Brother

Since the dawn of time/1992, April 29th has been a very special day. This day, April 29th, is the day that my baby brother was born. And from the very beginning,it was emphatically clear that we would be an epic brother and sister combo. Ryan and I have done a lot of things, we have been through a lot of things, and all of these things have been survived because we stuck together through it all. [shrimp]

We celebrated another year of life at The Olive Garden, a choice most obviously made by the birthday boy himself. We enjoyed booze and bread, and then, we promptly sang at the top of our lungs. "Happy Birthday" never sounded so good.

Dear Brother, I love you, and I am impressed by your beard. I respect you, even though you wear skinny jeans. Your shoes are cleaner than your room, but I think it's an investment in yourself, I've never known anyone successful with dirty shoes.

You are my favorite now, you always have been, and no matter what, you always will be.

ALL four

Like the good blogger that I am, I gathered inspiration for this post from Helene's twitter post, 
[but Helene actually got the idea from Alanna & Company.] 

In the spirit of transparency, I will admit, I actually stole the complete post and copied all of her categories. And in my defense, I will reference my education: As my professor would say, there are no longer original ideas, so really, I am just fulfilling expectations.

4 Nicknames:

  Amanda Panda

  Fatmanda

  Kibbe - Breanna has had the hardest time not calling me this. It's hard to break a habit that you've had forever!

  Manda

4 Movies I've Watched More than Once:

  Step Brothers

  Talladega Nights

  When Harry met Sally

  Beetlejuice

4 Jobs That I have Had:

  Marketing Coordintor - probably my only real adult job ever.

  Teller - I have been a bank teller for over a year now, and I really enjoy it! 

  Draftsmen - probably the most boring job I've ever had.

  Cashier - I was a cashier at a grocery store and it was the worst!!

4 Items in my Purse:

  Chapstick! - always a must have

  My iPhone - it's my camera, my connection to people, my gps, my soul really.

  Red Lipstick - because really you never know, and red is always appropriate.

  Cash - Aaron and I have still been using the envelope system and it is seriously paying off!

4 Things I won't eat:

  BANANAS 

  Veal

  Lamb 

  Cauliflower 

4 Shows I Love:

  The Walking Dead - I am obsessed with zombies!

  Shameless 

  Scandal 

  Extreme Weight Loss

4 Places I have lived:

This one isn't that exciting (currently), but I can't wait to change it up! 

  At Aaron's mom's house - during the summers in college, she was kind enough to house me.

  College dorms - where I met and fell in love with a very dear friend (Megan!).

  My & Aaron's very first apartment - it was small and ugly, but it was an amazing experience.

  Our house - buying a house was terrifying, but it was also incredibly exciting. 

I am so happy that I created all of these memories with my husband, and I can't wait to have 4 better places ;)

4 Cars I have driven:

  A purple Ford Thunderbird

  A red Mercury Sable

  A white Saturn Astra

  And as you know, we just purchased a very beautiful new truck!

4 Places on my Travel Bucket List:

  Alaska

  Australia

  Bora Bora

  The Redwood Forests

4 Places I've Visited:

  South Carolina

  California

  New York City

  Mexico

4 Exciting Things for 2015:

  Tagging along on any and all of Aaron's work trips (Vegas!!)

  Getting to know our new Airstream

  Focusing time on cherishing my marriage.

  Working out! I have a goal in mind and I am ready to achieve it.

7 funny things + 2 boring bonuses

1. That would be Aaron's phone. Only slightly damaged... you know what they say, better the phone than the wife ;)
2/3/4.  A series of entertaining conversations. Pretty typical stuff in my life, vodka, hate, and random strangers.
5.  Seriously, who the hell drinks decaf? Nobody trustworthy. If you're getting enough sleep that you don't need caffeine, then there is definitely a problem. This is America, massive doses of caffeine are a life requirement.
6.  So here I am, trying to get back on the health train. I'm eating a damn apple, thinking "get it girl, you're gonna be thin in no time." When all of a sudden, I look down, and there is an effing spider on my apple!
7.  I finally finished my class. This has been one of the hardest grad classes that I have taken, I am so glad that it is over!
8.  Flashback to 2010 fatmanda. No bueno kids. This is a PSA really... drinking leads to obesity. Also, don't dye your hair black when you glow in the dark. So many lessons here... learn from my mistakes.
9.  In an effort to cut down on the amount of selfies I have been posting to social media [even I am capable of admitting that it is all getting quite out of hand.], I am participating in Taylor's photo challenge. You obviously should too.

our next chapter

This time, two years ago, things were very exciting.  I had just gotten engaged to the man of my dreams, and we were off gallivanting. In 2013 we visited Washington D.C. and Mexico for the very first time, we celebrated NYE in New York City, I went to a ton of amazing concerts, we got married!, and life was great. 

2014 was almost just as amazing. We traveled to California for the first time and we visited Mexico again, for a best friends wedding. Aaron and I both changed jobs and we planned for our future. 

[one day I might even get around to finishing my 2014 recap!]

Now, here we are, deep into 2015. Things this year haven't been any different. We are still making crazy decisions, all with the ultimate end goal in mind: true happiness. I know that "happiness" is very different for everyone, but for us, it means travel, seeing everything we have always dreamed of, being together as much as we can, and living the most flexible lives possible. With all of that in mind, I am excited to show you a sneak peak of our "next chapter."

Stay Tuned :)