Halloween is Here!

With only a couple of days left to get your costume in order I thought I would talk about some of my favorite Halloween costumes this year.  Luckily, we like to keep the celebration going on for a couple of days so I actually have a couple of costumes this year.  In the last few years we have been Charlie Brown and Lucy, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Tinkerbell and a Jedi just to name a few.

I won't revel my actual costume until Friday, but I will throw out some inspiration outfits I considered this year.  There are so many choices that it is so hard to narrow it down to just one!  Also, Daniel and I have a hard time deciding on couples costumes so we like to exercise our individuality and just go as whatever we want!  

What will you be this Halloween?

1. Despicable Me Minion

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2. Audrey Hepburn

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3. Guess Who?

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4. Scarecrow

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One Year of Dates!

I am sure you have seen this idea floating all over Pinterest, but I decided to put my own spin on it and create something wonderful for our two-year wedding anniversary back in August.  First of all, I cannot believe its been over two years since we said I Do.  Secondly, since it has only been two years you would think I would have a million gift ideas, but man it is tough (especially since we have been together for a total of 8 years)!  Thankfully, Pinterest to the rescue again!

My One Year of Dates gift is 12 pre-planned dates outlined in sealed envelops.  Daniel gets to open an envelop at the beginning of each month and we pick when we are going to take our date that month.  Over the course of this year I will share our monthly outings.  Sorry, I can't reveal all of them at once or Daniel would miss out on all the fun!  The best thing about this gift is that it is totally customizable to the individual couple.  Do you like hiking?  Go on a hike!  Do you like baking?  Then make cupcakes!  The key to this is to plan ahead and try not to pick dates that require specific timelines, it is not impossible, but you do not want to stress out about trying to fit it in on a specific day.  I like to add variety to our dates as well.  Some are more elaborate away from home dates, some are around town, and others are simply in our home.  The most important thing is HAVE FUN!

We have already gone on our September and October dates so I have included all the details below!

SEPTEMBER

Date: Putt-Putt and Dinner

Cost: $7 per person for putt-putt and your choice for dinner

Supplies: Putt-putt tickets, dinner reservations

To kick off our One Year of Dates we headed out to our local putting green.  Before going to putt-putt we hit up a local restaurant called The Laughing Owl.  The Laughing Owl is a great restaurant that mixes American favorites with Asian cuisine from the owners previous restaurant.  I opted for my favorite Beef and Szechwan String Beans over Lo Mien.  The food is delicious and a nice, fresh change from traditional chain restaurants.  After dinner, we headed over to Larry Bill's Fun Time Golf for 18 holes of fun!  It was perfect, hardly anyone was around so it made for a romantic yet fun setting.  I must confess, much to Daniel's displeasure, that I came out the winner that night, but I'm not sure either of our scores were much to brag about.  We called it an early night and came home to watch Love Actually on Netflix. 

OCTOBER

Date: State Fair

Cost: $18 for fair entry and spending money for fair food and games!

Supplies: fair tickets, cash for food and games

Daniel and I have always loved going to the fair and since we have not been to our State Fair in about 6 years I decided to make that our agenda for October.  One of my suggestions in date planning was not to choose something that had to be done on a schedule.  However, the fair was in town for almost two weeks so that gave us plenty of time to pick our date.  Unfortunately, because of my busy schedule the only day we could go was the last day of the fair which meant it was very crowded.  We had a blast anyway!  We arrived around lunch time and were immediately thinking "what should we eat first?"  My tip for places with lots of food options is SHARE!  We split almost everything we got at the fair and it made it a lot easier to try all kinds of foods.  We always like to try the local booths so we hit up two places for country ham biscuits and fresh cut fries.  They were amazing.  After cruising through the midway, winning a stuffed minion (stay tune he will be very useful come Halloween), and almost losing our appetite in the livestock buildings it was time for round two!  I opted for the fried mac and cheese bites while Daniel got his favorite fried Snickers.  We spent the rest of the fair combing through the crafts and hobby section and the Village of Yesteryear and then finished the afternoon off with a blooming onion.  We had some friends at the fair too and one of them got a Krispy Kream burger.  That was by far the most unique creation of the fair this year, a cheeseburger with all the fixing between two Krispy Kream doughnuts instead of buns.  She said it was amazing and I can't wait to try it next year!

Question: How do you and your significant other make plans for dates?  Preplanned or spur of the moment?  Take turns choosing or always let one person decide? Weekly, Monthly, Bi-monthly?

