Happy Halloween!!!

Hope your day is filled with lots of candy, scary movies, and great times!

Happy Halloween from the Hyatt's

"Come little children, I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children, the times come to play...

Here in my garden of magic."

"It's just a bunch of HOCUS POCUS"

just a few little quotes from my fav. Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus!

Best husband ever award goes to....

MY HUSBAND IS SO FREAKING AWESOME!

Last night we both got home pretty late and crashing on the couch to catch up on our shows was definitely in order.

As we were laying on the couch, I was joking that Shane should have brought me home something for our two "month-iversary" (totally kidding of course)

To my surprise he laughed, and said, "Well I DO have you a present. You have 20 minutes to find it or i'm saving it until Christmas."

Well...obviously I was off the couch before he even finished his sentence.

3 minutes later...I found this BEAUTIFUL box with a purple lid and I immediately knew what it was.

It was these little beautiful earrings that i've had my eye on for a few weeks. 

I'm so lucky to have such a thoughtful man!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Our visit with the twins!

Yesterday I was able to take off from work a little early and Shane and I decided to head down to Flo-town to visit my brother, sis-in-law, and our precious baby nieces. The twins are doing absolutely GREAT since they've been home from the hospital. Despite not sleeping too much at night, Sean & Nicole seemed to be so happy and we were beyond thrilled to get to visit. 

The girls had been to the eye doctor earlier in the day so they were a little tired and cranky from their day, but Shane and I were about to hold, feed, and love on them as they snoozed in our arms. 

I snapped a few pics on my phone...bc let's face it...i'm obsessed with these pretty girls! And so proud of how far they've come. It's hard to believe that they weren't even due until November 2nd, but they will be 11 weeks old this Saturday. And they weighed in around 6lbs today so they're now close to the normal size of newborns! SUCH A BLESSING! I continue to pray for these miracles every day and I can't wait until they're old enough to come stay with Aunt Olivia & Uncle Shane. 

I just know we're going to be the favorites.

 

How precious?!?! I mean really!!!

Shane and I got home around midnight last night and we were SO tired this morning when we woke up. Reason # 90808 why we will not be having kids any time soon....we were tired from just VISITING. I pray for Sean and Nicole's patience and sanity because I can only imagine how tired they must be. whew.

Happy Thursday!

The benefits of blogging

Since I started blogging earlier this year (thanks to the encouragement of my friend Sarah), I have discovered some pretty awesome things and that there are a LOT of benefits to blogging.

This blog may be one tiny little website compared to the millions of blogs out there, but it's my own corner of the internet and has opened up a lot of new things to me.

What things you say?

Well. I. Shall. Share.

My blog has served as an outlet. 

I get to express everything i'm feeling, thinking or doing, AND I can do it whenever I want. But the even cooler part? I get to share it with anyone who would like to read it. And, oh I dunno, maybe somewhere, some quiet person is actually ENJOYING reading my blog and likes what I have to say. one can hope here.

I have discovered some AWESOME blogs. 

I may or may not spend a lot of time perusing other blogs. Ok, I spend way too much time reading other blogs. But, along the way, i've found blogs by women who are at ALL stages in their lives (20 something, kids, divorced, brides to be, etc) and it is so inspiring to read other peoples stories. To see what they have to share. That other people have bad and stressful days too. Regardless of who you are, what your beliefs are, and what chapter you are in your life, there are other people experiencing things similar to you. That's what's so awesome about blogging...it's a way to share your thoughts, your feelings, your trials and triumphs, and maybe you will inspire others to do the same.



The best part.......These blogs I follow? They share COOL things.

Seriously. I've learned all kinds of things since I began stalking, ahem, reading a ton of blogs, I've picked up some awesome recipes and discovered some fascinating tips on everything from style, to cleaning, to links to other helpful websites.

And I've scored some pretty cute items.

One of the first deals I came across was a promotion (thanks to THIS awesome blog) from minted.com and I was able to score some personal cards for free (you only had to pay the cost of shipping). At the time, I had no clue what I would do with these cards, since most women use them as "mommy calling cards" and well, I'm not a mommy, but these have come in handy. You never know these days who you might meet or run into, and these cards are a great and quick way to help someone remember you. And since our company is really uptight about giving out our company contact info unless it's work related, I use these bad boys any time I want someone to contact me. And they were FREE. need I say more?

