band...*NSYNC has been my favorite since I was like 12 and Justin Timberlake has been favorite since them too!

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At My House...

Once again, Monday arrives way too soon.  We didn't do much this weekend and it was amazing.  Just caught up on the DVR, laundry, cleaning, and blog reading.  I hope this week flies by, because Saturday I am headed to Detroit to see Garth Brooks!!!

Since I don't have much to share from our weekend, I thought I would do this fun "At My House Survey" that Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers did.  I loved reading hers, so I thought some of you might enjoy reading mine.  Please feel free to do this on your blog too, and then let me know so I can read yours!

Household chore I actually enjoy:  Vacuuming.  I love how it makes everything seem so clean after I'm done...and it's a quick chore!  The chore I hate the most is cleaning the stove...HATE it.

Biggest house disaster:  It used to be our office, until I cleaned it up for Junk Free January.  So now it would probably be the "nook" in our upstairs.  It is holding all of our yard sale stuff for this summer, and there are a couple of bookshelves that I have just thrown things on over the past couple of years.  The space is serving no real purpose and needs a lot of work!

Before company arrives, I hide:  All the piles from the kitchen counters.  For some reason things just seem to pile up...mail, papers from work, receipts, etc. 

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Most recent music download:  Taylor Swift "Shake It Off."  I love running to this song!

The last thing I bought online:  Kevin and I just upgraded to the iPhone 6 (big upgrade going from our iPhone4 to the 6!) so we just bought phone cases and a new arm band for running for me, all from Amazon.

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I hate to shop for:  Groceries.  I try to go early in the mornings on Saturday or Sunday, and it's not as bad because there aren't as many people in the store and the lines aren't as long.

Favorite family ritual:  Going for walks after work with Kevin and Admiral....I really need Spring to get here so we can start doing this again!  Winter is so depressing when you can't go outside because of snow/ice/below 0 temps.

I sleep in:  Usually yoga pants/sweatpants and a t-shirt.  Sometimes shorts if it's warm.

I have a style crush on:  Emily from The Sweetest Thing blog.  She is gorgeous and I love all of her outfits!!

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I'm currently reading:  Gone Girl.  I just started it, and I don't know how it ends, so please don't tell me!

How did I ever live without:  Cuddles from Admiral.  He is the sweetest dog ever and LOVES to cuddle.

Hope you had a great weekend and enjoy your week!

How I Met My Husband

Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for Show and Tell Tuesdays.  Today's prompt is "tell us how you met your mate, got engaged, etc."  So today I'm sharing how Kevin and I met.  You can read about our engagement story HERE, but I don't think I ever really shared how we met and started dating.

I think it was the summer of 2007 (is it bad that we can't remember? haha).  Anyway, it was summer.  My friend Kristen invited me to play co-ed softball with her and her boyfriend (now her husband).  It sounded like fun, so I went out and played in a moonlight tournament.  I had fun and met some people that were on our team.  One happened to be Kevin.  Him and his brother were playing on the team.  They actually worked with Kristen's boyfriend at the time.

We played softball together and a big group of us hung out a lot that summer.  Kevin and I were the only single ones of the "group."  Funny how that worked out ;)  After hanging out for the summer, we officially started dating in September.  I loved the way he made me laugh and have fun.  I can be pretty serious at times, he made me let go and relax.  And he still does today, 8 years later (or 7 years...whatever it is).

Whenever people ask us how we met, we always say playing softball.  We still play together now that we are married.  It's nice being married to someone who enjoys the same things you do :)

Four Things About Me

I saw this post on P!nk Persistence and thought it would be fun to do on my blog too.  Some of you might be new readers so this is a good way to get to know a little more about me.  For others, it might be some fun new randomness you didn't know about me :)

Four names that people call me other than my real name:
1.  'Cka  (like the last half of my name -EriCKA)
2.   E
3.   Rikki
4.   Cubster

Four jobs I've had:
1. Babysitter
2. Secretary
3. Administrative Assistant
4. Executive Assistant

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1.  A League Of Their Own
2.  Ocean's Eleven
3.  Major League
4.  The Notebook

Four books I'd recommend:
1.  Lone Survivor
2.  The Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson
3.  50 Shades of Grey
4.  Jemima J

Four places I've lived:
I've lived in Michigan my entire life, so this isn't very exciting...
1.  My parents' house
2.  Apartment #1
3.  Apartment #2
4.  Our current house

Four Places I have visited:
1.  Atlantic City, NJ for our honeymoon
2.  Mackinac Island, MI
3.  New York City, NY
4.  Indianapolis, IN

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1.  The beach
2.  The beach
3.  The beach
4.  Did I mention I LOVE the beach?

