Sharing Sweet Lyrics

Train "Marry Me"

Forever can never be long enough for me

Feel like I've had long enough with you

Forget the world now we won't let them see

But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted

Love has surely shifted my way

Marry Me

Today and every day

Marry Me

If I ever get the nerve to say

Hello in this cafe

Say you will

Mm-hmm

Say you will

Mm-hmm

Together can never be close enough for me

Feel like I am close enough to you

You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love

And you're beautiful

Now that the wait is over

And love and has finally shown her my way

Marry me

Today and every day

Marry me

If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe

Say you will

Mm-hmm

Say you will

Mm-hmm

Promise me

You'll always be

Happy by my side

I promise to

Sing to you

When all the music dies

And marry me

Today and everyday

Marry me

If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe

Say you will

Mm-hmm

Say you will

Marry me

Mm-hmm

SUCH AN AMAZING SONG.

LOVE FALLING ASLEEP TO THIS.

GOONIGHT Y'ALL... SWEET DREAMS ♥ ♥

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 13

Day 13: Goals

This blog comes at such a perfect time, New Years Resolution time. I have a few goals that I'm going to try and stick too next year and few goals from the past I'm going to try and continue.

1) Eat healthier. Michael and I (with the exception of this week) have been eating gluten free, skipping out on fast food, and overall choosing better ingredients for our diet. I'd like to continue that for a healthier lifestyle.

2) Work out. Period. We're fortunate enough to pretty much have a personal LA Fitness in our home. And I never use it. So, next year, a new goal of mine is to get my booty off the couch and into the gym at least once a week. That may sound like a piece of cake to you, but for me, that's going to be a real challenge.

3) Two years ago, my New Year's resolution was to take more photos. I did really good that year but this year kind of slacked, so I want to try and be better at that.

4) Another new goal of mine is to learn/try to be more patient. One of the reasons I say I'm not ready for kids right now is because I have such a short fuse. I definitely need to try and build more patience.

5) I need to try and not sweat the small stuff.

6) Another goal I'm setting for myself is to learn French.

7) This is kind of a quadruple goal. I need to learn some self control, not to splurge and to cut back on spending and save more. I have developed a habit about getting on my computer, immediately going to nordstrom.com to see what new stuff they've added and not thinking twice before purchasing. It's very silly. And needs to stop.

8) Lastly for 2011, begin researching and working towards a certificate in event planning.

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 12

Day 12: What you believe

I believe in God.

I believe good triumphs over evil.

I believe in the sacrament of marriage.

I believe all dogs go to Heaven. Corny as it sounds... I really do :-)

I believe my husband has a lot to prove in his industry. And I believe there are great things in store for him/us.

I believe honesty is the best policy.

I believe what goes around comes around.

I believe love conquers all.

I believe in stopping to smell the roses.

I believe in "if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is."

I believe music and laughter (and wine) can heal the soul.

I believe food is meant to be enjoyed.

I believe I have been blessed with the most amazingly family ever.

I believe true friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.

I believe the Steelers are the greatest football time of all time.

I believe nice guys do finish last.

I believe life isn't easy.

I believe in doing unto others.

I believe a smile goes a long way.

I believe in happily ever afters.

....

I believe in a lot.

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 8, 9, 10 & 11

Day 8: A place I've traveled to

I definitely have been very fortunate to have traveled to a lot of really cool places. I'm from a very cultured family so my parents have shown me "my roots" taking me to Vietnam (and Singapore that trip) and to Italy. My mom's 3 sisters now live in France/Switzerland so I've been blessed to travel there a few times too. Michael's Australian so of course we've done

a few trips to his homeland as well... and New Zealand since it's so close. I've also been fortunate to see England twice too. They're ALL way to cool to narrow it down to just one place.

Day 9: A picture of your friends!

Michael always makes fun of me for having "a million best friends" because I do consider most of my friends best friends. I'd rather have a few amazing ones than a million semi-ones. This is a picture of my bridesmaids and I. All whom I consider best friends. I wouldn't have chosen them to stand beside me on my wedding day unless they were totally awesome.

Day 10: Something I'm afraid of...

Hahaha what am I not afraid of? Last time I was forced to watch a scary movie I stayed up 48 hours straight... and that was in high school. It wasn't fun walking into 1st period looking like death because I sat up in bed all night with my lights on.

Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

Such an easy one. Vampire Diaries, of course, because I need my weekly fill of sexy, blood-sucking romantics. Modern Family, Desperate Housewives, Greys, Private Practice, The Nanny, Regis & Kelly, Hellcats and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are set to record weekly as well.

Merry Christmas Er'body!

Hoping everyone had a wonderful day! I definitely was spoiled. It's been a blessing being able to share the holiday with my family... in the warmer weather! :-) It was around 70 degrees today! After going 7 days straight I've totally slacked on my 30 Day Blog Challenge. But I'll resume again and catch up sometime tomorrow!

XOXO

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 7

Day 7: Favorite Movies

Oh I love movies! It's like one of my favorite things! Nothing beats snuggling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn (or glass of wine depending on the company) and laughing 'til you cry or crying 'til your husband looks over at you and laughs.

It's hard to narrow it down, so these are ones that come to mind straight away (random order):

Who didn't love "The Little Rascals!"

"Dear Darla, I hate hate your stinkin guts. You make me vomit. You're the sccuuuummm between my toes. Love, Alphalfa."

"Eclipse"

If I had to choose ONE Twilight movie, it'd have to be Eclipse. It was my favorite book and the acting just keeps getting better and better, thank goodness. Love me some Edward and Jacob too!

"A Walk to Remember"

This one is definitely a classic in my book. I remember my best friend and I in high school would watch this EVERY day the summer it came out on DVD. And I loved to go around the house and sing Mandy Moore's song "Only Hope" too.

Disney's "Aladdin"

I am so not ashamed to admit that now in my 20's, I still love to watch Disney movies. Mainly the older ones. I haven't yet seen "Tangled" but it's on the to-do list. It was really a tie between this, "Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast" because I LOVED these movies + the soundtracks when I was younger. I still could probably sing the majority of the songs to this day.

"Pretty Woman"

I mean, it's probably against the rules of chick flicks to not love this movie, right? My crush on Richard Gere began with this movie, and Julia Roberts, let's not kid ourselves. She's gorgey. Although Richard was recently replaced by Jason Statham (the HottieMcHottie from Transporter.)

"50 First Dates"

This is one of my feel good go-to movies. It's romantic and funny and there's the loveable Walrus Jocko. What more could you ask for?

Ghost, A League of Their Own, The Godfather, Sister Act, The Body Guard, The Wedding Planner, Australia - "Misses Boss" - Loved when he says that!, The Green Mile, Turner & Hooch and K-9, and Cruel Intentions would make my list of favorites too!

Done Done Done

YAY! Officially, as of 9:48 today, done with Christmas shopping! Crazy that we cut waaayy back this year on our Christmas list but yet it still took me longer than years past to finish all the shopping!

Either way, glad it's all done. Now for a cup of hot chocolate!

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 6

Day 6: A Picture of Something that Makes You Happy

This is kind of a tough one. Lots of pictures make me smile. Pictures of Michael and I, me with my friends, pictures of my friends' kids, pictures of puppies and kitties, my dogs... yeah, definitely pictures of my dogs... the list could go on and on.

But for 2011, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of these kind of pictures:

(2nd place @ Southwick National 2009)

Michael back on the podium! These kind of photos REALLY make me smile. Not only is it a huge accomplishment, its capturing all of Michael's hard work paying off and being rewarded for it. Getting to see him on the podium makes me more than smile! It even makes me shed tears of joy!

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 5

Day 5: Your Sibling

My brother and I the night of his 21st birthday bash.

I have one sibling, my baby brother Mickey. Michael Jr. I sometimes call him "Looch."

(Yes, my father's Michael, brother's Michael and husband's Michael.)

Mickey will be turning 23 on Christmas Eve. Currently a biology major at KSU. He's probably the best story teller I know. I've always said he'd be damn good at standup comedy. He also is one of the most loyal people I have ever met. Loyal to his family and his friends. No matter what, I know he always has my back. He has a hard exterior, doesn't smile much and is probably misjudged by strangers a lot because of his style... but when it comes down to it, he's just a big teddy bear with a really good heart :-). He most definitely has done a lot for Michael and I the last few years. I hope he knows that we've really appreciated it. One of the saddest parts of moving to Florida was that I wouldn't be able to see him as often as I was used to. He was at our house at least once a week, if not more than that, and I loved having him around.

