Waterloo Air Show

Catch up Volume 4: Chicago

Zumba in Millennium Park!

Catch up Volume 3: Wyoming

Catch up Volume 2: New Job!

Catch up Volume 1: July 4th

Picture this.

So here it is...my bloglift. I want to continue to update as necessary, but I believe what I want to accomplish through having a blog is to actually POST more than once or twice a month. How do I do this? By posting only through pictures. For those of you that know me, I love taking pictures and I love finding meaning in nature, beauty and anything creative. I will post pictures of our adventures (yep...the name fits), or just things I find interesting, funny, crafty, beautiful, insightful or just plain silly. I might even throw in a few of my craft projects, pictures of our new apartment (which we are moving into this afternoon!), or things I want to learn or make. I hope you find this fun to look at and I promise I will keep you better updated because of this change! Look forward to my first official bloglift post in the next week or so!

I think I'll Stick to Spray Tans

TWO BLOG POSTS IN ONE DAY?? I know, I must not be feeling very well.

Here's the deal. Graham and I are headed to the beach tomorrow (Myrtle--the land of the 80's spray tanks and where anything neon is still cool--so excited!!) and I wanted to get what those bronze people call a "base tan" going on before we left. Well, for those of you that know me, I'm extremely fair skinned. Not like the pretty porcelain type, but the more red, freckly type. SO, I'm already predisposed to skin cancer, but I figured hey! Why not go a few times...it can't hurt, right? I admit it. Graham, Mom, everyone else who told me not to go...you win. Apparently people can be allergic to UV rays in concentrated amounts. OF COURSE I AM. Who knew? About the fourth time I went (and I was getting excited because I was turning a slightly darker shade of pale at this point) I was in the tanning bed and it felt like little prickly needles were poking me all over my body. So as soon as it started I immediately got up and out of the tanning bed right? Wrong again. I'm extremely competitive (I'm sure this will be my downfall at some point) and saw that there were only 3 minutes remaining on my time--anyone can stand a little pain for 3 minutes, right? It didn't get too much worse when I was in there, but then about 2 hours later I had this horrible horrible pain literally all over my body. Like burny/itchy/shaky...you get the picture. After doing some research (I only got 20 minutes of sleep that night) I found out this is actually a pretty common problem and a lot of people end up going to the emergency room when they have this experience--I believe it! If I weren't so stubborn I might have gone just to get someone to tell me I was going to be okay eventually. This feeling was better in the morning but continued for about 3 days on and off. The weird thing is I don't react in the real sun so I guess we all know there's something a little off going on in those tanning beds. Don't do it! :)

NEEDLESS TO SAY...I gave up on the whole tanning idea and went for the sunless tanning experience earlier today. Much more pleasant :)

Joanna Wrote a New Blog Post???

Wow. Every time I think I should just give up on this whole blogging thing, poof! A magical blog post pops up on your feed for pure enjoyment. Okay, maybe not so much enjoyment as straight up Graham and Joanna information. What in the world have we been up to?? Well…since my last post I planned a lot of weddings. I only worked three of them however and I have a bittersweet announcement that I resigned my position as Senior Event Coordinator at Sky Event Centre and have moved a whole two blocks (literally) to a new Marketing position at a local bank named Community National. This has been my first week working as a “Marketing Specialist” and boy, have they been treating me like one! I have already written an article on the bank for Cedar Valley Region publication (no big deal…it is only used for about three years in the business world until the next brave soul gets to write a new one), helped redesign some of the elements on the Web site (which, I have apparently been put in charge of—ah!) and created an advertisement for the August 2011 edition of Business Weekly which goes out across the Cedar Valley and in which we have the front inside cover spot. Again, no pressure, right? It has been a fun challenge for me and I really think I am going to love it here in my new job home even though it couldn’t be any more different than what I was doing before!

This does not go to say that I will not be event planning in the future or soliciting my services to any stressed out bride-to-be’s (you know who you are and who you should call…) in the meantime. I fully expect to try and wriggle my way into the industry after our next move (who knows when this will be…) which will hopefully be to a bigger city where gals who love wedding planning like me will be welcomed with open arms. (I’m sure you’re surprised to hear that there isn’t a huge market for wedding planners in Cedar Falls, Iowa.)

