November 13th, 2009

Two years ago today, I met a man who would completely change my life in so many ways. It's crazy to think where we are now. I thank God every day for that fateful night that He brought Nick into my life. He has help me become a better person, a better woman and a loving and caring wife. I always thought I loved my life before, just the way it was...carefree, spontaneous and living in the moment. If I would've known then, what I know now, I wish he would've come to me sooner! But that only makes me appreciate him more. In the past few years we have started dating, traveled all over the world, moved in together, got engaged and got married. What's next?! Hmm...
 I know I ramble on about how much love Nick fills every piece of my heart, but in many ways, I feel I don't say it enough. These past 2 years have truly been the greatest of my life and I am so lucky I get to wake up everyday to my soulmate. And I know it can only get better, which is insane because sometimes I think we have it so good! I am beyond blessed!





The first night we met~Nov. 13th, 2009




Our wedding day~ July 23, 2011


Also, two years ago today, I lost my grandfather due to Alzheimers disease. Although he had been diagnosed with it 10 years prior, I felt in my heart he still knew who is family was and could identify each and every one of us. I lived 3 hrs away from him and my grandmother, and I didn't get to see him as often as I'd like later on in life, but I know he knew he held a special place in my heart. I have some of the fondest memories of him growing up. My grandparents house was the place to be! It held so much love, fun times and all around warm and cozy place that our family loved to interact in. My grandmother still lives in that little bitty house and it's funny to think that all of my uncles, aunts and cousins have moved to have families of their own and have way bigger houses, yet the migration for holidays and get togethers is still at the grandparents house. It was a joke for many years in our family because when he was becoming sick, he wouldn't have any recollection of what he said or asked and sometimes would repeat himself over and over. Well, the one thing he would always ask me is "Amy, do you have a boyfriend yet?" We would all laugh and my answer would still be the same. ":Nope, not yet, can you introduce me to someone?" (Kidding of course) I feel that devine intervention took place on November 13th, 2009. My grandpa sent me THE most wonderful person for me to meet. I wish Nick could've met him, but I so believe in my heart that there is a meaning for me metting my prince charming on the day my grandpa left this Earth. So, grandpa, not only did I finally get a boyfriend, he turned out to be the most incredible husband I could ever ask for. I know he'd be proud.

 My fondest memories with my grandpa and his home are:
~Swinging on the tire swing in the backyard for hours on end(which seemed like a ginormous place to me back then).
~Running up and down the creek alley ways in the back of their house catching tadpoles with my cousins Rusty and Jake.
~Admiring my grandmothers Precious Moments collection and although I knew I couldn't play with them in their locked up cabinet, I asked her almost every time I went over there to get one out for me to look at.
~Bouncing off of my grandpa's belly with my cousin Erin with our heads and springing back so far!
~Using the back of the couch as our balance beam in our Mary Lou Retton sweats with my cousin Erin because we were determined to be professional gymnasts :)
~Endless. Butter Pecan. Ice Cream. in their garage refridgerator.
~Crunching the cans and trash in their trash compactor. Which is still there and it makes me smile watching the great-grandkids doing it now.
~Always, always, always laughter. The kind that makes your stomach and sides ache.

Grandpa~ I hope your enjoying your home in Heaven. I know, without a doubt, you are cracking jokes up there and making everyone laugh. We miss you so much but know you are happy and able to remember, finally, all the fun times we all had together.

Birthdays and holiday spirit

October is over and so are all the birthdays! Honestly, most everyone i know has a bday in October. Including yours truly :) my bday was last Friday and it was a great day. Nick and i went to Winstar world Casino in Oklahoma and gambled and saw Eli Young Band and Dierks Bentley in concert. Unfortunatley, I didn't hit the jackpot (only $85 at a slot and Nick won $300 in blackjack) nor did the Rangers pull off a World Series win (they should've had that game 6 dammit!) but it was still a blast! My boo also got me a beautiful Michael Kors watch ive been eyeing for awhile now :) We woke up Saturday morning, ate breakfast at the hotel and headed home. That night we went to our friends house for a Halloween party. It was sooo much fun, as it always is at the Torres' house. I'm glad October is over because that means the holiday spirit is here! I went to Starbucks today for my cinnamon dolce latte and it came in the red and white cup! Yippee! I can't wait to go to New York for Thanksgiving then Vegas right before Christmas! We are definitely living it up and ending 2011 with a bang for sure.
That's my catch up for now, my legs are jello and I need to cook dinner. Just ran 2 miles to get all trained up for the annual Turkey Trot in NY. I know i can't believe it myself but it feels so good! :) happy November!!

