Hillary's Graduation Photo Shoot

My baby sister is a SENIOR! I can hardly believe it! She asked me to do her senior pictures for her so we set out to do so on Sunday. We had planned to shoot them earlier in the summer when we were down the shore, but every time we planned on shooting them, the weather would not cooperate. We picked a park close to home that had a lot of interesting details. Not to mention, I had an amazingly gorgeous subject to shoot. We both had a lot of fun and below are just a few of my favorites (from the several hundred pictures!!!) of the day.

Summer time

Summer has come and gone and I can't believe how fast it went. It was the craziest summer of our lives, as I predicted, but it was so fun! We learned SO MUCH! The business has really taken off and Doug is rocking! I couldn't imagine blogging about the entire summer so I'll just post a few of our highlights and let your imagination fill in the rest. ;)

Weddings: We had several beautiful weddings that we attended this summer. Both were outdoor ceremonies and both had gorgeous days! It was so much fun to connect with old friends.

Vacations: We didn't really do much as far as a summer vacation is concerned, mostly due to the business. My Aunt had a house in Avalon so we went down a few times and hung out with the kids. We did a lot of weekend trips but that's about all. We plan on taking our vacation in December....somewhere warm! :)

Business: When I think about this summer, a few of the CRAZY times pop into my head. Here are just a few of the craziest:

1. Loading over 60 yards of mulch into Doug's truck BY HAND! (Obviously, this was mostly Doug doing the work but watching it being dumped and realizing we had to find clients for all of that mulch was INSANE!)

2. Being able to replace all of our homeowner grade equipment with professional (and much more efficient) equipment. I think we lasted all of 2 weeks with my Mom's mower. haha.

3. Watching Doug lose control of our brand new mower high up on a cliff and slamming into a retaining wall. It was like a clip from the movies where everything is in slow motion. Luckily, the retaining wall saved Doug from falling off of the 15 foot cliff. And, luckily, he was able to fix the retaining wall himself without spending too much money.

4. Having a rock get caught up in the weed whacker and breaking some old guys sliding glass door. Yay for liability insurance!

5. All of the contracts that Doug went out and sold himself, including multiple commercial accounts.

Us: This summer, Doug and I learned the meaning of "feast or famine." Some weeks we felt like we were on top of the world and other weeks we were counting the hours until the next paycheck arrived. Luckily for us, we grow together, rather than pull a part. Doug lost 30 lbs and seems stronger than ever. We came to the realization this summer, that we are not even CLOSE to being ready to have kids yet. There is a list that was created of places that we want to travel to before we start a family. We are also feeling like we are starting to outgrow our little place; however, since we do not have unlimited funds, we are focusing on traveling for the next year and then we'll focus on the house search. There is the possibility of buying my Grandparents house in the next several years so we, of course, have that in the back of our minds. I figure we have the rest of our lives to be tied down to kids and a mortgage so we should try and enjoy our time together and TRAVEL!!! We have a trip to Barbados already scheduled for December (our 2 year anniversary) and we have a trip to San Francisco/Napa Valley in the works for early March. This next year should be a great year of traveling and exploring places I have always wanted to go.

Introducing Shade's Lawn Care

www.ShadesLawnCare.com

Sometimes the best gifts come in the ugliest packages. Since my last post, much has happened. We went through a VERY discouraging February, applying to multiple positions and getting nothing but rejections. Plus, every time we would put on the t.v., there was another headline about how unemployment is predicted to get worse and there were more layoffs scheduled...blah, blah, blah. For those of you who know me well, patience is not one of my best qualities. In fact, I REALLY struggle with it. haha! So, this whole 'apply and wait' game got really old, really quick. Doug and I got to the point where we either sit on our butts and wait for a job to come to us, or we go get the job. Obviously, given the title of this post, we chose the later. To explain all the thought that went into the creation of this endeavor would be extremely time consuming, not to mention probably pretty boring to read. So I'll give you the reader-friendly version.
Doug and I have been doing little odd jobs here and there to bring in extra money to continue to add to our savings and to pay our bills. For those of you who have been unemployed before, you understand the sleep-less nights that accompany unemployment. Well, it was one of those nights (or, I should say, early mornings). I was going over our bills in my head and calculating our finances and I started thinking about how we could earn extra money. A few years ago, my Mom bought a property with a little over 2 acres of land. Being a single parent nurse who happens to work night shift, she has very little time for property maintenance. When she purchased the home, she was given some nice machinery from the original owners to take care of the property. In the end, she decided it would just be easier (and less time consuming) to hire a company to manage her property. When Doug was laid off, she offered this job to him. As this situation entered my thoughts, the wheels started turning. My Grandparents are also in a similar situation-quite a bit of land that they pay to have managed and maintained. We have the equipment...why not start our own lawn care business? Doug has experience with this from working with THP and from when he was younger and we both have always wanted to own our own business. So, 3:00 am on a Saturday morning, the concept of Shade's Lawn Care was formed.

