Fall Love <3

today it was a beautiful fall day in virginia. so brandon and i found a lake and went and walked around.. it was absolutely beautiful. the leaves have finally changed down here - and everything was at its peak... even that snake i almost stepped on ! eeek. fall is the best time of the year - a little chill in the air.. the colors, bon fires!!! nothing about fall is bad. and here are some pictures i took with my phone for you to enjoy :)

<3

Fall Wreath !

so today it was pouring down rain..and i felt the need to do a craft.. here is what i made. i used one wreath made out of grape vine, one strand of fall garland and a pre made bow (because i cant make them yet myself haha) and i also used my mad skills with the hot glue gun!

here's the final result - -





not too shabby :)

Engagement Pictures

It's been a while since I've last updated but I've been extremely busy. I was on call from Thurs night until Tues at 630am. I've see all hours of the night and had to be fully functioning at 3 am. This is new to me.. but I have to say, when the pager goes off - I wake up ! haha usually with a jump and then I'm out of bed and out the door. Luckily - the money makes it worth it & money is a good thing to have..with the upcoming wedding:)

Brandon and I got our engagement pictures done a few weeks ago and they are posted online now. Here is the website in case you haven't seen them:

http://www.mcj-photo.com/Client-Galleries/Weddings/Brianna-Brandon/9970141_Z5YxA#681181912_utV7A

The Password is my last name (With a Capital G)

I've also been working on our invitations a bit - Bought some plain ones from Walmart.. purchased some ribbon from Michael's and am now working on making them my own! It's fun. When I finish - I'll post a few pictures so you can see.

That's all for now.

Enjoy<3

"dont you just love NYC in the fall?"

Two weeks ago I traveled up to NYC with a few girls from work. It was a lot of fun, beautiful weather - perfect fall weather in NYC. We did a lot of walking but we also went and saw Wicked. It was amazing !! !! I'd go see it again. and highly recommend it. . The music was amazing, I felt like a little kid sitting there grinning the entire time:) We stayed right down from Time Square, right in the heart of it all - it was a really fun weekend. Here are a few pictures I took with my phone.

enjoy <3

The Empire State Building


The City that NEVER sleeps !

all i need now is a rocking chair..

well - i've done it. i finally taught myself how to knit. i dont know where this recent urge has come from, but i've always wanted to learn. and i finally have been teaching myself. i bought a book - but youtube videos were much more helpful! i'm excited. i'm not sure that i'll ever make anything really cool - but hey, a few gifts out of the hobby would be nice!!.. if i ever finish any projects i'll show you pictures, for now, i'm in the beginning stages of practicing different stitches and what not.

if you know of any good sites with patterns or something easy for me to start out with - do share :)

enjoy <3

i love my family <3

Look at this adorable picture of my nephews with my future husband. Brandon is still getting used to being an Uncle but dont let him fool you - - he loves it !!! I love visiting The Schmidt's. And on my last break I got to spend a considerable amount of time with them. and that makes my heart happy.

I want to live near my family. Brandon wins. haha

Finally :)

I had the most wonderful weekend. Brandon and I bought books at Barnes and Noble & spent a lot of time together, on the couch - reading. It was peaceful, and relaxing. I appreciated that time together because it was simple. Just like us.

So anyway - back to the books. I bought "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger and "Emma" by Jane Austen - One a movie I want to see & one a movie I've already seen. I started The Time Travelers Wife- it's really good so far. It's about the victory of love over time - doesn't that sound like something you'd like to read about?!

I'm so excited that I dont have any studying or homework to do - and now I can read.. for pleasure! for the first time in my life- any recommendations of good books - are welcomed!!!

In other news- WE BOOKED our HONEYMOON!!! we're going to a Whitehouse Sandals Resort in Jamaica!! We're sooo excited! :-D all inclusive here we comee!!!


:Sigh: Only Ten months to go !!

enjoy <3

a little tour

"i love daisies - they're so friendly,
don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?"

i'm watching you've got mail. one of my sister and i's favorite fall movies!! i know its not quite fall - but we listened to the soundtrack the other day and i had to come home and watch it. i'm soooo excited for fall !

brandon and i recently purchased some furniture from my friend at work and so my apartment actually looks lived in - i wanted to update you on my apartment and what it looks like - here are some pictures of the place..


