Let me introduce myself...

Well I figured I should probably introduce myself for anyone who reads my blog :)

Hi! I'm Amanda! I'm just a normal 30 year old trying to figure out life, one day at a time.

I'm originally from New York...and yes I'm one of those people who LOVE NY and always brags about how wonderful it is and how nothing can compare to it. I know this is obnoxious, my husband tells me all the time. haha

Love that skyline

After 18 years living in NY, I moved to Florida for college. This is where I met my awesome husband, J!

We got married in 2010 in St. Augustine Florida. It really was the best day of my life. J makes fun of me all the time because he says I accomplished a life goal when I got married...but it's true. I'm not gonna lie, I always wanted to be married.

We moved up to Maryland, where J is originally from, in 2011. Now, I love NY, but I also really love Maryland. I never really enjoyed living in Florida...I really like the change of seasons, and you don't have that in Florida. It's Hot all year long. I feel like Maryland is where I was supposed to live all long. 

I'm a teacher for the local school district. I teach Pre-K! I know what you're thinking...how the hell do you do that? LOL Honestly, I love it. Teaching is my passion. It is not an easy job, however, it is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. 

Best part of teaching besides knowing that I am making a difference in my students lives is having the SUMMER OFF!

I am a big Baltimore Oriole's fan! J and I love going to O's games...it's one of our favorite things to do in the spring and summer. He goes for the baseball...I go for the HOT guys :)

Do we have anything in common?

High 5 for Friday!!

Oh Friday...you are my favorite day! Even when it's the summer and I haven't worked all week, I still love you. Let's look back on my favs this week...

One: 
Now that Jinxie is groomed he gets cold easy, which means he likes to cuddle! This rarely happens to me, as he loves his Daddy way more, but you bet I savored every single minute of this! I love this little lion so much!

Two:
We had a girls night at a local winery! Every Thursday they have "Good Life Thursdays". It's basically a free event with live music, wine, food and good friends! I really wanted to go for a long time, but something always came up. So glad it worked out this week...I had a blast! Even though I had wisdom teeth surgery next Friday, I'm still gonna go to Good Life Thursdays! LOL

Three:
We have curtains in our bedroom! We finally decided on some, and I love them! I will admit, I didn't like the color at first, but they go really well with our wall color. They are from Ikea, one of my favs place! Anyway, they were too long, so I hemmed them. So proud that I actually threaded the machine all by myself!

Four:
Since summer is almost over and I go back to school in a little over 1 week, I am trying to savor every bit of relaxation! That usually involves sunshine! I've been trying to lay out a little bit each day...you know to keep my awesome tan going! Until winter comes...

Five:

These 2 are sooo cute! Jinxie loves his Daddy and needed some cuddles before he left for work!

Bring sexy back....

I totally have that JT song stuck in my head...and I'm sure you will to. I apologize :)

Anyway, Jinx got a haircut and is bringing sexy back! Every year we try to get Mr. Jinx groomed. Since he is long haired his fur mats easily and it's not comfortable for him. We wouldn't have to groom him if he likes to be brushed, but he doesn't. He will growl and bite, so it's just easier to have him shaved.

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Myrtle Beach 2014

Every year J's family goes on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach and this year did not disappoint! For the past 2 years we have been staying in North Myrtle Beach...called Cherry Grove and it is heaven! It is really quiet where we stay, but still only 30 minutes from all the fun Myrtle Beach has to offer.

We pretty much spend the week enjoying the beach for hours, having a great dinner and then spending family time at night! I got an awesome tan this year and didn't burn! I think it was all that reapplying I did :)

I'm so sad that our vacation is over. I miss the beach and so no ready to go back to work in a couple weeks!

Thunderstorms & Rainbows

Yesterday we had some nasty weather in the early evening. Nothing out of the ordinary...Summer is Maryland is somewhat similar to when we lived in Florida. It get really HOT and then thunderstorms in the afternoon. Only difference is that in Maryland the heat doesn't last. We get breaks where it will be low 80s! It's wonderful!

So yesterday the high was in the 90s and then we got some NASTY thunderstorms. I was afraid that our gorgeous weeping willow was going to knock down our power lines. Thank GOD it didn't! But after the storm had passed I noticed that the back of the house was sunny and it was shining through the front and across the street. I immediately thought there could be a rainbow. I opened the front door and low and behold I was RIGHT!!!

It was actually a full double rainbow...but it's difficult to get a picture.

Since we have lived here I have seen 2 rainbows. I don't really remember seeing so many before in my life. Either I just didn't notice them, or there just weren't any. I don't know why, but I feel like whenever I see these rainbows they are a sign. A sign that we are very blessed and lucky to be in the house we are in.

Drinking and painting...

So last nite I went to paint nite and became an artist!

Paint nite is basically a nite when you go out with your friends and drink and learn to paint a piece of art! It is so much fun! I had wanted to do one for a while and I'm so glad that I did it! There is absolutely no requirement to be an artist! I am not good at painting, however, when someone walks you through every step, it's easy! Super Easy! I was nervous at first, but once i realized I could do it, the nerves were gone. Anyway, here are some pics from the nite.

I mixed my colors

the progression

all 4 of our paintings

I highly recommend doing paint nite. I know I plan on doing another one!

Have you ever done something like this?

* Paint Nite did not pay me to review this...I just loved the experience and wanted to document it.*

4th of July 2014

Wow that 3 day weekend went by fast! I don't have work today...best part of being a teacher! But J does.

4th of July weekend was a blast this year! My sister-in-law's grandmother always has a big party on the 4th and we are lucky enough to get invited! So we headed up there in the afternoon and had a ton of fun! There is always an awesome spread of delicious food, games, and spending good times with family!

After the party we came home, J cut the grass and I sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather! Then we decided to get the fire started :)

and of course we made s'mores!

As the sun went down our neighbors started the firework show! it was awesome...the local park that normally has fireworks by us cancelled them this year because of construction. I was really disappointed when I first found out, but once the neighbors started shooting off their fireworks I was happy!

Welcome to my world...

I've decided to give this blog thing another shot. Let's see...this is my 3rd attempt. Hopefully it will be my last! I really enjoy writing and blogging! The past couple months have been a whirlwind for me, and I hope to use this blog to document my life. I want to have a place to write down my thoughts, and things that happen in my life. I also enjoy meeting new people and making friends, so hopefully this will happen through my blog! Follow my blog with Bloglovin a96332b440702b0974f92fe4e8bd9955b71bb7224ce43a57fd