*Merry Christmas*

 

Merry Christmas!

 Christmas morning at the Gehrke's

Things to do before 30

2 weeks ago I celebrated my 28th birthday.  It was a great birthday and I was able to spend it with friends and family.  I have so many things to be thankful for. 

 I decided to make a list of things I want to 

accomplish before my 30th birthday!  

So here goes:

  

Try a New short hair style

Trip to wine country to taste/learn

Tattoo designed by me

Stop drinking soda

To look and feel fit

Have a baby

Take a cooking class

Buy a house

Donate clothes to The Salvation Army

Pay off my credit cards

Recycle more!

Plan a trip to a National Park

 Continue blogging

 

 

Go Green when wrapping presents

Wanted to share this with you guys..

Fabric Gift wrap and bags!

You can find them here Ecorations 

or here ArtFire, just to name a few.

Or learn to make your own here Reusable Gift Bags

When you think about what you spend on wrapping paper, tape, boxes and not to mention the time it takes to wrap presents EVERY year... these will save you time and money!

 ...And no more paper everywhere

 

Go Green * Recycle

Images courtesy of

howdoesshe

sandists 

Out of the Blue Delivered

eregia

O Christmas Tree

We put up our Christmas Tree last weekend.  This will be our 4th Christmas together (wow how time fly's when you are having fun). Last year we bought a tiny potted tree but this year we wanted the real thing.  

We got our tree from Walker Tree Farm in Edinboro, PA.  

 "Naked" tree

Here we are decorating while watching the Carolina game

Happy Holidays from The Gehrke's

 

 

Doggies

We love our 4 legged children.  This is a day in the life of Bailey and Maverick...

It starts off with their morning play in the snow...

Here is Bailey... taking a poop

(I just had to put this picture up... it makes me laugh every time I look at it)

 Then its wrestle and pretend fight time...

Then... Nap time (which is most of the day)

 Maverick wakes up to terrorize the mailman, she literally knows when his truck pulls up and then goes crazy when he delivers our mail...poor mailman, I swear she is a nice dog!

She also likes to attack the vacuum cleaner while I'm trying to clean. 

...Back to napping

...Way too long

It has been way too long and I need to catch you back up on our lives.  Ryan and I traveled to NYC to visit Andi (Ryan's sister).  We I had a great trip, Ryan was a little under the weather.  We just roamed the streets, ate at local places and cooked Thanksgiving dinner at Andi's apartment.  Here are some photos from our trip. 

Ryan with his basket/cart

oh yea.. we got there via Amtrak.  That was a lot of fun and beat driving.  The train left from Erie at 7:30ish and we got into Penn Station NYC around 5:30ish... not too bad.

We got a sleeper cart for the way back (since I had to work at 7am)  We left Penn Station at 3:45pm and arrived into Erie around 2am.  I woke up in Buffalo to a snow blower beside the train and about 4-5 inches of snow.  We can't wait to plan our next trip with Amtrak, it was a blast!!

Casting For Recovery

This is a wonderful organization that I am thankful to be a part of....

Casting For Recovery

Casting for Recovery® (CFR), a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, supports breast cancer survivors through a program that combines fly-fishing, counseling, and medical information to build a focus on wellness instead of illness.

To Fish is to Hope (c) 

 2-1/2 day retreat program, offered at no cost to participants, is provided by trained volunteers.

Since 1996 Casting for Recovery has made a difference in the lives of women at any age and stage of treatment and recovery from breast cancer - one woman at a time.

Casting Instruction, CFR 2009 Retreat

 The dynamics of fly fishing provide a healing connection to the natural world, relieving everyday stressors and promoting a sense of calm.

Fly fishing techniques provide a gentle exercise for joint and soft tissue mobility.

The retreats offer a forum for women with similar experiences to meet, learn a new skill and gain a respite from their everyday concerns.

Casting For Recovery Staff 2010

This was my 2nd year volunteering as a Fly Fishing/Casting Instructor.  Here are some photos from our most recent retreat [Sept 26-28].

Fishing, Beaver Creek 

 

 Ryan volunteered to be a River Helper. 

