The End and The Beginning

Today is my last day off before 3 days of work and then I'm back to school on Monday. Today is the last day of 2009. Today is the last day of the decade. Goodbye 2000's, Hello 2010's (or whatever the heck we're calling them).

2009 was a good year. I won't go into the whole decade, because honestly, I can't remember all that. I love New Years because of the celebration of things past and the hopefulness of things to come.

This is what I am looking forward to in 2010:

-Graduating! This is numero uno on my list- being done with my Bachelors in April. Although I am stoked to be almost done with school, the nerves have started to kick in a bit about job searching. Hopefully I will be able to find something good by May. Going along with this is quitting my current job when I graduate, so I won't be working weekends anymore.

-Buying a new house! We want to put our house up for sale sometime in January and buy something by April. The house we live in now is actually the NewlyHusband's. He has owned it for a little over 5 years and I just moved in here before we got married. It's not a bad house, but we would like something a little newer, in a different part of town, that we can really make ours.

-Getting healthier. Notice this one does not have an exclamation point, because I am not really looking forward to it. I like good food and I don't have a whole lot of motivation to work out. However, I do not like myself when I look in the mirror. I get depressed about this body that I've never had before. It's hard getting rid of all your jeans because they no longer fit and donating all your shirts that are too fitted. The NewlyHusband is doing a Biggest Loser competition at his job, so we are planning on getting up early together every morning to hit the gym. Getting healthy will also include drinking less soda and way more water and thinking a bit more about what I put in my mouth. I will never be a health nut when it comes to food, but I can at least make a little bit better decisions.

-Being more responsible in my walk with God. I do not currently go to church because I work every Sunday, but I need to make an effort to actually read my Bible and talk to God more.

-Learning to cook more. I would love to make something new at least once a month to put a little variety in our meals.

-Seeing our good friends get married in May.

-Celebrating our first anniversary in August with some sort of vacation.

So, here's to 2010! May it be a great year for us all!

Lessons on Cherry Pie

Well hello again! Christmas is over, the in laws have left, and I'm enjoying my last couple days of freedom before school starts again (my last semester!!)

Christmas was wonderful. We spent Christmas morning at our house with my in laws. The NewlyHusband and I then went to my parents to exchange gifts, where eventually we were joined by the rest of the family, including his parents. It was wonderful to be able to spend Christmas with both our families in the same spot, so we didn't have to worry about splitting our time. We had 17 people total at my parents house!

As this was my first Christmas as a wife, I do believe I was allowed some kitchen mishaps...and I had one. I decided to make a cherry pie. How hard can that be, right? I bought two pre-made pie crusts in the tins and took them out of the fridge to get them to room temp (that's what the directions said to do.) What they don't tell you is that if you are using one of the pie crusts as the top, you should probably take it out of the tin before you thaw it or it will just crumble in your hands. It did crumble. But I wasn't going to just give up! I filled the bottom with two cans of cherry pie filling and pieced together the other crust on top. It was ugly as hell, sure, but I thought it would still taste good, so who cares. I put it straight in the oven (mishap #2- apparently you're supposed to put it on top of a cookie sheet first). Checked it 15 min later and half of the top had fallen onto the bottom of the oven. At this point, I decided to give up on the pie and throw it away. I put on some oven mitts, grabbed the pie, and went to throw it in the sink.

Right before I got to the sink, the pie folded in and fell. Covered the sink, the counter, the cupboards, the floor, and the new Christmas socks I was wearing. I really wish I had a picture of our kitchen covered in cherry pie. So there ya go. This is the life of a newlywife.

In other news, my nieces and nephew's mom found out she is pregnant again, so I will be getting a fourth niece or nephew. And.... the guy that was the best man at our wedding proposed to his girlfriend at Christmas. So that was really exciting news!

Hope everyone reading had a wonderful holiday. I am off to find a dress to wear tomorrow night!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

It's almost Christmas, guys! I seriously love this time of year and just like a little kid, it feels like this week is taking forever. Our house is decorated, all my shopping and wrapping is done. Although the NewlyHusband's is not...he's out finishing right now. The in laws are here to spend Christmas with us and our house is currently full of cookies.

I really don't have much to say today, but just wanted to say a very Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope your holidays are amazing, full of friends, family, and food!

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Only a hippopotamus will do...

Ok I don't really want a hippo for Christmas- they're violent, aren't they? When I was little, I wanted Shamu for Christmas. My mom told me we didn't have a big enough backyard...ahh the dissapointments we face as children. Anyways (yes I know there's not an s on "anyway" but that's how I like to say it), let's get to the point...My Christmas list! Lots of bloggers have posted their Christmas lists lately and who am I not to jump on the bandwagon? Today, I will post my realistic Christmas list. The stuff I actually want, ya know, in case anyone's paying attention. Tomorrow, I'll post my dream Christmas list (the stuff I'm not near spoiled enough for).

