What I'm Loving Wednesday!

1. The fact that I get to hangout with my wonderful puppy today!

2. That there is only a month and a half left till we move out of this apartment and into a house! yeah!! so excited! We aren't buying only renting ...but still so excited.

3. I love that it is raining outside. We desperately need this rain! I love rainy days! 

LINK UP WITH JAMIE TO TELL US WHAT YOUR LOVING THIS WEEK! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

1. These Dresses from Forever21 and the fact that they have a store in Charleston! I love this store







2. My Wonderful Husband! He has been so incredibly supportive and understanding these last couple of weeks. I love him with all my heart.

3. My Dog Ginger- She is the sweetest dog ever! I love her so much! 

4. THAT I GET TO GO SEE MY BFF AND HER DAUGHTER LUCY-KATE TOMORROW! 

I LOVE YA COURTNEY! YEAH I CAN'T WAIT!

Germany Trip!

Hi! Below are pictures of our Trip to Stuttgart, Germany. We went at the end of January and stayed for 6 days. It was such a beautiful city with lots of touristy things to do. It was such a great experience to be able to see this country. As you can tell....We went during one of the coldest months there.  There desserts are to die for. So yummy..  Stuggart- is such a gorgeous city with lots of old towns, castles and wineries. 

Enjoy!

City of Esslingen

Ludswigburg Castle

Inside the Ludswigburg Castle

Victor and I a the Top of the Stuttgart Tower

This is the Stuttgart 21 Protest- they are protesting a new train station.

The Display of Desserts at one of my favorite Cafe's- so yummy!

Pic of the Castle in Esslingen- we had to climb 50 stairs to get there..but it was so worth it. 

Top 2 Tuesday..Random Facts About Me!

#1. I absolutely love Cottage Cheese- I know it is gross. But it takes really good and its supposedly really good for you. I eat at least a cup a day. 

#2. I am always late when I have to be somewhere- I am really trying to not do this anymore. For some reason I don't give myself enough time to get somewhere and I am always running at least 20 or 30 min. late. Whether it is going out with friends or going to family events, for some reason I am always the last to get there. Usually the reason I am late is because I can't figure out what I am going to wear. I probably change my outfit 4 times before I go anywhere. My husbands absolutely hates it. But I think he is getting used to it now.

My Top 5 Favorite Reality Shows

Wow! It is very hard to narrow this down too 5 but, I will try.

1. The Bachelor & Bachelorette- Every year there is always crazy drama that sucks me into the show! I absolutely love it.

2. Keeping Up With The Kardashians!!- I love this family...they are so wild and crazy. They remind me a little of my family- without all the cursing and nakedness. 

3. Kendra- Definitely one of my favorites because she speaks her mind just like me. Love her!

4. Jersey Shore- Who doesn't like seeing a bunch of crazy italians causing drama in NJ? These kids are geniuses because they are making a lot of money by just being crazy. 

5. The Real Housewives of Atlanta- These women are actually seriously crazy and they aren't afraid to show it. My favorite is NeNe. That girl is crazy!

5 STEPS TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!

THE BEGINNINGS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE STARTS NOW!!!!!

Today is going to be the day I start exercising more and eating better. The way I have been eating has been horrible. Too much fast food. I also want to relieve my stress and the Doctor said it starts with a little exercise everyday.  Stress has been my biggest hurdle the last couple of months.  I don't know how to relieve it. It has also gotten to the point where it is causing me health problems. I know that everyone has stress in there lives. I have a dear friend of mine Brittan that is dealing with way more stress than I could ever handle and she seems to be able to handle everything, a job, a kid, and she is able to deal with her husbands health problems. How do y'all do it? What is the secret to handling daily stress?  I hear that the Yoga videos really work, but i am afraid it won't work for me because,  i would probably lay down and fall a sleep. 

