bleak to chic

New blog!

2015-07-05T18:50:00.001-04:00

Matt and I are married! I started a new blog to document it all. Please follow us over here: www.happilyeverkudler.com

Strongwoman Training Photos

2014-08-18T09:41:00.001-04:00

Shopping for granite

2014-01-14T10:38:00.001-05:00

A kitchen makeover is long overdue at our house. When I bought the place back in 2009, the only pieces of the property that were seemingly updated were the kitchen cabniets. The appliances, flooring, and countertop were all stuck in the 90's, if not earlier. Throughout the years, a kitchen update has just not been a high priority because (although ugly), the kitchen was, and still is, functional. The appliances may be ugly, but they do their jobs, and same with the laminate countertop.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the kitchen when I bought it vs. with new flooring and a dishwasher installation. Since the September 2009 photo, we've painted and installed a new light fixture, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

As Matt and I tinker with the idea of renting the house out if we purchase a 2nd home, we realize there are some upgrades that must be made to defend the rent that we want. Hence, we realize that a kitchen update is the next priority. We've decided to keep the cabinets as-is and upgrade the appliances and countertops. We started by looking at prices at Home Depot, and then we went to a granite showroom. I loved being able to walk through the warehouse viewing the full slabs. It was just like HGTV! We found a single slab in the outdoor "markdown" section, since it was the only slab left in that pattern, so we got a 10% discount. It's a Class C, which means it has movement to the pattern, which I love.

Here's a photo of our granite slab:


Kashmir Cream granite

I hope it goes well with our light oak cabinets and brick backsplash! Once we put the deposit down, Advanced Granite Solutions sent someone out to take a laser template of our kitchen layout, and then they sent us a mock-up of the design. Installation is planned for next Monday the 20th. Stay tuned for photos!

2013 goals: Year-end status

2014-01-13T12:21:00.001-05:00

Back in early 2013, I wrote a post outlining a few goals for myself to achieve throughout the year.

Here were my 2013 goals (and status updates) below:

Financial goals:

1) Pay off my debts! Pay more than the minimum each month for my student loans and car loan. My Sallie Mae loans are set to be fully paid off by September 2017 if I continue to pay the minimum each month, and my car loan is set to be fully paid off by December 2016. My goal is to cut into those totals each month for faster pay off.

Update: I've continued to pay more than the minimum each month for my student loans and car loan. My Sallie Mae loans are currently set to be fully paid off by July 2017, and my car loan is set to be fully paid off by June 2016 now.

2) In addition to paying off loans, grow my savings.

Update: My savings has increased by about 30% within the year.

3) Look into other money investment options. Money sitting in a savings account with 0.01% interest rate seems stupid. There must be better ways of growing savings right?!

Update: In my Quarter 1 status update, I wrote about re-financing my mortgage to a conventional mortgage as opposed to FHA, and I also re-financed with a lower interest rate. This lowered my mortgage payment each month. As such, I was able to contribute a bit more each month to my 401(k) plan. I still aim to look for other investment options this year!

Home improvement goals:

1) Complete master bedroom makeover. The room is currently in this process as I type, however, it still has a long way to go! I'm thinking it needs new paint color, new window treatments, and new bedding.

Update: Done! You can view the completed photos in this master bedroom makeover post.

2) Install new kitchen appliances and countertops.

Update: Womp womp. This was not completed in 2013. HOWEVER, stay tuned for a post in the next couple weeks with an update on this project....

3) Replace side door and back door. We recently replaced the front entry door, but we wouldn't have saved any money by replacing all 3 at the same time, so we decided to stagger installations.

Update: Womp womp #2. This was also not completed in 2013. Goal shifted to 2014 goals...

Personal goals:

1) Cliche "stick to a workout plan" and "eat healthy meals."

Update: I think I was pretty good with this goal in 2013! In 2013, I continued my strength training at Fivex3 Training, and I even competed in the "Fun" group of the Charm City Strongwoman Contest in September 2013. I also trained and competed in my first 10-miler race in October 2013. Matt and I also did our best to ditch processed foods. While we still ate our fair share of "cheat meals", we also ate more organic foods and supported local farms. We enjoyed going to the Farmer's Market in the summer and fall to pick up our share from One Straw Farm CSA.

Here are a few photos from the Strongwoman Contest. I came in 10th place out of 21!

Truck pull

Kettlebell press

Barbell press

Crossing the finish line at the Perfect 10 Miler

2) Spend quality time with my friends, family, and boyfriend.

Update: Well, for one... Matt is no longer my boyfriend... he is now my fiancè! He popped the question in October 2013, and we've been enjoying our engagement thus far with our family and friends. I'm sure I'll document more of the wedding planning process throughout the year!

Back in September, Matt and I planned a getaway weekend with Addie... just the 3 of us. We rented a dog-friendly house on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. The backyard was fenced in, and it had direct lake access. Addie loved the water, and she and Matt spent hours playing fetch with her Kong Safestix. While she has no problem wading into the water, she still is a bit fearful of dock diving into the water. She did "plop" in on a couple occasions, but she is definitely no champion dock diver. Matt and I were able to go kayaking one day too, and it was a great relaxing getaway weekend!

Addie waits for us to throw her toy.

Smith Mountain Lake from Harper Kubicek on Vimeo.

All in all, it's been a great 2013, and my 2014 goals really mirror my goals for 2013. Happy (belated) new year!

Looking back at my first 10-miler

2013-10-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

Five days ago I completed my first 10-miler -- the Perfect 10 Miler -- an all female race. And I think I'm still on a runner's high! Prior to training for this race, I was not a runner. On the contrary, I thought I hated running. In high school, my least favorite part of playing team sports was the running: the 2-mile timed runs during tryouts; the 2-mile warm-up runs during practice; etc. Each time, I tried to keep up with the fastest girls, and each time I was left feeling both extremely exhausted and extremely defeated when I would fall behind. Hence, I hated running.

