What I love about Christmas

Here are a few things that I love about getting ready for Christmas:

Hot drinks! Not only can we finnaly snuggle up with a hot beverage, but we get to drink them out of special Christmas cups! Eeee!


Nativity scene. I love them! I have about 4 or 5, but this one is special because it reminds me of my mom's nativity scene.


Poinsettas! These were always around our house growing up, as Im sure they were around many people's houses growing up, and this year, Matt bought me one for a surprise! Love it!


Lights! What more is there to say?!


Woo hoo! What takes up the entire free space of your guarage/cubby hole/attic? Christmas decorations!


Christmas tree! This year is the first year we don't have a real one, but we still decorated the crap out of it! The theme is Noriegan. (You know, scandanavian. . . I have no idea how to spell. Sorry mom. I know you are cringing.)


Wall hanging! I don't know, I just like this thing. Wall hangings, wreaths, everything accounts as this.


Last but not least, LOVE! Christmas is all about love, so share it with everyone!!!

This free digital greeting card generated with Smilebox

Comfort moments

Id like to think everyone has them. It is a specific moment in time, normally in your childhood, that when you think of it, it always brings you comfort. It is a time of pure zen and happiness. (That's why I think all of my comfort moments are in my childhood. Much less stress then!)

My comfort moments differ from person to person.

My comfort moment with my mom is when I was probobly seven, and my dad and I had just gotten back from Christmas shopping. Mom was sitting down stairs in our little house getting out all the Christmas decorations with Lisa, who at the time was probably 4ish. She had the record player (yes, record!) playing with the carpenters Christmas hits. I don't know why this spicific moment is so comforting to me. After all, I wasn't really involved in it at all, but when I think about "the joys of Christmas" or "joy of childhood" this always comes to mind. And it always makes me very happy. If I am having a stressful day, it always gives my brain a break for a couple of seconds.

My comfort moment with my dad is when he was working on his old bronco. He was changing the oil, and again, I was just observing, but I really liked watching him.

A whole family zen moment was when we went for bike rides. More to the point, when we got HOME from bike riding. Let me explain.
When I was little, Mom only let us have 1 soda pop a week. Since she didn't want us staying up till God knows when during the weeknites, (well played, mom) we were only allowed it on either Saturday or Sunday.
Wondering what biking and soda pop have to do with one another?
When we got back from our bike rides, everyone would grab a soda. Mom with her Fresca, Dad with his mountian dew, and Lisa and I always had Hawiian punch. Yeeess!! The moment that I put that fruity flavor in my mouth was the best. We had just worked very hard from our bike ride, and now we were all panting and recovering with a family soda.
Sigh.
It was magical.

Remember the Alamo!

This weekend, Matt and I went down to San Antonio. It was so beautiful, and we learned alot too! We took one of those guided tour boats, (they were only $8 a person!) and spent a half hour drifting lazily down the river, with our guide telling us about San Antonio.

A Camp'n we will go

The Gang


The Happy Camper


Do you see our tent?


The view


The view again


Me


Matt


Matt trying to lift Kody, Kody not too happy about it.


Squirt was much more compliable


The Boys

Chicken wings, and other football things

This last Sunday, I thought to myself, "Ok, what do I like about watching football?" The answer?
Food!
I love snacking on all the greasy goodness. We made chicken wings, chips and (homade!) salsa, and jalapeno poppers.
Matt went over to a buddy's house where they had jalapeno poppers. We easily made them, and they were delicious! Here's what you do:
Get around 6-10 jalapenos. Cut them in half long-ways, from stem to tip. Once they are in half, scoop all the seeds out. (Jalapeno should look like a boat.)
Next, fill the jalapeno with cream cheese and top with shreaded chedder cheese. Then wrap it in bacon.
Place on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 30 minnutes, or until the bacon looks done.
Here's what they should look like



Tasty, huh? Looks like a heart attack ready to happen!
And beware that every time you open the oven, your house will smell like roasting chillies.
ALSO beware, that if you have any cuts or scrapes on your hand, it will BURN!!!
But, tada!!!

Finnished football snacks!



Plus, Matt really enjoyed them, which made me happy. :)



Squirty, of coarse, was rooting for the Broncos.