The next BIG thing I discovered, and if you are a blogger, you have probably heard of this AMAZING woman and her gift to the organization world, Erin Condren's Life Planners. I blogged earlier this year about how I have an addiction to finding THE perfect day planner, and needless to say, I found it. The price tag for these planners is a little high, but the quality, style, and personalization that goes into making these planners is worth every penny. Seriously.

doesn't it just look FUN?

Another deal that I heard about recently through a friend, showed up on this blog I ran across the other day.
Birchbox.com is this amazing website where you can sign up to receive monthly samples of the latest and greatest beauty products. For $10 a month, you will receive 5-6 samples of haircare, skincare, and makeup products. These will be customized for you based on the beauty profile you fill out. After you try them, you can go to their website and rank/review the products. Birchbox has all the products in full size for sale if you like your sample enough to keep buying them. But, if you are like me, you will be in it for the samples. I'm always on the hunt for new/quick fix solutions to hair and skin issues, so this should be a fun trial for me. I just signed up and i'm waiting my first month of samples. I'll definitely be blogging about my boxes in the future, i'm sure. The even greater part of this website is that you can sign up for your samples month to month. So if it's not all you thought it was cracked up to be, there is no long term commitment and you can back out at any time.


^^^These are just a few examples of my new favorite things I've found recently thanks to other blogs reviews and suggestions.

A lot of my friends have mentioned how much they would love to start a blog but have a lot of reservations. (i'm too busy, no one would read it, I have nothing good to say, it's out there for anyone to read it, etc). And here's my advice. You have nothing to lose and a ton to gain. Your blog may be only read by a few people a day. Or some random person may stumble across it and share your tips with the world. And you will discover a whole new internet world full of advice and people just like you sharing their every day discoveries.

what's currently troubling me.

Ok people, i'm facing a SERIOUS dilemma this morning.

Like serious.

What to do with mah hurrr.

?!?!

Hah! No but really, every couple of months I get this urge to do something different with my hair. 

Cut it, dye it, whatever. 

But when I do go for a change, it's usually a pretty drastic one. 

Now that my hair is short (and i'm not chopping off any more length!) I'm trying to decide on a color for the next few months....

Or if I should even do anything at all. IDK, maybe i'm just bored with it.

My hair currently (pic. taken on Saturday 10/22)

Or.....should I go for this color???? (pic taken 2 Christmases ago)

or somewhere in between?

 

HMMMM........

I told you it was a dilemma. I need to think on it for a few days.

I refuse to buy a halloween costume.

Halloween is just around the corner and I am struggling to come up with a costume. Shane and I are invited to a halloween party this year and I really want our costumes to match.

And I'm really stubborn. I refuse to buy a costume from somewhere like Halloween Express or Target. Mostly because they are too expensive and I really just like coming up with ideas on my own using something I have in my closet.

Observe.

Freshman year (my most creative one) I was a quarter pounder. with cheese.

right hand, a bag of quarters. left hand, a hammer. Get it? Quarter Pounder.

The next year, meet biker chicks. That was my roommate Jess, and yes, I was rockin' a titty tat. Classy.

The following year, I wanted to go as a couple, so Shane and I put our heads together and came up with this.

Meet the obnoxious tourists (sn. the most fun halloween everrr.)

This past year, I had 2 outfits. The first one, I let my creativity slide a little and just went as a witch. (boring.) And the second, I was a runaway bride...

 

how good of a Harry Potter did Shane make though?

not pictured, my tennis shoes to complete the look.

 

So this year. I guess I will need to browse pinterest and the internet to come up with a good/cheap idea that Shane and I can dress up as for Halloween.

You will have to stay tuned to see what we come up with...

And we're makin' plans

Since yesterday went on about how much extra time I have now that my life has slowed down a little, I thought i'd pick right up with some projects and things I want to get crossed off my to-do list in the next few months.

