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

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.

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!

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.

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

Cauliflower Gratin

OR…

Spiced Butternut Squash

I figure just because it’s a vegetable doesn’t mean it has to be healthy. It is Thanksgiving after all! If there was ever a day to cheat that would be it. Even though we’re spending Thanksgiving at a friend’s house we decided to cook a meal ourselves, too. I bought a cute little ten pound turkey and I plan to cook it up after our Black Friday adventures for Thanksgiving round two. I mostly just want the leftovers since it’s been so many years since I’ve opened a fridge to find stacks of Thanksgiving leftovers. I really can’t remember the last time I had day old turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes hiding under a pool of gravy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

And tomorrow we’ll be racing. Running. Enduring. Crossing. Finishing. Celebrating. Loving.

Yesterday I got a really bad headache and I started to wonder if it’s because I’m dehydrated. So I decided to put myself to a seven-day test. I’d do what people have been telling me to do for years– drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Here goes nothing.

Day 1: My head was still pounding so I thought a workout might help get my blood flowing. I easily downed the first eight ounces while on the elliptical. I filled up my water bottle again and tried to drink it as I got ready for the day. I made it through about half the bottle. I made myself some breakfast and purposely chose wheat toast so I’d be able to drink more. I made herbal tea which I’m permitting myself to substitute for plain old water. I chugged another eight ounces with my toast. Now I’m feeling really full. As the day went on I drank another glass of tea, and carted my water bottle with me to Spartanburg for a writing assignment so I could finish two more bottles. I had a nice dinner at La Bastide, chugging water the whole time which I’m pretty sure also saved me boat loads of money.

Day 2: Started the day with a ten mile run so drinking the first two bottles was easy. I’ve slowed down since then. I came across an ironic freebie deal. When you buy Dr. Murad’s new book The Water Secret you can score $200 worth of free Murad products. I used Amazon gift cards I earned through Swagbucks to buy the book for free. Judging by the book blurb it sounds like Dr. Murad doesn’t think drinking eight glasses of water a day is as effective as getting water from fresh fruits and veggies. I think I’ll have a salad for lunch, but I’m not sure how much water that equals so I’ll keep drinking. Finished the day with an organic tea. I think I fell one glass short.

Day 3: Woke up thirsty for some odd reason. Downed one glass right away. Drank another late-morning and logged a third with a mug of hot tea. Got my fourth in around lunch but now it’s dinner time and I realized I’m only half way through my challenge for the day. Ugh. Better get chugging.

Day 4: Started the day downing two glasses before breakfast. Working my way through another glass and a half before lunch. I’m definitely noticing a decrease in the amount of food I’m eating. I just can’t fit it all in so I guess that’s a good thing.

Day 5&6: I think I did pretty well over the weekend. The hubs and I ran a 20-miler on Saturday morning so I drank almost a full days worth of liquid during the three-and-a-half mile run. I also chugged lots of water and tea throughout the weekend. I did have a little soda, but I figured as long as I was consuming enough water that would be OK.

Day 7: The last day has arrived. I started off with a big glass of ice water which has become the norm for me lately. I also treated myself to a pumpkin spice latte to celebrate a fun announcement. I finished the day out with more tea, water and milk which I’m not sure is a substitute for water.

The week started off a little rough, but the more water I drank the easier it became. I think I notice a slight change in my skin. It looks a little more fresh, but I also did have a facial last week and I am trying some new skin products so that could be part of it. I’d say I have felt fuller while eating less which is always a good thing. Even though my seven day challenge is over, I’ll definitely continue to drink more water. And not just because I’m too cheap to pay for another beverage option.

Photo courtesy of gfrphoto

We just found out that my Aha Moment is one of 75 finalists competing for a national ad! This first round of voting goes until October 15 at which point, the pool will be narrowed to the top 25 most popular ads. Will you take a moment and vote for our video? There is no registration required– it’s literally one click! There is one vote allowed per computer (or phone!) so please help us spread the word! We are a new business and we think this could be a great opportunity. THANK YOU!

Don Draper, Season 4, Episode 8

I haven’t written much on The Honeymoon Phase lately. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to report. In the last month we’ve put our house on the market, juggling showings and open houses. Several friends have had babies, I’ve attended showers for others. We hosted a wedding shower which meant preparing a meal for 18, decorating and planning games. I started a sign language class, got a promotion and Tim hired a new employee. Plus we celebrated three years of marriage and are training for a marathon.

But in between busy work schedules, a full social calendar and keeping our house clean we’ve become completely obsessed with Madmen. We borrowed season two from the library, then bought season one so we could catch up. By then we were totally hooked and watched season three on our way to and from Seattle at the end of July. Now we’re caught up and watching season four as it unfolds Sunday nights on AMC.

I’m already addicted to New York City, so that’s one draw of the show. I also have a great appreciation for good writing and there’s no doubt that Madmen is an amazing example of great writing. And then there’s the fashion– snug sweaters, proper updos and pumps– I love it all. Watching Madmen is like reading a really good book. The characters feel like friends and the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are so familiar to me it’s as if I’ve walked the halls. I’m totally going to buy my husband a skinny black tie and ask him to comb his hair to the side.