Christmas Card Holder

Every year since we have been married I have pondered and wondered on the best way to display the Christmas Cards that we get every year!! We love to get Christmas Cards in the mail and we love to display them throughout the Holiday's as a reminder of our family and friends, far and near, that we are blessed to know and love!!

I was browsing the wonderful world of Pinterest (yes, I said it again) and found one that I knew I had to try out:

***DISCLAIMER: The third, small stocking that you are going to see in the following picture is NOT an announcement. It is a stocking for our cat, Rascal. Again, THE SMALL STOCKING IS NOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT! It is a stocking for our cat that we love! Yes, we are one of THOSE couples!!



As I wandered through Michael's looking for color inspiration, I found the red glitter paint and immediately knew it had to grace our home for the holiday's! I found the frame at DI for $3 (although looking back, I should have sprung for the $8 frame that was two sizes larger), and then I came home and put it all together!!

I decorated our house for Christmas the same night, and then we watched 'The Elf.'

It's officially Christmas Time at our house!!

Thanksgiving Photos

As promised (because I know you are all anxiously awaiting to see these), here are the photos from our Thanksgiving Day!!

Apparently, we were having problems getting it together with the flash, because these are the best three photos of the two of us throughout the WHOLE day!!



And here are my parents, adorable as ever!!

And here are a few more from our time at my parents house:

We also headed over to Joe & Ollie's house to spend time with Nate's family!! Nate thought it was HILARIOUS that he & Jack planned to keep their eyes closed in this picture:

As previously mentioned, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and we have much to be grateful for!!

... A Thankful Heart ...

(graphics from www.silhouetteonlinestore.com)

To be honest, even though I have much to grateful for, I am kind of annoyed with myself for only posting what I am grateful for through the month of November! Growing up, I was taught that 'gratitude is an attitude' and even though I may not always express it outwardly, I try to focus on being positive and make sure that my attitude is in check and remember that I am very blessed! Perhaps one of my goals from now on will be to post more about the small things that I am grateful for! I really enjoy making our list throughout the month of November because even though most of the things on that list are trivial, they make our lives what they are and contribute to our joy!

However, today is Thanksgiving!!

I LOVE Thanksgiving! I LOVE the anticipation, I LOVE walking into a home that smells like turkey and potatoes, I LOVE eating the tasty food - but most of all, I LOVE the tradition that my family has when we go around the table and say what we're thankful for!

Most of the time, what we have to say is obvious and sometimes it's even pretty funny, but the older I get, the more I am grateful for those obvious blessings! Our tradition has changed and evolved a little as we have gotten older, but it is still one of my favorite things about celebrating Thanksgiving!!

Nate & I celebrated the day (feast wise) with my parents today! After we finished eating, we sat around the table and each listed 5 things that we were grateful for - here are mine:

1 - Nate! Words cannot express how grateful I am for Nate! I honestly can't imagine myself in a life different than the one that we have built together. I love that he is funny, I love that he is respectful, I love that he loves me, and I love that I love him! He is my best friend, and every day I can't believe how happy he makes me and how my love for him has grown!

1a - Rascal! She is a part of our little family, and even though she is getting old, she is the best cat anyone will ever have!! She is my something small to snuggle when I get down, and I am grateful for the unconditional love that she gives to me :)

2 - Our families! When I was little, my sister gave me a wall hanging that said, 'God made us sisters, love made us friends.' This quote, to me, applies to our families! I am SO grateful for each and every member of the family that I was born into and the family that I married into. Our nephews and nieces are some of the best things in my life, and I am so grateful that I am an aunt to them and for the relationships that I have with them!

3 - Our friends! Even though we don't get together as often as we like, I am so grateful for my best friends and their families! They always know how to make me feel better and they always know just how to make me laugh! I can't imagine my life without them! (B&B, love you ladies :)

4 - School! I am so grateful that I had a break from school in the Spring, and I am so grateful that I went back to school this Fall! I have blogged about my feelings for my education many times, so I won't get into details, but I am grateful for the opportunity that I've had to go to school!

5 - Free Agency! Over the past year or so I have really taken the time to sort through some of my beliefs and my feelings. I'm grateful for the chance that I have to question, to study, to seek advice and really, truly, decide what I believe in and how I want to live my life. I am grateful that I am an adult and that I can think for myself and make decisions for myself! I feel as though I have really grown as an individual this past year and that I know more about myself than I ever have!

It's late, and I'm tired, so I won't go on, but don't be surprised if you see some random gratitude posts throughout this blog more often - I think it's something that I definitely need to work on!

I really hope that you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you have taken the time to ponder and be grateful!!

Until next time!

Oh, and one last thing: I'm grateful that my mom and I conquered our losing streak and finally won a game of hand and foot against Nate & my dad! It's been a long time coming!

Oh, and one more last thing: I'm also really grateful that we were able to skype with Nate's parents and his brother tonight!! We have really missed having them so close and it helps to be able to skype with them!!

Oh, and this is really the last thing! Pics of our Thanksgiving Day to come this weekend!! :)

It's All About the P's

Apparently, a lot of the things that I am digging right now, start with the letter P! To give you all a nice visual, I googled the letter P and it came up with all sorts of adorable graphics, but today I'm feelin' girly, so I chose this one!!

(graffityartamazing.blogspot.com)

Anyway, here are some things that I love that start with the letter P!

- pico de gallo - the homemade stuff! Nate & I have pretty much perfected it! I can't get enough of it!

- pasta salad - specifically the chicken pasta salad that my mother in law introduced me to when I started dating her son

- Panda Express - (yes, I'm aware that so far, it's all about the food, but a girl's gotta eat, right?) On Tuesday's, our local Panda Express gives 10% off to students. We LOVE that!

- Potter - Harry Potter, that is! Since the final movie was just released, we decided to watch them all and build up to a big viewing of 7 & 8! We are going slow, but I am SO enjoying watching all of the movies again!!

- Pinterest - yes, it's true, I still love it! I've been able to cut back from being an addict to checking it for two or three minutes a couple of times a day, but boy oh boy, there are some great ideas to be found out there!!

- PANDORA!! Have you tried Pandora? I am in LOVE with Pandora!! My favorite stations? Glee, of course, Jack Johnson, The Jonas Brothers (don't judge, it's light cheery music) and U2!!

I've got to head to class, but I'm planning on adding more to this list as the day goes on! What things do you love that start with a P?

... Just Because ...

So, I picked up my Graduation Application from the Registrar's Office yesterday!! I was practically giddy as I was walking through Campus, holding Nate's hand, picking up the papers that would declare me 'official' and allow us to end this stage in our lives and begin with a fresh start, maybe in a fresh place ...

I know that I've said it before, but here I am, saying it again - I cannot imagine my life without my educational experiences. I am SO grateful that I decided to 'distract' myself with going to college and I know, without any hesitation, that it was the right thing for me to do and at the right time in my life to do it.

If all goes well, I will be walking across some makeshift stage, wearing an awful gown and receiving a piece of paper that will turn into a diploma at the end of next Spring!! I am SO ready to be done with school and while part of me is super nervous about not knowing where we're going to be 6 months from now, I am definitely ready for the new adventures we will have!!

At the risk of sounding prideful ... Go Me!! :)

Sunday Afternoon

Last Sunday was such a beautiful day, so we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and headed out to a park for a few hours!

We ate, read, slept & of course, took some photos!!

As you can see, it was a beautiful afternoon!! I'll definitely be sad when the weather turns cold, but for now, we'll try to enjoy every little bit of it!!

Logan Canyon

Last Friday my mom called me up to see if I wanted to do some shopping in Layton! I took her up on her offer and we decided to stop for a few minutes in the canyon to capture the gorgeousness of Fall!!








We had a great time shopping, eating at Training Table & chatting and I'm happy that I had the day off work so that I could tag along!!

Random Confession ... Bust A Move

I can't believe that I'm about to post this, but my I-Pod is kind of demanding it (because I turned it on random & sat down at the computer and the song came on and I can't help it) ...

Apparently, I'm a closet rapper ...

I know, by heart, and can rap along to 'Bust A Move' - the Glee version!

You're not going to get a video of me rapping - ain't no way, no how - but I will happily provide you with a list of people who have witnessed my amazing skills!!


(photo from will-schuester.tumblr.com)

It's one of those things that just kind of happened by accident, but that I'm strangely proud of!!

See ya lata! Yo!

Pumpkin Throw Up

So our sweet little niece Lizzie was born in October, and every year for her birthday party, the party foods consist of yummy food that looks like yucky things!! This year, as I was browsing Pinterest, I found a treat that I knew I absolutely HAD to make for her party!!


The Pinterest version was on a pretty plate and had guacamole spewing forth, but because we were in a hurry and couldn't dig out a pretty plate and I don't like guacamole, we used a cookie sheet AND our tried and true chip dip (which is really a party favorite anyway, so I don't feel like it detracted from the experience at all)!!

Anyway, just wanted to share a bit of festive fun with you all!

Oh, and the chip dip:
1 pkg cream cheese
1 can chili (we use Stag Ranch-House Chicken Chili)

Throw in a bowl & microwave until you can mix them together!!

Enjoy!!

Realization

You should know by now that I believe that Fall in Cache Valley is probably one of the most beautiful sights in the world! The mountains, the trees, the leaves ... and Old Main! 

There is something about Old Main and Campus in the fall that makes me love being being a student and filling my day with walking to and from classes!!

I realized the other day that this is going to be my last Fall on Campus - so I decided I'd better make it count!! I had some time to spare after my class earlier this week, so I pulled out the Kodak Playsport and had some fun shooting the things that I'll miss the most about Fall on Campus!!

I wandered around Old Main, through the Quad, and around the Spectrum!

By the time I made it back to my car, I realized that I had wandered around for about an hour

taking in the smell of the leaves and my favorite things about Campus!

I am so ready to be done with school, and next Spring that will happen - 

but I really will miss being on Campus in the fall!!

... Some Advantages ...

Of having a night class (even if it is Stats) ...


Of being an auntie ...


Of having the best husband in the world ...


Sometimes is good to take advantage of the good things in life!!

Eat, Pray, Love

My absolute favorite quote from this book is:

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You have to fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.

You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.

And once you achieve a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it...

It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, "Eat, Pray, Love" - Bali