Fast forward 7 years, and a group of my college girlfriends decided to sign up for a 10-miler race. This would be the longest race each of us had done, so we made a pact that we'd train together and support each other. I figured I had nothing to lose, and heck, I could just walk most of it if I needed to. Either way, I was determined to train my best and make the most out of it.

From the months of July through October, I stuck to a pretty solid schedule of running 1-3x a week. I didn't try to push my pace, and over the months I discovered that I actually enjoy running. I enjoyed the game of it. I looked foward to seeing myself accomplish running further and further each week. I looked foward to seeing if I could improve my times. I looked forward to posting my runs on Garmin Connect and seeing my elevation gains. It became a personal challenge, and I liked that.

A week before race day, I was very apprehensive. My longest run was only 8 miles, and my shins/calves were overworked and gave me trouble on even the short runs. The nerves were definitely there. Being competitive in nature, I couldn't help but be scared that I would be the slowest one out there or that I would be much slower than my training times. I knew I'd be crushed if I didn't run the race to my best ability. When relaying my fears to my good friend, she replied, "That's silly! It's just one race. It's a learning experience. This has been such a fun experience training, and if it doesn't go as planned on Sunday that's all the more reason to think of what you learned and try again! Adrenaline leads to amazing things and I bet it will on Sunday!"

With a new perspective, I let my body rest a full 5 days with no running and decided I'd just let it be. On race day, I said a quick prayer and set out past the Start line. As I ran past the Mile 1 markers to lots of women besides me cheering, I felt a sense of pride. By Mile 2, I was in awe that my shins weren't bothering me like they had just 5 days earlier. By Mile 3 and 4, I felt great and picked up my pace (these were my fastest miles). Along the way, I let my mind wander. I thought of my friends... Matt (my fiance!)... my parents... my family... I thought of how supportive they were to me. And that helped me to keep going. Miles 5 and 6 were steady. By Mile 7, I had my first wave of uneasiness, as I worried about finding the energy to get to 10 miles! On Mile 8, I found some renewed energy and this one felt easier. Mile 9 was the toughest. My body had not run longer than 8 miles previously, and I was just out of energy. My lung capacity was fine; I wasn't out of breath; I simply was just tired. But when I turned the corner for the home stretch and final mile, I pushed myself. The crowd was at its largest on the last mile, and I could hear the emcee in the background as I got closer to the finish line. On the last straightaway, I pushed my pace. I saw a lady in purple ahead of me, and I vowed to finish ahead of her (I said I was competitive!) As I sprinted past her, a smile crossed my face. I finished my first 10-miler!!

Pre-race... showing off our running shoes!

Crossing the finish line! Photo courtesy of CGI Racing.

Lehigh girls. My support system.

Post-race mimosas :-)

My No. 1 Fan!

Training for a 10-miler

2013-08-19T14:24:00.001-04:00

As I explained in my last post, I'm registered for a this 10-mile race in October. Since I wrote that post, I have been running more (1-2x a week), and I'm about 2 weeks into my "official" training program. A friend of mine who's a seasoned runner and accomplished racer sent me this 10-week training program, which I've been loosely following. My gym is also hosting a Charm City Strongwoman Contest which I will be competing in as well in mid-September, so I'm trying to fit in proper training for both events,. Today's post is focusing on my training for the 10-miler, but I'll also write a post about my training for the Strongwoman event as well later :)

Since I'm training for both events though, I can't follow the 10-week running program to a T though, as some days I may be doing heavy strength training. And of course, some days I just feel tired and don't feel like doing anything :-P I think the important part about having a training program though is to have motivation to get out there and run and set a goal. I will say that going for a 4-mile run the first week of my training was so intimidating, but I can proudly say I pushed through it without stopping, and that is the furthest I've ever run in my life! As I increase my distances, I know I will feel so accomplished, and that's part of the fun!!

Below I'll outline a few of my running training tricks and tips. What works for me may not work for everyone, but I feel it's always fun to compare training notes!

Running Gear

Shoes
Admittedly, I am one of *those* type of exercisers who likes to look nice while working out. No, I don't wear makeup while working out (I wear makeup maybe 1-2x a week at most). However, I do love bright colors and high quality, comfortable clothes. A few years ago when I ran an impromptu 5k, I went to a local running store and got fitted for running shoes, and purchased my first pair of Saucony ProGrid Ride 3's. Right now, I have a pair of the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 which I bought on sale because the Ride 6's are now out. Remember though, everyone's feet and strides are different, so the shoe that works for me may not work for you!

Shorts
My first ever Lululemon purchase was a pair of Speed Shorts, and I loved them so much I bought 2 more pairs (and wish I had more). I wear them for everything: running, weight lifting, and all types of sports. They are a little pricey, but I've literally worn them more often than my favorite pair of jeans, so I think they're worth every cent (especially if you find them on sale in your size!)

Running belt
The last piece of running gear I'm sharing is an SPI belt. When I run, I listen to my playlists from my Spotify phone app, so I have to run with my phone. At first, I held it in my hand which was OK during shorter runs, but after awhile, the phone got slippery from my sweaty hands, so I tried tucking my phone into the waistband of my shorts. Also a fail. A friend recommended a waist band, and so far, so good! It's great having my hands free now!

GPS watch
I logged a few runs with the free iPhone App MapMyRun early on and fell in LOVE! I absolutely loved the fact that I could look at my routes on a map and see my distance and pace. I also loved hearing my pace and distance at each mile mark. Then my friend (with more running experience than myself) told me the cold, hard truth: MapMyRun is not accurate. She recommended the Garmin Forerunner 10 watch, and I was able cash in some credit card rewards for a Best Buy gift card to purchase. When it arrived, I was eager to test the accuracy of the Garmin Watch vs. MapMyRun, so I set out on the following run.

