2015 - The Year of New Adventures

You know it's been a busy year when you have to look back at your facebook photos and your google calendar to see what you've been doing for the last eight months... it's been a really big year so far and it's still not over!

It was another rough winter in Lexington. That's almost laughable to say, especially considering the location of our new home, but the city of Lexington is not equipped to deal with snow in any capacity. Our street didn't get plowed so I was off of work for three days, and Alex had to get his car towed out of the snow for the first time in his life. That was quite the adventure! This year I upgraded my trusty Corolla to something a little bigger with AWD so I'll be prepared for the real snow coming my way. I love my Santa Fe so much, I pinch myself every time I get in {I'm totally enamored with the sunroof, it's the little things}.

A little winter fun, a Murder Mystery Dinner with James and Kate
at Equus Run Vineyards. Alex really embraced his character!

Not to be repeated next year. 

In February I attended the Women's CRHP - Christ Renews His Parish - Retreat (the same thing Alex attended in October). It was one of the most memorable experiences and Alex and I have continued to be blessed by our fellow CRHP brothers and sisters as we've met with our groups throughout the year. Alex will be on the "giving" team for this year's men retreat in October and will be sharing a Witness about his life and his experiences. I'm so proud of him and am so touched whenever I can hear him speak about God's hand in his life and how his calling is being revealed to him.

Another life changing experience happened in February when my mom retired after 35 years with the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County. It's given us a great excuse to celebrate throughout the year! Congrats Mom, you deserve to enjoy your retirement, you've been in so much hard work and have been such a devoted Children's Librarian.

March was very busy with RCIA and the approach of Easter. On Easter I officially joined the Catholic Church after a year of RCIA classes. Alex acted as my co-sponsor and attended most of the activities with me so it was a little bittersweet for it all to come to a close. Our weekly classes brought us closer and encouraged us in our faith together. By that time we both had our separate meetings for our CRHP groups and were still serving breakfast once a month at the Catholic Action Center so we weren't lacking spiritual encouragement!

Our annual Girl's Weekend in March.
MJ we missed you this year!

The Brichlers came to visit! Love little Jack!

Alex and I before the Easter Vigil 

We decided we hadn't had enough retreats so in April we attended a Marriage Encounter Weekend in Cincinnati. It was held at the hotel where we had our wedding reception, so it just seemed meant to be with our five year anniversary coming up this October. It was another great retreat experience and quite different than our separate men's and women's retreats. We were even able to renew our vows!

At the end of April we took a little vacation with some friends in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. It was an amazing trip, but definitely not long enough! Luckily we had a family vacation to look forward to still.

Chrissy and Pete Steele with Alex and I on Ft. Walton Beach.
We missed the rest of the LDP Group, but we still had a blast.

The view from our condo. Yes please!

In May I spent a weekend in Columbus with my best friend and Alex and I also went up to Cleveland for the first wedding of the season! It was a busy month and with summer fast approaching it started to go faster and faster.

I gave my work notice that we were going to be moving to Cleveland and we wrapped up a few projects to get our house ready to put on the market. We had always planned on finding our way back to Ohio, we just never knew quite how it was going to work out our when. It was quite surreal to finally be putting everything in motion. In looking at houses online for research, we found one that we were interested in. During Memorial Day Weekend we walked through it and decided to take a leap of faith and put an offer on it {You'll understand when you see the pictures...}

Emily and Mike Kowalski's beautiful wedding!

The Janesz Clan, minus Eileen, all dolled up!

In June we put our house in Lexington on the market.  Our thought process was that it would be great to have some people walk through the house while we were gone on vacation. However, it didn't quite work out that way. The first day we put the house up we had a few walkthroughs and were told we were going to be getting an offer. The second day we had some more walkthroughs and knew we were going to get a few offers. It was a little crazy because it was in the midst of us packing up for vacation and hosting some of our family at our house! On the first official day of our vacation we had three offers and ended up closing the deal. The plan may not have worked out exactly the way that we envisioned it, but we really got to enjoy our vacation then!

We traveled to Myrtle Beach with Alex's family and my mom. My dad couldn't join us unexpectedly and we certainly missed having the whole family complete. It was a really fun week and there were plenty of activities (and lounge time) to keep everyone happy. Alex and I realized the impact of taking a full week of vacation. For the past five years we've had so many weddings {30?!?} that we haven't really had the vacation time or the money to take a full week's vacation. I forgot how different a weeklong vacation is from a long weekend! Immediately after our trip we started a vacation fund so we can always be looking forward to our next vacation. If you don't plan things time has a tendency of getting away from you.