The living room - new end tables/coffee table & couch!


the old dining room - now a study!


Eat in Kitchen now :)


the queen size bed & night stand


my dresser :)


brandon's dresser.. eventually.. i'm not allowed to use it haha

hope you enjoyed the tour ! work starts monday - whoot.

R C I S

I'm officially a Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) !! what a relief. I'm so happy to be done. Finally!!! After 4 1/2 years! I have a degree & a job. I'd say life is pretty good. Looking forward to life after graduation and working and FINALLY making some money & getting out of debt.

In other news. Brandon and I are buying some old furniture from my friend April - a bunch of stuff - end tables, coffee table, queen size bed, bedroom suite, couch etc. all for $350!!! so we'll have stuff to have a place. and its perfect for us, hand-me-downs or not, its been well kept and you cant beat the price:) not sure where i'm going to put everything. . . . hehe

anyway - so thankful for all the prayers that helped me to study hard and pass that test <3

Superheroes?

there's something about this picture that I adore. this was at brandon's family reunion, we were playing Bocce. his family reunions, while may be fun in the beginning but a little boring by the end of the day - it does make me wish that my family did the same. We're all spread out along the east coast, and its so infrequent that we see each other, it'd be nice to get together more often; other than at weddings and funerals. or my moms side at least used to do the beach together every year.. and we've drifted away from doing that. I hope we can jump start that again, I'd like my kids to have the same memories of family vacations as I do. (dont worry, i'm only focusing on working & getting married right now.. kids are awhile off, but i'm speaking hypothetically of course!!)

anyway - no more clinicals, the next time i'm at the hospital to work, i'll actually be getting PAID! i cant wait. although, i still have so much to learn. i can def hold my own, but there is a lot of things i still have to learn. the education never stops:) and then in january - i get to watch the new students suffer like i did. haha which is cruel, but it'll be nice not to be the new guy!

family reunion anyone ;)

The Saga Continues

I'm having a lot of fun with wedding plans. Especially when I look at DIY blogs. I'm aspiring to make my own wedding invitations. I think I can do it, especially if I start early enough. But we'll see if that actually happens. And I'm thinking, to save on money, if we want flowers at the reception, we can buy them from Sam's and make our own centerpieces. I have a lot of thoughts in my head.. and luckily, plenty of time.. lacking that money thing though :) but not for long.

I graduate next friday!!! wooooooo :) unfortunately I have a lot to do before then.. like, pass my registry exam. Which by the way is Aug 20, at 8am. So, start praying. I'm going to need it. Then I start work Aug 31. Brandon and I are still weighing our options with where we will end up, but I think we're both leaning towards Pittsburgh. There's a lot that can change by June, and I can also learn a lot by June too! Which is exciting.

And here, for your viewing pleasure, a picture of brandon and i - el natural;) this would be why I told our photographer that it might be hard to get any "normal" pictures of us.. also why we'll be getting engagement photos haha



ps- bridesmaids dresses are FINALLY good to go. Black with ivory polka dots :) what fun i'm going to have with these! i'm excited :)

Just a bit of rambling with a side of procrastination ;)

I'm sitting in Panera on a Wednesday night because I knew if I stayed home, I'd probably fall asleep on the couch and not even touch the presentation I need to be working on for Tuesday. . Isn't it funny - that the whole reason I came here was so that I'd work on it, and here I am.. blogging :)

I did work on it .. a little bit. Its been hard to be motivated these last few weeks, especially since I've been hired. But, I do have a few more weeks of class to go, and a registry exam to pass .. OH boy!