Per Gmaps Pedometer, this run was 3.99 miles:

Above: Gmap Pedometer

According to the Garmin watch, I ran 3.91 miles:

Above: Garmin watch

And then last but not least, the MapMyRun app said I ran a whopping 4.28 miles:

Above: MapMyRun

MMR was saying my pace was ~10:10, when my pace was really 11:07... so almost a full minute off, which is really misleading!! Overall, I still think MapMyRun (or any other iPhone running app) is really cool, especially since it's free. However, if you're one that wants more accuracy, a GPS watch may be a good investment. I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions and experiences with this as well.

My adventures in fitness

2013-07-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

As of late, my life has consisted of work, weddings, photography, and fitness. Although life is busy as usual, I feel like my stress level has been kept in line mostly in part to my workout routine. Today I thought I'd share my latest fitness adventures. I've always been involved in sports. I grew up participating in youth sports leagues: soccer, basketball, lacrosse, swimming... In high school I played on the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and in college I played intramural soccer, lacrosse, softball, flag football and even volleyball. Even 5 years out of college, I still play in adult leagues. What I love about sports is not only the social aspect, but the fact that every "workout" is different. Each sports uses different muscle groups, and each game is unique and exciting.

Back in February, I started added a strength training routine to supplement my sports activities; in particular, I started barbell training. In just 5 months of just adding lifting to my routine 1x a week, I've felt my body become so much stronger. I've learned to squat, dead lift, bench press, shoulder press, and clean. My biggest accomplishment has been my squat progression: on my first day, I squatted 85 lbs, and just last week I squatted 150 lbs for 3 sets of 5, and it felt great!

Above: Squatting 135 lbs for 5x3 back in early June.

Above: "Strict pressing" 60 lbs for 5x3 back in May.

Above, I'm working on my chin ups without a band. At the moment, I still need a little "jump" to get me started, and my goal is to do strict pull-ups and chin-ups without a band or any jumping/kipping. Getting strong has also meant that I can do yoga inversions like a headstand, which I had never been able to do before weightlifting. When I started my summer field hockey league this summer, I wasn't sore after the first games back, like I usually am, and my endurance and power is noticeably better. I think the biggest thing I've noticed though is my running. Back in 2009, I ran my 1st and only 5k race. My time was 33:15 minutes (10:42 min/mi). The thought of running another race seemed like a cool idea, but it wasn't on my radar -- that is, until my friend A.J. convinced me to sign up for a 10-miler with her in October....

I'm not kidding. Back in May, A.J. sent me a link to this 10-miler race that she had signed up for in New Jersey for this October. I went to the website and saw that it was an all-female race and not too competitive (you can certainly walk the whole thing if you want). So I went for it and signed up. I figured it would be a great way to 1) get motivated to run again and 2) have fun with my friend as part of a support system. Since that time, a handful of our others friends have signed up, and it has already provided for a fun time in the sense that we share our training programs and motivate/support each other in our goals and training.

A week after signing up for the race, I ran for the first time in over 2 years. Sure, I've run during sports, but I had not plugged in my headphones and hit the pavement for just a pure run in years. This time around, I was able to run 2 miles straight at a 9:43 min/mi pace! And I attribute my improved pace to the strength training I've been doing. One of the trainers at my gym told this to me at the very beginning: "Everything is easier when you're stronger," and I still remember that phrase to this day. I truly do believe everything is easier now that I'm stronger. And I hope to continue to get stronger and continue to let other things in my life become easier as a result!

For the next few months, I'm going to try to check in every week or so to document my training and other fitness activities. :)

Agility with Addie

2013-04-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Matt, Addie and I drove up to New Jersey for our friends' couples wedding shower. Coincidentally, it was hosted by the bride's parents who live just a couple streets over from Matt's parents house, so we were able to spend the weekend with them as well!

On Saturday, we decided to try a little agility with Addie. We've never taken her to agility classes, so we made up our own drills, but the point was to try to tire her out and work her "athletic" skills :)

Agility with Addie from Harper Kubicek on Vimeo.

After her morning of running around the yard, working on her agility skills, and hunting chipmunks, Addie was in much need of an afternoon nap!

2013 goals: Quarter 1 status

2013-04-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

Early in 2013, I wrote a post outlining a few yearly goals. Believe it or not, three months have already passed since I wrote that blog post! Here's a status report of my goals (like I said, I want to be held accountable!):

Financial goals:

1) Pay off my debts! Pay more than the minimum each month for my student loans and car loan.

I continue to pay more than the minimum each month for my student loans and car loans, and my payoff time keeps shrinking :)

2) In addition to paying off loans, grow my savings.

Yes, my savings has grown since January 2013 :)

3) Look into other money investment options.

I'm in the process of re-financing my house. My financial planner suggested it at our recent yearly meeting, and since Matt and I will likely stay in this home for another year or two, it made sense! I'm converting my FHA loan to a conventional loan, so I will no longer have to pay a monthly mortgage insurance premium. I will also have a much lower interest rate, so in the end, my monthly mortgage payment will lower by ~$250! Why did I not look into this sooner?!

Another fun aspect of the process was that I had my home appraised for the first time since I bought it in 2009, and it appraised for higher than I thought it would! I'm so fortunate that my neighborhood's home prices have steadily increased, even through the overall stagnant real estate market. It's so rewarding seeing that the improvements I've made over the past years have paid off, and I feel incredibly lucky for the ability to be a homeowner.

Home improvement goals:

~~1) Complete master bedroom makeover.~~

Done! You can view the completed photos in this master bedroom makeover post.