One

Sometimes, when life really sucks, it can take one person to turn it around. When your top is stopped, they get it spinning.
Sometimes, it takes a few people. A couple of phone calls, some chit chat,
to turn your mud hole into a mud spa.
Sometimes, it will even be your dog. The way it always looks up at you like you are the world.
Sometimes, it can take a whole bunch of good events to cancel out the one bad one.
But there is always that one.
The one person
The one instance
The one message
That will compelatly turn everything that was sour,
sweet.

New Pictures!

Last weekend was my birthday, 25, thankyou very much. Matt took me a place that we could go "hiking", or as much hiking you can do in Texas. Turns out, it overlooks the river, and on that river is a really cool bridge! We even went at sunset. How romantic is THAT?!










Very exciting whenever I have new pictures.

25 now

Well, it is now 12:19am, and I am offically 25 years old. It would be easy to say that I haven't accomplished much up until now, but in my life, I HAVE.
I have gotten married, been through one of the darkest points in my life, and survived. I have moved three times in the last 2 and a half years. (For a person not fond of change, that is a big one!)During those times, I have met and made friends with many people I still have close at heart, and am still in contact with. and have a job that alows me to transfer. I have raised two well behaved (most of the time!) adorable puppies. I have become comfortable in my faith, and finally taking the time to explore it.
AND . . .
Ready???
I found what I want to do. It took me a while, and yes, it would have been cool if I found it out WHILE I was actually in school, but hey, I don't think of it as time lost. At that point, at that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do. At that time, I thought the best option was flying half way around the world with the peace core, tending to sick people. (yeah yeah, laugh. It seemed like a really good idea at the time!
And the time I spent at my current job is just helping me be comfortable with confrontation and directing people.
Now, I know for a fact that I want to be an ESL (english as a second language) teacher. These poor kids get uprooted from their mexican homes by their parents who come to America, and put the kids in school without a clue how to speak any english. Thats where I come in! The freindly teacher that will help them on their way, teaching them english, school stuff, life. . . .
Ah, the glory.
In the time I spent looking back, I have just come to realize I have become an adult. (gasp!)
Married, have a job, have a home, have a family, (I count dogs as family), have a plan. Some how, I made it to this phase. Thank God and all the people who helped be a part of it and kept me on the right path and on my way.

Yay for dogs

Create a digital slideshow

Blogs that make me happy

Here are a few blogs that just make my day.
This one, http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/search/label/Oh%20Poop my friend Heather sent to me. In her earlier blog, she shows cool wedding cakes, but this page was so funny! The cakes people come up with . . .

This one, it inspires my creative side! http://kingofmicestudios.blogspot.com/2010/07/metamorphosis.html . I love all the colors she uses, and I love that her main theme is halloween!

And its not a blog, but http://cuteoverload.com/ has some pretty amazing cuteness on it. If you haven't, check out the otters! They are jumping and squeaking like mad!

New box!

The past few weeks in pictures

About 2 weeks ago, our buddy Ray and his friend Denver drove down here from Colorado. It was so good to see them! The puppies were happy too!!!








We all went out to eat at a chicken wings place, where Matt and Denver entered and won the right to be on the "Wall of Flame". I have never seen anyone sweat that much! They had to eat 25 hot hot hot chicken wings, and keep it down. They both did it, but they felt reeeeeeealy sick afterwards! Matt speued in the parking lot, (where two unfortunate men stepped in it as we were driving away,) and Denver passed out on our wooden floor. Ouch!



They were all gone 'n goofy that night!



My family has been so great! They send me little things to let me know they're thinking of me. Stamps, return lables, pictures, postcards, and other fun things! The other week, my little sis made me some earings! They are red, for work, so I can be "stylish". :)



Ive been really into reading fairy tales lately. They are just a great way to unwind and reminds you of when you are a kid. Here I checked out fairy tales from across the world, and many of the traditional ones that we know, (snow white, cinderella, beauty and the beast,) came from european countries, such as Germany and France. However, they are told a bit more grotesquely. (Cinderella's sisters saw off parts of their feet to get the slipper to fit!



And just yesterday, Matt and I went to the "fancy" part of austin. There were mansion-type houses, and they were all around 700,00. A house like that in Colorado would be alteast 1.5 or so. They were so pretty! And even with a lake view. woo hoo!
We hiked around the lake for a bit, then we went home. It was under 100 degrees, so we counted our blessings!




Last but not least, I got a hair cut. Nothing drastic, but I added a few more layers around my face, and cut about an inch off. Its a bit more curly now. Not much, but it made me happy! :)