High Five For Friday

What a week?  I have spring fever.  My students have spring fever.  And only 28 instructional days stand between us and exams.  This semester is flying by.  However, this week did not.  But it is Friday and we made it!

1- Spending time with my man is the best part of any week.  Double the pleasure this week, because we took my mom out to dinner!

2- I completed my second 5K this past week and it was so fun!  Its fun to enjoy the challenge of competing with myself, but I realized I need to actually train before I take on the next one!

3- The search for lampshades is going on week 2 now!  These were the second ones that I have bought only to get them home and realize that they had a pattern on the inside that you could see when you turned on the lamp :(  Hopefully the third time will be the charm!

4- Disney knows how to get to me.  In the midst of a busy week they can lift my spirits and get my mind on vacation planning with a simple email.  What do you say Mr. Pennington?

5- Isn't Pinterest just full of amazing things.  Case in point this absolutely adorable t-shirt that my husband will have in his closet very soon!


Have a great weekend everyone and I will see you Monday for a continuation of my European adventure!

A Month of Love

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I am sure love has been on the mind of 95% of women and 0% of men.  Don't worry ladies they will come around on February 13 or 14.  This whole concept of Valentine's Day got me thinking recently though.  I use to be a strong anti-valentine kind of girl.  You know the one who says, "Why do we need one day for you to tell me you love me, you should do that everyday."  Then I began to realize that for some couples its important to have that reminder, because everyone loves differently.  

With that in mind I thought, why not declare February the Month of Love.  People spend hundreds of dollars each February 14th, but it doesn't have to be like that.  A Month of Love just implies that you spend a little time each day emphasizing your love for your significant other.  A great way to do that is by speaking their love language.

If you are unfamiliar with love languages, you need to pick up The Five Love Languages.  Its a simple book that allows couples to find out not only what way they prefer to be loved, but more importantly how to love their spouse/significant other more effectively.  Find out what your spouse likes: acts of service, quality time, psychical touch, gifts, or words of affirmation   If you can figure out what your spouse prefers and speak to them in that language, the entire make up of your relationship can change.  No longer are you attempting to figure out what makes them happy, but you are truly making them happy.  When their "love tank" is full then they can better love you as well.  Love languages flow both ways and it is important for both people in the relationship to be intent on speaking that of the other, rather than their own.  

So with all that said I encourage you all to take up the challenge of making February the Month of Love.  Do something each day to make your spouse or love feel special.  I assure you that at the end of the month your will have so much more invested in your relationship and get so much more out of it.  I have listed a few ideas below on how to take up this challenge.

• Complete a household chore you know they hate
• Listen when they talk
• Say "thank you" for even the small things
• Let them watch something they want 
• Cook their favorite meal
• Pick them up a small gift to show you think about them when you are apart
• Read a book together (The Bible is a great start!)
• Turn off the TV! Spend time together
• Fill up their car with gas
• Avoid pushing their trigger when arguing 
• Offer them a foot rub or back massage
• Try out a new experience together
• Leave work stress at work
• Give them compliments, often
• Ask for hugs and kisses
• Share- food, feelings, and love
• Pray together
• Go on a treasure hunt
• Send letters or love notes
• Give them space when they are in a bad mood
• Make them laugh
• Go on a couples retreat
• Tell them WHY YOU LOVE THEM

I will be posting each Friday with real ways that Mr. P and I have been showing our love!

Join the Month of Love Challenge! 

Traveling Tuesday: Myrtle Beach

This weekend Daniel and I planned a little getaway.  We never got around to celebrating our anniversary (back in August), so we thought better late than never.  We headed down the Carolina coast to Myrtle Beach for three days of relaxation.  Surprisingly, we had way more things planned than we ever got around to doing.  It just turned out to be nicer to relax and take it easy.  A few of the highlights included a surprise dinner to a new favorite restaurant and a night full of Disney movies.

We stayed at the Bay View Resort.  I think Myrtle Beach is one of the hardest places to find a quality hotel by shopping online, because so many look wonderful on the outside, but the inside is a nightmare.  We took a risk with Bay View and were pleasantly surprised.  The rooms were by no means large, but the bed was comfortable (a king-size for the couple who typically sleeps on a full!), the bathroom was nicely renovated, and the view from the balcony was gorgeous!  Another perk was that there was a full service Starbucks located on the ground level along with a great indoor swimming facility.  We didn't use the pool, but we certainly enjoyed the Starbucks!

