Fabulous Valentine's Challenge : Day 7

Jumping back on the challenge wagon after a day off yesterday... today's topic is to write about why I love blogging.  Well, let's go back to January 2011 when I started this blog. You can actually read my first post here. I read a lot of blogs, mostly recipe and home design blogs at first. Some of my favorite recipe blogs are Picky Palate and Two Peas & Their Pod. I thought well, since I read so many, I should try to start my own. Just for my friends and family. Basically I thought I would be less annoying to my facebook friends if I had a blog and didn't post 398 pictures of Oliver a week. So I came up with a cute name, Bases Loaded, which is a pun on our last name in case you were wondering and the blog was born! As you can tell from my header, this blog is about "everything you need to know about Emily, Eric, and a crazy dog named Ollie". I like pretty things so about a month of so in, I had my blog customized and I love having a fun and clean look!

 Meet Eric, Emily, and Ollie

So what is Bases Loaded about? Well… a lot of everything! My husband Eric and I got married on June 19, 2010 and I started this blog about a year ago to share our lives as newlyweds with our friends and family. Little did I know I would enjoy blogging so much and I would expand out into the blogosphere.

 You can see more pictures from our wedding from the recent Valentine's Challenge here

It has been about a year since I started this blog... a lot of posts are about this guy.

This is Ollie, our German Shorthaired Pointer, and the current love of our lives. No kids yet. Just the dog, but we love him lots! He is about two and half and just a big puppy! He can be the craziest dog or the most loveable dog. Within seconds. He definitely fills our lives with joy and we don't know what we do without him.

 I also run and blog about it....

You can read about my most recent half marathon here

I try to cook but who am I kidding, Eric is the real chef around here. I like easy recipes!

Here are some of my favorite recipes that I have posted. 

Cheesey Corn Dip Appetizer

Chicken Spaghetti 

Pork and Green Chiles Casserole 

Soft Brown Sugar Cookies 

I promise to start cooking and posting more!

Eric's family has a ranch and we enjoy going their to spend time in the country with the cows, horses, and donkeys! So you can expect some posts about life in the country!

As you can see we live a full and fun life! So blogging has become even more than just a place for pictures and recipes. I have found some great blogs out there and started making some blog friends even. I never thought I would actually have followers (strangers!). I thought I would never get past the 14 followers I got of friends and family when I started, and here I am today with like 65... Not huge, but wow, thank you to all of you that read and comment. I appreciate each of you (and the silent readers... Hi Mom and Dad!)

Thank you for stopping by!!

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge : Day 5

 Ashley is my oldest and dearest best friend. We have been friends since we were 3 years old. In fact my mom picked her out to my best friend! We have remained close despite living in different cities from 5th grade until after college. We always stayed in touch and once we both ended up working in Dallas we picked right back up where we left off! She and her husband are expecting their first baby (a girl!) in May! I am so excited for her and Jerad to start their new family! I love Ashley like a sister and am so glad she is in my life!

Brittany and I met in college at the University of Texas in Austin. She is part of the Crazy Trio! My college days would not have been the same with out her. After college she moved to NYC (loved visiting!), then back to Dallas (which was the best!), and just recently she moved to Kansas City with her fiance who is in medical school. I miss seeing her regularly!  Brittany is getting married in June and I am so honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! I could not be happier for her and Dave!

 Ashleigh is the third part of the Crazy Trio! She is a just a blast to be around and always a friend I can talk to. She moved to Washington, DC after college and currently lives in the Los Angeles, CA area. With her crazy work travel schedule I feel like we have still got to see each other lots over the years!  She in engaged to Scott and getting married in September! I can't believe all three of us will be married by the end of the year!

 Kate and I met working at my last job. She and I shared an office space and bonded pretty quickly over work stuff :) Kate is a Pennsylvania transplant in Texas so I quickly introduced her to my group of friends and she fit right in.  I love Kate because she is a great friend, who is always there for you, and is always up for a good time! I miss seeing her every day at work!

 The joke is I work places to meet friends. Karla and Tracy below are more examples of this. I met Karla and Tracy working at Sprint and we all became fast friends. They took me under their wing, showing me how to "work" from Kona Grill at North Park Mall. :)  Karla is a fun loving, crazy girl who also is always up for having fun. It is always a blast when Karla is around!

 Tracy is a sweet friend who is the mom to the cutest little girl Cate and two boys. She is married to Brandon and they are loving the family life. We don't get to see each other as often anymore, but when we do we make the most of it! She got married this past December and was the most gorgeous bride!

