threeTHREEthree...

November 3, 2007. The single best day of my life. The day, I married my best friend, my sweet man, Joe.







I love you Joseph "Stein"... you are a great companion on the road of life and i wouldn't want to share it with anyone else! Thank you for three wonderful years...looking forward to many, many more!!!

Early Anniversary Getaway...

Our third anniversary is coming up in November! Wow, how time flies! Joe's weekends off are extremely limited, and I knew that should I get the job at Starbucks, (which I DID!) weekends off would be a luxury of the past. So, two weekends ago, my Joe took off Friday and we planned a very spur-of-the-moment trip to Niagara Falls. Thanks to all of Joe's travelling, we had racked up enough hotel points to stay in a very nice hotel with a great view and a HUGE whirlpool tub in the suite for FREE.... it was awesome!

We only stayed two days/one night, but we had a wonderful time and I was so glad we took a weekend to ourselves to be together and just breathe! It was much-needed! If you have not been to Niagara Falls, DO IT! One of the most amazing, awe- inspiring things I have ever seen!

My personal recommendations: 1) if you have your passport, stay on the Ontario, Canada side. It's much nicer with more to do and see and better views of the Falls... the US side is a little sketchy, which is sad 2) Ride the Maid of the Mist Boat that takes you into the mist at the bottom of the Falls. I was not thrilled about this at first, (Joe really wanted to do it) but it was the highlight of the trip 3) if you go in October, dress WARM, do not wear flipflops, and be prepared to get SOAKED (even with your complimentary poncho on)!

Here are some pics from our weekend!

We drove through Pennsylvania and upstate New York and the colors were amazing...i felt like I had never seen fall before! All this time, this is what i was missing!

The drive was so beautiful...a perfect day!

Passports ready to go into Canada

Entering Ontario at sunset

Dinner at an excellent steak and seafood restaurant downtown called "The Keg." It was on the ninth floor of one of the hotels and had an amazing view of the Falls lit up at night...They also did fireworks Friday night just for us :)

Joe took this amazing picture!

There are two sets of Falls ( i did not realize this until we got there) These Falls are named "The Bridal Veil."

SO over being soaking wet and freezing cold...can we get off of this boat yet???

We had a great time!


SIDE NOTE: See that black spot in the distance? That was the black bear that ran full speed at our car in upstate New York on the way home! We were going 60 mph and he was beating us! After he ran across the road and we realized he was not coming after US, we pulled over to try and get a picture of him... he was HUGE! I would NOT want to run into him outside of the car! ( The scary part was we were in a town within just a few minutes...i wasn't sure if we should stop and warn them.)


Happy early anniversary, love! Thank you for a fun weekend that I will never forget and for three very happy years together... you are a wonderful man and I love you very much!

When You Wish Upon a Star (Bucks!)...

Good news friends! I was hired on as the newest Barista at my neighborhood Starbucks on Monday of this week! (Yay God!!!)

I am so very thankful for this job and it's just in time too! Joe is travelling much more and his hours are crazy--it's so nice to have a distraction during the days! I basically get paid to get out of my house, drink coffee, and talk to new people-- I mean really, could it get ANY better? I love it!

My mom always made us take first day of school pics in our new clothes ( usually holding new backpacks and lunchboxes) by the front door, so momma, this pic is for you... my first day as a Barista!



I love my new job and I look forward to going to work everyday! I had prayed for SO long! The first week was wonderful-- I've got alot to learn but everyone has to start somewhere right? So here's to new jobs, to being thankful, to answered prayers, and FREE COFFEE!!!! ( Dave Ramsey would be so proud...not only am i bringing in a second income, but i have also found a creative solution to eliminating my ever- increasing latte budget!)

The Job Hunt Continues...

Well, I have been faithfully job-hunting for awhile now. I have GOT to find a full-time job, people! I did have a part- time job right around the time my neck went hay-wire a few months ago, but they could only offer me a very limited amount of hours, so unfortunately, I had to move on and start looking for something else. Everyday, I dress up nicely and set out to shake as many manager's hands as i can... you see, EVERYTHING as far as applications go, seems to be online these days. That makes finding a job more difficult, because you are reduced to words on a screen... it cuts out the chance you have to dress up and make a good first impression, to shake the hand of a future boss and look them in the eyes and be articulate and professional. So I have to be creative!

