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love,
ben and cassie
11.25.2008
9.19.2008
A Want or a Need?
I think with gas prices rising, I could easily justify one of these beauties as a need. Most definitely.
9.16.2008
Cha Cha!
The other day at the Bistro our friend Jenn introduced us to latest time-wasting entertainment: Cha Cha. Jaime just blogged about it and did a great job so go check it out: Barks Blog
All you do is text Cha Cha @ 242242 and ask anything you want. If it's a complicated question it make take longer to reply so be patient.
Here are some questions I've asked:
- What is the capital of Jordan? Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan.
- How do you make a real margarita? Margarita recipe, 3 parts of tequila, 2 parts of orange flavored liqueur, 1 part fresh lime juice, coarse Kosher salt.
- Should we run to the bank asap, withdrawl our savings and store it under the mattress or just leave it in our account? If you have over 100,00 split it across banks to be covered by FDIC insurance, otherwise you're safe.
Cha Cha is awesome.
9.15.2008
I can feel it.
Well, it doesn't quite look like this yet, but it certainly feels like it today here in Cleveland. I love the fall. Ben and I have been sick this entire past weekend and weather like today is jus what the doctor ordered. It's without a doubt my favorite time of year. I just wish it lingered around a bit longer. Happy Monday everyone!
9.11.2008
Nanetta Jane
I think most everyone knows that my granny passed away this past summer (one month before our wedding.) I haven't mentioned it on here because one, it's still hard to talk about it and two, wedding stuff just kind of got in the way (or served as a great distraction) and three, I'm not really the best at updating this blog. But as the wedding dust settles and life becomes more routine, there's more time to think about her and really process things.
Not that it has to be said, but I loved my granny so much (she would always spell it grannie and it drove me crazy!) She was always such an integral part of my life. Maybe it's because we lived with her throughout different times in my childhood or because of the trips we would take out west to visit family, always stopping at the general store on the way to get rock candy for me. Or maybe it was the trips to San Antonio with her and mom and the occasional aunt or cousin. Or maybe it's just because she was my granny, my one and only, and through good times and bad times she was the true matriarch and glue of our family.
My granny is the first person I've lost who I was close to and three months later, it's still hard to think about it. Sometimes I reach for the phone to call her and ask her about a recipe or just to see how things are going. I even get teary-eyed when I see women her age when I'm out and about (especially at the post office for some reason) and I think, "It's just not fair." It's just not fair that she's not here and that she's missed some really important moments in my life.
And while I still don't think it's fair that she's gone and I don't understand why, I have to admit that some things kind of fell in place when it came to her seeing or being a part of some of the momentous occasions in my life. For example, she got to meet and know Ben for almost three full years and she saw how happy he made me and that was something she had always wanted - for me to find a great man that will take care of me and vice versa. She would constantly remind me how proud she was and how happy she was to see us together. She also got to see me in my wedding gown before she passed away. I brought it with me while we were in town before she got sick and Holly came out to her house and we tried our dresses on and showed them off to her and my mom. Looking back, I can see that was more than just a coincedence.
The most recent "big" moment in my life has been becoming a home-owner. We closed on our house right around the time granny went into the hospital and more than anything I wanted her to be able to come visit us once she was out and to really be pampered as a house guest. Usually when the fam comes to visit they end up in hotels or a futon or on the couch because I've always had an apartment or roommates. When we got our house I thought it was perfect because they'd always have a place to stay while they were here.
While it seems this story has an incredibly sad ending, let's rewind to about a year and a half ago when my mom and granny came to visit. We were out driving around looking at houses just for the heck of it (Ben and I had sort begun searching, but weren't dead set on finding something right away.) My granny pointed out a cute house that was for-sale-by-owner. It was in the historic district so we figured it was way, way out of our price range, but my mom and I got out and looked anyways. We checked out the back yard and peeked in all the windows. It was an incredible house and I loved it. We called the seller just to see what the price was and sure enough, it was way out of our range. So I filed it away in the "really awesome house, but you're never gonna get it" part of my mind.
