Roadtrip Interview - Hubby Style

Right before we hit the road for our baby moon - I read a post done by Marci at If These Walls Could Speak about an interview with her hubby. It was fun to see the man behind her blog and to understand their relationship a little better. 

I figured sometime during our drive to Dallas - it would be the perfect time for CT and I to turn down the music, put our phones away and for me to interrogate him for your pleasure! 

(Most of these questions came from Marci and a few from google.)

Me: What is the name of my blog?

CT: Crafting A Fairytale.

Me: What do I mainly write about?

CT: Our lives and crafts.

Me: Have you read any posts?

CT: *shakes head yes* 

Me: Which ones? 

CT: The one about our 'C' day date'. 

Me: What do you know about Pinterest?

CT: It's where you get all of your cooking and crafting ideas from. Basically it's like instagram and google combined. *pauses* I think that's a really good comparison. 

Me: What is a popular fashion item for girls right now?

CT: Leggings or combat boots.

Me: Coming from the high school teacher.

CT: Yeup! 

Me: What is the pantone color of the year?

CT: Pantone?

Me: Ya.

CT: Can you explain that? 

Me: I think it's a brand of paint.

CT: Well I heard orange is the new black so I'll go with that. 

Me: It's radiant orchard. 

CT: So like orange/red? 

Me: Not quite, it's purple. 

Me: What does OOTD stand for?

CT: Outfit of the day

Me: You knew that? 

CT: I get asked all the time during passing periods to take photos of people so they can hashtag #ootd 

Me: What do I do when I'm home alone?

CT: Craft or watch your shows.

Me: What do you do when you are home alone?

CT: Watch sports or get on social media.

Me: What's an acceptable amount to spend on a makeup item?

CT: Oh my. Nothing should cost over 5 bucks. 

Me: What's an acceptable amount to spend on a dress?

CT: What kind of dress?

Me: A dress I wear.

CT: Like a wedding dress?

Me: No. 

CT: $50 or less. 

Me: *shocked* 

(I've never came close to spending that on a dress other than my prom dresses or my wedding dress)

Me: Where is your dream vacation? 

CT: Disney World. Universal Studios. 

Me: *as I cut him off* - Not Sea World though. 

(We rented the movie Black Fish about how they treat the killer whales that perform and I might have cried a few times. It's so sad to see how they are treated ultimately for our enjoyment.)

Me: What's the first thing you noticed about me?

CT: Your legs or your face. 

(read about how we met here!)

Me: What's your favorite trait about me that's not physical?

CT: Your big heart. 

Me: What's that mean exactly?

CT: Your love for people and you cry a lot when you see sad stuff. 

Me: What do we argue about most?

CT: Chores

Me: Do I PMS?

CT: I don't think so. 

Me: Obviously I haven't in the last 8 months so you've probably forgot. 

Me: What animal resembles me?

CT: Haha. A giraffe. 

Me: Why a giraffe? 

CT: Your long skinny features. Long skinny legs, fingers, neck and nose. 

Me: What would I eat everyday if I could?

CT: cheese, onions and white grape juice. 

(he totes hit that right on the head!) 

Me: What's our favorite thing to do together? 

CT: Go out to dinner or go to church. 

CT really enjoyed answering these questions and was bummed when it was over. By the time we got to the end of this we were getting into Dallas traffic and I needed him to focus! More importantly I needed to focus. I'm definitely the worst back seat driver. 

Hope you enjoyed and got to know us a little better! 

Babymoon/Birthday Weekend Recap

Last week - I skipped out on the last few days of the work week to head down to Dallas with my baby daddy. We didn't have any plans other then to stop at a few casinos, do some shopping, and eat some good food. 

We woke up on Thursday and leisurely made our way down to Dallas. I drove the first half of the trip and CT drove the last part. With bathroom breaks, lunch breaks and casino breaks a normal 5 hour trip turned into 8. 

As planned, we stopped at the Kansas Star and WinStar casino. CT played roulette and I play the penny slots and the most we got up with $3. We lost our money so fast - but it was a nice break up to the trip. Let's just say it was an expensive $80 stretch/potty break. 

