Going Green for Earth Day

So this year Home Depot has jumped on the Green Bandwagon along side everyone else. All of last week we had special meeting and free giveaways for green products. Some of the products were pretty cool. So Erin and I decided to celebrate Earth Day this year by buying some Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and a recycling bin.

It’s great to be an Aunt and Uncle!

So, we here are holding our new little nephew Micah. (This picture is kind of odd to me because it looks like he could totally be our little baby, but wouldn’t the 3 of us make a cute little family?)Paul and I had a lot of fun being able to hang out with the little guy. We got to see him at only 5 days old! We held him and squeezed him and loved him. And he smelt like new (I love that baby smell) It is crazy to Paul and I that our friends and family are having kids! We still feel like we are these high school kids just hanging out. Paul and I were also able to see a lot of the Yale campus (very cool) and drive all the way down the east coast during a noreaster! (not so fun) Anyways, it was a great little trip being able to spend time with family. It is hard to be so far away! And FYI….no we have not little bun in the oven nor do plan to in the near future. But, we will keep you posted ;) (I know you are all asking this question) -Erin

Our road trip to meet the latest Stroup!

First, let me say congratulations to Chris and Amy Stroup (Paul's brother and sister in law, for all of you who may not know them). Little Micah William Stroup was born on April 8th at 12:24am weighing 8lb 4 oz., 22 1/4 inches long. Paul and I are very excited to be first time aunt and uncle and are excited to see the little guy grow up. And isn't he too cute? A great opportunity came to us the past week to go and visit them in Connecticut. We are flying up to Boston in order to pick up a car for a friend and then driving it back to Atlanta. It should be quite the road trip all the way down the East Coast! We leave Thursday. We will be sure to tell you guys all about it when we get back.

Two down and hopefully a lot more to go!

My second wedding was this past weekend. Things went great. I had a little bit of an issue figuring out how to tap a keg (you would think I would have learned this going to Ft. Leisure) but, after like an hour of praying, I figured it out just in time for the first guests to arrive and enjoy a nice cold beer. The bride and groom had a great time hanging out with friends and family and dancing to the bluegrass band they hired. I am really enjoying wedding planning as a profession. I absolutely love being able to stand back and just watch a wedding unfold. It is great to see the bride and groom just so in love and watching friends and family gather around and celebrate. I really hope I can continue to do this for many more couples!

Pollen is a lot of fun

So the pollen level in Atlanta last week was at 5,937/m³. The American Academy of Allergies says a high level is 90/m³. The pollen is so bad that it is accumulating on windows. Some people in downtown Decatur have been drawing on shop windows. Here is an example of a drawing.
-Paul

Hilton Head South Carolina

So Paul and I went for a little spontaneous trip and it was so much fun. This weekend it was in the high 70s and we were itching to get out of the city. So, we drove to the beach! We drove all the way to South Carolina. There we rented cruisers and just rode along the beach until we found a quiet spot to sit back and relax. I didn't think I would become a big beach person being from the mountains, but I love it. It is so incredibly relaxing to just sit back, catch some sun, read a magazine and drink some margaritas! I wish we were even closer. We want to take whoever comes out to visit to the beach, so you should all plan on visiting us! We miss you all so so much and want to see you all. Hugs and Kisses -Erin

Name Twin 4...

Mark and Ashley Stroup:

Ashley Stroupe:
a NASA Robotics Operator
Mark Stroup:
A writer from PA

All the cool kids are doing it!

Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when taking the office manager job at Studio Lotus. I went from working with a bunch of crazies to working with a bunch of crazies. Now the crazies I work with are obsessed with working out, taking supliments, eating only organic and constantly trying to reach their next fitness goal. Now this is cool and all, but not quite me. I like exercising but nothing like my co-workers. At least not until now. The new trendy workout is here! Russian Kettlebells! I absolutely love doing Kettlebells and if any of you have a chance at trying a class, do it! Here is a little article if you want to read more. This is what I will look like the next time you all see me! ha ha



http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=132

Name Twin Part 3...

Ryan Waggoner and Alexis James:

Ryan Waggoner: Professional Poker Player who got 44th place in his last tournament. He is so good he doesnt have a photo. So hopefully the Ryan I know isn't a gambling addict and we just dont know it.

Alexis James: Model in the PA area.

Name Twin Part 2...

Chris and Amy Stroup:

Amy Stroup: Singer/songwriter from Nashville

Chris Stroup: A guy that girls from Great Falls High School really like. Check out the my space page if you dare! Link

Your Name Twin...

So after making Erin's webpage I was searching for her on google and found some other people that had the same name as her (Name Twin). So the next couple of posts I am going to search out who your name twin is. If you are one of my Blogger Buddies you will be featured on my blog with your name twin. Hopefully I can find good photo of both of you. Ryan Jones and Rachel Smith are going to be the best because I will have a lot of options. To start us off Ill put Erin and I up.