 Casey is another life long friend. We knew each other in preschool when we lived in Corpus Christi, but then she moved, I moved, and we both ended up in Plano in middle school and our dads worked together. We became best friends in middle school and drove our families crazy with our quirky friendship. Russian anyone?? :) We now live about four streets apart and it is great being so close. She is a great friend and one of my biggest supporters :) It has been a lot of fun getting to hang out with her and her husband Michael and their dogs, Rowdy and Max.

 I love all my friends and I am so fortunate we have such a big group.

Katie - you are always the happiest, most fun person in the group and we can always count on you to make something happen!

Lauren H - the quiet shy one at first but then lets loose and is a blast. I have really enjoyed getting to know you lately!

AJ - AJ actually is Brittany and Ashleigh's other high school best friend. She and I became good friends through them and I am so glad I have gotten to know her. She is fun and smart and my most fashionable friend :)
Lauren K - Brittany's sister who is the nicest person ever. I always enjoy talking to Lauren and can count on her to be the sane one in this crazy group :)

I am glad for all my friends who come in and out of my life. Some friends are only around for a short time and some stay around for ever. I cherish all the times I have spent with friends at all times in my life, even though we might not talk now. I enjoy the friendships I have made with Eric's friends' wives and girlfriends and hope those friendships only grow stronger. I am enjoying getting to know the girls in my neighborhood group and look forward to getting to know them better as we have kids and they go to school together. I appreciate the friendship my family shows me - my mom, my sister in laws, my cousins, my aunts. Those are friendships that are truly special.

I LOVE YOU ALL :)

Fabulous Valentine's Challenge : Day 4

Eric and I got married on June 19, 2010 in Dallas, Texas. The ceremony was held at Perkins Chapel on the Southern Methodist University campus, where Eric went to school. The reception was at the Warwick Melrose Hotel, also in Dallas. All pictures were taken by the fabulous Margaret Wolf of Moving Images Productions. I had a blast working with her on our engagements, bridals, and wedding day. I will have to share both (yes, two bridal sessions, one at the ranch, and one at the Melrose) on another day. Ok, I went over board. I knew it would. I hope you enjoy our special day! I obviously did! This is the story of our wedding day and I couldn't leave anything out!

 The Warwick Melrose Hotel, Dallas, TX

 Loved my bridesmaids dresses from Priscilla of Boston in Cornflower

 Writing a letter for Eric to open before the ceremony. That red bull got taken away later by my father when my prewedding anxiousness got the best of me!

 Eric's turn!

 All the boys hanging out before getting ready.

 Loved my flowers by Fete des Fleurs

 In the limo on the way to the church - pretty sure we are dancing to Miley Party in the USA!

 Gorgeous June day in Dallas

 The guys arrive

 All dressed!

 My parents, grandmother, brother and sister in law, and nephew Mason

 With my beautiful bridesmaids!

 My handsome groom! I love the solo pics she took of him because he does NOT like pictures!

 Eric with his parents and grandmother

 Such good looking guys!

 "in waiting" in the bride's quarters of Perkins

 My sweet mother giving me my great grandmother, Baba's, ring as my something old. This was a very special moment.

 Love my pop!

 My brother, Matt, and his son, Mason, my super cute ring bearer

 Waiting....

 Mason walked with his mom. That pillow is my mother's wedding dress!

 I love this picture because I am looking back at my mom.

 The church and everyone!

 You may now kiss the bride!

 Yay!

 Wedding party

 Mason!

 On the way back to the hotel

 Reception ballroom

 Delicious cake by Delicious Cakes

 I was ready to get in there!

 First dance

 Father Daughter dance

 We had PicFlips at the reception which was the most fun thing ever. They take a 7 second video of you and turn it into a flip book. Ingenius! Everyone loved it.

 Some of my good girlfriends!

 Yes, he smashed cake in my face.

 So fun!

 The sign says it all!

 "I got my hands up. They're playing my song! The butterflies fly away!"

 I just love this picture, Brittany.

 Mason getting down!

 My dad and I doing our signature moved, the washboard. It goes way back.

 As you can see, it turned into a dance party. Which is exactly what I wanted.

 Dance with my bro

 Sparklers!

 Is it really over??

The end to the most wonderful night ever!

If you made it this far, wow! Thanks! I know it was a lot. It was the best day and I could not have asked for anything different.  We have the best parents and family and friends and it was a perfect day that I will remember forever! I married the love of my life and for that I am forever thankful. The beautiful wedding was just the icing on the (yummy and delicious) cake!