Tag Archives: travel

five on friday

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quote card_edited-21. I don’t know who Many Hale is, but I think she’s on to something. I still haven’t finished the January assignment for One Little Word, but already I can see how focusing on “cheer” is actually changing my day to day outlook. No one else in my life is doing anything different (that I’m aware of), so it really is me.

2. Greg and I went on an impromptu date night last night and we have a real one tonight. Life is good.

3. I’m heading to SF this weekend for a quick 36 hours trip. To say I’m excited is an understatement. I miss these girls so much and I can’t wait to celebrate Baby Barringer and just hand out like it’s 2010.

4. No online shopping January is the smartest thing we ever put into place.

5. Our office reorganization is going really well. We got the furniture moved around and now it’s on to the fun stuff – decor! I’m highly motivated to get this finished because as soon as I do, I can move on to my craft “room” (a.k.a. the office closet).

mr. and mrs. maciol

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My baby little sister is married! We had such a fun weekend celebrating Becky + Arek’s wedding with family and friends. I didn’t take many photos, and even fewer good ones over the weekend. I was too busy enjoying the family (and herding cats at times).

Friday we landed in Long Beach and it was WARM. I immediately asked Greg why we don’t live in Southern California and he had NO GOOD ANSWER. Even his usual “taxes” didn’t quite work when it was seventy something degrees in January. We headed straight to the rehearsal and dinner. Polish food truck for the win. rehersal

Friday morning we woke up after 9+ hours of sleep to overcast skies. Not cool, LA. I headed to the boat for the first time as it was girls’ day at the spa. We all got manicures and pedicures, and those of us who have been to kindergarten already also enjoyed champagne. The littles definitely took to a day of pampering just fine. Anna was on top of her technician like it was her job.

nailsAnd then it was time for the big day. We started getting ready sometime before the crack of dawn. Literally. Meeting my new nephew for the first time and holding a 16 month old in a tux well made up for the early wake-up call. Another champagne toast and we were off… only to wait for the limo bus that was an hour and fifteen minutes late to arrive.

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Greg managed to track the limo bus down and get him oriented and we were off to the church. They had a fun ceremony that was traditional with a light-hearted priest. Maks decided he had no interest in me holding him down the aisle, so his mama did instead. I think I definitely saw Arek wipe away a tear seeing his two loves walking down the aisle towards him. 

The reception was so much fun. We ate, we danced, we caught up with friends and family. I managed to make what is hopefully my last wedding toast ever and survived. I’m a billion times happy for Becky and Arek and so thrilled we got to take part in their happy day.

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christmas in colorado

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To continue or family Christmas celebration, we headed to Denver very early on Christmas Eve morning. It was a relaxing trip with lots of down time.

We ate (not too much), we drank (some of us too much), we played, we broke and improved wireless networks, we attempted to go to Mass, we walked for an hour in the Colorado sunshine.

I missed having Joey and Brittany and their kids with us, but am excited we get to see them next week for the wedding.

After fighting with my computer and photo shop all morning, I’m just posting a few of the family photos we took. Imagine lots of pictures of kids playing with toys and you have the rest. IMG_7500_edited-2 IMG_7502_edited-1 IMG_7509_edited-2

merry christmas from the farm

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This weekend we headed out to Wenatchee for the first of the family Christmas celebrations. We had a nice but quick stay with Ken and Cathy and a delicious prime rib dinner.

I didn’t take any pictures myself, but my FIL decided he wanted a family picture and he wanted it to be on the farm. So off we went to the orchard, trying to beat what little daylight was left.

First it was Greg and me. I (brilliantly) didn’t bring a coat with me so I was freezing. Alfred had no interest in joining the family picture. photo-2_edited-1

Then it was all the kids and Mike jumped into the tractor seat. IMG_0981_edited-1

Then it was the whole family. This might be my favorite picture from 2013.IMG_0988_edited-1The making-of-the-family-photo photo is pretty awesome as well.

IMG_3815_edited-1We are already thinking of ideas for next year’s photo.

