I made a photobook!

I put together this photobook during the breaks I had in my day on Wednesday, thinking it would be FREE if I got it finished by the next day. Well, the free thing didn't work out, and at first I was a little mad because I had put off all the work I had to do ... but hey, it got me to actually make a book!! I definitely wouldn't have gotten around to doing it too soon otherwise. The book is just an overview of the pictures we took in 2007 ... which wasn't too difficult since we didn't take very many (we hadn't started blogging yet and I was holed up studying for most of the year). I'm not thinking too many people will want to look at the entire thing, but I thought I'd share it anyway since I don't have much else to share on my blog on this rainy weekend. You can see it by clicking HERE. I am excited for it to come in the mail! My next photobook project will be to put toghether a book of my pictures from London study abroad ... I am very excited about it but it is going to be a LOT more work. Probably a good Christmas break project! :)

Any takers?

I'm trying to clean and condense ... and have decided that after three years of not using these frames they can't stick around. Joe and I got them for our wedding and they are really nice frames, they just don't go with the style of our house. The first set are 4x6 and the second set are 8x10. I just thought I'd see if anyone was interested before I take them to Goodwill, so if you are let me know! I know they'll look great in someone's house! Oh, and you have to live in Maryland because this is not a shipping business. ;)

Our great weekend

I guess I'd better hurry up and post about Labor Day weekend because by now it seems like it was forever ago! Must have been a long week. Anyway, Joe and I were debating where to go and what to do for the weekend but since our remodeled house is still kind of like new to us and we just wanted some relaxing time together we decided to stick around. We had a lot of fun and I truly felt relaxed! What a miracle. ;)

For an ambitious Saturday morning activity we decided to go for a bike ride on the NCR trail. My dad bought me a brand new beautiful bike a few weeks ago when he was here and it was time to put her to the test. Even though our honeymoon mountain biking experience didn't go so well for me, Joe was convinced that biking together could be a new fun hobby for us. Was he right??

Yes!! We had a great time. Here is a picture that shows off my bike and also displays half of our total mileage for the day ... we biked to mile marker 12 and back for a total of 24 miles - by far the longest bike ride I have ever gone on. Luckily for me it was pretty flat the whole time ... but still not easy. I was worried that even though it was hard for me Joe might be getting bored ... but it turns out he had a great time, too. Also, the scenery was beautiful!

24 miles seemed to be a good amount because it pushed me without killing me. It is kind of hard to decide when you think you are at a good halfway point, but 12 is my very favorite number so that made it easy. The worst part about the ride was that me AND my bike got really dirty. Yuck. Luckily we each got a shower.

When we got home Joe and I basically collapsed on the couch for a few hours before going out to eat at a Japanese steakhouse, which was delicious. We also finished season 1 of 24 and I hate, hate, HATED it. Just the ending. I was devastated for about 3 days.

When Monday morning came around Joe lovingly agreed to drive 35 minutes so we could go RASPBERRY PICKING at Larriland. I love, love, LOVED it. Basically I am (have always been) obsessed with raspberries! We bought 5 pounds (the minimum you have to buy to get the cheaper price) ... and it was alot of work to pick that many raspberries in the hot morning sun. Especially when you keep putting them in your mouth.

Joe was such a good picker! Joe is not such a raspberry fan but how could he deny me my little slice of heaven?? He couldn't.
Thanks to this girl, all the raspberries have somehow disappeared. She DID share, though.

Happy Birthday Lori!!

Like I said before ... I am not attempting to highlight everyone's birthday via my blog. But Lori used to do these great birthday posts and I've been waiting all year to do hers! Today is the day, people. This is my gorgeous sister-in-law. An example of one of the many ways I got lucky when I married Joe! So, what can I say about Lori? She is the best. As those of you who know her will agree, she is creative and fun, happy and easy-going. Usually she is not picky or hard to please, except when it is about something important. She is good at getting things done (efficient? I don't know how else to say it) and is always willing to help out. Even though she works all the time she finds time to do all sorts of other things - basically she is superwoman. ;) If it weren't for Lori sending down food every few days for me and Joe while I study 18 hours a day during finals, the two of us would probably waste away. Plus, I can complain to her if I need to and she will usually understand me perfectly!
In case you didn't know, Lori loves to decorate and she loves the color red. She has amazing taste! I could never dream up 1/10 of the the awesome stuff she comes up with. I love it! She made the collage wall in my front room for my Christmas present one year and it is my absolute favorite. Also, Lori is a great bargain shopper. You put her and Joe together, and you are bound to get a killer deal, whatever it is. Sometimes it is funny to me that she is Joe's sister, and they grew up together. I couldn't ask for a better friend but it is cool that we are family!

So in honor of Lori's birthday (25! oh my!) I decided to make her this red velvet cake. For me, it was the first time I had 1) made a cake not using a cake mix, 2) made a cake with multiple layers, and 3) poured a whole bottle of red food coloring into what I was baking. So fun!! Basically I made it because it was red but it turned out to be quite delicious!! I found the recipe on this food blog. I'm going to show off a little with a few pictures ...

The frosting was rich and delicious ... a light cream cheese flavor. I used fresh raspberries and grated milk chocolate on the top.
Lori I hope your wish comes true!!
Umm ummm good. Happy birthday Lori!!