2) Install new kitchen appliances and countertops.

In the works... Matt and I have begun looking for good deals on kitchen appliances. I anticipate this to be a summertime project.

3) Replace side door and back door.

The kitchen makeover is priority #1, so the door replacement might be a fall/winter project.

Personal goals:

1) Cliche "stick to a workout plan" and "eat healthy meals."

Yes! I continue to go to strength training classes 2x a week at Fivex3 Training, and I recently began working with barbells doing lifts like barbell squats, bench presses, deadlifts, etc. It feels so good to get stronger and see results! I also started practicing yoga 1x a week in early February, as a supplement to the strength training I do, and I've already seen a difference in my flexibility as well. My neck used to hurt from sitting at a computer all day and not sitting properly, but I haven't experienced any neck pain since I started getting into a regular workout routine. Matt and I also joined a CSA through One Straw Farm that begins in June, and we continue to try new recipes with "whole foods."

Above: barbell squats

Above: push-ups

Above: Yoga pose with some of my new yoga gear.

2) Spend quality time with my friends, family, and boyfriend.

We were able to spend time with both my family and Matt's family over the holidays this year, and in late January, Matt's parents graciously invited me on their family ski trip to Colorado. It was great to be able to spend time with them and Matt and get better at my skiing too. In February, I was able to head up to Philly to connect with my best friends from college for a girls' weekend. Overall, for these past 3 months I've felt like I've been able to find a good balance between work, exercise, quality time with family and friend, home improvements, etc., and I hope to continue it throughout the year.

Above: Skiing with Matt's family at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Above: Ukranian Easter egg decorating with my mom and sister

Above: Our finished eggs

Above: Matt, Addie and I enjoy an evening stroll in the park. Daffodils are the first sign of spring!

We'll see how the rest of the year goes! Look for more updates at the end of each quarter :)

Before and after: master bedroom

2013-03-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

The master bedroom has been a constant "work-in-progress" since I moved into the house 3.5 years ago. Since that time, my boyfriend Matt moved in with me, and the furniture arrangement has changed, as has the bedding/decor.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a great "before" photo of the bedroom before the latest makeover, but I did find a couple of photos while going through my archives!

Above: The room before move-in. (July 2009).

After I bought the house, the only thing I changed in the master bedroom was the carpet, but it was otherwise in pretty good condition! I had so much other painting to do throughout the house, so the yellow walls stayed all these years.

Here's a "before" photo of the closet:

Above: The closet makeover begins! Matt removes the clunky sliding doors, and Addie supervises. ;-)

And now, for the "after" photos!

The whole bedroom makeover process began when I wanted to re-design my closet. We're pretty lucky that there are two closets on the 2nd floor that are very close to the master bedroom. One is in the bedroom, and the other is just outside the hallway. In the photo below, you can see that it's just around the corner. Matt keeps a lot of his clothes in the brown dresser, so it's easy for him to start getting dressed in the morning in our room, and then he just walks a few feet to finish his outfit.

I designed my new closet online using Easy Closets. I entered in the dimensions of the existing closet and was able to fully customize my space. I definitely recommend them! I was able to customize a closet in more detail that other closet systems (i.e. Elfa, Martha Stewart, etc.), and it was priced well with free shipping. During installation, we realized that our closet space was slanted on one wall, so the last section was too wide to fit, so I had to re-order a couple panel. No problem, I called, and they re-sent it to me free-of-charge! Great customer service! I will say though, that this closet took me and Matt a whole weekend to install. When everything arrived in 10+ boxes, it was a little intimidating, but we slowly but surely got through it all!

The closet space is 2 feet deep, so it's deep enough to fit 4 pairs of shoes on each rack, which is great. I really pared down my shoe collection and sent a lot off to Goodwill, and even have a few empty spaces back there. I hung my dresses to the left, and there's space on the bottom for my 2 pairs of tall boots. In the center section I hang my blouses/tops, and I have an accessories divider on the shelf where I keep most of my necklaces, bracelets, belts, etc. The drawers are great for the following: underthings, trouser socks, tights, skirts, turtlenecks/sweaters, and jeans/pants. If you notice the teal trunk to the right of the closet, that houses all of my fitness gear: athletic socks, shorts, tees and tanks, etc.

After the closet was complete, we finished the rest of the bedroom makeover.

We chose Behr Porpoise to pain the wall, which is actually a bit darker than the photos portray. As for the rest, we bought new bed linens, bedside tables, and table lamps.

Here's the full source list:

Wall color: Behr Porpoise
6-drawer chest: IKEA HEMNES / knobs: Anthropologie
Headboard: Craigslist (see project here)
Duvet cover: West Elm
Teal accent pillow: Home Goods
Bedside tables: Joss & Main
Bedside lamps: Home Goods
Sheets: Marshalls
Mirror wall art: Pier 1 Imports
Window Panels: Bed, Bath & Beyond
Velvet clothes hangers: Home Goods

Now that the master bedroom is complete, our attention has turned to the kitchen. Next up on the list of “to do” projects is replacing the old appliances and countertop. If all goes well, this would happen in the late spring/early summer months, so stayed tuned for more house updates!

Valentine's Day

2013-02-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

Addie wishes humans and dogs alike a very happy Valentine's Day!

2013 goals

2013-01-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

Around this time last year, I wrote a post about my 2012 new year's resolution. This is what I wrote last year: "Neither Matt nor myself are really big on making New Year's resolutions, but this year we do have a major dream: to move to a larger home (or at least save a hefty chunk of money to do so in 2013)."