After we captured the photo we sat around the fireplace and reminisced about Greg and Mike’s late grandpa. I never got to meet him, which makes me sad, but I did get to take home a Grandpa Jerry treasure this weekend. Meet my new brass reindeer. He’s going to be a fantastic holiday decoration when I clean him up. IMG_7387_edited-1

project life : caught up!

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I’m convinced Project Life is a sustainable way to document life because I went from being nearly two months behind to caught up in just a few hours over two weekends.

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Trying out a new format for 2014 with last week’s spread. One full page and one half page. I like it a lot – didn’t feel like I was picking from crappy pictures to fill the full spread. IMG_7350_edited-1

Love my bokeh picture of the Christmas tree. I just printed three 6×4 pictures and cut one in half to fit in the pockets. You can buy 6 x 12 pages, but I just cut the second half off of a regular full page one because I have tons.
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I had one last week from November to catch up. It’s the week after we got back from Maui as well as the week I threw a wedding shower for Becky. IMG_7358_edited-1 IMG_7361_edited-1 IMG_7360_edited-1I can’t believe there are only three more spreads to make for 2013.

playing catch-up with project life

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Over the last two months I got very behind on my Project Life album. I was feeling overwhelmed on how to catch up. Once I decided to go really simple I actually knocked out several weeks in just a few hours. Currently I’m caught up with the exception of one week in November. Not bad since I was behind starting in mid-October.
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I combined the last half of October into one spread. We both worked like crazy these 2+ weeks and there were so few pictures. Aside from work, we traveled to SF for a wedding, celebrated Halloween, and enjoyed the newly opened Maple Leaf park.
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The long work hours paid off when we spent the first week of November in Hawaii, relaxing and not working.
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Again, I fudged the dates a little. We were on Maui from Friday to Friday but it made no sense to divide the trip into multiple spreads to fit my usual Monday to Sunday work. I’m convinced Project Life is most enjoyable if you break your rules frequently. IMG_7313_edited-1

Because I made a Blurb book for this trip, I kept the documenting here very simple. Just two 12×12 pictures and a very succinct trip overview in some white space. IMG_7312_edited-1

We had some good times with friends and family recently, especially on Thanksgiving. We also experienced some challenges and while I wish we had not, I’m glad I had a place to document. IMG_7316_edited-1 IMG_7318_edited-1 IMG_7319_edited-1I’m so glad to be mostly caught up. I love this project but am looking forward to starting fresh in 2014 with a few new ideas to streamline and simplify the process. It’s hard to believe I am editing photos right now for week 49 of the year. It’s gone oh-so-fast, but looking back through two binders full of weekly stories and pictures reminds me of how much we’ve been lucky to do this year.

becky’s wedding shower

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We celebrated Becky’s wedding shower this weekend in southern California. Such a fun weekend of family and friends. My mom and I had a mini girls weekend; we shared a hotel in Irvine and she helped me put the finishing touches on the party. While driving from the airport on Friday night we realized the last time just the two of us stayed in a hotel together was ten years ago. In 2003 we flew to New York together after I accepted an offer with GreenPoint Bank to apartment hunt and get the lay of the land. I wonder what 2023 will bring.

While the weekend was so nice, the pictures are not. Neither my mom nor I took very many. I guess it’s a good sign we were having too much fun to think about photos, but I was hoping for a few more than what I ended up with. First up, the little guy that always steals the show.

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I asked Maks to smile so I could take a picture for Uncle Greg. He wanted a more serious photo I guess. After the shower we stopped by to see Maks some more (and have dinner with his mom, sure, but really to see him). He was pretty sleepy and climbed into Grandma’s lap to rest. I’m pretty sure it made her year.

The shower was at the Melting Pot where we had fondu dessert and a champagne toast. I have no pictures of the dessert because at our table we were too busy eating it. The picture below is the only picture I have of the bride to be. IMG_3664_edited-1IMG_3660_edited-1

Becky has such generous friends and family – she has almost a whole new kitchen after the party. I made the flag banner to decorate the gift table and to give to Becky after to use as a Christmas decoration. More on sewing project #2 coming soon.IMG_3662_edited-1IMG_3642_edited-2

We played one game and I also handed out cards with the numbers 1 – 25 on each one. Everyone at the party wrote Arek and Becky a note for that “monthaversary”. Starting with February 4th, I’ll pop one in the mail each month and they will get a fun note of advice, encouragement, or who knows what.IMG_3648_edited-1IMG_3665_edited-1

The favors were mini succulents. I ordered them off of Etsy and they were so cute! I replanted into mini terra-cotta pots and added a thank you flag.

