tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35976504895023092572024-02-08T00:57:38.924-05:00Life and Other ProjectsTackling the ultimate DIY project - and a few others along the wayAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.comBlogger484125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-71865646189934363502016-03-30T17:57:00.001-04:002016-05-09T20:10:46.237-04:00Wild Africa Trek for My 30th BirthdayOn March 7th, I turned the big 3-0. To celebrate this milestone, Chris surprised me with an extra special trip to Wild Africa ... in Disney World! It was this amazing 3-hour trek around the Animal Kingdom grounds where we got to see the animals from a different viewpoint than you normally get on the safari ride. We also got an awesome authentic African lunch with more amazing views of the animals.<br />
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The photos below are a mix of pictures I took and pictures our guide took and gave to us after the trek.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our African-style lunch, served out of the cutest tins I've ever seen. It all stacked and locked together.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That hut in the distance is where we ate our lunch.</td></tr>
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I really couldn't have asked for a better birthday! Chris is so sweet and amazing! I enjoyed every minute of it and love the amazing pictures we'll always have to remember it by.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-26149405592213235862016-03-18T11:31:00.002-04:002016-03-18T11:31:51.225-04:00Our Trip to the Florida Keys <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple weeks ago, Chris and I hopped on a plane and went to the Florida Keys ... Well, sort of. What actually happened was not that expedient or trouble-free. We ended up stuck in the Syracuse airport all day, waiting for the next flight to JFK because the first one was cancelled. Then we almost missed our connection in JFK because that flight was delayed too. Then we got to Miami and Delta lost our luggage (it was still in JFK!), the car rental reservation didn't exist, and we had a 2-hour drive ahead of us, which would now get us into Marathon at 2am (instead of 9pm like we planned). Super start to the vacation.</div>
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But then we woke up to beautiful weather, a beautiful rental house, Chris's dad and Lisa, and all was right in the world again.</div>
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<b><u>The House in Marathon</u></b></div>
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Dave and Lisa rented this house for the month of February, and they were nice enough to let us crash with them for the last few days of their trip. It was a great house with an amazing pool. We really enjoyed just lounging around there.</div>
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The house was on a canal that lead out to the ocean, so of course, Chris wanted to swim it. Unfortunately, he went out at low tide and it was pretty gross at the end. It cleared up further out, but with manatees and man-o-wars possibly lurking beyond, we decided he should hop out.</div>
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There were a lot of pretty lights at the house at night so it looked really neat out there. My picture doesn't really do it justice.</div>
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<b><u>Dave and Lisa's New House in Marathon</u></b></div>
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Chris and I got to tour the house Dave and Lisa just purchased in Marathon. It was really neat to see it and hear what work they plan to do on it before they start renting it out. We also enjoyed seeing the local wildlife that hang out nearby, including this cute bird.</div>
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The house is also on a canal that leads out to the ocean, so they'll be able to dock a boat right outside.</div>
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They plan on painting the outside of the house.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys12.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The house is 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and they are planning to put in a pool.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys14.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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They also have big plans to redo both bathroom and completely change the kitchen up, ripping out a wall and everything.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(This is the wall they plan to rip out).</td></tr>
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<u><b>Sombrero Beach</b></u></div>
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One day we headed to the beach and swam in the ocean. So nice and refreshing! The water was super calm and blue and we found lots of little pieces of coral on the beach.</div>
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<b><u>More in Marathon</u></b></div>
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We wandered around Marathon a bit. I just love all the buildings with the grass roofs.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys32.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also love all the teal and turquoise and other great colors down in the keys. This front door is perfect.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys33.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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And of course, the views are amazing wherever you go.</div>
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Dave and Lisa took us out to a great restaurant that will prepare fish you bring in. Dave and Lisa caught a ton of fish before we got there, so we feasted since they wouldn't be able to have anything leftover when they left Florida.</div>
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<b><u>Key West</u></b></div>
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Of course, we had to make the drive to Key West for a day. Loved that town! So cute and walkable. Great places to eat, great shopping, lots of history. </div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys56.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Hemingway House</u></b></div>
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We toured Ernest Hemingway's old house when he lived in Key West. There are now over 50 cats that live there. They have a veterinarian on staff to care for them! They now do weddings here, and were setting up a wedding while we toured.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys43.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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My favorite part (aside from all the kitties!) was getting to see the space where Hemingway wrote several of his books. Such a great space and totally inspiring. I read that he averaged about 500-700 words a day, which surprised me (Stephen King does 2,000 a day!). Made me feel good because I usually only eke out 1,000 in a writing session (which sadly is not daily).</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//keys47.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Mallory Square</u></b></div>
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We ended our day in Key West at Mallory Square, where there were loads of street performers, food carts, stands selling local goods, and an amazing view of the sunset.</div>
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After the Keys, we drove up to Orlando and began our Disney World trip! Pictures of that portion of our vacation will be up soon!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-72081499766668864102016-01-01T16:45:00.001-05:002016-01-01T16:45:17.023-05:00New Orleans, LA - October 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I realize it's been months since this trip, and I'm only just now getting the photos up. In truth, I knew this post was going to be a beast, and I just haven't had the time or energy to tackle it. But finally, to kick off the new year, I'm getting these pics posted so I can move on. I tried hard to edit back my selection to only the essential pictures of our trip to New Orleans, but somehow I'm still at 65. Yep. 65 pictures in this post. Buckle up. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola01.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the first thing I ate when we arrived. Definitely started out on a high note. Yum!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of the houses were already decorated for Halloween, which was fun.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola03.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried raw oysters for the first time, which were pretty good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the wedding events was a seafood broil.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and I frequented Bourbon Street during our stay. We enjoyed the fun drinks and the people watching.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a voodoo shop. I bought a pretty awesome zombie coffee mug here.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola15.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also took a tour of St. Louis Cemetery. Pictured above is the future tomb of Nicholas Cage. ha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola19.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and I also attended a concert because it just so happened one of my favorite musicians, George Ezra was in town.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola20.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola22.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We rode the streetcars around and got to see a little outside of the city, like the college campuses and some parks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola26.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of the dueling piano bars, where we stopped in for a drink,</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola27.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We attended a jazz festival in Louis Armstrong park.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola28.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and I also went on a guided ghost tour to hear stories and look at haunted locations in the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola29.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kid you not, my hair got pulled while we were standing outside William Faulkner's house. But there was no one behind me ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola31.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also rode an airboat around the Louisiana swamp to see alligators, scenery and other wildlife.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola38.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola39.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The driver fed the alligators marshmallows to get them to come close. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola40.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Frenchman street, we listened to live music and stumbled upon a really cool art/craft show.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola41.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola42.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coolest pizza stand ever.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola44.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back on Bourbon street ...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola45.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola46.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the rehearsal dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola47.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We toured the WWII Museum, which is ranked as one of the best museums in the U.S.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola48.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola49.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the wedding venue.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola59.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the ceremony, they had a little parade behind a brass band around the square.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola60.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola64.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nola65.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And at the very end of the night, a few of us ended up jumping in the pool. Is anyone really that surprised though? It was hot out and that pool was just waiting there so patiently...</td></tr>
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Phew! We made it through! Give yourselves a pat on the back for making it to the end. I'm starting to think I might need to start sharing my pictures a different way in 2016... This is exhausting. lol<br />