Blessed by your birth

Today is my husbands 29th birthday! I'm so grateful to his parents for birthing him, raising him to be a caring and sweet soul, who turned into an amazing and generous husband and an overall wonderful man. I am so blessed to have him in my life and couldn't imagine life without him. Tonight, he is at the Rangers game (one of the presents I got for him :) and I miss him, but I know he is having fun. This morning I woke up, made him blueberry muffins and gave him his other gift (a new wallet since his was torn and tattered) and a card from me and the pups. Last year, we were in Italy celebrating his birthday so this picure is in honor of that.

And one from our honeymoon :)

Nicholi -
I am so blessed you were born. You are my best friend, my lover and my soulmate. You make me the luckiest and happiest woman in the world and I am honored to be your wife. Cheers to your last year in your 20's, but many, many more to be shared together. Love you to the moon and back!!! xoxo

Whole lotta nuthin

Too exciting has been going on and let's just say I love it that way. However, I start a new part time job tomorrow so that should be fun. Insert sarcasm here. I never landed that work from home position, but it's ok because I figured I should get out of the house every now and then. Which, don't get me wrong, I like coming and going as I please, but figured I could make some extra money for a Mani/pedi and some designer jeans now that cooler weather should be here anyway now. What's the hold up man? So teaching math and science to a bunch of rowdy pre-ker's should be enough to occupy my mornings and afternoons for now.
Today I'm taking full advantage of my last completely free day and watching Bridesmaids with my hubs. I swear I will never tire of this movie. It gets better every time I watch it. Except for the fact the second time I saw it in the theatre with my best friend Jen we brought mini bottles of wine.

Have a great week and wish me luck on this crazy endeavor!

Prayers have been answered

Rain is in the forecast (yesterday was a tease) and cold(er) weather is here! In fact I am in sweatpants because I love them and can actually make use of them. There was a teeny tiny shower on Fisher Dr. yesterday, just enough to make a pretty hibiscus bloom. I swear I'm going to become a better green thumb-er one day. Since we're on the subject of home improvements...

Say good-bye to the nasty carpet!

And hello beautiful new floors! :)

Pretty new pillows courtesy of Pottery Barn (hello, gift cards!)

I scooped up this coffee table as well as matching end tables from a former students parents who were just wanting to get rid of them. I still need to sand and re-stain the wood, but new knobs can do well in a pinch :)

Took the barstools too. Couple of coats of heirloom white spray paint and voila!

And my first attempt at a wreath. We also had our front door stained and I thought it looked naked and needed a little sumthin. I guess it'll stay until the holiday. I'm going to invest in a fabulous wreath! Love them :)

Hope everyone enjoys the cooler weather! I know we are! Makes the dog park much more enjoyable :)

These are a few of my favorite things

As I'm sitting here alone in the movie room, listening to my dogs howl while in their kennels (the cleaning people are here and it's the ONLY time they go in! Ooh so mistreated) I keep thinking to myself think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, say it with me, happy thoughts. And so it goes. I am so happy with my life and have so much to be blessed for, why not write it down? Ok type it down. What I'm mcloving right now...

