Happy Friday!

I can't get enough of this video. It is too cute!

Have a great weekend!

Only 12 more days till Europe!

More Stuff for Our Trip

I hope you are not sick of me updating you on every aspect of our trip.

I am just so excited I cannot contain it to my own body (I've been telling people at work how many days are left everyday. I think they're sick of it by now).

Anywho, these are what we bought most recently.

I have an overwhelming fear that we're going to be completely lost when we get there so we bought books for each country and maps for each city.

I am crossing my fingers that we are prepared enough. We'll see!

We also got one of these. It's a gorillapod.

It will make it easier for us to take pictures with both of us in them without giving a stranger our camera. Good idea, yes?

We Dance in the Rain

Who says we're too old to get into our swimsuits and run around in the rain?

Our Valentine's Day

For our Valentine's Day we had a wonderful Sunday together.
Tommy bought me flowers the Friday before and sent them to me at work to let everyone I work with know how much he loves me :)

For breakfast, I made heart shaped blueberry pancakes.

For lunch, we had a nice picnic in the park (you saw those pictures earlier).
And for dinner we had cute heart shaped pasta in Alfredo sauce.

Uncooked, very cute - Cooked, not so cute. Luckily, we're still cute :)

Put it on the list.

I don't have a baby, but when I do, I want this.

It's beautiful and perfect and so different from normal bassinets you see.

Too bad you can't buy it in the US and I haven't found any place to buy it online.

Check out the website HERE

Random Things About Alisha

I put together a list of random things about me that you may not know and/or care about but that I thought were interesting and/or funny. You be the judge.

1. I sleep with a teddy bear. His name is Winston.

2. I never let the lack of talent stop me from doing anything.

3. I always rip tags of off clothes instead of cutting them and I let the plastic pieces fall on the floor for Tommy to step on later (he hates this).

4. I can tell you the abbreviation for every state and province in the United States and Canada.

5. I have a hard time knowing when to use "then" and "than."

6. I love to watch the Disney Channel and I am not ashamed.

7. I'm addicted to Sudoku.

8. I almost never buy anything unless it is on sale (with the exception of food).

9. I hate to swallow medicine, in fact, my daily multivitamin is a gummy.

10. I got a sewing machine for Christmas but I'm not confident enough to use it yet.

11. I still use the term "butt munch."

12. Sometimes I dream that I have blonde hair and an English accent.

13. My eyes are almost always bigger than my stomach when I order food.

14. I have a rubber goldfish and a soapstone beaver on my desk at work.

15. I don't think that any piece of me is original. My thoughts and ideas come from a combination of every person I have ever met and ever picture I've ever seen all molded in my brain to create me.

I got new boots!

Imagine these in black (they didn't have a picture on the website).

Now my feet will stay sufficiently dry while we are abroad.

Just a few more things to get and only 3 weeks left!!

I can't believe this is actually happening.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Marc is the funniest person I know.
He taught me how to be tough phisically and mentally - mostly against my will.
He hates the joke "how's the weather up there?"
He loves In-N-Out Burger.
He loves the Smashing Pumpkins.
He loves Candace.
He loves his "pinto bean" aka his unborn child Corgan.

Today, he is the oldest brother I've ever had.

Happy Birthday Marco Polo!
I love you!

Sunday Afternoon Picnic

It was a beautiful Valentine's Day for a picnic. We made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches - not good for a picnic. Though we only went to the park across the street, we spilled the soup and the sandwiches were soggy. We still had a good time cuddling, which always makes things better.

Stuff for our trip

We bought a few things for the big trip. I checked the weather report for all the places we'll be going and for the next ten days from now the weather will be in the 30's and mostly cloudy. Hopefully it will warm up a little, but in case it doesn't, we will be prepared.

I bought this coat today. Isn't it beautiful? It's also insulated so I will be extra cozy.

Here is what my backpack sort of looks like. Tommy's is similar just all black. It has an internal frame and lots of space for us to shove all of our stuff in. We were also planning on taking an extra duffel bag for stuff we buy there.