It's been about a month since that early Saturday morning and we have come quite a long way. Our biggest expenses were buying a truck and buying a trailer. God really opened doors for us and answered prayers in this regard because we were able to buy a good, reliable truck from an old friend for a great price. We also found out that a friend from Church was looking to sell his landscape trailer. He agreed on a PHENOMENAL price and Doug has plans to buy that this weekend.

We have close to 6 seasonal contracts signed and are bidding for a large retirement community this Saturday. We're really excited at the direction our lives are headed as far as work is concerned and we both completely believe in this business! We know we can make it successful and believing in (and loving) what you do is the most important thing.

It is going to be a LOOOONG and painful summer but could quite possibly be the best summer we have ever had!

When one door closes.....look for the open window

The beginning of 2009 certainly did not go as planned for the Shades. Doug was laid off from his company (residential home builder) at the beginning of December. We weren't too worried and were looking at this as an opportunity for him to do something he really loves. Maybe go back to school? Well, the Monday after New Years, I was told that I was being laid off as well. We knew our department was not in the best of shape but I was not expecting it to affect me. So, here we are, both unemployed and trying REALLY hard not to freak out! The first 2 weeks was really hard. Lots of tears and wondering how we were going to accomplish our goals. And then....it hit me. When your only door is closed (our closed twice in our case), you have to look at other ways of getting in. Maybe the path you are currently pursuing is not the path you are meant to go down. As I was talking with my Mom and Doug, I started thinking about College and my degree. Why wasn't I teaching? Obviously, it's not as easy as just walking in and taking the teaching job of your choice. There is much more that goes into it. Like....waiting for someone to retire. Which is exactly what I was doing. Waiting. But....what if I need to go after it a bit more? That's where the oh-so-lovely Substitute Teaching comes into play. The dreaded Sub. First, it's not much money AT ALL! Second, KARMA!!! I was HORRIBLE to my subs in HS...I can only imagine that I will get it back just as bad as I gave it. But, the positive aspect is that it will get my foot into the door and give me the exposure that I need. It's competitive out there and doing something I do not enjoy and just waiting for a teaching job to magically open is not ideal. I have to go after the things that I want in life! (Do you like my little motivational speech?) ;)
So....I am learning that sometimes it takes a MAJOR life change in order for you to realize that the path you are on is not the best one for you.
I just finished up the last of my teaching clearances and am in the process of putting together my substitute packets for the local school districts. I do not doubt that I will have steady work. Will I love it everyday...probably not. But, at least it will lead me towards something I am truly passionate about.
As for Doug---He's still looking. He has had several job offers, but nothing he could see himself doing forever. Nothing he has a genuine passion for.
Through all of these hard times, we are learning to be so grateful for all that we do have in life. There are so many families out there losing their homes and not knowing how they are going to pay their bills. We are very fortunate and even though life will not be as glamorous for us for a little while, we still have our family, health and each other! And....life is good!

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year

With the holidays being so crazy, I have not had the time to update my blog like I should be. It's funny...when I was little, I can remember my parents and grandparents always saying how quickly time goes by. I never understood what they meant. Now, I find myself not only understanding, but also echoing their wise words.

So, the holidays were great. Hectic and crazy, but fun. With my parents being divorced, it always makes it somewhat challenging to see everyone and make everyone happy. Add in a husband with family and that challenge becomes even bigger.

Thanksgiving: This is and always has been my favorite holiday! Tradition is having brunch with my family at the same restaurant we have been going to since I was a baby. It's a very fun tradition and I don't think it would feel like Thanksgiving if we didn't do this. After brunch, we spent some time with my Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. Just relaxing by the fire and, of course, eating. So much for that diet. Guess I'll start it up again after the holiday? Dinner we spend with Doug's family. His Dad is an AMAZING cook and always comes up with amazing dishes. This year, I decided to contribute to the menu and I made an apple pie (recipe from Southern Living) that had so many steps, it ended up taking me about 4 hours to bake! I think it was worth it. I also made stuffed sweet potatoes. YUUUUUM! They were stuffed with pecans and marshmallows with some brown sugar topping. They really were as good as they sound! My little sister, Hillary, has an awful idea that we get up on Black Friday at 3:00 am and go shopping. UGH! Obviously, I am not good at saying no, so we went. It was an experience and I don't think we'll ever do it again.