Barb and Linda at Brook Green Gardens

A romantic dinner at Gulfstream Cafe in Garden City, SC

Myrtle Beach!

Our first helicopter ride!

July mostly consisted of packing and prepping for our move, but we also had a nice weekend in Toledo for my cousin's wedding. On the last day of the month we closed on our house in Cleveland.

Earlier this month I had my last day at my job. It was the close of another interesting chapter in my career. I was so blessed to have been led to that job at the time that I was. It was quite the learning experience to work for a non-profit and it was so uplifting and almost therapeutic to work for a religious non-profit. The entire experience and the people I was surrounded with brought a lot of peace to my life. I will miss it, but there's a time for everything in our lives.

Alex and I at Tami & Jake's Wedding

My Grandma Wagoner looking good at 90!

Early last week Alex and I moved all of our stuff into our new house in Cleveland. When I say "into the house" I really mean the garage and the dining room. There are a couple rooms upstairs that we are going to have renovated first so we have somewhere to work and sleep. The next project this fall/winter will be the kitchen and then slowly the whole place will start to take shape! It's liveable right now (except the lack of appliances), but the cosmetic shape of the house is pretty horrendous.

We've flipped three houses within the past year so I've seen (and smelled) the befores and I know that we have the vision to make a house beautiful, but this is the first house I'm living in while it's being renovated. This will be a whole new one for the books! For more pictures and to watch the progress of our reno visit my Organize + Design facebook page.

Our new home, a 1930's fixer upper by the lake

Over the next month or two the craziness continues. We'll be celebrating both my parents' 60th birthdays, Alex's 30th birthday and our five year anniversary {as well as my 29th birthday, but that's not quite as impressive}! I love a good excuse to plan a few surprises.

One last dinner with our next door neighbors, Len and Katie Harper.
An appearance by my buddy Penny too!

A little binder for the new homeowners of our first house.
I hope they love it as much as we have!

Thank you to our lovely Lexington home for all of the friends and
family you hosted over our four years.

Last day ever at our first home (Aug 14th) before our closing!

Although, we've sold our house in Lexington and have our home in Cleveland, we're not quite ready to live there yet so we're currently living with friends in Lexington. {James and Kate you two are such amazinig friends, thank you for helping make this transition an easy one}. We're also living like nomads a little bit with all of our traveling between Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Lexington {and Tennessee for Alex as he transitions his current work accounts}. 

In October Alex will be starting a new division of his company in Cleveland that will service the surrounding areas. In an interesting twist, I will also be working with his company part-time to help get the territory established. When I'm not working from home with Alex, or on our home, I will be working on other people's homes with my father-in-law {not literally, but figuratively}! I will be joining his team at JFE Remodeling & Home Improvements as administrative and design support. I am really looking forward to working with two men that I really admire and ones that will both challenge me in their own ways. I am also beyond excited to get some more design experience under my belt and hone my passion.

I am so excited for the new challenges that will be coming our way and we look forward to finally being settled in a place that we can't wait to call home. We've missed you Ohio!

September = Celebrating

After Alex and I returned from our East Coast trip and Columbus we were ready to be home for a little bit. Unfortunately our schedule said otherwise. After having a low key birthday celebration at home it was time for something bigger! I headed to Cincinnati and had a relaxing dinner with two of my friends from college. Alex met up with me later that evening and we had cake and gifts with my parents. I also gave my Dad his birthday gift since it was coming up soon after.

The next morning Alex and I got up early to take part in an Alzheimer's {Association} Walk. It was a great excuse to get up early and get a three mile walk in, as well as a way to support my friend Amy who helps plan the association's walks. So far in our lives our families have been blessed as far as this disease goes, but other families have not been as fortunate. The money raised from events like this help fund research and programs that can help.

Alex's company CE Power Solutions was one of the event sponsors

After our invigorating walk we headed  back to my parents' house for the afternoon. We met our friend's Rob and Tricia in Mt. Lookout Square at The Wurst Bar for dinner. It was their first evening away from their new baby and they did amazing, I was impressed {even if you guys don't feel like it is, you do a great job at making it look easy!}. Everything on the menu features sausage of some kind. Yumm.

As always, our dinner went too fast and then it was time for the next thing on our agenda, the Darius Rucker Concert. We drove the rest of the way downtown to the Horseshoe Casino. It was packed and there were so many flashing lights my brain almost overloaded. We had bought our concert tickets three or four months in advance so we had been looking forward to it for a while. It was a good concert, although a little bit short! We were standing outside the entire time so I didn't mind the length too much.