Today I had an interview that i was really excited about... it very well and i left feeling like i had it in the bag ( won't find out for a week). BUT, while in the interview, my phone vibrated ( because I have the decency to silence my phone when i am somewhere where it could interrupt others...unlike my rude gym buddy last week!) When I left, i listened to my voicemail and it was a manager from a place i called yesterday. She said,"Hey, Katy this is _____ ...remember yesterday when I told you we didn't have any openings? Well, I just had a resignation, and you were fresh on my mind and i would love to have you come in and interview for the job as soon as you can."

Can I hear a "HALLELUJAH!" I have been looking for weeks with no prospects, and within 24 hrs, I will have had two interviews! God is so good! Although I have not been officially "offered" either job, I feel encouraged and am praying that I will know clearly where I am supposed to be!

I'll keep you posted! Keep praying!

Date Night...

Oh, y'all! I just had the best date night with my sweet man, and I wanted so badly to tell you Friday night, (but let's be real, who reads blogs on weekends, right?) and I had already scheduled a post for the first of the week, so my "Date Night" post had to wait a few days...

Date Night is becoming a sacred institution at the ole' Stein Casa lately... Joe is working SOOO much, and the dreaded "start-up" at the plant is looming, which means lots of odd-ball shifts; some nights, some weekends, more travelling, and LOTS of time away from me and Tex. Boo. BUT, the saving grace of the whole thing? DATE NIGHT! I look forward to this all week!

Today was a long day for me. I got all gussied up this morning (just in case I got an interview) and went and personally passed out several applications to managers who I shamelessly sweet-talked, and then, to assure productivity and not fall into television temptation, I high-tailed it to Panera (yum!) for a while (which turned out to be almost six hours...yikes!) with my trusty lap-top to fill out even more applications online.

Joe met me at Panera for dinner (Bonus: i looked super cute-sy already for Date Night) and then we had a wonderful evening together. We went home and fed the dog and then went to one of our favorite little local spots for dessert! They do fondue there, which is a fun thing to do sometimes to switch it up a little. We picked the chocolate fondue for 2 and took it outside onto the patio (the weather was almost COLD, can you believe it?! Welcome, Fall!). We sat as long as we could and had great, long conversations( which I crave after being home all week by myself). Then, we drove to Maryland to see a movie (I just like saying that! It's really only about 30 minutes away.).

We saw "What If," which is a great Christian movie out in select theaters right now... and if it's in a city near you, GO SEE IT! Trust me. We will be buying this movie when it comes out. It was a "It's a wonderful life" approach to a man's life and he gets the chance to look back at his life and see what would have happened if he would have followed GOD'S plan for his life, rather than following HIS plans and chasing after money, making it his "god." I really appreciated how much Scripture was used and that they did not try to sugar-coat it and make this a Hollywood version of Christianity. I was totally impressed this was even being shown at our theater ( which kind of took the sting out of paying $20 for two tickets...ouch!).

Over all, great date night with my man. Nights like tonight make me remember all the reasons I fell in love with him! I love you Joseph... thanks for a wonderful time, for being attentive and talking, even when you have used up all of your "man-quota-words" for the day at work, for opening my door and pulling out my chair for me, even after almost 3 yrs of marriage, for holding onto me when i wear heels that are entirely too tall so I don't fall, for making me laugh, and for being the godly leader of our home. I love you so much and I can't say how thankful I am for you in my life. Lets have 60+ more years of great date nights together! ( I wish I would have taken some pics to post, but lately, every time I take pictures, Joe says "wait, is this going on the blog?")

(Keep praying that I get a full-time job ASAP! Thanks... I know God has one out there for me, I just need to find it soon so I don't go crazy here in this house! I'll keep you posted...)

Expecting!...

(Baby S)

Ha! I bet you thought I was serious! No- I am NOT PREGG-O, I repeat, NOT PREGG-O! (Momma and Mother In Law,A, you can start breathing again!)

But i DO have a funny story ;)

SO......I'm at lunch today with my neighbor friend,D, who is from the Dominican republic and her sweet baby girl. I am on the phone trying to get an appointment with a dermatologist, but even though I went online and made sure they are covered by my insurance, they want a note from my Primary care Physician to say that i am being referred...even though I am not, and my medical records MAILED over, not faxed. UGH!