<br />
Anyway, enjoy the pics and I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-26577407187478919892015-12-08T16:44:00.002-05:002015-12-08T16:44:27.283-05:00Colorado - October 2015Two months ago, Chris and I ventured to Colorado to attend the wedding of one of Chris's good friends from high school. We had an absolute blast at the wedding and seeing the sights of Evergreen, Denver, Idaho Springs, Golden, Colorado Springs, and the surrounding area. Here's some pictures from our adventures.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo02.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the location of the picnic a day or two before the wedding. It's a local park near Bird's house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo04.jpg" height="470" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was on the drive up to Mt. Evans. One of Colorado's many "14-ers" (a mountain that is higher than 14,000 ft in elevation).</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo26.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo27.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo28.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo05.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also made a stop to see the Red Rock Amphitheater.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo07.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the shuttle to the wedding.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo09.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo10.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bride came out to the ceremony by canoe!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo11.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo12.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wedding party all gave speeches and advice during the ceremony.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo13.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reception (inside where the ceremony was).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The after party.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo15.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next day (our 4th anniversary) Chris and I rode around on the Georgetown Railroad.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo16.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo17.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo30.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo18.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also did a segway tour of the Garden of the Gods, which was awesome!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo19.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo31.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo21.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next day, we visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo32.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo24.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We even got to feed the giraffes!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo20.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo22.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo23.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the mountains, we headed to the Downtown Aquarium for dinner.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//colo01.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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We had so much fun in Colorado. It's a great place to visit and I'm sure it would be an amazing place to live. We met so many wonderful people while we were there and got to see and do so many beautiful, fun things. I would definitely love to visit Colorado again!</div>
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At the end of our trip, we hopped a plane to New Orleans for another wedding! But I'll post those pictures in the next one. 31 pictures is plenty for today! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-53743887205853803902015-11-20T17:34:00.004-05:002015-11-20T17:34:56.885-05:00The Capers Goes Blue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After 6 1/2 years of living in our cute little yellow house, Chris and I decided it was time to give this Cape Cod an upgrade.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The yellow siding was made of aluminum and had seen about 10 too many Syracuse winters. The color was faded and chalky and worst of all, the metal itself was pitted and stained in many places, as you can see on either side of the door in the picture below.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding01.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
So we got some estimates and chose a contractor to give this guy a facelift. But before you see the finished house, check out the in-between pictures. For weeks, whenever I looked at the house, I just had to keep reminding myself that "the middle makes no sense."<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding02.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding03.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding04.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding05.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
But finally, after a very long process (we started getting estimates for the siding in May and it's now November!) we are finally done and the house looks gorgeous,<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding12.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Check out the before again! It's crazy how different it looks!!<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding13.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding11.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding09.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ignore the little yellow vent above the window. I'm going to paint that to match the siding.</td></tr>
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The back porch received some extra work too. Look at the difference!<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding17.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding07.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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The front door is way better too.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding01.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding15.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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But we definitely need to put in some new stairs. These brick ones are officially the worst feature of the house. The Capers deserves better!</div>
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Here's a few more angles of our big blue beauty.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding10.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//siding08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, still need to paint the garage to match. That's a spring project though.</td></tr>
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<div>
Can you believe it's the same house? Do you love it as much as we do? We're thrilled with it and it's definitely got us excited to tackle a few more projects in the spring.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-78946233013038128352015-06-07T19:27:00.004-04:002015-06-07T19:27:58.064-04:00NZ 8: Places<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My mom recently reminded me that I never really finished up my New Zealand posts, and then urged me in the politest way possible to get off my ass and post the rest of the pictures. (Sorry Mom!)</div>
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I really only had about one post left that I had planned, which is this one: places. This includes some of the hotels we stayed at, restaurants, and other interesting buildings in New Zealand.</div>
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One thing I usually forget to take pictures of, however, is the hotel rooms. Sometimes I remember after we've already made the room messy by sleeping in the bed and spreading our clothes and belongings all over the place. Sometimes I don't even remember even then. </div>
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That said, I thought I would share the pictures I did capture, because some of the places were pretty cool. If you are planning on traveling to NZ and want to know any of the specifics, just leave me a comment. Otherwise, I figure most of you will be satisfied with just a few captions here and there to give the pictures context. Here goes.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-01.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the lobby of our hotel in Rotorua.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-02.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel in Napier had a spa in the room and an ocean view. Definitely one of the nicer places we stayed <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">(while still being reasonably priced)</span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-03.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean view from the balcony.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-04.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We visited a couple wineries in Napier that were very pretty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-05.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one in particular was very old and had a long history that involved monks, fires, and obviously, booze in various forms.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-07.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We didn't learn as much about this winery, but it was still very nice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Johnsonville, near Wilmington, we stayed in a very cute private cottage.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-11.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-12.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a little hard to figure out from this picture, but the cottage had an outdoor bathtub that you heated by lighting a fire under it. I was super excited about this feature, but unfortunately, we got there very late and there was a fire hazard warning that day, so we weren't allowed to have an open fire. Nuts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This boutique hotel in Kaikoura was definitely the nicest place we stayed, but it was also by far the most expensive, so I'm not sure I would recommend it. But it was definitely very pretty and had a balcony overlooking the ocean.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-17.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-18.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These rooms were in the middle of Arthur's Pass, a very remote region in the mountains. If it wasn't for the restaurant in the main building, we would have been totally screwed when it came time to find food that night. Nothing around for miles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-19.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was another great motel that was also decently priced. Very nice, modern room, and it was within steps of several restaurants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-20.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also saw a very pretty sunset when we stayed there, but I'm not sure they can claim that as a feature of this motel. lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-21.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-22.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A shot inside the restaurant next door to the motel above. Very cute with delicious food. Also, they played a crazy Bruce Lee movie on the patio television set, so we enjoyed some kung fu while we ate. Nice.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-23.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hotel outside of Queenstown was very very fancy (but I somehow booked the room for 60% off, so it wasn't bad at all for our stay). It had a private movie theater and spa services, as well as a restaurant with a gorgeous view.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-26.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-27.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the Dunedin train station, one of the more famous buildings on the South Island. Really beautiful inside and out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-28.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a pretty church in Dunedin. I know nothing else about it. haha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-29.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the entrance to the Chinese Garden in Dunedin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-30.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Chinese Garden (which is one of only three authentic Chinese Gardens in the world found outside of China).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz8-32.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take many pictures inside the Cadbury chocolate factory on our tour, but our tour guide (who was fantastic and Willy Wonka-esque) posed for this shot with Chris.</td></tr>