The next day we went to church with my parents and had a little lunch before heading back home. We had a busy week and then it was time to travel again, this time to Cleveland. We were able to get there a little bit early and considering we had driven quite a bit over the last few weeks the trip went pretty fast. As soon as we arrived we enjoyed a "Friday Night Round Table" as has become the tradition in the Janesz household. Usually when Alex and I, or one of the siblings, is coming in for the weekend everyone gathers around the dining room table on Friday night with a beer and we just talk and reminisce for hours. I love that spending time together is a priority for them. It's so special and I am honored to be part of it.

The next morning Pat took us to his new house to show us around and tell us about his plans for renovating. The place has great potential and I am very much looking forward to seeing what he does with the place. Later that afternoon we got ourselves all prettied up and drove to the Elyria Country Club to see Alex's friend Billy get married. There were a lot of people he knew from his high school years there and it was fun to meet them. It was an amazing wedding ceremony with lots of love and laughter and an entertaining reception as well. As beautiful as it was, and they have all been this year, I was a little glad that it was our last! All that dancing and traveling will wear on anyone after a while {the tally was up to eight}.

After our typical Sunday of mass, brunch and football it was time to head home again. The next weekend we had "off" and we were able to relax and just spend some time together. Alex has been traveling quite a bit for work and is busy during the week with school so it was nice to have some quality time together. We went apple picking and bought some fresh apple cider, pumpkins and pumpkin nut fudge. It was the perfect weather for it and the apples we brought home were gigantic!

The next week brought more traveling for Alex, which unfortunately fell on our three year anniversary. We celebrated the night before with a cookie cake and the same wine we had on our honeymoon in Costa Rica {part of Alex's birthday gift to me}. It's fun to celebrate big sometimes, but I love the low key celebrations and instead having impromptu moments amidst our everyday routine. A little spontaneity makes life feel special. While I feel really proud of our three year anniversary both of our parents have numbers that follow a three. At the beginning of September my parents celebrated 35 years and at the end of the month Alex's parents celebrated 31 years. Something to aim for, wow!

This past weekend we hosted Alex's parents and his brother Pat at our house. I loved planning the menu and coming up with ideas for their visit. If you've read our blog before you know these are some of my favorite things to do! While most of your guests are just happy to see you, I also like to try to make them feel as comfortable as possible while they're away from home. This is the tactic I use to ensure that they come back again and again ; )

Friday night when they arrived we had our "round table" around the kitchen island. After a good night's sleep we all convened for breakfast and then Alex, Ed and Pat went out to golf. Linda and I did a little pilates and then went to a tea shop I've been wanting to check out. We might have also had a little fun shopping for accessories too!

After we all had lunch back at the house we sat out on the patio and relaxed for the afternoon. We had a celebratory dinner out at The Village Idiot {one of our favorite places for beer and food} and then we watched the Ohio State game with a little homemade apple pie and homemade Jeni's ice cream. This morning we went to church and had a delicious brunch before they had to hit the road. It's been raining most of the day since then and it's quite fitting because now the house is so quiet and it's a little depressing. Well, maybe some more pie and ice cream will cheer me up!

At The Village Idiot

Here 10 Tips for Making Your Guests Feel Comfortable:

1. Think about your weekend menu. Make sure you have everything you need and prep anything that you can in advance so you can spend more time with your guests. {Check out this weekend's menu in the next posting}. I also like to take into consideration what we will be doing. For example, I knew we were going out to dinner on Saturday evening so I planned a light lunch.

2. If you're planning on cooking make sure each meal is made up of a few different items so people have something to eat even if they dislike your main entree or have a food restriction you were unaware of. Buffets are a great option because it allows people the opportunity to pick and choose without feeling rude turning you down on certain items.

3. If you're planning on going out to eat make reservations if you can. Be conscious of picking somewhere that fits the entire group, instead of just picking a place you've been dying to check out that only caters to a very specific clientele.

4. Make sure water and drinks are always easily accessible and that you have snacks out {I like apples and bananas}. Your guests don't want to go through your cabinets and may feel uncomfortable asking. I always like to make sure coffee and tea are ready to go first thing in the morning so everyone can help themselves whenever they get up.

5. Provide fresh towels and extra blankets in visible spaces in each room. If you have to set someone up on an air mattress make sure to layer a couple blankets under the sheets to make it a little more comfortable. I also like to provide extra pillows and leave the air pump accessible for them as well.

