Springtime in Paris

Visiting Europe is a trip that Jon and I will not soon forget. For this first entry, I will feature our two day trip to the beautiful city of Paris. This was the leg of the trip that had us slightly nervous-we were unfamiliar with the area, knew not one word of the language, and had been warned by many that the French weren't fond of Americans and should expect general curtness. To our pleasant surprise, we didn't find ourselves lost (not too often at least), many people spoke enough English to understand us and for us to understand them, and we did not encounter one rude individual.

On our arrival day, we spent the first hour off the metro looking for our hotel. Once we arrived, we were pretty pleased with the accommodations. It certainly wasn't luxury by any means-our room was about 10x10 and was no frills for sure-but it did, have a lovely balcony that overlooked the small street the hotel sat on. Very European for sure.

After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we walked down the street to find a bite to eat. We were still nervous, and had not yet gotten the confidence to try our hand at ordering something at just any little shop or bistro. Instead, we opted for this option-yup, Breakfast in America. It was just what we needed to ease into our new surroundings. After our truly American breakfast, we headed to our tourist destinations-the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. We began this mini tour by walking the grounds of the Louvre, and walking down the mall toward to Place de la Concorde. At this point we could look one way to see the Louvre and the other to see the Arc de Triomphe. Such an amazing view.

The Louvre Museum was ENORMOUS (this ends up being the "theme" of our trip-everything was so much bigger than we could have imagined!) We had absolutely no conception of just how large this building was-and being limited in our time in Paris, we knew we couldn't spend a whole lot of time inside. We did make sure that we saw two of the most famous pieces of art the museum owns-Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo-so cool!

We saw many other works of art, but the others were not necessarily as awe inspiring.

After visiting the Louvre, we hopped on the metro and headed to the most known structure of Paris-the Eiffel Tower-or officially called "Tour Eiffel". This monstrosity was stunning to say the least-more impressive than we could have ever imagined. We opted to climb to the second floor-a mere 380 feet in the air. The ride up in the lift was slightly intimidating, as it ascended straight up, and was operated by some very old looking pulley-like system. The view from the second floor (for the record, the top floor was closed-although I can't say for sure I could have mustered up enough bravery to actually go to the top had it been open)-was SPECTACULAR. It showed Paris for the beautiful, rather pristine city that it is. It is a view that everyone should have a chance to see. In an attempt to avoid the lift (I was worried about the safety of riding down-straight down!) I coaxed Jon into taking the steps down. This option was slightly less anxiety provoking-for me at least-but for Jon, he said he would have preferred the lift. I will admit that the lift would have prevented my stomach from jumping into my throat numerous times as I would not have been able to take note of the distance between the hard ground and myself. All in all, a spectacular visit to the tower that was originally expected to be temporary, as it was built to be the entrance to the Exposition Universelle (a world's fair) in 1889.

After this busy day, Jon and I felt we would benefit from a brief break at the hotel, since at this point we had been up for over 24 hours, and we had seen a great portion of the city already. It was around 4:30 pm as we laid down to "rest." The next thing we knew, it was 11:30!!! We ho-hummed about what to do for dinner-after finally getting our act together we left for dinner at a little after midnight. We found a nice corner restaurant that was open, and sat down to evaluate our day. The food was just so-so, but the fact that we were eating dinner in Paris-that was more than enough for us!

It was on our second day in Paris that we found a great appreciation for the city. In the morning we made our way to the Notre Dame cathedral where we were to meet our bike tour group at the Charlemagne statue. We did our bike tour through a small company called Bike About Tours and we had a blast! The company is owned by two guys, Christian and Paul. Our tour guide, Paul, was from New Zealand and he was a former Louis Vuitton employee who decided that life was too short to not do what you love (what a message, huh?!) and decided to start the business. On the bike tour we got to see most of the 20 different neighborhoods-and learned so much about each location and its history in the city. We learned a lot about the French Revolution, and got to see many interesting sites-like the place that the restaurant from Disney's "Ratatouille" was based on, the place where Victor Hugo lived, and the place where Jim Morrison died. Quite the tour! After the bike tour, we took the chance to visit Notre Dame, get some ice cream known as the "best in Paris," see a May Day protest, and just walk around and take in the romance in the city.

