Loving lately

Lets just talk about this Weekender Bag that took all of 5 minutes for me to drool over before ordering up.

I couldn't choose between the Camel or Black. Until I saw this bad boy comes with my initials for $8, black it is! With all the weddings ahead and weekend trips this Fall, ontop of work trips I make that are usually only a night or two, I needed a bag that can store 3 outfits, 2 pairs of shoes & a makeup bag but is larger than an overnight bag.  Done. Done. Done! 

Hurry and get in my closet!! 

Xoxo,

Andi 

Weekend Happenings

For starters, my girl Brittany turned 30!!! I'm not sure how this came so quickly, but, the gal who used to catch me on our all girl high school squad {I may or may not have broken her nose and/or knocked her unconscious with my fly away basket -toss arms} is now the Big 3-0!! Thirty and Fabulous my Dear.

Cheers to you! Wouldn't have missed your cele for the world. Here's to 30 more!

And, we decided what to do regarding a house. Whew. As mentioned previously, B and I were considering a gut and flip home vs building and this weekend we came to our conclusion. A sweet 1970's 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath, 3,200 sq ft home was the perfect home to allow us to make a decision. It was a great home with perfect character & tons of space that was purchased a few months back by some investors who had the same idea in mind as we did & are already trying to sell it for double what they bought it for. It's been partially renovated so it would give us a chance to finish it off how we want to. The problem is, they did the renovations a bit chincy & the neighborhood won't ever flip to its full potential. Walking through it gave us the perfect picture of just how valuable land and new builds are around here since there aren't any. So, as you may have guessed, we've moved forward with the new build. Woo hoo! Our design apontment to pick everything out is Thursday. But, this sweet home I speak of deserves some pics before we move on. 

Adorable right? And in this brick ranch jungle of a town, at least it was a pretty painted grey tri-level. A for effort. Moving on! 

New home will have the back yard that backs up to a nature preseve that won't ever be built on, and that's resale value that goes above and beyond in my opinion. The dogs will run for days.

This week is busy with work travel and this weekend B & I are headed to the art museum for Oktoberfest. Looking forward to soaking up these last weeks before basketball is in full throttle, midnight strikes, and I turn into a widow until Spring. As we enter into October, my favorite crisp Fall month, we have our weekends jam packed with weddings and trips to Columbus, Chicago & Lexington, KY. 

Bring. It. On. Can't wait!

Xoxo,

Andi 

Buckeye Weekend Warriors

Things I love most about using the Blogger App, #1, the fact I'm laying on the couch recovering from an amazing weekend as I "write" this. Ahhhhh. Lazy couch Sunday necessary after quite the social Alumni Cheer Weekend. I look forward to seeing these babes every year, and running the Buckeyes out on the field. I know not everyone lives close enough to Columbus to make it every year, but I'm SO GLAD that I do as I haven't missed an alumni game yet. 

Weekend started with drinks/meeting up with some of the clan at The Hilton downtown, before the banquet at The Longenberger House to connect after. We then tore it up at some {straight & gay} bars thereafter, helloooo dance party?! 

{Class of 2005 at the Alumni Banquet}

{Bob playing & James being a diva}

{werk it Tara... Never a dull dancing moment at Union}

Saturday morning came WAY TOO soon after the rockstar fest died down, I'm way too old to take as many shots as I did! Beh. But, after some Coconut Water came to the rescue, I was up & stunting with the best of 'em! We still got it girls! 

{Team Albright} Hubbs looks kinda hot with a megaphone! 

{my fab FIL made it out to watch us cheer, love him!}

{some of our class of 2005}

Love every single person in this Buckeye Family & feel incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity as well as the continued health to experience it every year since!

GO BUCKS!

Andi 

Scenes from the Weekend

"In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die, and where you invest your love, you invest your life"....

Mumford & Sons, rocked! I've been to hundreds of concerts and very rarely do the artists sound 100x better live. M&S's were the exception, wow. Old Crowe Medicine Show was also insanely impressive. All stringed instruments make my heart ache a bit, and both of them are  lyrical geniuses. If you get a chance to see either, worth every second.

Gentlemen of The Road was the theme of the concert & it also was one of the most charming "venues" I've been to. The small town of Troy, OH had never seen anything like it. People came from allover in droves. The music was played in their high school football stadium, which was great as alot of the crowd could be up in the stands. We were all shipped in and transported like a fine oiled machine. Buses picked us up on the outskirts of town and dropped us off and picked us up. The musicians wanted to pick a small town that could reap the "local" benefits and picked Troy based on efforts to give back. Very cool. 

Highlights of the weekend include:

My husband thinking he's part of the 'Gentlemen of The Road' and shaving his beard to leave this molester/hill jack looking face. He claimed to be "getting into the spirit". He then proceeded to look like a stoic (perve) in every pic the rest of the night. 

We connected with some local Dayton friends at the show (Megan is also a bit of a local celeb as she is an anchor person on Channel 2 local news station). Good times had by all. 

Toasted PB&J + Bananas? Best thing EVER! Plus, I had to rep the town I was raised in and "give back" myself {at least that's what I told myself to endure its calories}

Glad my honey surprised me with a weekend trip to my favorite place, live music festivals. The last one we attended {Lollapolooza} he got so hammered he was yelling & boo'ing at Asher Roth for sucking so bad. Sigh. It was due time for a redemption....and this definitely did it. 

We then drove to Columbus for my sister in law's low key (the only way we could con her into one) Bachelorette Party! We did dinner and drinks and spent over at The Hilton. It was good to reconnect with some high school ladies and meet some of Paige's fantastic college friends. Looking forward to the wedding next month! 

Labor Day was spent relaxing at my parents with my sweet nephew and fam. Although forewarned about cops on the road, there was alot of drinking and driving on Isaacs part.....

