Show Me Your Rings

Well, I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon! This week me and Danny are celebrating our first wedding anniversary...so it's the perfect time to show off our rings! When you're done reading, go check out the huge list of rings over at Mrs. Yellow-Ribbon.

Did you look at rings together?

We did. But I honestly didn't think we were going to buy one the day we looked!

Do you like your ring? Did you from the beginning?...and be honest!

I love my ring! It's simple and doesn't look huge on my hand. Danny thinks it too small, but honestly...I wouldn't want anything bigger. I'd probably break it. I always seem to bump my hand on everything.

 How often do you wear your rings?

All the time. I only take them off if I'm cooking with my hands...unlike Paula Deen. Ick!

Do you clean your rings?

Honestly? No. If it got gross and dirty I would..but I'm not exactly a gross and dirty kind of girl!

 What went through your mind the very first time you saw your ring?

 "I love it!" I really love both of my rings!

I loved all of my bridal jewelry!

I want to share this deal with brides-to-be...

Melissa's Jewelry & Accessories is getting ready giveaway $560 worth of bridal jewelry!

Go check it out!

Show Me Your Friday Five

Today at Kelly's Korner everyone wants to see your China! I have a china collection, all teacups...but it's at my parent's house. I wish it was here so I could take some pictures! But instead, I'll show you the China that I want to have someday! (for decorations...not to eat off of!)

Click here to see the entire collection!

Beth at Just Me and My Life wants to know the Five People I Would Want to Eat Lunch With. Her post was great, and not just because it was so Anderson Cooper heavy!

1. The Beatles. In 1965. When they were young, hip and gorgeous. I would have them serenade me while we ate hamburgers (George's favorite!) We would laugh a lot. And talk about where they wanted their music to go. We would become great friends and then I would joke with them when their music went in the complete opposite direction! 

2. Hitler. Yes, that Hitler. He was an evil, evil man. But he changed the world. I'd be a little mean at our lunch though...he was a non-smoker and vegetarian, so we would go to a smoker-friendly steakhouse. But I would ask him serious questions about his views on everything.

3. No joke, I love Steve Irwin. I may have shed a tear when he died. He did so much for animals and the world and yet he was the butt of so many jokes. I would have him invite his beautiful family for lunch. They seem like type who would invite me over and do all the cooking. And they would, of course, show off their animals. I would tell him not to swim with stingrays and that I could see the future. He would listen to me.

4. I would invite Michael Buble over for lunch. But we wouldn't eat. You can use your imagination on that one!

5. The entire cast of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. They would take me to all the kickass bars in New York City and they would take me on the crime scenes. I would solve the case!

Show Us Your Life: Hometown

I'm from Billerica, Massachusetts. Where the "mall" is a mostly empty plaza with a Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory. There is a Dunkin Donuts on mostly every corner (we have six!) We have three grocery stores on one road (the town is only 25 square miles!) We have 6 elementary schools, two middle schools, a high school AND a vocational high school. Phew, all that in one tiny little place!

Billerica actually has a really cool history. Asa Pollard, the first soldier killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill was from Billerica. Thomas Ditson, who was tarred and feathered by the British was also a Billerica native...he is also the reason why Yankee Doodle became a term of pride. Billerica celebrates the Yankee Doodle Festival in the fall!

Famous Billerica residents? Oh, I'm sure you have heard of atleast a few of these people! Gary DiSarcina, former professional baseball player. Tom Glavine, professional baseball player. And who could forget this goon from Real World: Austin.....Danny Jamieson (who apparently married Melinda, have a baby, and live in New Hampshire...or so says the Billerica rumor mill.)

What's my favorite part of Billerica? My entire family lives there. Growing up my grandparents lived next door to each other, my aunt live up the hill, and my great-grandmother only a stone's throw away...and all within walking distance of my house. Seriously, I miss the place!

Show Us Your life - Money Saving Tips

This is so my topic! I have an envelope system. No matter how much I explain how it works, no one understand how it works. But trust me, it does. I have gone on so many trips, saved so much money, and have never once said "sorry, I can't..I'm broke."

First step..I do not believe in debit cards. Hate hate hate them. I hate when I go out to eat, we get one bill to split, and everyone has a card. As a waitress..it's also annoying. Ditch it. You will save money. I promise.

Next, when you get your check. Pay yourself first. Figure out how much you need until your next paycheck. Just fun money, not bills. Next, figure out how many bills you have and how much they are every month. Divide that by how many times you are paid in a month. Save just a little more than that. And you are golden.

Have a savings account. DO NOT TOUCH IT! It's to save money..it's not a rainy day fund. But start one of those too!

At any given time I have about ten envelopes going. Currently we have: checkings, savings, Disney fund, gas money (yea, I break it down THAT far,) date night, grocery money, and then I have my own savings, checkings and rainy day fund. Seriously, it works. But you have to stick with it!

I clip coupons. I get frustrated with them at the store. But even a little bit helps! Don't use the ones that say "save 50 cents when you buy 2," unless you will actually use both! 

How do yoooou save money?

Show Us Your Life - How You Met Your Husband

We get this question all the time..how did you guys meet? I'm from Massachusetts, he's from Ohio. Really, how did our lives cross-paths? Our story, as strange as it is, started as a joke (to me atleast) and took off when he said he wanted to show me a picture of his tattoo.

Last year, around this time, I was getting ready to move to a little town near Chapel Hill, NC. I wanted to "meet" some people before I even got down there. So, I googled (of course) free dating websites. There's no way I was going pay to meet people! A lot of weird creepy guys messaged me, sent me poetry and told me about some fun stuff to do around the area. I had no intentions of talking to these guys, I just wanted to find out about the local bar and music scene! 

Then I got the message. It was titled "You Shocked Me."

I laughed. Outloud. And hard. It sounded like such a line to me, how many other girls got this same exact message. But I played along and started messaging him back. He told me to text him, so I used my AIM account...no way I'm giving this guy my phone number! I went out that night, forgot about him, and drank heavily.

The next day he sent me a message on the website asking if I got the picture he sent me, uh no. He said it was of his tattoo that he just got. I love tattoos! So I gave him my number and he sent me the picture. Ooh la la! I was hooked! We started texting ALL the time, playing the "ask me anything" game, and talked the entire time I was moving from Boston to NC. We had so much in common, and yet we were so different. I loved hearing his voice and finding out that his Mom lived so close to my new town...and he was about 2 hours away in Jacksonville. By the time I got to North Carolina we had a date planned!

I was so nervous to meet him. What if he didn't like me, cuz well...I'm nerdy. What if I didn't like him? This was almost too good to be true! Our first date was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. We went to a local lake and out to eat. Drank way too many Blue Moons. It was perfect.

My roommate hated him. Her reason? "He has a son and he's a Marine." Um...ok. But I was so hooked on him. We hung out every weekend. He drove TWO hours every weekend to see ME. He wore his uniform and gave me flowers. I was in love instantly.

We moved fast, but the only person that gave us a hard time was my roommate (I started staying out more, which made her more mad...apparently I moved to be her bitch? No thanks!) He proposed in October and we were married in March. My friends and family love him. 

Someday I plan to send that great roommate a "thank you" letter. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have moved to North Carolina and I wouldn't have met Danny. Just leads me to believe...everything really does happen for a reason.