The thing that i hear helps is running, but I can't get the motivation to stick with it and I can't afford a membership to a gym. I do take my dog on a jog every once in a while, but I haven't been able to stick with it on a daily basis. I hope that this will change soon. I no longer have the one thing that has caused me so much stress lately...my job. I had to quit it last thursday because I had another epilectic attack at work. This was my second attach in a month that I had at work. We decided it was best for my health to let go of this job and start looking toward to our future. I know there will always be stress with jobs, I just need to learn how to cope with it better. To be honest It wasn't the job that was stress full for me it was the disorganized working environment. I guess some people are made for high stress jobs. I am definitely not one of them. It felt like I was working at a company that was just one big sorority and you had to be cool to be in the club. I have no regrets, because I absolutely hated my job.  So,  I have decided to focus on more important priorities like finishing up my Medical Assisting Degree and starting a family AND TAKING CARE OF MY HEALTH. Hopefully, Once I finish my degree I will have a job that I enjoy and doesn't cause me so much stress.

MY FIRST GOAL IS TO RUN 3 MILES WITHOUT STOPPING IN 2 WEEKS.

I AM HOPING TO RUN A 5K BY APRIL 16TH AND A 10K BY THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. I THINK IF I HAVE GOALS SET OUT NOW...THAN I WILL HAVE SOME THAT I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO ACHIEVING!  HOPEFULLY ONE DAY I WILL BE ABLE TO RUN A FULL MARATHON. 

MY PLAN FOR THIS WEEK IS AS FOLLOWS:

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAYS- RUN FOR  45 MIN. OUTSIDE WITH MY DOG OR IN MY APARTMENT GYM.. WHICH IS FREE.  AND DO DANCE CENTRAL FOR 30 MIN.

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS: I AM GOING TO DO MY AB WORK OUT VIDEOS FOR 45 MINUTES AND DO 20 MIN. OF WEIGHT LIFTING.


My Diet will include eating more fruit and veggies and drinking 8 glasses of water a day. No more soda for me!

I think I have all the resources I need. The thing I need MOST is the motivation to stick with my schedule.  Does anyone know of any sports activities in the charleston are that my hubby and I could join and that isn't too expensive? Let me know thanks! I am looking for something that requires a lot of running, but is fun at the same time. I used to do frisbie and kickball but we didn't really enjoy it.

MY LIFE SO FAR!

Life So Far Has Been Fabulous! I am a proud aunt to the most beautiful twins ever! I can't wait to go see them again. Victor and I will be heading to Atlanta on March 26th, to babysit while my sister and her husband attend a wedding. This will be Victor's first time meeting them. It should be interesting to see how he can handle two babies at once. It is not easy at all. I don't know how all you mothers out there do it. These last couple of months have been crazy busy. We went to Germany for a week back in January. Victor had to go for a work trip, so we decided to make it into a little vacation. We had a blast travelling around Stuttgart, Germany. It is such a beautiful city. If you have never been, then you should definitely go! I have a video I will post of our trip there in my next post. Many of our friends who got engaged last year are now getting married this Spring! So lots of weddings to attend in March and April and Birthdays too. Yeah! I can't wait! So far we have been taking it easy enjoying our wonderful pets. I will leave you now with a pic of my dog ginger! This is what she does when i am not around! I also have pics of the twins below! I am seriously obsessed with them! Elizabeth Ann Pike & Garrett Reilly Pike! Welcome to the world! I love y'all so much! 

This is a pic of the onesies i got for the twins while we were in Germany  and a lullaby cd we also got them!

Me and the twins!

Garrett Reilly

Elizabeth Ann

MONEY & MATERIAL ITEMS CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS!

Checkout this video- It goes along with my new blog post. I hope y'all like It! Like they say in the song- "Money can't buy us happiness, Can we all slow down and enjoy right now, Guarantee we'll be feeling Alright.". SO TRUE! I wish the whole world would do this more.

I know this sounds lame, but I heard a song on the radio today that made me think of a new blog post. The song is called Price Tag by Jessie J. Listen to the lyrics and you will understand the meaning of this post. I can't say that I am not guilty of buying the next best thing no matter what, because I am. I think most people are guilty of doing this. It got me thinking about why we do this to ourselves?

 For instance, wanting an iPhone, a new car, a new house, new clothes, new video games just because someone else has it or because we want it. If you are like me when you buy new stuff it makes you happy for say a week or so and then you want the next new and more popular thing.