We then stopped at Pops for lunch in Arcadia, OK. 

Just a little restaurant/gas station off Route66 outside Edmond,OK. We had hamburgers and then went and picked out some soda's from their 600 different choices. 

Ranch soda, sweet corn soda, pimple pop soda (marshmallow), root beer, chocolate soda, orange cream soda, blue raspberry soda, and a fruit punch soda. Root beer and pimple pop soda were the best with chocolate coming in last. And let me tell you - that sweet corn soda tasted exactly like it - especially as it was coming up later in burps. 

It was an experience for sure - and another waste of $20. 

We sent the left overs home with my parents so they can have a taste testing party too. 

The rest of the weekend was filled with CT talking to google - trying to find us some great eats in Dallas. Even though I'm the one 8 months pregnant - I left the food decisions up to him. 

We hit up Picasso's Bar and Grill, Crossroads Diner, Chipolte and Waffle House. 

If you are ever in east Dallas - definitely check out Crossroads Diner - such a delicious spot for breakfast. 

This little man has definitely gotten his fair share of sugar these past few months. 

This cinnamon roll was the bomb.com. 

We also did lots of shopping or should I say CT did lots of shopping. It was my birthday weekend but he's the one that came home with a pair of sweats, a pair of shorts, 5 new t-shirts (a floral, snake print, cheetah pocket shirts -- I love preppy hubby) and some sun glasses. I did get to go to IKEA and get some goodies for the house! I just wasn't in the mood for looking for myself. I'm so over being huge and spending money on clothes that I'll only wear another month or so. I'll save my money for when I start working on the hott soccer mom/milf body and need all smaller sizes. A girl can dream right?

On our way home - CT and I wished we would have taken a trip somewhere tropical and sunny but we decided that we will save that for our 5 year anniversary. Only 2 years and 1 month away and we are thinking Hawaii or the Florida Keys. 

Who knows - all we know is we are doing it!  

Babymoon/Birthday Trip - DALLAS

Tomorrow CT and I head out on a road trip to Dallas for our last hooray before Kingston gets here. We really have no plans - just going with the flow. 

I was able to book a hotel - Doubletree by Hilton - near the Galleria for $45 bucks a night via Priceline. We always name our own price and have had successful experiences with them so far. We usually stay at a Marriott or Hilton chain and we have never paid more than $45 a night. 

What can I say - we are thrifty and can pass up a good deal! 

We plan to head out Thursday late morning - stopping at 2 different casino's on our way to Dallas. Hopefully we get lucky and can start our trip off with some extra money! 

 WinStart World Casino & Resort

Kansas Start Casino.

Hopefully Thursday evening we will be able to hit up a hamburger joint from Diners, Drive-In's and Dives. Friday our only plans are to shop till we drop - maybe find a food truck with a grilled cheese or corn dog. And we plan to come home Saturday but we shall see how we are feeling. 

No plans are good plans! 

I've been looking forward to this for a while and I  can't wait to get away with my main man. 

I hope you'd follow along while we are gone:

It's Friday, Friday ... I'm gonna do 5 on Friday

A little Rebecca Black to start your Friday off right! 

1. We got to see our little babe yesterday and it was so surreal. I'm measuring ahead at 12 weeks instead of 11.4 and the heart beat was 175! It's crazy how just 4 weeks ago our little baby looked like a blob and yesterday you could see its arms, legs, hands, feet - it was moving all over the place. 

 Feet crossed, chillin' like a villain! 

Posing for us. I can't get over the details you can see already! 

The picture that had the hubby freaked out! Last appointment our babes HB was 178 and the Dr. said girls statistically have a higher heart rate. Then when the tech showed him this picture yesterday it confirmed it for him! Haha! I just think it's funny cause it's too early to tell and it has got him all flustered. 

2. Looking forward to our gender scan Feb. 10.
 I've decided I'm taking vacation the 11th so I can start shopping. =) 

3. I'm hoping KU pulls off another win tomorrow against K-State. It's sad that I even doubt them, but with the way they are playing this season ... you never know. 

4. Before I get too huge and can't travel, I want to plan a trip to Vegas for a long weekend. I'm thinking March. 
Any tips/tricks to make this trip super affordable? 

