Master Bedroom: Before and After

The master bedroom definitely ranked near the top of our list of rooms to tackle first. It was quite a mismatch of colors. Two different green/blue paint for the walls, silver carpet and silver blinds. Yikes!!!

Before

After

After

Caution...Wet Paint!

January 2008, a few months before we tied the knot, I got the "idea" that we should move and upgrade. We bought our townhouse in April 2005 and it was the perfect starter home! We absolutely loved the house, area and how close it was to near by shopping centers. However, I just felt we were outgrowing our space and wanted to start our married life in a single family home. With some convincing to Rob, we contacted a real estate agent and started the process. The house hunting didn't take long, in fact we only looked at 3 houses. House #3 seemed to be the perfect fit for us. The previous owners had very 'interesting' taste, but Rob and I could see through cosmetic changes and thought this would be a good fit. Just over two years later, we are still making house improvements and taking it room by room. Time and money are the two biggest reasons it has taken us so long. Just this past weekend, the most recent project was fixing up our office. Rob ripped out the hideous blue carpet and put down hardwood floors and painted over the yellow sponge paint. Lexi also contributed to the process as well. During a break of improving the office, Rob re-painted our dining room window ledge (because of a chewing accident by Porscha). Rob walked away from the room and when he came back, there was white paint all over the floor and paw prints on the window ledge. Poor Lexi! We wiped her off and threw her in the bath ASAP. The funny part was he fixed the paw prints and she did it again later that night! I will post photos of the house in future blogs to show the "before and after."

Friday = Date Night

With wedding season concluding and work events slowing down for the summer, Rob and I got to enjoy a much deserved date night with just the two of us. I wanted to do something special and surprise him with a fun night. I bought us tickets to see Toy Story in 3D, what a cute movie! We are big fans of the Toy Story, Shrek, Monster Inc. series, so we were definitely excited to see the movie and we didn't walk away disappointed! I even cried the last fifteen minutes of the movie :-( After the movies, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Olive Garden and a shopping trip to Target. Yes, we are most definitely the wild couple!

Rob and I at Toy Story 3D

Dinner at Olive Garden

Happy Daddy's Day

Sunday was an amazing day filled with family, food and the doggie park to help celebrate father's day. I am so blessed to have an amazing Dad who I think personally is one of a kind and probably the nicest man I know (with the exception of Rob). Patience, thoughtfulness, supportive and hard working are just a few words to describe him, even though I could go on and on... I am so fortunate that my Mom and Dad live so close and are always there for Rob and I for whatever we need. We had a wonderful day, even though Rob missed most of the festivities due to work :-( He still got a Father's Day card from the girls and we saved him some food and dessert. Enjoy some photos below!

A New Housewife?

On Saturday, Rob and I made a trip to northern Jersey to celebrate Stephanie and Joe's wedding. Stephanie was like my "child" at YCP (I was her Resident Director when she served as an RA on my staff) and it was a honor to be a guest at their wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and their reception was fabulous! Their reception took place at the Brownstone which is often featured on the show The Real Housewives of NJ. We had an amazing time and I even got to meet two stars of the show, Al (the husband of one the housewives and owner of the Brownstone) and Christopher (their son). I was very star struck and I'm sure I made quite the impression on both of them. Enjoy photos of the wedding and the beautiful bride.

Adventures of the Dog Park...

On Friday, Porscha & Lexi were excited to show off the dog park to their new cousin and BFF, Abbie. So all 4 humans (Rich, Rob, Kelly and I) and the 3 children piled into one car and made our way out to the dog park. Porscha and Lexi resumed their normal roles, Lexi was the queen of the park who caused a few problems and Porscha was her usual loner self. As soon as we got there, Lexi started bullying a small dog -pinned him down and bit his butt to the point he started to yelp. Ohhh Lexi, when will she ever learn! Abbie did a great job and was very social and played well! She even got Porscha to be more social and they chased each other throughout the park. Enjoy photos of the girls playing below.

Welcome Abbie Fiesta

The moment I found out Kelly's dog adoption passed, I wanted to throw a "Welcome Abbie Fiesta" at our house. Being quite the expert party planner and Ms. Martha Stewart, I made sure no detail was overlooked... frosty paws (check), lots of doggie treats and toys for the girls (check) and most importantly lots of food for the humans (check).