Tomorrow, I am traveling to Pa for a fun-filled but very busy weekend. Friday morning Courtney and my mom are having a yard sale, and in the afternoon.. we are all going dress shopping.. for me!!! (and to look at bridesmaid dresses, but thats a whole different story haha) i cant wait. but i'm guessing once i get a dress, i'll be extremely disappointed that its over, i've anticipated my wedding dress for a long time.. like any girl does;) and on friday.. i could have it. weird.

then saturday, we have florists and photographer appointments to go to. With graduation and the start of work, i wont be in pa till september probably - so i need to get these things out of the way while i am there. We sent the deposit in for the barn - so we finally have a reception site! officially! :) but thats about all we have. there are times at work that i wish we would have picked an earlier month than june - but than when things are going wrong with the planning.. i'm glad we have more time to work it all out, plus i'll have time to work before i leave? .. we'll see. as i've been telling people at work.. we'll cross that bridge when we get there. brandon got accepted to Pitt for a masters program.. which is really good for him, especially because he doesnt have to pay for it :)

speaking of money - i have none. haha luckily brandon has the mentality that since we're getting married - - its like its all the same money already.. which is nice, except he gets the short end of the stick.. so he's been buying me groceries and gas :) what a guy!

we've been talking about where to honeymoon.. havent come up with a place yet, he wants to go to france.. we dont hvae that kind of money! hahaha but doesnt mean i'm not semi-liking that idea :)

anyway - that is all for now! will write soon.. enjoy<3

ps- suzi, put in an order for a kitchen table & chairs with my dad if he's looking for something to do.. it'd make an awesome wedding gift ;) haha <3

wedding plans.

well - the date has been moved.. it's now june 11, 2010. crazy. its a friday wedding now because the reception place that we wanted was already booked for all saturdays from may-september.. but i promise the barn where it is being held, is well worth the date change in the end :) i couldnt be more excited about the barn, its beauitful.. here's a link if you'd like to see pictures of it ahead of time.

http://www.cheesemanfarm.com/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=1&Itemid=58

in other news, i found my bridesmaids dresses - then i got a phone call saying they no longer made the color i wanted.. then my mom found almost the same exact dress online - but different neckline and this one comes above the knee.. and they make it in the color i want -- so guess what? i have my bridesmaid dresses!! :) and they're adorable and fun!! next weekend, my mom, sister & future mother in law will be heading out to look for dresses for me :) i'm excited.

all this wedding planning is very fun - however, thinking about all the money it takes to have a nice wedding - is not fun. and i'm trying to cut corners & make stuff myself and whatnot.. but sheesh, the wedding industry makes a fortune!!! and here i am contributing to it.. oh well, i'm only doing this once!

well, thats the wedding update. tomorrow i head to loudoun to sign my papers to be hired! woo hoo. i cant wait to start working. this lack of money thing is getting really olddd!

enjoy your day<3

Well, would you look at that..

I got the job at Fairfax, so I'll be staying in Fairfax for a little longer. Brandon and I will then look at our options and see where we are going to end up! :)

well, would you look at that.. its all coming together.




"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you."
[Mt 7:7]

<3

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding,
in all your ways acknowledge Him
and He shall direct your path"
[proverbs 3:5-6]

<3

a lot has happened..

On June 26, 2009 - Brandon proposed! its such an exciting time, with all the planning & looking forward to where we might end up. He did an amazing job on the ring, as you can see. 3/4 ct princess cut solitare diamond, everything i wanted!:) and tomorrow is my job interview at INOVA. its like, i'm an adult or something;)

So, we've set a date - June 12, 2010. We'll be married in New Castle by his dad.. and i've always wanted an outdoor reception.. so we've been working all the details out for that as well ! so much fun. i'm trying not to stress out but rather have fun with everything. brandon is being a big help - its not only shocking, but also refreshing!! turns out, he's just as excited as i am.

anyway - just wanted to update you all <3

Arlington Rap:

This is my world here in northern virginia all summed up into one rap. If you know anything of the area, have visited, heard stories or lived here.. you will find this rap funny & true :) just copy & paste this link and sit back for a good laugh!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T1RMuoQnKo


in other news: i have a job interview on july 6th!!!

