Design: Summer Retreat

One event that has been on my mind since helping create the Alpha Omega Alumni Chapter is a retreat. However, since the start of the chapter I have lived out of state. This makes planning a trip of this nature hard to execute. Now that I am back in the state, this was one of my priorities for this summer.

We are doing some fundraisers to help bring the cost down. Our first was a flower fundraiser through Flower Power. It was not hugely successful, but I like to try things out to see how well they do. That way we know if it's worthwhile to do again in the future. It was really easy to organize. I highly recommend it if you have a fundraising need and have some gardeners in your group.

Our group was interested in going to the mountains for a retreat. Originally I was planning on Hendersonville, North Carolina. Charles worked at a summer camp up there and we have been several times. It is a cute town, but a little off the beaten path so it isn't too busy or crowded with tourists. However, a couple of the other ladies suggested Asheville. I have only been there once, but it was at the tail end of winter. So I am looking forward to experiencing it in another season.

We will be discussing topics from the book Messy Beautiful Friendship by Christine Hoover. I just started the book and am really enjoying it. It addresses a lot of issues that I struggle with. And it sounds like most, if not all, women struggle with the exact same things. It should provide some good discussion in our group.

Fonts used:
Just Realize
Parisienne
Quicksand

Design: Beach Day

I absolutely love being back in South Carolina! One of the best things is the ability to plan get-togethers for the alumni of Alpha Omega. While living out of state, I was able to plan or help plan the annual Alumni Weekend, but a lot of ladies find it hard to attend. We have folks living all over the state and I like to encourage people in the various areas to meet together. Being back allows me to facilitate these gatherings.

Currently I'm about 2 hours from the beach and it has been calling me. I thought it would be fun to organize a beach day with the Alpha Omega Alumni. Summer is always busy with people traveling, so I am not sure how many will be able to come. But I figure I have to at least try.

Fonts used:
Hawaiian Punk
Meganhand

Tending my garden

Growing up, my mom was always gardening. We moved just about every three years (unrelated to the military), so she had a lot of opportunities to start new gardens. And for the most part we always lived in new construction houses, so the yard was a clean slate to begin with. However, while I was younger did I have any interest in gardening? Of course not. That changed once we had our first town house in Ohio.

While renting, we were pretty limited in what we could do in the yard of each house we have lived in. We have planted several flowers and such in containers, but that is hit and miss with me.

When we moved here and bought our first house, I had my first real chance at a garden. This is a new construction house, so the yard was a clean slate. It came with grass and some plants in the front flower beds, but everything else was on us.

Being an environmentally-friendly person, I was most interested in creating a bee/butterfly/hummingbird garden. Bees are essential to our food production system. Pesticides and such are causing large amounts of casualties among bee communities, so planting bee friendly plants and flowers and avoiding pesticide use is super helpful. I made my list of plants and flowers to look out for and headed to Lowe's.

Chocolate mint

Citronella...my attempt to keep the mosquitoes at bay

More herbs

Lime basil and lemon balm both smell fantastic!

The cilantro (behind the salvia) has doubled in size over the past two weeks. I better start using it before it's taller than me.

We also wanted to plant some fruits and veggies. We had a tomato plant in California that did really well and we wanted to try a few other things.

Two apple trees and a magnolia tree

Strawberry flower

Okra

Broccoli

We planted three blueberry plants. Two are really tiny and we're hoping they grow nice and tall with lots of blueberries.

Watermelon! We attempted watermelon while in California, but it never really produced anything. Here's to attempt #2!

Did I mention we adopted a dog?

As you can see my blogging has been pretty lax lately. I guess I just haven't been inspired to compose blog posts lately. Plus I have been busy working in our yard making it match my visions and plans. Gardening can take up a lot of time!

But that is beside the point. Part of this blog is to share what has been going on in our lives and a big event was adopting a dog! Charles has been wanting a dog, specifically a retired greyhound, for years now. We almost adopted one when we were stationed in Ohio. But since we had just adopted the kitties and because they were so small, it was not the best time to bring a greyhound into our household. Racing greyhounds are used to chasing small prey during the course, so the greyhound adoption group thought it could be a dangerous combination with small cats and a retired racer.

