simply suz.

Farewell for now...

2011-09-01T17:01:00.002-04:00

Hi there, Internet friends.

As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged much this summer. I could blame it on our move, re-prioritizing now that Matt is a full-time dental student, my lack of desire to sit in front of my laptop after I finish my workday (since I'm now a full-time telecommuter), or the piles of dishes that somehow manage to appear every night.... but the truth of the matter is, I just haven't had the energy to devote to this little virtual "home" I built the last couple of years & I'm at a point in my life where I want to be intentional about where I spend my limited free time.

So I'm going to disappear for awhile. Maybe a long while. Maybe a short while. Who knows when I'll feel like I need another creative outlet... but for the time being I have a lot of other creative aspirations that don't involve me in front of the laptop. I do enough of that already.

What - you may be thinking - am I going to do with all my free-time now that I'm not blogging? Well, if you've gotten to know me at all the last couple of years - you've probably figured out I'm a planner & list-maker, hence I have lots of great things in mind. But before we get there (in case you care...and if you don't, just jump on down to the end), a little background on how & why I ended up saying sayonara to Simply Suz.

Actually, the decision to bid farewell to the blog came after a dinner conversation Matt & I had a few nights back. It was a familiar conversation for us.... we're at the point in our relationship/marriage where we're ready for that next step (a.k.a. starting a family), but because of our life situation, we've decided it would be wise to wait a bit longer.

That's tough for me to swallow. Especially when I look around & it seems like everyone else is expecting (including folks who seem to have just tied the knot yesterday, almost everyone we know who got hitched around the time we did, heck...even friends of my little brother are becoming parents)! Matt & I intentionally heeded the advice of wise, older couples who valued that pre-family time in their marriage, and decided early on that we wanted our relationship to be rock solid before we introduced a wee one. I came up with an arbitrary number of years when we'd "have it together," and thought that for sure, by year 4 or 5 we'd be ready. In my mind, that'd give us enough time to work out any kinks, travel (something I wouldn't trade for the world), be free enough to try brave things (like moving to a state where we didn't know a soul), be financially stable, and of course, grow individually and as a couple.

In many ways, we are ready. Our relationship has grown tremendously & we've learned (sometimes in difficult ways) so much about each other in the past 4+ years of marriage (& 8 years...almost to the week ... since we first met). Maybe year 5 was the magic number relationally, but there are so many other things that factor into our timing. I should stop and mention that in no way am I saying there is a "right" time to start a family... it'll be different for every couple. One thing I do know, is that the decision shouldn't be based on boredom, a desire to fix something amiss in your marriage (at best, it'll be a temporary fix... at worst, a baby will make things more difficult), or even (in our case) a desire to "keep up with the Joneses." It's a no-turning-back decision, and should be considered thoughtfully & prayerfully!

The truth of the matter is, Matt is already getting a taste of the demands of dental school, as am I. He has been a wonderful partner and such an amazing helper at home, but I would rather him focus his efforts on succeeding in school than vacuuming or doing dishes. That means that after my workday ends, I have to find time for all of that household maintenance stuff that I was fortunate enough to share with Matt before he started dental school. I know that some of you are thinking "you'll make it work" ... but I also know that Matt is going to be an amazing dad one day and I want our kids to get his/our full attention. For at least the next two years, he needs to be pretty much solely focused on school and I don't want to "rob" him of the opportunity to enjoy the early years of our (future) kids lives.

I think this sense of impatience & restlessness can be true no matter what your life situation & presents an opportunity not to focus on what you're "missing out on" but on what God can do in your life right now. A relationship, marriage, family, particular job not in the cards for you at this very moment? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself (which I sometimes do), figure out ways to enjoy this season of life. I feel grateful that the Lord put Matt in my life early on, but now He's teaching me to be patient as we wait to grow our family. He's teaching me to look to Him and trust His perfect timing, instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing.

So.... the end of that dinnertime discussion with Matt was about what we want the next couple of years to look like. For Matt, his life is pretty prescribed/full with the demands of school. In order for me to prevent myself from resenting him or the 10 pregnant women/new moms I know, I want to be able to look back on this season of our life and feel excited about how I spent my time, closer to Matt than I've ever been, thankful for the ways in which the Lord grew me, and hopefully more prepared to be a mom when this is all said & done.

Here are my mini-aspirations for this season of my life. Some of these are going to be a challenge, some may seem trivial, but I'm taking this opportunity to set some mid-year resolutions, that will hopefully carry me through the sure-to-be-grueling (but also potentially amazing) next four years.

Support Matt. I want nothing more than to see him succeed in dental school. We have worked too hard to get to this point for me to now become needy and value something I can certainly handle (like dish-duty, which I despise) over his success in school. That means taking responsibility for all of the household stuff and relieving him so that he can focus on school... More importantly, my enthusiasm for him, my prayerfulness, & my patience really need to be a top priority. Maybe babies need to sit on the back burner awhile longer, but our marriage should be thriving.
Be incredibly active. Again, to some this may seem trivial, but I know when a family comes along, I'm going to have a lot less time to spend at the gym, riding my bike, or going for a run on a whim, so I want to take time to enjoy these things because I really and truly feel best when I do. Plus, I need to get out of the house more often (since I now work from home) so I am excited to make this more a part of my life than ever before.
Give back & get involved in the Gainesville community. I'm pumped to start volunteering again with Young Life, a ministry I am passionate about and which really shaped my college years. In addition to having an opportunity to pour into college and high school kids, I know it'll help me feel connected to our new community.
Grow in my faith and find a great local church. We were blessed to get plugged into 2 great churches in Chicago and North Carolina (Calvary in Oak Park and The Summit in RDU) and these churches both challenged us to go deeper in our faith and were places where we met friends and built community. We're still "shopping around" - but I'm anxious to find a church home soon!
Read. Despite my crazy travel schedule, I've managed to read four books in the last month (which is more than I read our 2 years in N.C.) and I'm wondering how I wasted so much time on Facebook, watching television, and working on this blog when I could have been burying myself in a good book. In short, I'm a big nerd and I really like to read. From observing my sister & friends who are mommies, I recognize that this is a luxury!
Be creative! I have developed a real enjoyment for photography, so even though I won't be sharing my photos on the blog, you can always check them out at http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/ (and get a flavor for what's going on in the McA's lives)! Additionally, I'm looking forward to spending more time on some random house/craft projects, as well as one of my favorite things to do.... cooking!
Make time for adventures. I get a kick out of sleeping in a tent, breathing fresh air, climbing up mountains, exploring new places, & taking beautiful pictures. That's a heckuva lot easier to do without young kids, so although it'll be more difficult time and budget wise with the demands of school, I still want this to be a priority. I need an escape from the daily grind & have something to look forward to!
Talk to my friends instead of stalking them online. I came to the realization that I was spending more time keeping relative strangers up to date on our life than picking up the phone or writing an email to my nearest & dearest friends and family. Shame on me. One of my New Year's resolutions was to write letters every week much like my grandmother does, and I've failed miserably at that. It's time for me to take my mode of communication off the computer & intentionally invest in those individuals who truly mean so much to me.
Get good rest. Because I won't do a good job of accomplishing anything on my list if I'm running myself too thin.
ENJOY exactly where we are right now.

So friends, that's all. I will leave the blog up and just might decide I want to start posting again, so don't write me off just yet! Again, you can keep up with us via our smugmug site (I've been pretty successful in weening myself of facebook so you won't see much there), give me a jingle, or shoot me an email at mcandrew dot susan at gmail dot com.

All the best!
Suz

A Maternity Photoshoot for Lori

2011-07-18T16:46:00.001-04:00

Remember my lovely friend, Lori? Well she is darn-near-ready to have her baby boy, so I figured it's about time to share her maternity photos that I shot ....oh....over 2 months ago. Oops. (You may remember seeing a few photos that Lori snapped for Matt & I during this shoot here & here.)

Early on in her pregnancy, Lori asked if I'd be willing to take some preggo-pictures for her & of course I said yes! Unfortunately, we put it off until our last weekend in NC (before back-to-back weddings & our big move) & the weather threatened to ruin our shoot. Thankfully, right before we were about to call it off, the rain clouds cleared up and we were blessed with a beautiful night & beautiful light.

We took most of these photos in Carpenter, NC... just a hop, skip & a jump away from Lori & Dave's home in Morrisville. Carpenter was an absolutely darling spot for our little photoshoot...and there is no denying that Lori is a natural in front of the camera. She was absolutely glowing. (Can't forget the dad-to-be. Dave - you're looking good, too!)

I had a hard time picking out a handful to share on the blog, so instead, I've embedded a little slide show with my favorites. Consider yourself warned: it's a bit long (2 full songs), but in all fairness, I pared it down from 500+ photos! If you'd rather browse through my faves instead of watching the video, you can just check out my Smugmug album here. I even managed to hand over the camera over to Matt & sneak in a few photos with my dear friend! If you are a prayerful person, please lift up Lori & Dave as they get ready for the arrival of their first little one! He'll be here very soon!

(Psstt...If you expand the video to watch it full-screen, just make sure to click the little button that reads "SCALING IS ON" so that the photos aren't crazy grainy when they blow up to full screen. If the Vimeo player says "SCALING IS OFF" you are a-o-k.)

P.S. Due to some last minute travel-changes, looks like I'm going to get to meet Lori & Dave's baby boy next month! I am oh-so-excited as I was bummed to move right before his arrival. (Sound familiar? I moved right after my Chicago-BFF told me she was pregnant! Our timing is terribly off...) Can't wait to meet the little guy & see our good friends again so soon!

P.P.S. I'm in love with the fact that the tomato plant behind Lori in this photo is called "Better Boy!" I actually didn't notice it until today despite looking at these photos a gazillion times. What a happy coincidence for this soon-to-be-momma of a little boy! I sure hope he is a good little boy... with parents like Lori & Dave, it's almost guaranteed!

What We've Been Up To {Some Snapshots}

2011-07-07T20:53:00.000-04:00

I know what you're thinking....

Hello??? Anybody there???

Believe me, I hear ya & I recognize it's been quiet at Simply Suz lately. Don't you worry, I do have an excellent excuse -- we have been traveling (including a major out-of-state move) or hosting family 6 of the past 7 weekends. To top it off, the weekends prior to our marathon travel-stretch we were packing, preparing for our move, & saying goodbye to our NC friends! Needless to say, I am exhausted both physically & emotionally & have not had any time or energy for blogging!

Here are some snapshots of where we've been & what we've been up to the past couple of months....expect full feature blog posts on (most) of these happenings in the coming weeks!

Weekend of May 14th...
I did a photo-shoot for my super-cute, super-sweet, preggo girlfriend, Lori, & her hubby Dave. Lori is due at the end of the month, so hopefully I'll get around to sharing some of her darling photos before her little man arrives!
I also enjoyed a special treat that week at a work... a team getaway.... sailing in New Bern, NC!

Weekend of May 21st....
We headed north to New Jersey for my beautiful cousin, Sara's wedding. We were joined by (most of) the Lohuis fam (Mark...you were missed!). Hannah had on her dancing shoes, so she managed to keep us on our toes!
Weekend of May 28th (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend)....
We flew out west to Wichita, Kansas for brother Tom & sister Caroline's wedding. It was a McA-filled weekend!

I'll be sure to fill you in much more on that, including the darling rehearsal dinner Mom & Dad McA orchestrated!

Weekend of June 4th...
After saying goodbye to our good friends in NC, we hit the road & headed south to Florida! My gracious folks helped us unpack a truck-load-o-stuff into our new home.

Weekend of June 11th...
We enjoyed a mini-weekend-getaway with my family in Orlando. We lounged by the pool, grilled out, made a pit-stop at Ikea to get some home essentials & enjoyed quality Florida fam time.

Weekend of June 18th...
We took a traveling-breather & worked on settling into our new place. We also managed to take a break from all of the unpacking to celebrate our 4th anniversary on June 23rd!

Weekend of June 25th...
Katie, Matt & Hannah came to visit us in Gainesville! Katie gave us a great tour of her alma-mater & we chased around our adorable niece all weekend.

Weekend of July 2nd...
We headed home to Vero & spent the Fourth of July weekend with Mom & Dad Lo, Katie, Matt, Hannah & Grandma. We hit the beach, enjoyed pool time, hung some crown molding (technically that wasn't a "we" activity...Matt helped the-other-Matt with that), rearranged my folk's furniture & set up their sound system (okay, the Matts did that, too), ate lots of hot dogs (I'll claim that), watched the fireworks, & enjoyed Matt's favorite holiday!

Visit Simply Suz in the upcoming ~~weeks~~ months (I'm just being honest here) to get more details on all of this fun stuff & a few additional adventures planned before Matt starts dental school in August! Please be patient, it may take me awhile, as we have no plans of slowing down anytime soon!

Four.

2011-06-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my NEW sister.... Caroline!

2011-06-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

The McAndrew Wives :)

Just eleven days ago, I gained another sister. Sure, she's technically an "in-law" but in the McAndrew fam, we drop those details! I adore (sweet) Caroline, feel blessed to now call her a sister~~-in-law~~, & am so excited for many many years of great family memories ahead. Happy 25th Birthday, Care! We hope you have a wonderful day! Love, Suz (& Matt, too!)

Married! Congrats Tom & Care!

2011-06-03T09:11:00.002-04:00

We had a blast Memorial Day weekend in Wichita, Kansas celebrating with Tom & Caroline as they tied the knot! I plan on sharing a bunch of photos & giving a full recap of their big day (& all the wedding festivities) after we get settled in Florida (we move tomorrow!), but in the interim, I wanted to share a few links to my photo albums, especially for family & friends who may be interested. Mom & Dad McA + wedding party .... this is for you!

Photos...

Caroline's Bridal Luncheon

A couple of important notes....

*I lost steam (& time!) as I sorted through these photos so you'll notice a TON of duplicates, especially in the wedding album (hence, 28 pages of photos in that Smugmug album...oops). I wanted to share these ASAP instead of waiting until I had time to sort & delete! My apologies for photo-overload! I will pare down once we're settled in Florida.

*If you are in any of the photos & want to save a copy, just click on the photo you'd like to download in Smugmug, select the size ("original" will likely be the largest & the best resolution), & then click "save photo" or the file folder icon.

Photo of the Week: Sara

2011-05-25T21:51:00.001-04:00

We are in the throws of moving so I won't be blogging much the next couple of weeks, but I absolutely could not resist sharing a couple photos of my gorgeous cousin, Sara, who tied the knot with Andrew this weekend in NJ.

We were fortunate enough to be able to steal away some time to make the trip north, & had a great time with our big extended family. I'll share some more photos later... probably in mid-June when I get around to blogging about a host of other things... including Lori's maternity shoot... hopefully I'll beat the baby on that one! Congrats Sara & Andrew!

Wedding season is certainly upon us! In just a few days, Matt's brother Tommy will be marrying the love-of-his-life, Caroline! Congratulations also to Caitlin & Mike (Cait is a Vero friend) and Katie & Matt (Katie is Matt's cousin) who also got hitched this past weekend. Wish we could of been at all of those weddings (Florida, Minnesota & New Jersey).... but alas, we haven't figured out how to be in 3 places at once! Darn!

Photo of the Week: US!

2011-05-19T08:31:00.000-04:00

I love taking photos, which means that I am usually behind the camera instead of in front of it. That was the case for most of Saturday evening when I did a (not-so-mini) photo shoot for my preggo friend, Lori, and her hubby, Dave. I had a BLAST shooting Lori & was really pleased with the results (don't worry.... I'll blog all about our maternity shoot later... I have whittled 500+ photos down to my favorite 163, but I still need to get down to a manageable number to share here on the old blogsky!), however, what I was most surprised by were the a few photos that Lori snapped of us at the end of our evening - including the winner above. Maybe I'm biased but....isn't it cute?!?!? Isn't my hubby handsome?!? It's probably one of my favorite photos of us since our wedding! Thanks for letting us step in front of the camera for a few shots, Lori!

Photo of the Week: Fireworks

2011-05-15T10:04:00.002-04:00

So.... I wrote this post last week prior to a big-time blogger crash. My draft post disappeared for a few days & then magically reappeared (making this lady very happy). Sorry this is a tad bit outdated, but I hope y'all enjoy the photos!

We went to a Durham Bulls game ~~last Friday night~~ two weeks ago to see my little bro's friend (Alex Cobb) pitch & enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful spring night (after a brief rain delay). Alex pitched a great game (the kid has come a long way since his little league days with brother Mark) & we had a blast, thanks in part to great seats, courtesy of Alex, & wonderful company, courtesy of our friends, Lori & Dave! The Bulls put on a fireworks display after every Friday night game, & I tried my best to take a few fun shots (hello slow shutter speed). I think the photo above was a success! Here are a other few favorites from our fun night with friends....