After visiting this city, Jon and I decided that, if ever given the chance, we would live in Paris in a heartbeat. It's beauty is overwhelming, and more than we could have imagined. At the very least we will definitely visit again. There were parts of the city that we did not get to see, and parts we would like to see more of, so it will surely be on our list of things to do again.

One Year of Marriage

One year ago today, I had the chance to say "I do" to spending the rest of my life with my best friend. How cool is that?! As I reflect on our first year of marriage, I can't help but think of how lucky we have been. It has been a year of firsts for us-buying our first house, my first move to a new place, owning our first pet, our first trip to Europe-it has all been so exciting.

As we step into our second year of marriage, I can only hope that we will have half the opportunities of "firsts" that we have had this year. I am confident that this year will continue the ever-increasing love and respect we have for one another-and also that we will continue to grow as individuals and as a couple.

Here's to another year!!!...

Happy Anniversary, Jon!

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P.S. Since I didn't do so well with documenting our Europe trip while we were on the trip, for the upcoming entries I will be featuring various aspects of our visit to France and Italy. Stay tuned...

Happy Birthday, Jon!!!

I just wanted to take today to wish my wonderful husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

As of today you can no longer (well for another year at least) say that I am "a whole year older"-and for that, I am thankful! :)

I hope that your birthday is a great one because, as anyone would agree, you deserve it.

I love you with all of my heart.

XOXO

T-2 days!!

Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I have written an entry-life has just been an exciting whirlwind. Between juggling my job, doing some side designing work (yay!) and oh yeah-planning a trip to Europe-it's been busy!

On Wednesday-yes, as in 2 days!-Jon and I will be jet-setting off to Paris for two and a half days, then hopping on a plane and going to Italy for six and a half days. We are totally excited, but certainly nervous. As I keep telling people-I don't consider myself to be a very "worldly" person, so this should be an experience. One I won't soon forget, I am sure.

In Paris, we are hoping to see the traditional tourist attractions-the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, etc. We have also reserved a bike tour to see the city from a different perspective.

In Italy, we will be spending majority of our time in Rome. The primary reason we are travelling to Europe is that Elizabeth, my fabulous sister-in-law, is currently studying abroad in Rome. Yay-perfect reason to go. We haven't seen her since February 1st, so we are stoked to see her and see what her life has been like for the past couple months. So exciting!

I will do my best to blog while on the trip-a real time account of the travels-but if that doesn't pan out, I will certainly blog about our adventures when we return!

Au revoir and Ciao!

We Are...PENN STATE!

Last night, Jon and I, along with some friends, travelled up to the bustling city of New York to watch our beloved Lions battle the Fighting Irish in the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden. Not having gone to any of the regular season games this season, we joked about how of all the games to see, this was a good one. The Lions looked good-especially in the first half where they out rebounded, out ran, and outscored the Irish. The second half, although not quite as "suave", still stayed in Penn State's favor. The game ended closer than us Blue and White bleeders would have liked, with a score of 67-59, but hey-it's a "W" and that's all the matters, right?

The crowd was, without a doubt, Penn State proud, making it feel much like a home game. It was exhilarating to be hanging out in a huge venue like Madison Square Garden, but be feeling nothing but Penn State love. Even JoePa made the trip to NYC-and he was feeling the love too as his face shown on the big screen numerous times, each time the arena ROARING with applause.

It was a great experience and although I am EXHAUSTED today, it was all worth it. Next up for the Lions-NIT final game vs. Baylor-Thursday 4/2- 7:00 pm.

WE ARE....PENN STATE!!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

I wanted to take today to wish my "baby" brother a special Happy Birthday. It seems like only yesterday he was in diapers and as of today, he's an official adult. Over the years, he has provided our family endless comedic entertainment, been my partner in crime in uninhibited sessions of sheer goofiness, and has kept our saintly parents on their toes. It is hard to believe that in a few short months, he will be embarking on his journey through adulthood-serving our country in the Air Force, and touching hearts with his warming smile everywhere he goes.



I hope its a good one, Bud. You deserve it!! Love you.



~Anda

An 80th Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, we held a surprise 80th birthday party for Jon's grandfather. It was a couple months in the making and turned out better than any of us could have expected. My mother-in-law, aunt-in-law and myself took on majority of the planning, and I must say, we make a killer team.


I was in charge of more of the creative elements, which meant, I was in my element.


