We are ENGAGED!

On the 1st of December, 2012 Dom took me to Longwood Gardens. I thought this was just another romantic day for us to enjoy and get in the holiday spirit, but what I didn't know was Dom had a trick up his sleeve that would change my life as I know it!

We arrived after an hour drive and we were so giddy just to get inside the gardens. The grounds were beautiful, and massive and we just couldn't wait to explore. When we got there is was a little after 4pm so we toured outside to see all of the wonderful trees, plants, and garden areas.

 This is me in one of the many paths through the gardens.

This tree was decorated with ornaments that were edible for birds and other animals that live in the park. I loved this. The picture below is of me inside one of four tree houses within the gardens.

This picture is Dom and me in the Italian Water Gardens (I honestly thought this was supposed to be Italian water ICE. I didn't read the entire sign duhh it took me about 30 minutes just to realize I was not thinking right)

 

Next we took a stroll in the 30,000 square foot Greenhouse. This was absolutely breathtaking. We took the Christmas Route within the greenhouse and every room we entered had a different theme or flower arrangement. One of my favorite rooms was the orchid room and the decorated Christmas trees were just a few things we loved to see. Take a look:

 

 Still after such an amazing tour of the gardens I did not know Dom's surprise for me. We headed back outside to admire the lights and decorations in the dark. WOW, what a sight this was! The lights were beautiful and Dom and I were feeling the Christmas magic! After checking out a few areas in the gardens we stopped to overlook a pond that was lit up with white lights mirroring the movement of water. We were standing on a romantic balcony admiring the view and Dom turned to me to ask what I was thinking. Of course I said how much I loved being in such an amazing place, but dumb dumb me continued to add how chilly I was and was almost ready to head home to bake cookies with Jackie. After my silly comments I turned to Dom to ask the same...he of course was so kind and heartfelt and I just felt so loved inside. He told me about how he feels and what he wants for his future and finally lowered to one knee and ask me to marry him. Of course I had no clue this was about to happen so my hands flew up to my face and I was in awe.  A man that treats me like an angel was asking me to let him do this for the rest of my life. I did not hesitate a second longer and said yes! I will never feel as surprised or as happy as I felt that moment. He slid the ring on and I just squeezed him as tight as I could wishing this moment would never pass. The moment did of course but the feeling I have in my heart and my head have not. I know that I have been blessed with someone who cares about me just as much as I care about him. What a wonderful ending to our incredible day! These pictures below are right after Dom popped the big question!

and so it begins...our life together, and I could not be happier..

WE ARE....PENN STATE!

WOW the energy coming from the students and family members of Penn State university is contagious and electrifying. All fall Mikaela has been raving about PSU and the football games: the tailgate, players, cheers, beer, energy, excitement, and more! So the Gribbin clan decided to get a taste of the fun filled arena for ourselves! What a day we had ahead of us... we started by tailgating together in the 30 degree weather...and by 30 I mean FREEZING. The wind chill brought the temp. down to feel like 23 degrees this Saturday. We were bundled with layers, hats, gloves and had a full car load of food and beer :) what more can the gribbin crowd ask for!?

We arrived around 11 and hung out with the fans until the start of the game. We danced, laughed and just enjoyed the company of great friends and family. I know I can only speak for me, but I must say there is no place I'd rather see my little sister then a college that will give her so many wonderful memories!

Once in the game we cheered on the Lions during their big senior day. It was the last home game of the season and the last time the fans would enjoy the blue and white in Beaver Stadium in 2012. We had a ton of fun drinking the most delicious hot chocolate and munching on warm pretzels, but sadly right after half time we could not endure the cold any more. We slipped out quite early but enjoyed listening to the game in the car while driving home. I don't think anyone was bummed to leave after sitting one minute in the warm car.

This was probably a trip that will go on the top of the 2012 list, but I am sure we will raise the bar next year when we plan the second annual trip to Happy Valley. Enjoy the pictures and all hail the blue and white!

Sandy Support

This past week has been a challenge for so many people on the East Coast because of Hurricane Sandy. With wind gusts up to 90 mph and waves above 20 feet high, many of the coastal communities were affected. Since Dom and I had planned to visit Ocean City this past weekend before Sandy hit we agreed that we should still make the trip down to the shore, but change our agenda. We were looking forward to helping the community and our friends any way we could. After seeing the damage and hearning the stories of so many residents, we felt inclinded to be there to help. All of the residents and small business owners stayed postive and continued their work into the night to get back on their feet.

this image is from the beach access at 41st street. All of the sand was torn away here and on other parts of the island. Luckily my Pop Pop's house did not take on any water or sand so we were free to help friends at the north end of the island. So many helping hands here and success was made tearing up floors and removing saturated dry wall. The house was gutted, but the most difficult part of the "rebuilding" process was done! Now our friends can rebuild their home these next few months and move back into their cozy house with satisfaction. The South end of the beach was not much better then the North. Dunes were cut away by the pressure of the waves and the sand from the beach was in piles in the streets. with Snow shovels and bulldozers the sand was pushed into piles to be taken away.

After visiting O.C this weekend I feel that reality really sunk in and I feel grateful for what I have. I am so glad that I helped as much as possible this weekend with Dom. Even in the tough of it all Dom and I still try to make the best of a situation.

Our Trip to Colorado...