After a rain delay (our seats were sheltered)...it turned out to be a beautiful night at the ballpark!

I love a night at a baseball park.

The girls.

The guys.

Thanks for the tickets, Alex!

Alex made this Vero Beach native proud!

Bulls homer!

Friends.

I love me some fireworks.

What a great night.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2011-05-14T10:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to Dad Lo who turns 57 today!
(Dad's looking good for a 57 year old grandpa! Truth be told, this photo was when taken when he was a young 53 year old whippersnapper with no grandbabies yet...just a daughter about to get married...)

But seriously.... my dad is a pretty awesome guy. Everybody - & I mean everyone - respects him and the person that he is. He is honest, trustworthy, hardworking, steady, faithful & selfless. Dad also has a reputation for being a planner (where did you think I got it from?!) & has been know to work out the behind-the-scenes details more than once.

Maybe it's because he's the oldest of four, but he also cares incredibly well for everyone in his life - his wife, kids, grandchild (please...if you don't click on any other links...click on this one & this one!), his mom, sons-in-law, siblings, friends, coworkers - and asks for very little in return. Most importantly, my dad loves the Lord & taught us (primarily by example) of what it looks like to be a humble servant of God.

Dad, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to give you in-person (instead of virtual) birthday wishes in just a week! We love you!

Love,

SJ & Matt, too!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T11:13:00.015-04:00

We love moms.

You already know how much we love our moms (you can read about mine & Matt's in the blog archive).... so in celebration of Mother's Day, instead of a lengthy post recounting their lovely qualities (hopefully they already know how we feel about them!), I'm just going to share some favorite photos of my favorite moms! Each one of these ladies holds a special place in our heart today.

Happy Mother's Day to Momma Lo, Momma Mac, Grandma Shirlee, Grandma Gerry, Margot, Katie, Aunt Beth, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Becky, Lori, Shann, Nicole, Carol & Stacy! We love you & are so thankful for you today!!!

Psst... 2 of our good friends are also celebrating birthdays today...scroll to the bottom to find out who!

On the left: 3 generations of Lohuis ladies: my mom (Nana), my niece (Hannah) & my sister (Katie or "Momma" to Hannah!)

.......

One of my favorite mom-memories: Mom helping me put on my wedding dress [June 2007]

I adore my mother-in-law, affectionately just "mom" to me (I'm lucky to have 2 moms!) [June 2007]

My big sister, Katie, is such a great mom. [November 2010]

Grandma Gerry & I have always been close. I love her to pieces. [June 2007]

Grandma Shirlee holds a special place in our heart, too! [June 2007]

Did I mention we love my mom? [June 2010]

Katie & her girl, Hannah. Aren't they beautiful? [June 2010]

We're also so thankful for Margot today! [June 2007]

This photo just melts my heart. Matt loves his momma. [June 2007]

I'm lucky to have Aunt Beth & Aunt Nancy as godmothers! [June 2007]

It's impossible not to love our Aunt Becky... she's a gem. [June 2007]

Another all-time favorite photo of my mom... getting down at our wedding! Momma has moves! [June 2007]

Stacy and her sweet girls (minus their new addition!) [June 2007]

Grandmas :) [June 2007]

Hannah & Nana are best buds, can't you tell? [November 2010]

Heidi & her boys. [September 2007]

I miss my Champaign-mom, Carol. She took such good care of me (& everybody else!) [June 2007]

Liam is oh-so-lucky to have Nicole as a mommy. [November 2010]

...As are Belle & Graysie to call Shann their mom. [March 2011]

I'd be remiss without celebrating mom-to-be, Lori (& one of my favorite NC friends)! I have no doubt that she will be an amazing mother! Her little guy is blessed (so is pup, Rylee)! [March 2011]

Not only is today Mother's Day, but 2 special people are also celebrating their birthdays today!
Happy Birthday, Mary & Mike!!!!! We love you guys & hope you both have very special days!!!!

I spy Marclar (hint: peaking in the left-hand corner) [June 2007]

"M" is for Mike & Mary. 2 great friends celebrating their birthdays today! [July 2010]

I'm telling you, it's impossible not to love this girl. [June 2007]

Jenny & I are lucky to be married to these dudes. [July 2010]

[I have to give credit where credit is due: Our gorgeous wedding photos were taken by the talented Scarlett Lillian... and our dear friend, Liz Fay is responsible for the photo of Mary! The rest were taken by yours truly! Thanks for stopping by!]

Happy Birthday, Momma Lo!

2011-04-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to my sweet mom who turns 57 today!
(She looks pretty great for a grandma, am I right?!?!)

I am so very blessed to have an incredibly close relationship with my mom (we are two peas in a pod), which has strengthened in the 8 years I've been far from home. We gab on the phone almost daily (Matt tells me we're pros at just shooting the breeze), & I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that we'll be close enough to catch up in person more often! That means I can celebrate her bday in Vero next year! Yippeee!!!

My mom grew up with 3 brothers so she is a tough lady. She has the uncanny ability to calm my girly anxieties, while simultaneously keeping me in check when I'm overreacting. Tomboy tendencies aside, she is also an amazingly caring, prayerful, faithful women of God, who has taught me so much about being a Christ-following wife. To top it off, she's got the "Nana" role down pat. If there is a grandma gene, I'm pretty sure she has it! Hannah adores her Nana (what's not to love?!)

Mom, I hope you know how much you are loved today!!!! Have a wonderful birthday! .... can't wait to see you very soon!
We love you!
Suz & Matt

P.S. I'll be back soon with more celebrations of Mom & Dad in the next couple of months. Mom's birthday is shortly followed by Mother's Day, then Dad's birthday, then their Anniversary, & then Father's Day! Whew.... Hallmark is making a killing off of us in the next month!

Well hello there!

2011-04-14T23:14:00.002-04:00

Hello, friends!!!

As you may have noticed, I've pretty much disappeared recently from Simply Suz. Woopsies. That's because I've been a busy bee purging & packing in preparation for our big move!

I hope to pop in every once in awhile over the next 2 months prior to saying "adios" to NC (actually less than that now!), however, I can promise you that I won't be posting quite as often as I have in the past. Blame it on the empty boxes that have yet to be filled.

Also, I'm hoping to soak up as much beautiful Carolina springtime before we head to the Sunshine State. In the few weeks since my last post, we did take a mini-trip to visit our besties, & hopefully we'll squeeze in some more of that before we push off!

In the meantime, I've had a lot of thinking-time while working my way through our closets, so I'll leave you with my (maybe-not-so-blog-worthy) random thoughts as of late!

Thanks for stopping by!
Suz

Susan's Random (& let's be honest...not-so-blog-worthy) Thoughts

You may recognize the photo above from my profile. It's one of my favorites taken with our old point-and-shoot in Glacier National Park in Montana (love love love that Park). I could use a vacation right now. I'm counting down the days until we head to the Northwest this summer (Seattle & Portland!). Is it August yet?
Speaking of cameras, our Nikon d90 turned one this month! It's been such a fun adventure learning a little more about photography in the last year. If you're ever interested in checking out more photos than what you get to see on the blog, check out our SmugMug page. (Just don't steal a photo without asking first!) One of these days I plan to write a post about "what's in my camera bag" since I've had a few folks ask camera questions in the last year... Don't hold your breath, though!
I've spent most of the last couple of weeks shuffling through our ~~treasures~~ junk in our guest room. It's become the repository for "out of sight, out of mind" & has been the focus on my purge. I decided to take my time on the packing process to allow myself sometime to trim our belongings & get rid of stuff we either never use, or only realize we have when it's moving time. Plus, it's a good excuse to organize - one of my favorite pastimes.
There's not a TV in our guest room, so I have watched about every Hulu episode that I have even the slightest interest in while I go through file cabinets, shred & toss old college notes / CPA review books (I can't believe I've seriously been holding onto those for 4 years). It's an interesting exercise to go through the things you hold onto. My favorite part of packing, however, has been going through my old photos & little mementos I've saved over the years. I have been reminded of some great friends, family & memories. I'm a blessed girl.
While packing the other day (after I exhausted my Hulu queue), I found myself at the website I Am Second & became officially obsessed. I have watched powerful testimony after testimony of athletes, authors, celebrities, musicians, & regular folks who turned to Christ in the midst of very real struggles. Their stories & authenticity are truly powerful, & I encourage you to check some of them out. Some of my favorites so far: Ashley Rawls, former beauty queen, Christian Hosoi, pro skateboarder, Brian Welch, former Korn bandmember, Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire, Baron Batch, college football player, Bethany Hamilton, pro surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, Whispering Danny, tattoo artist, Christine Petric, adopted girl-next-door & college soccer player, I could go on & on.... There are so many great stories, each one a testament to the presence, glory, & love of Jesus. Watch them.. Promise it'll be worth your while.

(About I am Second) Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.

A Successful Marriage.

2011-03-30T23:04:00.001-04:00

2 weeks ago (I know, I know, I'm way behind on blogging....) we jumped in our (new!) car & drove 6 hours west to Murphy, NC for the wedding of our college buddy, John, & his bride, Cara. The nuptials took place at a beautiful farm with gorgeous mountain views, & the Cregers couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Sunny, clear & unusually warm for March... especially considering we had freezing rain this week!

John -- affectionately "Creger" (last-name/nicknames seem to be a theme with many of our college friends) is not only a great friend & a fun guy, but also has an incredibly strong faith. I love a good wedding & certainly the tasty food (barbeque at this mountain wedding...yum-o), dancing (please scroll down to the bottom of this post for some video evidence of a fantastic dance performance by Creger & his mom), & mini-reunions are all part of the celebration, but sometimes, I think couples miss the heart of the day. Not the case with these 2.

Their pastor did an incredible job of celebrating their relationship in Christ, challenging them to keep their primary focus on their walk with God, all the while painting a picture to the family & friends who had come to celebrate with John & Cara of what a successful marriage should look like.

One particular statement stuck out to me (forgive me for paraphrasing his much more powerful words): Just because you "make it" 50 or 60s years doesn't mean your marriage is successful. A successful marriage is one that is centered on Christ & reflects His glory. Our marriages should be a testament to the grace & power of God in our lives. After all, the marital relationship is to mirror that of Christ & the Church.

Mr. & Mrs. Creger, it was such a joy to celebrate with you. Matt & I wish you many many years of love, joy & a relationship centered on the God who brought you together. As for everyone else we had the pleasure of seeing in Murphy, get busy. Someone else needs to get hitched so we can all get together again soon!

I took a bunch of photos (would you expect anything less?!?) & won't share all of them on the blog, but if you're interested in seeing more, click here to go to my smugmug album. Here are a few (okay more like 20) favorites from the day....

My gorgeous friend Liz. I'm a tad bit jealous my hair won't do that.

With my main man.

My main man, with another man. How dare you, Tim?! :)

Cbiz & the fellas (Brad & Tim). What lucky men.

(Mrs. Schroeder & Mrs. Miller) These 2 ladies also married their college sweethearts!
Andrea, Jackie & I (plus Cara!) all married Young Life boys... they're keepers!

My aisle seat proved awesome for getting ceremony shots. (Check out that view!)

Lammers fulfilling his groomsmen duties (& apparently enjoying it). I'm digging the peacock feather.

2 of my best girlfriends (sadly, we were minus Jenny).

Matt sandwich (with Brad in the middle).

Cake.

More cake. It was tasty.

Had to share because I did her hair.

Creger & his mom's rendition of Thriller. Please scroll down to watch!

Photobooth fun (this may be my favorite photo of the entire wedding).

Photobooth shenanigans continue. Loving Abby with long, blonde hair! Ha!

Bahahahaha...

Wish I could go back & add a photobooth to our wedding.

Court & I came back with props.

Matt got a talking to after I looked at all of our photos & in 99% of them he's goofing off.

That's more like it.

If Courtney & I had an album cover, I'm pretty sure we'd use this photo (we were both fond of our shoes).

Nah. We'd probably use this instead.

Matt + Matt = BFFs 4ever.

I miss this girl.

Taking a break from dancing to smile for Jackie's camera.

The whole gang. Our U of I / Young Life family (Missing a few key people...). Gosh, I love these folks.

End of the night. Before the crazy-big-moon made its appearance.

To wrap this up, I have to leave you with this video. In lieu of a more "traditional" mother-son dance, Creger & his mom surprised the wedding guests (& maybe Cara...not sure if she was in on it) by doing the entire Thriller dance. It was both hilarious & awesome. It's no secret where Creger's smooth moves come from anymore.... Way to go, Momma Creger!

Photo of the Week: Sneak Peek

2011-03-27T22:33:00.000-04:00

We went to a super-fun wedding last weekend in the NC mountains. I'm about 2 weeks behind on blogging, so hopefully I'll be able to share some more photos later this week. In the meantime, here's one of my faves:

John & Cara (a.k.a. Groom & Bride) had a photo booth for their guests to snap shots to put in their guest book (we also got a copy to take home - please 'scuse the poor scan job). If you are planning a wedding.... I'd highly recommend a photo booth. Super fun & I'm sure a blast to look over all of the photos later. I visited the booth a lot with my girlfriends & Matt, & on one of those visits, we were able to snag the groom for a little "photo shoot." Court, Liz & John.... this one is going on the fridge! More to come! Congrats, Mr. & Mrs. Creger!!!!! Such a joy to celebrate with you!

Congrats, Shann & Johnnathan!

2011-03-25T08:32:00.000-04:00

Our friends Shann & Johnnathan (& big sis Graysie) welcomed a new edition to their family 2 weeks ago. Meet Belle...

I was able to stop by just 3 days after she arrived with my sweet friend, Lori (who is also expecting!), to meet the little lady. Shann (middle) looks pretty darn amazing for just having a bambino! And isn't Lori (right) just glowing? That'll be you in a few months, Lori! Except you'll be holding a little man.

Belle is absoutely perfect. Sweet. Teeny. Peaceful. Soft. Everything a baby girl should be. (Plus...check out that hair!)

She slept pretty much the whole time we were there. She did take one peek at her visitors & then went back to lala land. I love this photo of Belle & their dog, Maple. Maple is just keeping watch over her little sister.

I'm hoping to go back soon to visit with my 50mm lense, which should be a lot sharper than the 18-105mm lens I brought with me on my first (impromptu) visit! I'd love to snap some better photos of the family of four (Shann & Jonathan already have a sweet pea named Graysie). Congratulations to a beautiful family!!!!

Out with the old.... In with the new....

2011-03-24T18:11:00.002-04:00

On the left, our Jeep "at home" in the NC mountains will now be at home in the Virginia mountains.

On the right, our new Honda Accord (photo courtesy of the seller) is ready for road trips!!!!

A month and a half ago, when we finally 100% committed to the University of Florida for dental school, Matt & I sat down at dinner & made our "pre-move to-do" list. At the time it was daunting, overwhelming & exhausting to look at everything that we needed to accomplish in a few short months. Probably the most stressful item on our list (after figuring out my work situation) was car-related.

You may remember our Camry tragedy from the fall. If not - I'll catch you up to speed: Our car died 2 hours away from home & was too expensive to repair so we cut our losses & sold the non-working shell. The end. We dropped down to being a one car family again, which works really well for us, & quite frankly, is our plan for the indefinite future. We were fortunate enough to have inherited Matt's parents' Jeep (the Camry was inherited from my folks) so we had a good, solid set of wheels. Not to mention Matt's 2 wheels (his bike!), which he rides to work every day & plans to ride to dental school in the fall. We're a "green" family :)

We knew that we'd need to invest in another more family-friendly/fuel-efficient car down the road, but for the time being, the Jeep was perfect for our life situation. We don't go on many long road trips from NC (like we used to do in the Camry), & the Jeep is a great "around-town" kind of car, plus it's fun for a young couple like us! We can easily pop our bikes on the back & be at the trails in 10 minutes. We loved (still love) our Jeep.

As gas prices rose & the reality of our move to Florida set in, however, we realized that the Jeep may not be the best car for us going forward. We'll be just a few short hours away from my folks & we'd like to be able to go back & forth to Vero more regularly than we do now. We forsee lots more road time in the Jeep & although it's fun - it doesn't get great gas mileage & isn't the safest car on the road. Plus, we realized that we'd eventually like to have a family (now don't get too excited - we have to get Matt at least part way through school before we start thinking seriously about that!!!), & throwing a car seat in the back of a soft-top Jeep just wouldn't cut it. Add to that some pricey, routine maintenance that was coming up (it is a 1998, after all) & we decided it was time to say goodbye. ***Cue tears***

We resolved that instead of waiting until our family grew to buy a more "practical" car, we would see if we could sell the Jeep in NC where it may go for a higher price than FL (four wheel drive is probably more useful here than in flat Florida!) & buy a (new-to-us) used car pre-move. This was also spurred on by the fact that it costs a small fortune to bring a car into the state of Florida, so we wanted to arrive with our 'long-term' car instead of paying to register the Jeep in Florida & then doing it all over again in a year or two with a different car.

