This time 2 years ago I was enjoying roaming around Williamsburg, VA with my new fiance and having the time of my life. As a sort of history nerd, I have always loved visiting historical places and I was so excited to find out that our surprise anniversary (& engagement!) trip 2 years ago was to Williamsburg. Plus, as if spending time admiring my ring with my new fiance wasn't good enough, we were also able to spend some time with one of my BFFs who happened to live not too far from Williamsburg. It was definitely a trip to remember and one of the best weekends of my life!
View on the way to Williamsburg
Our Adorable Room
Nothing says "Happy Engagement" like posing with a few oxen
Getting to see one of my BFFs was an added bonus!
Nothing says "Happy Engagement" like taking pics in the stocks with your future hubby
Have you ever gone on a weekend trip that was absolutely amazing? Tell me about it!
This is a post sponsored by Subsidy Shades. Though I received a pair of sunglasses to talk about on my blog, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Me in my super cool new aviators from Subsidy Shades... looking way too happy on my way to work
I was first introduced to Subsidy Shades through Britney when she was giving away a pair of their sunglasses as part of her "Golden Birthday" giveaway. I started to follow Subsidy on Instagram and was immediately intrigued by Melissa's mission... so when she posted that she was looking for bloggers to share the story behind her sunglasses venture in exchange for a pair of sunglasses I knew that I wanted to help out. Not because I knew I would get an awesome pair of sunglasses, but because I think what she is doing is amazing and I want to help get the word out there about her cause.
Melissa and her husband started Subsidy Shades in an effort to fund the adoption of their second child. They had adopted a sweet baby girl in 2013, and discovered the adoption process to be quite expensive. In fact they spent nearly $60,000 in order to be able to adopt their baby girl. After the adoption, they then gave more of their money to help their little girl's birth mother when she became homeless because they wanted to help the birth mother to get back on her feet. Melissa and her husband are such giving people and what they are doing is amazing. The fact that they have created a business to help people to be able to afford adoption is truly incredible and the fact that they are selling awesome sunglasses is an added bonus!
I was so excited to receive my sunglasses in the mail and couldn't wait to open them. I was super excited because I knew I was getting my first ever pair of aviators and couldn't wait to try them out. I have always been afraid to wear aviators because I thought they were too trendy and they wouldn't look all that good on me, but I think I was afraid for no good reason!
Of course I broke the seal on the package before taking a picture because I was THAT excited to open them up
When I opened the box I thought it was an adorable added touch that there was a picture of Melissa and her family that included the story behind Subsidy Shades.
Of course I couldn't wait to get to my sunglasses and love that they came in a cute little bag.
I am absolutely loving my new aviators and they will be perfect to wear during my upcoming vacation to Mexico!!
Adoption is something that is important to me because throughout my law school career I became aware of truly how many children there are that need loving homes. I know that although one day I would like to have children of my own, I would also like to adopt a child because if I have the ability to give a child a great life, then I want to be able to do that for them.
Thank you so much to Melissa and her little family for sending me these awesome sunglasses and for giving me a chance to share their story.
Please head on over to Subsidy Shades and check out some of the A-MAZE-ING sunglasses they have and help them continue to help families afford to adopt all those children out there who need loving homes! Also you can follow Melissa and her business journey on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
It's been a couple weeks since I have participated in a Delicious Dish Tuesday link up, so I figured it was high time I post another recipe on here. Delicious Dish Tuesday is a weekly link up hosted by Mary at Eat, Drink & Be Mary, Alesha at Full Time Mama, and Amanda at Coping with Frugality. I have found so many fantastic recipes through this link up, and have even had the honor of being the featured recipe twice!!
A couple of years ago my Dad stumbled upon a French Toast recipe somewhere that has become quite a favorite for our family over the years. It is one of those breakfasts that we make just about every time we are home in NJ for a special event... Mother's Day, Father's Day, Mom's Birthday, Dad's Birthday, etc. It has become such a breakfast staple that I decided to make it for brunch for friends this past Sunday and let's just say that it went over pretty well with them! I think the secret may be in the bread, but whatever it is, it is just soooooo good!
