Let the Good Times Roll....

What a WONDERFUL Christmas we had this year!! Most people get depressed when it's all over-- but not me-- i'm always moving forward :) NYE next weekend for Quinny's 21st is just on the horizon, as is 2012!!! :) BRING IT ONNNN! Before I slam full speed ahead, i'll jog you through some Christmas Weekend shananigans.


Steph & Jason came to town on Friday & we had a wonderful festivus at good ol' Classics in Westerville. Surprisingly we didnt see 100 people from our high schools days--whew--and to follow Classics we decided to celebrate the Eve of Christmas Eve by driving through the 'Festival of Lights' at Alum Creek. Steph & I are always obnoxious the stars of the show in comparrison to our meek husbands, so once again, they were prolly fed up with us by the end of the night. Oh well--we had fun :)

Jas & Steph

Festival of Lights @ Alum Creek

We jumped out of our car & 'broke the rules' for this shot, big shock. I'm more surprised our husbands didnt drive off & leave us standing there....

I was pretty impressed with this cascading light bridge display....

Great times had by all!! Seeing them for Thanksgiving AND Christmas sure made for an awesome holiday season. Oh, and my gift from Steph was a gorge Kate Spade bangle bracelet. Lurrrvv. To add to that bracelet, Blair got me a GORGE Michael Kors (obsession) chunky roped gold bracelet (was on my Pinboard on Pinterest). The poor (smart) guy had to ask my Mom how to find the site, sign on & find ideas of what I wanted. Good thing she's addicted to it & knows just the place & how to's....



Next on the agenda was Christmas Eve & Christmas morning at The Albright's. Lovely living only a mile down the road from them these days! We didnt have alot of drive time this holiday whatsoever, which made for a GREAT Christmas. We did midnight mass Christmas Eve/brunch the next am and got in a great catnap before Christmas night with my immediate family at Mom's house. Highlight of the Albright's this year: I officially have my own stocking to join the clan <3 Oh, & Blair stumbling across Cody's firefighter jacket for some hilarious 'modeling' pics. REAAARRRR...

Blair, Andi, Trent, Paige, Cody, Quinn

Bowchicawowwow..

Mom & Dad's Christmas was wonderful as well this year. Always great gifts & good times. Best Gift Awards there come from Grandma Binion with 2 story books made for future children. One is all about 'The Misadventures of Mollie B' (her childhood memories turned into adventure stories) & another book that's her voice recorded actually reading the book. I couldnt flip past page 4 without bawling. Will try again later :) Mom & Dad got Blair & I a washer & dryer for the new pad which is awesome b/c that's def one of those things you hate to buy yourself. An obviously practical gift that we both love. Future Munchkin Baby Little was already receiving gifts which was hilarious, excited to invision having a 6 month old niece/nephew this time next year <3


Always thankful for a wonderful, blessed, safe and joyous Holiday Season!! Now, for some detox & healthy eating adjustments this week + TONS of water. It's time to get back in the saddle and get this bod right! I hope you all had an amazing holiday filled with lots of love & laughter. Onto the New Year.....




xoxo,
Andi

IN CONTRACT

We are officially IN CONTRACT!!! We finalized all the paperwork & are now waiting to hear back from financing for the clear & then on to scheduling our first date @ the Design Center to pick out all of our decor goodies :) :) :) :) Blair is even excited for that portion of the home buying process.


We took our SOLD sign to our muddy lot with some mini bottles of champagne to celebrate. Whats a celebration without some bubbly, right?! Rain must have strong celebratory significance in our lives as (again) the second we got out of the car it started to downpour (flash back of wedding day)....<3


Once again, rain boots knee high, off into the puddles I went!

The wooded lot my Babycakes demanded! This will be the look at it's worst. Cant wait for the Fall foliage to fill in on top of added trees, while chillen on the back patio....

Cheers all! So happy & so thankful!! Great way to roll into Christmas weekend <3

Red Stag Rd-- HOME!



Model Home-- doors on R will be garage, and brick will be stone



Well, we can FINALLY say that we made a decision & have moved forward with OUR NEW HOME--eeeekkkk!!!! (insert applause) Hey, at least we can never say that we didn't comb the market and discuss ALL options for us. At the end of the day our hearts were set on this 5-level-split the day we walked through it. I love all of the windows, the open floor plan and it's practicality of space. There's no official 'office' (I'll be using the 4th bedroom for that or the couch as I have always done) or eat-in-kitchen AND dining (why don't people use their beautiful dining room more than once a year), it's all just aligned perfectly for what we're looking for. It's a 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath 5-level-split (aka Blair's request for his own man cave floor was granted) with a full basement & wooded lot in the Glenross neighborhood off of Cheshire Rd (great amenities with the pool, club house & golf course). It's Olentangy Schools to boot and around the corner of the North end of Alum Creek for the dogs. We can see ourselves living here for a very long time & shouldn't really need more space than this house provides. I'm so excited for it to be done in June <3