Four things I don't eat:
I'm not a real picky eater, so there's not much I won't eat (within reason), but here are some things I could go without eating and be totally fine with it:
1.  Roast
2.  Brussel Sprouts
3.  Meatloaf
4.  Cooked carrots (I only like them raw or steamed)

Four of my favorite foods:
1.  Mexican - all of it
2.  My mom's homemade mac n cheese and sloppy joes
3.  Shrimp
4.  Pizza

Four TV shows I watch:
1.  Scandal
2.  How to Get Away With Murder
3.  American Idol
4.  Criminal Minds

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:
1.  Getting back in shape and running more races.
2.  Birthday Bash
3.  Having Fridays off in the summer
4.  Summer in general...everything about it!

Feel free to do this on your blog, and then let me know you did it so I can read it.  I love reading these and learning more about the bloggers I love!

My Pet Peeves

Pet peeves. We all have them.  I know I'm not perfect and I'm sure there are things I do that annoy the heck out of other people.  Here are some of my pet peeves:

- When people use the wrong form of a word (example: their, there, they're).

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- Story toppers.  One uppers.  Whatever you want to call them.  People who always have to top your story with something that happened to them.

- When people don't use their blinker when they are turning.

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- When the closet doors are left open in the bedroom.  I can't go to sleep if the closet doors are open.  It's weird, I know.

- When people post a vague status update on facebook.

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- Walking barefoot and things sticking to my feet when I'm inside (I expect it when I'm outside barefoot). I hate when dirt or anything sticks to the bottom of my feet when I'm in the house.  That's why 99% of the time I wear socks or slippers in my house.

What are some of your pet peeves?

Tour Through Blogland

I want to thank Sam from The Junk House for nominating me for the Tour Through Blogland.  I love reading Sam's posts about all of her DIY projects and home projects.  I love the way she updated her entry way and console table, and the stripes she painted in her office look amazing and have me wanting to paint stripes somewhere in my house too!  So thanks again Sam for nominating me.

This is basically a chance for bloggers to share more about themselves, their projects, and their blog.  It's a great way to meet other bloggers and find new blogs to read too!

1) What am I working on now?

I'm not really working on any particular project right now, but I am getting ready to decorate my house for fall.  I have plans to do a lot with my front porch, but I need to get started on it ASAP!  I'm picturing a couple of mums, pumpkins, lanterns...I can't wait to get it done!

2) How does my work differ from others in my genre?

I'm probably considered a lifestyle blogger, so the main way my work differs from others is that it's about me.  As far as my work goes, all of my projects are done at the smallest budget possible, so you won't see me buying many name brand items unless I get a super deal.  That goes for clothes, home decor, projects, etc.  I try to be frugal and do my projects on a "real world" budget.  When people spend $700+ on a rug, my jaw hits the floor because I can't imagine spending that much money on a rug, when I know I can find something else for a fraction of the price.

3) How does my creative process work?

To be honest, I don't consider myself a very creative person.  But I can see an idea on Pinterest and totally recreate it!  My favorite Pinterest project so far has been the wedding card box I made for our wedding.  I never saw one in stores that I loved, so I went to Pinterest for ideas and created one that I LOVED! 

See the DIY tutorial HERE.

One project where I really felt "creative" was when I stenciled our headboard wall.  I love the way it turned out and feel like it's a pretty unique feature in our bedroom.

Stenciled Wall Tutorial HERE.

4) Why do I write/create what I do?

Originally, I started this blog to document our wedding planning process and home buying/owning process.  I was able to keep friends and family that were out of town, up to date on everything that was happening in our busy lives.  I fell in love with blogging and decided to keep going after our wedding was over.  Now I'd love to move more toward DIY/home blogging, since those are the types of blog posts I love reading the most.  And I have SO many ideas for our house, so I'd love to be able to document and share that with anyone who might find inspiration from it.

