My Summer List

Today, on yet another rainy/stormy day,

all I want to do is think/talk about summer.

So I'm linking up with Whit from Black Little Button

& creating my summer list!

*  Hike 10 different trails.  Last summer, we hiked 5 trails.  I want to double that this summer.

*  Eat at 3 new restaurants with outside seating.

*  Hike the Flume Gorge.
*  Get my butt to Island Pond, VT to see what all the fuss is about.
*  Watch fireworks.  It's not summer unless I see fireworks somewhere!

*  Go to the Hot Air Balloon Festival again.

*  Day trip to NYC. 

 
*  Weekend trip to Cape Cod for our one year anniversary!
*  Get more organized before we move into a house!
*  Hopefully sign up for dance class for the Fall.

*  Create & follow through with the 25 acts of kindness I want to do for my 25th birthday on August 6th!
What is on your summer list?
=)
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The Day He Said, I Love You

Today, I am continuing the series I've been posting about Our Love Story.

If you've missed any... you can read about how Scott & I met,

our first date, and how we became official.

Today I talk about the first time Scott said, "I love you".

I don’t remember what date it was or what the exact time was when he said it.  

All I know was that it was late January & we had been dating for almost a month. 

I remember that Scott & I had just come back to his house 

from picking up chinese takeout & a Blockbuster movie.

We walked upstairs to his room and ate chinese at his computer desk.

I remember we were starving & were barely talking.

I also remember that the silence was never awkward.

Everything seemed normal and natural,

like we had known each other for years.

Hours went by, & the Blockbuster movie just sat there on the desk, unopened.

We talked about everything from our childhoods to our high school years,

to exes and things you aren't "supposed" to talk about.

We learned more about each other in those few hours then we ever have before.

And all the while, the movie just sat there.

Of all the topics we discussed, one of them was Valentine's Day, 

which happened to be rapidly approaching.

He mentioned how he liked to think of himself as a romantic guy.

He told me that he once went on a date with a girl on Valentine's Day

and came to her door with a dozen roses.

I think it was at that point that I interrupted him and said… 

“My ex boyfriend used to spoil the heck out of me.  

Every little holiday he would get me something and it almost seemed like 

our relationship was based solely off of gifts and material things.  

Let’s not do anything crazy for Valentine’s Day.  

I don’t want anything from you and I’m not going to get you anything either.  

Let’s not be that mushy gushy couple.  

Especially because we only just started dating not too long ago”

I remember I must have said all of that in one whole breath because 

I was panting afterwards and Scott was just looking at me dumbfounded. 

I remember thinking… “Way to go, Karla!  

All he wants to do is be romantic and now you just ruined everything!”

The silence got so weird that I opened my mouth again and said, 

“We could just get together and have a couple beers or something… 

maybe go to that Train concert?”

(Scott & I both liked the band Train at the time)

And to that, his eyes lit up and that is when he said…. “I think I love you”.

It’s so hard to express this in words… but that moment basically defines our relationship. 

I get him and he gets me.  We were meant to be. 

It was at that moment where I just thought…

 I could never live a day without this man.

We ended up in NYC for Valentine's Day.  We took a horse & carriage ride through Central Park.  =)

Next week: Our engagement story.
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Rainy Day Dates

Happy Monday!
(says the girl who is trying to be so positive on this gloomy, rainy Monday morning)

I had a very uneventful, yet relaxing and peaceful weekend. Hope your weekends were either more eventful,  or just as relaxing and peaceful as mine!
I got a manicure early Saturday morning, & the manicurist commented on how tense my shoulders looked. She also said I looked like my back was hunched because of it. THANKS!
Thankfully, that meant she massaged my shoulders free of charge! I was very very grateful & it felt absolutely amazing.
Scott & I also did some at-home mud masks over the weekend, (although he will deny it if you ask him). He is a manly man, so it took a lot of convincing, but he actually enjoyed it!  My face had never felt cleaner!
On Sunday, I tried to not let it rain on my parade... I tried to enjoy the rainy day by sporting my new rain jacket...

