Do not leave an inexperienced skier and a beginner snowboarder alone in Breckenridge. Lesson learned last week during our trip to Colorado. Carrie and I kept up with the boys on our first day in the Rockies. We had beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine. We stayed close to green circles (easy) and tried a few blue squares (intermediate). By... Read more
I wrote my first blog two years ago on Tuesday. I’m still a writer and photographer and web developer. I’ve also added producer to my repertoire. I still live in State College, but I have a different job. Oh, and I’m marrying the man of my dreams. Here’s to two more years of life and blogging! Read more
Today is January 28th … which means there are exactly seven months to go until I become Mrs. Wiley! Because we did much of our wedding planning before the holidays, we’re feeling pretty comfortable with our progress. (Not to mention that we secured 2008 rates with our vendors!) We have our venue and coordinator, caterer, photographer, and my dress. My... Read more
Today is a day to remember. I’ll remember that I watched the 44th president of the United States — the first African American president — take the oath of office with over 100 of my colleagues in the lobby of our building. The inauguration events were broadcast on two large screen televisions and the audio was piped through speakers. We... Read more
Grandma Wiley passed away last week. She died peacefully in her bed, surrounded by family. It’s exactly how she wanted to go. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet Grandma last summer while she was still sharp. She knew I was Nick’s better half and a Penn State fan (she loved the Nittany Lions and the Steelers!). We visited her... Read more
There were so many wonderful holiday moments that passed far too quickly … Watching Andrew and Nick sip Woodford Reserve whiskey at Rollie’s Tavern (a.k.a. the Rowlands’ bar) Crowding into Grammy’s kitchen to eat burgers on Christmas Eve Receiving Christmas money from Mom and Dad to put towards our first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Listening to Grandpa trick... Read more
The Rowlands’ traveled to Hoboken for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (from the fourth row, courtesy of Andrew!) and woke up at 4:45 a.m. on Thursday to stake our spots for the Macy’s Parade. After hours on our feet watching the balloons float by Central Park, we returned to New Jersey for Thanksgiving dinner. The boys slept... Read more
It started on a page in a bridal magazine — actually several pages in several magazines. Mom, sister, and I all bookmarked the same ad. It was stunning … and expensive. But being the detective that she is, Mom found a dress shop in Lititz that carried a very similar dress … and within our budget. So off we went.... Read more
There’s no better greeting after a long drive from State College PA to Hoboken NJ than the sweet and spicy aroma of simmering meat sauce. Nick treated Emily to a hearty and impressive lasagna one Friday evening. We didn’t eat until almost 10 p.m., but it was well worth the wait! This is a must try. Ingredients 1 pound sweet... Read more
Chili is the perfect way to warm up a cold winter night! And it’s one of those recipes that you just can’t get wrong. We added ingredients such as ground beef, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers, kidney beans, black beans, and a variety of spices. Cumin and chili powder are musts. The longer it simmers, the better.... Read more