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I was planning to also do a post about our actual itinerary and what we would have done differently if we went again, but honestly, that sounds exhausting to me. I have a travel journal full of notes, though, so if anyone wants any tips about where to go or how long to stay there, I will be happy to help! But without a request, I'm not going to bother. I have a whole line up of pictures I've been meaning to post, and I'm in the middle of giving my guest room an overhaul, and yeah. Life.<br />
<br />
But I do want to take second to "wrap up" my New Zealand trip. We had an absolutely awesome time there. I am so grateful to Chris for being my awesome travel companion and making it all possible. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to visit such a different world.<br />
<br />
Two weeks was definitely not enough time to see everything we saw, let alone all the stuff we didn't see. We crammed it in because we figured we might never go there again and I'm glad we did. But it would have been nicer to have more time in certain places, like Rotorua and Queenstown. And we didn't even see Auckland, which is supposed to be a really great city.<br />
<br />
I would have also like to have stayed over in Christchurch. A lot of people and guides said not to bother because it was devastated by the huge earthquake a few years ago, but they are rapidly rebuilding and it is a wonderful city. And they could really use the tourism income to keep their efforts going strong, so I recommend everyone going to New Zealand go there and spend some money. It's worth it. Of all the places we visited in NZ, Christchurch was most likely where I would live if I moved to New Zealand.<br />
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If you're planning a big vacation and considering New Zealand, I say go for it, as long as you have more than two weeks or are willing to limit yourself to just one island. If you have less than two weeks, go to Hawaii. Seriously. That's good advice. New Zealand is a great place to have some crazy awesome adventures, though. And the people there are so friendly and adventurous and really passionate about their homeland. There's a lot of beautiful sights and things you just won't find anywhere else.<br />
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Now for my final thought if you're planning a vacation to New Zealand: go Zorbing. So. Much. Fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-56392189858830484812015-04-15T20:39:00.000-04:002015-04-15T20:39:12.698-04:00NZ 7: Natural BeautyI really shouldn't be surprised that this post has more than 40 photos. New Zealand is so full of natural beauty. Some of it is strange and beautiful, some of it is simply brilliant. Here's 40+ of my favorite beautiful nature pictures from our trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-02.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Taupo, which was created by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. The sky was blacked out as far as Rome and China for months afterward. </td></tr>
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Some of the most sublime landscapes we encountered were on our day-long hike of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, in the next several photos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-07.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You have no idea how high up we were. It looks like a gentle descent to the left, but that ground is sooooo far below us. We were basically sitting on the edge of a huge cliff.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-12.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. That's an active volcano. Let's just say even though we were exhausted, we picked up our pace to get out of the "blast area" where a sleeping hut was destroyed just a few years ago.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//nz7-13.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This water was grey. Not sure if that had to do with the volcano, but it was weird.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
There was always beauty to be found outside the window on our long drives, as well.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw many areas along our drives that looked like this. Dotted with trees. I thought it was so strange and pretty.</td></tr>
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Not surprisingly, the ocean was also stunning and gave us a lot of beautiful photos.</div>
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We also visited the very beautiful botanical gardens in Christchurch.</div>
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Honestly, though, nature was so prevalent in New Zealand and such a focus for us that we always found something beautiful to look at around us.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was in Arthur's Pass, a mountainous and remote region of the South Island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Franz Josef, with the Aorki Mt. Cook mountains (I think) behind.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down a windy dirt road on a 4 x 4 tour.</td></tr>
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Another amazing and stunning adventure was our kayak trip though the Doubtful Sound. We drove a long time to get to a boat that took us across a lake and down a river, then onto a bus that was originally brought there by boat and has no access to outside roads, then back on a boat before we could even get to the kayaks. Talk about remote.</div>
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Ok, one more spot to show you guys: the Moeraki Boulders, which were created by salt deposits over thousands of years.</div>
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All I can think of right now is this art print I saw recently that reads "There is beauty in this world." So true. And I've got the pictures to prove it. :-)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-4275462156606959922015-04-12T16:43:00.000-04:002015-04-12T16:48:00.607-04:00NZ 6: Animals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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New Zealand is a strange place when it comes to animals. There are no large mammals native to the islands. Most of the mammals that are there were brought over by men. And a lot of the native birds, reptiles and amphibians are found no where else in the world. </div>
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We were lucky enough to have a few good animal encounters during our trip. We visited the National Aquarium of New Zealand:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These penguins were all wild but were found injured for one reason or another, so they were brought to the zoo for rehabilitation.</td></tr>
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But I think one of the coolest animal experiences you can have is to see animals in the wild. On our drive to Kaikoura, we found this wild colony of seals just hanging out by the ocean. It was so amazing to see them playing and sleeping and interacting with each other.</div>
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I also got a small bird to come and eat a worm out of my hand when we were in Rotorua on the zipline tour. We took a video but it was pretty dark because we were in a rain forest, so you can't really see much. But it was pretty cool.</div>
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Another type of animal experience is to see wild animals on an organized tour, which we did for to see the sperm whales and Dusky dolphins.</div>
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There was a massive number of dolphins swimming around here. And they were so playful and just completely amazing. Make sure to watch the video below in full screen so you can see the dolphins well. I was a little too zoomed out when I took the video.</div>
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One of my favorite native birds that we saw in various places was the Paradise birds. The female has the white head and the male is more black. The cool thing about them is that you always see one male and one female together because they mate for life.</div>
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Below are some other crazy birds that were way up on a cliff.</div>
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As I mentioned before, there are millions of sheep and cows in New Zealand as well.</div>
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Our encounter with the Blue penguins was pretty cool. They swim out on the ocean all day and only come back to their nests at night when they are protected from predators. So we stood there and got to see them suddenly pop out of the ocean and scramble up on the beach and make their way to the little burrows that were right near the viewing platform. My pictures aren't great because we couldn't use the flash, but it was a pretty interesting experience.</div>
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And one of my other favorite animal encounters was with the glowworms. We were blackwater rafting in the cave, so I didn't have my camera. But here's a picture I found online of them. Simply amazing.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-33176467174223886182015-04-06T20:11:00.000-04:002015-04-06T20:11:34.701-04:00NZ 5: FireOk, Ok, it's finally time for the "fire" portion of the Fire and Ice post I mentioned last week. technically I'm not talking about actual fire, although that song at the end of the second Hobbit movie by Ed Sheeran is definitely playing in my head right now: <i>"Now I see fire / Inside the mountain / I see fire / Burning the trees." </i><br />
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If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out the music video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fngvQS_PmQ" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Anyway, back to this blog post. The fire I'm referring to is in the form of volcanic and geothermal activity. We got to see several volcanoes in New Zealand, including the one used to depict Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings.<br />
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But we also got to see the spectacular sight of the heat escaping from random patches in the earth. The Waikato region of the North Island has a lot of this activity. In particular, the town of Rotorua is a<i> hot bed</i> of geothermal activity (yes, pun intended).</div>
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The first time we saw this craziness was at the farmer's market on my birthday. It was really pretty crazy to see all this steam rising out of the ground, and then to realize the mud is so hot it's bubbling up and actually boiling in some spots.</div>
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The temperature varied from spot to spot, so some areas were just warm and perfect for a quick dip, as this crazy-looking bird demonstrates in the picture below.</div>
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A lot of the areas around Rotorua were pretty stinky. It smelled like sulfur. Also, the "lake" in Rotorua is basically a big sulfur bog. It smelled terrible. Sort of made me feel silly for booking us a hotel that was on the lake. One of the only places I've ever been where "lakeside" is not a desirable location.</div>
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The Rotorua mud is famous for it's detoxifying, purifying and healing properties and is used for various spa and beauty products.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We visited one of the big geothermal parks while we were there. It was similar to the free one with the farmer's market, but this one did have a huge geyser ... which didn't go off while we were there. haha We did see a couple of the smaller geysers, though, so that was still cool.</span></div>
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We didn't have time to see this, but I thought it was worth mentioning that White Island, off the coast of the North Island, is home to an active marine volcano. You can get a boat or a helicopter to take you out there. I'd imagine it's pretty spectacular to see it from the air.</div>
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That concludes my post about fire, which contains no pictures or references to actual fire.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-60674875759859083322015-03-29T22:33:00.001-04:002015-03-29T22:33:37.021-04:00NZ 3.5: RaftingDuring our whitewater rafting trip in Rotorua, we got the guide to let us flip the raft over on one of the rapids. And as luck would have it, one of the other passengers had a GoPro camera and the raft was equipped with a camera holder.<br />