6. It's always smart to have extras in the bathrooms as well. Extra toilet paper and maybe a few items in the drawers in case somebody forgets something vital. We have a couple soaps and shampoos in the shower and a whole jar in the guest room as well. In the bathroom drawer we have extra toothpaste, a toothbrush, bobby pins, feminine products, a hair dryer etc.

7. If somebody asks you if they can help, let them! Your guests don't want to feel useless or guilty that you're doing all the work. Keep it simple, like asking them to open the wine, or cut up veggies for a salad etc.

8.  You don't have to go crazy planning everything, but it's nice to have a few activity options already thought out so you can all enjoy the weekend without messy logistics. I like to have a variety of activities written down so we can pick in the moment, but still avoid those awkward moments of sitting around saying, "what should we do?", "well what are the options?"

9. Even if you don't have time to do a thorough cleaning of the house, at least make sure it's tidy and smells decent! No one is going to notice if your floor isn't spotless {only you will}. I love to spread out candles and flowers to make the house feel cozy. I also like to turn on the lamps in each room instead of using the overhead lights.

10. Don't get so caught up in the details that you don't enjoy your guests! Make sure they know you appreciate them making the trip!

Being a Homebod and a Traveler is Not Mutually Exclusive

As is evident from my posts, Alex and I travel A LOT. And we love to do it. A weekend trip is always a nice opportunity to get away from it all and spend time with people that are important to us. It really puts life into perspective. Not to mention, our trips usually involve tasty food, exploring new sights, friends and family and too much fun {You know it was a great weekend when you get home and feel the need for a full day to recuperate and catch your breath}.

As much energy as we have, it's a difficult pace to keep up, and we don't always want to. Often when we have that lone weekend sandwiched between two traveling weekends we become total homebodies and spend all of our time just the two of us. This past weekend was no exception. And I LOVED it. It's absolutely rejuvenating.

Friday I got home from work early {which is always a bonus, especially on Fridays} and I convinced Alex we should head to Whole Foods for Flights After 5. I think I've referred to this before, but basically Whole Foods features a brewery, or sometimes several, and has five different beers that you get to try with food pairings. The whole shabang is only $5; actually only $4 per person if you bring back your beer tasting glass! It's always an interesting crowd and this time it was a local brewery {for Craft Beer Week} and the owner/brewmaster was on site. I got my fill of beer and food while Alex got his fill of answers {well, let's be honest, he probably would've stayed and talked even more if I let him}.

It's such a great value and a really good time. I also love it because it's early. On Fridays I don't usually have too much energy to spend the whole night on the town, so an hour or two is perfect. They also had wood fired pizza outside, so after our tasting we picked up a little more food for a light dinner {sometimes the tastings are filling, but usually you leave even hungrier than when you came in because of all of the beer you've had!}. We had a margherita pizza and split a salad from the salad bar, a double chocolate chip cookie and a sparkling peach izze soda. It started to drizzle, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a few minutes of the live music outside as well. I cannot resist any opportunity to eat outside. All in all we had some delicious food and met some new people while only spending $20!

Then we headed home and camped out on the couch to be lazy and watch a few episodes of Sons of Anarchy on Netflix. The show was recommended to Alex by someone and somehow I got sucked into it. Sometimes it feels good to just sit and not worry about where you have to be next. It also feels strangely luxurious to be able to watch a couple episodes right in a row.

The next morning we got up pretty early to drop off my car at the dealership and to drive to Shelbyville for a 10 a.m. appointment. We finalllllly had an appointment at a lighting distributor/showroom to pick out some new ceiling fans! I had been wanting to replace our ceiling fans since the moment we moved in. Two years later... We found three ceiling fans for the bedrooms and a complimentary one for the living room. Then we ended up picking out some outdoor fixtures as well. Might as well do it all in one swoop right? Since we had driven out that way we decided to stop somewhere nearby for lunch.

One of the culprits. See what I mean?

We ended up at Wallace Station which I had been wanting to try. They were actually featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives, which is one of my favorite shows to watch when I have nothing on my DVR. It was a beautiful scenic drive and we both had yummy burgers. They were the type of burgers that you really don't need all of the extra stuff piled up on them because the burger itself is so juicy and melts in your mouth. I was a little upset at my pimiento cheese for trying to steal the thunder.