Why can't we be happy with what we have? Why aren't we just happy to have a roof over our head and food and water to drink? Why are we not just happy with our family and friends? Why are we chasing for more?

What is out there that could possibly be better than what we have already like our children, husbands, wives, siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, mothers and fathers, cousins and friends. Isn't spending time with our loved ones more of what we should be chasing? Instead, we choose not to spend time with them and choose to spend time on material items and spending money, when we could be saving it to visit our loved ones.

Many people choose to do this, because our family members get on our nerves or are too far away from us to travel and see them. We are not going to live forever. We do eventually die. I have first hand experience with this as many of you probably can relate to. I lost my mom in June of 2001 to ovarian cancer. I can't believe it will be 10 years this June since she has passed. I wish I had spent more quality time with my mom and i kick myself everyday for not doing this.

You don't realize how much a difference just taking time out of your day, week, month or year can mean to a loved one. Tomorrow is not promised us!

I am guilty of doing all of these things. I am just hoping that posting this will make people, including myself second guess spending money on material things like movies, games, electronics and start using this money to spend  on traveling to see your loved ones. These material items can't bring you happiness only love can! Why can't we all love one another? It's such an easy concept that we seldom do.

WE NEED MORE LOVE IN THIS WORLD, NOT MATERIAL POSSESSIONS!

I hope y'all can at least see my point of view on this. Please leave comments on this post. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say about it. I am an open book and will not get offended if you don't agree. I love free speech and blogging. I think i could get addicted to this.

Please note I am not an English major, so I apologize for incomplete sentences or misspelled words.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Hamley

TOP 5 THINGS I COULD LIVE WITHOUT, BUT LOVE VERY MUCH!

1. DR. PEPPER- This is my favorite soda to drink. If i could stand the taste of diet, then i would drink it. For some reason any diet soda makes me nauseous. I could drink the dr. pepper's in one day and do it way too much.

2. MY MAC BOOK PRO-This is the best computer ever. I know it is a little expensive, but it is so worth the investment. My favorite App is the iphoto. I made my germany pic's into a slideshow using it. I will post this later.

3. My Sony HD-3D Camera! I got it for my bday from my wonderful husband. He spoiled me for my BDay and christmas in 2010. It takes awesome pic's and video. I use it non-stop anytime i go anywhere. LOVE IT!

4. Chick-fil-A Sandwiches- If you don't have a chick-fil-a near you, then you are totally missing out. The best fast-food restaurant out there. There is one requirement with this sandwich- it must have mayonaise on it. I love the pickle that comes with it to. This is my guilty pleasure that i must have once a month. YUM YUM YUM! It makes my mouth water just looking at it.

5. I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST- MY IPHONE 4!- My husband spoiled me this last christmas when he got me this phone. I couldn't ask for a better phone. I am absolutely addicted to it. I play the app game everyday on it. My favorite game is Restaurant and Bakery Story. It has everything you could possibly ever need all on one phone. It is expensive but totally worth the investment. I ABSOLUTELY 100% LOVE MY IPHONE! It is my baby and if anything were to happen to it i would die!

NEW JOB

Hi y'all...Sorry it has been so long since i have posted on my blog...I have been desperately searching for a job and it is finally here.....yeah i got a new job. I am so excited to start working soon. I got a job working at a logisitcs company. It is a temp. position. So if the economy goes down. I will be one of the first to go. Hopefully the economy does not get any worse. But if it does i will be better prepared to get a new job. Getting this job has definitely boosted my confidence. I can wait to get back into the real world. I think what really helped me get this job was going to the Center For Women. Which is the only comprehensive women's development center in South Carolina, the Center for Women (C4W) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to make personal and professional success an everyday event for women in the Lowcountry. They are such a fabulous group! I went to a job search workshop about a 2 weeks ago, to get information about getting a job, since i was not having any luck on my own. I spent one day for 3 hrs. listening to a speaker talk about how to find the perfect job. I was with at least 10 other women, who were in various stages of finding a job. I learned so much from this group on how to interview, write a resume, and search for a job. Eventhough i got my job through the temp agency. I would have never gotten the job if i had not written a thank you letter and interviewed so well with confidence. They were able to give me the skills to get a job. If you are looking for a job, then you should go. I have also found that there are other places that provide the same great services for finding a job. The one that is nationally known is...Careers One Stop...here is the website...http://www.careeronestop.org/. I hope this information will help anyone out there that is looking for a job. Anyone out there who has had issues finding a job? I would love to hear about your journey to find a job. I am so thankful that my prayers have finally been answered. I start my job on tuesday! Back to Reality!! Woohoo!

