#tbt... Apple Picking and All Things Fall at Linvilla Orchards

Well it is FINALLY here... my FAVORITE season of all times... FALL!!!! Tuesday was the official start of the fall season, so I figured that today's #tbt post should be dedicated to one of my favorite Fall activities... visiting Linvilla Orchards for apple picking and pretty much all things fall!

Enjoying a hayride around the Orchard

Our loot

Do you ever go apple picking or participate in other fun fall activities?

12 Random Things You Should Know if We Are Going to be BFFs

I always love the posts where other bloggers share random facts about themselves... I feel like it really gives you a glimpse into the real person behind the blog. I did a post like this a while back which you can read here and had a lot of fun with it.  So today I am going to share with you another 12 really random things that you should really know about me if we are going to be BFFs.

1// I used to HATE the beach as a child, now I can't get enough of it. Like can't get enough of it to the point that I am THAT person who gets to the beach at 8am and doesn't leave until after 5pm.

2// My BFF AW and I took swimming lessons with a former marine as children and were pretty much petrified of her.  I actually think our parents may have been petrified of her as well as she had been known to make grown men cry.

3// I love all things pink and sparkly.

4// I am owl obsessed.

5// Monograms are my jam.

I love Monograms so much that my bridesmaids all got monogrammed pashminas as gifts

6// I am a complete and total book worm.  There is nothing better than sitting out on my patio with a glass of wine (or a beer or a cocktail or a cup of coffee) and a good book.

7// Speaking of being a book worm, I ALWAYS finish every book I start reading even if I don't like it at all.

8// I have OCD about things matching (my luggage, lingerie, towels, etc.)... like to the point that my duffle bag pattern matches my suitcase color so that all the travel things (jewelry holder, cosmetic bag, curling iron cover, etc.) can be used with both my duffle bag and suitcase.

9// My hubby proposed while we were eating leftovers, watching T.V. (the show Elementary to be exact), in our pjs and it couldn't have been more perfect.

10// I pierced my cartilage in college because my boyfriend (not M) accused me of being too uptight and not spontaneous. I never told my parents, but they noticed it at a reception at the President's house during Parent's Weekend when they were visiting me.  Let me just say that they were NOT happy with me.

11// I have a slight obsession with purses, shoes and jewelry.

12// I met my one BFF through a mutual friend, but we never really met in person until we had been friends for years.  Our entire friendship was based off of online conversations and then eventually texting.  Yet this girl is probably one of the best friends I could ever ask for... AND we were even in each others' weddings!

What are some random things I should know about YOU if we are going to be BFFs?

Delicious Dish Tuesday... Italian Pasta Salad

After taking a week off from recipe posting, I have decided that it is once again time to participate in another Delicious Dish Tuesday with Mary from Eat, Drink and Be Mary, Amanda at Coping with Frugality and Alesha at Full Time Mama.  Be sure to check these ladies out and see what fabulous recipes they have for us this week!

A few weeks ago we went to a BBQ at my parents house and I decided that I was going to try my hand at making an Italian Pasta Salad.  No BBQ is complete without some sort of pasta salad, and since M and I both don't eat mayo, I figured an Italian pasta salad would be a perfect addition to the BBQ menu!  So off to Wegmans I went in search of the perfect ingredients for my salad.  I think it turned out really well and it is definitely something we will be making for future BBQs!

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 Box Rotini

3 medium bell peppers (I used red, yellow and orange)

1 small red onion

1 small can sliced black olives

1 block Monterrey Jack cheese, cubed

1 block Mild Cheddar cheese, cubed

Grape tomatoes, halved

Sliced pepperoni, cut into quarters (we used a hot 'n spicy pepperoni)

Italian dressing
(*Note* You can use any kinds of veggies, pepperonis, cheeses, etc... I just played to my audience... more onions, less tomatoes, etc.)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.

2. While pasta is cooking prepare all your other ingredients... cut up the peppers, onion, tomatoes, pepperoni, cheese... and put them in a big bowl.

3. Add the pasta to the bowl and mix everything together well.

4. Add 3/4 of the bottle of salad dressing to the pasta and mix well.

5. Chill for approximately 2 hours before serving

6.  Add the remaining salad dressing to the pasta salad just before serving

7. Enjoy!

Weekending.... Oktoberfest!!!!