On the way to Shelbyville

Versailles, KY close to Wallace Station

We finally made it back to the house and started installing the outdoor lights. Everything went smoothly with the four towards the front of the house. It became a little sticky when one of the old screws broke off in the outlet box out back. My car gave us the perfect excuse to step away for a minute and brainstorm, as well as make a stop at Lowe's. We found a new outlet box and Alex had to do a little mortar chiseling to get it to fit just right, but man he did a great job problem-solving. Of course big projects like these can sometimes cause some bickering, but I am always so impressed by how well we work together and how much we can accomplish when we set our minds to it. We make a heck of a team if I do say so myself.

In the left picture the bronze light is the one we used next to the front door and side garage door. The brass one next to it is what we removed from the side garage door and also out back.

We replaced the one out back and the two next to the garage with the ones in the picture above. They are more of what you would call statement pieces. They reflect the light beautifully and as a result you get a bright light without looking at just a plain light bulb! It's difficult to tell in the pictures, but I was instantly wowed by the difference. There's also a certain satisfaction that comes to doing home improvements yourself too. Then we moved on to the inside and we decided to tackle a ceiling fan. The first one is always the most challenging because you have to figure out the instructions and where all of the pieces and parts fit! We replaced the one in the office without too much trouble and then decided to break for the night.

Alex made panko-encrusted tilapia with green beans and broccoli-cheddar flavored brown rice {made from the leftover soup from Soup's On that we attended on Thursday}. Then we went for a nice walk through our neighborhood and split an icee {Alex's idea, not mine}. After a relaxing night we got up early again and got right to it. You definitely do not want to lose your momentum because that's when a project can easily drag out for months or maybe even years! I took everything out of the boxes and dealt with the trash so it was all prepped once Alex returned from his workout. Then I played assistant while he did all of the actual installations. He's a little bit taller than me and actually knows something about electrical wiring so he was the chosen one on that. We installed the fans in the other two bedrooms which were easy because they were the same as the one we had done the day before! Although, the fans we removed were not necessarily the same.



Then it was on to the big guy, the one in the living room with the drop rod! We decided to go a little bit nicer with that fan just because that room is the focal point of the house. I was very surprised when that installation went pretty smoothly as well. I could hardly believe we were done! My next task was to get rid of the evidence. While Alex mowed the lawn and got busy outside, I cleaned up all the trash and thoroughly cleaned the house for a few hours. I love love love to clean the house. {Okay, I don't always feel that way, but usually I do}. That was my therapy alone time as well as Alex's. We like to share the chores around the house, but it's still nice when the other person likes to do something that you don't really enjoy too much.



Then it was time to get ourselves cleaned up to head over to church! Having a 5 p.m. mass is really nice just to change up our schedule a little bit, and I love that service because they have a praise band so it's a little more contemporary. After church we hit the grocery store together and split the list right down the middle {It was literally one of those weekends were we did everything together}. Then we made a Buffalo Chicken Salad for dinner using this buffalo chicken tender recipe. We cut the chicken into even smaller pieces so it would cook faster, because by that time we were STARVING. We added a little ranch dressing, some diced celery, mozzarella cheese and that was it.

After a "it hit the spot perfectly" dinner we capped off the weekend with a few more episodes of Sons of Anarchy and some cookies and cream ice cream. Then to bed early! It was a very productive and rejuvenating weekend spent together. We had some fun, got a lot done around the house, and just enjoyed each others' company.

The only thing missing was some time with friends. We made up for that last night though when I hosted book club at our house. Up next on the docket is Memorial Day Weekend in Cincinnati! It should be the perfect mixture of travel, yet being at home at my parent's house and Alex's grandpa's house. The two are definitely not mutually exclusive, and what I love most of all, is the fact that whenever I am in the mood for a weekend spent mostly at home, Alex usually is too.

Hostess with the Mostess

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I am still trying to find my passion in life. I should re-phrase that. I have quite a few things I am passionate about, but I'm not sure how to swirl them together into something that I could potentially make a career out of, or maybe even just make some part-time dollars from once we settle down and have kids!

I have a had a wonderful experience working in Marketing and Human Resources for the past five years, but so far it's not what I want to do with my life for the next 30 years {I figure that kind of time frame does give me a little wiggle room to figure it out, but I am sooo impatient and want to figure it out now!}.

