New Year's Resolutions

2014 was one for the books.  We got married, spent our honeymoon in beautiful Savannah, GA, we conquered all kinds of speed bumps and road blocks and newlywed woes.  It brought work trips, promotions, and lots of growing up.

 

 We became a family, and that was the best thing 2014 brought us.

 

I'm so excited for what 2015 may bring.  We're starting the year with a promotion on my end, a commercial driver's license (and promotion) on his end, and so much to be thankful for. I've made my list of 2015 resolutions with lots of space for life to happen.  I didn't want to make a resolution list that became a checklist for the year, rather, a "skeleton" that we will flesh out as the year goes by!

 

   

What to do When Your Best Friend Tells You She's Pregnant

Well, first thing's first... you smile uncontrollably because you're so doggone excited for her, and your eyes fill up with tears because you just can't control how happy you are.    Next, you start to reassess your life. I mean, you're 23 for Goodness' sake! What are you even doing with your life right now? sleeping, buying furniture to organize all 631 of the square feet you rent, and monogramming every object you own? Get it together!!   You ask your husband how he feels about it.  When he tells you he thinks it could work and you may jump on the baby train, too, you'll die.  Literally die.  But then, allow your brain to mess everything up and bring you back to reality.  Remind your husband that you can barely afford to move, just bought a new car, and would like to have some money saved for maternity leave.  When he agrees, get mad at him because you wanted him to convince you it would all work out.  Then, try to convince him that you're managing your debt quite well and have money left out of all of your paychecks.  Um hello, you don't even use all of our grocery budget as it is. When he tells you it's not going to work, and then proceeds to tell you how he is going to pursue a raise at work by getting his commercial driver's license, don't forget to let your impatience and your fear of being left behind and turn that into a "but when" issue.  He will get frustrated and tell you he's doing all that he can do, and that it will come in God's time... not because everyone around you is doing it. Last but not least, go to bed upset at your husband, and wake up the next morning realizing what a brat you were. That's the most important step.   LouBoo, you're going to be a great mommy, and I can't wait to meet Baby P!

 

 

Little Hiney Christmas

Our Christmas week was full of rest, family, fun, and quality time.   I hope your Christmas was just as full! It was our first Christmas as a married couple, and we enjoyed it to its fullest!

Life Lately

I know, I know, I'm back to slacking.  I didn't have any more Christmas posts in mind, and life isn't containing a whole lot more than work, home, monogramming, and sleeping.  So here are little chunks of our lives lately....   Roomie Christmas was great on Friday, full of laughs and Jeni's ice cream!  

 

Jackson's brother and his wife will be here this evening from Hawaii! They're spending two weeks here before he goes back to deployment and she starts back medical school.   There are monograms galore in our home.  I've pretty much been running my own little business this Christmas, and it's really exciting.  

I am in need of a haircut, but can't figure out what I want. I don't want any of my length taken off, but I want layers and my swoopy bangs. To the depths of pinterest I go!    I got to spend time with my sweet Nana this week decorating her tree and helping her get ready for Christmas next week. 

  We got some of my bridal portraits back, and I'm so so excited to get the rest!     Also, I have been a college graduate for a whole year... and I miss it so so much. :(   I started my promotion on Monday. I'm now an HR Generalist.  It's pretty much what I've been doing, except now I'm getting paid to do it. Score for the home team!    We are so addicted to this game called "Trivia Crack".... It is like trivial pursuit! It's so much fun to play without having to get out a board.   There are piles of laundry, stray shoes, and a sink full of dishes waiting on me this evening.  Tis the season for being too busy to do housework!!  

Meet Our Tree

I had been looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving for months. I got our little 6-foot cashmere tree on sale for $12 after Christmas at Walgreens last year. Our little tree had been stored in my room at my parents' house for almost a whole year before we brought him to our little abode.  We have such little space and so many pieces of furniture, we had no idea where we'd put him.  After shuffling furniture, we found the perfect spot for him.   We couldn't decide on a theme for our ornaments, so I had to make an executive decision one day while "killing time" in Hobby Lobby.  Black and Gold for Vandy, it was! In between the black and gold, there are sentimental ornaments.  Dad and I cleared out all of the family Christmas ornaments last year, and my sister and I went through to pick ones we wanted to keep.  I picked my first Christmas ornament, and some odds and ends that were my favorites to put on the tree every year.     I also added the ornament that Jackson and I acquired in Savannah on our Honeymoon   (Forgive the awful-ness that is the webcam photo quality)   We added the Alumni ornament his mama bought him last year
(The back of this one is signed by Phil Ponder!) 

 

There is another ornament from his mama last year to the both of us   And then there's this guy... our newest addition:

  I posted this picture on Instagram on Thursday night and got a ton of questions about it.  It was so so simple, and totally Pinspired.    All you need is sand, a clear glass ornament, some shells, and a piece of paper for a funnel (I guess you could use an actual funnel...).  I bought a metal, hand-stamped tag (etsy) to use as the explanation (you know, so when I'm 90, I'll remember why there's sand on our tree). I used hot glue to plug the metal hanger so no sand falls out while it's in storage.    Note to self: get a bigger tree. There are too many ornament ideas out there for our little baby tree to hold!!

