cape may ferry

The day after we arrived in Delaware, we decided to take a ferry to Cape May, New Jersey for the day. The gamer and I had never been on a ferry together before!

My niece and me...she is only 11 and almost taller than me!

The ferry goes from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ.

Cape May was such a cute little town! There was a closed-to-cars little main street with lots of little shops and restaurants.

And then the rest of the town is like stepping back into an old, turn of the century Victorian town!

Walking the streets was so nice! All the houses looked like these!

We even took a tour of this Victorian home, which has been restored as a museum:

The ferry on the way back was so nice - look at the sun setting!

At one point, my niece and I ran down to the car deck...there were NO cars on this side so it was awesome to be that close to the water as we approached land again!

I've still got a bit of recapping to do and some more photos so stay tuned!

living room for FREE

I forgot to post these pictures awhile back, so here it is!

The day that the gamer and I moved out of Raleigh we had already packed most of our belongings into storage. We left just enough out to get us through our last week of work, and planned to pack it all in the car and drive out of there.

Unfortunately, we had to leave a few things behind that just wouldn't fit!

Okay, so we really planned to leave the gamer's nasty chair and our bookcase behind. But my lamp! My lamp from my college days! I was sad we couldn't get that in the car. We also ended up leaving behind some perfectly good new boxes, a broom, and a doormat!

The car was filled to the brim. We seriously were shoving stuff in and quickly closing the doors!

In our complex you could leave belongings you didn't want by the garbages, meaning it is free for anyone to take as they please. Or, yard sale scalpers will seriously come by and snatch it up within the hour. We left a dresser out there once and it was GONE within thirty minutes - I swear!

Anyways, the gamer just had to take one last nap on his college chair before we let it go!

We were cracking up taking these photos! It was so funny that we managed to set up a tiny living room of discarded stuff from our home!

We were so excited to leave our place that I accidentally forgot to lock the door as we left! I have never, ever done that before! And I didn't even realize it until we were an hour away from Raleigh on our way to Winston. But honestly, there wasn't anything in the house so what could someone steal? Luckily we ended up getting our security deposit back so it all worked out in the end!

delaware life

quickness! I've been in Delaware only four days and so far I've:

-taken a walk by the cornfields

-taken a ferry to Cape May, New Jersey

-visited a historic Victorian home

-started running

-and today I am going to high tea with the B2 family ladies!

Photos and more updates to come later :)

some randomness before I go!

-So we've been jobless and homeless for three weeks now! After a week in Cancun, and two in Winston, we are all packed and ready to head out to our next destination - Delaware!

-Today is my dad's 50th BIRTHDAY! He doesn't really look or act like he's 50, so I guess that's pretty cool. Happy Birthday to my daddy! He looks pretty much the same as he did 25 years ago (minus the big glasses and mustache!) :-D
-I took the gamer on his first shopping experience to IKEA the other day. He was not impressed. Maybe it had something to do with two hours of shopping and no games or consoles to browse through?

-I applied for a job this week at the school the gamer will be at. I know, I know. We had it all planned to stay up in Delaware at the beach all summer, but I couldn't not apply, so I did. No word back yet. We'll see.

-Tomorrow we are headed to RALEIGH! We are doing a birthday dinner for my dad at Brasa (oh my gosh, I can't wait!). Then the gamer and I are going to stay the night in Cary and get bagels at NYBD in the morning on Saturday an I am so psyched about that! I need some good fuel in me since we'll be driving the rest of the day. UGH!

-Once we're in Delaware I am looking forward to slow life and beaches and tax-free shopping and farms and quiet. One part of me would like to get an interview (and a job!) back here in NC, but the other part of me really wants to enjoy the rest of a lazy summer. We shall see what happens!

-The gamer is playing Resident Evil right now as I type this. No matter where that boy is, house or no house, it amazes me how well he keeps up with his hobby - haha :)

-On Monday, the gamer and I will have been together for seven and a half years. I can hardly believe that! That is seriously a more than a third of my life!

That's it! After all the events of last weekend with the concerts and graduations and celebratory dinners, I have actually been happy that life's been pretty boring this week! I should be blogless for the next few days though, but hope to be up and running again early next week.

Here's to the next stop in our summer journey! YAY - DELAWARE (and family!!) HERE WE COME!

a guitar hero wow playing gamer deacon

On the same day as my bro-gamer's high school graduation, we also attended the gamer's bro-gamer's ordination.

(An ordination is when someone is ordained in the church, in this case, as an Episcopal deacon.)

For the past three years the gamer's brother has been up in Alexandria, Virginia attending seminary. The gamer's father is an Episcopal priest, and his grandfather and two uncles are all ministers as well. It is a very churchly family! I never would have imagined marrying a preacher's son!

