New Name, New Identity, Newlywed!

The process of getting married and taking one's husband's last name is very exciting (hello! isn't that why we "test it out" for ages prior to the big day, scribbling it all over notebook pages), but I was surprised to feel a bit sad to "lose" the identity I'd had for the last 27 years with my last name. Just about all of the women in my family have taken their husbands' last names, and moved their maiden names to take the place of their former middle names. Perhaps because this big name change coincided with a move, I felt more of an impact -- all of a sudden I was no longer "Emily A," I was "Emily B." I introduced myself to people I'd never met before, and they never knew that Emily A -- or the things I'd achieved, the person I'd been prior to now, and the link to my family. Prior to experiencing this big name change, I thought it was a no-brainer that I'd take SB's name (and thank goodness it's a great last name -- there are a lot of doozies out there!). I can now understand why women do choose to keep their own names - and even though it is still a choice I'm happy to have made, I find myself stuttering a bit when people ask me my name! I took baby steps to fully change everything......first going to the Social Security office, then going to the DMV several weeks later, then making the big change professionally (which proved to be a bit confusing for a number of my clients) several weeks after that......and then just recently we opened a joint banking account with my new married name. Did you all change your last names (or do you plan to when the time comes?), and did you experience any sadness with that process??

The Start of a Christmas List...

This evening I ran a few errands, and ended up swinging through J.Crew. I have been wanting to get a scarf, hat and gloves that match for awhile - and I found an adorable set there. The color is super flattering - and I think it would work well for just about anyone.

(I think I like the hat....but I saw one in the store that didn't have the pom-pom or ear flaps, and I like that one a little better....though maybe the pom-pom and ear flaps could be fun?? Not sure...)
Is it bad that I can justify the ugg slippers as being casual and wearable to work (being that I work from home)?? Don't worry, I wouldn't wear these out of the house, but they look soooo warm and cozy.I still have a few more list-worthy ideas, so this is just the start :) I have already purchased a few presents for our family members.....but I need to really get on it pronto! I definitely plan to swing by the Gap for some kids' clothes with this 30% off coupon!!

Weekend Recap

SB and I experienced a parental infestation of sorts this weekend. His mom came to visit Friday through Sunday, and my parents arrived yesterday and are staying till tomorrow. No special reason....just pure coincidence that they were here over the same weekend - and believe me, it has produced two totally exhausted newlyweds after all this entertaining!

In the spirit of the month of thankfulness - I will give thanks that we have parents who love us, and are able to travel to visit us in our new city.

Glamour's December Cover....a Glamour DO!

I think that this shot of the First Lady is just stunning:

I am a big fan of the fact that they finally chose to feature a professional, poised, real woman on their cover. She is a big step up from some of their earlier choices this year.... remember the cover featuring the one and only Miley Cyrus? That was an all-time Glamour low in my opinion.

TAG - I'm IT!

Thanks to Nautical and Southern for tagging me!

The rules:
1. Answer with 5 answers.
2. Tag 5 favorite bloggers.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
it was 1999 and...
-I was a freshman in college.
-I was unbelievably homesick -- making daily calls to my sister, my mom, and a boy who shall not be named.
-The one main thing that made me happy was the fact that I was about to experience my first Duke basketball season as a student (aka Cameron Crazy -- doing lots of "Who's your daddy, Battier!!" cheering)
-Thinking about whether or not to rush (Duke did it at the start of 2nd semester.) I ended up starting the process, and then dropped out midway through it. The next spring I regretted my decision and ended up pledging AOII.
-I was living with Francie, a wonderful, wonderful roommate. We were randomly paired, but lived together (with some additional girls) all 4 years, and she was one of my bridesmaids.

2. What are 5 things on your To Do list today?
- Work, work, work
- Take Daisy for a 3 mile run
- Hit up the grocery store -- buy dinner for tonight, and food for the week
- Dry Cleaners (oops - forgot this!)
- Laundry

3. Snacks you enjoy?
- Cheddar cheese with reduced fat wheat thins
- A tasty Honeycrisp or Red Delicious apple
- Popcorn
- Banana with peanut butter
- Baked goods

4. Where are 5 places you have lived?
-Madison, WI
-Durham, NC
-Atlanta, GA
-Washington, DC
-St. Louis, MO

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
This is always a tough question to envision...but I would:
-Buy a beach house near Charleston, SC
- Support a number of charities about which I feel passionate
- Travel the world
- Cover the college expenses for my (non-existent) children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, etc.
- Invest wisely to take care of future generations!