Whew. I'm getting long winded. Long story shorter.... after a thorough search, we ended up finding the perfect car to suit our needs. A 2005 Honda Accord that had only one owner (a nice middle aged mom), relatively low miles (55k), & was in great condition. A week ago, after our fair share of negotiating plus an inspection & tune-up at a local shop, we forked over the cash for this beauty & drove her home. The seller snapped our photo before we left & emailed to me:

The same night we brought home the Honda, Matt listed the Jeep on Craigslist. He told me that night "no one is going to pay (our list price) for this car." I had suggested starting high (we had negotiated on our Honda & brought the price down $600), & we'd be more likely to get to our goal price by starting higher. 12 hours later we had about 10 emails in our inbox. Needless to say, Matt was surprised. Selling a car through Craigslist is certainly not as easy as trading in at a dealer or selling to Carmax, but we knew the car was worth more than what a dealer would give us (we had quotes from a local dealer & Carmax before listing on Craigslist) & for us, it was worth the hassle of dealing with potential buyers ourselves. Plus, we'd done it once before with our Camry, so we knew the ropes, so to speak.

Today, one week after listing, the Jeep drove away to it's new home. An older man from Virginia ended up buying our beloved Jeep for just $100 under our list price (so much for Matt's worries). He wanted a car he could put his dogs in & drive to his mountain house off the Blue Ridge Parkway. He also mentioned that his wife had a convertible & he wanted a car he could take the top off, too! We were happy to see the Jeep heading to such a good home. As for the price, we were ecstatic. When we listed the car, we'd hoped that at the end of the day we could walk away with at least $1k less then our list price (after negotiations, etc), but given the high interest level, we soon discovered that we'd priced pretty appropriately.

We had done our homework. Here are a few things we found to be helpful when buying/selling as a private party ... or as Matt suggested I title this post "How to Sell a Car in (less than) Ten Days":

Get Edmunds & Kelly Blue Book values on your car & set your price realistically. Your buyers will be looking at the blue book value, so you want to make sure you're in the ball park (with some cushion for negotiations). Be realistic about your car's condition. Keep in mind that for a car to be considered "excellent condition" -- it's probably pretty darn new.
Take your car to a dealer/Carmax to see what the trade-in value would be. This can help set your floor & help in setting a price. If selling your car as a private party doesn't work, at least you know your options!
Look at your Carfax to anticipate what buyers will be looking at & be ready to explain any thing from the Carfax that may reflect poorly (e.g. accidents, liens on the car, etc). No need to create negotiating opportunities down the road. Disclose! Disclose! Disclose! It's good for not only the buyer, but an honest seller avoids surprises that may end a potential deal down the road.
To further that point -- disclose everything you know to be wrong with the car upfront so as not to create a negotiating opportunity for buyers down the line. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but that helped us bring down the price on the Honda. After having it checked out at a shop pre-purchase (for which we footed the bill), we were able to get the seller to bring down the price for some necessary repairs. Had she told us upfront (in her defense, some of the things she wouldn't have known), she may have avoided this discussion all together.
Put a ton of photos online so as to weed out potential buyers who wouldn't be interested after seeing some of the car's less endearing qualities. For us - that meant advertising our Jeep's rust & wear & tear that is to be expected on a 13 year old car instead of having them show up to look at the car & then decide they weren't interested. In the end, you don't want to show your car to everyone & their mother, so it's best to only deal with serious buyers. Value your time.
Have a bill of sale ready with appropriate clauses to protect both yourself and the buyer (very important - that you are selling the car in "as is" condition!). Keep a copy for yourself & give one to the buyer. It's not required, but it's a helpful document to have in your files. (You can download samples online; I relied on both my dad & Matt's dad to help draft one).
Be clear on payment upfront. We were paid in cash for both the Camry & the Jeep, but we actually paid using a certified check for our Honda at our seller's request. It's also nice if you can deposit the cash at the same time you're signing over the title (to make sure your buyer's not into any funny business). Our bank doesn't charge to notarize for bank customers, so we could do both at the same time.
Make sure to know the process with your insurance company / bank / DMV / etc. Each state is a little different, so have whatever paperwork they require ready to go! You never know when a buyer may give you a ring!!! Know the process before you list your car! No need to scramble at the last minute.
If you are a buyer, know the registration/title fees, taxes, any changes to your insurance rates, etc. before you shop around. Your budget may be a lot smaller after accounting for all of those costs. If you're buying from a dealer -- the fees skyrocket even more. For example, one dealer wanted to charge us a $499 "dealer fee". Most dealers have these fees, but the amount can vary.
Furthermore, if you plan on registering a car in another state in the near future, get to know that state's registration rules, taxes, etc. For our Honda, Florida's fees & taxes added over $1100 to our car budget on top of what we're paying in North Carolina! Ouch.

Although it all happened pretty fast (Matt got an email this a.m. & within 3 hours, the buyer was in our driveway), we were ready. It was a lucky coincidence that Matt had the day off work today, so all I had to do was drive with him to the bank to sign over the title & make a stop at the DMV on the way home to turn in our tags. He even did all the negotiating & stood his ground on our price! I'm so proud.

So there is the story of our cars. I doubted that anyone would be all that interested, but when we bought our Honda last week, I posted a photo on facebook & had 2 folks ask if I'd blog about it... so this is for you, Andrew & Emily!

My hubby is 26 years old today!

2011-03-18T08:34:00.002-04:00

To celebrate Matt's 26th, we're going dancing. I've raved before on Matt's mad dancing skills, which (among other reasons) made me swoon for him, & this weekend we're headed to one of our favorite dancing venues.... a wedding! Our college friend & former YL leader, John, is getting married to a sweet Southern lady in North Carolina this weekend. So we get to reunite with some of our all-time favorite people, celebrate John & Cara's nuptials & bust a move while we're at it. We also get to test out our new wheels (read my little post script below) en route to the wedding. Saturday can't come soon enough. Tonight, for Matt's actual birthday, we're going to go out for a birthday dinner, skype with Hannah, open presents & then dig into the yummy carrot cake I made, an annual treat for my man. Carrot cake = Matt's love language. Birthdays are fun. So is my husband. I'm a lucky lady. (BTW - doesn't he look handsome in the photo above? Snapped that last weekend on UNC's campus. It was gettting pretty dark so the color file was a tad bit grainy, but I love it in sepia.)

P.S. The blog has been pretty "light" content-wise recently. Lots of pictures, but not much copy. That's because we're super busy at the McA house. We bought a car this week (we've been shopping for awhile), listed our Jeep the same day & got a ton of bites, celebrated St. Patty's Day in true McAndrew fashion, been sucked in (willingly) to March Madness & will ring in Matt's 26th bday & John & Cara's wedding this weekend! Whew! We're pooped!!!! I'll be back to blog when life slows down. I actually have a darling post up my sleep (pending the subject's permission to post her photos) & a couple of other things to share. Until then.... Happy Spring! and more importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!

Photo of the Week: Welcome Spring

2011-03-16T07:26:00.000-04:00

Spring has arrived in North Carolina! This makes me a happy girl!

(Photo taken in our friends' backyard in Apex, NC. Can't beat that for a backyard view!)

Photos of the Week: University of Florida

2011-03-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to think I have a "thing" for college towns.... Champaign, Chapel Hill & now Gainesville. I love college campuses & the energy, sense of community & activity they infuse into the town (I will admit, I could live without Gainesville traffic). Here are some snapshots from UF's campus. Go Gators!

Guess who I got to see???

2011-03-09T21:11:00.001-05:00

(Psst...miss my last post? Here's a sneak peak of our new home. I'll share interiors in June once we move in!).

Between apartment appointments & getting to know our new hometown, I also had time while in the Sunshine State to visit with my favorite Floridians: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Katie & Hannah! After wrapping up our apartment search in G-ville, Mom & I met the rest of the fam (minus the Matts and Mark) halfway in Orlando.

Hannah naturally stole the show (as she should!) by demonstrating all of the new things she's learned to her Aunt Suz. She can now run (or "Go! Go! Go!"), walk backwards, dance (twirl AND dip), play the air violin & conduct the orchestra (taking after DaDa on that one), talk on the phone (though that's been a favorite pasttime of hers for awhile), play hide-and-seek (she gets seeking, still working on hiding) & laugh on command (seriously, that's the cutest). [Sorry for my overuse of parentheses....the details are just too fun to leave out!]

She's a darn good communicator, as well. Not only does she communicate via sign language (for words like please, thank you, food, more, etc), she also has a whole lotta words & names in her arsenal. We had such a good time playing, reading books & snuggling. She was very confused as to why I was there without Uncle Matt (or as she calls him "Du Du" short for "Dude"). We made a little video to show off her new tricks to him! Maybe the Hannah show will show up here on the blog sometime... It's pretty cute. Brace yourself for a lot more Hannah blogging come June.... she's only going to be 3 hours away! That makes me one happy aunt.

Success!

2011-03-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

Since our travel schedule wasn't nearly hectic enough the past couple of months, I squeezed in a last minute trip to Florida to look for housing last week. On Thursday morning, I flew to Orlando, got picked up by my sweet mom, & then looked at a ton of condos, townhomes & apartments in our soon-to-be new hometown of Gainesville. We saw our fair share of duds, but thankfully, we also spotted a few winners.

We've settled on this beauty for our new home. A few things that I love about this place: (1) We'll be only the second tenants in our unit (which happens to be the top floor in the photo below); (2) It's completely tiled (yay for no more nasty apartment carpet!); (3) It has a huge office in addition to 2 bedrooms; (4) It has a separate dining room that will fit our big table (almost every other place had a living/dining combo); (5) It's far away enough from campus that we won't be living in undergrad central, but also close enough for Matt to bike or take the bus to the dental school; (6) It occupies the entire top floor, which means we get screened in porches on both ends of our apartment & because it has a really open floor plan for the living/dining/office/kitchen, we can open up & enjoy a nice cross-breeze (when it's not 1000 degrees in Gainesville).

All-in-all I'm excited to move in (in June), relieved to have a place to live, & most of all thankful for my excellent partner-in-crime (Mom) who willingly chauffeured me around Gainesville & gave me her honest opinion about each place we walked in to. Thanks, Mom!

Colorado in Pictures: Denver

2011-03-06T21:00:00.006-05:00

Last stop, Denver! I'm back in NC from Fla. & still blogging about Colorado. Can you say busy? I'll keep it brief because I have a suitcase that needs unpacking & laundry that's calling my name.

On Monday --our last day in Colorado-- we packed our bags & headed north to Denver. Tara & I were both flying out later that afternoon/evening & Liz thought a day in the big city would truly wrap up our whirlwind weekend out west. We enjoyed our President's Day by just walking around downtown & savoring our last few hours together.

Beautiful day in a beautiful city

Downtown Denver

Our version of a"group shot"

Although these ladies are truly 2 of my best friends (we were missing our 4th link... Lyndsey, who was with us in spirit), we usually just get to catch up in short visits when we happen to be home at the same time in Vero Beach during the holidays or for weddings. It was such a treat to have a long weekend to reconnect, share our lives, enjoy a beautiful part of our country, & simply love on one another. It was good for my soul. Thanks, Liz & Tara!!!

Colorado in Pictures: Manitou Springs

2011-03-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

We decided it was time to warm up after our chilly walk through Garden of the Gods, so we headed to a little town west of Colorado Springs called Manitou Springs. Liz claimed it was a "hippie town" which seemed right up our touristy alley. It's also the access point to the Manitou Incline, a near vertical hike gaining 2,000 feet in a mile up old rail road ties. Liz does the Incline on a regular basis because she's hard core like that. (She always has been a tough cookie & I love that about her). Check this out. Can you say intense? Liz warmed up with some tea at her favorite spice shop & then we window shopped for awhile. Here are some shots from our lazy afternoon in Manitou...

I'm off to Florida in the a.m.! Be back Sunday to wrap up with some photos from Denver (our last day in Colorado)!

Colorado in Pictures: Garden of the Gods

2011-03-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

After the Cripple Creek, the Airforce Academy, a fun night on the town, church, and a hearty breakfast at "The Omelette Parlor" (yumm-o), Tara, Liz & I hit the tourist circuit again! We decided to wander through Garden of the Gods on Sunday afternoon. Garden of the Gods is an amazing park in Colorado Springs full of red rock formations.

I just love this little historical tidbit about the park:

The name of the park dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden." His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck.

It was wicked windy & pretty darn chilly (& poor Liz didn'g have any socks on), but we managed to suck it up & enjoy ourselves! How could we not? Check out the photos below. The place is 1000 times better than any beer garden I've visited, & that's coming straight for the mouth of a beer-lover.

Remember how I mentioned the wind. Tara's hair is Exhibit A....

Can you spot the "kissing camels"?

I thanked my lucky stars the sun peaked out. The blue sky against the red rocks is lovely...

More kissing rocks...

Liz is lucky to have this in her back yard...

My lovely travel companions...

More far-away views of the park...

So, I still have to share a few photos & tidbits about Manitou Springs & Denver, which may or may not happen before I jet off to the Sunshine State later this week, but we'll just ride it out. Thanks for stopping by!

Colorado in Pictures: Air Force Academy

2011-02-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

I planned on blogging about Colorado last night while watching the Oscars, but I got wrapped up in Florida apartment searching & all of the sudden it was bedtime! Oops! I'm headed down to Gainesville later this week, & at the rate I'm going I may or may not actually finish telling you about this trip before I leave for my next trip! Oh well!

Where were we? After driving back to Colorado Springs from Cripple Creek, I was dying to check out the Air Force Academy (particularly the famous chapel) so the ladies obliged & we stopped there next. The chapel was gorgeous & we got some great shots! We also squeezed in a couple more portraits against a pretty red tile wall at the Academy. You already saw my favorite shot of Liz, but Tara & I also got in on the action. Scroll to the end for those!

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, freshening up, we went to downtown Colorado Springs for a little pub crawl. My favorite spot? a bar called Cowboy. I loved watching some real-deal cowboys & gals line dance, two step & three step. My girlfriends even convinced two very old fogies to try to teach met the two-step.They were funny & very patient with my two left feet. Sorry, friends... I left the camera at home for our night on the town!

Be back later to continue this mini-series....

Outside the chapel...

Well hello gorgeous...

I was enamored with the stain glass...

And this simple, beautiful cross...

Another angle...

I'm a sucker for pretty backdrops...

Sure you can take my picture...

Another? Okay!

The Academy, right before the rain rolled in...

Thanks for agreeing to this pitstop, ladies! I loved it!

Colorado in Pictures: Cripple Creek

2011-02-26T22:08:00.004-05:00

I always struggle with picking my very favorite photos from our adventures to share on the blog, & my recent trip to Colorado Springs to visit my hometown friend, Liz, with my other hometown bff, Tara, was no exception.

Part of the reason blogging about this trip was so difficult is because we packed so much into our few short days out West. In an effort not to inundate y'all with 500 photos, I'll break up this little photo-journal into at least three posts to spare you from the longest-blog-post-in-history. Can't wait that long? (Although I highly doubt anyone out there except maybe Tara & Liz care all that much). Click here to see my entire Smugmug album.

After arriving late Friday night, we woke up early Saturday & headed west to a cute old mountain town called Cripple Creek. They were having a little winter festival, complete with a couple blocks of ice sculptures. We meandered around, checked out the sculptures, ate some homemade fudge & then did a little photoshoot (aren't girlfriends fun?) before heading back to the Springs.

Stop by in the next few days to catch a photo recap of the rest of the weekend including stops at the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs & Denver! All of our adventures are proof that Liz is a fantastic hostess! We couldn't have packed more into our short weekend trip!

Wondering where Matt was this weekend? He was also in Colorado for his brother's bachelor party. The wedding party (groomsmen/bridesmaids) spent the weekend skiing in Winter Park! So we both had pretty great weekends!

In the air...

Almost there...

Off to Cripple Creek...

The ladies (Suz, Liz & Tara)...

Cripple Creek, CO...

This local cracked me up...

The ice festival...

They even let us sit on the sculptures...

Our little chocolate break...