Of course I took no pictures of the actual process this time because I was so focused on getting ready for brunch, but at least I have pictures of what the finished product looks like!
Dad's French Toast Ingredients:
1 loaf Challah bread
4 eggs
1 1/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 container of strawberries (optional)
1/2 c. sugar (optional)
Powdered Sugar (optional)
Directions:
1. Slice loaf of bread
2. Slice strawberries and put in a bowl with 1/2 c. sugar (to use an an optional garnish for your french toast... or sometimes we soak the strawberries in Grand Marnier to make them extra delicious)
3. Beat together eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
4. Heat a medium sized, lightly oiled pan over medium-high heat
5. Dip the slices of bread in the egg mixture, be sure to coat both sides of the bread.
6. Place in pan and cook until golden brown on each side.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional)
8. Enjoy!
Do you have any family favorite breakfast recipes?
If you have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that this Saturday, November 15th marks 8 years of Mark and I being together as a couple. The other day I shared with you some pictures of what 8 years looks like and you got a small glimpse into what year one looked like. But today for #tbt I am going to throw it back to Fall 2006/Spring 2007 and show you what year 1 really looked like!
Do you remember year 1 of your relationship? Or of a friendship with your bff?
This past weekend when we were in D.C. we had the opportunity to attend a Bucknell "We Do" reception at the National Portrait Gallery where we were able to get to spend a lot of time with Bucknellians past and present. Between that and reminiscing about how Mark and I met I have been feeling very nostalgic about Bucknell these days. While feeling nostalgic I started thinking about all the reasons you know you went to Bucknell...
one// You KNOW that orange and blue equals the PERFECT color combination.
We love orange and blue so much that we got married on campus with orange and blue as our wedding colors... I mean, come on, how perfect do they look together?!
two// "Bucknell has danced the Big Dance, just ask Kansas" means something to you.
Bucknell beating Kansas in the NCAA tourney in one of the biggest upsets EVER!!
three// Bucky is your homeboy.
Bucky visits NYC
four// You have experienced 6th Street, 7th Street and downtown flooding after a particularly bad rain.
five// Bull Dip.
six// LIT Night at the Temperance House.
Enjoying some cardinal and straw colored LITs with one of my sisters
seven// Wing Night at the Lewisburg Hotel... and knowing that the "hot" wings mean suicide
Wing Night at the Hotel with some of my favorites our senior year
eight// You know what a townie is and for a while you thought they were the devil, but then you grew to love them.
nine// You could walk to the Freeze in your sleep.
ten// You know the tradition behind the Christy Mathewson gates and you absolutely love it.
The gates that are only opened two times a year... so special
twelve// You went to football games just as an excuse to be dressed in all your Bucknell gear, because lets face it, most years we were terrible (although not this year!!)
thirteen// You have seen the Veddar sculpture wrapped in plastic at Halloween.
fourteen// You had a love affair with Dana or Ellen Clark.
fifteen// You have a picture with the Bison statute.
Posing with the statute when back for our 5 year reunion
sixteen// Before you even graduated you were excited about going back for your class reunions.
seventeen// Speaking of reunion.. two words... TENT. PARTY.
eighteen// You know someone (or many someones) who met their spouse there.
Me & My Hubby; My Big & Her Hubby; My G-big & Her Hubby; My Twin & Her Hubby... all Bucknellians
nineteen// As a result of #18, you have attended a wedding on campus.
VM & WM's wedding in Rooke Chapel
twenty// Lots of your friends were part of the Greek system but you still knew a bunch of GDIs
twenty one// You knew the names for all the downtown houses (Tri Chi, Red Light, etc.)
twenty two// You know the REAL way to play beer pong...none of this solo cup nonsense or playing without actual beer.
Or you challenge yourself by playing 3D beer pong
twenty three// Work hard, play harder.
twenty four// Your weekend starts on Wednesday.
twenty five// You can talk about Bucknell and your love for Bucknell ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
Can't help but love the Bucknell Fight song (and yes, this is the ring tone on my phone)
'RAY BUCKNELL!!!
What are some things that all those who graduated from your school would know?