Thanks for reading along on this Tour Through Blogland.  I nominate Taylor from Tattered to Taylored and Cait from Home Sweet Ruby to continue on with the Tour Through Blogland.  Make sure you go check out their blogs!

Liebster Award

I want to thank Melanie from Melanie Gets Married for nominating me for a Liebster Award!  I have been reading Melanie's blog for awhile now and you all have to go check it out!  I love her decorating style and she has done some amazing projects.  Her recent home office reveal has me drooling and wanting to make mine over ASAP.  Thanks again Melanie for nominating me!

If you are new here, this is a great way to get to know a little more about me.  I was nominated and completed this about 1.5 years ago (read it HERE), but I thought it'd be fun to do again.  And make sure you check out the blogs I've nominated below.

The Liebster Award is an award that is passed from blogger to blogger as a "keep it going" award.  It's for bloggers with under 200 followers and is meant to encourage bloggers to keep blogging!  All nominated bloggers answer the questions from the person who gave them the award, and then they get to nominate their favorite blogs (with under 200 followers) and ask them questions.

1) Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging when I was recently engaged and my fiance and I were in the process of buying our first house.  I wanted to keep friends and family (near and far) up to date with wedding and house stuff, and keep a journal for me to look back at.  I loved blogging and decided to keep it going after the house was bought and the wedding was done!

2) What is your favorite project that you have made since blogging, or what is your favorite blog post? Leave a link so we can check it out!

I think my favorite project that I've created was our wedding card box.  I couldn't find any that I loved, so I decided to make my own and I LOVED the way it turned out.  You can read all about it HERE.

3) What is your favorite room in your home?

Right now, my favorite "room" is our backyard/deck area.  I love spending time outside reading in the sun, playing with Admiral (our dog), or just hanging out.  But since that's not really a room, I'd guess I'd say our living room.  It's far from done or even being close to what I want it to be, but it's where we spend most of our time.

4) What is your favorite holiday? Why? Feel free to tell us about some of your traditions for that holiday.

My favorite holiday is Christmas.  I love everything about the holiday season...except maybe all the craziness and stress that comes with it haha.  I love decorating our house for winter/Christmas and spending lots of time with family.

5) If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Somewhere on a beach. Give a quiet sandy beach and I am one happy girl!  I swear I could sit on the beach and read/sleep all day every day!

6) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Still happily married to my husband, and probably one or two kids at that point.  I don't know if we will still be in the same house or not....that will be interesting to see.

7)  What is something you would like to learn to do really well?

I would LOVE to learn photography.  I don't need to be a pro, but I really want to be able to take some decent photos, not only for my blog, but just for life.  Especially when we have kids someday, I'd love to be able to capture some decent photos.  I think I need to get myself a DSLR camera first!

8) What are some of your favorite books you've read lately?

I JUST started reading Lone Survivor and although I'm not far in it yet, I know I'm going to like it.  I haven't seen the movie because I wanted to read the book first.

9) What is your favorite thing to spend money on?

I love buying things for our house, which is what I typically spend any extra income on.  However, my closet could really use an update, so right now I'd really love to go on a clothing shopping spree!  I've also really gotten into exercise and fitness, so I'd like to buy some fun new workout clothes too.

10) What are three of your favorite online shopping websites?

Amazon, GroopDealz, and Jane.  Getting the daily deal emails from GroopDealz and Jane is dangerous, but so much fun!

11) What inspires you?

Seeing people overcome challenges.  I have family/friends/acquaintances that I see overcoming things such as cancer, being blind, ALS, etc.  It makes me realize that my "problems" really aren't an issue and it inspires me to be a better person and work harder.  The fact that these people are doing things and living great lives means that I can too.