Fast forward to this past spring when Ben and I were house-hunting and I remembered the out-of-our-league house that my Granny pointed out so many months ago and took Ben by there to see if it was still for sale. Yep. Still for sale. And fortunately for us, the owner had dropped the price. Within a couple of months we had closed on a house that my Granny had first spotted. Another coincedence? Maybe. But I don't think so.
Even our cute pup Maggie isn't a coincedence. She was my granny's puppy for a few weeks before she was our's. So I guess, in a way, the good Lord worked everything out. She's still very much intertwined in our lives and I'm so grateful for the years we did have together. The thing I've come to realize and want to live by most is don't delay in loving. Because with love comes healing, honesty, compassion, passion, patience, kindness and so much more. I don't want to waste my time not loving.
And so I leave you with a picture of my granny's front porch. It's not a stuffy porch either with chairs that are uncomfortable. They are real chairs that have wear and tear from good use. It's a place where we loved best I think.
Not that it has to be said, but I loved my granny so much (she would always spell it grannie and it drove me crazy!) She was always such an integral part of my life. Maybe it's because we lived with her throughout different times in my childhood or because of the trips we would take out west to visit family, always stopping at the general store on the way to get rock candy for me. Or maybe it was the trips to San Antonio with her and mom and the occasional aunt or cousin. Or maybe it's just because she was my granny, my one and only, and through good times and bad times she was the true matriarch and glue of our family.
My granny is the first person I've lost who I was close to and three months later, it's still hard to think about it. Sometimes I reach for the phone to call her and ask her about a recipe or just to see how things are going. I even get teary-eyed when I see women her age when I'm out and about (especially at the post office for some reason) and I think, "It's just not fair." It's just not fair that she's not here and that she's missed some really important moments in my life.
And while I still don't think it's fair that she's gone and I don't understand why, I have to admit that some things kind of fell in place when it came to her seeing or being a part of some of the momentous occasions in my life. For example, she got to meet and know Ben for almost three full years and she saw how happy he made me and that was something she had always wanted - for me to find a great man that will take care of me and vice versa. She would constantly remind me how proud she was and how happy she was to see us together. She also got to see me in my wedding gown before she passed away. I brought it with me while we were in town before she got sick and Holly came out to her house and we tried our dresses on and showed them off to her and my mom. Looking back, I can see that was more than just a coincedence.
The most recent "big" moment in my life has been becoming a home-owner. We closed on our house right around the time granny went into the hospital and more than anything I wanted her to be able to come visit us once she was out and to really be pampered as a house guest. Usually when the fam comes to visit they end up in hotels or a futon or on the couch because I've always had an apartment or roommates. When we got our house I thought it was perfect because they'd always have a place to stay while they were here.
While it seems this story has an incredibly sad ending, let's rewind to about a year and a half ago when my mom and granny came to visit. We were out driving around looking at houses just for the heck of it (Ben and I had sort begun searching, but weren't dead set on finding something right away.) My granny pointed out a cute house that was for-sale-by-owner. It was in the historic district so we figured it was way, way out of our price range, but my mom and I got out and looked anyways. We checked out the back yard and peeked in all the windows. It was an incredible house and I loved it. We called the seller just to see what the price was and sure enough, it was way out of our range. So I filed it away in the "really awesome house, but you're never gonna get it" part of my mind.
Fast forward to this past spring when Ben and I were house-hunting and I remembered the out-of-our-league house that my Granny pointed out so many months ago and took Ben by there to see if it was still for sale. Yep. Still for sale. And fortunately for us, the owner had dropped the price. Within a couple of months we had closed on a house that my Granny had first spotted. Another coincedence? Maybe. But I don't think so.
Even our cute pup Maggie isn't a coincedence. She was my granny's puppy for a few weeks before she was our's. So I guess, in a way, the good Lord worked everything out. She's still very much intertwined in our lives and I'm so grateful for the years we did have together. The thing I've come to realize and want to live by most is don't delay in loving. Because with love comes healing, honesty, compassion, passion, patience, kindness and so much more. I don't want to waste my time not loving.
And so I leave you with a picture of my granny's front porch. It's not a stuffy porch either with chairs that are uncomfortable. They are real chairs that have wear and tear from good use. It's a place where we loved best I think.