My girls were kind enough to let me practice my portrait skills on them!

First up, Tara...

Tara was fixing her hair as I clicked away. I think she looks so dang beautiful in this shot.

And Liz...

I even let them take my picture...

See y'all later for the rest of the photo-recap!

Photo of the Week: Liz

2011-02-22T18:22:00.002-05:00

Guess where I just got home from? Visiting this lady in Colorado....

My friend Tara & I headed west this past weekend to visit Liz in Colorado Springs (or as the locals-- a.k.a. Liz--call it... "the Springs"). I have tons of fun photos from our adventures, but this was my favorite of our fabulous hostess. I will share some others later this week after I catch up on life. Stay tuned!

[In case you're interested: unedited/SOOC photo shot at the Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. 66mm, 1/30, f9, ISO 250]

Liam is ONE!

2011-02-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

(well, he will be tomorrow, which is really just an hour & a half away!)

Happy birthday, little dude!

We can't believe you made your entrance a whole year ago! Sorry we're missing your birthday bash on Saturday. Shame on us...we are double booked. Hope you know we love you tons & will be thinking of you today! Give your mommy, daddy & Wrigs a hug for us, k? Love, Aunt Suz & Uncle Matt (okay-okay, we're not technically related, but we claim you, you furry brother, & your folks as family!) P.S. I'm going to share some of the photos I snapped of you back in November with my blog friends cause you are so stinking cute, even when you're eating dirt! Happy birthday, buddy!

This one deserves a caption.... I call it the "Praise Jesus!" pic!

Smoothie Queen

2011-02-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

I am on a serious smoothie kick right now. And I blame it on my Grandma. You see, my sweet Grandma Shirlee bought me an immersion (or hand) blender for Christmas. It was arguably one of my very favorite gifts (1) because it was unexpected & (2) because I'd secretly been wanting one for my kitchen. Grandma = generous mind-reader.

This hand blender is a game-changer. Besides being able to blend soups in a jiffy (& if you've ever tried to do that in batches in a regular blender you know how messy/time-consuming/annoying it can be), it also can be used as a mini-food processor, electric wisk, chopper, & most importantly ... single-serving smoothie/shake blender! I rarely made smoothies in our regular blender because there were too many parts to wash & often I couldn't get all the good stuff out of the bottom of the blender. With my new blender, I can make the smoothie in the same cup I drink it out of & I only have one part to wash.

While I'm gushing about my new favorite gadget & treat, I have to let you in on a new smoothie secret of mine: throw some vegetables in your otherwise fruity smoothie. I'm telling you, it's an amazing way to pump up the nutritional content, get some extra vitamins & supplement an otherwise fruity, sugary, blended drink.

My favorites? Carrots & spinach. If you're thinking, "YUCK, no way jose"... I'll challenge you to give this little recipe a try & tell me if you can taste the veggies. I'll bet you can't!

Suz's Go-To Smoothie
Mix the following in your blender. Note that I'm not specifying measurements because that's not how I roll. I just eye ball & adjust if it's to thick/thin for my taste. It's how I live on the wild side.

Vanilla or fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt (I'm not a fan of non-fat yogurt, but you could certainly use that)
Frozen berries (I stock up on the big bags at Target when they go on sale -- note that you can buy frozen fruit in a sugary syrup, but you definitely don't want this. Just the regular frozen whole fruit will do.)
1/2 a banana
A couple handfuls of baby spinach (I'm getting more & more adventurous & adding a lot more every time I make a smoothie. So far, I can't taste it!)
Milk or Juice (I usually go with OJ)

Enjoy! I've also made this carrot smoothie a few times. I substitute frozen peaches or mango for the pineapple (it makes my tummy upset). Definitely has a bit of a carrot consistency so you know it's there, but it's still delish. Try it!

Matt used to have the reputation of smoothie king in our household. In fact, we've had overnight guests specially request a Matt-McA-smoothie. Move over, Matt...there's a new smoothie queen in the house.

[Photos from Real Simple (a.k.a. my favorite magazine). I can't be bothered to take a picture after I make myself a smoothie, I dig in too quickly! Also, I've gotta give credit where credit is due. The January issue of Real Simple prompted me to try throwing some veggies in my smoothies. You can check out all of their smoothie recipes here... just enter "smoothie" in the search box.]

XOXO

2011-02-13T23:01:00.003-05:00

Sending hugs & kisses to the ones I love this Valentine's Day! (Especially this one).

....and if you don't have someone to kiss tonight, remember you may have to kiss a few frogs before you meet your prince! (Not sure why my prince is kissing a frog...but that's a blog post for another time!) Happy Valentine's Day!

A Shower for Shann

2011-02-10T17:08:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, my presence here on Simply Suz has been pretty light the last week & I will probably only sporadically pop in over the next month. I'm completely overwhelmed with everything move & dental-school related & that takes precedence! Priorities! In the meantime, here are a few snap shots of last weekend. I had 6 of my favorite ladies from our Summit small group over for a baby shower for my sweet friend, Shann.

Suz, Lori, Shann (& baby Belle in her belly), Denise, Arevig, Kim & Denise

Of the 7 of us, 3 are either expecting or adopting in the next 12 months! (And no, I'm not one of them). An exciting time for all & I am sad I won't be here to meet all of their little bambinos! These ladies have truly been such a blessing during our short time in North Carolina & I will miss them & their spouses/families dearly. Congratulations, Shann!

An Adventure & An Announcement

2011-02-03T16:53:00.002-05:00

Let's start with the announcement because it's been a long time coming (3 years to be exact). Here's a clue:

That's right.....We are moving to Florida! Matt is going to be a Florida Gator & attend UF's Dental School in the fall!!!

We are so overwhelmed with excitement to move "back home" to the Sunshine State, anxiety for all of the logistics that come with a move, sadness to leave our wonderful community in North Carolina, but most of all gratefulness for the Lord leading us right back where we need to be. Home.

Phew, now that I've got that off my chest, the adventure.

In the spirit of "enjoying right where we are" in 2011, we spent last Saturday skiing in the N.C. mountains with our great friends Lori & Dave.

You may remember this happy couple from our fall camping trip. Lori & Dave also happen to be Florida alums (Go Gators!) & they've been so helpful already as we start to figure out a transition plan. Despite our early morning wake-up call (5 a.m. on a Saturday), we had a great time skiing at Beech Mountain. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with great friends.

Because I wanted the day to be about skiing & not photography, I left our big-boy camera at home & took our old digital, which (naturally) we discovered had almost-dead batteries. We took 2 very quick photos & then hit the slopes.

The memories with 2 of our favorite NC friends trump any photos I could have taken. Sometimes it's freeing to leave the camera behind.

Lori & Dave, we are so thankful for your friendship & are already sad to say goodbye to y'all in a few months! We're expecting to see you guys as you pass through G-ville, okay?! Go Gators!

Simply Suz turns ONE!

2011-01-30T17:36:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe that a year ago today, I was camped out on our couch, snowed in, & killing time while Matt studied for the DAT (which, you may recall, he rocked!). As I perused the internet, I decided to try my hand at blogging...

Out of that snow day, Simply Suz was born. This blog has been a fun creative outlet for me (not to mention a stellar distraction while Matt does important things like study) & I'm still tickled pink to find out that y'all stop by to read!

In the last year you've followed my musings in Life for Less, Photo of the Week, Tuesday Musings, our miscellaneous travelogues (including our "epic" Alaska trip), birthdays, stories about our friends & family, photography & more.

Please consider this blogiversary celebration a big "thank you" for visiting my little slice of the internet.

love, Suz.

Photo of the Week: From the Fall Archives

2011-01-27T21:46:00.001-05:00

I found this winner while I was transferring photos from my hard drive to Smugmug. I was on a cupcake kick for awhile & Matt snapped a series of photos one fall afternoon while I made yummy caramel apple cupcakes (which actually tasted more like muffins...but they were still delicious).

Look at that yummy caramel. Please. Take me back to fall.

This is proof that I'm not always the one behind the camera! And proof that Matt knows what he's doing!

We actually made way too much caramel, but we managed to find another use for it.

Want the recipe for caramel apple cupcakes? You can find it here, although I'd strongly recommend trying the sour cream raspberry cupcakes first. Divine.

(Virtual) Dress-up for Big Girls

2011-01-25T21:58:00.001-05:00

I have a new obsession & I'm blaming it on the Pioneer Woman & Katie at Marriage Confessions. But seriously, ladies (& gents if you're into that kind of thing, but my hubs wasn't so much) you need to check out Polyvore.com. It. is. awesome.

In Ree's words: "Polyvore is a website where you can create your own sets of clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, artwork, furniture, & other adornments. Members of Polyvore then share the sets they create. But here’s the kicker: the items in the sets are all “clickable” & link to a retailer listing where you can buy the items on the set. For this reason, [it] can be a little hazardous to your pocketbook if you tend to like internet shopping. But mostly, Polyvore’s just fun."

In my words: Polyvore = virtual dress-up for big girls.

I had time to kill tonight while I listened intently to the State of the Union Address so I decided to play around with Polyvore for awhile. I swear the President had my undivided attention while I played fashionista. I'm an excellent multi-tasker. Ask Matt. In fact, I heard the Prez mention Facebook in his address; & I'd wager to say that Polyvore is as innovative & awesome for virtual shoppers. Okay. I'll be completely honest -- my ears did perk up when he mentioned tax reform, regulations & deficit reduction. Blame it on the day job.

So without further adieu, here are my Polyvore creations. I chose Tommy & Caroline's wedding as my "occasion" and got to work. Disclaimer: I have most of the items, or similar products, already so I didn't use Polyvore for it's internet-shopping-capabilities (shocker, I know, given my cheaptastic tendencies). Just for my entertainment & to give you a glimpse of what I plan to wear on their big day .... not that I expect anyone except maybe my sister to care.

[Purple dress purchased at half price with a gift card at Nordstrom at an end-of-summer sale. Originally $175 Italian, gold t-strap sandals (similar style to the pair on the left & leather similar to pair on the right) purchased at J.Crew warehouse sale for.....wait for it....$17!!!! Darling Kate Spade dangly earrings (similar color to the top pair & oval shaped like the bottom pair) received as a gift. Still on the hunt for cheap, chic gold bangles to complete the outfit.]

[Bright & cheerful Nanette Lepore silk dress, received as a generous gift from Matt's folks. It's a favorite, as evidenced by this & this. Strappy (with much smaller heel) bright yellow sandals purchased with a gift card from Macy's last spring. Vintage --- a.k.a. from my Mom's collection from the 70s --- turqouise earrings (that look surprisingly similar to the pair I found on Polycrome, just a slightly different shade)].

Have you given Polyvore a try? Happy dress-up, ladies!

Las Vegas: In Photos

2011-01-22T14:00:00.005-05:00

Warning: These photos may spontaneously disappear in 2 weeks. I just signed up for a 2 week trial of Smugmug & started moving my photos from my hard drive to the internet (don't worry, I also backed them up on my external). If I decide I don't like Smugmug in 2 weeks, these photo will probably vanish. Consider yourself warned & enjoy 'em while they last! All of these photos are SOOC (straight out of the camera)! (Sorry, I don't have time nor the patience to edit right now!)
If you want to see more, click here to view the entire gallery.

I'm most excited about these shots: the Chinese New Year display in the Bellagio. The colors were phenomenal.

Speaking of the Bellagio, here she is in all her glory.

Did I mention the view out of my room was phenomenal?

Fortunately for you, unfortunately for me, I was up with the sunrise every morning for work.

I did venture outside the walls of Bellagio to see some other hotels. First stop: Aria.

Next: the Monte Carlo.

Guess where I went next? (Hint.. NY NY!)

My last stop was by far my favorite: Paris.

I think the ceiling is what "made" Paris for me. I'm not a big casino fan as they are dark, noisy & smoky, but Paris had an airy feel to it (go figure):

I also saw Caesar's, MGM, & the Cosmopolitan, but I didn't have my camera with me on those stops. Next time in Vegas, I'm going to put the Venetian and the Wynn on my list! Here a few final looks at Vegas from my self-guided walking tour:

I thought it'd only be appropriate to end with a "big finish" a la the Bellagio fountains!

There you have it. My Vegas photo journal. Want to see more? Click here for the full album!

Happy Birthday, Kates!

2011-01-18T05:00:00.003-05:00

(It's been a big birthday week in our family! Monday, my brother-in-law celebrated his birthday & today his beautiful bride turns 29! We also have triplet cousins who ring in their 19th birthday today! Lots of family to be thankful for!)

My gorgeous big sister, Katie. (June 2010)

I happen to have one of the best big sisters around. It's true. Ask anyone who knows sweet Katie (affectionately "Kates" to me). She epitomizes gentleness, kindness & innocence (sometimes her innocence crosses the line into naiveté, which gives brother Mark & me tons of material to get Katie going ... our favorite pasttime). Before being mom to Hannah, Katie taught kindergartners & before that, she had a stand-in role as a second mother to Mark & me. She has a soothing kindness & gentle spirit that is really rare.

Katie & her girl. (June 2010)

Sure we had our quarrels growing up. Would you expect less from two girls sharing a room & a wardrobe? Especially when one of those girls - yours truly - has a feisty streak & the other one - dear Katie - is known to be extremely persistent?!

Shortly after Hannah's arrival. (Late September or early October 2010)

Nevertheless, I wouldn't trade her for anything. She is a beautiful woman, inside and out. She has an amazing heart for the Lord & for other people. She is a phenomenal wife to Matt & mother to Hannah; and it is such a treat to see sweet, innocent Hannah walk in the footsteps of her mommy.

Hannah's first experience in snow.
Good thing momma was there. (December 2010)

Sweet Kates turns twenty-nine today. On days like today, I wish I could be home to celebrate with her, but I know my folks, Matt & Hannah are taking great care of Katie today. So dear sister, I love you (we love you) & hope you have a truly wonderful day, full of the ones you love. You deserve it. Love, Suz & Matt

************

P.S. Remember when I mentioned Monday that our hubby's share the same name? Here's a little "photo shoot" (taken before our wedding) of the two sisters & their Matt's by our photographer, who just happens to be one Katie's best friends. Speaking of our wedding, here's a blog post by our photog featuring some shots from our wedding. And if you like her work, here's her new & improved website!

Happy Birthday, Matt S!

2011-01-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

Brother-in-law Matt & his little lady (Labor Day)

My sister & I have similar taste:
We both like to cook & bake.
We share friends.
We're both runners.
We swap clothes.
We love sappy love stories & chick flicks.
and we both married pretty amazing men.

Our hubbies also have a lot in common:
Both are named Matt.
(To distinguish, we specify "Susan's Matt or Katie's Matt")
Both hail from the Western 'burbs of Chicago.
Both are musical & athletic
(that deadly combo had us ladies swooning).
and both of them are pretty darn great.

My bro-in-law, Matt, turns 33 today!
Matt is a gem & we are so glad he's a part of our crazy family. He's a great husband, loving father, talented musician, respected teacher, wonderful coach (he was brother Mark's basketball coach), & a steal of a brother-in-law. Here's hoping you have a great birthday, Matt!

Love, the-other-Matt & Suz

Photo of the Week: What happens in Vegas...

2011-01-16T16:31:00.001-05:00

If you were wondering why it was a little quiet here on Simply Suz the past week.... here's why:

Unedited photo of the Las Vegas Strip & Bellagio Fountains (View from my Bellagio hotel room)

That's right, folks! I visited Vegas for the very first time. Although LV has never been on my "must-see" list, (I generally drool over trips to national parks, not casinos) I had a great week (that's right, week) in Sin City. I behaved myself, as I was in town for work meetings & a conference, but I also managed to sneak away to snap some sweet photos. I will put a few up on the blog sometime this week, but I decided to give you a quick look with the winner above. My hotel room at the Bellagio looked over their famous fountains. I could even tune my TV to a station playing the music that the fountains were "dancing" to. I'm not gonna lie, part of me felt like I'd walked onto the set of Ocean's Eleven during my stay in Las Vegas (minus George Clooney & Matt Damon). After a fun but exhausting week, I'm happy to be home.

Happy Birthday, Tara!

2011-01-08T11:58:00.000-05:00

This is Tara. You might recognize her from this post. She is one of my best friends. She's also my longest friend. That's right, we've been best buds for 2 decades! What?! That makes us officially old. We met in the 1st grade, were in the same Brownies troop led by our moms, "starred" in a few school plays together (oh yeah, Little Red Riding Hood!), share middle school memories we'd like to forget, high school & college memories we'd like to relive, & a whole lot more in between & after. She's as close to family as you can get. Oh yeah, & it's her birthday. Happy 26th Birthday, Tara! Love you, chica!

