Pumpkin Carving 2011

Snow in New Jersey... in October? I guess Mother Nature wanted to dress up for Halloween [yes, I did come up with that cornball line all by myself]! So to keep with the Halloween spirit, here's the pumpkins Sal and I carved last week. By the way, tip for any and all who haven't carved them yet, put vaseline on the inside of it so they don't mold, like mine did. My mom gives me advice after I make these mistakes, but hey, I learned!

[Halloween 2009]

I decided against the face.. seeing as my face two years ago was a little crazy, and Sal made a bunny gone wrong... the bunny was not what he intended to carve.

K for my first name and I added a star to the top. I absolutely love the way it came out. I'm not going to lie I used a stencil printed from the computer for most of it. 

Had to take a photograph with the pumpkins, even though Salvatore had to rush off to a soccer game he was asked to join last minute, which explains the reason why he doesn't match. 

Can anyone guess Sal's?

[Halloween 2011]

Yes! Harry Pumpkin, inspired by Harry Potter. 

I have to say I like this years pumpkins much better than two years ago. It's a great thing to do to spend time together, even if you don't have an ounce of artistic ability in you. It's fun to try your best, and with each year comes better pumpkin carving skills!

Picking Those Pumpkins

Every year Sal and I try to go pumpkin picking, two years ago we went a little too late in the season, and therefore, the pumpkins were in a greenhouse available for picking, and last year I'm not quite sure what happened. Thankfully this year we planned ahead, with the help of my fall bucket list. We planned to go on a Saturday, after I got out of work around 12 in the afternoon. Sal looked online for a place, and we ended up going to Washington, N.J. He invited his coworker and his girlfriend and two children, and off we went.

When we arrived, I could smell the fall air, and see the abundance of corn stalks, animals, and people. There were a good amount of people there already with their pumpkins in hand, and their children screaming and running around. We purchased tickets for the hayride, and we were off to the pumpkin patch to pick out our own pumpkins!

It was as if we were little kids again, looking at all of the pumpkins with amazement. I don't remember the last time I was in a field of pumpkins. We walked around eyeing each pumpkin, looking for the best one, to not only carve, but to look at [of course no one wants to look at a smashed/corroded pumpkin]!

We found the perfect, oddly shaped pumpkins. 

After the hayride back, we relaxed a bit and watched the kids play... imagining our own running around.. but not too soon. We then paid for the corn maze ... the kids one because we didn't feel like getting lost for over an hour in a maze, at least not for our first time!

We took pictures when we found our way out in those silly wood cutouts, and then decided it'd be nice to walk around and see the animals they had - chickens, sheep, horses, etc. It was starting to get late, and we still hadn't eaten lunch yet, and no one even realized this until we stopped and actually thought about it. So we stopped at the nearest pizza place, and talked over slices of pizza in warm restaurant that was actually Sal's Pizza [no relation to my Sal haha].  We had such a great day. I hope we can do this next year.

Bil-Jac Dog Food Campaign

As you might have read in a past post, I am a Bzz Agent [read more about that here]. I get products, test them out, and review it on my blog, Twitter, and Facebook, basically any social media outlet I'm on, and even in person! 

I received the Bil-Jac dog food campaign, that included a brochure, a coupon for a free bag of dog food, and other coupons to give away to friends and family [$10 off]! I was super excited, and as you can tell so was my golden retriever, Maddie. 

Now, Bil-Jac food is made with more real, fresh chicken than other dry dog foods, which is great because we all want our dogs to eat the best food right? For a 15 lb bag, 10 lbs of farm raised chicken is used to make it! I thought that was unbelievable, especially when you don't know what's in your dog's food half the time. If the food lasted a month, which it didn't because the bag was small, I would've been able to notice the skin, coat, and muscle tone of Maddie improve. Her digestion would've also improved, and she would've felt more satisfied after eating. 

Bil-Jac only makes pet food and treats, so they're 100% dedicated to giving your pet the best! And, there's no transition time so you can feed your dog Bil-Jac one day, and his/her regular brand the next! 

Fun Facts:

- It helps make your dog happier and healthier!

