Sideways

Sideways is what we call my new house in Richmond, VA b/c it sits sideways on the street :). I kinda like that it it different! Ok I am showing you the before photos ....and hopefully in a couple weeks I will have a lot done to it to show you after photos....but we will have to wait and see....if you know me and my side tilt towards mania when it comes to organization and decorating it will be done unless my helpers slow me down ;)

Oh and there is a little pond in the backyard you just can't see it in these pictures!

Liberty, NC!

We spent all day Friday finding deals at a flea market/antique show in liberty, NC! It was fun...the antique show happens twice a year ...and we went down on Thursday and shopped all day Friday. There we some really cool things and being that it was Brandon and my first time at one of these things we didn't jump on everything and we are kinda regretting that, but luckily we are going to another one (a bigger one) in Fisherville, VA on the 10th! We went down with Brandon's mom and her friend.

First we found this really cool rustic wood coffee table that weights a ton and can also be used as extra seating. I like it cause it will be almost impossible to damage it and we go a sweet deal because the dealer didn't want to have to pack it up again!

Next, I found these cool candle holders...they are really tall and would have cost a lot more if i had found them at a store...and I can paint them whatever color I want! Lady Cool is giving you a perspective of how tall these actually are.

Next, I found the letter "A." I always find old letters fascinating and when I found one for my name I knew I had to have it....It is made of metal and is from the sign of an old building.

Here is everything we got featured all together.....we also possibly got a really cool door, but Brandon's mom gets first dibs on whether she wants to use it or not....its at her house so I don't have a picture. I wonder what kind of things we will find in a couple of weeks...exciting!

Alright I got in Trouble for Being Away Too Long!

Sorry Margo...This one is for you! ;) Margo said if I don't feel like writing I should at least post pictures...so here are some!


So Brandon and I took a 6 day 3,000 mile trip at the beginning of August from Virginia to Rogers, AR. My family was having a little reunion at my grandpa's condo on Beaver Lake ....before we tried to sell the condo cause grandpa passed away a little while ago.



Anyways, we made our way down there with the tinnies and Brandon got to meet my whole family. I think he passed...they liked him! :) And we put up with each other for that long of a car ride!!...we stopped off in

Kentucky on the way back to Virginia and went to some flea market shops..we got some cool finds.

And while in Rodgers I went to the IO Metro Outlet...got a cool side table at such a discount! Julie you might want to make your way up there some time.

These are just pictures from our trip...I'll be back soon!

i'm back!

sorry everybody I have been away for too long!! I spend my days writing articles for livestrong.com and so when I get done with that I don't want to sit in front of my computer anymore...hence I haven't written a blog post, but I am back now!:)

yes I am currently living in Virgina and it has been great!! The tinnies love it here and are getting spoiled rotten.

B took me and the tinnies to Richmond's veggie fest last weekend ...ummm it was sooo good!!! I had vegan chicken bbq...excellent! And a tofu stir fry very tasty and general tso's vegan chicken.....it was good!!! Yes I ate all that and I wanted more! There we dogs everywhere....some really cute puppies that I wanted to take home with me and a very sweet and cute pit bull named Brooklyn that I wanted so bad!

I am blogging from my phone and it won't let me type anymore...be back later!

Friday!!

Here I go again!...only nine to ten hours this time:) This Friday I leave to head to Virginia again...this time I am driving during the day time and I will be driving to Blacksburg first. I am leaving early Friday morning and getting into Blacksburg that evening then I will go see the boy I miss the most on Saturday and spent memorial day weekend with him.

Like mentioned previously this will be a new adventure. I am going to say with my Blacksburg people during the week and hang out with B on the weekends for about a month. After that we will see where I end up!;)...hopefully we will all still like each other..haha

Anyways the dogs are traveling with me this time, but the cats are staying in the STL until I make a permanent move...so I am going to miss them like crazy:(

What am I gonna miss the most...probably Gizmo!! My mom's dog. He is one of my favorites and he sleeps with me every night...he is one of those dogs that reacts to your feelings and comforts you. When you return home from a five minute trip its like you have been gone forever...he loves you to pieces!! Oh Gizmo, I love you! I will miss you terribly!! (that's him when he was a baby...he is bigger now)

I am so excited....and I know people are gonna miss me...as I will miss them! I truly appreciate those of you who have told me you will miss, but have acknowledged your happiness for me and told me to do it!! You can come visit;)

Anyways, I am not sure everyone is going to be ready for all the stuff I am bringing but oh well...I am really only bringing clothes, shoes, purses, computer, accessories, dogs....haha

Ok, I'll talk to you again from Virginia!!