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We exchanged email addresses with Leo, our new Brazialian friend and owner of the GoPro. He just sent us the video this weekend and it's pretty cool. Leo is the guy in the front on the right. Chris and I are in the third row of the raft. The guide and a a guide-in-training are in the very back.<br />
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Enjoy the video!<br />
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I promise to get some more pictures up soon. This weekend just slipped away from me and now we're watching a friend's dog for a week, so things are a little crazy around here. But soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-28981461494004059912015-03-25T16:20:00.001-04:002015-03-25T18:07:14.076-04:00NZ 4: The Land of Ice and FireSomething that's so interesting about New Zealand is that you can see an active volcano one day, and then next, head south and you can climb on a glacier. Oh and did I mention that the glacier ends in a rain forest? The strange mix of hot and cold, of fire and ice, is what makes this group of islands so spectacular.<br />
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I'll get to the fire part in my next post. For now, let's focus on the ice.<br />
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New Zealand has quite a few glacier. Two of the most prominent are Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. Chris and I were lucky enough to have good weather and be able to fly out on a helicopter to Fox Glacier. Apparently the weather is pretty unpredictable and flights get cancelled about as often as they actually go up. So we were relieved to wake up to blue skies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the helicopter!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the glacier in the middle, curving down to the left.</td></tr>
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Here's a video I took as we were approaching the glacier in the helicopter. (I got to sit in the front seat on the way out!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide out on the ice. She took us for a 3-hour hike on the glacier. And yes, she had to use the ax a lot to cut away parts of the ice so we could get around.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To give you an idea of just how massive this glacier is, take a look at that little black spot on the left, just above the middle of the picture. That's a group of about 12 people. And then further to the left, I think that's another group even further up. And we were standing in the middle of the glacier. This thing was enormous.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris in an ice cavern!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing through an ice arch.</td></tr>
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As you can imagine, this little escapade was pretty pricey. But it was definitely one of the more unusual, awe-inspiring activities I've ever done. I remember standing there and saying to Chris "We're hiking on a glacier in New Zealand right now. Who does that?" haha The ice formations were so beautiful and it was really neat wearing those spikes on our boots and walking on slick ice. Also, this was our first time in a helicopter, which was pretty awesome itself. It was a short ride, but so cool. Especially when you luck out and get to sit in the front seat like me! (Sorry Chris!)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-46581811901961833012015-03-23T21:09:00.000-04:002015-03-23T21:09:04.503-04:00NZ 3: Adventure Capital of the WorldIn addition to elves and dwarves, flightless birds and sheep, and more rolling hills than you can even imagine, New Zealand is the land of adventure. Bungee jumping and skydiving were both made popular in New Zealand, among many other adrenaline-inducing activities.<br />
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Chris and I are definitely up for adventure, but neither one of us are entirely fond of sports. So our choice of activities fell somewhere in the middle. Some extreme stuff but no falling out of the sky. haha<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the first commercial bungee jump operation in the world.</td></tr>
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One of our favorite activities was the jetboat ride on the Shotover River in Queenstown. We had so much fun that we decided to buy the DVD they made for us. The video is a mix of promotional footage and actual shots inside the jetboat during our ride. They had a camera mounted in the front and back. Chris and I got there early and managed to snag the front two seats, next to the driver.<br />
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Another fun activity was driving off road in an ATV. This was on farmland, and we drove through a muddy swamp, over huge hills and through forests. Chris was a crazy driver in a very good way.<br />
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Another popular watersport in New Zealand is what they call black water rafting. Instead of rapids outside, we went tubing through an underground river. We even jumped down a few small waterfalls. I didn't really get any good pictures of this, so you'll have to use your imagination from this picture I snapped of the pictures they took (this was the only good one so we didn't want to pay for all of them ...) I'm in the front on the left and Chris is to the right of me.<br />
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And of course, we also partook in the usual white water rafting as well. These pictures turned out great, so we decided to splurge and buy the disk of pictures they took during our trip. Here's a few of my favorites.</div>
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At one point, we got our of the raft and climbed over to a six meter waterfall. And then we each jumped off it back into the water. Might have been the scariest thing I've ever done! We also convinced our guide to let us flip the raft. One of the guys on our raft had a Go Pro and took a video of it. When/if I track that down, I'll definitely post it!</div>
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And if that's not enough excitement, we also toughened up and headed up high in the treetops for some ziplining. For some reason this doesn't scare us as much as bungee jumping.</div>
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See what I mean in the video below. I'm fearless!</div>
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But not fearless enough to give this parachuting thing a try. In the two pictures below, these guys would jump off the top of a mountain and glide down to the beach in Queenstown. I think they were trying to land on a raft just out from the beach. We saw four guys come down, and one of them came really close. Two of them smacked down on the water so hard it really sounded like it hurt.<br />
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My personal favorite adventure activity was Zorbing. This ridiculous concoction involves climbing inside a giant clear ball that has a little water in the bottom. The ball is suspended within a larger ball, so you can't see our very clearly, but you also don't feel the ground bumping up under you either. And then, well, they push you down a hill.<br />
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There are three tracks, so you can go straight down, down a big curve with a drop, and down a zigzag course that tosses you around like you're in a washing machine (that one was my favorite).<br />
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Of course there's even more adrenaline-pumping activities to be found in New Zealand. These are just the ones we encountered first hand. And we did do a lot of other fun activities, but since they were a little less heart pounding, I figure I'll save those for a different post.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-33089398414184162782015-03-21T17:09:00.003-04:002015-03-21T17:09:56.197-04:00NZ 2: Middle Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm sure most of you already know that the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies were filmed in New Zealand. And many of you also know that Chris and I are geeks, so of course we had to check out the Middle Earth lore during our visit to New Zealand.</div>
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First up, in fact, the very first thing we did when we arrived, was visit Hobbiton. This little "village" was actually built for the Hobbit movies and was used to film the scenes of the Shire. The original Hobbiton was built to be temporary, and they actually burned some of it down for the scene where Frodo imagines the Shire being attacked. The rest the took apart and destroyed. So when it came time for the Hobbit movies, they decided to build a permanent set that people could visit once the movies were complete.</div>
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And it was adorable. Seriously so cute. It was neat to see the different sizes "houses" they built, depending on who was standing in front of them. Gandalf stood in front of the tiny houses, the hobbits stood in front of the nearly full-sized ones. </div>
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They have five gardeners that keep Hobbiton looking green and lush, but in truth, it was fall in New Zealand, so in the picture below you can see where Hobbiton ends and the real countryside begins.</div>
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Our guide told us that the party scene for Bilbo's birthday, which is about three minutes long in the movie, actually took three nights to film. They actually set it up like a party and had all the actors eating and drinking and dancing for three nights in a row. Doesn't sound like a bad gig.</div>
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Inside the Green Dragon Inn, we each got a beer that's brewed just for Hobbiton, and ordered a couple beef and ale pies. Yum! </div>
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For some reason Smaug's head was hanging out near the pond in Hobbiton. </div>
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Hobbiton was the only set that still exists in New Zealand. Everything else was either CG or taken down after filming. But a lot of New Zealand's natural features were also used in the movie, such as Mount Ngauruhoe (below), which was used in part to create Mount Doom. </div>
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The Remarkables (the redish mountains in the picture below) were also used in various scenes in the movies. For some of the shots, the mountains were covered in snow, which happens throughout the year. They said last summer the Remarkables were mostly covered in snow!</div>
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The Shotover river was used for the scene where Liv Tyler's character is crossing the river with Frodo and she summons the water to wipe out the wraiths.</div>
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But since the river was too deep for the horses, they combined the shot with this other nearby river, which is much shallower and the horses could actually cross easily. (We were on a tour that drove through it!)</div>
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The river below was used when the fellowship is sailing down that river and they pass by the giant statues of the kings. (Could I be more vague? Probably not). </div>
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The picture below was from our tour guide's photo album. He worked on the films and had some neat behind-the-scenes pictures, including this one of the actors who actually played Pippin. As you can guess, the smaller actor was used for shots where the hobbits stood next to humans or elves, so they appeared very small. </div>
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Besides the actual film locations, just driving along the countryside often reminded us of different scenes from the movies. Much of the country has a very Middle Earth feel to it. Also, the safety video on the Air New Zealand flights was filmed by Peter Jackson, so that's pretty hilarious. You can view that video <a href="http://youtu.be/qOw44VFNk8Y" target="_blank">here</a>. Enjoy "the most epic safety video ever made!"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-46694631807292207792015-03-20T22:04:00.002-04:002015-03-20T22:04:53.191-04:00NZ 1: Stories from the Southern HemisphereWe're back from our trip to New Zealand! I'm happy to report that it was an amazing adventure with so many incredible experiences that it's almost overwhelming just to think about, let alone tell someone about. Thus, I have decided to post about my trip in little bite-size posts, rather than one or two large ones. This way the posts should be more enjoyable for you, the reader, and may mean that I won't take six weeks to actually get all the pictures and stories uploaded.<br />
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So. For my first New Zealand post, I've composed a list of five fun facts I discovered during our vacation:<br />
