The End of the Honeymoon Phase

I started this blog over three years ago as a way to chronicle my life as a newlywed. It was such an exciting time in my life and I wanted to share it with the world. I’ve had some exciting moments and some tough ones. I watched as my little blog got hundreds of hits in one hour after my post on bachelor Jason Mesnick was put on the front page of WordPress. I’ve used this blog to organize charity outreach events and promote causes. But the busier my writing career has become the more difficult it has been to find time to write here. So as part of my 2011 action plan I’ve decided to put an end to the Honeymoon Phase. Yes, I still love my husband and yes, he still gives me butterflies, but I need to put my focus elsewhere.

I realized that much of what I’m writing about here would be perfectly acceptable content for one of my other blogs. So if you want to keep following The Honeymoon Phase just head to one of these blogs:

AlisonStorm.com: This is my professional website and blog, but starting this year I will include a little bit more of my personal side. For instance, my latest post features a photo of my new nephew Beck and a video of what’s happening at my Greenville office while I’m away in Seattle. Sign up for the feed here.

DoMoreWithYourMoney.com: This is my personal finance blog. I write several others, but this is the only one that I own. This year I will be revamping the site and putting more of my energy into this blog. I realized that a lot of my posts here on The Honeymoon Phase had to do with saving money and couponing so now those posts will be found at DoMoreWithYourMoney.com. Sign up for the feed here.

TheTravelingJournal.com: This is a new business started by a few friends and I. There are some incredibly exciting things coming up for us this year so be sure to follow our blog to stay on top of that! Subscribe to the feed here. You can also like  us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Thank you for reading, commenting and being a part of my life through my blog. I hope to see you on my other sites! And you can always tweet me or find me on Facebook.

The End

2010: What a Year!

To bid farewell to 2010, the hubs and I created this list of our top ten moments of ’10. We stuck it in our Christmas card this year, but I thought I’d post it here as well. Tonight we’re having warm lobster salad and chocolate-pistachio cannoli, watching a movie and watching the ball drop. I’m ringing in the new year with my favorite person by my side and that’s all that matters. I hope you have a happy celebration!

TIM & ALI’S TOP 10
10. BEING A FINALIST: We were in the running (twice) to have our home appear in a real estate segment on the Today Show and Ali almost got a national commercial for her Aha Moment.

9. BIRTHDAY BLADING: To celebrate Ali’s 31st b’day we rollerbladed from Greenville to Travelers Rest—that’s 24 miles! Special thanks to the golf cart driver who pulled us up that last hill.

8. MIDWESTERN ROAD TRIP: In late June we took a tour of the Midwest, stopping in St. Louis for a Christian trade show (and some Ted Drewes!) and ending up in Ali’s hometown of Sioux City, Iowa for the 4th.

7. SPRINGTIME IN THE CITY: In May we drove up to New York City for Book Expo America and we got to see Barbara Streisand, Rick Springfield and how could we forget, one of the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

6. THE TRAVELING JOURNAL: In February four of Ali’s friends visited for a magazine photo shoot about the traveling journal they’ve shared for a decade. The photos haven’t been published yet, but the girls did create a business plan, launching TheTravelingJournal.com mid-summer.

5. WEDDING BELLS: Ali’s sister Stephanie and her fiancé Jason tied the knot in the beautiful San Juan Islands. We toured the island on mopeds, poked alpacas, went whale watching and kayaked near seals. Oh yeah, and the wedding was lovely, too.

4. OUR HAIRY SON: We started the year off by adding another member to the Lowry household. Milo (aka. Special Eddie) is loveable, energetic and endless fun. Bruno usually likes his new brother.

3. UNDER CONSTRUCTION: After nine months of hammering, sawing and painting we finally completed the long task of turning our stinky attic into a luxurious master suite complete with a marble shower and a walk-in closet. Tim’s now available for odd jobs if you’re hiring.

2. A FAMILY ADDITION: We found out Ali’s sister is expecting a baby boy! It’s the first baby on both sides of the family so we’re excited to spoil our new nephew, due January 4, 2011.

1. CROSSING THE FINISH LINE: Three months of training, four pairs of running shoes and hundreds of miles later, we finally crossed the finish line of the Greenville marathon hand-in-hand. Tim’s parents were there to cheer us on and take photos. Training for the marathon was a lot like 2010—challenging and exhilarating. But on race day we were able to cross the finish line knowing it was both the ups and downs that prepared us to complete the race—an accomplishment we will always cherish.

The Kindness of a Reality Star

Amy Parham's New Book, Coming Out in January

We seem to have quite a few reality stars in the Upstate of South Carolina. Maybe every community has quite a few these days. But I just had to tell you about my experience with former Biggest Loser contestant Amy Parham. Amy not only agreed to be in the November issue of Belle Magazine (a local women’s magazine I write for), but she also took me up on a random request this week.

You see, my friend Tonya loves The Biggest Loser. She just spent a week at The Biggest Loser Ranch in Utah (even though she doesn’t need to lose weight!). Since Tonya’s 30-something birthday was Monday I asked Amy if she would call her up and wish her a happy birthday. Lots of celebs would have just hit delete on that email but Amy was kind enough to agree.