- Has never had a recall

- Proudly made in the USA with the finest ingredients and no fillers

- Retails for $17-$51, depending on the size

- It's available at pet specialty stores or online

- Tastes incredible

- Great for even sensitive dogs or picky eaters

- It's the sibling of the soft/moist treats like Little Jacs and Liver Treats

Like Bil-Jac on Facebook here. Follow Bil-Jac on Twitter here.

Watch the video to see how much my dog enjoyed the food!

National Museum Day

I found the free tickets for National Museum Day, at any Museum listed, I knew I needed to take hold of this deal! I ended up getting two tickets under my name, and two under Sal's name for the Intrepid - Sea, Air, and Space Museum - in New York. We took my dad and my brother, and spent the morning in the city. I was so excited to be able to spend the day with the men I love.

We had always talked about going to see the Intrepid, but never had, because it was expensive. If we had to pay for the tickets, with the ferry/parking prices, we would've spent over $200. So I'm quite glad we waited until this chance came up.

You never really think how big something is, until you're right next to it, looking up at it in all it's glory. The first place we went was to the top of the ship to look at all of the jets and the helicopters.

My friend is in the air force, and I never imagined that he actually flies these planes and jets, high in the sky... most likely by himself or with a partner. The seats were so tiny, and I felt as if I would be claustrophobic if I ever sat in one! I wouldn't last a second in there, so I give him a ton of credit. 

Afterwards, we went inside the Intrepid. I think that's what my dad's favorite part was. He got the chance to see the history of the Intrepid, while being in it [he's big on the history channel and the wars of the world]. I love to see my dad happy, so this in itself was my favorite part.

I even got to sit in an actual medical helicopter that they used back then (notice my brother acting as if he is injured on the side).

Sal and my brother even experienced what it was like to fly in an aircraft! Okay, so not really... it was just a simulator, but still - I think they had a good time.

It was a great day, and I am so happy that I got to spend it with people I love. We don't often all go out together, and I was ecstatic that the plans actually worked! I think we'll go next year, maybe to a different museum! Think, a yearly tradition of museums... okay maybe not, but we could try!

Wedding Bliss

Exactly one month ago I attended the most beautiful wedding of two of my closest friends. I met these two individuals when I began working at ShopRite, one my boss, and the other my co-worker. I never would have guessed that they'd get married, at least not when I first started working. They quickly became close though, and their friendship developed into something more, something everlasting. We would hang out outside of work, and I soon began thinking, these two are going to be married, and years later - they are.

The ceremony was outside and absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't sit still, waiting for the wedding to begin and when I saw my friend, I was speechless. She looked gorgeous! I made sure to see the groom's face though as soon as she came into view - because I mean that's the best part right?! [at least that's what 27 Dresses says] My favorite part was when they mixed the sand together, a purple & a white, together forever.

The reception only got better. I was able to congratulate them and wish them the best of luck in their marriage. I still couldn't believe two friends of mine had just gotten married. Everyone that knew I was attending this wedding kept saying ..."well you're getting to that age now!" I just shook my head, about thirty times. These two individuals are several years older than me, and I have to say the perfect age to get married, me ... not so much!

Sal and I with the Bride and Groom! 

                  

                                                                                     

                                    The cupcake party favors I made!

               The beautiful wedding cake!

They even had a photo-booth, that you can bet I went into more than once! 

The night consisted of dancing, laughing, drinking, and plenty of eating! We stayed at the hotel afterwards, since the wedding was down the shore... but not before we went to the bar! I know they had the wedding of their dreams because it was absolutely perfect. 

DIY - Fall Bucket List

When I came across the Fall Bucket List on Loves of Life I became obsessed and knew I needed to do this project! I love To-Do lists, and thought this would be perfect for the fall. I printed the printable out, on nice paper of course, and went off to Target in search of a frame! I found a perfect one for $4.99. It was white, which certainly went with the brown and orange color scheme of the bucket list. I also found a candle lying around the house and viola!

What you Need:

Printable from Loves of Life

Frame [any color]

What to Do:

Just Print and Frame it! 

I'm definitely going to be checking off the bucket list, hopefully before Halloween, but I think this to do list could stretch into November, I certainly wouldn't mind!

Source: Loves of Life

One Must Spend Money To Make Money

That's what my mom tells me, and I'm hoping it's true. I've been spending a ton of money recently on conferences, that could help improve my chances at getting an internship in a hospital, as well as a job in the future. I not only learn new things about Child Life at the conferences, but I also get the chance to network with others who are in the same position as I am, or those who already have a job in the medical field.