It had been planned that we would have an Italian theme, more specifically, a small Italian restaurant theme. We did our best to carry the theme out from start to finish-or in this case, from the invitation through the dinner. We had white string lights draped from the ceiling, red and white checked tablecloths, white taper candles, and foliage all around.


Here is the room pre-party:

In keeping with the theme, I designed the invitations using a simple black, red and white design. I used one of my favorite (although now that I am learning the Adobe Creative Suite, not my number one favorite anymore) program, Microsoft Publisher. It affords the opportunity to design so many different documents, and really exercise a lot of creative freedom.

Here are the invitations:

I was also in charge of decorating the place mats. Wanting to keep with the theme, and trying to tie everything together, I adapted the picture that was on the invitation and used a wine bottle and glass on the place mat. It was a time-consuming task, but well worth the outcome.

Another personalized touch we added to the decor was the use of a variety of pictures of the guest of honor through the years. We had pictures from the age of one, through his mid-70's- each in a simple black frame, and spread throughout the room.

The food was catered by a local family that used to own an small Italian restaurant in the Williamsport area. It was a restaurant that Jon basically grew up in--going there at least once a week with his entire family. Unfortunately, due to a tragic loss, the restaurant closed, leaving a hole in so many Williamsport hearts. I was lucky enough to have had the chance to experience it before its closing, and for that, I am thankful. So, to create a truly nostalgic feel, it seemed only fitting that we have this delicious food for this monumental occasion.

The party was the celebration of a truly great man, and his life. It was a great chance to mingle with people who knew this man for many years, and a great opportunity to spend time with family we don't always get to see. I felt so fortunate to be a part of this wonderful evening.

March Sunburns

On the Eve of St. Patty's Day one would not expect me to be writing about sunburns, however, here I write...

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day in good old Williamsport, PA, so Jon and I decided to take Mr. Max out to enjoy this seemingly long, lost weather. It has been a terribly long winter, and we were craving the sunshine and general warmth, so we opted to go for a walk in a local park. This particular park is great-with endless paths to trek on, many of which run along the Susquehanna River-which made Max happy since we are pretty certain that he has never had the opportunity to "float his fanny in the Susquehanny" before. (Quite honestly, before joining our family, we are pretty sure he never had many opportunities to do much of anything. So sad.)

Our outing lasted around 2 hours, after which the three of us were happy and tired-not a bad combination at all. It should be obvious where this is going in terms of sunburns. Anyone who knows me knows that, unfortunately, I am very fair skinned-a prime target for the sun's rays. After being outside in the sun for 2 hours, despite being March, Anda gets sunburned. Shocker, I know. Now, I am having very mixed feelings about this "phenomenon." There is a part of me that thinks, "Well crap, I got sunburned." BUT, then there is part of me that thinks, "WOO HOO! I got sunburned!" I am only able to feel this latter part because it was nothing like the normal sunburns I would expect (and will expect) to get in the summer-this is totally minor. The important thing to note is the fact that the sun's rays are now able to sunburn me, which tells me that Spring is just around the corner!!

And that, my friends, is all we need to know...Woo hoo!!

Spring Break Memories...

This week is Penn State's Spring Break and since we are now members of the "real world," this is a luxury we no longer have the privilege of enjoying. In honor of the week though, I thought it would be fun to reminisce about the Spring Break trip that Jon and I took our Senior year. We knew we needed some sun and warmer temps, but we also didn't want to have to fly anywhere. To solve this problem, we chose to road-trip it down to Hilton Head, South Carolina. The trip was anything but uneventful-and some of the things that happened weren't necessarily ideal. BUT, looking back now, after four years, we can totally laugh at the whole thing, and now we have some fun stories to tell our kids someday.

I could rattle on forever about details of this trip, however, it would get lengthy (more than it already will be) and probably boring, so I will bullet them so you can get the drift of the adventures that ensued.