 Shopping is one of the primary draws of visiting Myrtle Beach.  They have two great outlet malls along with a traditional mall and countless other places to do all the shopping your heart desires.  We enjoyed the outlets, because they have many great stores like an ADIDAS, Nike, and of course JCREW!  I was able to make a few purchases off of my want list and sadly crossed off a few from my currently craving list.  The polka dot blouse I posted about recently ran astronomically large and the XXS was too large for me!  I got some other cuties though!

Bag (Lauren by Ralph Lauren via Marshalls), Chambray Dot Button Up: Old Navy, T-Shirt: J. Crew Factory, Gingham Button Up: J. Crew Factory 

I mentioned earlier that Daniel surprised me with a special dinner.  He took me to a place I had recently been talking about and it lived up to the hype.  Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is the place to go for an amazing steak.  I had the Mixed Grill and Daniel had the New York Strip.  We left there feeling delightfully stuffed.  The steak was so tender that it melted in my mouth and the chicken and crab cake on my plate were equally as good.  I loved the atmosphere and it was a nice, quiet place to dine and enjoy each others company.  I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the salad or dessert, but they were amazing as well.  The dessert was a Whiskey Bread Pudding and I dare say it was almost as good as the Bread Pudding at Raglan Road in Disney World.  Almost.  

We spent the rest of the weekend shopping and exploring.  We went to Broadway at the Beach, enjoyed a morning jog by the water, and ended the weekend with a trip to Barefoot Landing.  All in all it was the relaxing weekend that we both needed.  ABC Family was even running a Disney movie marathon Sunday night and we sat on our bed for hours enjoying the Lion King, Cinderella, and Hercules.  Who says you have to stay on the go the entire time your on vacation?  The only thing I stressed over this entire weekend was being able to watch Downton Abbey on Sunday night, but no worries we were able to find it! 

You guys know the drill.  If you want to participate in Traveling Tuesday, just blog about an amazing location you have been to and link up your post in the comments below.  Happy Tuesday and Happy Travels!

high five for friday

It's Friday again!  After some much needed teacher workdays, I welcome the weekend with a clean classroom ready to go for new students next week.  Between exams and turning in final grades I am ready for a relaxing weekend and that is exactly what is on the books for the Mr. and I.  
We intend to make the most out of this long weekend!

1. My week started off right with breakfast in bed.  I love a man that can cook.

2. The early part of this week felt like spring in the Southern half of the US.  I pulled out my cropped jeans and a light weight top for running errands.  Love this type of weather, even though it sadly seems to be over for now :(

3.  What is better than a lunch date with your man at the Cheesecake Factory.  We spent Sunday shopping, lunching, and even met up with some friends to help pick out a bridesmaids dress for their upcoming wedding.

4. A student turned me into a cartoon character.  I can't bring myself to erase my board.

5.  Play time with this cutie was so fun this week.  We broke out the laser pointer and watched her chase it and it was adorable.  Sadie is by far the cutest cat I know!

Well I am signing off of the blog for the next few days, but you can catch me on Instagram.  
I hope you have an amazing 3 day weekend!

Traveling Tuesday- Disney World Part 4

Hey Hey!  It's back again.  Round 4 of Traveling Tuesday is in full swing.  Today, I am going to wrap up our trip to Disney World from August 2011.  It truly was an amazing trip and I couldn't condense it in to just one post.  Today we are wrapping up our tour of Disney at EPCOT.  EPCOT is truly the place for kids of all ages.  This park offers the best of both worlds for kids and adults.  For the young at heart you can enjoy the half of the park dedicated to Future World and Disney friends like Nemo and the Lion King.  The vast majority of the park though pays homage to the countries around the world.  The World Showcase was a showstopper in my mind.  Disney recreates all the elements of these countries including food, architecture, and even people.  Through Disney's work program people from all over the world can come to Orlando and work in their "country" at EPCOT.  We met some of the nicest people from all over the world!

One of the greatest things about staying at a Disney Resort is that each night a different park has extended hours.  This allows guest at the resort to remain in the park after hours, sometimes until 1 or 2 am!  One night after dinner we made our way over to EPCOT and stayed until midnight.  The rides still run for the most part and the crowds are much thinner during this time.  We caught the Seas with Nemo and Friends during this visit and it is a cute ride through the ocean with Crush and Nemo!

