Well, pack-out day is over and we did manage to survive it…. While we did have a moving team running the move, we still had the difficult task of splitting everything up between 3 categories: Things we hand-carry (2 suitcases a person) Things we send via air shipment (up to 450...
Today I’m going to educate you on the concept of the Escape Bag. First, a brief history on my introduction to the Escape Bag. When Nick and I had been dating for a few months I started to become annoyed by this black messenger bag that sat right in his living room next to the TV. We...
I have a feeling that I’m going to get some flack for this post, but I’m going for it anyways. Think of it as a Public Service Message (only via the internet). Having gone through the recent process of completing our wills recently, I started asking around to get a sense of...
Well, given that nearly every facet of my life is in transition right now, it makes sense that my business would need an evolution as well. I think most of you know this, but I’ve been a life coach since 2007. It was by far the best leap I ever took (next to marrying Nick, of course...
The shopping is done. FINALLY. I feel complete now with my Ravioli and Diet Coke rations. Nick and I comprised on the final numbers and here’s what I ended up bringing: 20 – 12 packs of coke for a total of 240 cans over 730 days (roughly 1 every 3 days). I currently drink 2...
Sorry folks! All this packing has been getting in the way of my blogging. I’m going to attempt 2 posts today to make up for it! This tardy post is a follow-up from last weekend’s trip to Philly. We found this incredible lodging and I just have to share it with you so that...
Today was a big day – we knocked out all the Costco purchases in one run. Pretty amazing. It’s a huge relief to have that crossed off. I used to feel like $1000 got you so much more – welcome to 2009, I guess! While this pile in itself would be manageable, unfortunately...
We got back on Sunday from a relaxing weekend in Philly. We were in desperate need of a getaway, as our place is becoming overrun with foodstuffs and paper products as we wrap up our shopping. It seemed like an ideal destination – only 3 hours away and home of my sister Beth and her...
Wow! We are officially less than 2 weeks out from Wheels Up. It’s hard to believe. I want to thank you all for being such diligent followers of the blog – it topped 150 readers one day last week. We really appreciate your support and the fact that you’re keeping tabs on...
If I was to pick out the one singular dance performance I’ve seen that’s stuck with me for years, it would be Parson Dance Company‘s “Caught”. In this video excerpt, you’ll see David Parsons himself performing. The first half is more lyrical in nature...
If we’re talking about all-time favorites in dance, then I would definitely have to give my vote to Diavolo Dance Company, which I’ve seen perform 3 times at St. Ben’s. They blow my mind each and every time! The company is out of Los Angeles, where Artistic Director...
It’s all dance for the rest of the week! I’m feeling inspired by the arts lately, so we’re going to feature some great work. Since I haven’t done any dance videos on the blog yet, that seemed like the perfect selection for this week. First up is Complexions...
….to becoming an amateur photographer! Today I ventured out with our brand new Canon Rebel Xsi Digital SLR camera. If I’m being honest, I must confess that we’ve had the thing for 3 weeks now and I’ve been so scared of it that I mostly just stared at it in its case...
Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a fabulous coaching workshop in the DC metro area. One of the keynote speakers was a man named Michael Bungay Stanier, the 2006 Canadian Coach of the Year and owner of Box of Crayons. The premise of his recent work is that we spend too much time...
Today we’re going to learn some fun facts about the Philippines, so that you can be as knowledgeable as I am about this great country! Here we go: The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,107 islands. Luzon is the largest island in the archipelago and includes Manila...
Refreshingly fun on a Tuesday! A shout out to all the twins in the world!
We’re all about new experiences lately and this definitely fit the bill. My in-laws live on beautiful Chesapeake Bay and they invited us over for a crab-eating shindig before we left the country. All in all there were 7 of us there, 6 of which were employed in the foreign service at...
Whenever I’m new to something, I like to observe and information gather for a period at the beginning. Given that the Foreign Service is like an entirely new planet that I landed in, you can make the assumption that I need to do lots and lots of observation. This helps me in a...
Oh my goodness gracious. What is happening to my life!? I just picked up a package at the post office and learned that I am now the proud owner of a Head Flashlight. Nick was in charge of ordering us some nice durable flashlights and THIS is what he got for us. Note to self: do not...
Oh my gosh. This is really happening. We are exactly one month out from leaving! That is insane. For those of you wondering about the Wheels Up reference above, it references the wheels going up on the plane (during take-off). Yet another term that I needed to be educated on for my new...
Perhaps you didn’t know this, but I am an ICE CREAM JUNKIE. I love it, love it, love it. In fact, in 2007 I committed to eating ice cream a minimum of once a day from Memorial Day to Labor Day (successfully completed)! I also allow myself to eat ice cream for all 3 meals on my...
Never been much of a cake girl, so the thought of spending loads of money on something I don’t enjoy pretty much seemed pointless. Now ice cream, that’s a different story! Izzy’s Ice Cream had long been our favorite ice cream shops, as it was the site of one of our most...
From the very beginning Nick and I were set on NOT having a DJ. Originally, we thought a concert would be neat, but I couldn’t get the artist to agree to do it (he doesn’t do weddings). Then we tried for a Dueling Piano group but they were out of our price range unless we did...
The choice of venue for the reception was perhaps the easiest decision I made. We were set on St. Paul for the location, so I set up tours for 317 on Rice Park, The James J. Hill Library, The MN Boat Club and the Union Depot. It was no contest. We walked into the Union Depot and I knew...