1. Get organized.
                    Sayyy whaaaa? Yes, I said it.... I want to get even more organized than I already am. Since Shane and I combined our finances and picked up some, um, gross adult bills, I want to make sure we're staying on top of our finances. I also want to make sure I don't miss a beat this holiday season. Now is the time for lots of parties and get togethers, and I want to make sure I get a chance to go to as many of these as possible. I just ordered my Erin Condren Life Planner.(what's that you say? Oh just wait, it shallllll make an appearance in the blog soon enough.) And I will be using this little gift to OCD freaks as a way to make sure I never miss a party/appointment.


2. Obnoxiously display our wedding photos.
                Yes, our wedding photos are almost completed. I should be receiving the CD with all the photos soon and to say i'm excited would be an understatement. I have bare walls that need pictures on them pronto. oh, and they're so good. I have a feeling many Christmas gifts will revolve around these pics. (if you are on the receiving end of Christmas presents from yours truly, you did not just read that.) But no really, if you want to check them out for yourself, go here. They are amazinggg! :)


3. Get mah butt in shape.
                 Let's just go ahead and BOLD this one and plaster it on my forehead so I don't forget. Shane and I tried to give up our gym membership to save money, but getting out of that contract was like killing a baby, so we need to utilize it. 
Going along with this one, I also need to download some new tunes for my IPOD. I'm currently obsessed with Adele, but her music isn't really the workout type, so i'm taking suggestions for good/get you pumped up music.


4. Go visit my precious nieces and spoil the mess out of them.
              After 8 weeks, the twins are FINALLY home from the hospital and I am itching to go see them! I'm trying to wait on a day when the hubby and I are both off work so we can go together, but Mr. Workaholic does not have many weekends off so I may just have to go without him.
And speaking of which, if anyone knows of any cute online children's boutiques, please share. I get completely overwhelmed in baby stores, and I want to find them some ridiculously cute clothes for Christmas presents.


5. Get involved in a church.
              I mentioned on Monday that Shane and I went to a church we liked this past weekend and I really want to make it a priority of ours to keep going. Our friends that we went with are involved in some of the sports teams at the church and that's something Shane and I would love to do as well. 


6. See more of my BFF, Pam.
                So, you may remember me mentioning that my bestie from MA recently moved back to SC and I have only seen her ONCE since she moved back. OMG. And, on top of that, she is no longer on G-Chat while i'm at work, so I haven't gotten to catch up with her and i'm missing it.... big time...


So there you have it....

Those are on the top priority list of things to do this Fall and before the year ends. I'm sure i'll have a whole new list of things to accomplish in 2012, but this will do for now.

Happy Hump Day!

My life, right now.

2011 has been quite a year for me. 

It's been one big life changing event after another.

Since May of this year, I have graduated college, started a career, bought a new car, settled in to a new home, gotten married, and moved into that new place with my husband. 

Whew, it's a mouthful to say all of that.

As someone who loves to "do big things," this has been an amazing year. When people would bring up to me that I had all these great things going on, I would just say "oh, i'm just getting it all out of the way." 

Yes, I was stressed at times (ok, I had a few mental breakdowns) but I really enjoyed it.

I've never been involved in just one thing. I was always the girl who played sports, volunteered in extra curricular activities, and carried some sort of job since I was 16. In college, I maintained a part time job, worked as an ambassador for my school, and took classes every semester. And the last 2 semesters of college, I wedding planned and searched high and low for a full time job on top of everything else. I've always taken pride in the fact that I can multi-task and I feel it has truly made me a more well-rounded outgoing person.

But since the end of August, my life has slowed WAY down. I no longer have a ton of different activities that I'm involved in and I'm sleeping like a rock at night. 

I would be lying if I didn't say that I was a little apprehensive about how my life would be when things started slowing down, because I was a little nervous I would be, well, bored. 

But that hasn't been the case at all.

I am enjoying life SO much right now, and I haven't been bored in the least bit. I've had the chance to devote time to my amazing husband, and we've gotten to really enjoy ourselves. I've even found myself having quite a few lazy days lately.

And things haven't completely stopped. I've had the chance to practice being little Mrs. Suzie Homemaker. I've thoroughly enjoyed trying new recipes, and thanks to Pinterest, trying a few DIY projects as well. 

And even though I love having the limelight on me (hey, I can't deny it...call me spoiled) I've really gotten a chance to focus on others lately. A lot of my friends are going through some changing times as well, and I want to be there for them since they have been there for me through everything!