5. This weekend is jam packed - I don't know when I'm going to fit in my nap. #firstworldproblems 

NYC Tips & Tricks from a Kansas Girl

To catch up, check out my NYC recap here:

 Part 1

 Part 2

Quickly after landing in New York, I realized this girl was no longer in Kansas. I also found out extremely fast that the Mid-West is way way way different then the East coast in almost ALL aspects! 

Here is a list of Tips & Tricks I compiled to help anyone navigate NYC.

1. bring cash
   It costs to do everything. To cross a bridge into the city it can range from $7-$15. To get on a beach or into a lake it costs anywhere from $6-$10. Also, to be quick {since everyone is always in a rush here} cash makes things ten times easier.
   
   2. bring small billsEach ride on the metro is $2.50. When paying with cash, it will give you back change in all coins. For some reason that just bugs me. I don't want a bunch of dollar coins so just bring small bills, ones and fives and it shouldn't be a problem.
   
   Also, in NYC {mostly in Chinatown, SOHO, and Little Italy} you can barter any and everything. I don't feel as awkward paying for something I just got down to a way lower price when I don't have to get change back or when they don't see that I have larger bills and really could have paid full price.
   
   3. your choice: wear or don't wear designerI made the mistake of carrying around my Michael Kohrs purse the first day we were in the city. Everyone and their dog tried to sell me something. "Coach, Prada, Gucci, Michael Kohrs"
   If you don't want to get bombarded, don't wear designer. If you want to attract that type of attention, go for it.
   
   4. bring an umbrellaIt rained on 2 different occasions while we were in the city, and it rained A LOT! We had 1 umbrella, but it was too small for both CT and me to both use it. We had to purchase one from a sidewalk shop and I swear they sold it to us with a hole. It lasted one day and we paid $5 for it.
   
   5. bring a book or ipod on the metroYou can tell all the people who ride the metro every day. They get on, whip out their book or ipod, and keep their heads down. Nobody makes eye contact, smiles, or talks to anyone.
   {My friends dad told some random guy on the metro that his bag was unzipped, and for thanking him for letting him know, he said 'don't talk to me, or I'll gut you like a fish}
   
   6. don't ask a cop for directionsI was surprised at how many cops were everywhere. They were on bikes, on horses, just walking the streets at all the major sites and in cars. They were everywhere! Just don't ask them for directions. They always give false ones, probably because they get asked soo much. My initial thought was that they would be the perfect person to ask: honest and good people. Wrong! Don't do it.
   
   7. remember: uptown or downtownThe metro can be a really daunting task to navigate. Make sure you double check if you are going uptown or downtown. And as long as you don't go through the exit turns, you can go up the stairs to the other side and you can find the right train to get on. If you mess up, get out on the next stop and hop on another train.
   It's simple, just don't freak!
   
   
   Hopefully these Tips & Tricks will help you out if you are going on a trip to the city anytime soon.
   
   
   Do you have any Tips & Tricks that helped you?
   

Linking up with Serenity Now

NYC Recap {Part 2}

So I originally had a post planned about tips and tricks to navigating NYC from a Kansas girl, but I think that will wait till the end of the week. 

But I changed my mind.

I want to finish recapping all we did on our trip up East.

Tuesday July 2nd: 

Our two year wedding anniversary! 

We were in NJ by 200pm, we drove to our friends house, explored the city we were staying in, had some bomb pizza, and planned our next day in the city.

Wednesday July 3rd:

We were in the city by 1000am. We took that path from Newark into the City. We visited the world trade center site, and the Freedom tower which is almost completed. We walked to wall street- where we were stopped by producers and asked to come back at 100pm to be interview on CNBC about student loans. We then walked to the Staten Island Ferry and took it to view the Statue of Liberty, walked back to wall street which we missed our interview by 15 minutes. Then we took the metro to Canal Street and walked through SOHO, Chinatown, and Little Italy in the rain and then had lunch in Little Italy. We took the metro to Central Park where I had ice cream and we met Jeff Gordon. Then took the metro back to time square where we walked around and went to the Hershey store. I really wish we would have had a little more time to go to the wax museum. Next time! Then we finished off the day walking to Madison Square Gardens and taking the path back into Newark.