...But I'm gonna be honest.... that didn't work!
I hate rainy days.   Our "one year anniversary" photo shoot was cancelled because of rain, I couldn't go outside & enjoy our hammock because of rain.... I've just always disliked rain.

Have any fun rainy day dates? Any that you have done or wanted to try & do?
I'm taking ideas!!
Ready.... Set.... Go....

(aka... leave a comment below!)


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The Newlywed Game #17

  <center> <a href="http://forevernewlywedded.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o747/Karla_Sypek/the_newlywed_game_button_zps1cc17711.jpg" border="0"/> </a></center>
1.  Follow both the HOST & the CO-HOST
* Please also make sure to follow Hallie!!   She is our other co-host this week!! *
2.  Post the button above to your post. 3.  Post the questions & your answers.
4.  Add your link to the bottom of the post where it asks for your link. 5.  Have fun checking out everyone else's answers!  

You can link up anytime from now til Sunday at midnight EST!

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Can you tell it's been a crazy week again?!

We still were not able to VLOG this week!

Here are our written answers:

1.  Which one of you (you or your spouse) can go without a mirror the longest?

Karla:  Scott!  Hands down!  

Scott:  What's a mirror?

2.  Do you have a picture of your spouse in a unique place (for example.. in the car, in the wallet, in your purse, in the bathroom?) and if so, where?

Karla:  Yes! I have one of our wedding pictures wedged up in my gauges under the dashboard of my car.  I also have one on my nightstand and my wallet, and if I go on vacation anywhere, I always have one in my suitcase.  Which... is kind of weird because if I wanted to see a picture of Scott... I have about 5732582 million on my phone!

Scott:  I've got a few pictures of Karla under my dashboard too near the gas gauge on my car.  I have a few in my wallet.  I don't have a man purse.. so... none there.

3.  Complete the sentence.  "My spouse has more _________ than anyone else I know!"

Karla:  TOOLS!  He has a LOT at work, and a LOT at home.  

Scott:  This is a three way tie.  #1 Things that have sequin or sparkle or glitter on them.. #2 Shoes... and #3 Articles of Clothing.

4.  Think back to your very first kiss with your spouse.  How do you think your spouse would describe that kiss in one word?

Karla:  Awesome.  <--- That is Scott's FAVORITE word.

Scott:  Awkward... because I kissed her in front of our friend who introduced us.  Karla isn't the biggest fan of PDA!

5.  Which one of these would your spouse say they are "ruled" by: Their heart, their mind, or their stomach?

Karla:  His stomach.  That's a no brainer.

Scott:  This is a tie between her heart and her mind.  She has the biggest, most loving heart... but she is always always over thinking things.

6.  What will your spouse say attracts the most attention toward you when you are in a large crowd?

Karla:  Oh man.  Scott would probably say that my chest area attracts a lot of attention.  (Men.....)

Scott:  My eyes?  I don't really know.

7.  Without looking it up or asking....what is your spouse's zodiac sign? 

Karla:  I haven't the slightest idea.  I don't even think he knows!!

Scott:  I have no clue.  I don't even know what my sign is.

After a little research... we found out that I'm a Leo and Scott is an Aries.  

And it says that we are both not really that compatible!  Weird!

8.  What is the last food item that you both shared in bed?

Karla: Some kind of breakfast.  Maybe pancakes?  

Scott:  We like to eat breakfast in bed on the weekends.  We have a TV in our bedroom, so it's nice to relax in the mornings.

9.  What would your spouse say is the first thing that you did on a date that showed them what you were REALLY like?

Karla:  Hahaha.  I showed him what I was really like from Day 1.  I was being loud and obnoxious, singing in the car, dancing...  I was always me from the very beginning... but... I think when I showed him that I have a bunch of journals, letters, and a blog... that is when I showed him a part of who I really am.  Beneath all my crazy, I have thoughts and I like to write them out.  

Scott:  Maybe when I showed her all my cars.  But really, the guy she met back when we first started dating, is the guy that she's married to now.  I was myself from the beginning, and so was she.  Our first date was one of our best dates we've ever been on.