Have I mentioned how much i genuinely detest our doctor here and their entire office staff? One time, they took my ID and said, "No way are you 25! hey Betty look at this...this girl looks 15, but look at her ID- she's really 25- can you believe it/" ( and proceeded to pass it around the office!) Last time I needed to re-up my birth control, the lady yelled at me and ended up hanging up on me... bottom line: they won't give me my Rx until I get a pap. Fine, I can do that, I have plenty of time to do that. I have called every morning at 7:30am for three weeks trying to get a pap...no luck. You can only schedule appts one week in advance and my doctor seems to be gone half of the time, and you can only go to YOUR doctor!The lady said, you can come sit in the office and see if there are any cancellations and wait around...PLEASE! Come on people- I'm trying to do the right thing and play by your rules and get the miserable Pap... and REALLY, you won't give me birth control? I'm married for goodness sakes! Maybe I should just mosey on over to the public high school...im sure their nurse would take me for a high-schooler and give me free birth control samples! BEYOND FRUSTRATING!

So, I'm talking to the Dermatologist's office and I said, look, one woman to another, can I just make an appeal to you? (My mom taught us to ask this when we were young!) I HATE my doctor, they are so incredibly rude and i haven't found a new one yet. I proceeded to explain my troubles with trying getting a pap smear for almost a month now and how the office lady has yelled and hung up on me on many occasions. She got quiet and said, "Can I ask who is your Doctor?" When I told her, her mood shifted immediately and she said," Oh honey,I used them for years too and had the same horrible experiences. I can get you in the first of October!" ( D's baby now crying in the background) "Oh, my, you must have your hands full with a new baby too... maybe that's why you are breaking out- it's hormones, totally normal." I didn't want to interrupt Chatty Kathy Receptionist and say, no that's not my baby...after all, she had just broken all the rules for me, and as far as I was concerned, she had moved heaven and earth, and now she thinks i am coming because of post- pregnancy hormones! So I did the unthinkable... I replied, "Yeah, having a new baby IS totally exhausting! Thanks soooo much for your help! See you in a few weeks, Bye!" :)

So i think that i need to borrow D's baby when I go to my appointment in October! Oops!

No Cell Phone Zone...

Most people's blogs that i follow are either (1) surprisingly inspiring and insightful with a daily life lesson learned and a Bible verse to go with it, or (2) pictures of their adorable kiddo-s and sweet little lives. But let's be real, you have to leave room for sarcasm SOMEWHERE...that's where I come in!!! What fun is life if you can't laugh! SO here's my funny, sarcastic, slightly off- color story of the day.


Dear Shanequa (with the ghetto booty):
When people go to the gym, they are there for a purpose...some for better health, some work out to fight that "beer gut," some people are there to get a break from their kids, and some are just there to get a smokin' hot bod. What do all of these people have in common, you might ask? Well, they have all taken precious time out of their busy days to come to the gym and unwind.

Look, don't get me wrong, I have to give you some credit for being at the gym, but please allow me to plead my case: (Hey, if Oprah can plead with people to make their car a "No Phone Zone," I figure I can make my case to make the gym a sanctuary, of sorts, and another "No Phone Zone.") I am at the gym to unwind, to sweat, to focus on some "me- time".... NOT to listen to your phone conversation with your "Boo"!

Although I do admire your "skills" as you balance your phone on any given machine you are at, and keep that loooong cord from tangling as you work out, keeping it perfectly in place so that your mouth is close to the mouthpiece, I have to make this one point: IF YOU ARE LOUDER THAN EVERY TV IN THE ROOM ( for over an hour, by the way!), YOU ARE TOO LOUD! No one wants to hear your whole, long, drawn-out, lame-o conversation with your "Boo," honey! This is what the Lobby is for... go there until you are done with your conversation, and then maybe your work-outs will be more profitable and you can work on getting rid of that ghetto booty...FINALLY!