When I started dating Chris I pretty much assumed that all people who work for the church are serious all the time and have no fun at all. Growing up in the Catholic church, that's pretty much how most of the priests seemed to me, and I didn't know any of them personally outside of the church to know any better.

Boy was I wrong!

I am so glad to be part of the gamer's family because it has really shown that me that ministers can be some of the coolest, funniest people you will ever meet!

And then there's Tim. All throughout seminary he has kept on playing WOW religiously (haha, I crack myself up) and is just as much of a hard-core gamer as my own husband! (Seriously, the boys in that family know how to game!)

And now he's the only gamer-deacon I know!

The service was so nice, and when they pronounced Tim as a deacon it was hard to keep back the tears. We were all so proud of him!

See? Just ordained and still knows how to be cool.

The recently ordained with his father, and the assistant rector at his old church.

The new deacon with his two gamer-bros.

Tim with Uncle Steve and Aunt Diane!

And finally, my last event and my second celebratory meal of the day! I think there was a pound of rice on his plate!

Next stop for him? Pensacola, Florida where I am certain he will continue his gaming, just maybe not on Sundays! And crazy as it is, that is the exact same place where my very own gamer-bro will end up at the end of the year when he finishes boot camp with the Marines!

I can't wait to travel down there and see both of our gaming bros at the same time! :)

Congratulations again to our brothers - Tim and PJ! We love you so much!

happy blogoversary to me!

I didn't even realize it until I received a comment this morning wishing me it that it is my BLOGOVERSARY!

I have been blogging for a year today!

When I first started blogging it was simply because I wanted a way to show my family members who lived far away from me aspects of our (the gamer and me) daily lives. Plus, I used to be an avid journaler and scrapbooker, and I'm neither anymore, so I thought blogging would be a perfect way to write it all done for memories! That still is my favorite part about it :)

But, over the last year I slowly started to realize what the blogosphere was, and that there were other interesting blogs out there to read and comment on! I still haven't got quite used to the fact that strangers visit my blog every day, but every time I see a comment (even if it's only one or two, which it is most of the time) it really makes my day!

I am also continually amazed that people arrive at my blog by searching google for gamer's wife (thanks statcounter for providing the best stats and analysis ever!). At least every day someone searches those words and finds me, and that is so awesome to know!

Over the last year, even the gamer, has seem proud to admit to others that I have a blog and what it's title is! When I first came up with the idea to write using the name "gamer's wife" I didn't even really associate with it completely, and now I kind of feel like it's become a big part of my identity. Strange! I would definitely love to reach out to more gamer's wives through this platform, and hopefully over the next year that can become even more possible!

I never would have thought when I started this blog that I would find other women like me, or that other bloggers would find what I have to say is interesting. But even if no one visited my little 'ole blog, I'd still be writing here, because I really have grown to love this outlet!

So here's to a whole year of writing a blog for all the world to see! Thanks to all of you who come and visit (and to those few who comment, thank you SO much!).

And thanks to my gamer, who is really the true inspiration for this blog!

He is so serious when he's a guitar hero! ;)

the bro-gamer's graduation day

So most of you might know that I have a little brother who I affectionately call bro-gamer on this blog. He was born when I was five and a half, so we pretty much never got along as we were growing up (um..ok, we hardly get along now!). We also pretty much grew up separately...When I started middle school, he started elementary, and when I was a senior in college he began high school.

I was an only child until he came along, and he's pretty much been living the only child life since I left for college over seven years ago. We didn't have a typical brother-sister relationship, simply since we didn't really live with each other that much. It's crazy to think that I only lived in the same house as him as a kid for eleven years!

I'm not going to lie...the bro-gamer has been a royal pain in the ass for the last few years when it comes to school (and he knows it too!). The bro-gamer is the complete opposite of me when it comes to school. I breezed through with A's and my parent's had it so easy with me. On the other hand, the bro-gamer seemed bored with school and simply didn't feel like applying himself. I'm pretty sure my parents are on a first name basis with most of his teachers and counselors and he was really on the line this last year for not graduating.

Somehow he pulled through and graduated on Saturday and I couldn't be happier!

Apologies for the many photos, but I'm just a proud sister!

Bro-gamer and our Dad.

Bro-gamer and our Mom (he was making a face because he didn't want to take a photo!

Me and my bro-gamer. Seriously, until he was like thirteen he was shorter than me - we though he'd always be short! Then he just shot up within a year and I honestly don't think he's done growing!

Bro-gamer and our Aunt Susan.

The happy family! (Where's the gamer you ask? He was a little late getting up for pictures. We were taking these photos at 7:15 AM!)

My mom and her sister.

Me with my aunt and mom.