La Playa

So we headed off to ocean city new jersey this weekend. it was a lot of fun. there are few things that beat the ocean, in my opinion! i just cant get enough of it. mom craig and i are heading to ocean city maryland in a few weeks. i get a mid summer break!! i cant wait. there is so much going on this summer, every weekend is jammed packed with things to do. . . and i need to be studying for my registry exam!

also, next weekend is our company picnic. i need to take something.. if you have any good picnic ideas, i'd love to have them! i cant make up my mind on what i want to make.. the main course is beef brisket. i dont even know what that is. haha so it should be interesting:)

in any case- i best be going. lots to do, lots to do !

enjoy your sunday <3

Decisions.

It's June 9.. I graduate Aug 21. that's in 73 days. Update on where I'm at with things..

1.) I was told i have to sign a lease or give notice that i'm moving by June 14.. not possible.. so i took care of that dilemma, temporarily..

2.) no job interviews yet. INOVA is hiring! just have to finish my resume and cover letter and i can get an interview set up.

3.) To leave, or not to leave, that is the question!

4.) Should i go to school one more year to get my RN degree? if the hospital would pay for it, or help at all..it might be worth it because everywhere in pa is only hiring RN's..

5.) how much experience do i need before i leave?

6.) if i stay in va, am i choosing my career over brandon? even though - long term i believe this is going to be best for my career and for us..

7.) i do hate being so far away from everybody - it wouldnt be long term, a little longer wouldnt be soo bad..

these are just some of the things i'm trying to decide. dont ask me how i'm going to make these decisions, everyone i talk to says something different and has a different opinion. I guess i'll just roll with the punches, and see what happens :)

Cookie !

Sounds i miss.. "Cookie!", "Pizza!", "oooo whattsss thatttt?"

..being an aunt is the greatest gift
my sister has ever given me :)


meet ethan & nathanael : )


my sister made some cute kids<3


its the little things in life that make me smile
& keep me going<3

Virginia is for lovers.

On saturday, Brandon and I ventured to Shenandoah National Park. It was really beautiful and a gorgeous day for it. We werent equipped to be hiking, but we had a picnic packed and Shenandoah is beautiful for driving on a sunny day. they had overlooks every so often at different elevations with breath taking views. I had no idea how beautiful virginia is ! :) in all the traffic and congestion in the area i live, i fail to fully appreciate virginia's beauty, until saturday. its nice to have a different perspective on where you live. God certainly has made a beautiful world. it seems such a shame to not go out and see new places and take it all in !



on a side note: brandon and i are clearly new to the "picnicing" world. i didnt have a cooler. so we bought one. we decided to get panera sandwiches to take and we had a bag of oreos as well. .. .. which all sounds fine, until we put the sandwiches in the cooler first, before the ice.. without really thinking. when we finally found a place to picnic, we got out soggy sandwiches out.. i actually had to wring out my bread. it was gross. and really funny. we dubbed that our worst picnic ever. without the oreos, that picnic really would have sucked. but the company was good:)



and for memorial day - we had hamburgers.. made off the george foreman. not quite the memorial day i'm used to - but it was better than no hamburgers at all! although i like this living on my own, it sure will be nice to be more established and settled.. with a backyard &.. a grill :) oh the joys of growing up.


hope you enjoyed a little taste of virginia! come visit soon <3

Pseudo Graduation :)

For one week - i got to pretend that i was actually graduating & i spent it in beaver falls, hanging out with everyone & visiting with family. geneva had some random events that we went to. Kennywood - Pirates game etc. it was so much fun. but it went by so fast. i kind of forgot how much fun it was to live in beaver falls with the girls. to be near them all the time, staying up late just to talk, or going out and doing something completely random. these are things that i miss, and probably took for granted. but the whole week really was a blast.

and then, something weird happened, on may 16th, at 10 am. we graduated. haha i mean, we all knew it was going to happen eventually, but coming in as freshman, i didnt see our paths ending up like this. me, in virginia. meag & toni getting their own apt together in BF. meag- engaged. & rob moving to chicago?? .. and i'm still not done! haha i sat in that seat during the ceremony & it just wasnt as exciting because i still have classes till august.. but then, it was nice just to share that with my family & friends:)

so one small chapter in my life is (partly) closed.. but august 21 i get to fully close it :) thats only.. THREE months away ! !