Coming Togetherness and Traditions

One of my favorite things about being married so far is combining our family's traditions.  Christmas has given us the perfect opportunity to explore what things are special to us that we want to keep, what we want to do new, and what we can compromise on. 

 

We were raised differently in many aspects, but our Christmas traditions were different, too.  My family didn't have a specific tradition for putting up the tree, but his family likes to do it the day after Thanksgiving.  My family loves things like pajamas and cookies (and carrots for reindeer!) served on a specific Santa plate.  I had never seen the Polar Express, and now, after seeing it (and then watching it four more times in three days) we have decided to make it a tradition in our family.

 

I love this "coming togetherness" that is marriage. 

I love combining our two families into one as we develop traditions and habits we will pass onto our children someday. 

 

Winter Checklist!

Fall is usually our busiest time of year, so we hardly got to anything on our checklist.  It didn't help that Nashville turned to Arendelle in early November (thank you to all of the tiny children dressed as Elsa for Halloween... Thank you...) and then warmed back up.  It was way too hard to plan outdoorsy things.    Go camping Decorate!! Go to a pumpkin patch Carve Pumpkins Take fall pictures Make soup or chili every week Go to the zoo Bonfires Friendsgiving     Don't get me wrong... I love Fall, but Winter may be my numero uno... I love the cold. I love vests and scarves and coats... I love hot chocolate and staying inside. So...Since it's now December....Here's our Winter Checklist (With a couple already crossed off):   Put up our tree and decorate it the day after Thanksgiving My family always got very busy right around Christmas, and some years, our tree wasn't up until two days before Christmas.  I want to start traditions like this that will carry into our family when kids are here.    Make our Traditions Lists Since we were on the topic of traditions... It would be so much fun to make a list of our traditions growing up to see which ones we want to keep a part of our family!!   Go see the Opryland Christmas lights on December 23rd December 23 is the day Jackson and I got engaged.  Opryland is our favorite, most memorable place to go at Christmas time.  It's where we had our first date, where took prom pictures as the Nashville flood was happening, it's where we got engaged, and it's our tradition   Build a Gingerbread House  This is something I don't think I've ever done!!   Get Matching Pajamas for Christmas Eve wearing! I know. This is probably going to really embarrass Jackson, but I want to carry on this tradition from my childhood.  We used to get new, matching PJs Christmas Eve so we would wake up all cute on Christmas morning.   Go to the Jellystone Christmas Drive-Through Light Show We say, every year, this is something we will do.  It's been going for over five years, so it is definitely time to go!   Slow Down and Enjoy It's so so so easy to get wrapped up in all of the things that have to get done that I forget how much fun everything really is.   Take More Pictures I'm always so so busy in the middle of everything that I forget to take pictures, then I'm kicking my tail for not taking more pictures! I'll find that balance soon. :)   Invest in Christmas Decor This being our first Christmas on our own, married, in our own home... we realized we have zero Christmas decorations.  We still need stockings and a tree skirt! And little knick-knacks to sit around. :)    

Christmas Shopping: Check!

A few months ago, I wrote about my Christmas and Birthday wishlists.  I have been keeping them updated using Pinterest; it's such an easy way for everyone to log on and click the link to go straight to the item.    I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping! I have my Father-In-Law left to finish, but other than that, we are donezo!!  

Dad: Amazon Fire Stick

Mom: New Buxton Wallet

Cameron: New Running shoes

Nana: A sweet bracelet

The Littles (My cousin's kiddos): Fleece jackets to be monogrammed!

(Girls)(Boys)

 

MIL: Big Bang Theory Monopoly and Clue FIL: Lowe's Gift Card (Looking for one more little thing)
Tenisha: Fabric made with Ginger's recipes for tea towels Garrett: Happy Socks, Ties, and a Visa Gift Card   One of my other favorites is our White Elephant present:

        What is your favorite gift that you have gotten someone so far?

Thanksgiving 2014

Our Thanksgiving weekend was a long, busy weekend full of family and no rest! Isn't that how that works, though? You have days off so you stay up too late? No? Just me? Cool.   Thursday, we had lunch/dinner with my mother's family.  Afterward, Dad, Mom, Cameron and I went to Walmart where Dad proceeded to almost get in a fight with a man who called my mother something not so nice.  I think Walmart is where Christmas Cheer goes to die.   I woke Jackson up early (8am) Friday morning to put up our Christmas decorations. Wife of the year, I know.  We have our Black and Gold Vandy tree up and decorated! Tree skirt is a work in progress.  If anyone knows where I can get a cute one under $20, I'd be grateful! Our favorite part was hanging The Ornament we bought on our Honeymoon! Waiting a whole ten months to hang it was torture!