Mom and sister bonding time, I got to catch up with Brittany and Lauren (and see Sloane for a few minutes as an extra bonus!), briefly chat with extended family, and lots of Maksym time. Weekend success.

panorama love

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I love panorama photos. There is something magical to me about seeing the full scene and not just a subject. The problem is I always seem to forget about them until there is a scene I want to capture that does’t fit in a standard photo. After watching Greg take one on the beach, I decided to make it my mission for the rest of our trip to get as many panoramas as possible. As an unintended bonus, they will look awesome as full page spreads in the Blurb book I eventually make of our trip.

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picking up goat cheese from Surfing goat dairy // sunset across the street from our condo // hers & his beer tasting at the Maui Brew Company // less exciting sunset while waiting for a sushi restaurant to open // view from “our seats” at the pool every day

I found that not completing the full panorama (i.e. going until the arrow hits the end of the line) allows you to still fit more in your photo but not have the distortion. I played around with various lengths (?) which is why all the photos are different sizes.

five on friday

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Everyone seems to do a ‘five on friday’ post these days. When I decided to do one today I wanted to give credit to whoever came up with the idea but I found several in just a few minutes spent with google. So I’m just going with it.

1. We are leaving Maui today. I am both sad and happy. It’s been such a relaxing and fun time spending these seven days with Greg. No plans, no calendars, no work email. Just getting up and deciding what to do that day depending on what sounded good. However, my (lame) stomach is saying “please let’s go home and eat normal food again so I stop hating you”.

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2. Since we decided to do a No Spend October I didn’t end up decorating for fall much. I am eagerly anticipating decorating for Christmas, but I also don’t want to spend a ton. I’m continually reminding myself that the less I buy each year, the more I can buy in future years to grow our collection and adapt as my tastes change. This year I am thinking basic red + white. This simple felt garland from West Elm is the best and my current decor inspiration.

3. On the same theme, I am struggling with Christmas cards. We don’t really have a great picture from this year and my plans to capture an amazing one while on vacation didn’t happen. My thoughts right now are simple + gold + merry. Do people send card without pictures these days?

4. I really want a sewing machine now that I finished with my beginner’s class. Because I don’t need it I’m having a hard time pulling the trigger and spending $150. I’m trying to figure out what I can sell and therefore feel less guilty about the purchase.

5. I used to think relaxing vacations were a waste of money and PTO. Now I can’t decide if I want to go to eastern Europe, South America, or right back to this very condo in Kihei for our next trip. Sadly I have a few months to figure it out.

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paddle boarding

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This morning we went paddle boarding on the water in Kihei. Since I don’t have pictures, I want to remember the adventure.

+ I didn’t fall one single time. Who ever would have thought that would happen? It’s much easier than I thought it would be.

+ We saw ten or so giant sea turtles. A few even got close enough to our boards for us to hear them breathing.

+ Greg is enamored with sea turtles. A few quotes I heard across the water “Turtles! Tortugas! Come to me!” and “I am the turtle king.”

+ I have a very healthy respect for the ocean. (Some might call it a fear.) I went out further in the water today than I’ve ever gone. I was fine if I didn’t look down at the ocean floor or back at the shore. Good thing the first rule of paddle boarding is to always look straight ahead.

+ I’m kind of glad we don’t have pictures because in my head I looked awesome on my board. I explained to Greg I looked regal, like Xena Warrior Princess out there. (Don’t worry, he doesn’t get it either.) I’m sure if I saw a picture I’d see a wobbly, short white girl with a bit of a vacation ‘spare tire’.

+ We found a delicious breakfast joint after for coffee and our favorites: loco moco for me and a hacienda breakfast burrito for the hubs.

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Last full day of vacation is off to a lovely start.