Oh! And he can break it down on the dance floor. But it's a very RARE occurrence these days so you're lucky if you actually catch him busting a move. I recommend a few shots of Patron to warm him up, then you're chances of seeing him come out of "dancing retirement" increase a lot. I actually used to consider him my best party trick because if I begged and pleaded enough he'd dance and then everyone would usually think it was the best thing ever! LOL I guess he still is my best party trick because I still haven't stopped the begging and pleading (and bribing LOL)

And because he's the baby of the family, and still babied even though he and my parents may deny it, I do give him a hard time a lot about growing up, being more responsible and cracking down on his studies. Mainly because I think of myself as his #1 fan (aside from Mom and Dad) so I believe I have the right to also be his harshest critic. Love sometimes means tough love, right? I just know he's WAAYY smarter than he gives himself credit for. Definitely more book smart than me... always has been. So if I could survive college, I know he damn-well can too! And I really just want him to hurry up and do it... put a little more pep in his step and apply himself!

When it comes down to it I just really love my little brother and couldn't live without him. Although recently it's been more of a love/hate relationship, I wouldn't change a thing. And I'm lucky to have such a unique person in my life.

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 4

Day 4: Your Parents

My parents and I on my wedding day

I don't even know where to begin with my mom and dad, Michael and Windy D'Itri. Of course I'm sure everyone says they have the best parents ever... well, I REALLY do. My parents are loving, caring, hard working, proud, supportive, wise, forgiving, protective, well, the list could go on and on. They've been married for 26 years and still manage to have such a romantic relationship.

True story on how amazingly romantic my dad is for a man in his 50's: For my parents' 25th anniversary they decided they would spend it in Hawaii. They had planned the trip for nearly a year. Well, my dad being the creative lush he is, had much more in store for their trip than my mom knew about. Little did she know, that my dad (without out the help of anyone including me) went out and bought a new engagement ring for my mom... a super gorgeous, beautiful three diamond in a platinum setting... and had organized to have their vows renewed on their anniversary. When the day came on their vacation, my dad got down on one knee on the beach and re-proposed to my mom. A Hawaiian minister, or Kahuna, remarried them in a private ceremony on the beach with the traditional leis and all. My mom had no idea! SO CUTE! I mean really, how sweet is that???? MICHAEL - I hope you're paying attention to how good my dad treats my mom! She is spoiled! But for good reason :-) she deserves it...

I only hope Michael and I can having such a full, fun, lasting and loving marriage like my parents have.

From a child's perspective I didn't always have the coolest parents. There were so many times when I was younger that I just didn't get them. And I'm sure a lot of you can relate. They were "mean, and unfair and too strict and just didn't understand!!", common words from a teenager. But man, do I thank them daily now for being the parents they were. I look at a lot of young kids now and am floored at how disobedient, rude, spoiled and just plain appalling they can be. I realized one I hit my 20's that my parents were just forming me into becoming a woman who would be able to raise her children right because I have good morals and values instilled in me. And because of their hard work raising me, they can trust me as an adult living on my own to make the right choices.

I can't really put into words the love, respect and adoration I have for my mommy and daddy. They just are amazing REAL people with such a good American story of working hard, putting themselves through college, and living out their dreams. I mean, my mom came to this country young, on her own, barely speaking English... teaching herself the ways of this county, working 100 jobs through college and is now one of the most successful women I know. And she did it all on her own and continued the hard work (both of my parents did) to give my brother and I the best life possible they good give. Including giving me the wedding of my dreams. Literally. Probably more of a wedding than they should have given me. It was wonderful, magical... just every little girls' fairy-tale wedding. I am just so grateful for them.

I could go on and on, I really could. But I think you get the picture! LOL

Love you Mom and Dad!!!!!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Your first love...

Does this count?

Erik von Detten

In 1998, Disney came out with a made for TV movie called "Brink." And that started my love affair with Erik von Detten. I bought every teeny bopper magazine I could find that him in it. Our love affair was only short lived though because soon I found...

*N SYNC

I would switch back and forth between who I loved more, JC and Chris, but it was mainly Chris. I guess I loved a Soprano back then! LOL And I loved *N SYNC obsessively for years and years. Still kinda do. They once did a 2 day stop in Pittsburgh and I went to both concerts back to back. My bedroom walls were plastered with their 5 beautiful faces, I taped - yes taped - everything and anything of them on tv, and over played their CD daily.