*The biggest mishap on the way down to S.C. was when my beloved car, the Subaru (may she rest in peace), started smoking like crazy...so much so that it started to come into the car from around the glove box! Jon and I, being anything but car savvy people, panicked at the prospect of having to buy a new car to get to S.C.-or even back home-a VERY scary thought for a college student. Since it was Sunday when this dilemma took place, a mechanic was not a likely solution, so we opted for one of those in-and-out type oil change places. We were so nervous as the quick change employee was checking under the hood to let us know what the verdict was. A short while after we entered the small, no frills waiting area, he waved for us to come out. We walked around the front of the car, and he promptly pointed to a little black cap sitting on the side of the hood area. He asked if we had placed this cap there. Jon and I let him know that we did not place it there and we were unsure of what this cap placement meant. He then informed us that this cap was the radiator cap, and that it being off was allowing antifreeze to splash all over the engine for about the past 9 hours. (I realized that this may have happened when I had gotten my oil changed and fluids filled a few days before the trip!) We could do nothing but show our relief at the fact that this problem could be easily solved with a good hosing off of the interior of the car workings, a refill of fluids, and a mere $5.00. THANK GOODNESS! We were back on our way...

*Another, maybe more minor happening took place after we did some grocery shopping soon after arriving. We had double parked the car in a handicapped spot (not nice, I know) with the hazard lights on. On the last trip down to the car for the remaining groceries, a rather large man began screaming at Jon for being inconsiderate to people who needed these spots (he was one who needed it, but unfortunately not necessarily for the right reasons). The man happened to be parked in the handicapped spot right next to the one we were occupying, so it wasn't as if he didn't have anywhere to park. Biting his lip, Jon apologized to the man, and promptly moved the car. We're not off to a great start, that's for sure.

*The next devastating event, although it's hilarious looking back now, was the hot tub mishap. We had a nice pool/hot tub area at the hotel we were staying at, so we had decided to spend an afternoon in this area. At the last minute I had asked Jon to bring his phone down with us so that we would know what time it was. Naturally, he tucked his phone into his swimsuit pocket and we went on our way. We decided, since it was a bit chilly, to hang out in the hot tub. We got in, and spent nearly a half hour just relaxing. When we got up to get out, Jon realized that his swimsuit felt heavy. It hit him right away-yes, he had spent the last half hour in the hot tub, with his cell phone in his pocket. Needless to say, it was not in full working order. Ironically though, he could still receive calls...

*One morning, as we went to begin another vacation day, we hopped in the car, turned the key-and nothing. No turn-over...nothing. Can you believe it!? In true trip fashion, we found ourselves desperately seeking someone else's assistance. A hotel employee kindly came out and checked under the hood...again. We discovered that a light had been left on overnight, so the battery was dead, AND the battery had been leaking acid. FANTASTIC. Jon and I were unaware of the magic of Coca-Cola and that it has the uncanny ability to remove battery acid. Sure enough, the hotel employee poured Coke on the battery and Wah-lah. All was good. Hmm...imagine what Coke could do to your stomach...

You may be wondering how we enjoyed-let alone made it back from this trip-but in reality we did have a really great time:

*Awesome restaurants

*Shopping

*Enjoying South Carolina's beautiful scenery

*Crocodile Rocks (Dueling piano bar in Myrtle Beach)

and come on...we were at the beach! How bad could it be. :)

Ok, enough rambling for the day...

Fun, Fearless Friday

I titled this entry "Fun, Fearless Friday" in honor of one of my latest, and greatest new obsessions-Cosmo Radio on Sirius/XM Radio. My wonderful husband opened my eyes to the wide world of satellite radio this past Christmas. He knew that with my morning and evening work commutes this would be something I would greatly appreciate. And boy, do I. I am fascinated by the extensive number of options satellite radio provides, however, I find it extremely difficult to change the channel from this plethora of girlie-ness.

Each weekday morning, while getting into my car, I never feel a sense of dread for the long drive that lies ahead of me. Instead, I am bursting with excitement to listen to my favorite part of Cosmo Radio-the morning show-Wake Up with Taylor. The show consists of three hosts: Taylor, the quirky, totally funny main host, Victoria, the fashion forward, tell it like it is "gal", and Kenny, the stand up comedian with the male perspective that is so much an essential part of the show. There have been MANY occasions where I have found myself in tears because I am laughing so hard. Quite frankly, I would have a hard time thinking of a better way to begin a day than with hysterical laughter. These three always help to pass the time, and it never gets old hearing what the "Judgement Twins" (Taylor and Victoria) have to say about things/people in this crazy world we live in.

The other shows on Cosmo Radio-which include Cosmolicious with Diana, Cocktails with Patrick, and Get in Bed-are also very entertaining, however, in my honest opinion, nothing beats Wake Up. If ever given the chance to check out this "Fun, Fearless" channel, I do recommend it-fearlessly.