The blogs I nominate for the Liebster Award are:

The 26th of August

Blog With The Browns

Ending Beginnings

Just The Joy's

Here are my 11 questions for them:

1.  Why did you start blogging?

2.  Where did your blog name come from/what does it mean?

3.  What is one of your favorite blog posts or projects?

4.  What is your favorite movie?

5.  Do you have a favorite TV show/series that you love?

6.  If you never had to work again, and money wasn't an issue, what would you do all day?

7.  If you could pick one celebrity to hang out with for the day, who would it be and why?

8.  What is your favorite holiday or season?

9.  Do you have any pets?

10.  What are your pet peeves?

11.  What is something you are looking forward to in the next year?

ABCs of Me

Julie from Just the Joys posted this fun ABCs of me yesterday and I love it, so I decided to do one too!  Since I have new followers around here (hi there!), I thought it'd be a good way to get to know me a little better.

A - Age: 26
B - Birthday: July 16
C - Color: Purple (that's why I used it as our wedding colors)
D - Drink: I usually just drink water or Lipton's diet green tea with citrus, but alcohol wise I'm definitely a beer girl and Bud Light is my fav :)
E - Eyes: Hazel
F - Flashback:  Birthday Bash weekends past...I can't wait for this year's concerts in June!
G - Gent: My husband of almost nine months, Kevin.

photo by McKensie anne Photography

H - Hobby: Crocheting, reading, watching and playing sports, going for walks with my husband and dog, and watching movies.
I - Indulgence:  I love chocolate.  Especially mint chocolate.  Oh and peanut butter and chocolate together-YUM.  And dark chocolate, white chocolate...just give it all to me!!  Easter candy is my weakness.  Cadbury Creme Eggs are my fav...and Reese's eggs.
J - Job: I'm an Administrative Assistant at a school.
K - Kids: Some day.  We're not in a hurry.
L - Love: My family and friends, bonfires, and the beach.
M - Music: I love country music, but I also like clasics rock, pop, r&b...I'm not too picky.
N - Nickname:  Kevin calls me 'cka.  Apparently Ericka is too much to say haha.
O - One Wish: To win the lottery!  I know money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure would be fun :)
P - Pets: Our three-year-old Goldendoodle, Admiral.

photo by McKensie anne Photography

Q - Quote:  It's hard to pick just one, but this is one of my favorites: "God has perfect timing; never early, never late.  It takes a little patience and a lot of faith.  But it's always worth the wait."
R - Residence: We bought our first house about a 1.5 years ago in the Grand Rapids, MI area and we love it!
S - Siblings: I have one sister, Ashley. She is 2 years younger than me.

T - Temperature:  I LOVE warm weather...give me 80 degrees and sunny and I'm a happy girl!  This long, cold, Michigan winter is driving me nuts!
U - University: I went to Baker College, which is a small local school.  I got my Associates (Office Administration) and my Bachelor's (Business Administration-Management) there and I would go there again in heartbeat.
V - Vehicle:  I currently have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am, but fingers crossed, I'm hoping to get a new vehicle later this year!
W - Worst Habit: Probably picking my hang nails/dry skin around my fingers.
X - X Rays:  Just in my mouth (my teeth are horrible) and I had a chest x-ray once.
Y - Yuck:  Frogs and toads.  Hate them.  Don't know why, I just do.  They gross me out.
Z - Zodiac: Cancer

Blogging Q & A

Yesterday I was tagged by Mary Leigh at Thrift for Today in this fun blogging Q & A, so today I'm here answering the questions!  

Have I mentioned that I miss my long hair?

When did you first start blogging and why? 

I started blogging in August 2012.  I had a couple of reasons for starting a blog:

1.  Kevin and I were engaged and I wanted a way to keep my out of town family updated on everything, and a way to keep track of everything so I could look back on it some day.

2.  We were in the process of buying our first house, so I wanted to be able to share our adventures with owning a home, DIY projects, decorating, and everything else that comes along with it.

Have you had any past online presence?

 I had personal social media accounts, but that's it.

When did you become serious about your blog? 

Honestly, from the start I was pretty serious.  I blogged a lot about our wedding (you can check out most of the wedding posts here), and now that we've been married for almost seven months, I'm hoping to blog more about home projects, crafts, recipes, etc.

What was your first blog post? 

My first blog post was called "Here Goes Nothing..." on August 15, 2012 and it was about my reasons for starting my blog.  You can read it HERE.

What have been your biggest challenges blogging? 

