PPQ: The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Week #31

Hey all! I had another busy week this past week, but my weekend was a little more relaxing so this is posted at the regular time! Woohoo!

Day 211: Isn't it lovely that when the calendar says that it's finally Spring that nature decides it is too!? Today the grass looked greener and the little white & purple wild flowers sprouted making my backyard look so happy! Yay!

Day 212: I actually did it folks, I took down the Christmas tree!!! Then I got into full on Spring cleaning mode with the rest of my house!

Day 213: This is a new nail polish I got! I keep seeing these pale shades of pink polishes and had to purchase one for myself! (Peter Piper Picked...) This color is called Easy Going by Sinful Colors. It took about 3 coats before it covered properly and since it's so pale it is not very forgiving for someone who doesn't polish neatly (me)! I like it okay, but may try finding a better color next time. Also, I got to work today at a dental office I've worked at before! It's nice to know that they'll call me up when they need someone and found out they want me to work a week for them in May!

Day 214: Got another call this morning from another dental office saying they need me! Feels great to be loved! haha It had been raining this day, but the sun came out so strong when I was driving home that I needed to put on my sunglasses for the first time this year!

Day 215: So I went to a "working interview" for the pediatric clinic that I regular interviewed with before. They say that they work so differently than a regular dental clinic that they wanted me to come in and make sure it would be a good fit for all. They are totally paperless, so I had to get used to their computer system and what they enter into that system, which was the major part that was different. The other dental hygienist there said that I did really well with that cause it took most of them a lot longer than it did me in just that one day. I hope that will make me look good, not only that but all my other qualities as well!

Day 216: My television in my living room has been on the blink for the last month or so, and with that is my TiVo, which you know I can't live without! So I've been recording all my shows to watch on my parents TV. Anyway, Phil came over this weekend and said he wanted to mess with it. He turns the TV on and it is working perfectly fine. Just him looking at it. This is not the only time this has happened, and it is pretty weird. Also, I actually ran at the Y today for the first time since I hurt my ankle! I didn't try to push myself cause I was afraid of hurting it, but I did pretty good!

Day 217: Today was my daddy's birthday!!! It just so happened that Phil and I were getting some more free cupcakes (and brownies this time) from another bakery for our wedding tasting. This is a pic of the brownies, which may look okay and all but they did not taste good. They were more like cake (and you know by now Phil does not like cake), but they were not good tasting cake, and the cupcakes weren't good either. So this was a FAIL on being dad's birthday treats, but luckily Phil and I made brownie cupcakes (brownie mix poured into cupcake tins and baked) the night before that turned out deliciously! Too bad we ate all of them before I forgot to get a picture of them!

Hope everyone had a good weekend, I did even though it was entirely too cold for me!

Registry: Kitchen/Dining Room

Phil and I already have our casual, everyday plates which are white with a little black on them. The color inspiration for these room though comes from the fine china we are asking for in our registry:I have always loved them and could not wait to get them! So I'm thinking I want white cabinets, with most everything white but have maybe one wall painted that color blue, and have some of our kitchen items we ask for be blue too. I already have my eye on a bread box and some canisters from Target that are that color! ...now to find a house!

• Any tips on great kitchen/dining room items I definately need to have?
• For any room - If you have ever registered and are already married, what is the one item you could not live without from your registry?
• What is the one item you didn't register for that you wish you did?

PPQ: Rain

Rain

©Mariah Smile

Umbrellas, wetness

Puddles, splashes

Pitter-patter

On my window

Faster wipers

Slickers, boots

Muddy sidewalks

Flooding rivers

Big, grey clouds

Wipe your feet

Watch your step

Hydroplaning

And fishtailing

Week #30

I was pretty busy last week work-wise... then the weekend was filled with fun and wedding stuff! The bad part is that I forget to take pictures of some of the things that matter the most! It's the small little things that I'm like "Oh! I'll take a pic of that!" but I guess I'm so wrapped up in the moment during lots of wedding planning fun! I really need my wedding photographer to follow me around all the time! Sorry this is late, enjoy!

Day 204: I was at Phil's house this Sunday, and we decided to take his nephew on a little field trip to Kmart and GameStop on a quest for an Xbox game he and Phil could play together. We got to the Kmart just fine and dandy, and even bought some delicious and addicting Thin Mints (pictured, then gobbled) from the Girl Scouts. Anyway, after that we were on our way to GameStop when Alec says "I'm gonna puke" about 5 seconds before he does. Vomit is everywhere. It stinks. I feel bad for the little guy! Phil complained all week about this situation in his car and dumped about hundred different products on his car seat to get the smell to go away. Arm & Hammer was the winner! Sorry to incorporate the delicious picture of Girl Scout Cookies with this story!