A lot of people wonder if Shane and I will have kids any time soon, and God willing, the answer is NO. I am looking forward to the next few years, just me and the hubby doing whatever we want. I want to take time to travel, I still want to have occasional drunken days/nights, and I want to hang out with our friends as much as possible. And God knows what could happen with our careers.

I have officially started a new chapter in my life and I love it!

When the weather is this nice, you can't help but be happy

I am on cloud nine from this weekend.

No, we didn't do anything too special, but Shane was off the whole weekend and there is nothing I would have rather done than spend the entire weekend together enjoying this beautiful weather.

Seriously, the little bit of time we did spend indoors, it felt like a sin. Like we should be out enjoying every last breath outside. It is rare that the weather is ever this nice and warm outside without the humidity kicking in.

So here's a little recap of our perfect weekend.

Saturday morning, Shane and I got up and headed our separate ways. He headed to the mudrun and I was off to help my friend Bre volunteer at the Columbia Walk to End Alzheimer's. Since Alzheimer's runs in my family, it is a cause that is near and dear to my heart, and when Bre asked if I could help, I jumped at the opportunity. There is just something about supporting a cause like this that makes you want to say an extra Thank You to God for blessing you with the life he has given....something I take for granted a lot.

I had to be out at the walk pretty early Sat morning.... but this was the view of Finlay Park that I got to stare at all morning.

October 15, 2011

After helping with the walk, I headed home to catch the game (and a nap at half time of course) with the hubby. As soon as the game was over, we tried to decide how we would spend the rest of the evening and knew it needed to be something that included being outside. So we got ready, and off to the State Fair we went for some fried goodness and fun! :)

 

We had so much fun, met up with our friend David, and ate lots of fried foods. :) We played a few of the games, because they are just so tempting, but we always walked away empty handed. We didn't ride any rides this year, but we still had a blast.
This was our fifth year in a row going as a couple and we always look forward to it.

snapped this leaving the fair.... I love the lights at night!

Sunday, our friends Jessica and Keith invited us to their church and to a newlyweds/engaged couples Sunday school class at Shandon Baptist. We REALLY enjoyed it, and we both agreed we'd be back. Since a lot of our friends our age have moved away from Columbia, it's nice to find a group of people our age that we can potentially get to know and hang out with.

After church, we pigged out at Jason's Deli, and decided we needed to get some sort of exercise. 

We were both so full that we knew if we went home, we'd crash on the couch for a long nap. 

So we went to Sesquicentennial State Park... We had never been there before, but thought it would be a great day to try it out. We found this neat little walking path that lead through the woods and around a lake. We aren't sure how long the trail was, but we walked for about an hour and a half and figured it was at least a mile or two long. But the view along the way was beautiful and it felt so good to be outdoors.

The lake we hiked around. So pretty

the beginning of the trail

of course I had to climb a tree at some point....

So that wraps up the fun weekend we had.... now back to the daily grind this week at work!

It's the little things...

Happy Monday friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend! The weather was gorgeous and the Gamecocks put a stomping on KY. What more could you ask for?!?!

My weekend was overall pretty good! After a VERY stressful week at work last week (that has picked right back up today), I was ready for a little down time this weekend.

My weekend didn't start out with too good of news though...First thing, my step-dad called saying that he had to take my poor mom to the hospital. While she was in the bathroom, she had a dizzy spell and fell face forward in to the counter, busting her lip. She had to have stitches in her lip and her face is pretty badly bruised, but thankfully she's doing ok, just really sore. It's an every day struggle for my mom and I pray for her health every day. Hopefully she'll be hearing some good news soon about her disability. If anyone deserves some good news, it's her.

On a much brighter note, my sis-in-law saw where I was having a rough week and sent me the cutest pics of the girls wearing their onsie that your's truly bought them... How can pics this cute not cheer anyone up? I love these little things to death.

  Kadence (left) & Avery (right)

Saturday, Shane had to work and I was up at the crack of dawn to take my car for it's first "check-up" and oil change at the dealership. After that, I trooped to the gym and made it through almost an entire class of body pump. After not religiously going to the gym that much lately, let me tell you, that was an ass kicking if there ever was one. Nothing like a GREAT workout though to make you feel good!