10.  What did your spouse say they wanted to do more than anything before you were married? Anything?

Karla: We wanted to be in our own house.  We would go "house hunting" all the time.  It was pretty fun, even though we knew it would be a while before we could do that.  This summer should be very exciting, as we hope to be in a house soon!  But really, we didn't want to do much... we just wanted to be married!

Scott:  I agree with Karla here.  We did want a house... but most of all, we wanted to be married.  Hopefully we will be in a house in the next couple of months.  It's been a long wait... but totally worth it.

Here are next week's questions!! 

1.     If your spouse could have one thing in the world (besides millions of dollars) what would it be?

2.     Is your spouse an early bird or a night owl?

3.     Does your spouse do anything weird or silly when they are nervous?  If so, what?

4.     What is the most spontaneous thing you have ever done as a couple?

5.     What makes your spouse different/special from any other person you know?

6.     In the summertime, does your spouse most resemble a white snowman, a red lobster, or a very tan Pauly D?!

7.     What is one thing that people may not know about your spouse?

8.     What is your spouse’s favorite holiday?

9.     There is a table full of food.  Salad, meat, bread, desserts.  Which dish does your spouse devour first?

10.   I am so thankful that my spouse is ______________ because I am definitely not!

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My Thoughts on Having Children

What a boring title. But I just thought I'd share how I feel on this topic of being a Mama.
When Scott & I got married, right off the bat, we got the questions. When?  How many do you want?  Picked out names yet? Sure.  We've talked about having kids.  You kind of have to have that talk. Especially before making the commitment of marriage.
Our talk on the subject of having children was about 2 minutes long. I want to have kids.  Scott wants to have kids.  We both don't know when. But we do know that it won't be this year, next year, or probably the year after that. We are going to be taking our time, for sure.
I am very fortunate to be able to bring Scott to work with me whenever he has a day off. He doesn't always come, but when he does, we get a taste of parenthood. It's tons of fun, do not get me wrong.  We absolutely love children, and I think we'd be great parents.

Scott & I with my little cousin.  =)

But- (you knew that word was coming eventually, didn't ya?)
When I think about being a mother,  I think about my own mother. I think about how much she sacrificed (and still sacrifices) for my little brother and I.

Little Brother & I

I think about how fantastic she was, and how not-so-fantastic my brother & I treated her.
I think about how she gave up her own wants & needs, for the sake of her two children.
I think about how much time & energy she devoted to us.
I think about the amount of stress she was under to get us to do well in school, (whether it be helping with homework, or making our lunches,  or getting us out of bed and dressed and on the bus to school) while tackling two jobs and maintaining peace/cleanliness/happiness in our home.

And then I look at myself, and I ask myself if I am ready for that. I want to be what my Mom was to me for my own kids. I want to be 100% ready for that. And I know I will be one day.
Right now though, both Scott & I want to get our ducks all in a row. We want to move into a bigger home.  Scott wants to graduate school and become certified as a mechanic. I want to figure out my own career. We want to have way more money in our savings account!! I want to do projects & travel & date the heck out of my husband. 
Because once we have little Scott's and little Karla's running around, our lives will have an entirely new focus.
And I am completely confident that we will be  the greatest parents we can be at that point.
=)


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Here's to a Crazy Summer!

With summer being right around the corner, my calendar starts looking more and more filled by the second. It seems as though almost every weekend from now until Labor Day  is filled with birthdays, birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings,  baby showers, mini road trips, our one year anniversary, school starting for Scott... and possibly moving into our first home!
It has been a tough, exciting, emotional, loving,  and crazy first year of marriage for Scott & I.

I just love him.  How I wish I could soak up this moment a little more.  <3 

This next year will prove to be even more crazy & exciting.
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Right off the bat, at the start of our second year of marriage, Scott will be starting school to become a certified automotive mechanic. I have no words to describe how proud I am of him. He will be working full time & then going to school at night. He will be coming home around midnight Monday-Thursday. It's going to be tough for him.  He'll be doing that for 18 months. But I have 110% confidence in him and he'll graduate in January 2015.