On our last couple of days we paced ourselves through EPCOT.  The entire park cannot be done in one day if you want to gain the whole experience.  Of all the places that we ate during the trip the taco stand in Mexico was by far the most amazing food I have ever had!  The chicken tacos and churros were absolutely divine!  We also caught the segway tour and Test Track.  They are both great and Test Track is a must.  I warn you though, get a fast pass as soon as you arrive in the park for Test Track, otherwise be prepared to wait in line for hours!

After exploring the countries for the day we met back up with Daniel's parents for dinner at Les Chefs de France.  It was a good dining experience and really neat to talk to our French waiter, but I'm not sure it will be my top pick for our next Disney vacation.  However, the French Onion soup is worth the stop.

The American Adventure show is a great one to catch if you have time.  They talk a lot about the great founders and inventors of our country.  Daniel and I really enjoyed it, because when we arrived they saw our "Honeymoon" buttons and quickly began to pamper us Disney style.  An older gentleman told us that there was a phone call for us, to which we were both a little taken aback.  When we picked up the phone though, it was Mickey and Minnie congratulating us on our marriage.  Then we received an official Disney World marriage certificate and our choice of seating in the show.  It was pretty special and that's what makes Disney so incredible.  With thousands of visitors a day they still manage to make you feel like the only one celebrating something!

I won't bore you with all the details of our flight home, but we did have a fun experience the night before we left.  While walking around in Downtown Disney, Daniel and I actually saw Danny Devito and Jack Nicholson!  It was so neat and I am a giant compared to Danny.  We didn't get any pictures with them, but I did snap this one as they were walking by.  

Thanks for tuning in to Traveling Tuesday.  Next week we will head to a different location.  Feel free to join in and link up your Traveling Tuesday post in the comments section below!  Come back tomorrow for an amazing recipe!

5000

Well guys, my blog has made it to the big times.  I officially have had over 5000 page views!  

Now I realize that many blogs get like 5000 a day, but for this girl I'll celebrate any milestone.  

Thanks to my readers for actually tuning in and seeing what's happening at The Married Life.  

Here's to 5000 more!

In other news, my idol, role model, and future best friend turned the big 3-1 yesterday!  That's right, Kate aka the Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her birthday on Wednesday.  I'm sure my lack of an invitation to her party was a simple oversight.  Never fear though, I will see if she wants to celebrate again in April when I cruise through her little town in Wales.  Happy Birthday Kate!

Happy Holidays

Woohoo!  The holiday season is officially in full swing.  Thanksgiving is only days away and Christmas is right around the corner.  This is the time of the year that I hope things slow down, way down.  I absolutely love every aspect of the holidays and I want to hold on to them for as long as possible.

We actually jumped the gun and decorated our Christmas tree this weekend. {pictures to come}  It was so lovely to drink hot chocolate, pig out on red velvet cheesecake, and watch White Christmas while decorating our tree.  

Cheesecake Factory Red Velvet Cheesecake YUM!!

One of our favorite ornaments :)

The best part of decorating the tree was actually the discussion on where to put the tree.  Daniel and I had never really had any options as to where to put our tree before so this year was a challenge.  And of course in true married fashion we disagreed on where to put it.  It all culminated into a profound statement fron Daniel.  He said, " Well it makes sense geographically to put it where you want it, but it makes more sense sentimentally to put it where I want it."  HAHA!  He has a way with words.  Needless to say, sentiment won out and so did Daniel.  But to be honest I love its placement.

Once we get all our decorations up, I will be back with a Christmas post.  Happy Monday guys and don't forget about Traveling Tuesday tomorrow!  Link up in the comment section below with your post on your favorite travels!

Traveling Tuesday- Disney World (Part Two)

Over the weekend, I started brainstorming some ideas for trends that I could try to start on my blog.  Since traveling is on the top of my list, I thought why not start "Traveling Tuesday."  I am by no means a world traveler, but I think its awesome to share travel stories, because insider tips are the best to have when traveling to new places.

Each week I will feature information on trips I have taken in the past.  Once I run out of travel stories, I guess I will have to convince Mr. Pennington to take me somewhere new.  I would absolutely love to include some guest post on here, so if your interested in sharing information about traveling and great tips please let me know!  Also, if you want to participate on your own blog just post the link to your blog post about your travel experience in the comment section below!  Happy Traveling!

This week we will resume with recapping our Disney World vacation from last summer.  If you missed part one, check it out here.  Today, we will be going to the Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney.

Day Three- Animal Kingdom

So if your really just not into the Disney-thing, but find yourself there on vacation, Animal Kingdom is a great place to be!  Of course there is Disney-themed memorabilia everywhere, but its also an accredited animal conservatory.  It's the largest of all the Disney theme parks around the world and you can spend days exploring the wilds of Africa, Asia, and the Americas from the comforts of central Florida.

