Dear Andrew

Dear Andrew,

It’s hard to write a thank you letter to you without it becoming a mushy love letter. So, I will make every effort to keep the extra mushiness down.

 

You rescued me from myself when you came into my life. You truly are my knight in shining armor. Thank you for being patient with me and understanding of my healing wounds. Thank you for never pushing me and always respecting my boundaries. Very few men have the character you do.

Thank you for accepting me with all that includes. You took on my debt, medical fragility, and emotional wounds. You deserve so much more credit than I give you. Thank you for living with me and loving me every day. Thank you for keeping your cool when I blow up. Thank you for supporting my interests and passions (like this blog).

You work hard to keep things together when life gets stressful. You’re working hard to become a good father and husband. The kids adore you and Benjamin especially, looks up to you. (Literally and figuratively. Haha!)

You gave up a comfortable life and many future plans to have a family with me. I love you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

30 Before 30: Twenty-nine & Guest Post

29. Create (or be a part of the founding leadership) of a blogger network.

Yes, this one may be a bit on the bold side. Dare I say, nearly impossible. I want to form a group of bloggers who's main purpose is to learn about themselves and others through blogging. Basically, I believe writing and the arts tell a lot about a person.

Speaking of which, today I have a guest blogger! One of my very favorite 20 somethings in fact! Let me introduce you to Andrew the founder of " A Study of Sherlock" society and the author behind its blog, A Study of Sherlock. If you haven't yet guessed, he is also my sweet and handsome hubby. As my hubby states, "[his] group is dedicated to discussing the original Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as discussing new authors who share [the] interest in this great fictional character." If you would like to get connected please check out his blog and Facebook page! You can also join him monthly at the meetings! 

Now, he would like to share with you a small portion of his list of things to do before 3o. I hope you enjoy getting someone else's perspective. I also wanted to get the opinion of someone with more of the world left to see!

If I Could...

Hi, I'm Amanda's husband. Here are five of my desires to do before I turn 30.

1. Go to Ireland. 

I would like to go there because my family line comes from Ireland. I love everything Irish. 

2. Go to Egypt.

I have always had a fascination with ancient Egypt and other ancient civilizations. Plus, I'd like to get a picture of me next to the Sphinx. 

3. Visit the Sherlock museum. 

No true fan could ever pass up the chance to see the museum on Baker Street in London, England.

4. Go to Ellis island and look for information on my family.

I like genealogy and I would love to find out more about when my family crossed over to America from Ireland. 

Last but not least...

5. I would like to go to Switzerland to see the hadron collider.

I would like to go there because science is cool and anyone who loves science like me would enjoy seeing the awesome power of a giant particle accelerator. A modern marvel of science! 

I picked these things because, to me they are amazing places that hold vast amounts of knowledge, history, science, and other subjects that I am very fond of. Plus, they would make great vacation spots! My wife asked me to post because of her on going love for blogging. As she supports me, I feel like I want to support her dreams and hobbies. I encourage you all to read and comment on her previous posts (mine as well)!  Thank you and good bye.

Introducing the Hubby

Welcome to the month focusing on the crazy little thing called love! This is my husband Andrew! We have been married for a little over three years and we already have two children. My youngest, Henry is in the picture as well. I figured the best way to introduce my man is by letting him share a bit about himself. However, he was nervous about the idea so I skimmed the web and found this list of 20 questions from imom. This way you will get to know him a little, and I get to enjoy hearing what he decides to say about each thing. Ok, so blue his is response and purple is my thoughts!