Grandpa's Lake

So this weekend I spent at my Grandpa's lake condo. His condo is right on Beaver Lake in Rogers, AR...a magical place! Of course this was the first time I was there without him, seeing as he passed away in the fall. It was weird being there without him, but all of his things where still there so I felt his spirit. Also, I felt him telling me, "Alia, do you think we can get top dollar for this place if my old wallpaper is still up?" No, Grandpa I don't!! So what did I do....remove it of course, Grandpa's wishes;). Although, I truly don't think we will ever get top dollar for the place because we can't sell the laughter and joy that grandpa brought into this place with his love for our family!!

My Grandpa was a character....strong, full of wit and humor...yet down to earth and understanding. He fought in World War II...(flew the planes), was a journalist, and providing a great home for five children (and many animals)...he had many life experiences that I know we never knew of, but the one that I think abounds overall all others is through everything he still had a love of life, a love of family and friends, and his great sense of humor. Grandpa had his wit and sarcasm till the end!! I thank him the most for all these things:)............with much love and appreciation I miss him.

Grandpa--we will be there, all of us...critters included, this summer to celebrate you and your life! As a last tribute, to carry on your inspiring character and integrity!

Let Me Recap...

Lets rewind...I know that some of you are reading this and are like, "who is this person she keeps talking about." Okay so here is the story of how we met......

I was in a wedding on Halloween of last year (2009) in Blacksburg, VA. Lets just saying everything up until the actual wedding was chaotic because the bride was mainly doing a DIY wedding and she ended up in the ICU until 3 days before her wedding. So there was still a lot of stuff to get done...but if you know me you know I will do everything to ensure it gets done. Anyways, the bride's parents are like family to me so at the rehearsal dinner I was introduced to the best friend of the bride's mom, Seleta. Little did I know that the plotting had begun!:)

I was told pre-wedding that this guy was coming to the wedding and him and the bride April had a history....I had been given the role of dealing with him if he acted up at the wedding...but I still had no who he was. So apparently, the night of the rehearsal dinner or the next morning (I have gotten a billion different stories on how it went down) Seleta told her son, Brandon, that she met this girl who was a bridesmaid. Seleta says that she told him "she couldn't wait for him to meet me because he met his match." (I am still unaware of anything) At the wedding, Brandon was checking me out and says I had his attention when I danced back down the aisle after the wedding (Mind you we were supposed to...its just no one else did!)

Okay so the reception. I went over to the table to talk to the bride's mom and there was this guy sitting next to her....and she introduced me and said, "Alia, this is Brandon and I saved him a dance with you." I was like ok whatever...I mean you know I will be on the dance floor the entire night...so ok. Once again I didn't think anything of it! I knew my role was to dance and keep the party going (the bride and groom told me this was my job).

The first song, Brandon was out on the dance floor to dance with me and I almost turned him down because he wouldn't put his drink down to dance with me. Luckily he changed his mind and abandoned the drink;). Basically, we danced the whole night and finally at one point he said, "do you want to meet my mom?" I said ya...guess who his mom was...Seleta!! So this was the bride's mom's best friend's son and the guy I was supposed to keep in-line if he acted up....WHAT?! Crazy!

Anyways, we spent the rest of the evening into the morning getting to know each other better. Brandon lives in Virginia, as you have gathered, and I am in the STL...but some how we just kept talking and now it has developed into something bigger than I think either of us could have imagined:). Who knew...crazy!

As Seleta says, "It took them no time to connect and after that they never separated."

In refection on this story, I must say I think it is crazy, yet fitting, and I wouldn't trade it for the world:)

Did I get all the details right B? I miss you!