Every guest begins their journey through the Animal Kingdom at the Tree of Life, it is truly a spectacular piece.  We spent the day seeing some amazing shows (The Lion King), animal watching, and riding the best ride Disney has to offer... Expedition Everest.  We rode it 6 times!

The roller coaster is in the mountain!

The Safari is absolutely amazing.  They load you up on a "jeep" and set out to capture some animal poachers.  Along the way you see zebras, elephants, giraffes, flamingos, gazelle, hippos, and much more.  The way Disney has create a wildlife perserve for these animals, yet still allowed the public to experience the wild of nature is truly breathtaking.

The Nemo show, A Bug's Life (in the Tree of Life), and Mickey's Jungle Parade are all must sees as well.  In case you have never been to Disney, when you arrive each day at a park they have maps for the park with times listed for all the events going on at the park that day.  Its a good idea to find the more popular attractions (the one's listed above) and make a plan for when you are going to see each one.  For the shows, arrive early and take that time to rest.  The seating area fills up fast and in August air conditioning is much needed.

We rounded out our day at the Animal Kingdom with dinner at the Yak and the Yeti.  Its a great restaurant  especially if you like Asian inspired food.  It was not my favorite place we ate, simple because Asian cuisine is not at the top of my list, but it truly was delicious.

The very last ride of the night was the Dinosaur ride.  I knew something scary was in store for me when Daniel and Mr. Rex nearly broke my hip trying to jump on the ride before me so I could have a certain seat.  I won't spoil the ride for you, but just know that its not for the faint of heart.

Day Four- Blizzard Beach/Downtown Disney

Water parks at Disney World can go one of two ways- you love them or you hate them.  I enjoyed a brief love affair with Blizzard Beach on the day that we went, but that only lasted for about an hour.  Water parks in Disney World in August are some of the most crowded places that you will ever go.  My tip for Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon is GO EARLY!  The only way that you will enjoy the rides at the park without waiting in line for over an hour is to get there when the gates open.

We arrived at Blizzard Beach as early as possible and moved from slide to slide as quickly as possible.  By lunchtime the lines were so long and the beach chairs were completely full so we decided to call it a day and head back to the resort.  I don't have any pictures to share, because we didn't take our camera to the park.  Using the Disney Photo Pass though is a great way to get pictures all around the park without having to worry about your camera, especially at a water park.  But just remember, much like everything else at Disney the photos are not cheap.

After a short nap and showers, we were ready to head out again.  The agenda for the evening was dinner and shopping at Downtown Disney.  Now if you are not familiar with Disney World, you may be surprised to find out that Disney is way more than an amusement park.  One of the most common questions that I get asked is, "What is there to do there besides ride a few rides?"  Oh how much you have to learn about Disney World!  Downtown Disney is a restaurant and shopping center created by Disney that caters to kids of all ages.  At nighttime it becomes the scene of Orlando nightlife with bars, clubs, and shows like Cirque du Soleil.  There are more restaurants than you can imagine with almost every type of cuisine being represented.  Stores range from Disney themed merchandise to ESPN, Lego, Little Miss Matches, and so much more.

Florida in August... Hot!

Ahoy! The Pennington's own the Black Pearl now!

Dinner that evening was at Raglan Road.  This is an Irish pub style restaurant, but it is very nice.  They have very authentic decor including Irish brews and dancers!  I had the Shepard's pie and it was to die for.  The star of the meal however was dessert.  Bread pudding is without a doubt the most delicious dessert in all of Disney!

(Sorry for lack of pictures... Blogger is being funny... tune back in later for more pics)

BEST DESSERT EVER!
Bread Pudding at Raglan Road

 That wraps up day 3 and 4!  See you guys next week on Traveling Tuesday for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot!  Feel free to join in next week with a travel post and link it in the comment section below!

Embrace The Camera

Good Morning!

Today, I am linking up over at The Anderson Family Crew for Embrace the Camera.  Its a great challenge to all of us to get out from behind the camera and snap some shots of ourselves with our family and friends.  Today's picture is from a recent football game Daniel and I attended.  We had a great time, got super spoiled sitting at the "club" level, and watched the Pirates bring home another victory.

Go Pirates! Arrgghhhhhh!

So take the challenge!  Grab your camera, snap a shot, and link up with Emily and the rest of the blogging world!