From the archives: Tara comes to visit me in Champaign {2006}

Photos of the Week: Acrobatics

2011-01-05T17:34:00.002-05:00

After yesterday's marathon post, you & I deserve something happy & light. Thanks for coming to the rescue, Carson.

Scenes from pre-Thanksgiving in Winston. Maybe one day I'll blog about that trip. I have lots of fun photos in addition to these winners (which I snapped away while we were jumping on their trampoline).

For the record, I did jump, but I am not that brave. nor that crazy. nor that acrobatic. Guess you gotta live on the edge a little when your a brand-new doctor, dad, husband & first time homeowner. Kudos, friend. You're ca-razy.

Life for Less: Save Save Save

2011-01-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine (we'll call her "J") sent me an email in mid-December asking for advice on how to "save save save" (her words... & I love 'em!) as she & her hubby are saving up for grad school, a home & trying to pay down student loans. They've started a little nest egg, but are looking for new (& maybe creative ways?) to stretch their savings.

At the time J emailed me, I was absolutely slammed both personally & professionally, but now that I have a few minutes, I figured it would be good to share with her & the rest of y'all, as well. Also, in keeping with my New Year's Resolutions, I am not going to apologize for my lack of Life for Less postings (remember, blog = hobby), but I do realize it's been awhile.

{Warning: This is way long....so if you don't have time to read it now, maybe scan now & bookmark for later!}

Let's start with some Dos & Don'ts. Some of this will sound elementary, but it's always good to return to the basics, especially when your primary goal is to increase your savings. In fact, it's really quite simple. It just takes some action.

Do take your time! (a.k.a. Don't rush into major purchases or life decisions, for that matter). No matter what you are saving for, make sure you give yourself some time to do adequate research, vet your options, & most importantly, pray about your decision. Matt knew when he graduated from U of I in 2007 that he didn't want to be an architect & he thought dentistry might be the right career fit, but before he jumped back in school he took an entire year to make sure he was serious, shadow dentists, pray about it with me, work, & save up. We try to take that approach to all decisions -- financial/school or otherwise. If you're rushing into to something, there is a chance that down the road you'll have "buyer's remorse." When it comes to major life and financial decisions (think house, car, babies, pets, etc....) take your time. Plus, you'll appreciate it more if you (a) are sure you're ready, (b) can afford it & (c) waited patiently for it! As my momma says, "Patience is a virtue, dear."
Don't be dishonest! Don't save by cheating elsewhere. Not a good habit to get into. Just sayin'. What do I mean by this? Welp, since we moved to North Carolina, Matt has done yard work, handy work, & various odd jobs in addition to his regular 9-5 & school gig. It would be easy for us to "forget" to claim this income on our tax return since he's paid in cash & there isn't a paper trail. In fact, I've heard some of my really bright friends tell me "I don't have to pay taxes because I'm paid in cash." Now, I don't believe my friends are inherently dishonest so I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt. The truth of the matter is, just because you don't have an employer who withholds federal, state & payroll taxes on your behalf doesn't mean that you don't still owe them. Think about it - if you're claiming deductions from your income (e.g. itemized or standard deduction) or credits against your tax (e.g. first time homebuyer credit, education credits, etc.), is it really fair for you to electively omit your income? I don't think so. Nor does the IRS, so if you're employing this strategy, I'd recommend praying you don't get audited. All the law-abiding, tax-paying citizens will appreciate your honesty. Promise.
Do GIVE! I truly believe that your savings & giving habits start early. So for young couples, look for opportunities to be generous, because it'll be hard to redirect your giving tendencies down the road. It's easy to make excuses as to why you can't give ("We're paying off loans," "We're saving for school, a home, etc," or the classic "We don't make enough."), but I'd encourage you to take a look at your current situation & reevaluate whether your "excess" could bless someone in need. Most of us enjoy lots of little luxuries, and if we cut back a bit, we could find ways to give regularly to our churches, sponsor a child, & support any "cause" that you believe in! Matt & I have made a commitment that as long as we have an income, we will give. And we have been blessed one thousand times over & have never thought at the end of the month, "if we hadn't have written that check, we could have done X, Y, or Z." I don't tell you that to boast, but to encourage you & demonstrate that it is entirely possible to be generous no matter what your circumstances are!
Don't neglect retirement savings! Yes, I know we're young & retirement seems ages away, but it is never too early to start. You are ultimately responsible for your retirement & an early start will help your retirement savings compound many times over. From a practical perspective, if your employer matches your contribution to your 401(k), at least put enough in to get the full match (for both of my former employer & current employer, I need to put in at least 6% to get the full match). I'd recommend putting at least 10% into a retirement account (401(k) or IRA). Further, I'd recommend that if you have the option, put it in a Roth IRA or 401(k). Why go Roth? You contribute to traditional 401(k)s and IRAs (that's "individual retirement accounts") on a pre-tax basis. That means what you put into the account is excluded from your income until you begin withdrawing (a.k.a. in retirement). At that point, you pay taxes. You contribute to Roth IRAs & 401(k)s, on the other hand, on a post-tax basis. So you'll have to include the income you contribute in your taxable income the year you contribute but the bonus is that your distributions are tax free. So if you anticipate being in a higher tax bracket in retirement (which is what I'm assuming for purposes of this recommendation), it's advisable to pay the taxes now (e.g. Roth) at your presumably lower rate. Don't have a Roth 401(k) option at work? Put in enough to get your employer match, and then put the balance of that 10% (or more!) in a Roth IRA.
Do consult your spouse! Self explanatory, right? If it was really that easy, then why do you think so many marriages end in divorce? In fact, a huge source of marital strife for most couples stem from finances! Be on the same page. For us, that means that we consult one another before any major purchase ($50+). I'd venture to say that nailing down your financial philosophy before you tie the knot is a "must-do." Don't wait until you've said "I do" before deciding how you'll handle your money in marriage. We live by the philosophy that "what's yours is mine," & leave everything comingled (besides our separate retirement accounts at our respective employers). I have a hard enough time keeping track of our joint finances that separate would throw me for a loop, but if being accountable to your spouse for all of your spending eeks you out a bit & you want to maintain some level of financial autonomy, maybe set up individual bank accounts in addition to your joint account where you each get a little "fun money."
Don't forget to indulge in a few favorites! You are going to think we are the cheapest people on the planet after you read the rest of this post, & although we may be in the running, I can assure you, we do allow some wiggle room for things we enjoy. For us, that's travel, our camera (our biggest splurge to date), seeing family, our health, good running shoes, education, steak or fresh fish for dinner on occasion, Tide detergent (it's expensive, but I love it) & giving (in no particular order). Many 20somethings want the same standard of living as their parents, but they forget that it took their folks 20-30 years to save up & establish the lifestyle they currently enjoy. Take your time. I'd rather have a healthy retirement account, a modest home, the ability to pay for our kids college & little or no debt by the time I reach my parents age instead of having a big screen TV, fancy car, & clothes I'll wear only once now. Your sacrifices will be totally worth it & you won't even notice them once you make room in your budget for a few splurges (emphasis on "few") & stop comparing your situation to everyone else. Truth be told, your friends with all of the toys may be drowning in debt.

Okay. Now that we have some ground rules laid out, here are some really simple ways to trim your budget & boost your savings. We've implemented all of these at one point or another, & we really don't feel deprived at all! We've foregone some "extras" so that we can give generously, establish an emergency fund, save for retirement, dental school & a future home, & still enjoy a few little luxuries along the way.

Cancel your premium cable. Drop down to basic or get a pair of rabbit ears! You'd be amazed by the savings! If you primarily watch the major networks, you probably won't even notice.
Cancel your internet. I know this sounds extreme, but we did this for 2 years in Chicago & we spent so much more time together! Both of us had internet at work & if we needed to get online at home, we went to the library, and kept our internet sessions pretty brief.
Drop down to a basic phone plan. Our total monthly Verizon phone bill (that's for 2 lines) runs about $70 a month. We don't have text or data on our plan, so when we want to chat with our friends or family, we pick up the phone. If you have a land line, consider ditching it & using just cell phones.
Line dry your clothes. Almost all of our laundry is air dried (we make a few exceptions for towels & whites). Give it a try! Your clothes will last longer, your sheets will be crisper & your electric bill will be lower! If you're worried about wrinkles, just pop your clothes in the drier for a few minutes, pull them out when they are damp & warm & hang 'em up immediately.
Change your air filter. It'll improve ventilation, trap some of those nasty allergens & improve your HVAC efficiency (a.k.a. save you $$$).
Open the windows. We keep our energy bills in check by opening the windows & turning on our ceiling fans in mild weather. Resist the urge to turn the A/C on at the first sign of an uptick in temp. Nothing beats fresh air.
Turn down the heat. The flip side to opening windows...in the winter, adjust the heat when you leave. We've also done this with our hot water heater when we leave for an extended vacation. We don't turn it off (don't want the pipes to freeze), but we'll dial it down a bit.
Trim your entertainment budget. To give you an idea, we budget $40 a month for entertainment (that includes any meals eaten outside of our home, movies, ball games, etc). Most months, we spend a few bucks at Redbox. We have friends over for dinner, play games, go to cheap/free events at UNC, hike & bike on the weekends for fun. We have a great time!
Bike or take public transportation to work. Matt rides his bike to work & will take the bus to school next year. (I work off a major highway, so unfortunately, biking is not in the cards for me). He gets his exercise, & we save more than just gas money. Plus, his bike ride allows us to.....
Be a one car family. My in-laws did this for years & I know several people who have made it work. For 3 of the last 4 years, we've survived on one car without any major inconveniences. On the rare occasion you need two cars, you can borrow or rent!
Brew your own coffee & pack a lunch. We've never paid for lunch (or coffee) since we started working & we've probably saved thousands over the past 3.5 years. I'm not exaggerating. I've done the math. It takes a little planning when you go to the grocery store, but it's easy peasy & probably way more nutritious than whatever fast food you pick up.
Meal plan. I've blogged about this before, but it really & truly helps you keep down your grocery budget. You buy what you need, avoid impulsive stuff you wouldn't normally buy anyhow, & save a few pennies (especially when you plan your meals around sale items at the grocery store).
Coupon. This post says it all.
Go easy on the electronics. We're still rocking the same laptops & TVs that we had in college. We're due for an upgrade (our TV is getting to be a bit fuzzy & our 2003 Dells are about to kick it), but we made sure to get our monies worth out of these relatively major purchases. We get our basic phones for free every 2 years & our only "sophisticated" gadget is our camera.
Put yourself on a shopping diet. As in, don't do it. For me, that means not putting myself in front of temptation (a.k.a. the mall). I have tons of clothes, & I pride myself in getting compliments for outfits from the archives! When I receive monetary gifts (thanks, Gram!), I'll treat myself to a little shopping trip, but I limit it to the amount of the gift. I find that I get a little shopping "high" when I buy something, but that it usually wears off after wearing my new outfit one time.
Cut down on primping. Cut your own hair (like Matt), or have your mom cut it (like me). Or check out a beauty school in town (Aveda has great schools) where you can get a cheap cut or color by a supervised student. I'm pretty simple when it comes to beauty - I've never dyed or permed hair (too annoying & expensive to keep up), I refuse to pay $40 for someone to cut my hair in straight line, & mani/pedis are definitely only for special occasions (as in, I've had 3 in my lifetime).
Graciously accept hand-me-downs. A lot (as in most) of our furniture, as well as both of the cars we've owned, were handed-down by family & friends or purchased on Craigslist. Of course I drool when I flip through a Pottery Barn magazine, but I also adore our "well-loved" pieces. I'd rather save up for the "good stuff" down the road & enjoy our hand-me-downs (which also frequently get compliments!) for the time being!
Consider "alternative" gifts to your special someone. We don't exchange birthday, Christmas or Valentine's gifts. Gasp! It started after we got engaged & were saving for a honeymoon. We decided to forego Christmas gifts that year so that we could splurge on a few things on our honeymoon. We've kept the tradition going & I'll admit, I breathe a little easier when the holidays come around because I don't have to dream up a gift for Matt (he is impossible to shop for) & viceversa. We opt instead for "gifts" that we need or want. One year we "bought each other" some sweet North Face sleeping bags, last year we bought our camera, & this year we're planning on getting a new computer.
Negotiate. My brother-in-law is the poster child for this (cars, jewelry, mattresses, appliances). He's not afraid to negotiate & we've learned from him & developed some confidence in this "art," as well. In fact, Matt talked down our landlady in our monthly rent without even breaking a sweat. When you're facing a major purchase, see if you can get the price lowered, more preferable terms, etc. If you are willing to walk away from a purchase & the seller sees that they might genuinely lose your sale, all of the sudden your price & terms become a whole lot more flexible. Give it a try.
Pick up the phone. I am not afraid to pick up the phone & call a manufacturer (or email or write them) if a product doesn't live up to my expectations. I've done it for everything from our car to some "natural" deoderant that gave both Matt & me a rash (got a $5 check in the mail after taking 2 minutes to fill out a complaint on the internet). I'm really polite about it & usually the company will reimburse me, send me a replacement, or at the very least give me a "good job" for trying.
Roadrip & Camp. Want to travel? Need to do it on the cheap? Campsites usually run less than $20 a night & at typical hotel rates, you can sleep for a whole week for the price of one night in a hotel! and Visit amazing places! Breathe fresh air! Truly "disconnect from it all." Okay, maybe we're just crazy outdoor lovers, but seriously, it's awesome. and cheap. and opens up a whole new world of destinations that you couldn't or wouldn't afford as young, broke travelers.
Get a library card. I could not have kept up my 2-4 books a month habit in Chicago without my library card. If you read the book, love it & truly think you'll read it again then buy it. Otherwise, don't feel guilt about returning to the library that book you just couldn't get into because you didn't pay a dime!
DIY. From Christmas cards to home decor, I'm a DIY dabbler. You can create the look you're looking for on the cheap if you're up for the challenge. There are tons of DIY blogs out there, so I won't bore you with my DIY-tales.
Rethink your gym membership. Although I'm ready to rejoin, our 2 year gym hiatus saved us somewhere between $1500 and $2000. If you live somewhere where you can exercise outside all year round, or if you have space in your home to workout there, or if you pay for a gym you never visit - maybe it's time to take a break from the gym (note: I did not say stop exercising! see the next bullet point).
Take good care of yourself. Exercise, a healthy diet, and preventive health care are more than good for your body. They're good for your pocketbook.
Don't overinsure. If you are like us and have minimal health care costs right now, consider high deductible health insurance coupled with a health savings account. No need to pay for a cadillac health insurance plan when you only go to the dr. for routine physicals. In fact, your high deductible plan may even cover routine preventive care 100% (ours does!). For other health care costs, although your deductible will be high (which means you are responsible for your health care costs up to your deductible instead of paying a small copay when you go to the doctor), you can sock your premium savings in a tax deductible health savings account! Your employer may even make a contribution to your HSA as a perk of selecting a HDP. Then when you do have a medical bill to pay, you've got the money set aside. As your family grows & your health care costs rise, consider making the switch out of the high deductible plan.
Marry an accountant. That friendly tip was courtesy of the Mister. He's a pretty smart man.

If you read through this entire post, I commend you. It took me a whole lot more than the "few minutes" I had when I got started (in fact, this post was developed over the course about a week). If you want more personal finance resources, check out these great web sites:

The AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) has an excellent consumer education site called 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy. No matter what stage of life you're in, 360 will help you make sound financial decisions.
FeedThePig.org is also the brainchild of the AICPA, which was created to help 20somethings "think about your spending and saving habits, identify ways you can start saving and commit to making changes that will reduce your debt and grow your savings." You'll find a lot of savings tips (probably some repeats of the ones above), & tools to help you get started.

Happy saving!

Sorry.... My anal retentive side is telling me this is necessary: Circular 230 Disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, I inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this blog is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter that is contained in this document.

Eleven for 2011

2011-01-01T22:22:00.000-05:00

In celebration of the New Year, I'm joining the blog bandwagon & posting my New Year's resolutions. In all honesty, I'm usually not the resolution-type, but I figure it certainly wouldn't hurt to try to get a few of my goals down on ~~paper~~ the blog (for all of you to see!). Please don't judge me if I fail miserably. Let's get right to it with my Eleven for 2011!