Status check: we have not moved. Matt and I looked at a few homes in our dream neighborhoods throughout the year, but we didn't love any of them. The neighborhoods we looked in (while nice), were still not completely conducive to our lifestyle. To move into a larger home with a nice grassy backyard, we must move further from downtown harbor area and more to the "suburbs", which means longer commute to our friend's homes, restaurants, shops, and other conveniences of living in the heart of downtown. The more we looked at these homes, the more we loved the home we currently live in. And so here we are, still in the same 1,000 sq. ft. rowhome with a concrete backyard. We're just not quite ready to give up the social scene that our house enables! So house hunting will resume sometime later in 2013 most likely :-)

As far as savings goes, we continue to save money the best we can -- and yes -- I still clip coupons! Rite Aid has become my go-to store for most things :)

This year for 2013, I would like to make more concrete goals, and I'm going to write them out so that I can be held accountable for them, so here goes.

Financial goals:

1) Pay off my debts! Pay more than the minimum each month for my student loans and car loan. My Sallie Mae loans are set to be fully paid off by September 2017 if I continue to pay the minimum each month, and my car loan is set to be fully paid off by December 2016. My goal is to cut into those totals each month for faster pay off.

2) In addition to paying off loans, grow my savings.

3) Look into other money investment options. Money sitting in a savings account with 0.01% interest rate seems stupid. There must be better ways of growing savings right?!

Home improvement goals:

1) Complete master bedroom makeover. The room is currently in this process as I type, however, it still has a long way to go! I'm thinking it needs new paint color, new window treatments, and new bedding.

2) Install new kitchen appliances and countertops.

3) Replace side door and back door. We recently replaced the front entry door, but we wouldn't have saved any money by replacing all 3 at the same time, so we decided to stagger installations.

Personal goals:

1) Cliche "stick to a workout plan" and "eat healthy meals." About a year ago, I quit my Merritt Gym membership and joined another gym that has no workout equipment (i.e. treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines). Instead, the instructor teaches us how to use free weights, kettlebells, bands, ropes, etc. to strength train and get a killer conditioning workout. I really love it, and it complements my sport activities perfectly. For those in the downtown Baltimore area, check out Fivex3 Training!

2) Spend quality time with my friends, family, and boyfriend. With my office job, photography job, and everything else that eats up my free time, it's hard to spend time with everyone important in my life! I need to learn to say "no" to things and not spread myself too thin.

So there you have it. Here's hoping 2013 will be just as motivating and successful as 2012 was!

And since no post is complete without photos, here are a peek into a current project in the master bedroom:

Before:

During:
(gold wall paint)

After: Stay tuned.....

Instagram photos: November

2012-12-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

One of my friends on Facebook posted that there are only 20 days left until Christmas, and it seems so un-real. Where did the year go??

Does anyone else's dog display symptoms of pica?? Addie loves to eat paper products: tissues and paper towels in particular. We left the upstairs bathroom door open one day while at work and she found the jackpot: a trash can full of tissues, paper products, and leftover popcorn kernels. Whoops! #dogshaming. In the other photo, we took Addie with us to Patterson Park to play tennis. She loved it!

Above left: A few packages ready to be mailed out to some of my photography clients. Above right: A trip to Home Depot.

I found this tutorial online about creating a moss letter, and after a trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics, I spent a Sunday afternoon crafting and watching football. I think it looks great against our black front door :) (Oh, I forgot! While at Home Depot (see above), we ordered a new front door. The one we currently have is made of wood, and it's extremely old and drafty. We went with a new fiberglass one that will be more energy efficient and sturdy. I can't wait until it arrives, and of course I'll take a few photos. Who knew one could be so excited about a new front door??)

Thanksgiving weekend was spent with my family. My sister made this adorable turkey out of veggies. Later, I ventured out to Harbor East for some Black Friday shopping. The window display at South Moon Under was gorgeous!!

Above left: Addie LOVES to lay right in front of the fire at Matt's parents house. She'll curl up and lay there for hours. Above right: new Frye boots!

A few simple changes to the living room make it more festive for the holidays: I ordered a few reindeer prints and switched out the Maryland crab prints for the red and white ones. When I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics getting the moss letter materials, I eyed up a cute holiday fabric that was 50% off and had to purchase a yard. I sewed simple pillow covers for the 10" pillows, and the other pillow covers already worked with the holiday color scheme.

I wish you all the merriest and healthiest days of December, and hopefully I'll be back before the new year with some other posts! Instagram: harperkubicek

Instagram photos: September & October

2012-11-06T11:09:00.002-05:00

Things have been eerily quiet around this blog these days, and I've run out of excuses as to why. One place that hasn't been quiet, however, is my Instagram feed. I discovered this App later than some, but I've already grown a strong fondness for it. My IG feed is full of snippets of my life, which are outlined below. Feel free to follow me: harperkubicek!

The beginning of September marked the birthdays for all 3 of us. Matt and I celebrated at Woodberry Kitchen (decadent dessert shown on the left), and we celebrated Addie's birthday with a trip to Patapsco State Park, which she loved!

The month of September also marked cooler days and the end of the harvest for our backyard potted plants and veggies. We harvested the rest of our tomatoes and basil and made a yummy tomato tart (which for the record is SUPER easy: layer tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil in a pie crust. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and heat in the oven.) Voila! The right photo is a bag I was lusting after, and my best girl friends teamed up to buy for my birthday. I'm in love!

In the middle of the month of September, Matt and I were able to enjoy a mini-vacation up in the Hamptons. We really lucked out with weather and enjoyed a day trip touring the North Fork vineyards via bikes.

As September died down, thoughts of Fall creeped in, as shown by the candy corn cookies. Here in Maryland, the perfect 70-degree weather screams for long walks along the Inner Harbor. Addie loves sunset walks along the water -- so romantic! :)

The photos above are also a result of the perfect late September/early October weather. With the windows open, Addie enjoys watching out the window. Here, she's waiting and watching as Matt makes a quick run to the grocery store.