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<strong>1. People in New Zealand love the word "kiwi."</strong> They use it to describe a lot of things. Flightless bird that only lives in New Zealand? Kiwi. The green fruit with the fuzzy brown skin that's grown around the world? Kiwi. People who live in New Zealand? Also Kiwi.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not the fruit. Also, I didn't take this picture. We only saw one in a very dark enclosure and he was way at the back.</td></tr>
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<strong>2. Everything is reversed.</strong> Remember that old wives tale about how the toilet's flush in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere? Well, honestly, I have no idea which direction the water swirls in my own toilet, so I didn't really notice in New Zealand. I did however notice that cars drive on the left, the driver sits on the left, and all the locks and knobs turn the opposite way. You know how when you turn a key in a lock you usually turn it toward the door jamb to lock it and away to unlock? Totally opposite down there. I got stuck in so many bathrooms over the last two weeks ...<br />
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<strong>3. Driving in America is like bowling with the bumpers up.</strong> You heard me. It's so easy to drive in the US, I can't believe it. In New Zealand, the roads are all about the same width as your car, give or take a few inches. And the speed limit on most of the roads is 100 kph. Yes, kilometers are shorter and therefore this is slower than 100 mph, but on teeny tiny roads that turn 90 degrees constantly and have no guard rail alongside a cliff, it feels like you're going unbelievably fast. Totally out of control. (Btw, 100 kph = 62 mph). Basically, if you try to always drive the speed limit on all the roads where it's legal, you will die. Without question. Splat. Depending on your skill level at maneuvering twisty roads at unsafe speeds, add an extra 10% to 40% of driving time to whatever Google Maps tells you.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That crazy man ziplining upside down is my husband. I may have done that as well ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the ocean in Napier on the North Island on a warm day.</td></tr>
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<strong>4. New Zealand is not that old.</strong> No seriously. New Zealand became legally independent of Great Britain the same year I was born. They only just created their own Supreme Court in 2003. They had been a colony of Great Britain in the mid 1800s, and before that, it was mostly just the native people, the Maori (pronounced mowry or mary, depending on the accent ...) In many of the towns we visited, houses built in the 1980s were considered the "older homes in the area." <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bah.</td></tr>
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<strong>5. There are 4.5 million people living in New Zealand and 9 million sheep.</strong> And when you're driving through most of the country, all you'll see is the sheep. That's because most of the population live in just three major cities. The rest of the country is unpopulated or farmland. Thousands upon thousands of acres for their sheep and cows to roam around. Kiwis claim that's why their milk is so much better than American milk - their cows actually get to eat grass. Kind of makes me feel bad for American livestock. There's no way our "free range" or "cage free" livestock have that kind of freedom. Except in Hawaii. Some farmers in Hawaii don't even use fences - the cows just wander between farms and open land (we observed this on the southern part of Maui a few years ago, where I not surprisingly ate the best burger of my life at a roadside stand).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See all the white dots on the hillside? All sheep. This was the view all over the country.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking the Doubtful Sound.</td></tr>
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I'll continue to do more New Zealand posts over the next few weeks, so check back often. If you didn't follow my Instagram feed while we were traveling, check out my New Zealand pictures <a href="https://instagram.com/calliea37/" target="_blank">here</a> and Chris's pictures <a href="https://instagram.com/bhrunner81/" target="_blank">here</a>. My Google phone, which is sort of like my own personal stalker created <a href="https://plus.google.com/101472371038066199785/posts/hWsCxAgwdna" target="_blank">this slideshow</a>.<br />
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Thank you and "haere mai ano" (that means "come again" in Maori ... I think ...)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-87292571022223550372015-02-21T17:41:00.001-05:002015-02-21T17:41:40.068-05:00Where Does the Time Go?Wow, it's been over a month since my last post! Things have been pretty busy around here and a lot has been taking up my spare time and energy.<br />
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For one, I'm sad to say my grandma recently passed away. I guess I've been spending some time thinking about her and what she meant to me. She was a special woman who played a huge hand in my childhood and shaping me into the person I am today. I always felt a special connection with her. She used to give the weirdest presents that everyone hated, but for some reason, the quirky gifts were always spot on with me. From turquoise trucker hats to a VHS of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, that woman totally got me. I'm going to miss her a lot, but I feel lucky that I was able to go back to Michigan for her funeral on a moment's notice. My husband is a wonderfully supportive person, and it's so amazing to have him helping me during moments like that. My best friend Katie was also a great comfort and joy during this time, so I feel even luckier.<br />
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On a happier note, the other thing that has been taking up so much of my time lately is vacation planning! Chris and I decided about a month ago to go to New Zealand! Soon! So I made a mad dash out of travel planning and booked everything for our two-week trip in just four days. That's not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. Ideally, I like a solid two months to plan a trip like that. But I got 'er done and we are so freaking excited to go on our trip.<br />
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Obviously I don't have any pictures to share yet (oh but I will!!!!) so in the meantime, all I can share is my Pinterest board where I've been collecting ideas of things to do. Some of them won't happen, but some of them we already have booked and I just can't wait. See my Pinterest board <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/calliea37/new-zealand/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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If any of you have been to New Zealand before, please leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions you may have!<br />
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Hope all is well wherever you are. The snow bank in our front yard is now about two feet taller than me. Good times...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-49165390487297898602015-01-14T19:49:00.002-05:002015-01-14T19:49:17.353-05:00Christmas 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
OK, it's taken me way too long to get these Christmas pictures up, so I'm not going to write a bunch. Just want to get these babies up. Here's my first batch, from our day over at Chris's dads, when we gave presents to Jackson and Emma.</div>
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Next up, Christmas in Michigan. These are from the week leading up to Christmas Eve.</div>
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Christmas Eve, opening presents with my family:</div>
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Christmas day, over at my Grandma's house:</div>
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In Ann Arbor, the day after Christmas, when Adam and Andrea took us to a comedy show.</div>
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Sorry to be so brief, but I hope everyone enjoys the pictures! Thank you everyone who celebrated the holidays with Chris and I. We love you all!!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-19530810265722275042014-12-07T20:26:00.000-05:002014-12-07T20:31:37.001-05:00All Through the HouseOnce the Halloween party was over, I must admit I took a bit of a break with posting anything new. That bash definitely wore me out, although I didn't just take it easy. Once I put away all the Halloween decorations, I was left with a unique opportunity in many of our rooms. There was nothing up on the walls. The floors and walls and everything needed a thorough cleaning, so I decided it was a good time for some updates.<br />
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My first task was the bathroom, where I repainted and put new hardware on the cabinet. I meant to put up pictures, but well ...<br />
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Hopefully sometime soon.<br />
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But this past week, I finally made it to my biggest undertaking: the living room. My mom and I had painted this room right after Chris and I moved in 5 years ago, and it was ready for a fresh coat of paint. Here's what it looked like after all the decorations came down.<br />
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I thought I wanted to paint it blue-grey, but once I got some paint samples up on the wall, I realized I don't actually like blue-grey. I guess I just like the idea of it. So I got more samples, and well, thus we have the picture below.</div>
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I went with Benjamin Moore's "Revere Pewter." It's a greige color, sort of a taupe. Mostly grey with a beige undertone. Here's a blurry in-progress picture so you can see the color change.</div>
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In the end, I have to say, I love it. It's a very popular color, and I actually found out about it on Pinterest because tons of people use it in living rooms. I probably wouldn't have picked it out on my own. On the paint chip it looks beige, and I don't like beige. But on the walls, it's beautiful. Very rich and sophisticated looking. Definitely a grown up color (says the woman watching A Christmas Story while she paints).</div>
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I also took time to caulk all the trim at the ceiling and baseboards. You can see gaps between the trim and the ceiling if you scroll us. But after a little caulk and some paint touch-ups, voila! No more gaps or cracks. Instantly made this room look a lot less dated.</div>
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Here's a shot I took the morning after I painted so you can see it in natural light. I was worried it would blend in too much with the couch, but it's actually just enough contrast that it works but is also very calm and cozy.</div>
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I waited a few days for the paint to cure before hanging some pictures over the couch. I decided to continue the warm and cozy look for the holidays.</div>
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Ok, so the giant octopus is neither warm nor cozy, but come on, I can't get too sappy with my arrangement. Gotta have a little personality ...</div>
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Oh, also, the "Be Merry" sign on the bottom left is just a gift bag I found at Target and hung with a push pin. I thought it rounded out the grouping for the holidays and was cheap and will be easy to swap out after Christmas.</div>
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I was waiting to put this post up so I could also share pictures of our Christmas tree in our freshly painted living room. Chris, Ripley and I made the trek up to Beckwith's Family Christmas Tree Farm to cut down a beauty. We do this every year and it's a favorite tradition of ours, and we were excited to share it with the pooch.</div>
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As luck would have it, today was also the day of the North Syracuse Christmas Parade, so we took a break from decorating the tree to enjoy the festivities.</div>
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But we eventually got back to it and ended up with this beautiful tree. The tree skirt is new this year. I found it at Christmas Tree Shop and I'm really hoping the cats don't ruin it. We tried to keep the ornaments up a little higher this year to help pooch resist the temptation to pull them down and chew them. So fingers crossed. </div>