My handsome man doing what he loves.  =)

He has to give up darts... which he is beside himself about. Thankfully, he has his own dart board, which he will definitely be getting more use out of! I will be taking on a lot more of the household responsibilities.   Also, in order to save money... I will be making his lunch/dinner "to-go"  so that he doesn't have to spend money everyday on lunch/dinner out. By me making it, it will be one less thing for him to worry about.
I only hope I can be as much of a support system for him as he was for me when I was in school. Toward the end of my school career, I bit off WAY more than I could chew.  I was student teaching, working, AND planning a wedding all in the same year. And Scott was an absolute blessing to me.  He supported me through thick and thin.

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Another thing that will be different going into our second year is that we may be living in a house! I feel like every newly married couple anxiously awaits that moment where they start living in a house. Although we would still only be renting it, it's a 3 bedroom cape which has a lot more space. Not saying I want to pop out kids anytime soon, but the extra space would be nice, and when we are ready for kids... we will have the space!  =)
The house is on a quiet dirt road, and the landlords are family friends since before I was even born. When we went to see the house, I fell in love with the kitchen.  The kitchen was HUGE! If you know me, you know I love to cook, and extra kitchen space is a huge plus for me! Lately, I've been cooking my way through a Rachael Ray cookbook...so so fun!
Anyway, the only part that stinks about moving, is that I have grown to love where we live. I love the area, I love our apartment.  It will be extremely bitter sweet to leave. That.... and the fact that we will have a whole new town to get comfortable with.   I think I'll probably be GPS-ing it for a while!
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To say I've been stressed would be an understatement. This past Saturday was my first day off in two whole weeks. I've been working my butt off trying to save $$ for Scott's schooling. Writing this post makes me tired!  So much to do, so much to think about. I'll be happy when I'm relaxing over our 1 year anniversary weekend!

Hopefully some of this will be happening.
Love eating on the beach, especially with this handsome guy! =)

How crazy do your summers look?? 
=)


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How We Became "Official"

A first kiss, a second, third & fourth kiss … & a couple dates later

… it was New Years Eve 2009. 

I was mingling in a basement full of strangers.  

I remember not wanting to be there at all.  

I wanted to be dressed up in a sparkly dress, 

having dinner at some fancy schmancy restaurant, 

but I was there to be with Scott.  

Oh the things I do for love.

I was also the designated driver.  

I couldn’t even drink cheap beer out of a red solo cup.  

It was pretty epic. 

I remember I was standing up all night long in 4-inch heels thinking…

 “Is there a chair anywhere?” and “Why did I wear these heels?”

No one was really talking to me, and Scott completely ditched me for his good friends.  

I kind of just stood around being grumpy that I couldn’t have fun with everyone else.  

Which, * disclaimer * I definitely could have had fun, but was totally out of my comfort zone!

Our First Picture.  New Years Eve 2009.

Long story short… when it got closer to midnight, the TV went on.  

While most of the guests were playing beer pong & dancing, I was glued to the TV.  

New York City is my favorite place on earth, and I was in envy of all the people in Times Square

… no matter how cold it might have been!

Unexpectedly, Scott came from behind me and wrapped his arms around me.  

I remember he asked me, “Whatcha lookin at?”

That is when I told him about my obsession with NYC.  

I told him that I had wanted to see the ball drop live. 

It is on my bucket list. 

He took my hands and looked me in the eye and said, “How about we go next year?”

This question made my heart skip a lot of beats, as cheesy as that sounds.  

To me, the question meant that he wanted to be with me.  

He saw some kind of a future with me.  

He saw “us”.

& Then he said, 

“But there is just one exception…  You have to come with me as my girlfriend”

And well… the rest is history.  

We kissed at midnight, and became closer than ever that year.  

2010 was the best.  It really was.  

So many blessings that year. 

***

Did we ever end up going to see the ball drop 

in NYC that next New Years Eve, you ask?

NO!  

& I always kid around with Scott that he promised me 

that he would take me and he broke his promise.

To that he says… “Well… I told you that you had to go as my girlfriend

… and by then you were my fiancé”

Good one, Scott.  Good one.

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Next Up:  "I Love You"

(Coming next Tuesday!)



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