{Clearly intoxicated}

Happy 4 day week y'all!

Xoxo,

Andi 

Do not add your debts on a Saturday Morning.....

I may or may not have officially lost it, or, offically become BRILLIANT. In purchasing this next home and being at the very beginning stages of building again, we have started the process of looking at lenders, pre-approvals, credit reports, etc. Which, allows you to start tallying every last dollar existant to your name. A. Dont do this on the weekend, my mind is at an all time full throttle.

 

Let me back track a hot minute. When Blair and I sold our recent home, that we built and lived in for only a year, we made quite a nice chunk of change. In doing so, it really fired up my passion for home decorating, staging, selling, and well, making a nice chunk of change. It started to get the wheels turning in my head thinking: Hey, this would be a bit of fun to do on the side. I am glued to HDTV enough to know I have enjoyment in this home flipping sort of thing, and being able to make money while the market is down is quite motivating to boot. So, I did what any girl does after flipping through our credit reports{while adding up all the combined godforsakenstudentloans, UGH yay Masters Degrees!}. I called my Dad. Now, this may have not been the most impartial person to call, as he understands how much I love to save, and how much I despise short term debt. AND he and my Mom used to flip houses themselves when we were little babes. He got my wheels turning even more, and we're finding ourselves at a crossroads. To build a 'forever home' or to buy a 'flipper home'? That is the question. We have only put a deposit down on the lot of the home we may or may not now build, so we would be losing out on a very small amount of money.

 

In this part of Ohio, there is basically two areas where you can even build, as they have been landlocked for 10+ years. So, unless couples want to build, they are buying homes that are at least 10 years old. People who prefer modern, open floorplan, updated homes would have to be buyers who are inclined to gut, flip, and update. Not everyone is up for that, especially those who have children. People who are like us which like to move into that new paint smell home that is an updated finished product would pay good money to have it. Knowing that is a rare find here, why not buy a home at a great price while the rates are still low, live in it for 3-6 months while we gut it and sell it & make another nice profit again while we can. The downside of this is we are pretty much waving goodbye to the new build, new land, and new home in this area for good as again as there isnt much land to build on and work with. As long as we live here long term, which is a great unknown, we also may have to live in a home that's been gutted and flipped in the end, while sacrificing an ideal lot. BUT, in doing this, we can potentially make alot of money in the next year or two have 0 student loan/short term debt with a pretty nice cushioned savings account. Does having a new build 'forever home' mean THAT much to me right now, in the town we just moved to? Not sure. Practical route vs. Risky Route, that is the question.

 

 

Andi



Wordless Wednesday

Xoxox,

Andi 

If I Could Write A Letter to Me

10 YEAR OLD YOU...

Don't think so much, and so deeply, be 10 for Christ sake. Theres nothing to be anxious about. Enjoy summers filled with softball and flashlight tag; you'll miss them every single summer to follow. Moving from KY turns out to be a blessing. You do it alot through the years and it shapes you into a well rounded, social, flexible person. And Kimi? Dont worry there either, she'll be around forever. Hug Lexi a little extra and walk her often, turns out her bundle of Golden fur isn't. 

15 YEAR OLD YOU.....
 

Forgive yourself for having to quit gymnastics. It will lead you to some of the best years of your life. You'll never really ever "leave it", its always a part of you and you'll end up coaching girls your age now someday. 

That bad boy you're dating who breaks your heart? He didn't end up  ruining you. Turns out he just makes you less naive and more picky. Lucky for you it worked, they all get better from here. Wear short shorts as often as you can. Oh, and those 6 pack abs? Embrace. every. single. one. They eventually go away. Two words for ya: Americheer summers. God they are fun, embrace them. You will do crazier, more fun things during these summers ahead that you ever thought possible. 

18 YEAR OLD YOU....

You are about to embark into the BEST college, and years of your life. You have friends now that you will have forever.

Take shots, don't always be so cautious. Let your hair down, and never pass up the chance for a dance party. 

Math is hard. That tutor you have will eventually be replaced with an iPhone calculator. Better yet, it's a phone robot named 'Siri' who pretty much does anything you ask her to. Oh - and she calls you "Betch".
 

 

Applaud yourself for trying when you moved to Texas, you'll never regret it. Think about moving to Austin or Denver to follow & extending your "discovery phase". In hindsight, you end up coming back too soon. But, know that you tried your best. Let go sooner than you did.

Wear sunscreen. Never stop being silly. It's what makes you, you. 

 

HEY 25 YEAR OLD YOU....

 

You're doing exactly what you should be doing in your career. Every step will lead you to where you are in your 30's, and you absolutely love your job. So breathe a little & don't be so stressed in the 'searching'. There is nothing laughter, a girls night, or letting your free spirit shine can't cure. 

Next year is hard. Real hard. You make it out okay, better off even. You can't always be the one in control. Sometimes the universe is. 

Be patient in knowing that you are exactly where you're supposed to be {turns out patience will never be your strong suit, but keep working on it}.

Don't be lame and stay in the night of the Blizzard of '08... It turns out to be the best decision of your life to bundle up and leave your apartment. You end up meeting your husband. 

HEY 30 YEAR OLD YOU...

Spend as much time with your family as possible. Just as you are aging, they are too....

You never end up having enough time. Every month you say aloud 'I cant believe it's already the 1st of the Month'. Literally, every single month.

Always be in search of new things that challenges you. Volunteer. Don't be so hard on yourself. Continue to always be thankful. You have the absolute best friends and family around. 

And lastly, enjoy these moments as a Family of 2 before they are a Family of 3. Create traditions. Trust in yourself always. Never lose hope. And know that the best is always yet to come....

What would you write to yourself?

xoxo,

Andi