My old desk chair was in desperate need of a facelift. I was able to find a great replacement from One Kings Lane. With the start of football, Addie shows her support for the Baltimore Ravens! Next up on her jersey wish list: stand out wide receiver Torrey Smith who recently adopted his pit bull mix puppy from Baltimore's shelter!

The end of October marked Halloween. This year, Matt and I were Great Gatsby-esque characters from the 1920's. Addie played dress up and was a "people." We can't wait to see what November has in store, and I'll post next month's Instagram photos in a few week! In the meantime, you can always follow me directly on Instagram [harperkubicek].

Addie's birthday celebration: Part II

2012-10-01T10:26:00.000-04:00

Last month, we celebrated Addie's 4th birthday. It pains me to think that she's already 4 years old, but when we got her, she was estimated to be 2.5 years old. 2 seems young still, and 4? That just seems "old"! In any fashion, we decided to dedicate a day for Addie's favorite things. Part I of her birthday celebration was posted here, and now we're onto Part II!

After we fed Addie her morning birthday cake, we let her nap a little and digest her food, but then we got our hiking shoes on and got ready to stretch our legs! We packed the car and hit the road to Patapsco Valley State Park. (For those in the Maryland area, we went to the off-the-beaten path trails in Marriottsville off of Henryton Road. I'd highly recommend it!)

"C'mon Dad, whatcha waitin' for?"

The hiking paths paralleled the Patapsco River, and so mid-way through the hike we ventured down the paths to the water's edge. We attached an extra leash to Addie to create an extra-long lead so that she could explore the water. I stayed on land while Matt had a blast wading through the water with Addie. I loved watching them have so much fun together! It was a great time for all :-)

Addie's favorite activity was fetching sticks from the river and dragging them to the shore where she amassed a decent sized stockpile. During one of her retrievals, I realized that she had found a plastic trash bag and dragged it out of the river. We like to think we've raised an environmentally-friendly dog hehe. :-P Here's the video below:

** Photos and video taken with my iPhone **

Addie's birthday celebration: Part I

2012-09-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Matt's birthday is August 29, and mine is September 6. Addie's is unknown, so we decided to celebrate hers on September 2 -- smack dab in the middle of both of ours. This year, her birthday fell on Labor Day weekend, and we made sure to celebrate her 4th birthday in true doggie fashion! (Psst.. her exact age is unknown too..)

In the morning, we baked her a doggie-friendly birthday cake. It basically consisted of flour, peanut butter and carrots. Matt and I each had a nibble when it was finished to see what it tasted like, and it was pretty gross. As Matt put it, "It tastes just like a dog biscuit!" (Not that I think he's ever had a taste of one of those!)

After we let it cool, we frosted the cake with cottage cheese and shredded carrot sprinkles, and presented it to the birthday girl.

Addie of course loved every second of it. She licked the cottage cheese off before eating the actual cake.

When all of the cake was gone, she licked the remaining morsels. Cottage cheese crumbles were gobbled up first, leaving the carrots for last, but eventually even every single shred was consumed.

"Mmmmmm, that was so yummy! Can I has seconds?"


Food coma.

Stay tuned for Addie's birthday celebration: Part II!

** All photos were taken with my Nikon D700 and 50mm f/1.4 lens **

Five things

2012-07-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

Photo 1: We won this little dog bed at MABB's fundraiser; Addie actually tried to sleep in it!
Photo 2: A view of the Baltimore Inner Harbor 4th of July fireworks from our front stoop
Photo 3: Grilled pizza with fresh basil and tomatoes from our backyard
Photo 4: Addie the bat-dog
Photo 5: Grilled romaine with homemade caesar dressing and french bread croutons

Five things

2012-07-06T13:29:00.000-04:00

Photos for this week's Five Things were taken on my iPhone and processed using the VSCO Cam app. I'm still trying to figure out the right "formulas" to make the photos look like they were taken on film camera and not look too over-processed.

Photo 1: Baltimore Inner Harbor afternoon stroll
Photo 2: Dock on friend's private residence in Church Creek, MD (Eastern Shore)
Photo 3: Crabbing off of the dock
Photo 4: Addie lounging on the couch
Photo 5: Baltimore Inner Harbor nighttime stroll

Our professional photos

2012-06-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

Last December, Matt and I exchanged Christmas gifts before we parted ways to spend time with each of our families for the short holiday break from work. As I opened the last envelope, I saw that Matt had given me a gift of a "family" photo session because as he put it, "We don't have any photos of the 3 of us." (myself, Matt, and Addie) We decided to wait until the spring time and for the warm weather to surface, and when the warm weather came around, we also realized that the month of May marked 1 full year since adopting Addie. We realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate "us" and we scheduled a session with Krista A. Jones (the talented lady who helped with my photography business branding as well!)

We thoroughly enjoyed our session, and now I know what it's like to be on the other side of the camera! I love how Krista was able to capture the dynamic between the 3 of us, and we will cherish these photos for a very long time. I'm excited to share them with you!

We started our session at Back Creek Nature Center in Annapolis. We picked it because it was a little off the beaten path, yet there was still some pretty backgrounds: grass, brick buildings, and even a boat dock all within walking distance!

For the second part of the photo session, we headed to Jonas Green State Park where there was a small beach. This part was my favorite part of the session because Addie was in heaven! We've taken Addie to various beaches before and she LOVES to swim and play in the water. Her favorite part is chasing the waves and retrieving sticks/toys, and so Krista was able to capture some candid lifestyle shots of us and Addie.

At the end of the session, we leashed up Addie and got ready to walk back to our car. Addie wasn't ready to go home yet though!

"Please Dad, just 5 more minutes?"

Photos by: Krista A. Jones Photography

It's me, Addie!

2012-06-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hi peoples, it’s me, Addie!