Read regularly. Starting with the most important book, the b-i-b-l-e. I've read through The Bible in a Year 3 or 4 times, & I've found that it is the only way I can be faithful in taking time out to read the Word every day. Left to my own devices, I watch too much TV & read recipe books more than the big B. The CPA in me likes a plan that I can tick through day-by-day, so this is a great way for me to work in consistent quiet times back into my daily routine.
Library. Stat. I know, I know, this is a continuation of #1. But I also want to read more for pleasure. When I had a train ride to & from work in Chicago, I read a ton. I was constantly checking books out of the Oak Park Public Library & I enjoyed that wind down time twice a day. I need to block out time to read at home. Make an appointment to go to the library more often (or work through the stacks of unread books I have at home) & plop down on the couch & read. Sounds easy & enjoyable enough, am I right?
Take "note" of Gram's good habits. My Grandma K. is amazing for a lot of reasons, but perhaps most notably to her out-of-town grandkids is her faithfulness in writing us letters! She is constantly sending us snail mail, which makes going to the mailbox that much more exciting (not just bills in there!) My goal for 2011 is to send one piece of snail mail a week. A birthday card, thank you note, postcard from our latest adventure, or maybe just an unexpected note to say "hi" to a friend. Hopefully, I'll make Gram proud.
Add a little variety. When we moved to NC, we decided against getting a gym membership. Unlike Illinois, we can work out outside almost every day all year. We invested in some free weights & P90x to keep up with our strength workouts, & we run or bike on our cardio days. Although we've saved a lot of moo-lah, it's getting kind of boring. When Matt starts school, he'll probably have access to the university's gym, & you better believe I'm buying a family membership. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss spin class.
Clean up. My friend Jen designates deep clean weeks throughout the year. This year, I'm scheduling several for us, as well. We're good at remembering to take care of weekly chores (bathrooms, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, etc...), but not so great at remembering to wash baseboards, scrub floors (I'm embarrassed about that one!), wash windows, clean cabinets, clean the fridge/freezer, etc. on a regular basis. These chores end up getting done, but usually we wait too long in between! Now they're going on the calendar! Thanks, Jen!
See the Southwest. Matt & I love to travel. Our budget limits us to camping trips, which happen to be right up our alley (we're outdoorsy-sleep under the stars-hike for fun-type people). This year, before Matt starts dental school, we want to squeeze in another fun, long-ish camping trip. We're thinking the Southwest, as we could hit a ton of National Parks in a couple of weeks time. Plus, neither of us have spent a significant amount of time in that part of the country, so it'd be a great adventure!
Make it reflect the McAs. I've been itching to put our "mark" on our current home. Although our place reflects our style in some ways, many of the design choices reflect our land lady's taste. When we finally figure out where we'll be spending the next 4 years, I have a serious "to-do" list when it comes to the McA-ifying our home.
Just get rid of it! Like probably 99% of America, we've accumulated some "junk" over the past 3 & 1/2 year (let's be honest, the last 26 years). It's time to sift through all of our "stuff" & giveaway or sell the stuff we don't use. I'll sleep better at night when I can open our coat closet downstairs without worrying about junk falling out (in our defense, our coat closet is as close as we get to a garage!). Still, no excuse this year. If we haven't used it in at least a year & I haven't looked at it since I packed it up for our move, it's hitting the curb.
Watch her grow. One of the hardest parts of living in North Carolina is being so far away from our families, & especially our niece, Hannah. It seems like every time we see her, she's learned all new tricks, is increasingly chatty & mobile, & has just plain grown up! This year, I want to make sure to incorporate some impromptu trips in our schedule to see her sweet little self. Believe me, it's good for my health.
Kick it up a notch. By the end of 2011, I want to be able to shoot exclusively in Manual mode. While I'm at it, I also need to figure out & implement a better system to chronicle my photos. And accept that deleting fuzzy photos of Hannah is a-o-k; I have 500 more. My precious hard drive has filled up quickly since that little lady came arrived.
Blog when I feel like it. Shocker. I know. But this blog is a hobby. I happen to have a job that I like, a husband who I love, an exercise routine that I know I need to keep up, a faith that I need to grow, a house that needs cleaning (a la #5), a travel schedule that sometimes overwhelms me, family & friends who I like to keep up with, books I need to read & well, a life that isn't chronicled on the internet. So I'll pop in on Simply Suz occasionally, but probably not on any sort of regular schedule. The blog's been a fun diversion for me. It started when Matt was taking classes last spring & I had some time on my hands. When life picks up, I tend to take step back from the blog & I need to be okay with that (somehow I feel obligated to post & am apologetic when I don't...newsflash! this is not anywhere near my top priority!). So please bear with my random blogging!
BONUS: I know I said only 11, but if we're getting technical, #1 & #2 could certainly be combined. But seriously, my top priority for 2011 is enjoying 2011. The past 3 years, Matt & I have constantly been looking ahead to the future --- toward dental school, moving, starting a family, getting a puppy, moving again(?), buying a home --- the list goes on. With all of that anticipation & stress, we've found it difficult to enjoy our current circumstances. We're in our mid-twenties, have few obligations besides going to work &/or school, have a decent nest egg (due to our extreme frugality), have the flexibility & means to travel... even if it means on a limited budget, don't have a penny of debt (nor have we ever had debt), are in good health, serve a great God, & we have each other. In 2011, I want to give up the anxiety & stress & stop worrying so much about the future. God will take care of those next steps & it does me no good to worry. It's time to start living for right now. Amen?!

Alrighty folks. There you have it. Eleven (with a bonus 12th!) in 2011. If I'm still blogging on 1/1/2012, we'll have to revisit these to see how I've done! Are you making any resolutions this year? If so, share 'em in the comments! Cheers, friends!

A Chicago Christmas

2010-12-30T22:41:00.002-05:00

We spent Christmas in the Windy City. Well, technically in the western burbs, but we did make a trip one evening down to the city. It was our fourth Christmas as a married couple & our first one spent in Chicago. Woops. Thankfully, my in-laws forgive me for schlepping Matt to Florida every Christmas prior. They're pretty great.

Not only was it our first Christmas together in Chicago, but it was also my first White Christmas! I actually may have enjoyed a snowy Christmas in the winter of 1984 while living in Champaign, but my memory doesn't extend back to those infant years. Nevertheless, it was beautiful & peaceful & wonderful to share such a special holiday with Mom, Dad & Tommy Mac (& Grandpa, Margot, aunts/uncles & cousins!)

We spent a lot of quality time with the McA family, enjoyed Momma Mac's yummy cooking, had lots of good conversation, celebrated Christmas with 3 different families (the "Butt sisters" - Heidi's high school friends, Grandpa & Margot, and the McAndrew uncles, aunts & cousins), & of course, exchanged presents. Somehow, even as adult "kids" we always are on the better end of that exchange! Someday when we're no longer poor young professionals/student, we'll return their generosity.

Despite our short trip (Thursday to Tuesday), we even squeezed in a day trip to Moline to visit my grandma & extended family and had some of our U of I friends over for breakfast one morning. We officially wore ourselves out. Truth be told, I was worn out before most of the festivities began, due to my unexpectedly busy December & was a tad bit under the weather Christmas Day, but bounced back in no time!

Without further adieu, here is our trip in photos (my favorite way to share our travels, if you haven't already noticed).

Family time. My favorite. Pictured: Mom, Dad, Tommy, Grandpa Bud, Margot, & us.

I am obsessed with Christmas bokeh. Blame it on my love for twinkle lights.

The McAs were all decked out for Christmas! Check out those beautiful snow-covered lights. Well done, Dad!

Almost midnight Christmas Eve at the church across the street from the McAs. We could hear the choir singing as I snapped away.

Front moving through en route to Moline. Snow covered plains. (All photos taken out of the window of a moving vehicle.)
Naturally, I forgot to take any photos of our time with our Moline family & with our college friends. Oh well.

Downtown Chicago all decked out for Christmas.

Heading back home from the train through downtown Glen Ellyn. A charming village.

From our home to yours....

2010-12-23T08:33:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a warm & cozy Christmas.

{For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be

on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6}

Happy Birthday, Little Bro!

2010-12-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

My favorite little brother, Mark, turns 23 today!!!!!

I find it hard to believe that our little Mark is all grown up. I've written before about how very proud I am of him; and even though he's probably technically a "man," he'll always be my loveable, annoying, handsome, talented, laid-back, little bro.

In honor of his big day, I figured I'd take you through a little trip down memory lane.... I'm not sure if Mark reads my blog, but after some of these photos, he may find a way to sabotage Simply Suz & take me off the web. Sorry, Bubs. Forgive me. I couldn't resist! Some of these are just too classic! (Plus, you & I know there's worse floating out there!)

Happy Birthday! We love you!
Suz & Matt

(On the left: My all-time favorite photo with Mark. Lake Tahoe circa 2000. When he was still smaller than me. That didn't last much longer.)

What a cute & lucky little guy. 2 big sisters!

I think Mark's rethinking "lucky" & "big sisters" right here.

He was a cutie-pie. (Still is).

Somebody has their rally cap on! Go Cubs!

Best Halloween Costumes EVER.

One of many wonderful family vacay memories.

And just like that he was bigger than me!

Way bigger. (I never caught up)

The kid cleans up nice.

But he also knows how to have a good time!

Did I mention he's a baller?

He's also a really sweet Uncle.

Makes my heart melt.

Hannah loves her Uncle "Dude"

So glad we got to see you this month, Mark!

Wish we could be at home today celebrating with you! Hope you know how loved you are! Happy 23rd!

Happy Birthday, Liz!

2010-12-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 26th Birthday to one of my favorite friends...LIZ!

The fab four: Tara, Suz, Lynds & Liz

Liz & I have been friends since middle school & she is truly one of

my favorite girls. She has a wonderful heart, incredible confidence,

amazing talent, & (as if that wasn't enough) she knows how to have

have fun, laugh & play! I can't wait to celebrate with her this spring

in person! in COLORADO! YIPEE! (Can you tell I'm excited?!?)

Liz, I hope you feel both loved & celebrated today, friend!!!!

Tuesday Musings: A list from our cozy couch

2010-12-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

Our darling Floridian turned snowbunny. Sledding = Gigglefest. Check out that big smile & those rosy cheeks!

It's after 11 on a Tuesday & I should be in bed already! Since I'm due for a Tuesday Musing, I thought I'd share a very short list before I call it a night...

I am so very thankful for the many people who prayed for my family & especially my grandpa this last month. Last night, I spent some wonderful time with a special group of girls & was reminded of how blessed I am to have a community (both near & far) who genuinely cares. You know who you are. Thank you.
We bought a Christmas tree on Saturday night when I got back from Illinois (had to zip the windows off the Jeep to get it on our car, which made for a chilly ride home) & since then, I've officially camped out in our living room. I spent the better part of the day working from my couch, after dinner I plopped down in the same spot to work on Christmas cards, and last night, I fell asleep reading down here. There's just something about the smell of pine, all of our sentimental ornaments &, of course, the pretty twinkle lights. Love love love our tree. We considered not getting one this year since it's already so close to Christmas, but I couldn't bear an empty reminder in our living room of our difficult December. I think it was a good decision.
Speaking of Christmas cards, I'll be lucky if I get them out by New Year's. Our unexpected trip to Moline has me a tad behind on all things Christmas so our mailing list is getting a bit of a trim so that I can at least get cards out to family & out of town friends. Wish me luck!
If my niece Hannah was my child (believe me, I pretend sometimes), I might consider scrapping all of the Christmas card photos we took earlier this month & using the beauty at the top of this post instead. It's my laptop background & has been helping me keep my chin up the last few days. Hannah was an absolute godsend this last week. When everyone was tired, sad & cranky, she cheered us up... waddling around her "GaGa's" house, generously giving hugs & kisses to loads of relatives (& a few new friends), stealing cell phones, playing in the snow (a first! she loved sledding!), brushing her/our hair, feeding beenie babies with an ear drop bottle she found, tooting at the dinner table, waving "hi" to shoppers at the grocery store & talking (a lot). I love that little girl.
My presence on the blog may be a little light through the end of the month. In addition to tackling my growing "to-do" list (that includes finishing my Christmas shopping...yikes!), I want to carve out plenty of time to cozy up on my couch with a cup of coffee, a good book or favorite Christmas movie, (and of course, Matt) & relax. After the ups & downs of the last month, I think we deserve it. In case I don't get a chance to wish you a Merry Christmas closer to the big day, I hope that the joy & peace & presence of the Lord fills your heart this Christmas season.

Come to me....

2010-12-12T14:30:00.001-05:00

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." {Matthew 11:28-30}

Grandpa Kron's Military Burial

3 weeks ago today, my Grandpa suffered a stroke in the middle of the night. He was less than 2 weeks away from a surgery to remove his kidney, where cancer had spread. Over the next 2 weeks in the hospital, his prognosis fluctuated. He regained movement in his partially paralyzed left side, but never was able to swallow. While in the hospital he picked up several infections, including MRSA & pneumonia, which complicated his already delicate health.

Gram & Gramps: holding hands after 63 years together.

2 Wednesdays ago, my mom flew up to Illinois be with him in Moline. She had planned to arrive after his scheduled surgery to help with the post-surgery rehab, but moved up her trip once the surgery was canceled & Gramps health continued to deteriorate. The next day, Thursday morning, she called me to let me know that Gramps was slipping away. I jumped on a flight to Moline & a few hours later I was in the hospital with my mom, Grandma, uncles, aunts, & cousins, reassuring Grandpa that God was with him, offering him eternal rest & respite from suffering. There were moments in the next 36 hours where we thought he may let go, but he stayed with us. So we held his hand, sang him his favorite hymns, read to him, prayed with him. We even slept at hospital & made friends with some of the kind staff.

Early morning at the hospital.

Last Saturday morning, my dad, sister, brother & niece arrived from Florida. The last of Grandpa's family (with the exception of Matt & my brother-in-law Matt) had a chance to hold Grandpa's hand and tell him how much they loved him. Less than 5 minutes after my sister and brother stepped out of Grandpa's hospital room on Saturday morning, he decided to start letting go. He had held on to give his grandchildren a chance to say goodbye. All of grandpa's children (except my sweet Aunt Becky, who stayed behind at Grandma's to watch my niece, Hannah) and grandchildren were with him when he left us to be with the Lord.

Gram receives Grandpa's flag

Grandpa had a beautiful visitation on Tuesday, where probably 300+ people came to offer condolences to my Grandma, mom and uncles. On Wednesday, we celebrated his life at a truly special funeral, a snowy graveside military burial (complete with a 21 gun salute & taps), & a lovely luncheon at my Grandma's church. Matt along with my brother, cousin, dad and brother-in-law, honored Grandpa as pallbearers. I was fortunate enough to get to spend the rest of the week in Moline, helping wrap up some details for Grandma. It was a bittersweet week. It was a joy to gather as a family, something that we rarely have the opportunity to do, but difficult given the circumstances.

My sister and I gave a eulogy at Grandpa's service on Wednesday, which I decided to share here. I realize that this will make an already long post, even longer, but hopefully this will give you a glimpse of the kind of man our Gramps was and how loved & missed he'll be.

.........

My favorite photo of Gramps. Taken on my wedding day.

Our Grandpa, affectionately “Gramps,” brought a lot of joy, laughter & love to our lives. Over the past few days, our family has shared many stories about the life of Gramps, including his more endearing (& sometimes amusing) characteristics. As Katie & I thought about how we could honor him today, we reflected on the lessons we learned from the almost 29 years he’s been a part of our lives. So here they are, “Life Lessons Learned from Grandpa Kron….”

Number One: Always be on time

Grandpa was a man of routine. Whether it was his breakfast schedule, dinner menu, faithfulness in heading down to the mall for a walk or out to a Moline ball game, or his appointments to watch the grass grow in the front drive, he was nothing short of predictable. Probably his most predictable trait, however, was that he was never ever ever late.

In all of his years at John Deere, Grandpa was never late for work. He was the first one ready to go to our ball games, & the first guest at our weddings. He was early to all of his appointments and wholeheartedly considered it rude to keep people waiting. Some of us are still learning the art of punctuality and I’m sure we’ll never live up to Gramps’ standard, but we appreciated this characteristic. He respected people’s time & knew the importance of showing up when you’re expected.

There is only one occasion that we could recall where Grandpa was ever late. This past Friday, Grandpa was ready to head up to his eternal home, but he waited one extra day so that two of his grandchildren could say goodbye. What a fitting and kind way to end his life -- waiting for us.

Number Two: Be passionate

Grandpa was very passionate and loyal about the things he loved in his live, including his family, friends, sports, his hometown, Moline, the Gaithers and John Deere. He was an avid sportsfan, it didn’t matter if his team was on a winning or losing streak, he faithfully tuned in or hopped on a bus to cheer them on. The Cubs, Bears, Maroons and Hawkeyes all held a special place in his heart.