{don't you love how I was protecting Michael}

 

Thursday July 4th:

We picked up my friends husband from the airport and made our way to the Mets game. It was a 15 inning game. FML! 

Luckily our friends know a guy who pitches for the Mets so we got to sit in the wives section way close. 

By the time the game was finished we were so wore out that we didn't want to fight traffic and the crowds trying to find a good spot to watch the Macy's Fireworks, so we made our way back to NJ and watched from them from the couch.

{super blurry}

Friday July 5th:

We went down to the Jersey Shore which is about a 2 hour drive from where we stayed. We went to SeaSide Heights {where Jersey Shore was filmed}, walked to board walk, and hung out on the beach. The water was 

f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g  so we just hung out under the umbrella. 

Saturday July 6th:

CT and I navigated the city on our own.

 We took the path into the city and visited the world trade center memorial {which was SO cool}. It's 2 big waterfalls into the holes that were the site of the two buildings.  We then walked from there to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked over it. Then we took the metro to Yankee Stadium, watched the game, went to Grand Central Station, walked down Park Ave and took the metro back to NJ. To end the night we went to Applebee's to watch the Silva fight.

Sunday July 7th:

Woke up at 300am to leave the house by 345am to make it to the airport by 445am to catch our 600am flight.

We got home around 1130am, had lunch with some of CT's friends, and then picked up Bentley from my parents.

I laid down to take a nap at 330pm and didn't wake up till 6am the next morning.

Like I said yesterday, I was CRAZY exhausted. Such a busy trip but we literally saw everything we could see. 

 

If I could recommend 3 things to definitely do in NYC:

1. World Trade Center Memorial {duh!}

2. Central Park {so pretty and so much to do}

3. Time Square {most 'NY' feel with the people and things to do}

  

For all who have been, what were your favorite parts of the city?  

NYC Recap {Part 1}

Exhaustion. Complete and utter exhaustion!

I loved the experience and everything we saw, but honestly it wasn't your typical relaxing vacation. 

No sleeping in. 

We had to get out of the house each day by 9 so we could make it into the city by decent time and to avoid traffic.

{We were lucky and stayed with some friends in NJ, but with that luck came an hr long drive to get to NYC}

Tons of walking. 

The first day, when we knocked almost everything out {World Trade Center, Wall Street, Staten Island Ferry & Statue of Liberty, SOHO, Little Italy, China Town, Central Park, and Times Square}, we probably walked a good 13-15 miles. No joke. My body didn't start to feel it until we were on the train back to NJ. Thank goodness for cute and comfy flats. 

Not nice people like in the Mid-West.

No one talks to anyone.  No one looks at anyone.

CT held the door open for a woman and it could have made her month! I wish I could have got the look on her face on camera, it was priceless.

 And when we tried to give away our three remaining metro cards that still had $7-$10 bucks on them, no one would take them. They all thought it was the strangest thing. When we let them know they were going to be trashed because we were going back to Kansas they gladly accepted. It's like they all thought we had different motives.   

Definitely a once in a lifetime trip and we did it pretty cheaply, but I am totally satisfied and have no need to want to go back for a LONG time! 

 

Check back in tomorrow for some tips and tricks to navigating NYC from a Kansas girl. 

 

Insta-Recap {Weekend in Dallas}

My weekend according to Instagram.

Everyone, meet my bsf's Amanda Rhea. 

She gets married in a little over a month, so we met in Dallas for a semi bachelorette weekend and so she could take her bridal portraits.

 Hanging in the hotel before a full day of shopping! 

If I wasn't married, I assume my home decor would look extremely similar to what this hotel was doing. Super girly but super modern.

The walls remind me of a Victoria's Secret bag - love them!

Night one out at Sfuzzi's. 

Great pizza. 

{Dress // Forever 21}

{Necklace // Groupdealz} 

Night two out at Gloria's. 

Super good mexican food.  

{Dress // Forever 21}

{Necklace // borrowed shorter one, Body Central long one} 

What a score I found at the Nordstrom Rack. 

Navy Sperry's for only $33! 