1. If you had to eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, where would it be? "Its hard to choose. I was going to go with my gut impression, but... O'Charley's"       
2. Which television sitcom family most accurately portrays your childhood family? "Uh, Home Improvement I guess. To some degree... its between Home Improvement and Married with Children."                   
3. If you were stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life and could only bring three books and three movies, what would they be? "I guess that means you can actually watch these movies? The Complete Sherlock Holmes Stories would be one book. Indiana Jones novel, I don't really know which one, it doesn't really matter. The Bible. And three movies...um... Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows, and Bed knobs and broomsticks"
4. What does your dream vacation look like? "My dream vacation looks like a month in Ireland."
5. If you were a superhero, what would your magical power be and who would you save?    "Sorcery. Everyone."  God complex maybe? LOL
6. What school subject is/was the hardest for you? The easiest?  "Math" and "Social Studies"
7. Would you rather be bored or stressed?   "Bored."
8. If you could splurge on one item, what would it be? "Bagel Bites" Food?! Really!? "Yes, really"
9. Are you a Mac or a PC?    "PC"
10. What actor or actress would play you in a movie about your life? "I don't know the guys name... he's in the movie Knocked Up and he is BOB from Monsters vs. Aliens"  Seth Rogen
11. What would your ideal church be like? "The one I'm in now." River Church
12. What was the best thing about your college experience?  What was the worst?  "Best thing was the dinner hall and the coffee." FOOD AGAIN!! "The worst thing was not having enough money to buy either... just kidding. It was not having better friendships, stronger friendships"
13. What drives you crazy?  "If I told you everything, you wouldn't need to write a post for another week. We'll keep it short and simple. Dumb People." Fair Enough
14. What do you love most about your parents?  How would you like to be different? "I like how they make each other laugh." "I would like to be less hermit-ish"
15. How are your kids like you? "They eat a lot... hahaha. No, they are sweet. I'm sure there are more things, but this is a simpler answer."
16. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be? "Get rid of my laziness."
17. Which Gilligan's Island character are you most like?  "Gilligan, but I aspire to be The Professor."
18. If you had to go a week without your cell phone, computer, or TV, what would you choose? "Cell Phone" Thats because only his mother and I call him, and he doesn't want to hear from either. "No, I don't want to get in trouble because I didn't answer it!"
19. What was the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you? Tell the world now! "There were lots, I don't remember one specific one." Darn it.
20. What was your favorite childhood toy or game?  "Can I name two? My top hat and my two old west pistols." 

 Now, if any of you out there have any questions for my "Hub-a Lub," leave a message and he will be GLAD to answer. hehe... Now, back to business!



On Sunday my husband and I went on a date to the opera after church. It was great. We saw Pirates of Penzance. Funny!

My Opera Outfit

 So glad I got this lovely bright coral dress from Gwynnie Bee just in time! It worked out perfectly with my black pumps and Vera Bradley clutch. I wore the outfit to church and went directly to the opera after. Perfect. I was very tempted to buy this one.

Before the Date

Like I said, we went to church first. My youngest son was being so funny! He wanted everything his daddy had. 

Today's Outfit 

Today was a whole new day. Back to work as usual. Loved my Gwynnie Bee selection today as well. Why can I not have enough money to buy everything I want? The butterfly blouse is just perfect for me. It is also a perfect fit my purple skinny jeans! I'm just a little frustrated no one told me my shirt was stuck before they took the picture!

Looking Forward

Get ready for all kinds of fun for the month of May. We will be covering so much lovey-dovey stuff! I'm really hoping it will bring my husband and I together in this really tough time in our lives.

Gwynnie Bee Rocks My Socks Off

I have two wonderful Gwynnie Bee items to show off, a new wig, and a look at my good looking hubby! I just cant wait, so I'll get right to it. I wanted to note that these pictures all came from yesterday, today we dealt with drama, so no pictures!

My Outfit: Work

 

Once again I wore the orange/coral moto jacket from Gwynnie Bee. I really wanted to see what it would look like with something different. The other items are from all over. The t-shirt is a basic look from a k-mart or wally world. The capris are from Lane Bryant. The coolest item I am wearing is actually my flip-flops. The little decor on the straps snap on and can be replaced with other fun things. This gives an endless ability to change up my sandals. Now I wish I had more of the decorations! 

My Outfit: Date

We went out to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. I took it as a chance to wear the lovely dress I got from Gwynnie Bee. 

 

I loved the color and the great lace detail. I didn't find it as flattering as I hoped, but I was still happy with it. I wore nice strappy silver heels and silver sparkly jewelry. I also broke out my other new wig! I like this one a lot. Its thin enough and sits just right on my head.

See how realistic my wig looks? I like the long curls. My hair hasn't actually been this long since my husband and I got married. Speaking of which, here is that good looking man I promised to show you.

 

This is my husband, Andrew. He will be joining my blog experience starting Sunday! We begin discussing love, marriage, and relationships. I think he is looking forward to "fanning the flame" a little!

Looking Forward

Tomorrow is "Little Feet Meet". I can't wait to tell you all about it! I also have all kinds of family related drama going on. I'm not really sure when or how I will share it, but keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.