Grandpa was also very passionate about his garden. Every summer he grew his vegetables and generously shared them with his family and neighbors. He didn’t give up even when the animals got through the fence, instead he just moved his garden into the grill. (Sidenote for blog readers: Grandpa grew tomatoes in his Weber grill. He figured the animals would have a difficult time getting up to the grill & the kettle was a perfect pot.)

Each one of his kids and grandkids have found similar passion for different things in our lives. Although our passions may not have always aligned with Grandpa’s, he supported us just the same.

Number Three: Make friends wherever you are

It was such a joy to meet many of Grandpa’s friends yesterday afternoon. We were amazed by the number of people who had been befriended by Gramps over the years.

He had friends everywhere he went. He couldn’t help it. Grandpa was a friendly & outgoing guy. He made buddies at the mall, with waitresses at restaurants, at Hafners, Moline games, and especially in the neighborhood. He had a team full of friends – nurses & doctors – caring for him at the hospital these last two weeks.

If you had any doubt about his ability to make friends, you could have just observed him at our weddings. By the end of the weekend, all of the bridesmaids knew Gramps and probably his life & health history. I remember watching him say goodbye to one of my best girlfriends at my wedding by planting a big, juicy, Grandpa Kron kiss right on her lips.

Despite his many quirks, Grandpa was a loveable man. In fact, I’m sure he’s already set up his lawn chair in heaven, waved “hi” to the neighbors & made several new friends in his new home.

Number Four: Treasure your family

One of the most important things to Grandpa was his family; he loved spending time with each one of us. It didn’t matter where we were, he was always proud to introduce us to his friends, at the mall, the basketball game, the waitress at the restaurant. Some of our favorite times were sitting together visiting in Grandma and Grandpa’s living room; we’d all pile in, some of us on the floor, and just sit and talk.

Every year, Grandma and Grandpa spent time with their family in Moline, but they also made sure to come down to visit their family in Florida. When it got too difficult for Grandpa to make the long drive to Florida, and before Grandma was ready to get on an airplane, Grandpa agreed to take the Grey Hound. He and Grandma made the long 24 hour trip to Florida on the bus that year to visit us.

He was so proud of his grandkids. Throughout the years, both he and Grandma came to our school events, Grandparent’s Days, high school graduations, and confirmations. It made him especially proud to cheer us on at our sporting events, because perhaps it reminded him of his glory days playing basketball, baseball and golf.

This past year, it was his dream, and a goal that he achieved, to come to Florida to watch Mark during his final year of college basketball and to meet Hannah, his great-grandchild. He loved holding Hannah and enjoyed talking to her and playing with her.

Grandpa’s love for his family is something we will always treasure.

Number Five: Keep an open heart

The most important lesson we could take from Grandpa’s life is the importance of keeping your heart open to the spirit of the Lord. Many faithful believers - most notably Grandma - prayed that Grandpa would come to know the Lord even late in life, & I can say wholeheartedly that the peace of God was so present in his last few days. God was with Grandpa, & I believe that Grandpa’s heart was softened to the Lord & that he welcomed the presence of Jesus in his life.

As Katie & I talked about what was the most important thing any of us could learn in our lifetimes, it is the simple truth that God loves us, created us as his children, died for our sins on the cross, conquered death in the resurrection & wants nothing more than to have a relationship with us. As Grandpa suffered those last 2 weeks, we believe that the Lord spoke softly to him, offering him eternal respite from his suffering & that Grandpa accepted the wonderful, free gift that God offers to all of us on the cross.

Jesus promises us this rest in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As we reflect on his life today, Gramps is with the Lord today, resting in the knowledge that he is a child of God and will live eternally with his heavenly father. What a life lesson to celebrate.

oh so proud.

2010-12-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of my hubby.

His sweet niece is giving her Uncle Matt (who she affectionally calls "du" for "dude") some lovin'. I think that Hannah would give "du" a big hug & kiss today if she was close by to congratulate him on being accepted to dental school (well, let's get technical...schools!).

Of the 8 schools Matt interviewed at, he's been accepted at 5, waitlisted at 2, & is waiting to hear from one last school (Hint: It's the one that's located in the town we live in. They're a little behind on the admissions process & haven't contacted any interviewees yet.) Hurry up & wait....

Matt's a humble man. Doesn't like to boast, so I'm doing it for him tonight. I am so proud of him. This has a been long process & he has stayed the course, patiently waiting. We still have 4+ years ahead of us, but I am so glad that the admissions committees saw in him what everyone else who meets him knows to be true. He is a good man, a hard worker, & a genuine caretaker who will be an excellent dentist. Matt told me last week that his goal at work that day was to make a crabby patient smile. And he did it. That's the kind of man he is.

Once we get the final word from the last school, we're going to have to sit down, have a heart to heart & figure out where oh where we want to spend the next four years. One this is for sure. My husband is going to be a dentist. Yahooooooo!

P.S. I'll keep you posted on where he ends up going when we figure it all out. For now we're ~~anxiously~~ patiently waiting!

Happy Birthday, Lyndsey!

2010-12-01T07:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet, dear friend, Lyndsey!!!!!!!!

She has a heart of gold & I am so thankful for her friendship.

Lynds, I hope that your 26th birthday is full of love & laughter!

(Taking it back... May 2007!)

Tis the season!

2010-11-28T22:06:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, I suppose it's time for me to put away my pumpkins, pilgrims & gourds & pull out my Christmas decorations! Tis the season for twinkle lights, Advent calendars, Christmas cookies, ornaments & Christmas cards!

I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail from friends & family, & by mid-fall, I've usually picked out our Christmas card/photo (we're using this one)! All over the blogosphere, I've been reading about Shutterfly's blogger holiday card giveaway. Blog about Shutterfly (what's not to love about their amazing Christmas card designs?!) & get 50 free cards! What a deal! We've used Shutterfly in the past for our Christmas cards & have always loved the finished product!

I'd already ordered my photos when I read about this awesome promotion, so I said "shucks!" & vowed to pay attention next year. Until... I thought about my big sister. I'd already offered to take their family Christmas card photo while we were home for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd see if she'd like to take advantage of the 50 free cards. I'm all about sharing the love. Katie was in, so all we needed to do was to capture some sweet photos of their fam (no small feat with a 14 month old) & pick out a Shutterfly design. Here are the finalists...

Option #1
This was my absolute favorite photo of the entire shoot. Hannah just started walking on her own while we were home (I think she was waiting for Aunt Suz & Uncle Matt to arrive to make her big move!). She went from taking a few steps to completely tottling around independently & she was oh-so-proud of herself.

With her sweet & a little bit naughty expression, I think this Shutterfly design would be perfect!

Option #2
I absolutely melt when I see Hannah's sweet smile in this photo. She is so loved.

I think that this photo would look great with this simple Shutterfly design.

Option #3
This is the best family photo (at least of everyone's faces) that we captured. It's tough getting a 14 month old to smile & look at the camera at the same time. Uncle Matt & the abundance of Florida oranges (true to form for our family, Hannah loves a ball & the oranges in the backyard passed muster as balls) helped capture Hannah's attention!

For this photo, I love this Shutterfly design. It's so important to remember the real reason for the season & I love when a Christmas card reflects that.

I'll leave the ultimate choice up to Katie since these are her cards! I'll also share some more cute photos from our little shoot & week in Florida later on the blog.

Psst... Have your own blog? Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Learn more here!

Thanks, Shutterfly!

Thankful

2010-11-24T22:22:00.002-05:00

I'd planned to write an extensive list of all of the things that I am thankful for this year here on Simply Suz, but what I am most thankful for at the moment is the chance to spend time with my family this week. I'll spare you the list, as I'd rather be counting my blessings with my family than spending time recounting them here on the blog.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful, supportive, loving, faithful family & to have married into a pretty amazing family, as well. This Thanksgiving, I am also especially thankful that I grew up having a relationship with all four of my grandparents, & I am praying hard that the Lord stands beside my Grandpa K as he recovers from the stroke he suffered on Sunday & as he faces the seriousness & difficulty of cancer. I hope that as he spends his Thanksgiving in a hospital room, he is reminded how loved, cherised & lifted up in prayer he is... Love you, Gramps.

Gramps

2010-11-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

This is my beloved Gramps, with my super-sweet niece Hannah....

Gramps is very sick & needs some prayers right now,
so if you're reading this, please lift him up to the Lord.
Thanks, blog friends. Love, Suz

PhotoBOOK of the Week!

2010-11-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging over here on Simply Suz. I've been busy creating a photo book (using Blurb's Booksmart, my fave) of our summer vacation to Alaska. About 2 weeks ago, I received an email from Blurb offering 20% off my next book.* Here's the catch, I had less than a month to finish it. I'm a frugal lady & will do almost anything to take advantage of a sale. I've also found that I need motivation to start & finish a Blurb book & a sale is just the ticket to kick me into high gear.

This was my 6th Blurb book (have I mentioned I'm a very happy customer? I've written about blurb once, twice, three times already!) & probably took the most time & effort. I've become more comfortable using their software, which meant that I created custom layouts for almost every page. For the control freak like me, that's a huge selling point. If you don't like Blurb's preset layouts, or want to tweak the size of a photo or text box, you can edit the layouts.

Once I painstakingly went through hundreds of photos & picked out my favorites, tweaked or created new layouts, & wrote a little travelogue, I finally gave my book a good once-over... Overall, I was pleased. Thankfully, my little blog series gave me a head start. A lot of my favorite photos were already picked out & I'd already written about our whirlwind vacation in detail right here on the blog. (I'd already done the hard part).

When I previewed the book, I did notice that some of the photos looked a little fuzzy, which puzzled me. We'd just bought a fancy-schmancy new camera & the photos were super big with amazing resolution (in fact, I plan on blowing up this one in canvas & putting on our mantel). After searching Blurb FAQs & finally emailing customer support, I discovered that my photos were just too-dang-big. Jamming all of those megapixels into teeny image boxes distorted the photo. And here I thought low-resolution would be my only problem! I had to go through each & every photo in the book (319 to be exact), determine the "optimal resolution" in Blurb, open in Picasa, export a lower-resolution copy of the original photo, import that copy into Blurb & replace the original file. It. took. forever.

In the end, I'm glad I took the extra time. I would have been super bummed had the book come in the mail & all of the photos were fuzzy! I thought y'all might want to take a looksie (note that the blurry photos exist in this little preview, the photos you see are a lower resolution "placeholder" if you will, of the actual files). If you read my Alaska series, a lot of the photos will look familiar, but feel free to flip through if you're at all curious! Consider putting together a Blurb book of your own. You won't be disappointed!

*Psst....Want to make your own book & get a 20% discount? Finish & upload your book by November 26th & enter "PROMO" at checkout.

PhotoSHOOT of the Week: Mel Headshots

2010-11-10T16:56:00.001-05:00

My beautiful friend, Melanie, needed headshots taken to use when she auditions for plays & she asked me if I'd be willing to take them for her. Yes, CPA-Suz has dramatic, creative friends who live in an entirely different world than her. Of course I said "yes." One, because I love taking pictures. Two, because I love Mel.

Mel was so patient with me while I fiddled around with my camera, dragged her all around the grounds of Rashkis Elementary (Matt & I run on a path by the school & I am in love with the bamboo on the trails), & asked her to smile...now be serious...now smile...now look pensive. What can I say? I'm new to this, & haven't really mastered taking care of my job behind the camera & instructing the subject what to do (Not that Mel needed much if any coaching. She is the pro. I am the amateur). Plus, I usually photograph flowers & trees & mountains. They don't need both of their eyes to be in focus.

Mel has gorgeous green eyes, which really worked well with the bamboo/pinetree backdrops. All of the photos on this page are "SOOC" (straight out of the camera), with the exception of the B&W, which I made monotone in desktop Picasa (the color file was a little too warm for my liking). Of course, Photoshop would be helpful to do a little touch up, but sadly, Matt's computer which actually has Photoshop is dead as a doornail. Luckily, Mel's a natural beauty & doesn't need any editing!

Here's my favorite, which actually happened to be one of the first photos I took! Mel's favorite was the bottom row, second from the left in the collage above. Which one do you like best? You should be able to click to enlarge...

Psst... I decided to use my free flickr account for now for photos. I'm still contemplating which "pay for storage" site I want to use to house my photos. Hopefully I don't run out of free flickr space before I make up my mind!

Tuesday Musings: A List About Blogging

2010-11-09T22:00:00.002-05:00

Do you like the new header? I'm excited about it! Hopefully, I'll do a better job at rotating that with the seasons. Given that it's been autumn for, what...2 months?... I wouldn't hold your breath on a winter header anytime soon!
I love blogging. Although I'm very very Type A, I do have a creative side (I do! I do!) & blogging has been a great opportunity for me to get those creative juices going & write outside of work. Simply Suz has challenged me to work on my photo skills & has given me a forum to share some of our adventures. Even though I'm not consistent in my blogging, this isn't going to disappear anytime soon.
I've dropped the ball on Life for Less. Part of my impetus in starting this blog was sharing some of some personal finance tips for 20-somethings, but Simply Suz has become more of a photo blog! Sorry! Since it's benefits enrollment season, I've started a post on high deductible health insurance, however, I keep getting sidetracked & I haven't had a chance to spend any brain power on that one. It's coming one of these days...
I have officially run out of space for my photos so I'm investigating other options (probably going to bite the bullet & buy a Flickr "Pro" account) so I can keep sharing my favorite hobby with you. Plus I just had my first real "gig" taking photos for a sweet friend of mine. More details on that later this week. That is if I can make a decision on where to house my photos in cyberland so that I can share them with you!
Lastly, has anyone else noticed the Christmas commercials vamping up? This would usually annoy me, but I'm trying not to be in denial & I've already started my Christmas cards & shopping (what?!?), plus I'm trying to finish a book chronicling our Alaska trip this week, which takes precedence over blogging.
Did you care about any of that? Probably not. If you made it to #6, thanks for reading :)

More (Very Special) Birthdays!

2010-11-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

It is birthday season around here!

Today, Momma McA & Margot Z. (Grandpa Bud's lovely wife) celebrate their birthdays. These two ladies are extremely special to us & we wish we could celebrate with them today! I could not have asked for a better mother-in-law & grandmother-in-law.

Heidi (who I affectionately call "Mom") is one of the sweetest, funniest, quirkiest, most loving moms. Maybe it's because I lived by myself with her & Dad Mac last year when Matt moved to NC, but calling her "Mom" doesn't seem foreign at all. She gave me a hug when I left for work each morning, we've traveled together, made dinners together, enjoyed one too many cups of coffee (& wine) together, cried to/for one another, gone for evening walks with nonstop chitchat & made lots of sweet memories in my short stint (so far) as a McAndrew. In short, she's a keeper & I'm so thankful for her! Margot is an absolute sweetheart. Kindhearted, adventuresome, patient & unassuming, she is a wonderful partner-in-crime for Grandpa Bud! I miss these ladies like crazy...

I have officially maxxed out my photo usage on Picasa, which explains the lack of blogging in the last week, so please bear with me while I figure out how to get new photos on the blog! Luckily, I had all of our photos from our trip to California last Thanksgiving in a web album, so I could pull these funny/favorites of Mom & me in Monterrey. Unfortunately, until I have some time to iron out my technical (a.k.a. photo) difficulties here on Simply Suz, I can't upload a photo of Margot :( but I hope she knows how special & celebrated she is!

Happy Birthday, Mom & Margot! Love, Suz (& Matt, too!)

birthday boy!

2010-11-03T00:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had birthday girls & today we have a birthday boy! Tommy!

Happy birthday to my brother (in-law...but we usually drop that part), who turns 24 today!

Tommy had a pretty exciting year (playing in a BCS bowl game, studying abroad in South Africa, graduating from Stanford, landing a sweet job, & proposing to his best friend), but I have a feeling this coming year will top it.

I am so thankful that the McAs have embraced me as a true member of their family, & Tom's no exception. As evidenced by these photos, he learned how to make me feel welcome early on. He's a great guy, better brother & I'm sure he'll make an excellent husband to Caroline...

Happy birthday, Tommy!

Love,
Your big sister, Suz
& Matt, too!

birthday girls!

2010-11-01T22:38:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my college roomies, bridesmaids, & most importantly dear friends, Jenny & Courtney!
These ladies are both turning a quarter of a century old (j turns 25 tomorrow & cbiz on wednesday!)! Their bdays are separated by a mere 24 hours, & they truly are kindred spirits. Must explain why I love them both so much....

Ladies, I love you & miss you more than you know. I hope you feel celebrated today.

happy halloween!