My Christmas List for 2009

Cashmere sweater from Kohls- they're on sale for 30 bucks people! And 100% cashmere. Score!

Knee high socks- I need socks to wear with my boots, so my boots don't rub against my legs. I like fun socks, not plain socks.

Scarves (Or is it scarfs? I never know)- It doesn't get too cold here in Florida, but I do need a scarf every once in a while and I only own one. This one from AE would do, but I'm not picky

A nice coat. I have one leather jacket for when it's really chilly and a bunch of hoodies. A nice pea coat would be fab, maybe this one from Aeropostale or something similar but a bit longer would be better.

A study guide for the PHR, which I plan on taking after graduation

A cookbook for beginners or for picky eaters.

And of course, gift cards so I can go shopping myself! My favorite part of after-Christmas is getting to go shopping with the gift cards I got for Christmas. I also like getting restaurant gift cards, so the NewlyHusband and I can go out to eat without feeling guilty.

Christmas Spirit?

Where is it? Do you have it? How bout you- do you? A lot of the bloggers I read have written posts lately about how they are just not in the Christmas spirit this year. I feel the same way. I've been listening to Christmas music, but it just feels wrong. I've worn Christmas socks. I've shopped (some) for Christmas presents. I even wrapped a present today and mailed it out to my Secret Santa (If any Nesties are reading this- yes I sent it out a day late, but it is out!)

But... still no spirit. When the NewlyHusband gets home tonight, we are going to watch Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. Maybe that will help. We can't put up our tree until the 14th (when I will be on Christmas break). I'm sure that will help. And it has gotten a little cooler here, although I think it's 78 degrees (F) right now. It may just be that I am so concentrated on getting done with the semester that I have no room left for the holidays. Holiday shopping is the best thing to get me in the mood and although I've done a bit, I just really don't have the time. And I need a shopping buddy. Going by yourself just isn't as fun.

Are any of you feeling the Christmas spirit yet? What gets you in the mood for the holidays?

A Different Kind of Holiday

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent Thanksgiving at the NewlyHusband's parent's house. I tried some new foods (which is a big deal for me!): squash casserole, cornbread dressing, and pumpkin pie. The power actually went out at 2 am on Thanksgiving morning! A car hit a power line and the electricity didn't come back on until about 10:30 am. The NewlyHusband and I enjoyed some time on the pier at the beach where his parents live while the power was out. We watched a bird that had taken a shrimp from a fisherman's bait bucket and just kept hopping around with this shrimp in his mouth. I think he was scared that if he put it down to eat it, another bird would snatch it. A rational fear, I think, since the other birds seemed to be following him pretty closely. We had dinner, watched some football and ice skating, and then went to see NewlyHusband's sister and niece for a bit. A very relaxing Thanksgiving.

On Friday, we went shopping (in the late morning- no way we were getting up at 3 am and fighting the crowds.) We went to Target where I got 2 pairs of gloves for $1.50 and the game Apples to Apples for 10 bucks. I've never played it before but heard it was a blast. We then went to the mall. I wanted to go to Old Navy to check out their 50% off outerwear sale, but man it was a madhouse in there. We picked up some Christmas gifts and we each got a new pair of shoes. I got these:

for 15 bucks! We drove home Friday late afternoon and crashed early after a quick stop at Kohls.

Poor NewlyHusband hasn't been feeling well since we got back. He has very bad allergies and his parents smoke in their house which really exaggerates his allergies. It was so nice to have a couple days off to spend with the NewlyHusband and his family. Now it's back to school. This week is my last week of classes and next week is finals. Sooo I better get busy!

But I'm Thankful Too

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving (American Thanksgiving, that is, don't want to leave out you Canadians who already had yours!). I believe that everyday, we should all take a moment to think about what we're thankful for. I read something once that said we should be thankful for our pile of dirty laundry that needs to be washed because it means we have clothes and thankful for the weight we have gained, because it means we have food, etc. That is such a great way to think.

So, dear readers, some of the things that I am thankful for, both big and small:

• that I found my faith in God a little over four years ago. If God is all you have, God is all you need.


• my amazing husband. Read some of the reasons I love him here.


• my family. Although we certainly have our flaws, there is lots of love there and to me that is most important.


• my job. I complain a lot about working every weekend, but I am incredibly thankful that I am employed right now.


• prescription sunglasses. I wear my sunglasses all.the.time. Even if it's cloudy- if they're not on my eyes, they're on my head. I feel weird and semi-naked when I don't have them.

I am thankful for many other things, but those are the ones that automatically came to my mind.

This will be the first year I have not had Thanksgiving with my mom. We are heading to the in laws. It will be different, but I am looking forward to spending the holiday with people that have taken me in and loved me as their own.

Happy Thanksgiving!