Perhaps the hands-down coolest thing we did at our wedding was hire a wedding painter. Yes, that’s right! A real, live wedding painter who created a complete picture during the course of the reception. I’m sure you’re curious how I found her. Well, my whole motto for the...
Today’s wedding vendor feature is the harpist that we had play during the cocktail hour. Her name is Laurie Leigh and I found her at a bridal fair. What I loved right from the start about her was that a.) she played the HARP (so cool) and b.) she played very non-traditional harp...
Being that I have event planning in my blood, it’s hard to wrap up an event without sharing some of the magnificent resources that I came across during the planning. I’m all about sharing and I was so darn pleased with how it went off. So what we’re going to do is each...
I know some of you never thought you’d see the day when I would be an early adapter for technological goods. Heck, I didn’t even own a cell phone until I was 21. WHOA. I’ve come a long way! I think my new interest in this area is largely due to the increased quality of...
I know this is what you’ve all been waiting for – our COMPLETE wedding gallery. Warning. There are approximately 900 shots in the gallery, so we’ve broken them down into smaller chunks for your viewing pleasure. For those of you wanting to see just the highlights, select...
Seriously, who’d have thought choosing a hat or two would be such a challenging thing? Now, you may ask, “Why get a hat anyway?” I’d be thinking the exact same thing if I weren’t porcelain-skinned and heading to the equator. I’ll probably have...
Many of you know this, but for the past 6 years I’ve had the honor of being Estelle’s “Big Sister” in the Big Brother, Big Sister program. We have grown incredibly close over the years, so much so that she was one of my personal attendants for the wedding last...
Here it is folks, the last video from the day. SIGH. It’s hard to comprehend that it’s over. I can see why brides go through a little post-event let-down period. Rest assured, I’ll be on to something new by the afternoon. Nick’s off learning to save me at CPR class...
Here’s the first round of speeches from Janet (Sarah’s Mom), Robert (Nick’s Dad) and Sarah Jansen (Sarah’s friend)… I’m working on the last upload for tomorrow (another speech and our first dance). Enjoy!
Yes! I’m married AGAIN! The 2nd time was equally magical. Over the next week or two, I’ll share some of the details of the event – from the vendors I used to my favorite pics. Today we’ll start with a highlight reel from the Ceremony. I’d write more, but...
As many of you know, we’re T minus 5 days and counting until Wedding number 2 in Minnesota. Sorry about the lack of blogging, there’s just so many darn programs left to fold…. I couldn’t resist this post though. It turns out that one of the newest celebrity trends...
As you know, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on airplanes recently. In the April version of the Delta Skymag, they had a hilarious section about new slang words that have been created due to the infusion of technology in our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I...
Well, here’s your chance. Introducing KIVA, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending site. I came across this in a magazine and just HAD to pass it along. For as little as $25, you can select an entrepreneur in an impoverished country that you want to fund. Loans are...
I’m not sure how it happened, but at some point during the trip to Mexico I picked up a copy of the book Twilight. Ladies and Gentlemen, it was all over from there. I had book 1 finished in two days, book 2 of the series done in 2 more and I’d managed to find the third one at...
with Penzey’s Spices! A couple years back I took a cooking class at the Kitchen Window and they went on and on about how the only place that you should ever buy spices is from Penzey’s. I had never heard of this crazy place, but all I could think of were Pirates every time the...
Loved this! Check it out…
Hello – Welcome to this overview of “Millers Take Mexico 2009”. We’re going to do only a brief bit of commentary and let the pictures speak for themselves. Photo 1: Our favorite place to spend the day (The Pool). This resort was perfect for the Millers because not...
Greetings all – sorry for the delayed absence! I am back to blogging! In my defense, I have been quite busy though! After a delightful week in Mexico with the fam, I spent the last few days driving cross-country from St. Paul to DC. I did 6 hours each day, covering 1200 miles total...
Well, I’m back after a week of adventures in DC. Nick and I had one of the most “normal” weeks together that we’ve had in a long time. We managed to have a few date nights at local restaurants, did some shopping and took a walk in the nearby cemetery. (Is that...
It’s no secret that finances are tough stuff for the majority of people right now. While I will agree that negative returns are no fun, the joy of financial management is in the day-to-day planning, goal-setting and tracking. This has been on my mind a lot as I focused on merging...
I know I’ve been posting a lot of video lately but this one is downright heart-warming! Clara Cannucciari is a 93 year old woman who has risen to wild popularity recently via her Depression Cooking with Clara Video Segments. Her Grandson grew up on them and wanted to capture the...
I couldn’t resist sharing this – it was just too darn cute! From bottom to top: Janet, Jenna, Emily, Beth, Sarah
I arrived in DC late Friday night and Nick treated me to a fun new cuisine I had never sampled before – Moroccan! Wow. What a feast! We ate at Taste of Morocco in DC, one of the best know venues in town for that type of cuisine. We each sampled a tasting menu for $25 a person...
That is the questions I’ve heard a lot recently from the 25+ crowd. There seems to be a cool societal evolution happening right now which is making it acceptable for “older” people to embrace technology and participate in social networking. I have to be honest, I fought...
On Sunday I was the recipient of my very first shower, hosted by my family and co-workers from LADC. My wonderful mother Janet dreamed up a tacky-tourist theme for the day – complete with Leis, Filipino Food, Music and the appropriate island-themed decorations! This was no typical...
A bit of inspiration for the end of the week!