The little things in life..

So i thought it very necessary to update on my spa experience today. i have to say that i was extremely pleased and very relaxed during my massage. and the spa was really nice too, got my own personal robe and treated like a queen for a few short hours. funny enough, i ran into a lady (not literally) in the locker room and she told me that she goes now once a month to get a massage, because you reach a point in your life when you realize you just need some time to yourself. i liked this lady's philosophy and have decided that when i grow up (here in a few months) and i'm making money - it'd be nice to, occasionally, take some time to myself. the way i see it - before i get married and start having children, if i can get in the habit of treating myself in this way - then once life gets crazy busy, it will already be apart of my routine! haha spoken like a true twenty two year old philosopher!




and in other news, today i saw one goose stop three lanes of traffic. quite amusing to me, who was not stopped but happened to be passing through the intersection where the goose decided to cross. and to top it all off, the goose was using the cross walk! he didnt look scared or nervous, just leisurely crossing the road..to get to the other side :)

like i said, its the little things in life.

enjoy<3 ..all the little things

a day for me :)

well, its finals week of semester number 2. which means, i only have one more semester to go before i am completely and finally done with school. these past two have gone so fast, i dont suspect anything different from this last one. and because it is finals week, i have decided to book an appointment at the spa ! tomorrow morning at 10 am for a 50 min massage. i'm soooo looking forward to it. i dont get a break in between these two semesters, so i thought, what better way to relax and forget about everything (especially upcoming decisions!) but to go to the spa. and to top it off, i have a gift card that i got at christmas from my dad and suzi. if you ever cant think of something to get someone, or you know someone who is on their feet all day.. this is a great gift. and the nice thing about it is, you can really find a spa anywhere. you go to spafinder.com and purchase a gift card and then the person can go on that website and type in their location and find all the spas near them that accept those gift cards. it doesnt get much better than that!!! especially if you're buying it for someone out of town. i highly recommend this gift. and, i cant wait to redeem mine tomorrow :)

so tomorrow, will be a day for me ! i hope you all take some time, away from busy schedules and stresses of life - for yourself. i truly believe that all the worries and stresses of this life have a huge impact on your health and well being; and if that gives you a good enough excuse to go to the spa and enjoy a day just for yourself.. do it :)

enjoy <3 ..i know i will

Sitting on the porch

So i'm sitting outside on my balcony, its beautiful outside. I have all this homework to do, because next week is finals week but i just cant stand to be inside. a rainy weekend would have been helpful, but i think i can solve this dilemma that i'm having, quite easily. I need to purchase a small table to put on my balcony, so that i can have the best of both worlds. i have two small chairs out there, so all i need is a small table, i think i'll have to make a trip out to get one. it only makes sense :)

well its only april, and still everyone wants to know what i am doing in august when i graduate. where am i going to work? i hear that in pittsburgh the job i do down here in virginia will change slightly in pa. in pa i'm not allowed to administer drugs, thats why when i search for jobs in pa, i only see they want RN's in the cath lab. this may present a problem for me in the near future, seeing as though i dont have my RN degree. INOVA will most likely be hiring a few of us, so i could potentially work down here, and would very much like to do that because its such a good hospital; however, it is lacking several things; mainly friends, family and brandon. oh boy. such choices i have to make here very soon.. i have to give my apt complex like 3 months advance notice before i move out of here.. cant very well move if i dont have a job in pa.. timing will be everything.

well in any case, i'll leave you with an amusing picture of brandon and i last weekend on a bike ride. who ever thought i'd be wearing a leather jacket. haha or riding on the back of the motorcycle for that matter. i told brandon if i get my license, i'll be driving and he'll be riding on the back... hahah

enjoy <3

always an adventure.