But my love now, of course is my amazing, wonderful, gorgeous husband Michael Byrne :)

This picture was taken March 11, 2006 the day after we met at the same place we met... Razzle's Nightclub in Daytona Beach, FL. Yes, I actually met my husband in a bar. Believe it or not, it can happen. There was an immediate spark between us and we basically have been together since the moment we met. After a 6 month long distance relationship, MB in SoCal and I in Kennesaw, GA he bought a house and some land in Newnan, GA and we started living together. I coin the cheesy phrase Michael completes me, because he really does. We've definitely had our fair share of fights, who hasn't, but it's always 10x better after each one. Our love in unconditional and we probably couldn't function without one another anymore! I love him so much and so excited to see what life has in store for us as we begin our journey as husband and wife ♥.

What's for dinner?

I thought I'd share a recipe with you guys tonight. It's one of Michael's most requested meals and is super simple and easy! I got it from Martha's "Everyday Food" mag a while ago. You may find, depending on your oven, that you'll need to cook the chicken an extra 20-30 minutes. And for the wilted greens we add a little extra vinegar! For GF, I just leave out the bread crumbs :( but pre-GF we loved making them! You'll probably fall in love too...

Roasted Chicken with Croutons and Wilted Greens

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

1 lemon, halved

1 loaf crusty white bread (8 ounces), torn into chunks

1 bunch arugula (12 ounces), cleaned and dried

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet; rub with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon into cavity; place inside. Roast chicken until juices run clear when pierced between breast and leg or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees. Around 45 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed platter.

Place bread on sheet; toss with cooking juices. Season with salt. Bake until croutons are golden, 7 minutes. Pour any accumulated juices from platter into a bowl; add croutons, arugula, 1 tablespoon oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Carve chicken and serve with croutons and greens.

Hope you enjoy! Let me know how yours turned out if you give it a try.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

I already mentioned the meaning behind my blog name in Day 1's blog. I named this blog "adenimjunkie" because I have a disorder which compels me to buy and buy and buy jeans. I don't discriminate brands. I own/love Rock & Republics, Paige, J Brand (my pair I bought on Monday were J Brands), G Star, True Religion, Sevens, Citizens, Hudsons, Chip and Pepper, and William Rast. I think that's all the brands I own?

At least I admit I have a problem. And I mean, it could be worse. It could be a purse problem or a shoe problem. Michael probably thanks the Heavens for that!

30 Day Blog Challege: Day 1

Ahh what the heck. I meant to try it out a while ago. Better late than never so here goes nothing...

Day 1: Share a recent photo and 15 facts

(Zeusy and I during our Christmas card "photo shoot")

one My husband, Michael, and I were just married on September 17th.

two Michael has a sexy Australian accent.

three I am a stay at home wife for now.

four I never thought I'd actually be a stay-at-home wife. When I was younger I always thought I'd be ruling the business world by now.

five I have an OCD with things having to match

six I am always cold

seven I'm obsessed with Vampire Diaries and The Twilight Saga.

eight I have two chihuahuas... The Zeus and Nina. They seriously make me SO happy.

nine Food is a passion of mine.

ten I named my blog adenimjunkie because I own (sadly) close to 30 pairs of jeans

eleven My favorite wine is called Beverino from Ponte Winery in Temecula, CA

twelve I blog from an Apple Air

thirteen I love good ole couch days, in my comfy koozies, drinking teas and watching tv.

fourteen At night before I go to bed I usually have to watch The Nanny

fifteen I moved from Pittsburgh to Atlanta when I was 14 and from Atlanta to Tampa when I was 25. The only way I'll move again is if it's back to Atlanta. Although I do love the sunshine in the sunshine state!

Until tomorrow! Goodnight folks!

Fighting Against the Grain

In an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle Michael and I decided to try a gluten free diet. If you know me well enough you know the Italian in me is a strong characteristic in my cooking. So lots of breads and pastas. But I just love food. I love cooking food, eating food, serving it and reading/talking about it. I often say that the Food Network should just give me a show where I go to restaurants and just try the food so people can watch me eat it and talk about it. Needless to say, it hasn't been easy cutting out so many of my favorite things. But back to GF...