Then we went to his family's Thanksgiving and ate our little hearts out all over again! We played almost an hour's worth of Uno, and then Jackson got tired which resulted in puppy snuggles:

Saturday, we did my Dad's family's Thanksgiving and played with my cousin's children.  There aren't any pictures of that, though, because we were too busy throwing children in the air and spilling coke on them. (oops.)   Also unpictured: Getting hooked on the game "My Singing Monsters" Watching all of the GREEK our hearts could handle Catching up on The Walking Dead Eating an entire bag of Rolos and Caramels All of the awesome items I crossed off of our shopping list Both of us being sick and piled up on the couch All of the empty DayQuil packages on the counter  

Thankful (Round 3)

New to the party? Here is Round 1, and here is Round 2!    Job interviews Friends getting new jobs New coffee mugs Devotionals being reminded of childlike faith   Favorite sweaters that still fit after five years of wearing and washing Mothers who are willing to give up sweaters for children. Chili cook-offs and not spilling any on said sweater My sweet daddy and his ability to take life as it comes. New appliances in my childhood home   Care boxes from best friends  Hot chocolate dates on our deck Sweet property managers at our apartment A short commute Older and wiser Godly co-workers    Family Time to spend with family Being able to take food to the less fortunate My inlaws who love me like I'm one of their own People who return calls   eBates Great Pinterest finds that become great Christmas gifts Lists My sweet husband who tries to do better daily Great friends and Friendsgiving!     My daddy calling me to tell me Cats is on Nashville Public Television Spending Friday night singing along with NPT Having a washer and dryer in our apartment New shoes Netflix
Tylenol Cold and Sinus Dishwashers My sweet husband who will stay up until 1am watching Dexter with me.
  Dinner nights with Jackson's best man, Byron, that turn into going to the movies at 10:30 Beautiful sunsets  

Thanksgiving is STILL on Thursday

No, this is not a rant about wanting to move Thanksgiving to another day of the week.... It is a tiny rant about how underobserved (is that a word?) Thanksgiving is.   It has come to my attention.... more so this year than ever before.... that Thanksgiving is like a speedbump on the way to Christmas.  It's like Thanksgiving is here to slow people down before we hit the "Christmas Rush"... but... It's almost like those big wide speedbumps that you really don't have to slow down for.  It makes me sad.   Thanksgiving is the bees' knees in my opinion. Why? Friends and Family. Food. Football.   But it's more than that. It's a time to be thankful, to really stop (I mean like brick wall, not speed bump) and enjoy the things we all have.  It's not a time to put up our trees and lights and presents. There's a reason the "Christmas Switch" is not flipped on the radio until the day after Thanksgiving.  Because we're not there yet.  Because we don't need to plow through one holiday to get to the big one. Because it's not all about presents and decorations and who gets what.   It's about just being. Being still. Being thankful. Being in the presence of those we love. Just. Being.   I understand that would require a massive slowing down of our lives for a millisecond.  I understand that's not something our culture is familiar with.  In the everyday hustle to get to work, through work, home, through dinner, etc. we make it a habit to rush. We rush to get to Friday, we rush through our weekends, and we look up and we're turning our Calendars to December before we realize we've left March eight months ago.   I challenge you to take a breath and just revel in the beauty that is this holiday.  Don't worry about Christmas.  It's still coming at the same speed it always has, and I promise you, it will still get here.   Tiny note because I feel bad: I love seeing all of your beautiful trees! I promise, I do! I'm not condemning anyone for going ahead and getting their Christmas stuff up! In my home, we don't; in your home, you do! both are just as  great!

Our 1st Annual Friendsgiving

Over the weekend, we had our first annual Friendsgiving with our best friends in Murfreesboro! We had so much amazing food! I made this maccaroni and cheese and it was so stinkin good . We spent hours watching Hunger Games and playing Scattergories.  Hilarious times were had by all. 

Friday!

This week has been the bomb dot com!    1. We decided that our Christmas present to each other would be tickets to the Linkin Park concert in January. We. Are. Stoked. Like it's 2006.

 

  2. I had a wonderful time painting on Tuesday with some ladies from church.  This one will take the place of my pumpkin come November 28!

    3.   This week, I have been able to take time to spend in my happy place.  I've sewn a tablecloth with bows for our upcoming friendsgiving, I have monogrammed three pullovers for my best friend to give for Christmas, and I have sewed yards of leaf garland.  

4. Finally decided on ornaments for our tree.  It was very spur of the moment when I was killing time in Hobby Lobby. (FYI: Killing time in Hobby Lobby is not a thing. You will be late wherever you're going...) We are huge Vandy fans, so it just made sense to do our tree in black and gold to go with our white lights! Now all we need is a tree topper and we're set!

5. I came home yesterday to a note saying we had a package in the office.  I knew I hadn't ordered anything, but figured maybe Jackson had.  When I picked it up, I automatically recognized the handwriting.  My best friend from high school sent me a care box.  This, friends, is what ten years of friendship are made of.

 

Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren and 5 on Friday