Mom asked me to write a blog post for her since she’s been so busy lately. For my first post on this blog, I thought I'd write about something super duper DUPER fun: my vacation over Memorial Day Weekend. Even two weeks later, my tail wags a mile a minute every time I recap in my head, so I have to share with you!

The 3 of us – Mom, Dad and myself – all had a jam-packed Memorial Day weekend. Mom and Dad went to 2 weddings in 2 different states, and I got to drive up to New Jersey with them since that's where wedding #1 took place! I was so so so excited to go to my Grandhuman’s house, aka the Spa and Resort! This is the best resort I’ve ever been to! I got to lounge all day long and work on my tans, and I got first-class massages and gourmet meals. It was glorious!

It all started out with the car ride there. I love to feel the wind in my face!! My mom caught me on camera. I’m a little embarrassed because I didn’t realize that my lips were all that jiggly, but I'll post it below anyways:

Addie in the car from Harper Kubicek on Vimeo.

We didn’t arrive to the resort until late at night, so it wasn’t until the next morning that I discovered that the resort pool was open!! While the humans were eating breakfast, I got to start my sunning nice and early by the pool. I’ve never seen a pool before, so I didn’t dare jump in, so instead I just laid around, watched the birds and took in the views of the lush landscape. What a beautiful resort!

My morning rest got interrupted by mom and dad talking to me about trying out swimming in the pool. I’m a pro at swimming at the beach, if I do say so myself, but I told mom and dad that the pool looks scary. Mom and dad bought me a new clothes that they call a life jacket. I told them I am a big girl and can swim on my own, but they insisted that I wear it, and I soon realized that I didn't mind wearing it after all. Instead of whining, I put on my shades and got ready for my first pool day!

At first, I let mom and dad swim while I watched. I really wanted to get in the water to join them but I didn’t know how!! I tried walking in at the steps, but it was still scary, I didn’t know what to expect. So finally dad had to pick me up and bring me into the waters, but after that, my fears went away. I got to play with my new Kong toy stick and I got to practice my doggie paddle.

The humans think I might be able to qualify for the Doggie Olympics; afterall, Michael Phelpaws is a native of Baltimore just like me!
Addie swims in pool 2 from Harper Kubicek on Vimeo.

After hours of swimming I was so tuckered out, and I wanted to work on getting my summer blonde highlights on my furs, so I sunned the rest of the day on the warm pavers. Check out the photos!

I gave dad the stink-eye when he brought out the sunscreen -- I hate that stuff!! Doesn't he understand that I'm trying to even out my fur tones? My white nose needs to tan more to match my perfectly bronzed furs!! Ughhhhh......

All in all though, I had a much-needed vacation from the city life, and that resort was the nicest ever! I give it 2 paws up!! I hope mom and dad take me back soon.

Five things

2012-05-18T07:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was in Miami South Beach for a friend's bachelorette party. I haven't gotten a chance to post any photos yet, so I've included a few frames in with this week's Five Things.

Below: Palm Island, Miami Beach

Below: Brunch at Carlyle Club (location where The Birdcage was filmed!)

Below: Espanola Way at night

Below: New iPhone cover from Society6

Below: Homemade Maryland crab soup

Spring gardening

2012-05-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

Last summer, Matt and I planted a few veggies and herbs out on our back patio, and this year we decided to do the same! This past Saturday we ventured to Home Depot for the first visit of the year and came home with flowers, a couple tomato plants, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, mint, and basil. As always, Addie was a great supervisor.

Addie's favorite part about gardening is helping with watering the plants. Every time she hears or sees one of us turning the spigot on to the hose, her eyes light up and she starts bouncing around in excitement. She LOVES playing with the water from the hose. See for yourself in the video below!

Five things

2012-04-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to a fashion and lifestyle blog called Cupcakes and Cashmere. Not only does Emily feature outfits I yearn for, but she posts pretty photos of all other aspects of life. One of her features is "Five Things", which is a post once of week that showcases five photos she took throughout the week. I love this idea, and from now on I hope to feature a "Five Things" post at the end of each week!

A shot from a wedding I photographed last weekend...

A new book of stamps....

Handsome Blueberry is adoptable through MABB....

An assortment of RBL nail polish....

Mini chicken pot pies....

Makeunder Monday!

2012-04-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

Over the past weekend, bleak to chic got a makeunder. That's right. The old bleak to chic was a little too "cute" and "cartoon-y" for my taste, if that makes sense at all. First, the new blog header had to go.

Old header:

New header:

I came up with a tagline to be included in the new header. On my monitor, the wording is legible, but please let me know if it's hard to read on smaller monitors! It reads the following: "bleak to chic: The adventures of a Baltimore household: Two 20-something year-olds and their rescued pit bull".

I plan to expand the genres of posts featured on the blog. There will be more about Addie, more about our daily adventures, and more photos in general! I wanted the blog design to be minimalistic, so that the photos and stories really shine! The new fonts have a more timeless look, and the color scheme is also simple: black and white with pops of orange (a reflection of our hometown baseball team!)

3 Years: How We Met

2012-03-23T08:30:00.007-04:00

Matt's and my 3-year anniversary is coming up on Sunday, and tonight we're celebrating early by going out to dinner at Woodberry Kitchen. This is a restaurant that we've heard stellar raves about but neither has dined at before!

In the spirit of our anniversary, and in the spirit of posting more on my blog, I thought it would be fun to feature a "How We Met" segment on here [read at your risk... it's lengthy!] So I'll let Matt take it away:

A little over three years ago in February of 2009, Harper and I met for this first time. What many people may not know, however, is that if it had been up to stubborn old me Harper and I may not have been introduced that night. You see, that bygone time was the height of my bachelorhood. I was living in an old house near Johns Hopkins in Charles Village with three friends and although I wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea of having a girlfriend, it was not exactly item number one on my agenda. Much to the chagrin of my mother those days, who would always ask, “Are there any certain people that you’ve been seeing?” during visits home, I was not dating a lot. Sure, I went on a date here and there, but nothing that turned out serious. At the time, that setup was fine by me.