We're going on 8 days now and it really hasn't been THAT bad. We found a decent GF bread and pasta that I approve of. And apparently, after having done a lot of research I've found that almost everyone is allergic to gluten, it just affects us all differently. I've also found that this "lifestyle" isn't easy and very expensive. My grocery bill has pretty much doubled, at least. I really don't know how people do it unless they have a money tree they water in their backyard. There is gluten in so many things, and you probably would never realize unless you tried out the diet. Gluten is hidden in the simplest everyday things like deli meat, shredded cheese, jarred tomato sauce, marinades and salad dressings, soup, sour cream, vinegars even in icecream! And so much more. Luckily, Publix Greenwise sections have been pretty helpful. I hopefully will only have to make 1 or 2 trips a month to WholeFoods for certain things.

Does it make you feel different? A lot of people have said it will give us more energy and we'll overall feel better. Well... I can't say I've noticed a difference but I do think I need to give it a little more time. The challenge has actually made me go out of my comfort zone with cooking so that part of it is cool. Usually for vegetables I'd just throw a nice salad on the table. Now I find myself cooking a lot more veggies as sides since I can't do the normal garlic bread, croissants, or pasta side.

What have I made lately? Well, since it's been chilly I've done homemade veggie soup twice so far. You have to be careful with broth though, even that has gluten hidden in it. We did pizza one night which was fun just using GF frozen pizza bread. My favorite so far has been the sesame teriyaki chicken I cooked 2 nights ago. Marinated the chicken in the GF marinade I found at Whole Foods. Then cooked and served it on a bed of white rice with steamed broccoli and cauliflower on the side. Not gonna lie, it was pretty darn good! Then last night I made a spaghetti bolognese, only I added cooked carrots, broccoli and cauliflower (left over from the night before) to the GF tomato sauce I found. It was really good! I even found GF baguettes that I spread some butter, parsley and chopped garlic on. It didn't really absorb the butter like normal bread, but it will do.

Luckily, even my favorite restaurant Roy's has a decent GF menu. So we've gone there once. Sucks my sushi roll and favorite entree aren't on the GF menu but at least my chocolate souffle IS! WOOHOO that certainly was a treat :) And Outback, where we ate on Saturday night has a good GF menu too.

As the grocery bill grows, Michael and I decided we'll will keep trying this out for a few more weeks, but eventually to save some money we won't strictly be GF. Kind of defeats the purpose but it's just way to expensive of a lifestyle. A little gluten in shredded cheese and BBQ sauce isn't going to kill us, right? And who knows, the scales don't lie... if I happen to loose some weight maybe I'll sacrifice a few trips to Nordys to keep up this diet!

Coming up for air

Since our return from Paris, it kinda feels like Michael and I have been going like the energizer bunny and just now starting to slow down. It's pretty scary as an athlete to have surgery done by a stranger you have no relationship and no trust in. So since we've been home, other than a fantastic weekend in Atlanta with my family for Thanksgiving, it's been all about making sure the surgeon in France did a good job.

We went to Jacksonville to see the team doctor and have x-rays done and that doc said everything was all good. Then earlier this week we were able to see a hand specialist in Orlando, thanks to our friend Fritz who got us in, and that doc (who spoke French and was able to actually read MB's post-op report) said we were in the clear and that yes, the surgeon did a good job. It's a frightening thing when the doctors and nurses in France because of the language barrier are saying "hopefully you will be able to ride again" and stuff. Maybe they didn't understand the level of competition Michael races in. Maybe they didn't mean to keep saying it like that. But we pretty much took it as a possible career ender which was the scariest/stressful/nightmare-ish thing that could ever happen. Now knowing Michael's going to be ALL GOOD is such a relief.

Now everything is all about the holidays! And we have to much to look forward too! This coming weekend I get to go home for a Christmas dinner with all my girls and I can't wait to see them! After I get back to Florida I'll be getting our house ready for my parents and brother to head down for Christmas. SO happy they finally get to see our new place. We've got a trip planned for Islands of Adventure and Animal Kingdom too so can't wait for that! AND THEN as if it couldn't get any better my BFF Heather and her boyfriend Caleb are going to head down for a little NYE party. ♥ ♥ Things were going pretty crappy for a while but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel!

Christmas shopping is pretty much all done. One of the coolest things was wrapping presents for Michael's side of the family because he has 6 nieces and nephews and I actually get to write "from Aunt Dani" on the gifts now! haha It's the little things....