Enjoy some pics of the model home below. It will be pretty close to this with it's kitchen colors and details, of course not including our decor & taste, as well as some of the rooms are missing  (I didn't feel it necessary to get ALL OF THE ROOMS)--so you'll all just have to come & visit us to see it's finale!!! Our exterior will be light grey & white stone vs the brick shown above and the garage will be on the L (reverse floorplan) but, alot of out of state friends have been requesting it's immediate details--so, ENJOY!




View of the front door from entry hallway

front door next to dining room

dining room with Wanescoting (love)

large windows

arched doorways (from dining to kitchen view)

built in extra storage/pantry

through the arches into 'living-sitting room'

half bath to right and steps up to Master (up again to guest bedrooms) or down to 'mancave floor'/family room

love the white spindles & vaulted ceiling (and my husband to the L) :)

view from LR to kitchen (white cupboards in our home too)

down the stairs to the mancave/family room

steps from there leading to full basement

upstairs to the Master, walk in closet is to the right, these doors wont be in our home (vintage/modern sliding Barn door instead)

Master bath/soak tub

Double sinks with toilet private at the end

up the stairs to the remainder 3 bedrooms & guest full bath

Is it June yet?!! ......

xoxo,
Andi

Christmas Cheer

Helped Meine Mutti decorate her Christmas tree today, with Atticus & Casanova in tow (big shocker)--some results of the holiday Cheer!!!
              

oh' Casanova!

Go figure, Mr. Scaredy Pants

Love Christmas Trees!!

 ...More pics to follow :)


Xoxo,
Andi

COOKIE FAIL

Evidence that we should NOT be professional cookie bakers.....

Nova & Bear making the dough

Cookie Comas

Cookie Beggar...

Busy kissing Atticus

While Blair did the work, duh.

Before...

...After. Yikes.

Our presh powder faces. They were SUCH great help @ eating our not-so-good cookies :)

....maybe next time we wont make them from scratch, but we sure had fun!!!!

xoxox,
Andi

Blog-spiration

I have been a mad addict to Pinterest, especially with the house decor planning on the horizon, but most importantly for Keesmees!!! I have found the cutest wrapping and gift tagging ideas, etc, but will leave that post until I have completed my final project. Stay tuned.

While flipping through a friend of a friends friends' blog (or something like that) I came across her opinion of the 'Top 10 Gift Giving Ideas'. I was immediately drawn to a grey (big shock, right?) felt case-looking-thing that I immediately personalized as my future ipad carrying case. --If only I could remember how I stumbled upon this blog i'd credit the blogger for crediting the creator-- Anywho, I was looking up the etsy sight to buy this lovely grey felt case with an "A' emblem "request to add" when I gave up because I couldnt find my wallet to order online. Days later (today) at Hobby Lobby I saw a grey felt case veryyyyy similar  exactly like it?!! The kicker, it was $3.99 *GASP!

Sooooo, I bought an 'A' iron on emblem and went home to do my first (beyond simple) 'project'. The final product--- ADORBS. Love it & fits like a glove. These would make great X-mas gifts for ipad users in your fam & you could easily add all 3 initials, last name, first name--etc. $3.99 people!! Just too good not to share :)

great pocket with a magnetic snap

the final look

xoox,
Andi 

Happy Holidaze

OK--OK--is it Christmas yet? New Years? JANUARY! ugh. I cannot focus on work & people have also already checked out which makes my life a bunch of dead ends. I'm A.D.D to the max these days.....


Now that they've been sent out--here they are--our Holiday Cards for 2011!!!! Arent our 4 leggers just so darn cute? Maybe next Christmas you'll get a card with a bun in my oven ;)


Happy Holidaze Everyone!!



Joy to The World from Blair, Andi, Casanova & Atticus
The Albright Family, 2011



back: 'Lots of Love For Your Holiday Season' -The Albright Family


Gotta Love Shutterfly!!


XoXo,
Andi

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

You know it's Winter time when I'm 'Back to Brown'...mwah!!

