8 years

Back on March 13, Andrew and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary :).  We're not really ones to get all mushy about anniversaries and such and we're usually quite happy with dinner at home with the kiddos to celebrate, but this year, Andrew wanted to really celebrate...and I'm so glad he did!  He got us a babysitter (the best ever...Lovie!) and made us dinner reservations in Dallas at our favorite restaurant.  Then while we were at dinner, the waiter brought me over a fabulous anniversary present as a surprise.  I'm so blessed to have spent these last 8 years with Andrew Shull.  I hope we're as blessed as my grandparents who have been married almost 66 years and counting!



For grins, I thought I'd share with you a picture of how it all got started...

This is Andrew and I on our first date.  Didn't you date with both sets of your parents, your younger brother and both sets of your grandparents?  Well, we did!  We had met once before but we actually went out to dinner to get to know each other after the first K-State football game of the season...unfortunately, we had to bring along everyone else!  Here we are, getting to know each other at Applebees.  I remember Andrew thinking it was funny that I ordered dessert for dinner...he learned quickly that the way to my heart was through sugar :).  A year and a half later, we were married.  Happy Anniversary baby!

Guest Bath Re-do

Last week, Andrew and I made a spur of the moment decision and redid our guest bath.  If there is one thing you can say about Andrew and myself it's that we're decisive.  Seriously.  We can go to a car dealership and walk out with a car in 10 minutes.  It took us all of 20 minutes to pick out a house to buy.  When we need to make a decision, we do it.  Quickly.

That being said, I was ready to update our guest bath, so on Wednesday we started and on Saturday, we were finished.  Two years ago, we totally gutted and remodeled our master bath.  At the time, I had a 2 month old and an 18 month old.  What in the world was I thinking?!?!  That was major and life was a huge mess for weeks.  This was simple, quick, cost efficient and easy.  Here are some before and after pics...

Before..white counters, egg plant purple walls (which I still love but decided it would be too weird to paint the walls the exact same color), gold accessories, giant mirror, silver sink fixture...not me (except for the walls!).

After...we painted the walls a purple-grey color (I do love me some purple, all shades), we first had the painters remove the popcorn texture from the ceiling and then re-texture the entire room.  Then they painted it.  We replaced the white counters with black granite, updated the mirror and light fixture, plus got new sink fixtures and all new shower fixtures and shower door.

Before

After

Before...big mirror, silver light fixture.

After...better mirror, better light fixture.

Love it!

Cozy, right?  Love the black granite!

I didn't have a before pic of above the potty but here's your after.

Pretty painless for a home remodel.  Thank goodness!

PS: every time I blog now, I feel like everyone is waiting for a picture of my little brother to show up in the background...geez...I'll take a picture of him soon enough :).  For now, enjoy my guest bath!

Boston Brick

On Thursday, Dad and I made our annual trip to Boston to see a couple of Red Sox games.  I don't know if there is another weekend I look more forward to all year long.  This year, was particularly special because it is the 100 anniversary of Fenway Park...the oldest and most historic ball park ever.  To honor the anniversary, Fenway Park sold bricks last summer that would be added to Gates B and C and remain a part of Red Sox history forever.  I bought one for a Father's Day gift for my dad and this trip was our first trip to visit our brick.  Because of the brick...mom came with us too....which made the trip even more special.  (Don't feel sorry for Andrew and the kids...they went on their own mini vacation which I'll blog about later.  And don't feel sorry for Sean...he just came off a 2 month vacation!).

I love Boston.  I love Boston.  I would move there today if I could.  It was cool...it was lovely...and they have the best lobster rolls a girl could ask for.  This is Thursday afternoon...shopping and lobster rolls.

Thursday night, we headed over to Fenway Park for our first game (mom stayed back at the hotel...she's seen a few Sox games and decided to skip out this trip).  This is Yawkey Way...if you know what that means, then you know how cool it is.  If you don't...you're missing out.

And there is my Dad's brick!  We're officially a part of Red Sox and Fenway Park history.  So cool!!

A little perspective.

Dad pointing to the brick

Me pointing to the brick :)

He was one happy Dad!

Here we are before the game sitting on either side of the famous red seat.  Ted Williams hit the longest home run ever reported at Fenway Park when he hit this seat...that's why they painted it red.

And here we are in our seats before the game.

The next morning (look, there's Mom!), we took the subway back over to Fenway to take the Fenway Park tour and show mom the brick (since she didn't see it the night before).

This is me on top of the Green Monster. 

This is the Green Monster from the other side of the park (in case you didn't know what I was talking about).  The Green Monster is one of the most iconic landmarks in sports history.  Period.

Mom and I at lunch at John Harvard's.  You know I love me some John Harvard's!

Later that night, Dad and I headed back to Fenway for our last game.  One more time, we stopped to look at the brick.

Love my dad and love Boston!  We had the best trip!