So on Monday she called up Tonya (a police officer in California) and wished her a happy birthday. Amy’s husband and fellow Biggest Loser contestant Phil also got on the phone. Tonya seemed to enjoy the birthday greeting and called me right after squealing with excitement. So thanks Amy for making Tonya’s birthday even more memorable and for making me look like a good friend!

Handmade Holidays: Fun With Yarn and Coffee Filters

I love making things by hand. I’m not necessarily that great at it in fact I can barely sew a straight line (my living room curtains prove that) but I still enjoy it. Recently I’ve put together some cute decorations for a Woodland Theme Baby Shower I hosted:

 

Baby Shower Table Decor

This was super easy. I borrowed some sawed off logs from my friends, collected lots of pine cones from a nearby empty lot and used aqua thread to add some color. I found those B-O-Y letters at Michael’s and wrapped them in thread. The plain glass vases are from my wedding.

 

Baby Shower Mantel Decor

 

I thought the mantel turned out cute too. For the last baby shower I hosted I made a bunch of those mini-trees which are basically sticks glued into a wooden base and then painted. I suspended some ribbon and yarn between them and printed out letters to spell B-A-B-Y. The onesies hanging up we ended up decorating for the new mom, Rachel. And of course Bruno had to fit in with the decorations:

 

Bruno ready for the Baby Shower!

 

Since I had some extra yarn leftover after the shower and a foam wreath I wasn’t using I decided to get to work.I liked the finished product because it’s a modern take on a Christmas wreath.

 

My New Christmas Wreath

 

I also used some gray fabric and straight pins to create a little bunch of flowers on the wreath bringing the total cost of this project to $0!

 

A Close-Up of the Flowers

 

On Black Friday we bought some skinny artificial Christmas trees at Old Time Pottery. I think the three foot tree was on sale for $4 and the four foot tree was $6. I didn’t want to decorate them with ornaments since I don’t have that many small ones so I made some garland. I just cut out circles from fabric scraps and– believe it or not– coffee filters. Then I sewed them in a line. Of course I made sure the garland coordinated with the yellow door.

 

My Bedroom Christmas Decorations

I’m planning a few other small projects and who knows, I may whip out some more coffee filter garland to use as free ribbon for decorating packages.

 

 

 

Join in on My Favorite Christmas Tradition!

One Resident Opening Gifts Last Year

For the past five years my friends and I have been “adopting” the residents of Reedy Place. It’s an innovative apartment building that gives chronically homeless people a place to live. After living on the streets, and even in dumpsters as one resident told me, they now have a small apartment of their own. Many of the residents struggle with mental illness, physical disabilities and other issues. But they are beautiful people. And I love spending part of my holiday season with them. This year they recently opened Reedy Place II, a second apartment building next to the first one. That means we have more residents than ever to buy Christmas gifts for– 23 in all! So I thought I’d invite you to join in on this tradition. Feel free to email me at alison at alisonstorm dot com if you have any questions. We’ll be giving the residents their gifts on December 20 at 7pm!

1. Caleb Goodman: Shirt XL, Beige Pants 48×30, Socks size 13

2. James Paul: Jacket XL, Tennis shoes 10 1/2, Socks

3. Richard Dickerson: Red or Blue Baseball Cap, Socks and shoes size 12, Radio

4. Carl Lindsey: Tennis shoes size 9, Sweat suit size 34 pants and large top, Table Clock

5. Thomas Jones: Converter box for a TV, Tennis shoes size 10 1/2, Jacket 2XL

6. Boty Young (male): Crock pot, Tennis shoes size 12; Groceries

7. Anthony Holloway: Jacket size L, Jeans 34×32, Socks or Hat

8. Pamela Cooper: Color TV, DVD player, Gauchos size 20

9. Johnny Mattison: DVD Player, Watch, Timberlain Hiking Boots size 8 1/2

10. Elaine Jones: DVD Player, Converter Box for TV, Watch

11. Larry Huggins: Work Boot size 13; DVD Player, Levis Jeans 38×32

12. Richard Chluzinkski: Ozzy Osborne CD; Converter box for TV, DVD Player

13. Nathaniel Rosemond: Television, Converter Box for TV, DVD Player

14. Veronica Elmore: Underwear size 13, Socks, DVD Player

15. Glen Allen: Sweat Shirt size small, Jeans 29×29, Tennis shoes size 8 1/2

16. Allen Brown: Watch, DVD Player, Gold Chain

17. Illya Golden (male): Long Sleeve Shirt size 18, Beige Pants 46×30, Tennis Shoes size 10 1/2

18. Sherman Simpson: Watch, Jeans 32×32, Jacket size medium

19. William Issac: Fila Shoes size 12 in red, orange or yellow; CD Stereo, Smoothie Maker

20. Marcus Gambrell: DVD Player, Black Coat size large, Work boots size 9

21. Tommy West: Nike Tennis Shoes size 11, DVD Player, Classic Rock CDs

22. Cathy Lagroone: Light Blue Curtains 50″x84″, Spongebob items, Tablecloth

23. Michael Massey: Telephone for house, Dress Shoes 13D, Christmas Candies