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Once again, we don't have a single generic bulb or ornament on the tree. Every ornament was given to us or we bought together as part of our holiday traditions. It's so nice to see a tree full of so many happy memories. And so many of the ornaments remind us of our family, which is awesome.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//liv17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//liv17.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//liv18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//liv18.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Hopefully my next post will be coming a lot sooner than this one did. We're still working on Christmas decorations and I have yet to overhaul the kitchen and some other rooms in the house, so there should be lots to show you!<br />
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But in case I don't write again until December 25th, Merry Christmas everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-70694034790279732842014-11-09T15:38:00.002-05:002014-11-09T15:38:26.913-05:00Our Halloween Party<div>
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This year, Chris and I decided to go all out and throw a huge Halloween party for all our friends. It was a lot of work ... A LOT of work ... but it turned out great. In the end, there were a bunch of details I didn't have time for, and some things got a little rushed, but overall I'd say the party was a big success. </div>
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In the chaos of it all, I feel like I didn't get great pictures of all the details, but I'm happy to share what I have. We'll start with the red velvet cupcakes I made.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty04.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here's an in progress shot of the dining room table before we put all the food out.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was either poison or spiced cider with rum.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty07.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The mad scientist area, complete with a heart and a glowing brain.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our host vampire as he's sinking his glowing fangs into a watermelon jello shot.</div>
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Severed finger sugar cookies I made, along with more cupcakes someone brought.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty17.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Poor little guy got sick...</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty18.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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We had lots of people show up in killer costumes for the party. Here we see Daenerys Targaryen, Hhal Jhaqo, and a dragon. Ripley didn't know what to make of this costume.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty19.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Matt and Kristen won best couple's costume as Bob and Linda from Bob's Burgers.</span></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty21.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Aryn (the guy on the left) won funniest costume.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty23.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Although the giant baby Smurf deserves honorable mention.<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty24.jpg" height="640" width="440" /></a></div>
I also set up a photo op area in hopes of getting pictures of everyone. It turned out pretty great!<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty14.jpg" height="604" width="640" /></a></div>
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The guy on the right one scariest costume. Can you guess why?</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty12.jpg" height="516" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty22.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty11.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty16.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
Later on in the night, people were dancing, the food kept disappearing and we were all having a lot of fun. That's when these pictures were captured.<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty1.jpg" height="640" width="546" /></a></div>
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It's hard to tell in the pictures with the flash, but the picture below has the truest to life feel for the lighting in the party. Lots of candlelight and twinkle lights everywhere. The kitchen had black lights, which you can sort of see through the doorway.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty34.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallparty35.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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So that's the best pictures I could come up with. Wish you all could have been there to see it. It was a great time and I'm so happy for everyone who made it out and had a fun time with us. It was a great experience, and we probably won't be doing it again anytime soon. Did I mention it was a lot of work? lol</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-65691283931448212352014-10-20T20:24:00.000-04:002014-10-20T20:24:09.995-04:00Halloween Decorations, Take 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ok so this is long overdue, but I wanted to put up some more "in progress" pictures of the Halloween decorations. I'll definitely post all the final pictures of the party after the whole thing goes down, but why not show you all what I've been up to in the meantime?</div>
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As my friend Ali put it, I've been layering on the decorations each day, so it's always getting a little better.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec01.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added more garland stuff around the living room and hung some spooky lanterns.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec06.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added another layer to the banister, so it includes skeletons.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec07.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This decal is from Lowes. It has flowers that fold out from the wall so it's a little more dimensional.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec09.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not satisfied with the bookshelves at all, but I haven't got a ton of ideas on how to improve them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody candles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec11.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black light with glow-in-the-dark cobwebs in the kitchen.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec12.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec13.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec14.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cut these letters out of black poster board, based on a banner I saw online. Cute, right?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec15.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the bathroom is getting a little creepy ...</td></tr>
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Of course there's still a lot more to do. I have several areas in the house where I've gathered spooky items but have yet to find their final resting places...<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//haldec16.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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And the outside is just a little spooky. We put up some cute lights and a few tombstones that keep blowing across the yard (they're made of Styrofoam). </div>
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I've also been working hard on our costumes, so I'll be sure to do a post with lots of pictures of the costumes too! Happy Halloween and wish us good luck getting everything ready in time for our Halloween party!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-27004772536951581202014-09-27T12:00:00.000-04:002014-09-27T12:00:00.967-04:00Throw Out 100 Things ChallengeI'm in the mood for some spring cleaning. OK, so it's not spring. And I want to do more than clean, I want to declutter, too. So let me rephrase that: I'm in the mood to for fall decluttering.<br />
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Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?<br />
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Well whatever you call it, I'm motivated to do it.<br />
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Recently I read <a href="http://jesslively.com/100thingschallenge/throwout100thingschallenge-2/" target="_blank">this post by Jess Lively</a>, a very wonderful designer/life coach/entrepreneur with whom I went to college. We worked/lived in the same residence hall and she was all about pairing down and simplifying, even back then. Love it. So when I saw her "Throw Out 100 Things Challenge" on her blog, I was so excited to do this in my own home, which has a tendency to be overloaded with stuff.<br />
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So here's my 100 things. I tried to recycle, donate, or sell everything I could to avoid waste.<br />
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To get going, I basically just started with a few items that I knew I wanted to get rid of and then figured out what I should do with them and grouped them with other items. That helped me think of other things to get rid of. For example, I had half a pack of puppy pee pads that Ripley no longer needed, so I figured I could donate them to the rescue center where we adopted him. So then I looked at the list on their website of items they needed. That made me realize I had some old towels and sheets they could use in the dog's crates. So just like that, my first group of items was out the door.<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss04.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<b>Donated to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue:</b><br />
1. Old towel<br />
2. Old sheet set and pillowcases<br />
3. Half a pack of puppy "peed pads"<br />
3-1/2. Dish soap & paper towels (these I bought specifically to donate)<br />
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That felt great to actually get the items out of the house right away and gave me motivation to keep going.<br />
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<b>Recycled:</b><br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss01.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>4. More than 50 tear sheets from old magazines (I took pictures of the pages I liked and uploaded them to Pinterest)<br />
5. Six old magazines<br />
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Next up, I turned my attention to my feet. I've been wearing a pair of leopard print flats every day for a long time and now my toe was starting to poke through. Probably time to get rid of them. Not to mention the shoes that the cats recently decided to use as a substitute for their litter box. I had washed the shoes as best I could, but the smell just didn't come out. :-( Darn cats.<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss05.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>Toss:</b><br />
6. Four pairs of shoes<br />
7. Broken thermometer (which has been sitting next to the smelly shoes for weeks)<br />
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While I was at it, I checked out my closet situation and realized I had some really cute shoes that I never wear because they hurt my feet or don't fit properly. So not smelly and not worn out. These could be used by someone else.<br />
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<b>Donate to Salvation Army:</b><br />
8. Four pairs of shoes<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss06.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>That's how this process went. I'll spare you the details of every decision I made. I just wanted to give you an idea of how I got started and kept up the momentum, just in case any of you want to join the challenge but don't know where to start. One thing really leads to another and another, which is really great.<br />
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Anyway, here's the rest of my list:<br />
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<b>Toss</b><br />
9. Broken compact mirror<br />
10. Five expired items from the medicine cabinet<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss07.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>11. Five old prescription bottles<br />
12. Wallet<br />
13. Two plastic silverware packs<br />
14. Knit coaster<br />
15. Broken green mini blinds<br />
16. Two empty bottles of sunscreen<br />
17. Two store bags<br />
18. Expired travel products<br />
19. Package of dried-out wet wipes<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss09.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>20. Old makeup products<br />