The last conference I went to was in Philly; two of my friends decided it would be fun to go together, get a hotel, and make a weekend out of it. Well I have to admit, it was definitely fun [as well as educational ...  obviously]. We explored the hotel the first night, had a conference to attend to the next day, went out that night, and explored a little of Philly the following day.

It all started with a train ride... an extremely long train ride. Did you know they have quiet cars on the train? The cars that you cannot talk in at all - no cell phone calls, no talking to your neighbor, no saying bless you? The people in that car do not look friendly either... and if you do happen to cough, you get the death stare. It's not a good time, especially when you're three girls who have a case of the giggles, and especially not when your dad calls asking if you're okay, and if you made it there yet.

We then made it to our hotel, after plenty of train rides, and a cab ride later, and let me just tell you it was beautiful... of course we explored it after we had dinner in the beds!

Did I mention the room came with an Ipad? Oh, it did.. and we even ordered our food on it, and had it delivered. I mean we aren't lazy or anything, it's just that you saved money if you ordered it from there! 

After exploring the hotel, and scoring these babies...

We called it a night, because we had to be up early to head over to CHOP [Children's Hospital of Philadelphia] for a conference.

The conference lasted all day, but we scored some freebies, and learned a good amount about the Children's Hospital, as well as Child Life in general. We also had the chance to network with other Child Life Specialists, which was definitely helpful!

We headed to our other hotel across town, which wasn't AS nice, but definitely less expensive, which is okay in my boat. The view was absolutely incredible. I had never seen Philadelphia from that view and I was super excited to snap pictures. It was even more beautiful at night!

Can you imagine waking up to that every day? And going to sleep to that every night? I sure could... well maybe not every day, because I'm pretty sure in another life I was a country girl, but it'd be nice once in a while. We decided to explore the town a bit and grab something to eat. We ended up going to this tavern under ground and it was pretty good, I mean not as good as the cheesesteak, but good. It ended up turning into a club after about 10 or 11 o'clock. We didn't mind, but when we met up with my friend's friends who went to school there, we ended up leaving and going to a bar on the water. GORGEOUS, let me just tell you.

After a long night, and a not so long night of sleep, my friend's parents picked us up to take us home, but not before we stopped at the LOVE statue, which we thought was much bigger.. haha.

It was a fantastic trip and definitely one that I would take again, especially with these two girls! I guess my mom was right, you have to spend money to make money, or to at least have a good time!

Under the Night Sky

I haven't blogged in a month! Boy do I have things to type about! The next three blogs will be about things that I did to cap off the summer. Yes, I know it's fall, but I don't care.. okay I do care and I hate myself for getting so far behind but school has kept me far too busy!

Camping. Have you ever been? This was my first time, so I was quite nervous, especially since it was with all of Sal's friends. However, they were super nice and definitely made me feel comfortable!

We had not even been there for a half hour and the boys already made a cooler for the beer, with the help of the river.

It was quite sad though because they had been brutally affected by Hurricane Irene. We not only found a firefighter's jacket and a child's toy, but we also found more personal items, that the lady at the campsite wished to be returned to her. We were glad we could help out by staying there and providing them with some money to start the renovations of their house and office, which were destroyed. 

Our tent was small but it did it's job.. at least until the rain came.. right into the tent!

Of course we had a great time during the day - cooking, exploring the land, playing cornhole and drinking. But we also had an even better time at night! Sal and his friend even won the Beerpong Tournament.

But I must admit, my favorite part was getting stuck in the tent during the rainstorm with Sal. We took about a million pictures of us being silly. He couldn't even open his eyes in most of them because the flash was too strong for his eyes. 

If you ever get a chance to go camping... GO, especially when a bunch of people go! It's been a yearly tradition for them and I was glad I was invited this year to join in on the fun! I think I'd go again next year!

Nature is absolutely beautiful and when it's truly observed you can see all of its beauty .. in a tree, a leaf, a river, the night sky. Everywhere you look is beauty and I would love it if every individual got to enjoy it, even if it's only for a minute. Because out there in the woods, you feel the magnificence that is the world - and even though the world has so much hurt in it, outside underneath the stars, all of the hurt blows away with the wind.