2010-10-31T21:52:00.019-04:00

It was our fourth Halloween & we had our first trick-or-treater! We were so excited when the doorbell rang & a little fairy was standing there. We also got to skype with a really cute lady bug tonight...Hannah! Babies in costumes = awesome.

I had great intentions to post my favorite pumpkin recipes today (dinner in a pumpkin...which we enjoyed last night, Mom's yummy pumpkin bars, Katie's pumpkin pancakes, Liz's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, & pumpkin spice cake), but the day slipped away! I'll have to post those another day!

{Photo shot last weekend in Blowing Rock, NC.... Miss those posts? Click here!}

Autumn in the Mountains {Day 2}

2010-10-29T15:33:00.000-04:00

{Psst...if you missed Day 1 of our little camping trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, click here!}

Thankfully, we didn't wake up as ice cubes on Sunday morning. Whatever the reason (Was Saturday night was warmer than chilly Friday? Did the soup we ate for dinner warmed us up from the inside? Or maybe wearing every stitch of clothing we had with us kept us more insulated?), I could feel my feet on Sunday morning so I knew it'd be a good day. After a hot breakfast, breaking down our tent & packing up, we hit the road & made our way to Moses Cone Memorial Park. I couldn't tell you what Mr. Cone did for a living, but whatever it was, he made enough moolah to build a gorgeous home on a breathtaking piece of land....

Apparently, in addition to hiking the grounds, browsing their "Craft Center" (a.k.a. glorified gift shop), you could also take horse & buggy rides. We passed... but we did enjoy meandering the grounds.

And boy oh boy were those grounds gorgeous...

Our little party of ~~four~~ five (counting Riley!), was a little sleepy and stinky that morning after a long day of hiking & no showers. Matt was going for the pajama model look & Dave enjoyed "reclining" on a hill. I was smart enough not to let anyone take my photo...

We parted ways at Moses Cone & Matt & I took a short detour to Blowing Rock, NC. I'd been there ages ago with my family, but Matt hadn't ever checked out this charming mountain town. It was teeming with tourists checking out all of the high-end shops (Matt told me "This place is like Disney world for old people!"), so we felt a little out of place in our ~~pajamas~~....errr....sweats.

Ladies, if you haven't read Jan Karon's Mitford Series, and you're looking for a sweet, heartwarming, engaging read ... pick them up! Mitford is a fictional North Carolina mountain town based on Blowing Rock. This is how I envisioned Father Tim's parish when I read the books years ago...

And lastly, here's my favorite Blowing Rock photo... Love the fall colors!

After our quick trip to Blowing Rock, we were fortunate enough to get to meet up with our friends, Kevin & Lara, who moved to Boone this summer from Durham. We were in small group together at The Summit, and we were sad to see them move, but also equally excited for them. They are both App State grads and they were itching to head back to the mountains. Can you blame them?!

After a delicious lunch at a funky, burrito place (can't for the life of me remember the name...but it was yummy...Matt had the "white trash" burritto and I had some sort of Jamaican Jerk variety) , they graced us with a tour of App State. What a great campus! Sadly, I forgot to take a photo with our friends... probably good not to have a photo of us, but those 2 looked like they walked out of a Banana Republic catalog! A darling couple...Sorry for my forgetfulness!

Although we probably missed the height of the fall coclor by a week or two, the campus had a few vibrant trees...

After saying goodbye to Lara & Kevin, we hit the road to head back to Chapel Hill. About 20 miles west of Winston-Salem, we made a split second decision to pull off the highway and say "hi" to our friends, Carson & Nicole, & they were kind enough to allow us to swing by at such short notice. They even fed us! What awesome friends! I already shared one cute photo of Liam, but here are some other faves. Can't get enough of that boy!

So there you have it, friends! Our whirlwind weekend in the mountains...Thanks for reading along!

Autumn in the Mountains {Day 1}

2010-10-28T16:53:00.004-04:00

{Psst... Once you're done reading this marathon post, day 2 in the mountains can be found here. Sorry for the photo overload. It took me awhile to upload all of these so I'm sure it'll take awhile on your end, too! I promise it'll be worth your while, just get a snack while you're waiting!}

Since our future is so up in the air, Matt & I are trying to take advantage of everything North Carolina has to offer. If we could have it our way, we'd relocate to the mountains permanently, but since (sadly) there are no dental schools off the Blue Ridge Parkway, we just sneak up there when we can. This weekend we packed up the Jeep with our camping gear & made the 3 hour drive after work on Friday to Julian Price Campground off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Doesn't our Jeep look like this is where it belongs? I think our car was as happy for a trip to the Parkway as us.

We didn't arrive until after 8 so that meant we had to set up the tent in the dark. It's a good thing we've camped so much that we're pros at pitching our tent now; last year we did it in the dark, pouring rain at Julian Price! After we drove in the last stake, we jumped into our sleeping bags & called it a night. We didn't get much sleep because it was freezing! Our friends in Boone said that it got down to the mid-20s on Friday.... Brrrr.... North Face, are you reading this? Your mummy sleeping bags are supposed to keep us warm to 20 degrees, but we can assure you that they did not! Here we are trying to warm up. When I asked Matt why he was standing on our picnic table, he told me (very seriously), "heat rises." Brilliant... that husband of mine.

As we wrapped up our usual camping breakfast (oatmeal with craisins...yummy & warm), our friends Lori & Dave (and their pup, Riley) arrived. Lori & my big sis, Katie, were college roommates at UF & are great friends. Lori & Dave relocated to NC a few months before we did & we're so thankful to have Florida friends close by! They also love to camp & hike so we were eager to spend the weekend in the mountains with them. After they located a campsite (the campground was packed!) & set up, we hit the trails!

Our first stop was the Daniel Boone Scout Trail, which is part of Grandfather Mountain State Park (but here's a secret....you don't have to pay the big entrance fees for Grandfather!). This trail offers beautiful views of the Blue Ridge mountains, valleys & Parkway. The curvy road in the photo below is the Linn Cove Viaduct, an "engineering marvel" of the Parkway. Near the top of the trail, there are ladders/cables to the peak (which Matt & I tackled last year), but this year we decided would be a little difficult for Riley to get up & down so we turned around.

The fall colors were spectacular, but most of my photos are pretty light due to the bright sun, so I increased the shadows this one so that you can see all of the layers of color....

One crazy part of this hike is that there is a plane wreck just off the trail... I read somewhere it's from the 60s or 70s. Not sure why they never cleaned up the wreckage. I guess it stays as a warning: don't fly in fog! (I'll spare you the photos...just kind of creepy). Instead, here's a closer look at the fall colors...

After a quick snack, Dave drove us down the Parkway to Linville Falls. Matt & I have been there twice before, but this was by far the prettiest we've ever seen the falls. The autumn colors were gorgeous, which is probably why we weren't alone (not by a long shot). The place was packed! Here's Lori & Dave at the Upper Falls... such a good looking couple! (If you missed it, here are our photos from the same spot...)

Let me tell you, both couples took advantage of having an extra set of hands to take photos! When Matt & I travel together we get a lot of solo shots. We even found a friendly hiker to snap a group shot!

We had a little photo shoot with Riley, too. She's a 10 month old, Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix...hence the mohawk on her back. Riley's such a sweet pup and a great hiker!

Check out the natural beauty of Linville Falls.The center photo is of the Lower Falls... I am loving that colorful backdrop!

Here's my favorite photo from Linville. Shocker...it's not even of the falls!

We stopped for some photo-ops on the way back to our campground...

Even though Dave graciously stopped for me to snap some photos, below is (surprisingly) my favorite shot right out of the car window. Have I mentioned, I love the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Alright, folks, I think I'm going to have to cover day 2 tomorrow! I'm worn out from all of these photos... Coming tomorrow: Moses Cone, Blowing Rock, Boone/App State, & quick detour to Winston-Salem!

See the resemblance?

2010-10-26T23:33:00.000-04:00

On the way home from the mountains this weekend (I promise to put up photos from that camping/hiking trip later this week), we took a quick detour off the highway to say a quick "hello" to our friends the Felkels in Winston-Salem. I pulled out the camera to get a few shots of Liam & he struck this pose (please excuse the remnants of dinner on his chin & shirt).

....I think he has a future in football...Or maybe child modeling....

link love.

2010-10-26T18:30:00.002-04:00

My friend, Courtney, is trying to drum up some interest for her home reno blog, so I decided to share the love today here on Simply Suz! Here's a snapshot of what they're up to...

Welcome to the Anderson's journey of home renovation and design. We recently bought our first home and are excited to transform our outdated house into a beautiful home. We're learning a lot along the way, and wanted to document our progress for friends and family to see!

While I'm at it, I add a brand-spanking new page for you... Under "Welcome Friends" in the right hand column, click on Link Love to see a list of all of my favorite blogs! Do it! Maybe you'll find a new read (just promise me you'll come right back here to Simply Suz!)

Happy Fall from the McAs!

2010-10-25T23:07:00.002-04:00

We spent the weekend in the beautiful North Carolina mountains with some fun friends! I'll post some pretty photos later, but until then ... here's a taste! (If I didn't already have a Christmas card photo picked out, I'd be inclined to use this one!)

Or maybe this one... We're accustomed to traveling solo so we appreciated Lori & Dave's snapping a few photos for us!

{Linville Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway}

....Stay tuned for more!

Photos of the Week: Favorites!

2010-10-22T07:49:00.000-04:00

In case you felt overwhelmed by the crazy number of photos I posted on Wednesday

(I know I was when I went back & looked at my post), here are my favorites from this week....

Cupcakes (to eat & drink) for Girls Night!

Love the light in this photo from Occoneechee.

Nice skillz on this one, Matt!

Baked with love by Matt Mac.

Cheers!

I'm a sucker for an unexpected perspective.

Hope you had a great week, too!

4 years ago yesterday...

2010-10-21T10:35:00.001-04:00

...Matt asked me to marry him. So glad I said yes...

Buckingham Fountain. Chicago. October 20, 2006.

I don't think I would have guessed that four years later we'd be living in North Carolina, he'd be interviewing for dental school & I'd be sitting here writing a blog about it, but I'm so thankful I get to walk alongside him every day.

"The Bean" at Millennium Park. Chicago. October 20, 2006.

Love you, Matt. Thanks for loving me back.

Art Institute of Chicago. October 20, 2006.

This is what a great week looks like.

2010-10-20T23:26:00.004-04:00

Did I mention I had a great birthday week? (That's right. As my friend Mel pointed out, "yes, I think you should claim the whole week." ... I concur, especially when your hubby isn't present for the actual birthday). It's been awesome. Lots of hanging out with my main man, Matt, and also with some sweet friends.

Here's a run down in photos of the past few days.... While Matt interviewed at UNC Saturday morning, my weekend kicked off bright & early at Habitat Women's Build in Durham. That's right, a house built almost entirely by women for a sweet local lady (& also member of our church!) & her daughters. There were "a few good men" on the worksite, but mostly it was just the gals. I have done Habitat / Group Workcamps several times before, & I must say I loved working on a house with just women. Fewer egos. More questions. More "can I give you a hand?" We loved it & are already planning on helping out another weekend this fall!

(Not photoed: Nicole, hammerer-extraordinaire who had to leave early. Have to give her credit for her mad-hammering skills).

~~Psst.... click on any of these photos collages to enlarge!~~ Shoot. I lied. Anyone know why blogger won't let us open up our photos in a new window. What gives?!?

On Sunday, Matt & I headed north to Hillsborough to the Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area. We're trying to hit all the hiking spots close by & so we decided that the highest point in Orange County would be a good stop (don't be impressed, it's definitely not hardcore). It was a pretty day, and we had fun goofing around as evidenced below. Give it a week or 2 & this area is going to be bursting with color! After our hike, we stopped at an antique shop to browse (Matt gave in for my bday) & then enjoyed some yummy ice cream on the porch at Maple View Farm.

When we got home, Matt whipped me up a yummy birthday dinner (ribeye, PW's cheesy spicy grits, and salad) and we enjoyed the delicious cake he'd baked for me earlier in the day. He also prepared Monday night's dinner (manicotti!) so that we could take it easy after work Monday. I love it when he gets domestic.

On Tuesday (my actual birthday), I dropped Matt off at the airport (for yet another interview - can you say awesome dental school candidate?!) and then came home to put the finishing touches on these yummy raspberry cupcakes for my small group ladies. (Click here for some other great cupcake recipes!) My friend Kendra also celebrated her 26th this week, so we had a joint little birthday party. I love these girls and felt so blessed to get to spend so much quality time with them.

All in all, it was a great week (so far). I'm off again to head to the airport! My hubby is home! Goodnight!!!

twenty-six

2010-10-20T01:16:00.005-04:00

today i turned 26. well, technically, yesterday (seeing that it's 1 am!). matt had to go out of town for an interview this afternoon, so we decided to get the festivities started a little early & celebrated on sunday... and monday, too. i have some fun photos from our weekend, which i'll for sure share here on the blog. seeing that being alone on your birthday seems just wrong, i spent the evening hanging out with some really dear friends (holler, summit ladies small group!), including, one kendra hancock who also turned 26 on monday! happy (belated) birthday, kendra! we ate cupcakes, popped open a few bottles of wine & had some good old fashioned girl time. it was wonderful. based on how i ushered in "26" i have a feeling this year is going to be fabulous.

for being so far away from my "homes" (florida & illinois), i felt such an outpouring of love today. birthdays are good for that. for being reminded of the people you love & who love you back. i love the phone calls (7 people sang "happy birthday" to me today). i love that i got to chat with my little brother, who rarely picks up the phone to call me, but makes an exception for birthdays. i love opening emails & cards from dear friends & family especially when they include mini-updates on their lives. heck, i'd be lying if i said i didn't like checking the out-of-control facebook wall or getting a sweet shout-out on someone else's blog (does it count that she's one of my bffs?)! most of all, i love having an excuse to catch up & spend time (even if it's just "phone time") with some of my favorite people.

i guess what i'm trying to say is ..... thanks for the love today, folks ..... love you back.

(p.s. matt made that cake for me! all i had to do was snap the photo! have i mentioned i have the sweetest hubs?!?)

Photos of the Week: Liam...Is he not the cutest?!

2010-10-14T22:40:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting for quite some time to share these ones. This is Nicole's little man about a month ago at our house.

Okay! That's all for now folks. I'm through day 1 & a half of our 14 day trip in our Alaska book. I need motivation!

blurbing...not to be confused with blogging...

2010-10-12T01:07:00.001-04:00

At 10:30 this evening, I decided to start working on my book chronicling (mostly in photographs), our trip to Alaska. Blurb is having a sale through the end of October, which is always solid motivation for me to get going on a book project. Tonight I worked on the cover & the first half of "day one" of our two weeks in Alaska & it took me a solid 2.5 hours, so I'm not feeling optomistic about finishing up this project by October 31st, let alone the end of the year.

I tell you this to let you know that the blog break continues... If you need some light reading in the interim, check out my Alaska posts (if you haven't already!)

Journey to Alaska/Denali - Click here!
Denali - Part 1 - Click here!
Denali - Part 2 - Click here!
Kenai - Part 1 - Click here!
Kenai - Part 2 - Click here!
Anchorage - Click here!

Sheesh! It's one a.m. This little lady needs to get some sleep so I can be bright-eyed for work tomorrow! I'll be back on Thursday with a photo of the week! Promise!

blog break.

2010-10-09T10:28:00.000-04:00

this was a marathon week, friends. in the past 8 days, matt & i each returned from out-of-state trips. we've hosted overnight guests, sold our car (yep, the dead one - we listed & sold it within a 20 hour period), ran almost everyday outside (can't pass up this beautiful fall weather), cooked/baked a ton, spent time with friends at birthday celebrations, dinner & small group.... all on top of our usual go to work, do chores, etc... schedule.

somehow, amidst the crazy, i managed to squeeze in 6 blog posts! - well, technically 7 if you count this one. what?!? that's a new record for me. so i'm taking a break. i don't have the kind of stamina/time required to blog everyday. hence, i need the weekend (& maybe next whole week?...we'll see) to catch up.

we were initially planning on going to the mountains this weekend to camp & hike, but matt still has to finish up an application for an interview next week, i need to scrub the floors & start working on a couple new blurb books (alaska & yr 1 in carolina...) & we both need to catch up on all of the sleep we've deprived ourselves. so this weekend is about being homebodies. hopefully we'll have time to be both productive & squeeze in some relaxation (& college football!). thankfully, the mountains aren't going anywhere, so we'll hit them up later this fall.

have a restful weekend... see you back here when i'm all caught up!

{You can find us on the couch this weekend}