So far, I have found one thing that brings together a lot of my loves, which is hosting friends and family at our house! Here's why I love it:

• Alex and I get to introduce people to Lexington and all of the wonderful things it has to offer. 
• I get to plan activities outside the house and choose restaurants that fit the personalities and tastes of those coming to visit {Just ask my husband, as much as I love cooking, I love picking out just the right restaurant}.
• I have the opportunity to make interesting food and get creative with menu planning and cocktails. I also get to break out all of my vintage {and some new} serving dishes, pitchers, bowls etc. I love making the simplest things feel more special with such a small touch. Here's one of my new favorite cocktails to make for guests, especially with Spring here! Thank you Karleya Chard for introducing me!

• I am motivated to have a cleaning spree. A clean house just brings me so much personal satisfaction. {Lately, Alex has been complaining that I want our house to be "too clean" all the time?! Huh?! Oh well, I don't understand all of the things that make him tick either}.
• I also get to showcase all of my hard work in decorating the house, and I have the opportunity to play up my detail-oriented nature with small additions that create an inviting and homey atmosphere, such as seasonal candles, fresh flowers spread out throughout the house, blankets and throws within reach,  and just the right amount of natural light vs. lamp light. {This might be a little bit of the marketer in me}.
• It gives me a really good excuse to get crafty. In the past, I have printed menus, created agendas and activity sheets, decorated bottles of water and planned other little thank you gifts for my guests! Although, I am hosting them at our house, they've also taken the time out to come visit us and made the drive down, so I like to say thank you! {Last time I checked, gas isn't cheap}.
• And last, but not least, I get so pleasure out of taking care of others, giving them a mini vacation and just spending time with the ones I love.

A couple days before St. Patrick's Day Weekend we hosted Alex's cousin Fran for one night. Although, it was a short stay we had the most amazing time for a Thursday night. I was only sorry that I had to work the next day because I could've stayed up all night talking to him and Alex. It was such a lovely, impromptu visit! Sometimes the short ones are the best. Come back soon Fran! Bring Jeff too!

About a week later I hosted some of my college roommates for a short weekend. They came down on Saturday morning and we had a wonderful day together. Luckily, the weather cooperated for us too. We had lunch at the house and then hit the town to do a little boutique exploring. After a few tiring hours of shopping we bopped over to a local winery to have a wine tasting and feasted on some cheese! {I cannot think of a better afternoon snack}. 

Then we changed for dinner and visited a historic restaurant in Lexington. After dinner we headed back to the house for some birthday cake, games and girl talk. I love that we don't have to do anything outrageous or party all night to have fun together. We love to just be.

After the weekend they told me that they had decided I should run a bed and breakfast. The funny coincidence is that I am currently reading two books simultaneously that have to do with running a bed and breakfast. Not sure I could handle working nights and weekends, but definitely something to file away... As a result of their stay, I also added another quinoa recipe to my repitoire, a delicious Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad recipe from my friend Amy that I made almost immediately. Easy, on the healthy-side and delicious!

Eileen and I at Sausage Making

This past weekend we headed up to Cleveland for Easter and my in-laws were the hosts with the most! Every year they host 30+ people for the annual Holy Saturday Sausage Making {Let me tell you, that is no small feat}. My father-in-law makes the most delicious breakfast sausage {first place!} and my mother-in-law is the ultimate at Easter baskets.

Of course, they have many other talents, but I love the way they're so inviting and loving. They have a way of making everyone feel included, including my own parents! However, even more important, is the way they help us keep the main purpose of the Easter celebration in the forefront of hearts and minds. We had a wonderful time as always with the family, although I was exhausted by the time we made it back to Lexington last night. Luckily, I'll have a pretty low key week to get caught up before we host another small group at the house this upcoming weekend. 

April = the Keeneland Spring Meet! Our friend is turning 30, and in honor of his birthday they're renting a party bus. {There might be such a thing as too much fun}. So we've got a couple newbies coming to visit us and experience the wonderfulness that is a party bus + Keeneland in the Spring time. The weather is set to be in the 60's {Wohoo}! A couple of our guests live quite far away from their families so I have a little Easter surprise already waiting for them {That's me needing an excuse to be creative again}. And, we have another birthday to celebrate so I have the perfect excuse to whip up a Bourbon Fudge Cake. If you haven't heard about that, you must check it out here! It's become one of my go-to recipes. 

I am so looking forward to relaxing in Lexington this weekend and letting off some steam with friends. Here's one of my favorite pictures of Alex and I at Keeneland right after we got married and moved to Lexington in 2012. It will be one of the places we remember fondly once we make our move back to Home Sweet Ohio in a couple years.

October 2012

Mark 16:6 - "And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him."