It is no secret that I like good beer, so it should be no surprise that one of my favorite weekends of the year is the Delaware Saengerbund Oktoberfest in Newark, Delaware.  Every year we go down to Newark to participate in what is one of the most fun weekends of the year.  Every year we enjoy some good German food, some even more amazing German beer and then a little dancing along the way.

The Delaware Saengerbund Oktoberfest brings people from near and far together for a great time.  This year was no exception as we were able to attend with a bunch of our friends, including one of my girls who was up from Washington D.C. for the weekend!! We enjoyed a bunch of Paulaner Oktoberfest (my FAVORITE Oktoberfest beer of ALL TIME)  and just overall had some great times together!

Some of my work friends at Oktoberfest... would not have survived as long as I have at my job without these ladies

Reunited and it feels so good!! Don't think all of us have been together since my wedding last year! 

Bartending buddies

O3

Hubby & I having fun at Oktoberfest

This weekend was not just all about Oktoberfest... I also had my Chi Omega Book club meeting on Saturday afternoon where we met at McKenzie's Brewhouse to discuss the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I had such a great time meeting up with some fabulous Chi Omega ladies and stay tuned for a book review coming soon!

Then on Sunday M and I attended the Chester County Restaurant Festival.  Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures while we were there, but we had a blast walking up and down the street sampling some of the various foods the restaurants of West Chester had to offer!  

Today I am linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston and Meghan at Champagnes and Suburbs for their "Weekending" link up!  Head on over and check out both their lovely blogs and see what everyone has been up to this past weekend!

What did you do this weekend?

What I've Been Up to Wednesday

You may have noticed that I have been pretty silent around these parts recently.. sorry for that!  Life has just been a bit crazy for me and honestly blogging is what has had to take a back burner.  As much as I LOVE blogging, sometimes something has to go, and well this was what had to go these past few weeks.  Since the beginning of August I have had something going on almost every weekend and while it has been a TON of fun, it has also been super exhausting.  What little time I do have I have been focusing on job searching and doing stuff for my "promotion" of sorts at work.

Those of you who know me know that I have been bartending while looking for a more career oriented job in the real world.  Well last month I was offered a position at another restaurant starting as a bartender, then after a few months moving into a key hourly shift supervisor position, and then hopefully within a year moving to management.  After talking with the GM at my current restaurant about it he said that he could get me doing key hourly shifts in the next month and would get me started on management training as soon as possible.  So I politely declined the other offer and here I am still at my old restaurant working crazy hours both bartending and as key hourly.  The hours have been crazy... some days I have worked from 8am-11pm which is CRAZY, but hey, I am making it work for now!

PS, Sorry in advance for the photo dump... but they say a picture is worth 1000 words and some of these pics say mountains about what I have been up to!

Besides being crazy at work, I have also been all over the place on the weekends trying to enjoy every little bit of summer possible before my favorite season FALL starts.  The craziness began in the beginning of August with our annual trip to Lake Wallenpaupack with friends.  We have been to the Lake the past few years and it is always a great time.  This past year was NO exception.  The weekend was filled with lots of booze, boating and overall just enjoying ourselves!

After a relaxing weekend at the Lake it was time to head to VA Beach to support my girl AF in the next round of bar champs!  We had a great time in VA... lots of laughs and good times had by all!

Next it was off to NYC for JR's bachelorette party.  JR is one of my old co-workers and I am so excited for her wedding in October.  JR and her fiance have been together for just as long as M and I had been together before getting married so it makes their wedding extra special.  My weekend in NYC was spent seeing Les Mis on Broadway followed by a fun night out at Culture Club!

The following weekend we stayed close to home and went to a BBQ at one of my co-workers houses.  We had a FABULOUS time filled with lots of good food, good beer and of course TEQUILA!!!!!!

The following weekend M and I headed to NJ to celebrate my mom's birthday and to help my parents throw a Labor Day Weekend BBQ.  We had a such a fabulous time in NJ and I was so sad that we had to come back early on Sunday morning so that I could work all day long!

This past weekend we FINALLY had a weekend at home.  I had so many ideas as to what I wanted to do, but of course it rained all Saturday so we couldn't do the fun fall activities I had planned.  Instead we went and got beer for our keg-o-rater... because well that is what normal married people do on their days off! 

After a weekend off we are back to our crazy schedules until sometime in November.  As much as being crazy, busy stinks... I wouldn't have it any other way! 

 Have you been up to anything super fun recently?