Cheers to Three Years!

This year for our anniversary we decided to take an adventure.. the only hard part was deciding where to go!  Obviously since I get (most of) the Summer off of teaching, it was easy to make a weeklong trip fit into my agenda.. Steven, on the other hand, had to take several vacation days from work. We chose to spend three days in Chicago and three days in New York, leaving our sweet baby furry dog children in the hands of friends and a dog sitter. 

While in Chicago, we had a blast catching up with old friends and touring (once again) the Windy City. 

We also made sure to stop in for some good eats at The Publican, The Purple Pig, EATALY, Exchequer, and at the Art Institute cafe.  On our last night in Chicago, we went to the famous Wrigley Field to check out a Cubs/Reds baseball game!  

I confess that I was so tired after walking around Chicago that the thought of walking around NYC was  utterly exhausting!  This was my first trip to NYC (I know, I know) so I was quite overwhelmed at first with all of our options to some how fit into our three days in the Big Apple. This was not Steven's first trip though, so he was a rockstar with knowing the Subway systems and the layout of Manhattan!  Since we were in New York on our actual anniversary, we decided to spend the afternoon in Central Park and dined at the fabulous Loeb Boathouse.  We played and toured the city with old friends and took in as much as possible before heading home to our pups!  Steven and I have had a blast the last three years and look forward to many more.. especially if we keep celebrating with these anniversary adventures!

Two Years!

How insane that it has been a YEAR since my last post... that's shocking, and quite misleading too.  Misleading in that silence over the last year could suggest little activity and lack of news to share.. but au contraire!

So much has happened and life is great!  We are now living in our new house (blog entry coming soon) in Brentwood, just outside of Nashville. We have rescued a new little pup, named Rebel, and our pack just keeps growing. Steven and I love adventures and try to take little trips as often as we can, our most recent was a relaxing couple of days on the beach down in Florida.  Between his work, my work, the three dogs, the occasional concert or musical, and getting situated in our new house, life is moving right along.  In fact, we recently celebrated our two year anniversary with a night out and about in Nashville!

Almost A Year!

Since I had the day off from art lessons yesterday, I had some free time to be crafty :) Here is a little something I made for Steven in honor of our approaching one year anniversary!

Summer is Here

It's a hot hot Summer here in Nashville but we are attempting to make the best of these days.  How wonderful that we have lived here for almost a year!  Please forgive the inconsistent updates, but we have been quite busy around these parts since Spring.  Steven is fulfilling his internship requirements this Summer at a private equity firm here in Nashville, while I am teaching private art lessons and preparing for a new school year of teaching.
Check out my art education blog (not to be confused with my personal art and photography blog)!

The dogs are both well, aside from a recent paw surgery for our little Mae.  We have signed another year lease at our apartment complex, so this gives us time to relax before making any future decisions upon Steven's graduation in May 2013.

We love having guests, and on that note, Steven's mom and grandmother came to stay with us last weekend.  It was a nice weekend but we found that there was just not enough time to do everything we had hoped on our list.. this city just has too much to offer for only a weekend stay!  We did take advantage of great restaurants, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art, scenic drives, and below is a photo taken from our Sunday walking tour of the lovely downtown Franklin!

Spring in the Music City

Welcome Spring!

Here we are to update you on our latest news from Nashville. Steven has just started a new quarter at Owen and on January 4th I started a great new art teaching job with an elementary school in Brentwood! I have been working on an art blog too, feel free to check it out HERE.

This March marked 4 years that Steven and I have known one another. I am so thankful for that wonderful trip down to Sandestin and for our friends who unknowingly assisted in our fateful meeting! To mark this momentous occasion we will be taking a trip to Destin next month during my Spring Break.. soft sands, favorite restaurants, and beach hair here we come!

Happy Holidays 2011

Happy holidays everyone! What a great year 2011 has been.. I'll be sad to see it go, but welcome all that 2012 has to offer. Karen Frasco Nix has worked with Steven and me to create a card to celebrate the season- if you have not already seen the result in your mailbox, view the finished product below!

Back of the card and front of the card (folding)

Inside the card

Let's Go Fly A Kite (or go for a hike)!

Percy and Edwin Warner Parks are two of our favorite escapes during the week. The dogs get so excited when we load them up and start heading towards the trails- they can hardly sit still!

There are hiking trails, areas for bikers, and horse trails as well. Depending on the time of day we arrive (since the park closes at dark) we either take one of the 5 mile loops or a 2 1/2 mile loop. Both are beautiful and full of creatures- thus far we have seen countless squirrels and chipmunks, a variety of bird life, and several deer.

At the bottom of one side of Percy Warner Park you will find Iroquois Steeplechase, a lovely site for races and equestrian events. If nothing else, I'm sure it's perfect for kite and picnic season too. We have yet to experience an event first hand but it is a must after the Winter months.