Let’s see, what else, what else. I am planning a bloglift in the near future. Yes, I just used bloglift in a sentence. Don’t worry it is not as bad as saying emoticon in a sentence like Ben on the Bachelorette whipped out this season—how embarrassing. I just feel like I need this here thing to be revamped and maybe even have a completely new direction. What will it be…what will it be? Will I be crafty, or funny, or just my plain old Joanna self? I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

I had the best time with my Mom who came into town this past weekend because my Dad was out of town. And by out of town I mean Japan. Graham’s mom was also in China then as well. Anyway...we shopped and ate til we dropped. Unfortunately for Mom she dropped two out of three nights on our less-than-stellar air mattress that apparently has a tiny little hole somewhere so no matter how full it is when you go to sleep you will wind up waking up somewhere around 4:13am with your back flat on the floor. Talk about hospitality! Don’t worry though, for all of you who just can’t wait to plan your visit to Iowa any longer, we are moving into a two bedroom apartment in August and we will have two beds. And by two beds I mean two bed frames, one with a mattress. THEN, if we can afford a new mattress set, then you may not have to put the air mattress on a tacky lone bed frame in our guest bedroom. At least you’d have your own private space, right? Oh the joys of young marriage! These times are for looking back and laughing on when you’re old and rich together, right? That’s what I hear anyway. Oh! I ate a corn dog at the festival this past weekend instead of running the half marathon. Success?? I think so!

Well, tootles (toodles? Tootles seems too much like a word a three year old would use to describe her gas issues…) for now. I know you’ll all be anxiously awaiting the new bloglift. Maybe it won’t take me another two months for it to happen… LOVE Y’ALL!

Top ten.

So, in honor of the fact that I always qualify things in top ten or top five lists (if you haven't noticed this I'm impressed. I've actually tried to make a concerted effort to not do this. Top 10 hardest things I've ever tried to do.) and due to the fact that I am missin' me some South, I've created a list of the top 10 things I miss the most about living there. (In no particular order and of course excluding our many friends and family that I love super super so much.) NOTE: You will notice most of these items have to do with food and/or beverage. Don't judge. 1. Chick-fil-A. I thought of this one today as I was eating a chicken caesar wrap for lunch. It's just not as good as the ones from Chick-fil-A. And I certainly would like waffle fries over the steamed broccoli I see sitting on my plate with this wrap. 2. Blossoms. Mainly dogwood blossoms. I'm not saying that when the temperature finally decides to get out of the 30's and 40's I will not see spring blossoms, because I know I will. BUT it's just not the same. I want the fuchias of the azaleas and pinks and whites of the crape myrtles and dogwoods welcoming me home everyday. 3. Bo*Berry Biscuits. If you don't know what a bo*berry biscuit is and you are within 100 miles of a Bojangles, go. It will be well worth your trip. 4. North Carolina Basketball Fans. Or you know what? Basketball fans in general. It may seem like a simple thing, but when you don't have anyone who really cares at all about Carolina basketball or better yet, are surrounded by people who love to cheer against Carolina just for the fun of it, I miss me some Carolina blue firetrucks if you know what I'm sayin'. 5. Sweet tea. As much as you try, Texas Roadhouse, yours just isn't as good. 6. Mom's poundcake and Mamaw's Blackberry Cobbler. And freshly made, still warm applesauce. And green beans out of the garden. And fresh cream corn out of the garden. And cherries off the tree. And blueberries off the bushes or grapes off the vine. And freshly picked peaches and strawberries being sold on the side of the road. 7. Brick sidewalks. I was reminded that these exist when Graham and I wandered to an adorable suburb of Minneapolis this past weekend and they had them. Although not ideal for walking (hence my daily spills around Carolina's campus while in college) they are quite easy on the eyes. 8. New/updated apartment options. It is so hard to find an apartment here. I'm pleased to announce Graham and I will be upgrading from our one bedroom to two in August! Hooray for a space we can move around in!! 9. Hiking. I'm sure we could find a place to hike around in here in the Mid West, but it would be at least an hour drive. I miss just being able to hop on over to the nearest park and go for a hike and a picnic and set up our sweet hammock to take a nap by the creek (and maybe jump in it if I'm feeling crazy) on a Sunday afternoon. 10. Being able to go to the beach. I've never been much of a beach person much myself, but being away from it all the time sure makes you want to be able to prop up your lawn chair or fight the wind to lay out your towel and feel the sand on your toes. Now, although I definitely miss me some South sometimes, I also have my reasons I love living here, in good ol' Cedar Falls, Iowa. Let's do a top 5 on this one since I really should be working instead of blogging. 1. People thinking Graham and I are adorable for the way we "speak". Every time I say y'all I get a slight grin from the person I'm talking to no matter how many times they've heard me say it. 2. Being so close to so many new places. I have seen Dubuque, St. Louis, Kansas City, Des Moines, Moline, Madison and Minneapolis just to name a few since we've moved here. And Chicago is definitely still on the bucket list for (fingers crossed!) this summer. 3. Springtime. I know, I know, I just complained about not having any blossoms to smell right now, but I know that soon enough those new green blades of grass will be pushing through and leaves will be budding on the trees. The long, long winter we've had this year will serve as a constant reminder of the beauty of spring and to enjoy every second of it! 4. Simply put, the people. We have formed such an awesome community of friends here since we moved over a year ago (can you believe it?? It's been over a year!). 5. I love how much closer moving here has made Graham and I. I know we will be so much stronger as a couple because of the Mid West! 5b. The world's largest truck stop is here. "For everything there is a season."