If you ever want to know what all of this Red Sox craziness is about, you should watch the Drew Barrymore movie Fever Pitch.  I couldn't explain it nearly as well as the movie portrays it.  It's unlike any other sporting event you'll ever go to.  The history, the traditions, the atmosphere, the fans...it's amazing.  Going to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park should be on every one's bucket list.  I'm just so blessed to be a part of it year after year.  Thanks dad.

10 years ago today...

...I met the love of my life.

Sean brought a college friend home for the July 4th weekend.  I walked through the back door of my parents' house as he was coming out of one of the bedrooms inside.  We introduced ourselves, proceeded into the kitchen to talk and eighteen months later, we were married.

I love you Andrew Shull.

And I love you Sean Lowe...for bringing that boy home 10 years ago.

  

Me

At first, this post was going to be about how I needed some inspiration in life, so I ordered these things...

My signature Fall scent, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath and Body Works, a new Gooseberry Patch cookbook about Autumn and an Apple Strudel candle.  It's like 104 outside right now and I'm gearing up for the Fall in Mix and Match Mama world, so I need to be inspired by my favorite things.

Just looking at my bounty makes me cooler.

After I snapped these photos, I decided to give you a peak into my world.  I'm a mom of two little kids, I help my husband with his insurance business, I write a food blog, and I now own my very own travel agency...more on that to come...I'm in full swing though.  My world also involves my awesome girlfriends, going to the pool almost daily, watching every Red Sox game on TV,  my brother being on the Bachelorette and a new puppy.  I start my day at 4:50 and don't stop.  I love my life.  I feel extremely blessed.

I keep a picture of Smith on my desk, a picture of me and my dad at Fenway Park and a picture of me and my late grandfather (you'll notice the paper covering our photo...see below).  I am always inspired by these awesome men when I work.

The paper is a copy of my Grandfather's obituary that he wrote shortly before he died.  I value this paper so much.  It's in his handwriting and he addresses his wife (my grandmother), his son, his daughter (my mom) and his 4 grandkids specifically.  I was his oldest grandchild and definitely his favorite...Sean, Brandon and Brooke, don't comment.  I won't publish your rebuttals :).  He saved my part for the very end.  I read it every day (usually more than once).  Love him.  Miss him.

I also keep my Red Sox coaster on my desk and twice a day, it is covered up by a steaming cup of coffee.  A gal can't work without her coffee!

These are just 4 of my cookbooks on my desk...I love reading cookbooks.  Currently I have 11 cookbooks on my desk and 4 travel books.  Food and travel...there's nothing better than that.

That's me.

I heart Kidd Kraddick

Ok...please excuse me as I have a total nerd moment...this morning, Andrew, Sean and I went to visit the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning radio show live from their studio.  It was unbelievably cool.  I've been listening to Kidd Kraddick for 18 years.  Yes, 18 years!  So, to personally meet him (and his crew) and see where they work was a very cool moment for me.  And to top it off...I got to be on the air with Sean and the gang for a little Bachelorette talk.  Made.My.Life.  (Ok, maybe the husband and two precious kids made my life but this comes pretty close.  Oh and maybe when Michael Buble touched me, that made my life too.  Probably more than the two precious kids...but I digress...)

So, we got there this morning at 6:30 and were able to watch and listen for about 30 minutes before we went on the air.  Everyone was so nice...we received lots of hugs and an outpouring of love..a fantastic morning.  My favorite parts...Big Al hitting on me.  Twice.  Kidd telling me he read my blog.  Kidd tweeting me (oh yes, that rocked my Twitter world) and talking on air about my favorite brother and my favorite TV show.  A great day.  A great, great day. 

Me and Kidd! 

Me and Big Al! 

The whole gang...Kellie, Sean, Kidd, me, Jenna, J-Si, Andrew and Al.

Thank you so much Kidd Kraddick in the Morning!  You guys are awesome!

Ballpark

The Red Sox came to Texas for a 3 game series beginning Monday and guess who had tickets to all three nights????

We don't care that it's 99 degrees, we're so happy to see our Red Sox!

Our tickets are really good.  Like, probably the best in the ball park (thanks for my dad's friends who have these amazing season tickets and give us all of the Red Sox games).  We decided to be nice and give our game 3 tickets to Sean and Brandon (even though they cheer for the enemy) and we watched game 3 from the comforts of our air-conditioned home.

Love my Sox!



Lovie Days

 

Once upon a time, Shay became a new mommy to baby Kensington...

 

...Kensington was born on a Monday, released from the hospital on Thursday and by the following Tuesday, her Lovie was at her house declaring every Tuesday a "Lovie Day". 

 

Tuesdays would consist of Lovie showing up at 9:00 and leaving at 6:00.   At first, these days were for me to gather my thoughts as a new mommy.  I could grocery shop, pay bills, run errands, clean up around the house, go get my hair done, take a nap (which I never did but I should have...) and so on.  They were life savers for me as a new mom.  My friends often joke that they want Lovie Days too (I wish I could share her but I just won't!). 

