Birthday Vacation!

Have you ever been to Disney World?  Most people would say yes, at least once.  I think my husband has been there a couple different times.  I, however, have never been.  Growing up in Minnesota, we weren't really close enough to make a day trip or even drive 10 hours or so to get there.  Flying our family of five was out of the question because of the expense and my dad's thriftiness.  Plus, although we lived in MN, both of my parents are from different parts of the country and that is where the majority of their families stayed, so any time we took a vacation (usually twice a year) we went to visit family in South Carolina or family in Montana.  Sure, there were there were the occasional detours to Mount Rushmore, Arkansas, Ohio, and DC, but only because a family member was living there at the time and we had a place to stay or we were driving through that area to get to MT or SC.  For the most part, though, we were frequenters of the South and the West every year.  And I did love going-- if we hadn't, I would probably have never really known my grandparents and many, many cousins because we were isolated from them, being so far away, and in all of my nearly 30 years, I can only recall one or two of my cousins from SC coming to visit us in MN and maybe a handful of aunts and uncles.  Pretty sad, really.  All of this to say, though, that we never did make a family trip to "the happiest place on earth,"  Disney World.  And I had always felt like I missed out on that fun part of childhood many of my friends had experienced.

Well, folks, that is about to change.  I am going to be the big 3-0 next month and my oldest (baby) girl is going to be 4 the day after (yes, I nearly had her on my birthday!) so we have decided that these two ladies are due for Disney!  Actually, the truth is, Disney wasn't exactly on the radar at first.  The story goes like this: When I turned 28, I was pregnant with my sweet second girl and I thought, "Man, it would really be awesome do something FUN for my 30th birthday.  By then, I (hopefully) won't be pregnant or nursing and I should be comfortable leaving the girls with our parents for a few days.  I would love to take an awesome trip somewhere warm and sunny with just Mark..."  And so began my campaign for such a trip.  Fast forward to around Thanksgiving 2012 when my parents were here visiting.  I posed the idea again and my parents said that they were thinking of doing something fun for THEIR 40th anniversary (big shout-out to them for making it 40 years and for being amazing examples of what God intended marriage to be, especially in a society that devalues marriage so much) in March, so since they both still work, that would be too much time off.  I understand that, so I thought we could ask Mark's parents to keep the girls.  At this point, no official plans had been made-- we, of course, wanted to secure things for the girls first.  Anyway, before we even had a chance to ask Mark's parents if they would be up for it, they mentioned to us that they would be spending all of February in Florida at a vacation place someone they know owns but won't be at home that month.  It is only 2 bedrooms and is in the middle of the state, but it is an hour away from Disney and an hour away from the Gulf.  When they told us that, we started thinking about plan C.  We decided that we could still have our little childless getaway and maybe go to Disney too!  They said they would keep the girls for a couple of nights if we wanted to drive to the beach and stay there just us, and then we could drive over to Disney for a day or two as well.  Big thanks to Mark's parents for being willing to take on both girls for us and allowing us to have much needed away time to recharge and celebrate my birthday and our relationship without the distraction and stress of two little girls underfoot.  We love our parents!

We still haven't solidified our plans... it's hard for Mark to commit to things so I have found a couple different bed and breakfasts, but he isn't sold. I enjoy certain elements of b&bs over hotels... they are usually child-free (which is what I am looking for in a vacation), provide amazing breakfast (this girl LOVES a good breakfast), include "free" things like bicycles and beach chairs, and feel more romantic in general.  I am not overly friendly at first, though, so the part of b&b culture I don't love is having to mingle with other lodgers.  That is something I am working on. However, their cancellation policies aren't as liberal as hotels are, so that might be a problem if something unplanned comes up-- with kids, that is always a possibility, not to mention they are more expensive.  I would like to get that part buttoned up soon.  Do you have any suggestions for great vacation spots and secrets around the Clearwater/Anna Maria, FL area?

As for Disney, having never been there before, I know very little about what to expect, except for what I have learned from experienced friends and the internet.  I have found LOTS of info about what to bring, where to go, etc. and honestly, the more I read, the more overwhelmed I feel about it!  Since we really only want to be there for a day or two, I have to try to pack all the best things to do and see into that time, which is proving challenging.  I hope we will be able to get back someday and spend a whole week there.  Is there a significant difference in the crowds on a week day versus a weekend in February?  That might determine how we plan our time there.  Any tips you might have about navigating Magic Kingdom would be helpful!

Well if that wasn't the longest blog post ever, I don't know what was.  Are you readers asleep yet?  Good grief, I really need to learn how to post pictures so your interest remains throughout the whole thing.  I will get on that, pronto!

Home Improvements

Ever since we found and purchased our home in mid 2009, we have been remodeling something in or outside of it.  The person we bought it from was the original owner (the house was built in 1975) and although he kept it up, he and his wife never improved it cosmetically (or so we thought until yesterday).  Once I figure out how to add pictures, I will post some of the place-- you will be instantly transported into the 70's.  We aren't afraid to get our hands dirty and enjoy making it our own, while still making it desirable for resale one day, so nearly every surface has been altered.  I have to give pretty much all the credit to Mark for his hard work and willingness to realize my vision for each project.  We also have gotten a lot of help from friends and family that have know-how and time to help out.  Thanks to you all-- you know who you are!