Random Question Thursday!!!!

1. Is there anybody you just wish would fall off the planet? -wow that is a hard one...i don't wish for anyone to die...but i am so sick of hearing about Lindsey Lohan....that girl needs help!!!
2. What is your favorite pizza topping? sausage
3. What's your most annoying habit? talk to much
4. Where did you last go on vacation? mississippi, on Aug. 20th
5. What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator? wine, cheese, and ham
6.  What are your favorite sayings? Oh my gosh, y'all are crazy, y'all, what are y'all doing?
7. What song(s) do you sing most often in the shower? I believe i can fly by---R.Kelly
8. If you could go back or forward in time,where would you go? To when my mom was still alive and not sick...she could always make me laugh and smile....and always up for entertaining friends and family...miss her alot..
9. What do you do when no one is watching? dance and sing
10. If they made a movie about your life, what actor/actress would be you? Katie Holmes
11. Would you rather die in a blaze of glory or peacefully in your sleep? Peacefully in my sleep
12. Have you ever been in love? of course...my husband is the love of my life!!!!!
13. Do you talk to yourself? oh yeah ...probably too much...my mind is always racing...i promise i am not crazy though.

Dating in The Dark!

Hi Y'all! If you don't know by now i am pretty obsessed with reality TV. Does anyone watch the show Dating in the Dark? I think this is probably the most interesting t.v. show i have seen yet? It really shows how shallow people are when it comes to how people look. I mean looks do matter a little, but you don't have to be the hottest guy/girl to get a date. If i were in the dating scene, I would pick the guy with the best personality...it is how i met my wonderful husband...he is handsome but it was more about his personality. What do y'all think does looks or personality matter more when dating someone? Here is a video of the show! Check it out and let me know what you think!!!!!! This video shows what the people really think of their dates!!!

Caitlin's Favorite Recipes!

Here are 2 of my favorite childhood Recipes! yum yum! I love food and enjoy cooking as much as possible. I have found the best recipes on http://allrecipes.com/ by far the best website for recipes! enjoy!


Linguine With Clam Sauce -

(serves 8)
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice


1/4 cup butter


1/2 cup vegetable oil


1/2 teaspoon minced garlic


1 tablespoon dried parsley


ground black pepper to taste


1/4 tablespoon dried basil


1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta


Directions


1.Cook pasta according to package directions.


2.Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Combine clams with juice, butter or margarine, vegetable oil, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. Serve warm over pasta.
 
Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe:
Ingredients



1 (12 ounce) package spaghetti


1/3 cup butter or margarine


1/3 cup all-purpose flour


3/4 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon white pepper


1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth


1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream


1 cup heavy whipping cream


4 cups cubed cooked chicken


3 (4 ounce) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained


1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimentos, drained


1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions


1.Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add the broth, half-and-half and whipping cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms and pimientos. Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat.


2.Transfer to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 2 months. Bake the second casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Mississippi Trip and Labor Day!!!!!