Being consistent and delivering quality posts.  Ideally I'd like to post 3-4 days a week, but sometimes I might only get 1-2 posts out a week.  I love reading blogs with great content like cute craft or DIY projects, room makeovers, etc., but I'm struggling getting out the quality content that I love reading...but I'm working on it :)

What is the most rewarding thing about blogging? 

I've met some really great people through blogging.  I've realized that there are other people out there who are a lot like me and I love it!  I love the sweet comments I get from readers, and it just amazes me that other people are actually reading what I write...it's so awesome!

What is the most discouraging thing about blogging? 

Like in real life, I think there can be pressures in the blog world.  Whitney from I Wore Yoga Pants wrote a post about this just the other day and she explained it all perfectly (at least in my opinion she did).  I want to always "keep it real" on here, and not fall in to the pressure of thinking I have to have a perfect life, spotless house, endless wardrobe, etc.  The blogs I like the most are the ones I can relate to the most...the ones who are real.  It doesn't matter how many followers they have.

What is your lasting inspiration or motivation? 

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What is your blogging dirty little secret? 

Hmmmm I'm not sure about this...I don't really have one.

What is your current goal as a blogger? 

I just like sharing my real life experiences, projects, etc. and hoping that someone out there can relate.  So my goal is to just keep things "real" around here (as previously mentioned) and hope that you all enjoy reading it! 

Have you learned or become passionate about anything through blogging that caught you by surprise? 

I've definitely learned a lot through blogging...there are so many talented people in this world.  I read all kinds of blogs lifestyle, fashion, DIY, etc. and I love how creative everyone is in their own way.  I've definitely become a lot more passionate about DIY projects.  I see so many great things on other blogs, and it inspires to do things in our home and share them with everyone and hope they can get some ideas or inspiration from it

Now I tag Emily from Beauty and the Greek and Amanda from Happily Ever After!

I have the worst teeth. Ever.

After a routine visit to the dentist this week for a cleaning, I thought I would share my struggles with my teeth.  They are horrible.  Name a dental issue/procedure and I've probably had it.  Now, don't get me wrong, I know it could be worse.  I still have my teeth (well the majority of them-you'll understand soon).  

I've been going to the dentist/orthodontist/oral surgeon ever since I can remember.  So here's a little timeline (with photos-you're welcome) of  my dental adventures.  A lot of my close friends probably don't even know all of these things because I used to be embarrassed about some of them, but I'm not anymore, so I decided to share my story.  I know it's not the most interesting thing to read, but I'm glad I have it all documented.  And hey, maybe someone out there can relate!  Or you can just look at some of the embarrassing photos I included...

Birth-Age 8:  I had typical cavities/fillings.  Nothing crazy yet.

Age 9:   I had my first experience with the orthodontist.  I had some type of "appliance" installed on the roof of my mouth because they needed to correct my cross bite.  I had to go in about once a month for them to adjust it.  I think I probably wore it for 10-12 months.

Age 10-12:  Just more cavities and fillings.

Age 13:  Two things happened around this age.  I had an "expander" installed on the roof of my mouth to stretch my jaw because they didn't think I had enough room for all of my teeth.  I had to insert a key in the thing and turn it every night so it would stretch a little more.  This caused a GIANT gap in my front two teeth.  Lovely.  Just what I want right before I start high school.

Look at that gap...unreal.  I'm pretty sure I could fit a straw through there.  That is what the "expander" did to my teeth.

After all of my baby teeth fell out and my adult teeth came in, they realized that my top eye teeth never came in.  They were there, just never came in.  My orthodontist referred me to an oral surgeon.  The oral surgeon determined that I needed surgery to uncover the eye teeth that never came in.  They were able to uncover one enough so that a bracket could be attached to it when I got my braces and it could be pulled down using the braces.  However, the other one was not in a position to be "saved" so they removed it.  So I just didn't have an eye tooth on my left side anymore.  They said they would leave enough room with my braces to do an implant in the future.

Age 14-17:  I have braces on my top and bottom teeth.  For 3.5 years.  All through high school (suck).

Age 17:  I get a "flipper" for my eye tooth (basically a fake tooth attached to a retainer).

Age 21:  I get braces AGAIN.  I'm told there is not enough room to do an implant, so they have to put braces back on for 6-8 months to create the room.  16 months later the braces finally came off.