21. Ripped thermal shirt<br />
22. Rusty shower caddy<br />
23. Checkbooks from an old account<br />
24. Old DVD<br />
25. Stick-on carpet squares from the staircase<br />
26. High school jazz shoes<br />
27. Sims 2 computer game box<br />
28. Christmas receipts<br />
29. Low-quality DVD copies<br />
30. Furnace filter the cats peed on<br />
31. Three burnt-out light bulbs<br />
32. Eight cardboard boxes<br />
33. Lots of bubble wrap and packaging materials<br />
34. Two Color Me Rad colored t-shirts<br />
35. Four 5k registration tags<br />
36. Destroyed feather cat toy<br />
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<b>Recycle</b><br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss12.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>37. Another two magazines<br />
38. Contents of a wedding tote bag (wedding brochures, receipts, magazines, etc).<br />
39. Gift bag<br />
40. Stack of papers/documentation from a former job<br />
41. Three user manuals<br />
42. ANOTHER eight magazines (I think I have a magazine-hoarding problem - I just keep finding them stashed throughout the house)<br />
43. Twelve binders full of college coursework<br />
44. Six notebooks from college and high school<br />
<br />
<b>Donate to Salvation Army</b><br />
45. Wallet<br />
46. Eight shirts<br />
47. Four pairs of shorts<br />
48. Dress<br />
49. Wedding Countdown book<br />
50. Old mugs<br />
51. 28 old cabinet handles<br />
52. Coin purse<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss03.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>53. Two votive candle holders<br />
54. Promotional T-shirt<br />
55. Two VHS tapes (Jurassic Park & Independence Day - both classics)<br />
56. Assorted mismatched wine glasses<br />
57. Jalapeno-shaped dip plate<br />
58. Promotional coffee mugs<br />
59. Collapsible cooler<br />
60. Butter dish<br />
61. Tiny skillet<br />
62. Plastic drink cups<br />
63. Beer koozie<br />
64. Glass jar top<br />
65. Cat condo<br />
66. 2 lap pads<br />
67. Messenger bag<br />
68. Sweatpants<br />
69. Thermal shirt<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss02.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>70. Winter hat<br />
71. Hand towels<br />
72. Dish drying rack<br />
73. Personal CD player<br />
74. Three pairs of headphones<br />
75. Bike lock<br />
76. Graduation cap<br />
77. Velvet jewelry box<br />
78. Makeup case<br />
79. Wristwatch<br />
80. Three old French books<br />
81. Two college text books<br />
<br />
<b>Give to Friends</b><br />
83. Four magazines<br />
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<b>Return</b><br />
84. Three DVDs to my parents<br />
85. Cookie tin (parents)<br />
86. Several borrowed books<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//toss10.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<b>Tossing a few last things...</b><br />
87. Old favors from our wedding<br />
88. Silk stems without the flowers<br />
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OK OK, I realize this list doesn't actually go up to 100, but I grouped a lot of the items together, so I'm actually way over 100. I was still trying to get to 100 on the list, but after waiting around almost a month without updating this, I decided it was time to just get the post up and feel good about what I've done. Maybe I'll do another post in January after the holidays. Because honestly, it does feel really good to get rid of some excess junk. And it's nice to have empty drawers and extra space in my cabinets again. And the idea of moving our stuff seems a little tiny bit less terrifying, so that's good too.<br />
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So it may have taken over a month to complete, but I'm so happy that I kept at it. I really do feel like my house is a much happier place now. Isn't it funny how that can happen, just by decluttering and finding a better home for some nice items that you no longer have use for?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-14601903034162565452014-09-25T21:16:00.000-04:002014-09-25T21:16:11.045-04:00FavoriteThat's right. Favorite. Halloween is my favorite time of year. I freaking love decorating our house for Halloween and watching scary movies and going to haunted houses. Love it. And the fact that it happens in fall, when we get to go apple picking and ride on hayrides and see the leaves change colors ... I mean come on. What's not to love?<br />
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This year, Chris and I are going big and having a huge Halloween party, so I've been trying to get an early start on decorating. Here's a few in-progress pictures. If you've got any more ideas, feel free to leave a comment. I love suggestions!<br />
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In the picture below, I just bought big sheets of black paper and drew the bats by freehand and then cut them out. I just looked at the silhouettes in the picture to get an idea of the shapes. It took a couple hours to do them all and get them taped up there, but seeing as it cost all of $2 for the materials, I'd say I got plenty of bang for my buck. The clown painting is from Salvation Army. I just added fake blood directly onto the glass and painted the frame and mat to give it a creepy look. The big picture in the middle is a new find that Chris and I purchased when we were apple picking at Beak and Skiff.<br />
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Most of this little vigil is from last year. I bought a regular mirror with a cool shape from Salvation Army, then spray painted the frame with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint. I didn't tape it off or anything, so it gave the mirror an antique-y look while still being reflective.<br />
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The plates, again, Salvation Army. I drew the images on with a Sharpie marker, just looking at other images for a general idea. Then I put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to harden the marker so it wouldn't rub off.<br />
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The candles, just drip red wax on white candles. Super easy and creepy looking.<br />
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This project took a little more creativity. I'm making trophies to give out for our Halloween party costume contest. I bought plastic skeletons at Dollar Tree, and wood plaques at Michaels. Then I broke them apart and hot glued them into positions I liked, starting from the feet up. </div>
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Below, we've got the beginnings of the Funniest and Scariest Costume trophies.</div>
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And my personal favorite, Best Couples Costume. In the picture below, you can still see the hot glue strings all over the place. So obviously, I've cleared them off. But I still need to spray paint them and add some sort of label and maybe a cute prop or two. So I'll keep you posted.</div>
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Another skeleton project - I'm obsessed with these $1 skeleys - was for my front door wreath.</div>
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I got the basic wreath for $3 at Target. Then I broke apart my skeleton and hot glued him into position. He's a very welcoming little thing, isn't he? After I got him in place, I took a $1 bouquet of silk flowers from Dollar Tree and cut it up. Then I hot glued the purple flowers, purple spider, and black twigs and leaves (all from a single bouquet) onto the wreath as well.</div>
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I mean seriously, that's pretty darn cute for a wreath that cost me $5 total, right? Although I do wish I had a tiny top hat for him...</div>
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Next up, I turned my orchid into something a little more frightening. The flowers had fallen off the plant a while ago, so it was just leaves and a long stem. That part is all real and alive. </div>
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Then I took the last flower from that same $1 bouquet from Dollar Tree and put a little surprise inside. Just some plastic vampire teeth that I once again hot glued in place. But before I stuck them in there, I dripped a red wax candle along the edges to make it look like gums. Then I glued it all in place. </div>
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The only thing I would warn about here is that you have to be careful not to get the hot glue near the wax because, well, wax melts. I actually went back over the teeth with the wax once they were glued in place to touch up a couple spots.</div>
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Another skeleton. Did I mention I love these guys? They cost $1 and they glow in the dark. What's not to love? I made him a prisoner inside a birdcage that was used as a centerpiece at our wedding reception. He's hanging out in our kitchen, by the entryway. </div>
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I've also been trying to Halloween-up my staircase. Lots of creepy garland and spooky pictures to replace our usual pictures on the frame wall. The mice silhouettes came in a pack of 12 for $1 from Dollar Tree. Unfortunately, Ripley keeps pulling them off and rippling them apart. Guess he's not a fan of mice.</div>
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And now, to reassure you all that I'm not totally obsessed with darkness and death or getting too out of hand with this Halloween stuff, I give you ...</div>
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Puppies and rainbows!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pooch with a mouse cowboy riding him. Maybe this is why he keeps killing the staircase mice...<br /><a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallo08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//hallo08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Puppies and kitties are also my favorite. And crazy hug rainbows are nice too.</div>
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Anyone else getting the jump on Halloween decorations? Got any tips or ideas to share?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-89523016790445843652014-08-23T11:21:00.001-04:002014-08-23T11:21:32.676-04:00Camping at Lake GeorgeThis past week, we rented a private island on Lake George. <br />
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It's actually not as ridiculous as it sounds. We rented a campsite for a few nights and the campsite happened to be the only one on the island. Hence, we rented an island.<br />
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Can you guess how Chris felt about this?<br />
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//george01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//george01.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Obviously, the biggest challenge to island camping is getting out there ... with all your stuff. Luckily, we went camping with Chris's dad and Lisa, who have a boat. Then it was just a matter of packing our gear away in every square inch of that boat and hoping it wouldn't sink on the way out.<br />
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I'm happy to report we made it out there without taking on water or losing any luggage overboard. And the reward for our voyage was pretty awesome. Our private island is pictured below.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//george04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//george04.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
It was actually pretty close to shore on the east side of the island. Basically just a channel of water that separated it from the mainland.<br />
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We were happy to discover it had two picnic tables and a platform for one of the tents, as well as an outhouse that by outhouse standards was pretty nice.<br />
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And honestly, the views just couldn't be beat.<br />
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Waking up to the sound of the waves all around you in the morning was also pretty amazing.<br />
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We were even welcomed to the island by a group of ducks. Lisa was not interested in them, I guess.<br />
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But I sure thought they were cute.<br />
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No surprise that Chris had to swim around the entire island.<br />
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He even swam over to the nearby rock island where the seagulls liked to sun themselves.<br />
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And again, no surprise, Chris needed to float in the water as much as possible.<br />
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But he did hop out to drive around his new RC boat that was actually pretty impressive. It was $50 from Harbor Freight and it had amazing range and was fast for a little boat.<br />