8.08.2008
Our house!
I posted awhile back than Ben and I bought a house, but we never put pictures up. Here are some pictures before we painted and moved in. We absolutely love the house. It has so much character and charm and the location is incredible. It's in the historic district just a few blocks from Lee and the greenway. Now, we're just working on making it our own, which is taking longer than I'd hoped. I'm realizing it might be one of those ongoing processes since our tastes change over time.
Check back for the after pictures of what we've done so far and let us know when you're in town - we love houseguests!
Yeah mon!
Wedding planning is tiring, no matter how laid back of a bride you are. Your whole life gets consumed by aisle pomander decorations and stalking the newest bridal magazines at Barnes and Noble. Needless to say, Ben and I were definitely looking forward to a little R&R and our honeymoon was the perfect getaway.
The day after our wedding, we left for Sandals Dunn's River resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was so beautiful. The resort was a smaller, intimate resort - which we loved. The beach was perfect and the locals were great. We were escorted straight to the concierge desk upon arrival and from that moment, we never had to worry about a thing. We went to check out our room and it was wonderful - we had an ocean view and it was so nice to sit out there in the mornings and eat breakfast and listen to the island wake up.
The first day we were there, we got our shopping out of the way and hit up some of the local markets to grab the usual Jamaican souveniers. The next couple of days we went on some island excursions. The first one we did was climb Dunn's River Falls. This place was so beautiful. It's a waterfall in Ocho Rios that flows out in the ocean. We started at the bottom and climbed our way up with a huge group of people.
Our second excursion was the Blue Mountain bicycle tour. We took a bus with a group of people from nearby hotels and we headed off to the Blue Mountains. The ride was about two hours, but it was so fun. Our driver gave us great info on all the areas we drove through and the history of the island, as well as the current state of the island. We finally reached the Blue Mountains and we drove up near the top and stopped at the tour headquarters where we had brunch, learned how coffee berries are transformed into coffee beans and then headed off to ride our cruisers down the mountain. This excursion was a blast. We ended the day with a dip in a pool of cold mountain water right under a waterfall where some local boys were jumping off (you know Ben was dying to play, but the guides wouldn't let him jump off the falls since they would be liable) :(
The rest of the time at the resort was spent in the pool or by the beach. It was so nice to just relax and not plan anything for a change!
We did take a few pictures and you can view them here if you're interested. I wish we had taken more, but our cameras aren't waterproof so we didn't take them down to the pool or beach. Enjoy!
The day after our wedding, we left for Sandals Dunn's River resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was so beautiful. The resort was a smaller, intimate resort - which we loved. The beach was perfect and the locals were great. We were escorted straight to the concierge desk upon arrival and from that moment, we never had to worry about a thing. We went to check out our room and it was wonderful - we had an ocean view and it was so nice to sit out there in the mornings and eat breakfast and listen to the island wake up.
The first day we were there, we got our shopping out of the way and hit up some of the local markets to grab the usual Jamaican souveniers. The next couple of days we went on some island excursions. The first one we did was climb Dunn's River Falls. This place was so beautiful. It's a waterfall in Ocho Rios that flows out in the ocean. We started at the bottom and climbed our way up with a huge group of people.
Our second excursion was the Blue Mountain bicycle tour. We took a bus with a group of people from nearby hotels and we headed off to the Blue Mountains. The ride was about two hours, but it was so fun. Our driver gave us great info on all the areas we drove through and the history of the island, as well as the current state of the island. We finally reached the Blue Mountains and we drove up near the top and stopped at the tour headquarters where we had brunch, learned how coffee berries are transformed into coffee beans and then headed off to ride our cruisers down the mountain. This excursion was a blast. We ended the day with a dip in a pool of cold mountain water right under a waterfall where some local boys were jumping off (you know Ben was dying to play, but the guides wouldn't let him jump off the falls since they would be liable) :(
The rest of the time at the resort was spent in the pool or by the beach. It was so nice to just relax and not plan anything for a change!
We did take a few pictures and you can view them here if you're interested. I wish we had taken more, but our cameras aren't waterproof so we didn't take them down to the pool or beach. Enjoy!
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