Stylish Blogger?

Apparently, I have been tagged with the stylish blogger award. Now, my first question is: how can you win a stylish blog award if the blog for which you are blogging about winning the stylish blogger award is the only blog post you have composed in the past two months? Well, folks, it happened. Along with the receipt of this award, you get to hear 10 "fun facts" about little ol' me. Aren't you excited?? I choose to use my 10 "fun" facts to share with you 10 of my current obsessions (in no particular order)**:

1. Le Creuset Dutch Oven in Purple: (Married much??)

2. OPI Nail Polish "Pirates of the Carribean" collection:

3. Cate Blanchett's gown at the Oscars last night by Givenchy Couture--stunning.

4. Large arm jewelry of any kind. It's obvious I love Fossil watches. My latest purchase (thanks fam for the Christmas monies!) is similar to this one except in yellow gold as opposed to the rose:

Amrita Singh is one designer that has relatively inexpensive bangles with an Indian twist. Here's one of my current faves of hers:

Amrita Singh

5. Covered back porch outdoor fireplaces. Call me Southern, but whenever Graham and I can ever consider settling down and buying a house, a deal breaker will be a covered back porch with space to build an outdoor fireplace. Mmm...you can feel the outdoor winter coziness already.

6. The new Michael Kors line of "take-everywhere" tote bags. This Edie Large Shoulder Tote in Peanut is my current fave:

7. Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge in downtown Des Moines. They make your guacamole fresh in front of you at your table to your preference (chunky, mild, spicy, cilantro, etc.). Enough said.


8. The Band Perry. Went to their concert this past Thursday night and was blown away--seriously. Much better than expected. I mean what more could you ask for when the perform great covers of "Amazing Grace (the "my chains are gone" version)" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" back to back. Two of my favorite songs of all time. Random, I know--don't you worry about it.

9. Discounted items on "last-minute" websites. If you aren't familiar with these, you really should be. But caution, they'll have you addicted and you'll be logging on everyday without fail.


Here's a few for you:



http://www.ruelala.com/ (you have to be invited to this one, so if you're not a member, I'll send you an email invite!)


http://www.gilt.com/ and along with it, http://www.jetsetter.com/


And, finally, if you're into outdoorsy things, check out http://www.steepandcheap.com/, but beware: this one has one sale item that refreshes every 30 minutes, so you'll be downloading the app in no time to make sure you don't miss anything! (Yes, there'a an app for that.)


10. Thai Chopped Chicken Salad at Panera. With only 390 calories in the full-size portion (I mean, who would be able to fill up on anything smaller??) it is a great way to eat healthy for lunch or dinner and feel like your being bad. Seriously, you should go try it. Right now.

It's Been A While!