~This WEATHER! I'm a complete news junkie, yet I have been refusing to watch the weather and/or news because I'm afraid this is only temporary. I'm not ready to face the heat again.
~That Starbucks has brought back the pumpkin spice latte! In fact I have a venti sitting next to me. Just makes me want to tell mother nature, "See, it IS time for fall"
~Married life. I love being home, cooking, cleaning, baking...and everything in between.
~Evening walks with the hubs and dogs. They love the dog park and you can't beat this weather! Yep I'm still talking about the weather.
~Trying my hand at these crafty projects. So far, I've sanded and painted furniture, changed out cute knobs on our living room endtables and dressers, redecorated the living room and master bedroom and my latest DIY project is a cute wreath that is almost done. I'll show the final product of these next post.
~Our new living room floors! Why didn't we do them earlier?
~Red lipstick. To be honest, I haven't braved this fashion yet, but I'm seeing it everywhere and lurve it! Might have to go out this weekend just to see how it looks ;) latest obsession with it is when Kourtney Kardash is wearing it. I'm fair and blonde, so I'm not too sure I can pull it off.
~Etsy.com and my new interest in Pinterest. I have no clue how to navigate Pinterest, but I can tell you, from the items I see, it's amazing so far.
~Moscato wine. Discovered this sweetness in California. As a matter of fact, my bestie Jen came over last night and between the two of us we drank probably 3 liters. That's how we roll.
~Seeing all of the holiday decorations at Hobby Lobby. Gets me in the spirit and mood for sure :) we'll be in upstate New York for Thanksgiving but I'm still decorating. I'm making sure we'll be here for Christmas though.
~DIY design blogs. I have most all of the ones that are on the web bookmarked on my Ipad. I could get lost on those things for hours on end.
~Reality television. Especially Real Housewives of Bev Hills and I am practically borderline obsessed with The Rachel Zoe Project (Ba-nanas) and Dance Moms. I die.
~I'm also really digging the new song by Maroon 5 "Move like Jagger"

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! My hubby comes home and i can't wait to see him!!

Wedding in the wine country

We went to San Francisco this past weekend and attended a wedding in Lodi, CA. It was sooo beautiful and wine country weddings are definitely the way to go! If, of course, you have the funds. Chris is a friend of Nick's from high school. He works for the Golden State Warriors. He and Kelly met while in California and are too cute. We wish them all the best in their new life together!
We didn't get to explore Napa like I was hoping to do, but we plan on going for our one year wedding anniversary :))
We enjoyed the wedding and the city of San Fran though.

Cute! It has a cow b/c we chose filet mignon :)

First dance as husband and wife



Bride and groom with a friend





Housewife-isms

I decided to take the year off to be a stay-at-home wife. Otherwise known as a housewife. No, we're definitely not loaded (nor in megadebt like some)we don't attend charity events, or host lavish parties at our modest home. But I think being a housewife is more than those things.HA! As the first day of school started yesterday, I texted all my former students parents and wished them a happy first day, lemme know who they got this year, etc. But I wasn't really sad not to be on the other end of the spectrum. I love being a teacher, but I also love watching The View and keeping up with current events of course. Speaking of, it's on my tube now. I love keeping the house clean and running all errands without fighting crowds and parking waaaay out in the back. In this heat, that matters! But, it can also get tedious. Especially when my dearest travels often for work. So I thought, either have a kid so the boredom is less frequent OR get a part time job so at least I can have something to do. And the conclusion is:
Work from home! Do those dream jobs really exist?? If anyone knows, please inform me. Until then, I'll be folding clothes while watching Barbara Walters and Whoopi, and drinking wine, possibly at 1:00, just because I can :)
Have a terrific Tuesday!!

How did I get so lucky?

To find the best man/hubby ever?!
On Sunday, Nick said he wanted to clean out the garage. All of my classroom stuff was piled high in there so I wasn't sure if he meant put that away, or organize his medical supplies. Either way, I decided I would go shopping. Since we've lived in this house, I have been anxious to get everything decorated, but we've been so busy the past year it hasn't been high on the list. Well now it is! We just got our new upholstered headboard from Pier 1 (love!) and I picked up a new patio set while I was there. Summer clearancenright now :) I wanted to go get some more things for the house while also voicing at the same time, I'd love to rearrange too, blah blah, because that makes a big difference too. So off I go...
When i got back, Nick had completely cleaned the garage, putting away ALL my teaching stuff in the attic, so I could park in the garage, rearranged the couch and coffee table, rearranged our bedroom like I said I wanted, mowed, weed-eated, put together patio set and packed up everything on the hutch that I said I wanted to use as a bookshelf. Oh and forgot to mention, made reservations at our fave restaurant so neither of us had to cook. I truly think he fell right out of the sky.
So we enjoyed our night together, we like to do date nights anyway before he goes out of town for work. He left for Oklahoma yesterday morning and usually stays the night after a long med school day and takes friends out for dinner/drinks. However, he came home at 9 last night and surprised me! He said he'd rather be here :)
Now I ask, again, how did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve him? He is amazing and more of a man than most men. But then again, i am pretty partial ;)