Christmas: Christmas Eve we always go to my Dad's house. His parents are there and it's a nice Christmas Eve tradition. This year, the only difference was that we were up there at 2:00 pm. Marci, my step-mother, decided to do a progressive dinner. It was really nice and her cooking is always very yummy. We played pool and watched movies and opened gifts. Typical Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, Doug and I decided to start a new tradition and have some time for ourselves in the morning. We usually wake up and go right to his parents house. But, we figured, we would have some "us" time before the craziness of running back and forth started. It was really nice having Christmas morning to ourselves. We sipped coffee and exchanged gifts and enjoyed truly being in love! After our little session, we headed over to Doug's parents house for brunch and gifts. We stayed there most of the afternoon and then headed back to my Mom-Mom's house for Christmas with my family. It was so nice and relaxing. Sitting in front of the fire, warm and cozy, with family and full hearts (and bellys...again)---it's the best feeling in the world!

New Years: Doug and I went back and forth on what we were going to do this year for New Years Eve. We had several invites to different locations and in the end, we decided to just stay in. My Mom and sister and friend ended up coming over shortly before midnight. It was definitely a different New Years for us. We are used to the loud, crowded New Years. It's crazy to think that we are in a New Year. 2009. Hopefully this year brings happiness and health!

1 year anniversary in MEXICO!!!

Thinking back to everything we were doing 1 year ago is so crazy! How did a year go by so quickly? First of...I have to say, the 1st year of marriage was not NEARLY as hard as everyone told us it would be! Sure, it wasn't always roses, but....it was SO much fun!

The nice thing about getting married when it is cold out is that you can go away to celebrate somewhere warm (and come back with amazing tans that make everyone around you envious!) ;)

We both knew we wanted to go away somewhere special for our 1 year anniversary so I decided to surprise Doug with a trip. My intentions were to keep him guessing until we arrived at our destination...but I caved. I told him about 3 weeks before we left.

I booked a few days away in the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We stayed at the Iberostar and had such a great time! We always try to leave the resort and do some type of excursion when we go away. Since we were only in Mexico for 5 days, we decided to just do 1 excursion. We went to an all natural park called Xel-Ha. It was AMAZING! There were MILES of crystal clear water that we were able to snorkel in, all you can eat/drink the entire day and tons of activities. My favorite was swimming into an original underwater Mayan cave. We actually have a picture of us in this cave (I know, typical tourists) at home in our guest bedroom. This park had all kinds of little hidden adventures. One of Doug's favorites was a rope swing that you went on and dropped into this natural water spring. It was FREEZING cold but actually felt really nice since it was so hot. We also did a lazy river tube ride for about 2 miles. The beginning of the ride takes you RIGHT through this mesh of sticks. It's so hard to explain but try to imagine a tunnel, just barely big enough for you to float through. The tunnel was probably a mile long and had all of these twists and turns. The actual tunnel itself was made up of sticks all intertwined into each other and curved down. It was so spooky and cool! On your way down the river (which is actually the ocean) there is the stopping point called the cliff of terror. You park your tubes on the bank and walk up this cliff and over a swinging (literally) bridge. Then, you just jump off of this cliff and into the water. It was about 20 feet high, which really doesn't sound all that impressive. But, imagine yourself standing on the ledge and looking over, trying to convince yourself to jump. Doug is scared to death of heights but he LOVES this stuff! We both jumped a couple of times and the rush of adrenaline was amazing! The day was long but full of adventure. Our anniversary night was beautiful. We lounged on the beach and came back to a bottle of champagne chilling in our room. We had made reservations at the fanciest French restaurant on the resort and enjoyed a beautiful dinner complete with a picture perfect sunset. So hard to believe it has been a year!!!!!!!

The trip went fast, as they always do. But, it was so nice to get away and reconnect with the love of my life! We are already making plans for our next trip away. Maybe somewhere other than the Caribbean??? ;)

Halloween

For the past few years, we have been invited to Doug's friend's house for Halloween. These people go all out for their Halloween people and this year there were about 30 people in attendance. Each year, Doug and I go back and forth on what costume we can showcase. After much discussion and A TON of Internet browsing......we still had nothing. We ran out the morning of the party and went to all of the party/costume stores in our area. Luckily, they weren't totally picked over. Doug found an awesome pirates costume (for only $40!!!) and I found the cutest leopard costume that was not completely trashy.

We had a blast, as always, and are already brainstorming about next years outfits! :)