Well, after much deliberation (mostly on my part), we decided to install laminate wood floor in the entry, the basement landing, and the tiny room that was originally intended to be a bathroom, but since we haven't gotten to that yet, it is just an office for now.  Those are the only untouched floors left in the home and to say they are an eye sore is an understatement.  Again, pictures to come.  Now, most of the home improvements in our house have been my brainchild and my husband's handiwork.  On this occasion, however, I decided to jump in and do some of the work myself while he was at work.  I probably looked silly with my make-shift safety goggles (ie. sunglasses), skinny jeans, sweater, fashion boots and hammer, pounding away at the tiles like a madwoman for half an hour.  Follow that with me putting on the only gloves I could find to pick up said tile, my husband's winter ski gloves.  It must have been a sight to see.  BUT, I was so proud of my work!  I got all of the tiles up myself!  Only to find that the original homeowner had, in fact, done a "cosmetic" update.  Those ugly tiles were covering up... the original, hideous tiles.  These gems are so ugly, they would have been one of the first things to go had I seen them at purchase.  No problem, right?  I just pounded out the other tile, why not start on this stuff?  Turns out those suckers didn't want to give up without a fight.  I tried myself for a bit and decided to let Mark take care of it.  He had to get a cat's claw chisel and hit it with the hammer and after working on it for over an hour and only completing 75% of it, he called it quits for the night.  We will conquer you, tile!  I can't wait to see how the wood look will warm up that area!

Do you have any experience with laminate wood flooring?  It's not my favorite, but we were encouraged to get it because we have kids and a cat and it is more durable than what we were looking at, which was an engineered wood floor.  I hope we made the right choice.

What about you?  Are there any home improvement projects you have been working on or would like to start?

New Venture

Hello there!

Right now I have a nice little break from the constant chaos my two little ones like to create (my youngest is at the stage of destruction-- this means she can't go into a room without emptying a bin, trash can or drawer) because they are both napping.  This is a rarity anymore, because my oldest hasn't taken a daily nap for almost a year.  Today, however, must be different, so I will enjoy my small window of peace and quiet.

I wanted to share about my upcoming new venture-- Origami Owl.  Have you heard of it?  I hadn't until two days ago.  Long story short, it is a fast-growing social party business started by a 14 year old girl that just wanted to raise enough money to buy herself a car by her 16th birthday.  Not only did she meet her goal, but she created an extremely successful business that has allowed many other women and girls to achieve their own goals!  The concept is called a Living Locket, which is a clear locket that can be customized to your taste with charms, dangles, birthstones, etc and tells a story about you.  When my husband (you read that right-- my very manly husband is the one who told me about this and encouraged me to look into it) told me about Origami Owl, I admit that I thought it was a little silly sounding and not something people my age could get excited about.  However, when I did a little research, I discovered that a Living Locket is a neat and uniquely personal piece of jewelry that I would wear myself and would be proud to give to most everyone I know as a gift.  So, I have signed up to become a "designer."  Because of the insane interest in the company in such a short amount of time (the company only began in 2010), Origami Owl limits its number of designers, so at this time, I am just considered a "Designer in Waiting."  I should receive my official designer status in a few weeks and then I can begin scheduling shows.  I'm pretty excited about it!  If you are interested in booking a show or investing in a product from Origami Owl for you or someone you know, I would certainly love to help you!  Just let me know!

Well, I hear a little voice coming from the nursery so I had better run.  So long, peace and quiet!

First Impression

Hello, Readers, and welcome to the beginning of my blogging "career!"

"So... come here often?"  Ha ha, that was one of my husband's favorite pick-up lines in our dating relationship.  It must have worked well enough-- we have now known each other for 11 years and have been married for soon to be 8.  Now, a favorite joke of his that he heard from a friend is this: "Wow, 8 years of marriage has felt like 8 minutes... under water."  Silly guy!  Hopefully he doesn't mean it! :)  

Well, really quick little tidbit about me: My name is Mandy, my husband is named Mark.  We have often been called "Mork and Mindy" so if that helps you remember us, go for it.  We are both Ohio transplants and as much as we wish it wasn't, Ohio is starting to feel more like home.  If you are an Ohio reader, please do not shout out "O-H" and expect the rest to follow if you are talking to one of us.  We are not and will not ever, ever, ever become fans of "The" Ohio State University (eye roll).  But moving on, we have two beautiful daughters that are such a joyful addition to our family.  We love them dearly and thank God often for allowing us to be their parents.  God is important to us-- we have both been believers since childhood and have continued to grow in our relationships with Christ since.  Jesus is the rock in our relationship and in our family.  So there you have it: Me in a nutshell.  

I've decided to start blogging for a few reasons.  First, those two beautiful kiddos of mine are growing up way too fast and although I have a decent memory for a mom, I know I can't remember every detail of their lives the way I would like, hence the need for a blog.  Second, I have a bachelor's degree in English and since graduation, I've used it minimally.  It feels a little weird for me to write whatever I want for whoever will read, though, because I've always been a bit insecure when it comes to my writing.  It's so personal and such a reflection of who I am, so I haven't wanted someone random on the internet to judge me for it.  However, as a stay-at-home mom, I have learned that I do need a creative outlet and I believe a blog may be one option.  Third, I have many family members out of the area who would love to keep up with us via a blog.  Fourth, I would like to encourage or inspire anyone who visits however I can.  I can't promise anything awesome, but I will try my best to be real and honest about all things Acker.

Wow.  So that was my big first impression.  Hopefully it was good enough to make you want more.  :)  Until then, God bless!