My 5 tags are:
Windowboxes and Weissbier
Life Under the Big Oak Tree
Summer Wind
Just Another Day in Paradise
Southern Daze

Great Halloween Weekend

Tennis with my dad, running with my sister, jack-o-lantern cutting, trick-or-treating with my nieces and nephews, a chocolate shake here and a great bowl of chili there. All in all, it was an awesome weekend, and I'm so glad I made the trek home to share it with my family. It had been ages since I'd experienced the true trick-or-treating festivities......so to live it through the eyes of my little nieces and nephews (ages 9 months to 8 years) was pretty remarkable, and reignited my love for the holiday. We had a kitty, a puppy, a gypsy, a Packers player, a mouse, and pajama boy (my 2 year old nephew who preferred to wear his pajamas instead of a costume). They were all pretty much on cloud nine, running from house to house, and then eating candy galore. I wish I took video to document pajama boy's dancing after t-or-t.....it still makes me laugh out loud. My sister and I were pretty much on the floor laughing watching him. I'll upload photos sometime soon....I'm in the process of trying to hunt down the cord to download pics from the new camera. I think it may have gotten lost in the moving process.

One GREAT hit from the weekend: PUMPKIN BARS!! I found the delicious recipe on Summer Wind's blog, and I knew this weekend would be the perfect opportunity to make them. (and I actually just made a 2nd batch tonight for my Junior League meeting tomorrow evening....they're that good :) Here's the pumpkin bar recipe:
INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ICING:
  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
4. To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.
   

Quite Possibly The Dumbest Thing I've Ever Done...

AKA: If I only had a brain....

Yesterday I flew home to Madison. I had been planning to drive, but at the last minute, driving 6 hours after work seemed like a bit much to do alone, so I booked a plane ticket (they are so reasonably priced right now...and I'm glad I did b/c I would have been driving in rain the whole way!). Apparently I was in a rush when I did it....because I spelled my own first name wrong. That's right - my first name!! I didn't realize till about 4 hours prior to take-off. I quickly called Orbitz because I was worried that somehow I wouldn't be allowed through security with a ticket that says "Emliy" when my driver's license says "Emily." After a 40 minute conversation (literally!), the issue was resolved, and I freaking had to pay $20 for them to change "Emliy" to "Emily." Ugh - and that was after I dropped SB off for an early morning flight at the wrong terminal. It was a rough start to the day - but it all ended well now that I'm here at home, and my whole family will be arriving soon so that all the kiddos can trick-or-treat together.

I am my father's daughter...

Do you ever have those moments when you find yourself doing something that you used to mock your parents for doing? For years, I couldn't believe that my dad kept delaying the switch from a wooden tennis racquet to the graphite/carbon fiber ones that we all use today. Any time we walked on a court (like 1987-1994), if the players who used it previously were still gathering their items, they would watch my dad pull out the famous wooden Jack Kramer in total disbelief (and often making comments like, "I haven't seen a racquet like that in years....does it really work??"). Keep in mind, my dad is a really good player, and now in his retirement he's playing like 3 days weekly. Well, fear not - he finally did switch when my mom and I gave him a new racquet for Christmas in 1995 or so. (and as a side note, I guess a racquet that's 6 years old is outdated these days. I've had a few people make comments about mine in the past year or so....so I may start testing out a few new ones...Christmas is coming ;)
Flash-forward to now, and here I am with this old digital camera that I've had for like 5 years. Last Christmas, SB's company gave him a flashy brand new red one, with a much better megabyte #....and yet I can't let the old one go to use this newer, better one! So strange! Well, I'm charging up the flashy new one, and will test it out this weekend!! I promise Halloween pics galore next week :)

Weekend Recap

• SB and I saw "Couples Retreat" on Friday night. I do not recommend it. I mean, there are a few funny parts - but on the whole, the story just wasn't that interesting.
• Saturday morning I went on a "Community Tour" to check out our various volunteering options with the Junior League. I've made 2 really good friends through JL already -- so I'm looking forward to getting together with them!
• Saturday evening, SB and I met up with friends who were visiting in town for dinner. We went to a German restaurant.....food = ok, conversation was lots of fun!
• On Sunday I went to the Rams game with our friends in town (SB was working, obvi). Alas, they did not win, and are now 0-7 this season (ouch!!!).
  
• Sunday evening we went out for dinner again with the friends in town. This time the food was delish, and we'll definitely revisit it in the future.
• Now back to the grind.....but this will be a fun week :)

(PS - just tried to purchase a pair of Citizens from RueLaLa this morning.....my size ran out in every pair almost immediately. I waited like 5 minutes to decide if I really wanted them, and it was too late. Shoot! I have $$ in my account from returning a purse a while ago -- it just was too big, not that cute in person. I don't think I'll buy from them again b/c they don't do refunds on returns - just credit. Not always ideal....)

Christmas Cards....Year #1!

Now that I'm married, I have a great spreadsheet filled with the addresses of all of our friends and family (a result of sending out wedding invitations). I'm excited to send out photo card Christmas cards this year for the first time. Photo cards aren't really things that single people or dating couples really send out -- so this is a real milestone! (am I the only one who gets excited about this???)

Once I actually have our cd of wedding pics (ahem, Mr. Photographer.....it's unbelievable, he was so eager and communicative when he wanted our business....and kind of MIA since then), I will place an order for these:I found them on this site: http://stores.doodlebugdezigns.com They have tons of really cute designs. Here are a few additional options that were front-runners: