Another year in the books. Unbelievable.
We rang in 2012 last night with pajamas, wings from a local joint, a couple Redbox movies, homemade pina coladas and near the end of the night, a good dose of Nyquil. I've been fighting what I thought at first was strep, then a sinus infection, to what I now know is just a full on nasty cold. It was bad enough that I worked one measly day last week....fortunately we were already off on Monday 12/26, and we were off Friday 12/30, but I was only able to work Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday - there was no way. I think the worst is over but thankfully I have one more day to recover and get some things done around the house. This is where the best part of no Christmas decorations being put up comes into play - nothing to take down and clean up!
I checked out my "Happy 2011" post from last year, and just like my feelings this year, I made no "resolutions" last year, either....."Besides getting into a concrete schedule for the mini, the only other real goal I've made for myself is to cut out the gossip."
Well, I accomplished my one big goal for the year, which was to train for and complete my first mini-marathon in May. What a great feeling that was! Crossing that finish line, I felt like I could do anything. Well, anything that I could do from a horizontal position, with my legs elevated, for approximately 3 days. :) It was a fantastic feeling.
The gossip part is a little harder to pinpoint. I finally was able to transfer offices in the spring at work which helped. Us being cocooned over here in Columbus helped. I still think it's a worthwhile goal to work on, but this year I'm going to broaden it. Cut out the BS. At the age of 28 (holy crap, I'll be 30 *next* year!!!!), I still allow way too many little things to get to me. At work, at home, in my marriage, within my family, within our circles of friends. Enough. Cutting out the BS. That's my "goal" in 2012.
2011 is over. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary, and finally, I think, we are over the hump of the mistakes I made which left our marrage a minefield of hurt, distrust & anger. We started trying in earnest for a baby, and while no luck yet, I'm trying to relax about it and let God do His thing (me = control freak = hardest thing ever to give up control).
We watched the Packers win a Super Bowl in our beloved Cowboys' Stadium in February, but that was better than the Steelers winning. We anxiously awaited the end of the NFL lockout to then watch our Cowboys week in and week out, one heart attack after another, without fail (tonight may be the biggest heart attack yet; we'll see). We (okay, I) streamed the Royal Wedding back in April and let myself get completely wrapped up in the news and glitz and magic of the prince and his "commoner." I almost wrecked my car on an early May morning, listening to Mike & Mike, when they shared the commentary from a baseball game the night before when it was announced the US that "we got him." [Osama Bin Laden]. We watched the Cardinals (neither of us big baseball fans, but that's the team we both root for if we do watch) make a dramatic comeback and win the World Series in the 7th game.
We got caught up in the idea of building a house, then just buying a house, and settled just renting a house, but rest easy in our decision as we are finally out of apartments - and knowing what we need to do in the near future to be ready to actually buy (the biggest thing being: not chickening out!!) We welcomed a brother in law to the family in September. Before 2012 is over, we will probably be welcoming a new sister in law, a niece and two more nephews to the family as Chris' brother just brought up his girlfriend and her 3 kids from TX for good.
Who knows what else 2012 will bring? Our 10th HS Reunion will be this year - how is that possible???? Maybe a baby will come.......Chris will turn 28 in March, I'll turn 29 in November, and we'll celebrate 4 years of marriage in August. We have a couple of friends getting married, a couple of others already expecting babies in the early parts of the year. I truly hope in 2012 we can spend more time with friends & family......whether that be making a few more trips to IN, or arranging trips to meet halfway, or people coming to us.
Most of all - I wish us, and all of you out there - a most happy & peaceful New Year. May all year we all feel as optimistic as we all do today, as we look forward to a brand spankin' new 365 days. (No, wait - 366 this year!) Happy 2012!
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmas Spirit
A lot of things have hindered my Christmas spirit this year.
We are on month 4 of trying to have a baby, with no luck so far. If one more person tells me to "relax, it'll happen in its own time," I'm going to FLIP OUT. That's like telling a little kid to NOT lick the frosting off a cupcake you put right in front of them and walk out of the room (lame analogy but all I could come up with on short notice). Don't tell me to relax. Don't tell me that "God has His own plans." I know all this. It's just frustrating, especially when it literally seems like everyone of any kind of relationship or acquaintance-ship to me is pregnant lately (including a 10-years older than me friend who has had her tubes tied...ectopic and very scary, but still? How does that happen???)......for the first time, for the 2nd time, for the 15th time.......ok, I kid on that last one. But when we started trying around our anniversary, I thought for sure everyone's Christmas present could be, "Surprise! You're going to be an aunt/ uncle/ cousin/ grandma/ grandpa again/ for the first time!" Not so much. Sigh. (Wallows in self-pity).
Money continues to be of short supply, but that's no different than any other day.
We moved in October and while we are 95% settled, there are always those 5% of boxes of random STUFF that need to be put away (or in our case, put UP on walls, etc). That being said, we have done ZERO decorating in our house for Christmas. Nothing. No lights, no tree, no wreath, no stockings. It just seems like so much work when he have everyday stuff that isn't even up yet. And to our defense, we came back after Thanksgiving weekend completely worn OUT. Were home for the 3rd and 4th but never got around to it. We were in Indy with friends last weekend. We're home this weekend, but at that point, what IS the point? We're leaving next Thursday night or Friday morning for Indiana. I rationalize it as we're not even HOME for Christmas and haven't been since we've been married.......maybe next year there will be a little reason to put up a tree!! (Crosses fingers).
Work is stressful (again, nothing new) awaiting snow and getting ready for 2012 (wait, 2012?!?!?).
I still have a lot of Christmas shopping left to do, if for no other reason than I've just been putting it off. I enjoy it, but it's like every weekend comes and I just find something else to do.
The Cowboys are doing their best to give me a heart attack week in and week out. Heart attacks when we end up with Ws = okay. Heart attacks when we end up giving games away = not okay.
But.
The last 4 days have done a lot to remedy my spiritlessness.
A little pat on my back here, so bear with me.....Sunday, I went to a Beef & Boards show in Indy with Chris' mom, sister &; grandma (PS - "Silent Night" gets me EVERYTIME). As Chris & I were waiting for them to come meet me (and him to head off to meet friends), we watched a large crowd of people walk in. One of them dropped cash. $125. In CASH. I ran after the crowd, asking several people if they had lost any money. No cigar (one telling me, "looks like you are $125 richer!" How? How would I spend that money??). So I wait until the show is over, go to the "main office" window. Ask if anyone had reported missing money. Yes, but had been found and returned. Huh. Must be different. Turn to walk away. Lady goes, "wait, how much was it?" I hesitated.....she asked, "$125?" I nod. Turns out, long story short, an older gentleman met his daughter at the show. He was scheduled to have some dental work done. He couldn't pay for it. Daughter hands him $125. Man loses money. Man is distraight. Daughter tells father that it's not a big deal, here's more money. Man refuses, doesn't want to take daughter's money again. Walks away. Daughter hands money to office, asking them to call the gentleman later telling him the money had been "found." They took her info just in case. The money I had got returned. I could have used that money, for sure. But how could I have spent that money knowing how upset (especially at this time of year!!) I would be if I lost $125? It at least got me a "God bless you" from an older lady who had overheard the exchange. :)
Then, tomorrow is my 4th Christmas party with Brickman. That meant the Food Drive I started back in 2008 was in its 4th year this year, and we dropped off today. 3,399 pounds donated, and that doesn't even count one of the branches. Last year's total? 1,397. I am SO PROUD of the people I work with. One of my supervisors (not even salaried) handed me $150 on Tuesday to go towards the mass shopping trip I did today. This kid is younger than me, married. I almost burst into tears when he explained that "My wife & I budgeted for this. This is half our grocery budget for the month; we can afford it. We're very blessed." I about fell over. When it was all said and done, my branch collected almost 1600 items. Absolutely amazed and a little proud, too. They say 1 pound equals 1 meal, generally, so we just fed about 4,000 people.
Babies will come. Cowboys will be my Cowboys. We'll never have enough money. Work will always be work. But day after day, year after year, I'm astounded at the generosity of others, and even proud of the way I was raised. We don't need decorations, or lights, or stockings hung to be thankful for the life we DO have. We don't have to depend on a food bank for our daily meals. We have enough money to buy little things for our loved ones. We are blessed by groups of friends who open their homes when we're coming in from out of town and always make time to see us for dinner, or drinks, or whatever, when we get to see each other, which isn't nearly often enough. We're going to be surrounded by those who love us most next weekend for Christmas, and I'll get to sit next to the people who mean the most to me in this world during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
That's everything I need.
We are on month 4 of trying to have a baby, with no luck so far. If one more person tells me to "relax, it'll happen in its own time," I'm going to FLIP OUT. That's like telling a little kid to NOT lick the frosting off a cupcake you put right in front of them and walk out of the room (lame analogy but all I could come up with on short notice). Don't tell me to relax. Don't tell me that "God has His own plans." I know all this. It's just frustrating, especially when it literally seems like everyone of any kind of relationship or acquaintance-ship to me is pregnant lately (including a 10-years older than me friend who has had her tubes tied...ectopic and very scary, but still? How does that happen???)......for the first time, for the 2nd time, for the 15th time.......ok, I kid on that last one. But when we started trying around our anniversary, I thought for sure everyone's Christmas present could be, "Surprise! You're going to be an aunt/ uncle/ cousin/ grandma/ grandpa again/ for the first time!" Not so much. Sigh. (Wallows in self-pity).
Money continues to be of short supply, but that's no different than any other day.
We moved in October and while we are 95% settled, there are always those 5% of boxes of random STUFF that need to be put away (or in our case, put UP on walls, etc). That being said, we have done ZERO decorating in our house for Christmas. Nothing. No lights, no tree, no wreath, no stockings. It just seems like so much work when he have everyday stuff that isn't even up yet. And to our defense, we came back after Thanksgiving weekend completely worn OUT. Were home for the 3rd and 4th but never got around to it. We were in Indy with friends last weekend. We're home this weekend, but at that point, what IS the point? We're leaving next Thursday night or Friday morning for Indiana. I rationalize it as we're not even HOME for Christmas and haven't been since we've been married.......maybe next year there will be a little reason to put up a tree!! (Crosses fingers).
Work is stressful (again, nothing new) awaiting snow and getting ready for 2012 (wait, 2012?!?!?).
I still have a lot of Christmas shopping left to do, if for no other reason than I've just been putting it off. I enjoy it, but it's like every weekend comes and I just find something else to do.
The Cowboys are doing their best to give me a heart attack week in and week out. Heart attacks when we end up with Ws = okay. Heart attacks when we end up giving games away = not okay.
But.
The last 4 days have done a lot to remedy my spiritlessness.
A little pat on my back here, so bear with me.....Sunday, I went to a Beef & Boards show in Indy with Chris' mom, sister &; grandma (PS - "Silent Night" gets me EVERYTIME). As Chris & I were waiting for them to come meet me (and him to head off to meet friends), we watched a large crowd of people walk in. One of them dropped cash. $125. In CASH. I ran after the crowd, asking several people if they had lost any money. No cigar (one telling me, "looks like you are $125 richer!" How? How would I spend that money??). So I wait until the show is over, go to the "main office" window. Ask if anyone had reported missing money. Yes, but had been found and returned. Huh. Must be different. Turn to walk away. Lady goes, "wait, how much was it?" I hesitated.....she asked, "$125?" I nod. Turns out, long story short, an older gentleman met his daughter at the show. He was scheduled to have some dental work done. He couldn't pay for it. Daughter hands him $125. Man loses money. Man is distraight. Daughter tells father that it's not a big deal, here's more money. Man refuses, doesn't want to take daughter's money again. Walks away. Daughter hands money to office, asking them to call the gentleman later telling him the money had been "found." They took her info just in case. The money I had got returned. I could have used that money, for sure. But how could I have spent that money knowing how upset (especially at this time of year!!) I would be if I lost $125? It at least got me a "God bless you" from an older lady who had overheard the exchange. :)
Then, tomorrow is my 4th Christmas party with Brickman. That meant the Food Drive I started back in 2008 was in its 4th year this year, and we dropped off today. 3,399 pounds donated, and that doesn't even count one of the branches. Last year's total? 1,397. I am SO PROUD of the people I work with. One of my supervisors (not even salaried) handed me $150 on Tuesday to go towards the mass shopping trip I did today. This kid is younger than me, married. I almost burst into tears when he explained that "My wife & I budgeted for this. This is half our grocery budget for the month; we can afford it. We're very blessed." I about fell over. When it was all said and done, my branch collected almost 1600 items. Absolutely amazed and a little proud, too. They say 1 pound equals 1 meal, generally, so we just fed about 4,000 people.
Babies will come. Cowboys will be my Cowboys. We'll never have enough money. Work will always be work. But day after day, year after year, I'm astounded at the generosity of others, and even proud of the way I was raised. We don't need decorations, or lights, or stockings hung to be thankful for the life we DO have. We don't have to depend on a food bank for our daily meals. We have enough money to buy little things for our loved ones. We are blessed by groups of friends who open their homes when we're coming in from out of town and always make time to see us for dinner, or drinks, or whatever, when we get to see each other, which isn't nearly often enough. We're going to be surrounded by those who love us most next weekend for Christmas, and I'll get to sit next to the people who mean the most to me in this world during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
That's everything I need.
Friday, November 4, 2011
November??!
What a crazy couple of weeks this has been. In short:
1. We moved into a cute little rental house on the 15/16. We love it and everything big is unpacked and in place, but all of the little things (hanging pictures, unpacking non-everyday clothes, unpacking the randoms) just need to get done b/c the random unsettledness is driving me crazy.
2. Chris' parents were over on the 22/23. We had a very relaxing and low key weekend - nothing big to report. The most exciting thing from the weekend was buying a new programmable thermostat for the house that Chris' stepdad installed.
3. Snow is coming. Work is getting crazy. It's my 4th snow season with Brickman, but 1st at the new branch....always a lot of work.
4. Thanksgiving is now less than 3 weeks away. Which means Christmas is a mere 7 weeks away. We are in no shape or form prepared for either holiday.
5. Cowboys have managed to grab losses from the jaws of victory 3 times this season (@ the Jets, home vs Detroit and on the road @ the Patriots) and just lay a big turd another game this past weekend to be 3-4 going into this weekend. Thankfully, the hardest part of our schedule is now behind while the rest of our division has tough months ahead. No one expected Dallas to do better than 9-7 or 8-8, but now that they're in the season, they're getting slammed for not leading the division after 8 weeks. Lame.
6. Still no baby. Trying to relax and not overthink it, but it's hard to "just let it happen." How does one do that, exactly? How do you spend a good portion of your late teens & early 20s doing everything POSSIBLE to prevent and then all of a sudden "oh, just have fun with it! God will let it happen in His own time!" If one more person tells me to just "relax," I'm going to flip. out. I'm doing my best people, but my slightly anal-retentive nature is hard to overcome. I know a baby will come in its own sweet time; I'm just used at being good at things the first time I try them :-\ ((That came out really conceited, but I just mean in things like school and numbers, etc........))
7. Not huge baseball fans in the King household although my dad has always loved the Cardinals and Chris has passively followed them as long as I've known him, so it was fun to watch St. Louis come from out of nowhere to win the wild card, beat the favored Phillies, win the pennant against Milwaukee & take the Rangers in 7 to win their 11th Championship ever. At least one of our teams is going somewhere this year (lame).
8. When your husband tells you to "stay between the boards" while crawling through the attic, he means to stay on the rafters. Not on the panels in between. Not following those directions causes one to almost fall completely through their kitchen ceiling, bust up their right shin & have the black and blue bruise to end all black and blue bruises on their left butt cheek. Ouch. Needless to say, we have not been able to get internet and cable to the bedroom we need it in; I'm typing this post from the buffet in the kitchen. Oh well. We'll get there......eventually.
9. I'm doing absolutely nothing between now and Sunday. I may not even bathe. Okay, I'll bathe. But after moving 3 weekends ago, Chris' parents 2 weekends ago, getting our apartment closed up last week......then next weekend I'm going to E-ville with my mom and sister, weekend after that friends are coming, weekend after that is Thanksgiving, weekend after that is DECEMBER.......yeah, doing. nothing. this weekend.
10. That is all...........looking forward to the coolest day in history, ever - 11.11.11 - my 28th birthday ;-)
1. We moved into a cute little rental house on the 15/16. We love it and everything big is unpacked and in place, but all of the little things (hanging pictures, unpacking non-everyday clothes, unpacking the randoms) just need to get done b/c the random unsettledness is driving me crazy.
2. Chris' parents were over on the 22/23. We had a very relaxing and low key weekend - nothing big to report. The most exciting thing from the weekend was buying a new programmable thermostat for the house that Chris' stepdad installed.
3. Snow is coming. Work is getting crazy. It's my 4th snow season with Brickman, but 1st at the new branch....always a lot of work.
4. Thanksgiving is now less than 3 weeks away. Which means Christmas is a mere 7 weeks away. We are in no shape or form prepared for either holiday.
5. Cowboys have managed to grab losses from the jaws of victory 3 times this season (@ the Jets, home vs Detroit and on the road @ the Patriots) and just lay a big turd another game this past weekend to be 3-4 going into this weekend. Thankfully, the hardest part of our schedule is now behind while the rest of our division has tough months ahead. No one expected Dallas to do better than 9-7 or 8-8, but now that they're in the season, they're getting slammed for not leading the division after 8 weeks. Lame.
6. Still no baby. Trying to relax and not overthink it, but it's hard to "just let it happen." How does one do that, exactly? How do you spend a good portion of your late teens & early 20s doing everything POSSIBLE to prevent and then all of a sudden "oh, just have fun with it! God will let it happen in His own time!" If one more person tells me to just "relax," I'm going to flip. out. I'm doing my best people, but my slightly anal-retentive nature is hard to overcome. I know a baby will come in its own sweet time; I'm just used at being good at things the first time I try them :-\ ((That came out really conceited, but I just mean in things like school and numbers, etc........))
7. Not huge baseball fans in the King household although my dad has always loved the Cardinals and Chris has passively followed them as long as I've known him, so it was fun to watch St. Louis come from out of nowhere to win the wild card, beat the favored Phillies, win the pennant against Milwaukee & take the Rangers in 7 to win their 11th Championship ever. At least one of our teams is going somewhere this year (lame).
8. When your husband tells you to "stay between the boards" while crawling through the attic, he means to stay on the rafters. Not on the panels in between. Not following those directions causes one to almost fall completely through their kitchen ceiling, bust up their right shin & have the black and blue bruise to end all black and blue bruises on their left butt cheek. Ouch. Needless to say, we have not been able to get internet and cable to the bedroom we need it in; I'm typing this post from the buffet in the kitchen. Oh well. We'll get there......eventually.
9. I'm doing absolutely nothing between now and Sunday. I may not even bathe. Okay, I'll bathe. But after moving 3 weekends ago, Chris' parents 2 weekends ago, getting our apartment closed up last week......then next weekend I'm going to E-ville with my mom and sister, weekend after that friends are coming, weekend after that is Thanksgiving, weekend after that is DECEMBER.......yeah, doing. nothing. this weekend.
10. That is all...........looking forward to the coolest day in history, ever - 11.11.11 - my 28th birthday ;-)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Valentine's Weekend
This time last year, I had made a major chink in my marriage's armor. It was a strained weekend with friends, and of course it all came crashing down around my ears about a month later.
Of course I still regret every moment that put Chris in any kind of pain and put such a burden on our relationship. However, this past year has been probably one of the most productive years we as a couple have experienced. In the 8 years we've been together, this was the most challenging one. The fact that Chris gave me (a lot) of 2nd chances is the most amazing thing; the next most amazing is that how I feel about him after everything, and how he still feels about me. It really is true that you don't know what you have til it's gone - and while it never got to either of us leaving - it came close. And we've come out on the other side of it. Stronger.
So anyway. We went down to Lexington, KY to stay with some friends over the weekend, and we had a lot of fun. More on that tomorrow.
But let's just say one of the biggest highlights of the trip was today, on our way back. We had the radio off, Chris was driving, I was just sitting in the passenger seat, and we were just....quiet. Commenting on random things we passed, but we were completely comfortable in the silence. The smallest things - are the biggest things.
Without a doubt - I am lucky.
Of course I still regret every moment that put Chris in any kind of pain and put such a burden on our relationship. However, this past year has been probably one of the most productive years we as a couple have experienced. In the 8 years we've been together, this was the most challenging one. The fact that Chris gave me (a lot) of 2nd chances is the most amazing thing; the next most amazing is that how I feel about him after everything, and how he still feels about me. It really is true that you don't know what you have til it's gone - and while it never got to either of us leaving - it came close. And we've come out on the other side of it. Stronger.
So anyway. We went down to Lexington, KY to stay with some friends over the weekend, and we had a lot of fun. More on that tomorrow.
But let's just say one of the biggest highlights of the trip was today, on our way back. We had the radio off, Chris was driving, I was just sitting in the passenger seat, and we were just....quiet. Commenting on random things we passed, but we were completely comfortable in the silence. The smallest things - are the biggest things.
Without a doubt - I am lucky.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Deck the Halls - Christmas 2010
To keep myself on track, I'm going to stick with the format of my last holiday format.....
C is for car. 500 + miles in our car between Wednesday night and Sunday night. It's 230 miles from our front door to my parents', and then between running in between Chris' parents' house and mine, plus driving out to my Nana's in Marshall Illinois, we probably put closer to over 600 miles on my poor Malibu (nearing 140,000 miles very rapidly). That will be a perk when we start having kids. People will have to come to us!
H is for.....H is for.........husband! We actually exchanged gifts this year for the 1st time since we've been married (the first year we did "joint gifts" and last year I don't think we really did much of anything....his theory, and kind of mine too, is that we have joint money now, so we can just go buy our own stuff.....but we never do). We set a budget and I went a little over, but I had a lot of fun picking stuff out for him. I got him a couple hats, a box full of OSU gear, and a really nice Izod golf shirt. I have another thing, but I'm still working on it, so shhh...........he yelled at me for going over, but then I open mine and he did so well! He picked out some cold weather running clothes (Danskin from Walmart - just as good as Nike or Under Armour) for me, some good running headphones (nothing drives me crazier or distracts me more than wires all over the place and headphones that fall out of my ears), and a beautiful ring/ pendant/ earring set from Helzberg. I had really just wanted a ring for my right hand, but he went above and beyond :o) It's a light blue color which really has no meaning other than it's his birthstone (March), so I think of him everytime I see it!
R is for Ridiculous. Cowboys game Christmas night. Down 21-3. Came back to go ahead 26-24 with 1:41 to go. Missed the EXTRA POINT (as my friend Sarah would say, Jesus needed earmuffs). Defense made some huge stops and all we had to do was stop them on 4th and 15 (FOURTH AND FIFTEEN)!!!!!!!! and we couldn't. Cardinals go down the field and Jay Feely kicks one right down the middle with 0:05 to go to win 27-24. We suck.
I is for I LOVE MY FAMILY. Christmas has never been overly extravagant in our household, and I know that my mom & dad wish they could do more, but honestly? Anthony was on facebook and saw that one of friends had gotten (among other things) an Austin Collie authentic jersey (easily $150) and a PLASMA tv - and he's 15. Seriously? That's great for the people who can afford it, but I know so many people who go into debt over the holidays, and that just is so missing the whole point. My mom and dad have always made Christmas special - whether it always means putting apples & oranges in the bottoms of our stockings (we've all had the same ones since we were born), or all of us having a big "Santa" gift and the rest from mom and dad - I feel like no matter how much or how little my parents have, they always make sure Christmas is special for us. In the last couple of years, we've all been together at our house and watched a movie before Midnight Mass.........and then we all go to Midnight Mass together, which has become a really special time together.
S is for Scrapbooking! "Santa" brought me a huge "scrapbook starter kit" for Christmas, and I'm excited to get started! I took a lot of pictures all throughout college and since we've been married, but the only evidence of them is on facebook. I think I'm going to start with something creatively "easy" - our wedding. Wedding-themed paper and stickers, etc are pretty easy to find, and although Mom & Dad got us a book from snapfish of a bunch of pictures, I'd like to include a program, an invite and some other random "momentos" from the occasion. I have a BOX full of stuff that I've been quite sure what to do with (wedding cards, flower petals, leftover stickers from the candy) - so now I can put it to paper and throw out the rest (maybe not the wedding cards, though. My parents still have all of theirs and I think that's kind of neat)!!
T is for new Traditions.....every year since I was born, my mom's side of the family has gotten together on Christmas Day - my aunts, uncles and all of my cousins. Well, the oldest cousin (Kristi) is now almost 28; the youngest (Anthony) is 15, and there are now 3 littler cousins (Michael's 2 boys, Gabe & Jason; Kristi's little girl, Ava) - and last year's get-together was a madhouse. So, this year, each family "unit" did their own thing. It was nice just being my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, brother, hubby & me, but it was kind of sad to break a 20+ year tradition. Hopefully in a few years the hubby and I will start some new traditions of our own with our own family :-)
M is for Mother-in-Law....she's so funny!! We had gone shopping together on Black Friday where I picked out all of my husband's and brother- and sister-in-law's presents....well, she went back out the same day after we were done to pick up a bunch of the stuff that I had oohed and ahhed over! There were some earrings from JCP that I had actually picked up to buy but put down - she got them - and then this 24-opening photo collage from Kohl's that she got me, too, along with a lot of other stuff (Cowboys scarf/ socks, Bath & Body Works stuff, a gorgeous sweater, and some frames from IKEA). Our relationship has really changed for the better this year, and it's pretty cool.
A is for Anthony.........my brother.........my all of 6'3" brother who is 15......nothing much to say about him except for my grandpa brought over the little newspaper clipping from his 1st Christmas and I about burst into tears. He's a spoiled brat and I know that I had a lot to do with it.....he's just growing up so fast, and it's hard to believe that this time 7 or 8 years ago he still believed in Santa :-( He was still just as excited with all of his presents as a little kid though (a new DROID! from Nana, and all kinds of Oregon Duck stuff from our parents....not as excited over his letter jacket as Megan & I were when we got ours as sophomores, but still kind of surreal to see him with '13 on his sleeve!!)
S is for Stupidity............it seems a new tradition within my family is to lock ourselves out of places (when we had our girls' weekend in Indy, Dad & Anthony locked themselves out of the house)...........I went to my aunt's to see my cousins (and Ava!).....was in a hurry and just wanted to run in, grab a few pictures, and leave. Well, out of habit, I locked my car when I got out.....when I had thrown my keys in my purse on the front seat. Fortunately, my uncle came to the rescue with a wire coat hanger and I didn't have to pay a locksmith on Christmas weekend! Note to self: get Chris a spare!
Okay, so what each letter was for was kind of lame, but overall, we had a really nice Christmas. Very busy, very out of my routine (and I'm kind of like a 2-year old when I'm out of my routine too long), but a lot of time with family and each other. Christmas decorations are coming down as we speak - I'm ready to get back to normal!!! Thank goodness for Thursday & Friday off this week..........I need it to recover!
C is for car. 500 + miles in our car between Wednesday night and Sunday night. It's 230 miles from our front door to my parents', and then between running in between Chris' parents' house and mine, plus driving out to my Nana's in Marshall Illinois, we probably put closer to over 600 miles on my poor Malibu (nearing 140,000 miles very rapidly). That will be a perk when we start having kids. People will have to come to us!
H is for.....H is for.........husband! We actually exchanged gifts this year for the 1st time since we've been married (the first year we did "joint gifts" and last year I don't think we really did much of anything....his theory, and kind of mine too, is that we have joint money now, so we can just go buy our own stuff.....but we never do). We set a budget and I went a little over, but I had a lot of fun picking stuff out for him. I got him a couple hats, a box full of OSU gear, and a really nice Izod golf shirt. I have another thing, but I'm still working on it, so shhh...........he yelled at me for going over, but then I open mine and he did so well! He picked out some cold weather running clothes (Danskin from Walmart - just as good as Nike or Under Armour) for me, some good running headphones (nothing drives me crazier or distracts me more than wires all over the place and headphones that fall out of my ears), and a beautiful ring/ pendant/ earring set from Helzberg. I had really just wanted a ring for my right hand, but he went above and beyond :o) It's a light blue color which really has no meaning other than it's his birthstone (March), so I think of him everytime I see it!
R is for Ridiculous. Cowboys game Christmas night. Down 21-3. Came back to go ahead 26-24 with 1:41 to go. Missed the EXTRA POINT (as my friend Sarah would say, Jesus needed earmuffs). Defense made some huge stops and all we had to do was stop them on 4th and 15 (FOURTH AND FIFTEEN)!!!!!!!! and we couldn't. Cardinals go down the field and Jay Feely kicks one right down the middle with 0:05 to go to win 27-24. We suck.
I is for I LOVE MY FAMILY. Christmas has never been overly extravagant in our household, and I know that my mom & dad wish they could do more, but honestly? Anthony was on facebook and saw that one of friends had gotten (among other things) an Austin Collie authentic jersey (easily $150) and a PLASMA tv - and he's 15. Seriously? That's great for the people who can afford it, but I know so many people who go into debt over the holidays, and that just is so missing the whole point. My mom and dad have always made Christmas special - whether it always means putting apples & oranges in the bottoms of our stockings (we've all had the same ones since we were born), or all of us having a big "Santa" gift and the rest from mom and dad - I feel like no matter how much or how little my parents have, they always make sure Christmas is special for us. In the last couple of years, we've all been together at our house and watched a movie before Midnight Mass.........and then we all go to Midnight Mass together, which has become a really special time together.
S is for Scrapbooking! "Santa" brought me a huge "scrapbook starter kit" for Christmas, and I'm excited to get started! I took a lot of pictures all throughout college and since we've been married, but the only evidence of them is on facebook. I think I'm going to start with something creatively "easy" - our wedding. Wedding-themed paper and stickers, etc are pretty easy to find, and although Mom & Dad got us a book from snapfish of a bunch of pictures, I'd like to include a program, an invite and some other random "momentos" from the occasion. I have a BOX full of stuff that I've been quite sure what to do with (wedding cards, flower petals, leftover stickers from the candy) - so now I can put it to paper and throw out the rest (maybe not the wedding cards, though. My parents still have all of theirs and I think that's kind of neat)!!
T is for new Traditions.....every year since I was born, my mom's side of the family has gotten together on Christmas Day - my aunts, uncles and all of my cousins. Well, the oldest cousin (Kristi) is now almost 28; the youngest (Anthony) is 15, and there are now 3 littler cousins (Michael's 2 boys, Gabe & Jason; Kristi's little girl, Ava) - and last year's get-together was a madhouse. So, this year, each family "unit" did their own thing. It was nice just being my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, brother, hubby & me, but it was kind of sad to break a 20+ year tradition. Hopefully in a few years the hubby and I will start some new traditions of our own with our own family :-)
M is for Mother-in-Law....she's so funny!! We had gone shopping together on Black Friday where I picked out all of my husband's and brother- and sister-in-law's presents....well, she went back out the same day after we were done to pick up a bunch of the stuff that I had oohed and ahhed over! There were some earrings from JCP that I had actually picked up to buy but put down - she got them - and then this 24-opening photo collage from Kohl's that she got me, too, along with a lot of other stuff (Cowboys scarf/ socks, Bath & Body Works stuff, a gorgeous sweater, and some frames from IKEA). Our relationship has really changed for the better this year, and it's pretty cool.
A is for Anthony.........my brother.........my all of 6'3" brother who is 15......nothing much to say about him except for my grandpa brought over the little newspaper clipping from his 1st Christmas and I about burst into tears. He's a spoiled brat and I know that I had a lot to do with it.....he's just growing up so fast, and it's hard to believe that this time 7 or 8 years ago he still believed in Santa :-( He was still just as excited with all of his presents as a little kid though (a new DROID! from Nana, and all kinds of Oregon Duck stuff from our parents....not as excited over his letter jacket as Megan & I were when we got ours as sophomores, but still kind of surreal to see him with '13 on his sleeve!!)
S is for Stupidity............it seems a new tradition within my family is to lock ourselves out of places (when we had our girls' weekend in Indy, Dad & Anthony locked themselves out of the house)...........I went to my aunt's to see my cousins (and Ava!).....was in a hurry and just wanted to run in, grab a few pictures, and leave. Well, out of habit, I locked my car when I got out.....when I had thrown my keys in my purse on the front seat. Fortunately, my uncle came to the rescue with a wire coat hanger and I didn't have to pay a locksmith on Christmas weekend! Note to self: get Chris a spare!
Okay, so what each letter was for was kind of lame, but overall, we had a really nice Christmas. Very busy, very out of my routine (and I'm kind of like a 2-year old when I'm out of my routine too long), but a lot of time with family and each other. Christmas decorations are coming down as we speak - I'm ready to get back to normal!!! Thank goodness for Thursday & Friday off this week..........I need it to recover!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Girls Weekend
What a FUN weekend!
We've been planning this weekend for months. Nana and all of Papa Gene's girls went up to the Mall of America back in October - so this was our side of family's turn for some fun :) Thanks to Nana, we had a suite on the 8th floor of the Hilton that was right downtown. We all met up on Friday night -
- walked around Monument Circle (it was a gorgeous night for being "touristy"- brisk but not bone chilling, clear and just a nice winter night) -
and ate dinner at Buca di Beppo's. (Do you see the 2 people behind my Nana & me? They were celebrating their upcoming wedding and Megan & I weren't sure that they realized they weren't on their honeymoon yet. EW).
Saturday, we were up and at 'em early - Circle City Mall was a block away (which was a good thing, Mom & I brought armloads of bags back halfway through the day) and we shopped and shopped and shopped......its been a long time since I've been there and we had a lot of fun!
Saturday night, Nana had gotten us a table at Beef n' Boards for their Christmas show, and while I wasn't that impressed by the food, the show was REALLY good. It was a lot of fun and really entertaining. They had singers, dancers, tap dancers, 2 little girls that were sisters and cuter than you could imagine. We all left high on holiday spirit that night. The best part of the whole show was when the emcee opened a number by asking all veterans and active members of the military to stand so they could be recongized by applause.....but then he pointed out a young man in a sailor's uniform who had just gotten back from Afghanistan within the last few days. He got a standing ovation. It was seriously one of the most beautiful, goose-bump-making, wonderful moments. When the emcee said, "Now THAT is how every member of the armed services should be welcomed home," we all heartily agreed. It was amazing.Yesterday, we woke up, had a quick brunch at Cracker Barrel and all hit the road to get home before too much more snow fell. I made it home in really good time with no major bumps, and so did Mom, Megan & Nana back to Terre Haute. Megan actually ended up in a ditch on her way back to KY, but some road angels let her sit in their warm van while she waited for a tow truck, and they even paid to get her car towed out of the ditch. Stories like that remind me that not everyone is a complete shithead...........(and I'm only half kidding. I know. My attitude stinks).
It was such a fun weekend to spend with my family. I'm so blessed to have them.
And a few more of my fave pics from our fun time.........
Megan & I and our freshly baked Nestle Tollhouse cookies....YUM!
Love this picture of my momma, me and my sister. We had such a good time!Saturday, November 27, 2010
Happy Turkey Day!
It has been a whirlwind last couple of days. We left for TH on Wednesday night and just got back home a little while ago. Everyday has been action-packed, with not a lot of sleep for either of us (not used to a king-sized bed)......so in the interest of a semi-organized post, I'm stealing this idea from other blogs I've read......and "condensed" the weekend into T.U.R.K.E.Y (I started with T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G.....but my mind is having problems functioning, and I'm just not that creative).....
T - is for thankful. For my parents, for my brother & sister, for my faith, for my husband and the millions of 2nd chances hes given me, for the Cowboys no matter how much talent they have but still lose, for a good job that pays for a roof over our head and food on our table, for friends.
U - is for unreal. Unreal how the Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot. A great Thanksgiving Day tradition continued when the Cowboys took on the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints. They were down 17-0 after the 1st quarter and it looked like a blowout. They persevered and didn't quit and actually went up 27-23 with 5 minutes to go. After a big defensive stop, Dallas had a 3rd and 10.....bomb to Roy Williams.....runs up the field for 40+ yards......and the ball gets stripped with 3:30 to go. Wham bam thank you ma'am, 1:05 and 5 plays later, N.O. marched down the field to take the lead, 30-27. We got the ball back with 1:55 to go and got into a long FG range (59 yards), and Buehler just missed it. Oh well.
R - is for Relationship....with my mother in law. It was never bad, per se', just.....daughter-and-mother-in-law-like. Civil, nice, polite....but yesterday, I think we really had a great day together that really upped our relationship. Last year, Chris' sister, Jenn; his mom, Sharon; and I went shopping on Black Friday and had a LOT of fun. This year, Jenn was in Iowa with her fiance's family, so it was just her and me. I think both of us were a little nervous about how the day would go, and were a little ill at ease at first, but we got some Starbucks, hit Old Navy first, and we were on a roll from there. We shopped from 7am to 3pm straight. I hand picked all of her gifts (because she hates picking out things) and she paid for them - we had lunch - and then we came back to her house and I wrapped everything for her. It's funny knowing beforehand what Chris is getting :)
K - is for the Kids table. I'm not sitting at it next year. And neither is Chris. I'm calling seniority in 2011. End of story.
E - is for excitement...over new babies! My AOII pledge sister/ former roommate/ bridesmaid Jenn and her husband welcomed their first baby into the world Wednesday 11/24. They didn't know the sex beforehand so it was exciting to get the text saying it was a boy! Welcome Lawson Shane! Jenn - so excited for you....and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks when we come through for Christmas :) Then, Chris' Sigma Chi brother/ former roommate/ groomsman Cory and his wife Amber welcomed THEIR first baby into the world today! They did know the sex beforehand, but it was still exciting to know he was here. He wasn't supposed to be here until December 6, but for some reason she was induced last night and he arrived around 2:30 pm today. Just a little guy - 6 lbs, 12 oz and 20" long. We stopped by the hospital on our way home to give them a few little things and to see the proud parents. We didn't get to see him because he had low blood sugar and they had him on a warmer, but we'll see him in a few weeks, too :)
Y - is for not Yet (lame, but Y is hard). I said this a lot this weekend. So did Chris. "When are you guys going to have a baby?" "You guys pregnant yet?" "When are you guys due?" Some joking, some not, some trying to BE joking but weren't......it was like our first year everyone gave us a free pass. Our 2nd anniversary hit on August 30 and everyone kind of took that date as the date to start asking. It's HARD to say "not yet" when we're surrounded by babies, when my baby fever spikes just by walking through a baby section at Target, when people keep asking. I'm not annoyed by it and I don't think Chris is, really, either, but at the same time.....it's sometimes hard to just slap a smile on your face and give people an answer they don't want. I KNOW our family and friends want what's best for us, and so do we.....but man oh man is it hard to know when that time IS! Especially seeing little Colin tonight......and earlier today we went to my mom's little babysitting charges' house. At 2 1/2, Landon is practically part of the family since my mom has had him since he was 3 months old.....and he just got a baby sister, Emeline, this July. I walked her to sleep this afternoon before we left, and I just fell in LOVE. She has these big brown eyes that are so SERIOUS, and just look & look at you....but she fell asleep as I was bouncing her and walking with her, and I just melted. She's a beautiful little baby and there is just something so.....amazing - how they just trust you so much. Yup, baby fever is spiked.
No matter how worried or stressed or anxious or annoyed I may get day to day............at the end of everyday, I get to lay my head down in my warm bed, next to a man I love and loves me back, with the knowledge that I always have my family behind me, friends I can go to, food in my belly & a roof over my head, my health and a God that no matter how "bad" of a Catholic I am...........is always listening. I can't ask for much more than that.
T - is for thankful. For my parents, for my brother & sister, for my faith, for my husband and the millions of 2nd chances hes given me, for the Cowboys no matter how much talent they have but still lose, for a good job that pays for a roof over our head and food on our table, for friends.
U - is for unreal. Unreal how the Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot. A great Thanksgiving Day tradition continued when the Cowboys took on the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints. They were down 17-0 after the 1st quarter and it looked like a blowout. They persevered and didn't quit and actually went up 27-23 with 5 minutes to go. After a big defensive stop, Dallas had a 3rd and 10.....bomb to Roy Williams.....runs up the field for 40+ yards......and the ball gets stripped with 3:30 to go. Wham bam thank you ma'am, 1:05 and 5 plays later, N.O. marched down the field to take the lead, 30-27. We got the ball back with 1:55 to go and got into a long FG range (59 yards), and Buehler just missed it. Oh well.
R - is for Relationship....with my mother in law. It was never bad, per se', just.....daughter-and-mother-in-law-like. Civil, nice, polite....but yesterday, I think we really had a great day together that really upped our relationship. Last year, Chris' sister, Jenn; his mom, Sharon; and I went shopping on Black Friday and had a LOT of fun. This year, Jenn was in Iowa with her fiance's family, so it was just her and me. I think both of us were a little nervous about how the day would go, and were a little ill at ease at first, but we got some Starbucks, hit Old Navy first, and we were on a roll from there. We shopped from 7am to 3pm straight. I hand picked all of her gifts (because she hates picking out things) and she paid for them - we had lunch - and then we came back to her house and I wrapped everything for her. It's funny knowing beforehand what Chris is getting :)
K - is for the Kids table. I'm not sitting at it next year. And neither is Chris. I'm calling seniority in 2011. End of story.
E - is for excitement...over new babies! My AOII pledge sister/ former roommate/ bridesmaid Jenn and her husband welcomed their first baby into the world Wednesday 11/24. They didn't know the sex beforehand so it was exciting to get the text saying it was a boy! Welcome Lawson Shane! Jenn - so excited for you....and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks when we come through for Christmas :) Then, Chris' Sigma Chi brother/ former roommate/ groomsman Cory and his wife Amber welcomed THEIR first baby into the world today! They did know the sex beforehand, but it was still exciting to know he was here. He wasn't supposed to be here until December 6, but for some reason she was induced last night and he arrived around 2:30 pm today. Just a little guy - 6 lbs, 12 oz and 20" long. We stopped by the hospital on our way home to give them a few little things and to see the proud parents. We didn't get to see him because he had low blood sugar and they had him on a warmer, but we'll see him in a few weeks, too :)
Y - is for not Yet (lame, but Y is hard). I said this a lot this weekend. So did Chris. "When are you guys going to have a baby?" "You guys pregnant yet?" "When are you guys due?" Some joking, some not, some trying to BE joking but weren't......it was like our first year everyone gave us a free pass. Our 2nd anniversary hit on August 30 and everyone kind of took that date as the date to start asking. It's HARD to say "not yet" when we're surrounded by babies, when my baby fever spikes just by walking through a baby section at Target, when people keep asking. I'm not annoyed by it and I don't think Chris is, really, either, but at the same time.....it's sometimes hard to just slap a smile on your face and give people an answer they don't want. I KNOW our family and friends want what's best for us, and so do we.....but man oh man is it hard to know when that time IS! Especially seeing little Colin tonight......and earlier today we went to my mom's little babysitting charges' house. At 2 1/2, Landon is practically part of the family since my mom has had him since he was 3 months old.....and he just got a baby sister, Emeline, this July. I walked her to sleep this afternoon before we left, and I just fell in LOVE. She has these big brown eyes that are so SERIOUS, and just look & look at you....but she fell asleep as I was bouncing her and walking with her, and I just melted. She's a beautiful little baby and there is just something so.....amazing - how they just trust you so much. Yup, baby fever is spiked.
No matter how worried or stressed or anxious or annoyed I may get day to day............at the end of everyday, I get to lay my head down in my warm bed, next to a man I love and loves me back, with the knowledge that I always have my family behind me, friends I can go to, food in my belly & a roof over my head, my health and a God that no matter how "bad" of a Catholic I am...........is always listening. I can't ask for much more than that.
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