I spent the rest of the day lounging around by myself and watching the game while a delicious (and low fat) chicken stroganoff cooked in the crockpot, making our entire place smell yummy.

It was the easiest recipe ever, and pairing it with whole wheat egg noddles not only made it easy, but not bad for your waistline either!

dump it all in, set on low for 5hrs, and boom. yummy.

Speaking of super easy and healthy meals, this week was the start back to weight watchers for me and Shane. I've been doing my best to keep us eating delicious but low point and healthy meals and week 1 was a success. I'm down 4lbs, and Shane is down 3. GO US! :)

Other things making me smile this weekend.... check out this little spoiled rotten animal. She is just too cute and has the most personality of any cat ever. She makes for a pretty good nap buddy too.

rawrrr

So this may have been a very pointless/boring post....It was definitely an uneventful weekend in the Hyatt household, but little things kept me entertained and smiling all weekend, so I thought I must share :)


How was YOUR weekend?

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Last night, as I was catching up on my daily readings (on Twitter of course) via my itouch, I discovered Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple had passed away.

Over the next 2 hours, Twitter reached over capacity several times and almost everyone's Facebook status and tweets were remembering this awesome man. How ironic that the majority of people around the world were learning of his passing on devices that he helped create. Seriously.... the definition of a legacy.

Steve Jobs was a truly inspiring man. As someone who heavily relies on the usage of technology and social media in my everyday personal AND work life, I am beyond amazed at all the products he helped create. Although i'm a PC user myself (GASP), I still own and see the amazing works of this man and his company's influence every day.

Want to be inspired to do something great today? Check out this video of his commencement speech at Stanford University. 

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."  -Steve Jobs

Happy Monday!

I'm in an incredibly good mood this morning. 

I'm blaming it on the weather! It's so freaking nice outside. Just a little on the chilly side and I love it. It's a turn off the AC, let the windows up, and light a pumpkin spice candle kind of day.

Yes, I understand it's only Mondays, and I normally HATE Monday's, but we'll roll with my good mood this morning.

So let me catch you up on what's happening with me lately.

-We went to the Carolina game Saturday. Or rather, tailgated at Willy B, and left once the game started. It was good to almost be back, but tix were selling for about $100/each and I just wasn't feeling it. And judging by the outcome of the game, I don't think i'd have been a happy camper if we would have paid $100 for a ticket. I was perfectly happy getting to tailgate and see a lot of old friends, then watching the actual game itself in the comfort of my own home where I could drink even more! :)

-Shane and I are starting Weight Watchers again today. I went on it earlier this year, and really succeeded when I followed the plan, so i'm trying it again. I've put back on a few pounds since the wedding, and it's time for them to come back off and then some. I want to feel comfortable in my body again!

-Work has been a pain in my butt lately. I loveeee my job, but there are some aspects about it (that are beyond my control) and it makes for some stressful days. Hopefully things will start turning around again soon.

-My nieces are doing sooooo good!!! Kadence weighs 4lbs 11oz and Avery weighs 4lbs 1oz. My brother said that the doctor thinks they could come home as early as a few weeks from now, but a lot will depend on their continued progress. Prayers are still appreciated for these girls. It really is amazing to see how much these girls have already grown and developed. We have had so many friends and family praying for them and I know Sean and Nicole feel very blessed to have had such supportive people through all of this. It's amazing how much I already love these girls and can't wait to spoil the mess out of them. I just know they are going to LOVE coming to visit Aunt Livi and Uncle Shane.

-Our wedding photos have started to come in! My photographer sent me the link to the first 400, and they look amazing!!!! (yes, the FIRST 400, and they just go until right before the ceremony started...HAH!) She will be sending me a CD once the rest are finished, and I can't wait to have them all. We have a few incomplete walls and photo frames that I can't wait to fill wedding pictures with. I will definitely post some favorites on here once I have them all, even though it's going to be hard to choose, I already have SO many favorites!

-I am in such a crafty mood lately. I blame it on Pinterest and all the fun finds i've come across! I've already made a few decorations for our home for the holidays, and I have a lot of great ideas for Christmas presents this year! Between that and the cricut that my boss owns, I have a feeling I'm going to be going a little DIY wild this season. Stay tuned, i'll definitely include some projects in my blog! :)

That's about it for me these days! Have a fantastic week everyone!