I couldn't pass them up. My collection was needing a little more glitter.

 

I also found these beauts at DSW. 

I have been on the look out for the perfect pair of nude Jessica Simpson heels, and these were exactly what I was imagining and for only $44.

I mostly needed them for Amanda's wedding, but I know these bad boys will get a lot of play.

Such a fun I weekend! 

Tuesday CT and I leave for NYC bright and early at 6am. 

 Feel free to join along on our adventure by following my:

 

Linking up with Sami.

NYC Planning

After a few hours work, I have come to the conclusion that planning a trip like this is a hard task.

We have so much to fit into the 4.5 days we are in New Jersey/New York because we know we won't be back for a LONG time. 

We had a bucekt list of things we wanted to do before we got pregnant and had kiddos. 

- Go to Vegas

- Go Skiing
 - Go to NYC

 Hopefully we make it through the list before our time for babies comes, but if not I'll be so glad we did this trip!

So... back to planning. 

This is all I've got so far.

As of right now, I am planning two action packed days in the city around a Yankees & a Mets game. It's a little difficult because the Yankee's stadium is in the Bronx north of Manhattan and the Met's stadium is in Queen's which is west of Manhattan. 

On our to do/see list are:

SOHO

Chinatown

Canal Street

Ground Zero

Brooklyn Bridge

Statue of Liberty - by Staten Island Ferry

Dinner in the meat packing district

Fireworks from Hoboken 

{This will probably be our itinerary on July 4th when we are going to a Met's game mid day. Early morning in the city, baseball game at 1pm, evening in the city, followed by fireworks at 930pm.}

Times Square

Empire State Building

Central Park / Upper East Side

5th Ave

Bronx Zoo 

{This will probably be our itinerary on July 6th when we are going to a Yankee's game mid day. Early morning in the city, baseball game at 1pm, early evening in the city because we have to be at airport by 430am the next day.}
 

Thankfully we are saving money by staying with some friends in NJ, but with that being said we will have to take a train into the city each time.

 We might have to end up going in on Friday as well if we aren't able to get everything done in those two days.

My fear is over-doing it because I hear the city can get pretty exhausting. 

I guess you only live once huh? 

Is it weird that I'm getting nervous?

Riding trains and the metro, trying to navigate around a hugely populated city by foot. 

 It gives me butterflies just thinking about it.

Any recommendations on things to do, places to eat, or venues to shop? 

I can NOT believe ...

I can NOT believe.. that it is go time! Time to make a baby! 

I can NOT believe.. that my birthday is in 22 days. 22 days till 24. I have a feeling it's going to be the best year yet.

I can NOT believe.. that CT is almost done with his second year of teaching! I am so happy that he is so happy with it almost being summer. His mood is dependent on the bratty kids at school, so with that being said he is a gem in the summer time. 

I can NOT believe.. I have almost been at Healing Waters for almost a year. It is bitter sweet. Bitter in the fact that there isn't really a whole lot of job growth available within this company, and sweet in the fact that I have met some of the best people at this job. 

How lovely is everyone in this photo? Oh the joys of working at a cosmetic clincic =)

 I can NOT believe.. I ran 1.8 miles through the ghetto to get to CT's baseball game yesterday. My body is SORE today! 

I can NOT believe.. I will be in NYC in less than 2 months. How amazing does the 4th of July in the city sound? 

I can NOT believe.. how many passwords I have memorized. It might just be my hands that know them. There are so many and my fingers just go to work when I get to each website! (I also have 3 cheat sheets worth of passwords)

I can NOT believe.. how heart breaking it was to hear about those three women that had been kidnapped and held hostage for 10+ years. I pray that those ladies go on to live happy, healthy lives after all the traumatic experiences they have been through.  

 

Linking up with Robin.

Exciting News

Guess what??

I got news today that my PTO for the week of July 1-5 got approved.  That only means CT and I will be spending our two year anniversary and the 4th of July in NYC! 

I am sooo excited! We definitely need a make up honeymoon after what happened in Cancun! (more to come on that later)

via

So, come July, I will have vacationed in Hawaii, Florida, and NYC! 

What an awesome 2013!

I am so blessed!