Day 205: I woke up extra early cause I had a temp job today! It was at the dental clinic I've been filling in for since September. About 10 minutes into my 30 minute drive, I get a call from the girl I was filling in for saying that the clinic was cancelling all patients for the day due to a death in the dentist's family. I turned around and drove back and got a picture of the sunrise out back of my house! Then I got ready and went to the Y!

Day 206: I worked for the same girl mentioned in Day 205 today! And I actually got all the way there and worked! It was a rainy day, but it was starting to feel like Spring was coming!

Day 207: Wednesday I had to go to an "orientation" for a dental hygienist I would be filling in for at a new dental clinic. I went there for about 2 hours where I learned where everything was that I would need when I worked there, got accustomed to the digital x-rays I would be taking, and mostly just talked to the dental hygienist. On my way home I got me some much needed new tennis shoes! Love them! I am going to where my old ones only when I work out now.

Day 208: Happy St. Patrick's Day! I wore my green today, it's my most favorite of colors! As I drove around today, I was suprised to see there were a lot of people out around my hometown wearing green! Guess it's pretty easy garmet to wear since the local high school's colors incorporate green and so does the university... or they just didn't wanna get pinched!

Day 209: So I worked this Friday at the new dental clinic I mentioned above in Day 207. They were really laid back, with just one dentist/one assisstant/one hygienist (me for the day!)/one receptionist. It was a busy schedule but I did just fine getting used to the new location! I am currently a fill-in for 4 different dental clinics in the area, but still hoping for that full-time position!

Day 210: This was a busy, busy Saturday! First, I went with my mom & bridesmaid Corey to go look at bridesmaid dresses and finally picked one! Then, we went out to lunch where I talked to the cupcake lady that works there and got 6 different cupcakes for free to take home to Phil! As you know, Phil does not like cake but was willing to try this lady's orange cupcake since it was a different flavor. So mom, Corey, Phil, & I sat around the kitchen table at my house and had our own little cake tasting! They were so good for all except Phil. Next, Corey, Phil, & I went to the mall. We dropped off Corey with her hubby, and Phil & I shopped around (I was looking for wedding shoes, which I didn't find). We ran into our friend Rachel and her mom, chatted a bit, then went on to JCPenny where I found the banner pictured! Sephora is coming to our mall!!! I was super excited and sadly this is the pic I took instead of all the wedding activities of the day! After the mall, we went by another local bakery where we found a woman willing to make a small brownie cake for me and Phil to cut at the wedding to solve our cake problem. The rest of the guests would have cupcakes, and this woman said we could call her back sometime this week and she would give us 6 cupcakes/brownies to try for free too!!! So yeah, this was a looooong day and we passed out when we got home!

This post doesn't even incorporate yesterday's Sunday and you see that Saturday was so packed! Thanks for bearing with me and sorry if there was too much to read! Have a happy week!

Spring Fever!

Hello my lovlies... my weekend was super busy and I am exhausted! So, tomorrow's Pic-A-Day will be late! Hope your Monday is not so Monday-like!!!

...and HAPPY SPRING!

Registry: Library

Okay, this really doesn't have anything to do with my registry besides only hoping I could be lucky enough to have a library like these some day! ...or maybe I could register for books? haha

We may not be able to have a library, but it would be nice to have a little office/extra bedroom to have bookshelves and be able to display my hoard of books! Oh, and I want the walls to be kelly green!

For Japan With Love

I will not be posting tomorrow because of the Bloggers Day of Silence for Japan. Please contact the American Red Cross or For Japan With Love to help out.

PPQ: Reality

Week #29

I hope everyone had a good week! I got up to the 200's on this week's Pic-A-Day! I had a busy week, and it's looking like this next week is going to be a busy one as well!

Day 197: Yup, I still have my little Christmas tree up. I had planned to take it down before but my ankle got in the way and I just really haven't thought about it since. Maybe this week it'll go to sleep for the rest of the year!

Day 198: I woke up so nauseated this morning and figured it was from the dinner I had out the night before. I continued to feel yucky the rest of the week off and on and figured out my mom had the same thing the week before. I really do love the taste of Pepto and I'm much better now!

Day 199: Went out to eat lunch with my Maid of Honor/BFF - Sarah, then we went to go look at bridesmaid dresses at various places. After all that, mom and I met with a wedding coordinator who is going to help us with just the "Day Of" events.