Ryan and I on the stream


 

www.castingforrecovery.org 

Make a Secure Online Donation 

Images courtesy of Beth Gazda and Casting For Recovery

WOW! That's a LOW price!

Check out this Website!

HauteLook

48-hour sale events with the world's top fashion, accessories, beauty, kids and home brands. Each day, HauteLook offers discounts of 50% to 75% off to millions of members in the U.S. and Canada.

Membership is free to join and everyone is welcome.

Invicta Women's Reserve Chronograph Watch

This is a beautiful watch (82% off original price) *Too bad it is already sold out*

The sale items change every 48 hours, so you have to check back often.

Nine West Tweed Sweatheart Coat

Love this coat...and it is only $58 ($179)  ... that is 68% off!! 

You have to hurry, this sale ends 10/21 @ 8pm

Time to start Christmas Shopping.. this is a good place to start!

Enjoy,

Heather

Images courtsey of HauteLook

(Sorry they are sooo tiny)

Etsy

It has been a busy last few weeks.  We are now into October *Breast Cancer Awareness month* 

[...more on that to come].

I'm a big fan of Etsy!  You can find the perfect gift for just about anyone. Here are some of my favorite shops...

Bellezamia

Fun jewelry and very affordable...

 

 Homelab 

Handmade knitted accessories... Scarves, scarflettes and fingerless gloves [my favorite] 

 

 

 

 

And we can't forget about my mom's little shop (and it is little, she needs to add the rest of her Christmas card collection)

 

 

Joys Custom Cards

It is hand stitched with variegated thread.

 

 

Do you have any favorite Etsy Shops?

H.

 

 

 

Tybee Island

One of our favorite places to vacation.  Tybee Island is a small barrier island about 18 miles east of Savannah, GA. My family used to live in Statesboro (which is only about 1 1/2 hours from Savannah)  We would spend many weekends at the beach. Tybee has grown up a little over the years, but is still a quaint little "beach village". 

It is a place to relax, kayak, eat good sea food, fish, swim, find sea shells, tour the light house and make memories with family and friends...

Photo that Ryan took of the Sea Stars at low tide

Ryan and I's favorite place to eat... good/cheap raw oysters

The Quarter Sports Bar & Grill

And we recommend staying here...

Mermaid Cottages

*Just take a look at these cottages, you will want to start planning your trip now.. some even have fenced in yards and allow dogs* 

And if there is a rainy day at the beach...[booo]... Visit Savannah!  River Street has lots of shopping and sight seeing and it's only a 15-20 minute drive from Tybee.

 This is a place you have to see for yourself.. just don't tell too many people about it. It's our secret vacation spot. 

Happy Friday!

Images courtesy of Mermaid Cottages and Flickr.

My Favorite Blog

I began reading blogs on a daily basis about 1 1/2 years ago.  We were looking for wedding ideas and I found a lot of awesome DIY blogs.  My all-time favorite blog is Young House Love.  You almost feel like you are part of their family, and I love following their daily lives... whether it be re-decorating their living room, drooling over their "Mood Boards" or introducing their new little girl Clara.

I have about 15 different blogs that I read on a daily basis, it definitely keeps me busy in the evening.
Do you have any favorite blogs?


Image courtesy of Young House Love

Weekend... Over

Well the weekend is over, they always go so fast! Typical Fall weekend at the Gehrke's... some house work, blog reading, pizza, steelhead fishing, football, dog washing, etc. Summer is close to an end here and we I have been switching over to Fall/Winter clothes.  Almost time for carving pumpkins (my favorite),corn mazes and haunted houses.
Starting to think of Fall decorating ideas, these are some of my favorite so far...
Playful
Could be used anytime of the year


More to come...


H.

Welcome

First off.. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our new blog!  We will be using this to share our adventures with you. Ryan and I were married June 8, 2009 in Hawaii. We now live in Northwestern Pennsylvania where Ryan is finishing up his Master degree in History/Social Sciences and I am working as a Physician Assistant in Cardiovascular/Thoracic surgery. We are really enjoying our lives right now and enjoy fly-fishing, kayaking, running, biking, camping, and traveling.  We have 2 four-legged children; Maverick and Bailey, who also keep us very busy.