Now while I was living in that house with my college friends and having fun, that didn’t mean that we all committed to the bachelor lifestyle. One guy was in a long-term relationship at the time and another, my friend John, had just started dating his girlfriend Amanda in the fall of 2008. (John and Amanda just recently got engaged last week, by the way. Hooray weddings!) They began their relationship playing kickball Thursday evenings at Patterson Park in Baltimore and Harper was a member of their team. I remember more than a few times when John came back to our place and told me, in pretty much these words, “There’s a cute little Asian girl on our team that you should meet.” That’s nice, I thought, but I didn’t really want to be set up by someone else. (And like I said I was just being stubborn. After all, I wasn’t exactly tearing up the Baltimore dating scene at the time…and the upstairs shower probably hadn’t been cleaned in a year.) So I declined and held out. Harper even hosted a Christmas party that year at her apartment for the team and for reasons that I forget I never made it that night. Stupid me.

Back to February ‘09. One weekend night a birthday party was being thrown for a friend, and to celebrate, her boyfriend (who are now also engaged!) rented out the top floor of a bar. Most of the kickball team was there, but since I shared the same friend group as the team it just seemed to me like a normal night out. I was having a good time chatting with some people near the wall when John came over. I don’t recall exactly what he said, but sure enough there also happened be a “cute little Asian girl” standing there as well, except of course she was much more than that. We immediately got to talking and it was apparent within five minutes that I had been foolish for too long. I had finally met the beautiful person that I was meant to meet. Harper and I ended up talking together for the rest of that night and we were so engrossed in our conversation that we hadn’t noticed that a friend of ours had hidden her shoes. When it was time to go (after searching every nook of the bar in her bare feet until we found the shoes) we made plans to meet again in a few weeks as she had plans to go to Arizona to see a friend while the week after I would be skiing in Colorado.

We met again at a St. Patrick’s Day party that was taking place at my house the day I flew back from out West. She had been dropped off by her mom (sup nerd?), which made me laugh, and apparently had been there for a few hours before I arrived. Needless to say, I am very glad the decrepit condition of our old house didn’t scare her away before I got home. We had a blast that night and decided an “official” date was in order. On Friday, we are celebrating our three year anniversary of that date. I couldn’t be happier.

In my defense... my mom and I were out earlier that day looking at potential houses to buy! No need to pay a taxi when I could have the mom taxi drop me off. But I don't deny that I'm a nerd...

Last but not least, here is my version of "How We Met":

I graduated from Lehigh in 2008 and moved back to Maryland, the state where I had grown up and gone to elementary, middle, and high school. However, when I moved to the city of Baltimore, I was still 30 minutes from my hometown in Howard County. Many of my high school friends were either living out-of-state post-college or were still back in Howard County, thus leaving me with few friends actually in downtown Baltimore.

I immersed myself into various activities so that I could meet new people and stay busy: soccer, field hockey, art classes, and ahhh – kickball. On one of the early weekends in Baltimore I found myself at a house party talking to a girl named Kristin who told me that she was forming a kickball team and was looking for extra girls, which is how it all began.

Not only did Kickball Thursdays become the highlight of my week, but the kickball team (which comprised of mostly Loyola alumni) took me under their wing and welcomed me into their group of friends.

For Kristin’s birthday back in 2009, her boyfriend (now fiancé) organized an open bar party at the classy drinking establishment in Fed Hill called Ropewalk Tavern. I remember that on that night I forgot my ID so another teammate graciously drove me back to my apartment in Canton to retrieve it. By the time we got back and headed inside, the party was well on its way and I quickly started taking advantage of the open bar. One of my friends and teammates John came up to me saying, “Hey, my roommate Matt is here. You should go say hi to him. I think you’d like him, he’s the guy in the gray sweater.” I continued to mingle with a few friends and at one point when I was getting another drink, I saw a guy wearing a gray sweater sitting at the end of the bar. I went up to him. “Hi, are you Matt?” He replied, “No.” In confusion, I went to go find John and ask him where Matt was, and at that point John led me to Matt.

Conversation just came easy to us, and I thought he was really cute! We had so much in common. Throughout the rest of the night, we continued talking. At times, we’d go off and mingle with other people, but we always found our way back to each other to talk some more. At one point, I remember I was deep in conversation sitting on a bar stool and my shoe fell off. I remember being like, “Oh I’ll put it back on when I get up,” but one of our prankster friends ended up taking it without me knowing. When I went to look for my shoe later, it was gone! We went on a wild goose hunt but Matt ended up finding it in the bathroom 2 stories below. By 2am, the party had cleared out and we were the last ones there. He helped me into the cab home and we planned to see each other at a St. Patrick’s Day party he and his roommates were hosting.

We ended up having a great time at the St. Patty’s Day party and he invited me out to our first official date on March 25^th – our anniversary!

And as always, a post is never complete without photos...

The kickball team:

Kristin and me ("C" for captain and co-captain):

The Christmas party that Matt's roommate tried to bring him to:

We have no photos together from the night we met or from the St. Patty's Day party, but this is next best

(April 2009):

May 2009 (Fells Point):

Bar golf crawl (June 2009):

July 2009 (Canton Waterfront):

October 2009 (Boordy Vineyards):

January 2010 (Deep Creek, MD):

When looking back through my photos, I've realized we have so many photos together over the past three years. The ones I posted are just a few of the first year together. These past 3 years flew by, and I've enjoyed every minute of it!