Here is Tommy's new coat. It's a snowboarding jacket also insulated for warmth, with lots of pockets! Plus, it's waterproof! So he can stand in the rain all day and be fine :)

Here are a few more things we need:

Scarfs

Beanies

Boots (for me)

Pocket Maps

and I'm sure more things that I just haven't though about yet. Any suggestions?

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Sister

From the time I was very young, she took care of me, watched out for me, and was my friend when no one else was.

We were two peas in a pod.

Always hiding from chores in the corn field and climbing the wheeping willow in the front yard.

She is one of the best friends I've ever had.

Happy Birthday Brianne!

I love you!

A Mustache is a Marvelous Thing

We haven't played much with our studio since we've had it so today we cut out paper mustaches and had a fun studio shoot. We had a hard time not laughing the whole time. They look amazingly ridiculous, don't you think?

This Old House

Yesterday was a beautiful puffy cloudy day. We found an old house on the side of the road. While other parts of the country are snowed in we get days like this. In February. I can't say I mind, though come summer, I may feel differently.

Valentine's Day is for Lovers

Dear Tommy,

Valentine's Day is coming soon,

so don't forget about the balloons.

I also want flowers in a big shiny vase.

I'm reminding you here, you know, just in case.

I want candy, and cards and oh so much more,

please just buy me everything in the store.

If that would make me happy I'm sure that's what you'd do.

But instead, this year, all I want this Valentine's Day is you.

-and maybe a flower or two :)

Out with the Old, In with the New!

We have a new blog layout.

It is amazing.

My amazing husband coded it for me.

I amazingly designed it.

The amazing header fonts came from the amazing Katie Cupcake.

The amazing heart background came from the amazing Ollibird.

Did I mention it is amazing?

Well it is.

Things to do in Dublin

I googled "things to do in Dublin" and found this list on a tourist website. We have all of the basic structure of our trip planned, hotels, trains, etc. but the finer details of what we are actually going to do when we get there have not been looked at and that makes me nervous. So I will provide you with this list and you can help me choose. Don't forget we are on a time crunch so narrow it down to your top 3. Oh and if you have other suggestions that are not on this list, I am open to those as well. Thanks in advance!

Guinness Storehouse

In the heart of the Guinness factory complex this excellent visitor centre tells the dramatic story of the 250 year history of Guinness. A complimentary drink in the highest bar in Ireland, the Gravity bar is part of your visit here. Find out more about The Guinness Storehouse

**Just to be clear - we would only go here for the tour and not the complimentary drink at the end :)

Trinity College

Once the educator of the elite of Irish society, Trinity College is now open to all. See the Old Library and the Book of Kells. Find out more about Trinity College

Dublinia

Dublinia traces the story of Medieval Dublin from the English Invasion through the Black Death to the closure of the Monasteries in the 1540s. Find out more about

Dublinia

Kilmainham Gaol

Europe's largest disused and Ireland's most famous prison. The leaders of the 1916 Rebellion were executed here by the English. Find out more about Kilmainham Gaol

Dublin Castle

The centre of English oppression and misrule in Ireland for 700 years. See the Old Walls of Dublin, State Apartments, and the treasury. Find out more about Dublin Castle

Temple Bar

Dublin's Cultural Quarter. Located in the heart of Dublin's City Centre, some of Dublin's best night spots, restaurants and unusual shops line these narrow, cobbled streets running between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral. Find out more about Temple Bar

Grafton Street

Dublin's smartest shopping area with fashionable stores such as Brown Thomas, the department store. Other principal shopping streets in the area include Wicklow Street, Dawson Street, and South Great Georges Street.

Henry Street

Department stores such as the popular Arnotts', and an assortment of popular clothing and footwear stores are here on Dublin's Henry Street. The ILAC shopping centre, and the newer Jervis Street Shopping Centre are both here.

Pubs

An essential part of Ireland's (and Dublin's, of course!) social life and a must for every visitor. In Dublin today there are basically two categories of pubs: the Traditional ones, and the Modern ones. Find out more about Dublin Pubs

Nightclubs

Music, be it traditional, pop, dance, is one of Dublin's favourite night-time distractions. With many new nightclubs opened in recent years it's no wonder people flock from all over Europe to revel in the popular night spots of the city. Find out more about Nightclubs in Dublin