Simply Suz turns ONE!

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.

Tuesday Musings: A List About Blogging

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 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...
4. 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!
5. 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.
6. Did you care about any of that? Probably not. If you made it to #6, thanks for reading :)

link love.

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!)

blog break.

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}

Welcome to simply suz.

I’m Susan: a 20something CPA, young married lady, outdoor enthusiast, doting aunt, and now…a blogger! I’ve been obsessively following blogs for about a year now & have loved catching up on the adventures of friends & the occasional stranger(s).

This blog is all about the things in my life that I love:

• Matt: My husband has been putting up with me for 2.5 3+ years (legally) but about 6 7 years (by choice). Bless his heart.
  
• Budgeting: My dream job is teaching financial literacy to 20somethings, so I plan to use this blog to holler at that segment of my readership (ha!) a bit. Click on “Life for Less” to read my personal finance musings!
• Organizing: My closet is color coded. Our DVDs alphabetized. Our filing system - impeccable. I just can’t help myself.
• Cooking: We love to eat, but we’re too cheap to eat out, so we embark on lots of adventures in our teeny kitchen. I may share an occasional recipe.
• The Great Outdoors: We love to travel, but we’re too cheap (sensing a theme here?) to splurge on lavish luxuries like hotel rooms, so we camp…and hike…and love it.
• Life in General: In addition to all of the wonderful things listed above, I love: Jesus, my baby niece, college sports, photography (mostly other people's...but I'm trying to learn), good books, our new life in North Carolina & of course our family & friends. Get ready to hear about all of the above.

Excited as I am? Read on :)