Charm of Skaneateles

Nick and I had an impromptu trip to his hometown of Skaneateles, NY. It is in upstate NY by the Finger Lakes (Close to Auburn and Syracuse). Unfortunantely, his grandmother passed away last Saturday so we had to go and attend her funeral. Although I only met her one time, let me tell you she was an AMAZING woman! She really was the glue that held the family together and it was evident. She had 9 children! Nick's dad was the 7th child. All of the aunts and uncles are an absolute riot and are always down to have a good time. They are the epitome of an Irish family! I can see that every single one of them got their sense of humor from her.


Coming from a small family, things like this can be overwhelming being married into, however everyone is so warm and friendly and fun I'd like to say they welcome me with open arms. I saw that firsthand at Grandma Charlottes wake and funeral. I have never seen so many people in one room. There was a line out the door and around the corner waiting to pay their respects and good-byes to such a wonderful woman. Many waited 2 hrs! She was a nurse, a volunteer for the prison and church, an artist and just an overall great person. Her late husband was the mayor of Auburn, NY so you can imagine what the church looked like with the entire city there! It was a beautiful service and tribute.


While there, Nick was anxious to show me 'his city'. Skaneateles (pronounced Skinny-atlas) is such an adorable and charming town. It is surrounded by the most gorgeous BLUE lake. You can see the bottom unlike many Texas lakes. (*Cough)Lake Conroe, ewww.  His Uncle Dan owns the Bluewater Grill which is a staple for all the locals there. It is a restaurant/bar on the lake, right in the heart of downtown. We had such a great time (considering the circumstances) exploring the boutiques and shops and taking in the fabulous weather! 72 during the day and 63 at night. Honestly, I didn't want to leave. I somehow convinced Nick that we should purchase a little cottage or bungalow and escape there for the summers. Hopefully in 5-7 years, that will become a reality. Until then, we will bask in our misery of the 100+ Texas heat wave :/
Please keep the family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time with the loss of a wonderful, mother, sister and grandmother.


Here are a few pics of our trip:


My favorite house on their street



Catholic church



Their library!





Uncle Dan's house





Bluewater Grill



RIORDAN RUN-DOWN

We're MARRIED!!!!
07/23/2011 was the absolute best day of my life! In fact, that whole week, and the week after too. I am married to the most amazing, kind hearted, genuine man on this Earth. We're still on cloud nine and it's like we just met all over again. My mom gave a sweet speech and I hope we will live by this.

"My greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each other will so deepen and grow, that years from now you will look back on this day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least."

Of course it made me bawl. I love that last part. I love Nick now more than the very day I met him and my love for him only grows more and more each day.

We got married in Florida with our awesome friends and family by our side. The weather thankfully cooperated and it was just a fun, fun time all around. Looks like we missed a helluva party after the reception, but we of course wanted some alone time ;)
We're so fortunate for everyone who came, and took time out of their busy schedules to help us celebrate our special day. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Having fun on the beach

We had a Texas themed rehearsal dinner (of course I had to bring some southern flair to Florida) at the cottages where everyone stayed. Nick's parents hired a band so everyone danced, sang, ate and drank the night away.



My love and I



Tawni, Niki and Jessica @ rehearsal dinner



Nicholi and my MOH @ rehearsal dinner



My fabulous bridesmaids!!













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Our adorable flower girl, Audrey. We love her!



Mr. and Mrs. Riordan :)

Dancing the night away

LOVE love love this picture!! And them

Yay :D



A few groomsmen with the handsome groom



So at every family wedding, Nick's uncle starts the YMCA. Hu-larry-us!! Liz just jumped up there too :)

It's fun to stay at tha...



Marry me...today and everyday



Sunday we drove to Miami so that we could fly out on Monday to St. Kitts for our honeymoon. It was an absolute blast! Stay tuned for that post next :)

Love, Mrs. Riordan :)