Thank you for your consideration...
Yours Truly,
A disgruntled gym customer on the treadmill across the room

I think that our generation, being more connected than any before, is really just losing social graces by the LOAD! Riddle me this: Why is it that people can be in a room full of people, yet feel so disconnected that they need to call someone somewhere else in another room full of people to talk about absolutely NOTHING just so that they can feel "connected and in touch?" Hmmmm?

Ok, I'm done ranting and raving now :)

Landsharks Strike Again...

My man works so much right now, and with the new plant starting up soon, the hours are only guaranteed to increase dramatically (if only the pay would too!). So when a friend from work asked if he would help coach U10 soccer this fall, I encouraged him to do it, just to have something outside of work that he could enjoy and be active and social... and lets be honest, I might have wanted to come along and meet new people too! :)


Their team is called the "Landsharks" (how cute is that!) and their first game was on Saturday... and they won 2-1! Way to go guys! I went and cheered and mingled with the moms. I also got to be the honorary team mom for the day since they guys forgot to assign someone to bring team snacks (ie: bananas, string cheese, granola, and oranges). I was happy to do it...that is SO my cup of tea-- I am totally volunteering to be team mom when i have kids!:)


Tex is the new team mascot!


Glad to see my man doing something he loves- he's so good with the kids and it does my heart good to see him like this!


They LOVE Joseph...they hang on his every word. So cute!


Looking forward to Saturday morning games(did i mention that the weather was only in the 70s that day...perfect fall weather)! Met some very sweet people and had alot of fun!

GO LANDSHARKS!

The "Grown-Up" Club...

Sweet Aunt J and Uncle D came to visit last night. They are taking a roadtrip through the east coast and we were so honored that they stopped to see us! Anything historic, anthing to do with presidents, and especially anything to do with the Kennedy's is their cup of tea! So, they are visiting things like Gettysburg, Eisenhower's farm, Westpoint, etc... maybe they will even make it into the Kennedy compound! ( If anyone could do it, Aunt J would be the one!) They will end the trip in Bar Harbor, Maine.

(Aunt J wanted us to take pics in front of the house... Her daughter K told her she needed to take a pic of us on her cell and text the pic to her sometime during the night. J was very intimidated by her task, but Joe helped her out!)



We went to dinner at a local steak/seafood place that is inside of a cute little home from the early 1900's. After a great time and good food, we drove them around the square downtown (which is really more of a circle) and then went to our house for dessert. I made an apple pie from apples at the orchard up the road... it was "yum-0," to quote my girl, Rachael Ray. (I've been in a big pie mood lately.)


Aunt J is a great gift-giver... I think this is her love language. She brought me a house-warming gift wrapped so beautifully I almost didn't want to open it! When I did, I couldn't believe it! She got me this Lenox crystal bowl. I felt like I had finally joined the "Grown-Up" Club!



I had never gotten such a nice gift before. I like it so much because it is a more modern pattern (called Harlequin), not the regular old etched pattern you see in your grandma's china cabinet. I have no idea what i will do with it, but I know what I will not do.... I will not leave it in the box like my Great-Grandma did. It made us so sad after she died to find china she had gotten for wedding gifts still in the original boxes, never opened. I will use this all the time... even if I have to eat my cereal out of it!:) ( Just joking Aunt J!) Thank you, it's beautiful!

We had a great time and were so glad to see them! Have a great trip, guys! We love you very much...

Healthy Lifestyles Update...

Well, in yesterday's post, I told you how much I was dreading the "HL" test this morning, but I prayed for strength and courage and drove myself to sweet hubby's work for my nine o'clock appointment. I told the lady, Nurse Ann, that i usually have to lie down and that i have problems with blood and needles. Joe asked her if I could go first so she could take her time because his usually goes very fast. She assured us there was plenty of time and said Joe would still be going first.

Four pokes and lots of digging later, I was in tears and very dizzy. (I am very leery of people who tell you how wonderful they are at their job-- my thinking is the "proof is in the pudding.") Thirty minutes later and still no blood. I told her I could not do anymore poking and prodding today. So, I will go back Friday for more vein-probing FUN!

Joe just called and said that she called up to his office...he thought she was going to appologize for torturing his sweet wife-y, but NOOOoooooo! She called and chewed him out! She said that we had held up the whole line of people and that if he had known I was going to be that much "trouble" we should have picked a less busy time of day for her to see me! Can you believe that!?! Some people have alot of nerve!
Here is what I would REALLY like to say to her!