Yay for braces a second time - NOT.

Age 21:  I get all four wisdom teeth removed and have my implant done (while I'm still wearing the braces).  The new "tooth" can't be attached to the implant for several months until everything heals...so I continue wearing an awful fitting flipper.

You can kind of tell how swollen my cheeks are in this pic (I'm on the right).  This was a couple days after the wisdom teeth and implant surgery.

Age 22:  The braces finally come off and I get my new tooth!

Age 23-25:  I'm not exactly sure what age I had these done, but it was over these couple of years.

First:  You know that little piece of skin that connects your bottom lip to your bottom gum line?  Well mine was pulling on my gums, and causing my gum to recede on one of my front teeth.  So, I had that "clipped" and my lip stitched to my gum further down in my mouth so it wouldn't pull any more.  Then, I had a soft tissue graft done on the tooth where the gum had receded, which basically just gave me some gum line back on that tooth.

Second:  I had a crown done on one of my back teeth.  When I was young, my tooth was so bad, that my dentist literally put a filling around the entire tooth, and since it had been many years, the filling was cracking and my tooth was hurting, so a crown was done.  Well it doesn't end there.  The crown was fine, but my tooth still hurt, so I had to have a root canal done on it (which wasn't bad at all, actually).

Third:  One time when I went in for a cleaning, they said my gums were very bad, and I needed a deep gum cleaning.  And OMG was that awful.  Painful and uncomfortable the entire time.

Also over these years, I had all of my old silver fillings replaced with new, tooth colored ones; had the ridges on all of my teeth filed down, and I got a bite/night guard that I wear at night so that I don't clinch/grind my teeth while I'm sleeping.

Age 26 (today):  I go to the dentist for my cleaning on January 14, 2014 and I'm told that my gums aren't in the greatest shape.  Story of my life.  Literally.

It just gets old.  And expensive.  I'm very thankful that I have insurance, but trust me, insurance does not cover everything.  I don't know what to do anymore.  I go for my cleanings every year (always have), I brush twice a day, I got the Sonicare toothbrush that my dentist recommended, and I floss once a day.  I guess it's just my genetics.  That's what I'm going with.

Just one time, I'd like to go to the dentist and have them say everything looks good.  Just one time.  Is that too much to ask?

The Scariest Thing

Since Halloween is coming up in a couple of days, I thought I’d do a fun post I saw on Ashley’s blog (Cup of Ash Tea) the other day.  It’s kind of a “get to you know” survey, but with a scary twist for Halloween.

Scariest real life experience?

I'm not sure what my scariest real life experience would be.  I guess I should be thankful that I can't think of one!  

Scariest paranormal experience?

I've never really had a paranormal experience.  Although, one night a couple months ago, my husband woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me if I had turned our living room light on.  I of course said, no and he swore he turned it off before he came to bed.  The light that was on was our ceiling fan light, which has a remote we use to turn it on and off.  He thinks it was a ghost (he watches too many ghost shows on TV) and I think it was just a short in the electrical or something like that, but who knows!

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Have you ever known anyone convicted of a violent crime?

Unfortunately, yes.

Are you afraid of the dark?

Not really.  If I was alone in the dark woods then I probably would be afraid of the dark.  But I’m not afraid to be at home in the dark.

Does your hometown have any scary stories or legends?

Actually, yes!  My hometown has a lighthouse (White River Light Station) that has been known to be haunted.  It even made the list of the Top 15 Haunted Houses on Coastal Living’s site.  You can read about it here.

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What is your favorite Urban Legend?

I don't have a "favorite" because I don't really like Urban Legends, but a scary one I remember hearing was about the kid that would hang is hand over his bed at night and his dog would lick it before he went to sleep...and then one night it wasn't the dog licking his hand, it was a person.  Scary.  I don't like it, I don't know why I shared it, but it was the first thing that popped in my head!

What is your scariest nightmare?

I used to always have a nightmare that my sister and I were in the car at the gas station, and while my mom was pumping gas, someone stole us.  I used to have it all the time when I was younger for some reason.  I don't have it any more, but it used to scare me!

What is your scariest experience?  Is it real life, paranormal, a nightmare, etc?