So the trip to Colorado was close to perfect, with a missed flight and an overnight stay in a Texas hotel (with holes in the sheets, yes I climbed into bed and my toe slid into a hole. ew) I was in need of a total care free trip. I finally arrived in CO on Friday morning, and Dom picked me up from the airport. Before we did anything we both NEEDED breakfast.  Once our bellies were full we stopped at the hotel so I could brush my teeth and shower- My luggage arrived in Denver before I did, and my night in the Texas hotel was not very accommodating because all of my carry on baggage had to be checked in Philadelphia at the gate. Once I felt clean and peppy we headed to Boulder, Co for shopping on Pearle Street and hiking on The Rockies. Check out the pics!

 

After we explored all that Boulder had to offer, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. We both only got a few hours of sleep the night before and we needed to rest because we had a fun filled Saturday ahead of us. We were up super early the next morning and went out for a delicious breakfast at a tiny cafe, then headed out for the city.

Once in Denver we explored 16th street shopping and just enjoyed the city life. We found a restaurant with bison burgers, beer and Penn state football! We had a great time here with the familiar lions playing on the big screen.

After a few hours in Denver, with snow, ice and wind, we decided to take a ride out to Red Rock. We wanted to explore the natural beauty and the amazing amphitheatre. What a place this was!! we were impressed by the size of the venue (it seated a lot less then we expected), but the backdrop of the seating was breathtaking. The red rocks are backed by beautiful green foliage and mountains. I think we both added something to our bucket list- see a live show at Red Rock.  This place is a "must see" in Colorado.

 

 

So this is it. The trip to Colorado was fantastic. With the minor (when i say minor I really mean major headache at the time) hiccups from my airline the trip was a INCREDIBLE. Dom and I couldn't have had a better time together in "colorful Colorado". I cannot wait until the next time we go out west to visit!  xoxo

Apples Apples Everywhere

Ok this is for all of my fall lovers out there. One thing that I can't get enough of is apples. Love'em...apple: sauce, cider, donuts, crisp, pie butter...the list is endless!anyway Dom and I went to Solebury farms Saturday to do our own skillfully picking! (if you need to find an orchard near you check this out http://www.pickyourown.org/PAeast.htm)

Here we are doing some work..haha

And Dom...

After much success we were off to the market for apple cider donuts!

Once we got home we had apples that were massive and overwhelming. Well to put our apples to great use we decided to make our own apple sauce! Genius. All we used was a crock pot, 3 large apples and cinnamon (not measured..we just added it as we went on. Feel free to add the amount you want)

So we peeled the apples, sliced them up and threw them in a hot crock pot. Add cinnamon and put the lid on. Wait anxiously for about an hour and don't you dare lift the lid! The heat is needed to make the apples soft. To speed things up add a little water to your crock pot and the steam will help your apples turn a bit faster.

Once about an hour passes, open up the lid, take a deep breath in to enjoy the sweet aroma and stir. You will know if your apples made sauce by the consistency of it. Our apples were very soft, but we did let a few chunks stay whole in our sauce.

We enjoyed our apple sauce right away with dinner, but Dom surely recommends that you wait for your apple sauce to chill in the fridge. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This sweet treat is sure to please! Enjoy!

pack my bags...

Off to Colorado tomorrow and I cannot wait! Dom will be there for business so I am going for a much need mini vacation! We hope to hike, ride bikes, eat yummy food, drink some beer and explore the beauty in Co. Even though we will be on this sweet retreat I am mostly looking forward to spending time with him and only him. Since he has began traveling more often for work, and I am super busy too it has been tough for just US time.  Yayy for US time :)  well off to packing and bed time..i hope i can fall asleep EEeeEEEeeeee  I can't wait to post pictures!!

Hurricane

So september for a kindergarten teacher looks well....insane. Ive been super busy and I am glad to say that this hurricane of a life is beginning to slow down. Once school and swim practice for the little ones started, I began to feel like the water was beginning to rise; and rising quickly it sure was. After about two weeks of the hectic and restless lifestyle I finally broke down. Literally, I was giving up on my own happiness, I was a different person toward Dom, and I was becoming so overwhelmed it made me forgetful at work and even while driving..yea totally weird. After one morning of total hysteria, I finally saw it...I was doing too much for others and not enough for me. With all of this frustration and madness i talked it out with Jackie and Dom to find a solution. One thing was clear and that was a quote from Einstein that Dom kept saying in the back of my mind: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". It couldn't have been more clear..I needed  to make a change. I decided to resign from coaching and focus on work, grad school and most importantly Dom and my family. I still have one more night at the pool but I could not be happier with that choice.

As for the great things in life...my family. Everyone is healthy and we will be seeing a lot more of each other becaus of birthdays, weddings, and my favorite holidays. It has been so great hearing about KayKay enjoying PSU and I can't wait until next weekend to chat with her about it! LaLa is also finishing up at bloom, which is so fantastic. I'm soooo excited to see what her next steps will be! Momma and Dad just celebrated 34 years of marriage and I cannot be more grateful for all they have done and sacrificed for my sisters and me. Jackie and jake are great with a brand new bed and super big t.v...awesome. Finally, Dom and I are so great. It's amazing to feel and see our relationship grow stronger in these tough times. He has been my stay at home wifey, knight in shining armor, and my stability. Keeping me calm, making me breakfast, lunch and dinner (yep he does) and just helping me to laugh and relax at home. I couldn't ask for a better guy. He has been my savior in all of this.

As for me, I feel good. Really good. I haven't felt more like ME for the longest time and I truly feel like I'm back. Back to my old, happy, helpful and super positive self. Yayay maybe I will even start running again...hmmm I hope I didn't speak too soon...love you all and thanks for reading. MWUAH**