Day 200: Today I had an interview with pretty much my dream job, a pediatric dental clinic. It scares me to even type that out thinking I'm going to curse myself! I feel like it went really well, but we'll see!

Day 201: Went out with Sarah again today! This time we went looking for her some wedding dresses! It makes me wish I could try more on, which I guess I could if I wanted - there are so many pretty ones and she looks good in anything :)

Day 202: Phil and I met another one of my bridesmaids - Corey, and her husband/possibly our ceremony musician, in Charleston this weekend at a new pizza place there called Pies & Pints. I had me a pint of rootbeer on tap and each couple got their own pizza with two different kinds. We shared them all: one was 1/2 Margherita Pie 1/2 Eggplant & Red Pepper Pie (pictured) and the other was 1/2 Cuban Pork Pie 1/2 Chicken Gouda Pie. My fave was the Cuban Pork!

Day 203: Phil and I went to our tasting at the Buffalo Diner today! Everything was yummy and we got lots of things sorted out to get estimates. This food was so much better than the other tasting we went to! Yay!

I don't know about you, but daylight savings is screwing me up right now! I have to work a temp job in the morning (it's Sunday night when I'm typing this) and to me it should be 11:45pm and I'll be getting in bed early (for me), but it's actually 12:45am and hopefully I'll be good to go early! Have a good week everyone!

Registry: Living Room

What do you ask for in your registry for the living room? I really have no clue. I'll take suggestions! I do know that I want it to be casual and have neutral colors. This would make it easy for me to change up.
Man, it is hard doing this without an actual house!

PPQ: Like the Wind

Like the Wind

©Mariah Smile

You wrap around me like the wind

The way you reach and flow and bend

All of my senses you do attend

Everything I lack, to me you lend

If my heart breaks, to it you will mend

Always beside me, my faithful friend

Week #28

Had a busy week full of getting stuff done! Woohoo!

Day 190: Only watched the Red Carpet portion of the Academy Awards, and maybe a little bit of the beginning just to see how Anne Hathaway and whats-his-face would do hosting. I agree with a lot of my other bloggy friends that Anne totally did the carrying on this one, at least the part I watched.

Day 191: Made my way back to the Y today for the first time since I hurt my ankle. I did pretty good using the bike and the precor machines but it is when I am just walking that it bothers me. Ended up only gaining 1lb in all that time off, so I thought that was pretty good compared to what I thought! It's been raining a lot here so this is a pic I took, on my way to the Y, of the creek near the park that was overflowing.

Day 192: My purse strappy broke today :-( Time to buy a new one :-)

Day 193: Mom and I went down to the Ramada which we reserved for the wedding reception! Exciting stuff!

Day 194: Dad booked the DJ for us today! It's nice getting all this stuff under control! Also, it seems Charlie Sheen is now writing lines for Conversation Hearts! It reads: "WIN ME"! haha I totally found this in my V-Day sale rack bag of Sweethearts I bought!

Day 195: Qdoba... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Sorry I didn't get a picture of the delicious food, but I was too busy scarfing it down!

Day 196: Phil and I went out registering more today! It is pretty fun! This is one thing came up on our registery that we didn't scan, and I kept my eye on Phil when he had that gun, so I know he didn't do it! Might just leave it on there! LOL

More wedding stuff going to be accomplished this week as well, stay tuned!

Registry: Bedroom

Phil and I are currently scouting out stuff to put on our wedding registry. Let me tell ya, it's hard! Especially when you don't have a house/apartment in mind when your shopping. So we've been trying to come up with colors we would want for each room, and are trying to cross items off the list that either of us already have.

We want grey walls with black/white/grey in our bedroom and maybe some splashes of yellow. It's hard for me not to incorporate some aqua with this, I don't know why but that's how my room is sort of now. Here are some pics I found that are my inspiration:

1

2

3

4

• So, what do ya think?
• Do you like 1, 2, 3, or 4?
• Do you like my color combination?
  

I also found these bedrooms for multiple children and LOVE them! I think they are so neat and I would love to have them for my own bedroom!

• Do you have any registry tips for me?
• How should I go about registering if we don't even have a house!?

PPQ: From The Chrysalis

FROM THE CHRYSALIS

by Emily Dickinson

My cocoon tightens, colors tease,

I'm feeling for the air;

A dim capacity for wings

Degrades the dress I wear.

A power of butterfly must be

The aptitude to fly,

Meadows of majesty concedes

And easy sweeps of sky.

So I must baffle at the hint

And cipher at the sign,

And make much blunder, if at last

I take the clew divine.