The fiesta was amazing, despite the heavy rain that swept through. The girls got along great and Lexi only snipped at her a few times. We even got to have an early anniversary celebration for my Mom and Dad who will celebrate 32 years of marriage bliss on June 24th. Overall, the welcome fiesta was a huge success and it was so cute watching Abbie play with Porscha and Lexi.

A Night of Baseball!

Kelly, Rich, Rob and I enjoyed a night w/o children and we took in a baseball game at the Revolution stadium in downtown York. Despite the terrible loss, we had a great time! We stuffed our faces with nachos, hot dogs, ice cream and even enjoyed some fireworks after the game.

Fireworks at the Rev's Game

Bringing Abbie Home

So even though Kelly was bringing Abbie home a few days earlier than originally planned, the whole process went very smoothly! Aunt Kristin and Uncle Rob were absolutely thrilled to help out the new Mommy. Kelly and I went to Target to stock up on the doggie essentials and we also joined her when she went to the foster home to pick her up. Rob and I helped with many "firsts" that night. We assisted with bath time, walks and even play time. Abbie was hesitatnt about everything at first, but she was slowly warming up to everything and everyone. She is truly a cutie and I'm so happy that I get to be her Aunt :-)

Abbie's First Bath



A little hyper after bath time...

Welcome Abbie!

So the dog torch has been officially passed. Kelly adopted her first doggie child this week, a beautiful husky mix who she named Abbie. This whole process started Sunday night when I got a call from Kelly asking my opinion on dog adoption. Being the avid dog lover and pro-doggie adoption, I was absolutely thrilled to hear this news. I helped her through the application, asked a million times if 'Mom and Dad' knew what was going on and offered to go with her to check out the puppy she was looking at. The whole process moved pretty quick and the next thing I knew, Kelly was calling me Monday afternoon to see how my schedule looked for later that night to check out her potential new love. After arriving at the foster mommy's house (the same one who I inquired with about Maddie), we were greeted by two male puppies, Bunny #2 and Bunny #4, as well as their Mamma, Bunny. The two puppies were definitely adorable, but didn't seem to socialize that much with Kelly. After a few minutes of them playing hide and seek, I randomly asked if their Mamma was available for adoption as well, which it turned out she was.

Bunny was so incredibly loveable and the bond with Kelly was instant. You could definitely tell it was love at first sight. After spending more time with "Bunny" AKA Mamma- Kelly was sold. A day later, everything was approved and Kelly would be able to pick her up Saturday.

On Wednesday, I got a text from Kelly saying, "change of plans, picking up Abbie tonight." So I will make sure to provide updates and how the first cousin BBQ goes with Porscha and Lexi. We are very excited to have Abbie serve as a new member of our doggie family and can't wait to see what new adventures she has in store for us.

Mr. & Mrs. Alvarez!

Kim's big day finally arrived! The day or bride could not have been more beautiful. The day started off with hair appointments for the bridesmaids and bride, lunch and getting ready at the Mill and of course the beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by a night of dancing, laughter and lots of fun! Enjoy some photos from Kim's big day.

Memorial Day Mayhem

Memorial Day is by far one of my favorite holidays! It kicks off summer, it is the anniversary of when Rob said "I love you" for the first time, anniversary of when we got engaged and most importantly a time to celebrate with family. On Saturday morning, Rob and I made the long drive to Long Island for the annual Schab family BBQ later that night. What a fun time! Unfortunately, our vacation had to be cut short because Rob had to work on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, the fesitivites resumed with a BBQ at our place for the Summers fam. An awesome weekend with way too many calories consumed! Enjoy some photos below and by clicking here.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

On Friday, I had a wonderful time celebrating "Kim's Last Single Weekend" in preperation for her upcoming wedding. I met Kim when I started working at YCP in June 2007 and our friendship was instant! Little did we know until we were friends on Facebook that we both graduated from Downingtown HS, but different years.

Our friendship grew and we shared many laughs, stories and lunch dates at chilis. She even was one of my fluffer ladies on my wedding day and helped me with my dress bussle. "KIM, THE BUSSLE!"- Mamma Summers.

So I was absolutely thrilled when she asked me to be a bridesmaid for her June 2010 wedding. After a beautiful bridal shower in early May, we were very excited to kick back and celebrate her last weekend as Ms. Testa. The bachelorette party included pedicures/manicures, drinks and dinner at White Rose and the showing of Sex in the City II in the new theater. Lots of cosmos and fun were had by all! Looking forward to the big day on Saturday, June 5th. For photos from the Bachelorette party, click here. For photos from the bridal shower, click here.