I told the bro-gamer that after 12 years of him being a pain in school that I had the right to embarrass him with a huge sign. It actually worked out great since NO one had signs and he almost immediately spotted us in the crowds. He actually smiled. Can you believe that?!

There he is walking up the stage to receive his diploma!!!

After the ceremony, the bro-gamer actually posed with the family for photos! In front of his friends! That is so not my brother! And smiling too!

The gamer and I actually had to skip the end of the graduation ceremony because we had to race across town to attend his brother's ordination. Crazy that they ended up on the same day! After that we raced back to have an awesome graduation lunch at PF Changs!

We were actually supposed to be posing for a nice shot at lunch, but at the last minute we both stuck our tongues out without the other one knowing we were going to do that!

I am so proud of my brother for graduating high school! Next stop for him? The Marines!

Here's to my mom never getting another phone call from Mt. Tabor High School!

fearless

Apologies in advance that the next few posts will be recapping my looooong weekend of festivities! I really need to post a gamer-related post soon! ;)

On Friday night I went to see Taylor Swift and her Fearless concert and it was hands down the BEST concert I have ever been to!

I have been slightly obsessed with Taylor Swift since I heard the song, Our Song, in 2007, which was pretty much right before she hit the mainstream and became big everywhere. Ever since then her songs have pretty much been my go-to songs on my iTouch. I listen to her all the time!

(On a side note, in our car we have a seven CD changer. However, the gamer monopolizes all the cd spaces and I am allotted ONE cd (which of course I've chosen as Taylor Swift). But get this - the gamer won't even let me have two slots so I can have both of her cds in there. How is that fair?! On another note, I am pretty sure the gamer knows most of the words to her songs, even though he'd fail to admit it!) ;)

Originally I was going to take the gamer with me, but scratched that idea to take my neice who is in that whole Hannah Montana - Edward - Twilight Lover phase. I had an absolute blast with her (even if I was way older that most of the girls there!)
We actually got dropped off at the concert, so we came into the venue from an odd side and actually ended up seeing her tour bus and truck! It was so neat!
Of course we just had to wait 30 minutes in line to buy overpriced concert t-shirts!
I bought the cheapest tickets I could find, but even though they were far away they were directly in front of the stage. Combined with the huge screens beside each side of the stage, we had a great view!
At one point during the concert Taylor disappeared and then reappeared in the audience right below us and sang several songs right there! It was so awesome. My neice and I were definitely jumping up and down and singing so loud along with her.
I definitely couldn't hear a thing when it was all over and my ears were ringing forever afterwards! Plus, my throat was strained from singing at the top of my lungs! We had a blast!

Me and my neice, arriving home at midnight after the concert!

the lobster tales, part 2

Don't forget to visit the first part of my Cancun trip!

I'm serious about the whole lobster thing. I wish I had pictures to prove it but I was seriously injured from being burnt so bad. My butt hurt so much it was painful to sit!

But after one day of staying out of the sun I knew we had to go out and attempt to enjoy the rest of our vacation, so that's exactly what we did!

The gamer had never been jetskiing before, so even though my ass hurt while Chris pummeled through the waves, we had a blast! We laughed the entire time.
That's us way out in the Caribbean on the jet ski. With a freaking, non-digital water camera! I seriously just held it out and snapped and couldn't believe all the awesome pictures I got back when the photos were developed.
Most of the photos during our water sports or in the pool are from that cheapo water camera because I was too afraid to take our new digital camera out in the water, and I am so impressed with the quality of those photos!

Of course, while in Cancun we just had to go to Senor Frogs. For my sixth birthday we had a huge family trip down to Cancun - aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole deal. I remember going to Senor Frogs and seeing my mom and all my aunts get YARD strawberry daiquiris. Yes, drinks that are as a tall as a YARD!
When we walked into Senor Frogs it was like spring break central (even though Spring Break was way past by the time we were in Cancun) and I still can't believe my dad took us all there when I was six. If you know my dad, then you know how ridiculous it sounds to have my dad and Senor Frogs even in the same sentence!

Me and my YARD!

But Chris and I had a blast, drinking it up before they started threatening the boring people (um, yeah, that would be us) with throwing us in the lagoon behind the bar! We quickly hightailed it out of there, after that! HAHA!
I had been parasailing before, so I just knew I had to take the scared-of-heights-gamer up to enjoy the experience!

Once we were in the air we had this lightless feeling..it was crazy and the gamer was pretty much speechless until his feet were on the ground again!
We were so far above the water...and just being held by a skinny rope! Look at that awesome view (and the tiny rope!)