Last weekend Meag and her boyfriend, Jim, came down to see me! we had so much fun. Friday night we went to a bar to see a band (a few Dr's from the hospital are in a band), mingled with the coworkers and had some fun. Saturday though, we headed down to Alexandria for the day - where we found a St. Patty's Day parade. Which turned out to be, surprisingly, entertaining. and actually, we ended up finding some pretty cool shops and antique shops (we both agreed my dad would like Alexandria for this reason) that kept us entertained after the parade ended. Then we headed to the National Harbor, a new tourist attraction on the Potomac. It was ok, kind of had the feel of Inner Harbor in Baltimore, but at a much smaller scale. But it kept us busy & it was a beautiful day. Felt like spring, and then reality that it was only March set in. haha And saturday night we headed to Clarendon to see another band play. Lots of fun. It's too bad Meag doesnt live down here, It'd be soo much fun. Course, I'm probably staying out of trouble and actually studying in her absence haha But her visits are much appreciated and needed.

I've been looking at everyone's spring break trip pictures and remembering that just last year Meag and I drove to GA to see my dad. We were talking about just picking up and doing it again, but alas, we couldnt because i had class on monday. I miss road trips and hope to just pick up one weekend and drive somewhere. anywhere! we'll see. at this point, my road trips include, altoona & beaver falls. how exciting. . .

anyway - its off to class !

enjoy <3

Happy as the sun :)

Its been so long since i've written. shame on me. but i have been really busy. i feel like such an old person, i go to bed at 9 (if not before) and i wake up everyday at 5am. what a life. but its going really well. i really am enjoying all that i am learning. and being busy all day makes the weeks go by fast. to think, i am done in august. that's only 5 months away! i cant wait. although, there is a lot to be thinking about before august comes around.. like where i'm going to work? minor detail. i guess, since its march, its a little premature to be applying and thinking too seriously about it, but its coming up very quickly. in may - i'll be graduating, and then again the end of august. sometime soon i also need to be signing up to take the registry exam that i need to pass in order to be certified in my profession. not looking forward to the pressure of the test, but hoping i can pass it the first time! ;)


this semester has really put into perspective the importance of several things: exercise, eating right, and actually taking the medication Dr's prescribe you. sooo many people could prevent being in the cath lab if they would do these three things, sadly though, no one wants to do what their told. and who really wants to eat food thats good for them? i'll admit, my eating habits havent changed, but i've started to think about it while i'm eating, which is a start... so we'll see where that takes me here in the next few months.

March is a busy month for company - everyone has decided to come and visit this month, which is fabulous - but i dont have a free weekend until ... april sometime?? Geneva is on spring break this weekend.. and i am not :( no trip to Georgia this year, but meag is still coming down this weekend to hang out - if i didnt have classes on monday - we could have done it, but for some reason they didnt give us a break. oh well. some other time.

last weekend brandon and i went for a walk at a state park called mcconnel's mill, my favorite place ever.. just wanted to share a picture we took while walking around:) it was beautiful.. but very icy.. we both fell a few times.. haha

Home Making :)

Just wanted to share the pictures of some things i recently added to my apartment. This was Brandon and I's saturday project. . we really should have video taped the whole thing, especially the trip to home depot ;) i think its safe to say, neither of us know what we're doing, but everything is hung & hasnt fallen yet :) i still have my fingers crossed. .









anyway - everything else is going well. getting up at 5 am is not my idea of fun, neither is sitting through 3 hrs of class after an 8 hr work day.. but i'm getting through it. and i do enjoy working in the hospital. august cant come soon enough! only 7 more months, but who's counting ;)

by the way - january 20th, i wont be leaving my apartment! haha its going to get insane down here. i'll be steering clear of the crazy's! hope all is well.

enjoy<3

A Beach Wedding !

Just wanted to post a few pictures from the trip to FL & my mom's wedding for everyone to enjoy. It was a beautiful sunset on the beach :) it was kind of a bummer coming back to virginia, and now being back in class today but it was well worth the trip. Brandon and I drove down, got to stop down in GA and visit with my dad for a short time:) we were lucky to get to fly back though, driving that trip once is quite enough! I bought tickets to Universal Studios for Brand and I but unfortunately, while at the park, the only thing we really saw was the facilities, as I got hit with the flu that day, and we ended up leaving early. We'll just have to go back! Anyway - here's just a glimpse of that day. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!


enjoy <3