"Dear Nurse Ann,
I am so very sorry to inconvenience you this morning. I should know that your time is precious and when you sit there poking my arm countless times as I am crying, I should really be the one appologizing to YOU for having bad veins and a weak stomach. I will happily re-do the fast for 10 hours and give up another morning this week so that another person can do the job you were unable to do! Thank you for further perpetuating my fear of needles. I will never forget you...Here's to hoping we never have to meet again! Have a lovely day!

Signed, another unhappy customer"

To make things even better, when I finally got home, I was greeted with a foul smell and puppy puke all over the carpet (did i mention we are having company tonight?)... when I went to go get the carpet cleaner and the woolite, Tex ATE his vomit. GAG!!! So, now I wait and hope he doesn't lose his lunch again. Oh brother...what a day this is shaping up to be!

This verse has a WHOLE new meaning(and mental picture) for me today!
"As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."- Proverbs 26:11

I think I will take a nap and start this day over again! Whew!

Healthy Lifestyles and Labor Day Fun...

Well, tomorrow is September 8th, 2010... a day I have looked at on the calendar and dreaded for months. Know why? It's " Healthy Lifestyles" testing day. Joe's job does health insurance a little differently, and honestly, I think it's a great program. You take a health exam once a year, which determines how much you will pay for health insurance for the rest of the year, based on how healthy you are. You get an activity you have to complete (we watched movies on making healthy choices....ironically enough, i think that was the night we splurged on hot wings, coke and pizza..hmm). You also fill out a questionnaire- you get points deducted for things like smoking, drinking, driving without a seatbelt, and points added for things like working out, eating healthy, and leading an active lifestyle. They take measurements of things like your wrists, neck, hips, etc., take your weight, blood pressure, body mass index, measure body fat, and best of all, they take a blood sample. If you know me AT ALL you know how squeamish i get with blood- mention blood or needles in any conversation and i am liable to get very woozy very fast. I have a terrible track record of passing out when I get blood drawn. Everytime, they have to lay me down and it is so embarassing! I have very tiny vains and rarely do they find them on the first try... I can't think of the last time I didn't cry or pass out. Worse still, the tests tomorrow are at JOE'S WORK! As in, I have to drive twenty minutes and be around his coworkers I haven't met and they get to see/meet me at my teary- best! Fun, fun, fun! Maybe i will stop and get a halloween mask on my way so no one will recognize me!:)

Anyways, we had a great Labor Day weekend together. I had heard of a state park from friends not too terribly far from here called Cowan's Gap, so we decided to try it out. Much to our surprise, there was a manmade lake and beach with paddleboats you can rent, AMAZING views, great hiking trails, and most importantly, quite possibly the world's cleanest park bathrooms you have ever seen! (This is important to me... and I don't care if you think that's weird!!) Of course, as "Steins" we are by nature very competitive (I am told) . So, we have to take the trails marked MOST DIFFICULT. There was plenty of light left in the day, so we went for it! The trail map later told us that we had climbed 900 vertical feet, but once on the top of the mountain, the views were spectacular and well worth all of the falls and scrapes and hurting muscles. Joe kept saying how proud he was of me for making it to the top with him...I have a little competitiveness in me too!:) We never saw another person on the trail with us at the top for almost four hours, which made us feel like we had really done something no one else was brave enought to try. We have, however, decided that we NEED some hiking shoes--- tennis shoes are just not cutting it on climbs like that! Sorry, Dave Ramsey, this may be a "want" , but I could show you the blisters to prove that this is really a "need." ha!

Tex is happy to be in the car for a ride


Fall is coming! The leaves were starting to turn at the top of the mountain!





King of the mountain!








We will definitely be back again to see the leaves turn in the fall! So happy to find such a great place!

Tomorrow night, sweet Aunt J and Uncle D are in town on their great east coast road trip and we are meeting for dinner... very excited to see them! We are taking them to a nice restaurant in the area and then coming back to our house for dessert so they can see the house and meet the puppy. Looking forward to it!

Hope you had a great weekend too! Here's hoping for a smooth Healthy Lifestyle test and no losing consciousness in front of my hubby's co-workers! :)