 

 However, Lovie Days became an even bigger life saver just a few months in...first, I became pregnant again, which meant me being sick 24/7 (and it's hard to function when you're throwing up round the clock for 9 months), so having one day to function without an infant was so nice.  And on top of that, I've had some health issues for the last 4 years that have required me to visit one or two doctors every.single.Tuesday (how would I have managed that with two kids without some help???), and so not having to worry about them while I was at speech therapy, the orthodontist, the ENT or the periodontist every week was a real blessing.

 

But...to top it all off...my kids have grown to loooooooove Lovie Days.  They wake up almost every morning and ask if it's Lovie Day.  They have spent countless hours playing outside, going to the mall, eating McDonald's, swimming, going for walks, reading books and just lovin' on their Lovie.

 

But now, Smith and Kensington are both in preschool on Tuesdays, so Lovie Days are coming to an end (sort of...Lovie isn't off the hook for holiday breaks and summer!).  So what's a Lovie to do on Tuesdays now?  She's going to drive an hour to pick them up every Tuesday from school and keep them for just a few short hours because she loves them so.

 

Thank you mom for all of the Lovie Days.  You have helped me more than you know.  I love you so much.  I was so blessed to grow up in your house where every day was a Lovie Day.

 

XOXO



Belgium and Holland Days 1 &2: Ghent

Andrew and I returned last night from 10 days in Belgium and the Netherlands (Holland).  Before you start flipping out and getting the wrong idea...this was not that trip.  That trip will not be blogged about until the finale of the Bachelor this spring.  That trip won't even be mentioned until then.   You gotta wait to hear about that trip.  In the meantime, enjoy the pics from this amazing trip :).

This is how Andrew and I work...last spring, Andrew said, "hey, why don't we go to NYC for the weekend in October?".  That sentence turned into 10 days in Europe.  We just start planning and our love for travel takes over and before you know it, we've planned a trip to the other side of the pond.  This was the first time we traveled without both kiddos in a long time.  The last time we went to Holland, the kiddos were 21 and 5 months old.  It was so much fun to go with just the hubby but at the same time, we missed them a lot.  We really do love traveling with our kids.  Thank you to the awesome Lovie and Papa Jay for taking care of our babies (they are already taking care of Sean's babies too...Lola and Ellie).  I'm sure it was kind of like a zoo at their house.

Here we are...about to board our flight to Amsterdam.

Not going to lie...I really, really enjoyed flying without the kids.  I love them dearly but having 10 hours to myself to read magazines and cookbooks and watch whatever I wanted on my i-Pad without them was glorious.  Flying with kids isn't the easiest thing to do, so flying without them seemed like 10 hours of sheer bliss.

Oh heavens!  As soon as our plane touched down, we were walking to baggage claim and I saw this at Starbucks...in Europe, they have a Apple Crumble Latte!  What?!  Yes, I had to stop for one.  It was a fall delight.  Maybe next year, they'll bring it to the US.  It was yummy!

We rented a car in Amsterdam and drove 2 hours to beautiful Ghent, Belgium.  This is where we stayed the first 5 nights.  Ghent was incredibly beautiful.  I loved, loved, loved it.  It was a little drizzly the first day, but we totally didn't mind.  We welcomed the cold and drizzle.

A picture of our hotel.  Isn't it in the perfect spot?  Right there on the water.  It is the Marriott Ghent.  I may be the actual travel agent but Andrew picked out everything to do with this trip and he did a fantastic job.  This hotel and our view of the water was amazing.

Me and my first Belgian waffle.  There are no words.  It was like a warm chocolate chip cookie.  It was heavenly. It was the first of 3,456 waffles I consumed on this trip.  Trust me...keep reading about this vacation and you will gain weight.  The food was that good.  Even you'll gain a few just seeing the pictures. :)

This was the view from our hotel room.

In this picture, we've been up for almost 48 hours.  We're happy and tired.  It was a great first full day in Belgium!

Click here for Day 3.



Belgium & Holland Day 3: Brussels

On Sunday, we drove about 40 minutes to Brussels for some shopping and looking.  First stop, Andrew had researched out a huge flea market area...perfect for finding treasures.

It was so fun to walk through the flea market with all of the locals.  We came across some really neat finds.  I'm not one for haggling prices (it gives me great anxiety!) but Andrew is great at it!

Andrew collects old books.  He bought 3...one of which was published in the 1700s.  Super cool!

That's me posing with our new books :).

We ran into some trouble on our way into downtown Brussels.  What are the odds that the one day we decide to head downtown, the Brussels Marathon would also be heading downtown?  We were stuck in traffic for two hours (it should have only taken us 7 minutes!) because of all of these runners.  If I wasn't a runner myself, I might have been bitter.  Andrew was realllllly bitter ;)!

We made it into Brussels and were starving!  Pizza for lunch!

Me :)

A panoramic picture of downtown Brussels

We really, really liked this town!  The architecture, the people, the shopping, the art...it was perfect!  We bought several original paintings for our house and Andrew's office.

I also found a Christmas store!  Loved it!

I'm having cappuccino here :).

We finished off our day with a great steak dinner in Brussels.  So fun!

And of course, a waffle for dessert :)!

Click here for Day 4.