Hello again blog world--it's great to see your face(?) again! I am so happy to actually have a late afternoon off from work so that I can catch whoever it is that actually reads this thing up to speed. I really only have one question: Did 2011 start already?? Man. What a whirlwind the past couple of months have been. Honestly I think I will make a list because it will just take too dern long to try and summarize what we've been up to these days!

1. Went home for Christmas (yes, I am legitimately bringing you back that far....). See! I have proof:

I made the girls book page wreaths for Christmas. Talk about some QT with the hot glue gun!

I also made some nut wreaths. Basically the hot glue gun and I are now BFFs.

I missed my little Maggie girl!! (Told you my hair was blonde.)

Spent some long overdue QT with some great friends.

And with our wonderful family.

2. I came back to spend New Year's Eve working (we had two...count 'em TWO wedding receptions on New Year's Eve at Sky Event Centre, my humble work place) until about 11:11pm from where Graham and I sprinted to a friend's house to count down the new year. (Don't worry, we made it! I think they would have waited to start the countdown if we were running late, right??)

3. I was informed that I was going to be taking on the task of planning the First Annual Wedding show at work. When I say I was informed, I really was just that. Told that this is the way it's going to be so ready, set go! I'm glad I had some gasoline left in this nearly empty tank of mine to say I think I can, I think I can, I think I can all the way up to this past Sunday when the Wedding Show was officially complete. Phew. Can I go to bed now?? Check it:

It was actually such a blast to find all of our vendors, plan the specialty linen tables (it was like I got to get married all over again!!), entertainment, timeline, hors d'oeuvres (I have written hors d'oeuvres so much lately I don't even have to look up how to spell it. sad.), etc. It isn't every day that you get to plan an entire wedding show from start to finish! Very cool experience. Now you finally have a couple of pictures of where I work!

4. I've been coaching a USA Volleyball Cedar Falls 15 year-old team since November. We have had 3 tournaments now, and while I am realizing the stresses of being a coach, I am having a blast with these girls! If you're reading this and you were once a coach of mine: "THANK YOU!" I had the girls over for team bonding sleepover fun at our apartment. Hilarious. I totally kicked Graham out for the night and this is what I woke up to in the morning:


5. Graham and I were able to go out to Colorado a couple weekends ago to meet some of our long time high school buddies for some quality time. It was definitely a weekend filled with firsts, heart to hearts, traffic, skiing, laughs, traffic, the Coors Brewery, traffic, missing our flight back to Iowa, traffic...did I mention traffic already? Believe me, when it snows in Colorado, you do NOT want to be heading toward the mountains. You want to already be there to "lay the first tracks" as it were. We were not. A simple 2 hour drive turned into a 5.5 hour drive and a change of plans for night skiing and some sweet talking by my high school bestie's fiance to get us a place to stay close by for the night. Don't worry, our sweet digs were complete with Native American art, brown shag carpet and dreamcatchers. Definitely no nightmares to be had that night! Send our regards to the 70's.

I love besties.

6. My amazing hubby gave me the sweetest Valentine's Day gift yesterday, SEE:


Complete with everything anyone who absolutely knows me to my core would provide:
1. The Hangover. Classic.
2. The Time Traveler's Wife. I have been begging Graham to watch this with me for ages so maybe I'll convince him to actually do it tonight...who knows!
3. Tickets to see The Band Perry next Thursday. I hope this girl's voice is as angelic in person as on the radio--so excited! (We are also going to see Miranda Lambert here in Cedar Falls next week too! Here's to getting our fill of country music!)
4. Praline Pecans. If you're from the South, you love praline pecans.
5. Lemon Drop Martini Mix complete with Mixer. Yum-bola. (Don't think yum-bola is a word? Ask my mom.)
6. A $5.00 Starbucks giftcard. Can't wait to snag my non-fat no-whip white chocolate peppermint mocha one day this week. (Don't worry, I'm a girl so I can order these such things.)
7. A single red-stemmed rose, classy.
8. And last but certainly, not least, a 60-minute massage. Please and thank you. I've never had a professional massage before so I couldn't be more excited. The best part is, I got Graham a couple's massage for his gift, so I'm going to be feeling really good here pretty soon.

7. Brad finally kicked Michelle off the Bachelor last night. Can I get an AMEN sista??