HOUSE UPDATE

Well, i'm sure you're all (what 5 of you following? HA! Why dont more people blog anyway?!?) sitting on the edge of your seats wondering the outcome of our great debate from the city to the burbs. IT HAS BEEN DECIDED that we are both on board with Lewis Center/Delaware cusp area next to Alum Creek Park/water/dogparks--Yeehaw. We are back on the negotiating train with a new rep (see FB post about former rep screwing us out of our deal & corner lot we were closing on) from Dominion in the same neighborhood of Glenross. We decided we'd drop out of the Dominion running at first and continue to screech by flipping the old rep the bird while working with nearby builders, but found out that we just couldnt stop dreaming about the 5-level-split home from Dominion that we fell in love with. In the midst of all that we were introduced to Braumiller Estates (also love & just around the corner from Glenross) by Rockford Homes. It's not a 5-level-split but it's very vaulted, open floorplan and still a beautiful home. We meet with them Friday and with Dominion on Sunday to gather all the final deats, etc & will be making our new build decision by the end of the month (fist pumps)!!!

It's worked out in our favor due to it being December, as those of us in sales know all to well that this time of year everyone is running every potential 'special' that they can think of to get things sold to meet year end numbers & goals. I knew skipping out of our city condo before Winter was a good idea, but it's finally starting to fall in place.

I'm already dreaming of next June (latest) when we'll be moving into our new home to cozy into for years & years to come. As quickly as these months have been going lately it'll be here before we know it & will be OH SO WORTH IT in the end. When we decide on the home in the next week or two i'll be sure to post pics. Stay tuned.

Now I know why people live in the same home for years & years & years..... it's too stressful to start the process allover again!

xoxo,
Andi

Ich Liebe Dich

There are many people in my life whom I care greatly for and love & respect to the utmost degree. I always say just how thankful I am for the people that are in my life and I genuinely mean that. I can count my closest of friends who I'd take a bus for on more than one hand (rare) and know that regardless of the scenario I can always count on them. I certainly cant pick favorites as they are all my dear lovies for their own individual and special reasons, but there is always one that I can count on being there for me day in and day out and for her I'm grateful for. Steph, you get today's shout out :)

Steph is 100% without a doubt my 'Sister from another Mister'. She is wise beyond her years, stubborn beyond belief, has the largest heart God created to Man & has a sense of humor that can keep me in stitches for HOURS (also rare). We met in high school in Westerville, lived around the corner from one another in school, studied nursing at OSU (me much shorter) together & shared inside Houston, Texas experiences while both living there (shorter span on my end here as well). KURKENDAHLLLLL!!!! I'm thankful that God has placed her in my life during multiple phases moreso than any other person on this planet, and that she will continue to, without a doubt, be around for the rest of life's blessings.

Some of my favorite memories together include (in no particular order):

- Being an honored attendee at her Nursing Gala in Houston, TX when she won her fabulous award
- Steph's grad party from her MSN degree in Houston, stunting in the backyard with The German's in town & playing Guitar Hero while downing jello shots a plenty
- Helping Steph get ready for homecoming with her now husband, Jason in HS. For some reason it still means the world to me that she asked me to come over and do her hair for her (quite the risk I might add)
- My bachelorette party in Austin, TX --mental pic of her tipsy and dancing for us all in her bathing suit poolside. CAN YOU SAY HAWT?
- Our night at the Short North condo after many a drink downtown taking pics in our 'Shot Caller' T-shirts we got for free at the bar?!!? Hilarity.
- My trip to see her recently in D.C while sitting outback in our old lady rockers drinking red wine while pondering what the decor looked like in her neighbors multi-million dollar homes
- Being stuck in hours and hours worth of traffic annoying Jason (per usual) with our inside jokes and foreign languages (this was the trip she surgically removed a piercing from my body--HA)

Honestly, there is no doubt in my mind that Steph and I were meant to be together in this lifetime and I'm just really truly honored to be her friend. She's the kind of friend who sends you 'I'm proud of you' or 'Just Because' cards quarterly and who ALWAYS gives the best Christmas Gifts (so creative). She knows just what to say to calm the nerves and is always my number one fan cheering me on when necessary. She is 100% proud of me, no jealousy and no holds bar, just 100% my better half. Steph, I love you Sister. I wish we lived closer and that you weren't in D.C--but I love traveling to see you throughout life's adventures. I wish I could see you weekly---maybe someday :) Enjoy a quick montage of some good times my friend...I hope today this made you smile.....

wine country ATX style

wedding day

Cbus visit @ Black Olive

Houston visit--mani/pedis (these seats were OOC, my tiny boobies were even shaking)!!

FOREVER ago, circa when we all lived in Texas. OSU v UT game at Texas

The day I got my 'This Too Shall Pass' ribpiece tatt

same day we went dark

Andrea's babyshower in Austin

my warm welcome to D.C!!

Serendipity-- D.C style. Us, well...being Us.

My Teet



freaks on a leash



Love you Sister!

oxoxox,
Andi