It was definitely an exhilarating feeling.
I still can't believe the gamer and I got this awesome picture of us up in the air!
Here are some other pictures I took with my new best friend, the water-safe-camera!
Our last morning in Cancun we got up early to enjoy the last few hours in the sun.
We had the whole pool and beach to ourselves!
The gamer got these really interesting shots of me at the infinity pool with the ocean in the background!
We truly had an awesome time in Cancun and were sorry to leave our resort and luxurious lifestyle!

But tonight is the Taylor Swift concert so I had to come back to the States for that, and I am so psyched!

the lobster tales, part 1

Oh Cancun. I love you!

I seriously apologize for my lack of posts upon my return. But as the gamer is otherwise disposed right now (doing what he does best, blowing my bro-gamer to smithereens on the xbox) so I've got time to do what I like best - blog!

Ok. So Cancun. I have been several times before. I have some awesome pictures of those times, but those will have to wait for a flashback post since, um, I'm too lazy to scan those photos on (you know, BDC - before digital camera).

We stayed at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach..
Not to toot my own horn or anything but it is the nicest hotel in Cancun. It's the only 5 diamond, and usually way out of our price range, but we splurged on this trip. Plus, I'd been there before and I just had to show the gamer the awesomeness that is a luxury vacation.

Upon checking in, we were both given drinks as someone took our luggage and showed us to our room.

Our room had two levels.

We paid for a partial-ocean view room.
Does that like like a "partial" view to you??

We had bellmen. I had to teach the gamer how tip everyone smoothly.

When we would arrive at the beach someone was there to tuck our towels into our chairs.

Another person would them come around with cool wet towels to place on our foreheads!
See the gamer relaxing with his compress? We had these two chairs in the sun, and the shaded hut behind them!

Another person would come by to ask if we needed anything to eat or drink.

And yet another person would come by with fruit or veggie trays for us to snack on!

Every night there was turn down service.
We would return to the room after dinner to have our bed turned down, chocolate on our pillows, our slippers placed by each side of the bed, classical music playing, and our ice bucket filled. It was bliss.

And then the gamer and I would jump into our robes, through our huge glass sliding doors open, and sit and enjoy the warm ocean breezes on the balcony before calling it a night!

Every morning we would go down to breakfast where most of the waiters remembered our names. We had custom made omelets and the best fruit ever, and papaya juice every morning! There was a small buffet area of pastries and fruits and after you filled your plate a waiter would be waiting for you to take your plate and assist you to your seat! How great is that?
That is our breakfast table and view each morning. Ohh I miss it already!
I totally loved the luxury service. And I'd experienced this all before, but it was so great to have the gamer experience it for the first time and watch his reactions to being so pampered!

It was awesome. I swam. I lounged.
The gamer lounged.
He read that book the whole time. I finished five books. Yes, I am freak about books, but what better time to read then when feeling the sea breezes?

I absolutely love the pool. Honestly? I could care less about the ocean. But I had raved to Chris about how the Caribbean waters are clear and beautiful and the gamer just had to see it for himself. Seriously, I do not joke - when we were deciding on a beach to go to he'd be like "is the water clear there?" That was his only requirement.

And when we weren't lounging or swimming we had lots of drinks! (I seriously could not turn down a fruity cocktail at every chance I had!). I love my strawberry daiquiris (thanks Mom for always letting me have a teeny sip of yours as a kid!)

And then I turned into a lobster. On the second day! And so did the gamer. I was beyond pissed. I am a notorious sunscreen user. I apply and reapply and sit in the shade.

And it was sooooo bad. I burnt my ass!!! The front of my legs and the back. My whole back too. No, I didn't take any pictures because I was so embarrassed that happened to me! Thank goodness my face and front half went unharmed. I couldn't even move I was in so much pain!

And you know what we did on the third day of our trip?

We stayed in the room the entire day...lounged in our robes and slippers and watched movies all day.

And on the fourth day?

I was still a lobster.

But whatev, I was determined to not let it ruin our trip!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Senor Frogs, Jetskiing, and Parasailing!
Doesn't that background just look fake? Oh, but it's not. Ahhh! :-D

the gamer's wife returns!

I'm baaaaaaaack!

Okay, so I've actually been back from Cancun for a few days already. But, once I returned I took one look at my google reader, saw the hundreds of unread posts staring back at me, and promptly turned the laptop off.

I am still in vacation mode.

And I've got a lot going on this week with visiting family, a Taylor Swift concert, my brother's graduation, my bro-in-law's ordination, family dinners galore, and some side trips the gamer and I are going to take (Boone!) so I will try my best to get caught up on reading your blogs and commenting! I feel so disconnected when I don't know what my blog friends have been doing! Haha :)

Oh, and I promise I'll be recapping the Cancun trip soon!

Just know that it was luxurious!
Be back soon with more pictures like that!