Hi Y'all! So I haven't posted a blog in a while. So i wanted to catch everyone up with what we have been up too lately. Lots has happened in the last. We found out a couple months ago that my sister Mandy is expecting twins in February. We are so excited that the Nardi clan is finally expanding. Victor has been busy working alot lately, while i have been searching for a job. It has not been easy at all. But i am taking it day by day! I didn't realize how hard it would be to find a job. It takes a lot of hard work! Summer 2010 has been quite a busy summer for us. We celebrated my granparents 60th anniversary, traveled to missippi to see my parents and had my brother in-law and niece in town in july and my sisters were in town for Labor Day! We had a blast hanging out with Savannah and Jeremy we took the Carriage Tour downtown and went to the beach alot. I miss them so much! It's always a good time when they come in town. I can't wait to see my in-laws in a couple of weeks in Kiawah. I love when people come and visit us. I am the happiest when i am entertaining people, (I must of gotten it from my mom) she always had people over when we were kids...I definitely miss those days when our house was always filled with guests or friends stopping by! My sister Leigh just left this morning and I am already bored because there is no one to talk to or hangout with. I had a blast hanging out with Leigh and Cara and going to the beach and shopping! I wish my family lived closer together. Hopefully that will happen one day soon! On August. 20th, Victor and I went to visit my parents in Ocean Springs, MS. With all the oil spill stuff going on i didn't expect to see many people around, but i was surprised to see it was actually busy and there was no oil on the beach! Mississippi is such a gorgeous state, we went on a river tour hoping to see some aligators, but we unfortunately didn't see any, but we did get to see the beautiful scenery and learn alot of history of the bayou. I had a great time hanging out with my sisters and parents. We also went to a Casino in Biloxi and I won $5.47. I was so excited to win at least something there from the slot machines. The only thing i don't like about the trip was having to be stuck at the airport all day because of a little storm in charlotte. US Airways has the worst customer service ever. Oh well we did make it there safely in one piece! Miss my parents and siblings alot though! After our trip in MS, my sisters Leigh and Cara came to visit us in Charleston over Labor Day weekend! We had a fabulous time hanging out at the beach with friends and shopping! Miss them already! This is all that has happened lately! This week i will be celebrating 2 birthdays on Sept.11th! Can't wait for another fun and exciting week with great friends!!!! Happy Birthday to Elizabeth and Lucy-Kate! Love y'all both! Well, this is all of my update for Summer 2010! Cheers to great summer with wonderful family and friends! Ready for Fall 2010 and cooler weather. It has been brutally hot here this summer!

P.S. I promise i will start updating this blog once a week!

TTYL!
Caitlin!!!

My first Blog!

Hi Y'all!

I decided today that I was going to start a blog for Victor and I. Alot has happened in the past year since we have gotten married. I have the best family and friends ever! Here is a little recap of what has happened in the past year -My brother Patrick and Marlena got married in October 2009, I am currently going back to school, my dad and holly moved to Biloxi, MS, we got a new puppy and celebrated our 1 year anniversary on June 20, 2010, and my Grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary in May 2010, we had such an awesome time hanging out with family. My beautiful neice Savannah celebrate her 5th birthday in April 2010, i am so proud of her! She has come a long way in a year! I am blessed every day for the wonderful husband I have and the best in-laws ever! Victor has such a great family and I am so happy to be apart of it. So far, Victor is still working at Behr Heat Transfer in Charleston, SC he has been there for 10 years now. I am so proud of him! I also decided to go back to school in January 2010 to become a Medical Assistant. So my main priority now has been school and hopefully going back to work soon. I never in a million years thought I would be the least bit interested in school, but since the economy is bad I decided now was the time to do something positive with my life. I am just so thankful that I have Victor's support throught all of this. We have added a new addition to our family, our new puppy Ginger has become a great addition since we got her back in March. Victor and I absolutely love her! We are still in the stage of training her to be a great dog. She is now 8months old, and our cat riley is 2.5 years old. We get great entertainment watching them play together every day. We recently took a trip to Asheville, NC for our 1 year anniversary and had a fantastic time hanging out in downtown asheville and going white water rafting. I can't believe all that has happened in the past year! I feel so grown up now! My friends are getting married and having babies, it seems so unreal that life has gone by so fast. My best friend in the world welcomed her new baby Sept. 11, 2009 "Lucy-Kate Elizabeth Stemple". She is the cutest baby ever and I can't wait to celebrate her 1st birthday soon! Well this is all the latest information I have for now! I will try to post updates at least 1 a month. I hope everyone is doing well! I can't wait to celebrate the holidays with my family this year! miss y'all and love y'all so much!!

Love,
Caitlin & Victor