Magnificent Max O'Millionaire

Since it is Monday, I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to our Marvelous pet, Max O'Millionaire, our #1 pup. Jon and I got Max from the local SPCA. He is a five year old, bundle of energy, who would surely be defined as Neurotic. I can guarantee that you have never met a being who is as scared of EVERYTHING as he is. You would think that because of his size, he would be a tough cookie. Not so much the case. He is very afraid of small dogs-which at nearly 80 lbs, most other dogs are small dogs. That isn't the worst of it though. His number one fear-lights. Yes, it's true. Lights. The ones on the ceiling taunt him on a daily basis, and I won't even go into the floor lamps. Jon and I can't help but wonder what kind of treatment he experienced in his five years prior to residing on Elizabeth Street. It saddens us to think that anyone could be anything but loving to this big-hearted fool.

Since we got Max in October, he has won over our hearts, and made himself right at home in the Nichols' family. He is spoiled in every sense of the word, but honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way. I don't know of many other dogs that get the privilege of sleeping in the most comfortable bed in the house-OURS. We struggle on a daily basis with how we should go about shooing him from the bed-but when push comes to shove, we have created a Monster, and we just can't bear to boot him.

Now, it is pretty rare that Max is referred to as "Max" in our house. We have taken the liberty to give him an unsightly amount of nicknames. Some of these nicknames are, (but not limited to, b/c I think we come up with new ones fairly regularly) Maxi, Maxine, Maxilla, Zilla, Zil, Zil-Zil, Monkey, The Nose (Just looking at him it is obvious why we call him this),The Beast...and the list goes on. Oddly enough, he responds to most of these names. It may be the inflection in our voices when we call him, but I prefer to think that he is just insanely intelligent. :)

If you are interested in seeing more pictures of our canine family member, check it out.

A simple pleasure

Originially, I had very different plans for this second blog entry. I was going to give a tribute to Mr. Max, our very lovable, highly entertaining, five-year old puppy, however, due to a doggie mishap that happened earlier today, my heart wasn't in it and I feel that he deserves a full dedication. So, that will be for another day...

Having said that, I have changed the focus of this second installment. It is about a new simple pleasure in my life. It comes in the form of a Starbucks drink. Its a delicious blend of milk, chocolate and banana, with an added bonus of fiber and protein. Meet the Vivanno. Now, Starbucks, and the atmosphere it portrays has always struck a cord with me. Jon and I have spent many Sunday mornings at the local Starbucks, chatting about life-how we would like to decorate the house we would eventually have (and now do have), discussions on the careers we hope to pursue one day, thoughts about our future family-I associate Starbucks with *happiness*. Sadly though, in this time of economic recession, Starbucks isn't a place that we patron as often-not only because of the cost, but also because I would normally choose a high-caloric, overly flavored drink-making me jittery and uneasy for the remainder of the day. The Vivanno, although still not terribly wallet-friendly (nearly $4.00 per!), offers a slightly less calorie overloaded drink without the normal JOLT of caffeine,and it provides the nice boost of protein and fiber. I will say though, that this may not be the drink for everyone. It does feature a "protein-shaky," almost a chemical-ish taste. Mmm...yum, right? It has my vote though!

Since first trying it earlier this month, I have adopted the Vivanno as my Friday morning reward after dragging my butt to the gym-its a treat I definitely look forward to.

It's simple pleasures, like this, in life that make me smile.

Trying this out...

I have always been a person intrigued by the world of blogging-the chance to give others a glimpse into your life, your thoughts and your dreams. Until very recently, I never thought of myself as having the ability to blog, or even gotten up the nerve to see if I have this compelling ability. I questioned what I would possibly have to say that would keep anyone interested-and even harder yet, did I have anything that would keep one wanting to come back for more. I figured though, at the risk of boring others, I will never know unless I give it a try. I have always been the type of person that wonders and dreams about what something new would be like, and quite frankly, I am ready to become someone who acts.

Now, I have to be honest-I am not entirely sure what the focus of my blog will be. I am at such an exciting and pivotal time in my life-with a new husband, a new house, a new dog AND the prospect of a new career-my future is bright. With this blog, I am hoping to fine tune my thoughts, and give myself the ability to take a step back and appreciate all the things in my life-those big and those small.

Without much further ado...my blog...