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We headed over to the ranger's island to check out the store and pick up a few extra items.<br />
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And at night, we enjoyed a campfire and the stars.<br />
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The next day, we thought we saw the Loch Ness monster. Turned out it was just a loon...<br />
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We came across this huge rock while boating around.<br />
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And we were pretty shocked to see climbers on it. See those tiny little people?<br />
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Way too scary for us. We prefer to stay in the water.<br />
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On Tuesday we went horseback riding at Bennett Stables. This was so much fun.<br />
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We rode the horses up a mountain. At the top, we got to enjoy an incredible view and a delicious steak dinner. The food was just as good as the view, in fact.<br />
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No boating trip would be complete without a little tubing. Chris stepped up and got the ride of his life.<br />
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We also cruised by the Sagamore, a beautiful resort hotel on the lake.<br />
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During dinner in the village, we also saw the ferry boat and heard it playing its little song.<br />
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We definitely missed pooch on this trip (dogs weren't allowed on the island) but we had such a great time we would go back again. We ended up coming home early due to the imminent threat of rain, but otherwise we had great weather and such a wonderful experience.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-9205943820726728812014-08-22T11:56:00.001-04:002014-08-22T11:56:53.404-04:00Forgive Me for Stair-ingIt's hard not to stare at our made-over staircase now. It's just so fresh and so clean. And so pretty. <br />
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As I mentioned in the last post, my best friend Katie came out for a visit and offered to help with a DIY project. We had discussed the staircase before, so we decided to just go for it. Here's what it looked like before:<br />
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The wood is actually really nice and it's a very well made staircase. It's just a lot of wood. And an ugly orange-y stain that has seen better days.<br />
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Not to mention the carpet squares that were stuck to each stair...<br />
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Obviously, those were the first to go. They peeled off pretty easily, but we had to scrape the residue away and give the whole staircase a good scrubbing.<br />
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Once that was done, it was already looking a lot better. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but in person it was a big difference to get rid of the carpet.<br />
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Next step was taping so we would end up with nice clean lines.<br />
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And finally, we were ready for primer. Because of the nasty stain, it actually took three coats of primer and two coats of paint-and-primer-in-one to cover it. The stain kept trying to seep through, even though we sanded it down a bit.<br />
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Here you can see what one coat of primer looked like. Still had a ways to go.<br />
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But once we were finished ... wow. What a difference. I love love love it now. It really makes the house look a lot newer and cleaner. And the white also highlights some of the really nice details on the staircase as well.<br />
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Here you can see the extra trim piece that sits below each step. It's a subtle detail but I think it really helps to make the stairs look more stately and substantial.<br />
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I'm still trying to figure out what should go in front of the stairs now. It's so crisp and clean looking that I hate to put the brown/cream color chair back in front of it. So if you have any suggestions ...<br />
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We were also debating about painting that column at the bottom white and extending the white paint up the handrail. Not on the very top piece, but the three-inch piece below it that connects to the column. We couldn't decide so we decided to leave it wood for a while and live with it. I have to admit that I'm getting more tempted to paint it. What do you guys think? More white on the rail and column, or leave it alone?<br />
<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//stairs10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//stairs10.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a>I also love seeing that beautiful wood grain instead of the carpet on the treads now. So much nicer. And yet again I feel myself wanting to refinish my floors to bring out that wood grain and improve the color some more...<br />
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But for now, so happy to have my pretty white staircase. Let me know what you think!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-59296295571896152682014-08-14T21:44:00.000-04:002014-08-14T21:44:08.281-04:00My Best Friend Came to VisitI am so so so so lucky to have a best friend who is willing to drive 9 hours (twice!) just to visit me for a few days. Katie drove out here all by herself and stayed with Chris and I for 5 nights.<br />
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And we had a blast.<br />
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That girl is so much fun. On Saturday we went to the farmer's market and headed down to the Finger Lakes for some wine tasting. We had a great time at Three Brothers Winery.<br />
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Katie even braved riding in the Camaro with the top down so we could enjoy a nice sunny drive.<br />
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Somehow she fared better than I did on that ride...</div>
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Luckily I brought a brush.</div>
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We also took Katie to Armory Square and had lunch at Empire Brewing Company.</div>
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Of course we took Katie to Christmas Tree Shoppe. And she fell in love with some handmade Polish pottery she found.</div>
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<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//katie08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//katie08.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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We also went river tubing on Sunday. Four hours just floating down the river. Not bad!</div>
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And then Katie even volunteered to do a little DIY project with me that we've been talking about for a while. I'll share the full details in another post, though. Here's a sneak peek.</div>
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And then we took Katie hashing on Monday, which I think she was nervous about, but ended up loving. It was the second anniversary of the running group, so the whole thing was themed like a 2-year-old's birthday party.<br />
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There was a little running and hiking.</div>
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(In the picture below, Katie is still thinking about that scary movie we made her watch on Friday.)</div>
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There was also a lot of splashing.</div>
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And then the party games began...</div>
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And we made a human pyramid. Because why not?</div>
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And of course there was cake. On a shovel...</div>
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And also on a tray.</div>
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And then we went to the bar with our fellow hashers. I probably don't need to explain what happened then...</div>
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On Tuesday we met up with my friend Rhonda for some deliciousness at the Cheesecake Factory.</div>
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Did I mention it was delicious?</div>
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I realize the animals weren't in many of these pictures, but believe me, they were around. Ripley and Katie were totally cuddle buddies. He can't wait for her to come back.</div>
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And Oreo loved that she was willing to share her laptop with him. He's addicted to Jimmy Fallon clips.</div>
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And there's Shadow, who made it his goal to pee on everything she owned... Well, that part we all could have done without.</div>
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Thank you Katie for coming out here to visit! We all had such a wonderful time and loved getting to see you! I've been telling everyone you're coming back in the fall, so you better not make a liar out of me! October, lady! October! Love you Katie dear!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597650489502309257.post-5596463075660688162014-07-29T22:30:00.003-04:002014-07-29T22:30:59.029-04:00The Great OutdoorsMaybe it's because we have a dog now, or maybe we've just been wanting to get out of the house more, but either way, Chris and I have logged a lot of hours outdoors lately.<br />
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<b>Canoeing in Marathon</b><br />
One of our more recent outdoor excursions included a canoe trip down in Marathon, NY. We spent just over 4 hours paddling down the river with Ripley chilling out in the middle of the canoe.<br />
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Ripley is still not a huge fan of water, but he loves to be outside, so he was game for the trip. And luckily, he's not heavy enough to tip the boat.<br />
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Along the river we found a rope swing that was just too tempting for Chris to pass up. Had to give it a try.</div>
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<b>Camping in the Catskills</b></div>
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Our other weekend trip took us down to the Catskill Mountains with some friends for a little camping. The trip was, um, a little disorganized (we had to set up our tent three times over two nights because we didn't have a proper place to stay and got kicked out by a ranger once). But it was very pretty! And we made some really yummy meals, including some steak fajitas that would be a damn good meal cooked in a kitchen, let alone out in the woods.</div>
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Yep. There was a hammock.<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//outdoors08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//outdoors08.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We ended up setting up camp not too far from this very pretty little waterfall (which is why we got kicked out. lol)</div>
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We also went on a crazy hike that took us 3 miles up a mountain. Climbed to an elevation of 3600 feet. Personally, I'll take sea level any day, but it was nice to be outside and with friends.</div>
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And there was a pretty view at the top!</div>
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You can't see it very well in the picture below, but Ripley is wrapped up in a blanket in my lap. What a tough pooch.<a href="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//outdoors15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://bhrunner.gotdns.com:8080//outdoors15.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was the view we woke up to on the second morning. Not too bad!</div>
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And here's our rough and tough little guy, curled up in one of our sleeping bags. What a life.</div>
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Next up on our outdoor adventure list, maybe a drive-in movie? Chris is going on a big fishing trip to Lake Ontario with his dad and brother soon, so that'll definitely fit the bill. Definitely looking forward to seeing what sort of adventures the rest of the summer brings. :-)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982653623692554127noreply@blogger.com0