When we moved here and purchased a home, I figured it was time for Charles' wish to come true. We worked with a group based out of Columbia, SC. They pick up dogs from race tracks in Orlando, FL and bring them back for a bit of fostering while they adjust to the post-racing lifestyle.

My ideal greyhound was 1) female 2) smaller in size and 3) Brindle coloring. Luckily, the greyhound rescue group had that exact dog for us! It worked out perfectly.

Meet Suzie Q! If you're a fan of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, you will remember that there is a character named Susie. But Charles is also a big fan of Creedence Clearwater Revivial, so we combined the names from the comic strip and the song.

The morning after we brought her home, we all participated in a 5k on base. We intended just to walk the course, but once she saw everyone running she had to jog, also. She became tired about half way through and we walked the rest of the way.

Greyhounds have very low body fat compared to other dog breeds so jammies and jackets are necessary in cold weather or in air conditioned places. We bought these cupcake jammies on Etsy. Aren't they adorable?

Suzie has taken over the loveseat and claimed it as her own.

Congratulations Captain!

I have been so bad about blogging since the move. Trust me... I have a lot of things I could be sharing with you and my lack of writing is not because I do not care.

One big thing that has happened lately is that Charles promoted to Captain! He asked me to create an invitation for the promotion ceremony and luncheon to send to the folks in his squadron. Because he is working with a Recruiting squadron, his co-workers are spread out between South Carolina and North Carolina. We figured the majority would not be able to come in from out of town, but we wanted them to feel like they could if they wanted to. It was mostly people from the headquarters, where Charles works.

For the ceremony, we visited a local park called Swan Lake. There is a building called the Iris Market that you can rent out. It worked out perfectly because they provide the food and decorations so we did not have to worry about anything. The actual ceremony took place outside since it was such a nice day. We watched the weather all weekend because it called for a high chance of rain the day of the ceremony. Luckily, it only rained right after the ceremony ended and stopped after everyone was finished eating. We hired a photographer (pictures coming soon) and were so glad the rain did not stick around so we could get some good group shots with Charles' family after lunch.

I am so proud of my husband and his Air Force career! Captain is a nice honor and achievement. It will be fun seeing what the next several years hold for us.

Fonts Used:
Janda Elegant Handwriting
Felix Titling
 

Design: Alpha Omega Alumni Brunch

I can't believe we are already a week into February! My birthday was last week. It was a weird birthday. Part of the reason was because so much has been going on lately that I did not have time to really think about it. Plus, I started a new job the day before and I hate working on my birthday. It's such a grown-up, responsible, boring thing to do on a day that should be filled with fun. But they did know it was my birthday and wished me a happy one. And the lady I've been working with from the temp agency called to wish me a happy birthday which I thought was extremely thoughtful and kind.

Now that is is February it also means I am closer to one of my favorite annual events, the Alpha Omega Alumni Weekend! We always have a brunch with the active sisters. It's a nice time to meet them and remember our college days.

The flier is pretty much comparable to the Alumni Dinner flier. I wanted to make it a similar style since the events are for the same weekend. But I did use a different background. It reminds me of Chinese lanterns. 

Fonts Used
Cursif
KG Hard Candy Solid
Vingy

Design: Alpha Omega Alumni Dinner 2017

My life is slowly returning to normal. We closed on our house this past week and have been unpacking boxes and putting things away. It is HARD work! Most everything is put away and unpacked. I am loving my new house and the huge kitchen island I have now. Yesterday our fridge was finally delivered and we could buy groceries. That first grocery trip after you move is always massive (and expensive). The first thing I made in my new kitchen? Brownies, of course!

Part of getting back to normal is my upcoming Alpha Omega Alumni Weekend! Usually this is at the very top of my priority list this time of year, but I haven't been thinking so much about it yet. I did make time to create a flier for our Alumni dinner which is always the first event of the weekend.

Fonts used:
Cursif
KG Hard Candy Solid
Vingy