Erin and Paul

Paul Stroup: Certified Chef through the American Culinary

Erin Stroup: Experienced saxophonist and plays for the Sean J. Kennedy Quartet

Happy Arbor Day!

Yes, for all of you that don't know, yesterday was Arbor Day. As defined by the National Arbor Day Foundation, Arbor day is, "a nationally celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and tree care." Paul and I celebrated by planting trees in Atlanta's Freedom Park. And guess who sponosred it? Suprise, Suprise, Home Depot. It was freezing cold, but a good experience. So get out there and plant some trees! Happy Arbor Day to all!

Helping those in need

It has been very hard for me to not be doing social work. As much as I may have complained at the time of working at the safehouse, I greatly miss that job. Now that I am away from it and not able to find a job like that here in ATL, it makes me realize how blessed I was with that opportunity. More then anything, I miss all the kids running around. It was awesome to get up every Saturday morning and have time with the kids playing playing games, doing art projects or even just watching Saturday morning cartoons. This last Saturday morning, our small group was able to go and spend the morning with the kids of the Atlanta Union Mission. It was awesome. We were able to build model cars, airplanes and bird houses all donated by the Home Depot! It was so refreshing to just sit around the table with all the kids and talk about their lives and spend time with these children who are struggling. Can you imagine living in a shelter as a kid? Anyways, it was awesome for our group was yet another good reminder to all us our calling to serve those who are suffering and to get on our knees and praise God for all he does in our lives.
God is so faithful!
Love,
Erin

P.S Here is the link to the organization we worked with

www.aumcares.org/index.htm

I have been watching you?!

So all day I mess with graphs and billions of numbers and now when I get home I look at even more. I started using Google Analytics. Its a pretty cool website that will tracks how many hit you get and where they are from. It has been really useful for our website. It has helped us see what online marketing is actualy giving us hits.
-Paul

I am at a loss of words

Hmmm...What to say? What to say? Not much going on here. But, we will work on that. So, for the time being, you should look at out flikr pictures! Have a great day!

My first wedding

Well, my first job is over and I can't tell you how happy I am. I can now move forward knowing I have done this at least once before. The wedding went absolutely amazing. It could not have gone any better! Everything fell into place perfectly. It was a little stressful at first making sure all vendors where set-up and getting everyone down the aisle. After that it was smooth sailing. I am very very excited about this business and am excited for jobs to come. I got nothing but compliments and handed out like 20 cards. Here is a link to the photographer's web page with a few from the wedding. When he has more up, I will post them. Thank you all for thinking of me yesterday. God listened and really watched over my first gig. Love you all and miss you all.

Erin

David Christenseen Photography

The big day!

Well, tomorrow is it. Tomorrow is my first official wedding. Can I tell you how nervous I am?!?! Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Hopefully I don't have to see any wrath of Mean Joe Green (the brides father)! YIKES. I will be sure to write on Sunday about the days events.

Erin

Keep Learning

So I have been out of college for over a year and I have found learning to be a key for life. Now that I don't have any professors forcing me to learn I can really learn. On my journey for knowledge I have found a couple helpful websites and Podcasts.
Websites -MITOpenCourseWare this site has all of the great classes that MIT offers for free. So if you want to be as smart as someone from MIT but don't the time or money just check out this site. Also on google video you can watch the Charlie Rose Show he has some really good interviews.
Podcast - I have been listen to a couple really good podcasts: Brain Food, Science Friday, Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders.
Well I am always on the search for other things to read or listen too so if you have anything to add to the list please comment.

-Paul

The Pet Industry!

So I am listening to some trashy morning show on my way to work when I hear the statistic that in 2006 we spent 40 billion dollars on our pets! This is craziness. Now, as most of you know we LOVE our puppies, they are our babies. But do we need to be spending 40 billion a year? My question was answered when I walked into our office one morning. (see picture above) Our dogs don't even use there 2 $100 kennels we purchased. Would they really care if they didn't get billions of dollars of pampering? What is wrong with a country that spends $40 billion on pets when we only gave $20 billion in foreign aid? As I said earlier, CRAZINESS! Just a little food for thought.

Wedding Planning

As many of you know, I have stated my own little business. (Isn't my business card pretty? Send all cuttos to Paul! He has been an amazing help to me!) For those of you who want to know more about this little venture, please check out my webpage. www.itsallinthedetailseventandweddingplanning.com For all of those who have been praying for me, thanks! I think it is working. God is so good and truly knows the desires of my heart. I now have 3 wedding in which I am coordinating all before April! I haven't even hit wedding season. I am so so excited to see where this will all take me. My first wedding will be on January 20th. The couple is so sweet and am excited to be working for them. Not to mention, the groom plays for the Seattle Mariners. Talk about maybe good references. Well, anyways, thank you to all of you that have had me in your thoughts and prayers. Much Love, Erin