Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

There will be pictures posted later but it is snowing!! It is beautiful, despite being a bit treacherous driving home from church. Snow in Texas is amazing! Only here can it be 75 yesterday and 29 and snowing today!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas Merriment...

Wow, how the month of December has flown by! I know you are all bored of my dumb posts about my life and my dog and my wonderful husband...I could be creative and blog about funny things but I am all out of creativity right now so here is a small update. Do you like how this blog has turned into "updates".

We have had some fun times sharing with friends and family. We have indulged a little too much at party after party. We have spent many a night looking at Christmas lights, choreographed to music (not sure I need to hear Mannheim Steamroller for a while), and endless baking (there are cookies on the counter cooling right now). The end of school before break went by surprisingly fast...and great! I have great students and we have fun celebrating the upcoming holidays. I did a 5 days before winter break my teacher gave to me...it was fun to see them so excited over things like taking their shoes off or having Hershey's Kisses!

For those of you keeping up with Wrigley's training...she now walks into her crate on her own! Not only that, as I sit here and type, Patrick is on the couch and Wrigley is in her crate napping! You heard you me correctly, I did not miss type! She loves her crate, remember way back in September when we never thought this would happen! She is an amazing dog!

With the last of the gifts purchased and wrapped and some sent to family and Christmas upon us I can't help but reflect on the joys of the year. One more milestone to share...I will be spending the first Christmas of my life without my parents and siblings. We will be at home just Patrick, Wrigley and me, making some traditions of our own. I am an emotional person but I am ready to do this, to be a wife (and not have "daughter duties" as well) and spend this time with Patrick, a little removed from the hustle and bustle. This blog has served as a journal or sorts for me so I thank all of you who have enlightened me with your comments and posts. Thank you for sharing in the milestones of the year. There will be more reflecting to come...

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! Enjoy your family, friends and most of all the reason for Christmas, Christ's birth, what a gift!

Twilight...

The inevitable happened today...I did something I said I would never do...so is that the inevitable? After much scrutiny from family and friends I succumbed to the pressure...I have officially been bitten. All housework, cleaning, laundry have been put on hold. I am engulfed in the latest teen drama/saga. Of course I am the last person on the civilized planet to jump on the bandwagon. I can't put the book down. If you are one of the unfortunate people who have not yet read Twilight (trust me you are not alone) go out and buy the book...on a weekend when you have time to read it. This book crosses all generations and all age groups. I don't care that you will have to dodge teenage girls in the TEEN section of Barnes and Noble. It takes you back to young love in high school, who doesn't want to relive that! As my sister said, it is almost a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Go get this book, don't wait until Christmas, do it now! Be careful, you might just find yourself thirsting for more!

Family, friends and food...Thanksgiving...

What an amazing Thanksgiving week we had! I am so blessed that I got to share this holiday with not only the love of my life but my entire family! For anyone who knows me or my family you know that we are freakishly close and we have a very unique bond. We see each other about twice a year and it is an amazing time! Well, not only did I get to see them I got to host them, here at our house!! I have always liked throwing parties and making people feel at home but this was truly an experience. I loved every minute of their week long stay. I will not bore you with details but...We did what every normal, slightly crazy family does over the holidays...eat, sleep and shop! The essentials! When I say shop let me assure all you shoppers out there that we did not miss a mall in the metroplex...and we were there on Black Friday at 7 am! That was a first for me and I WILL most certainly do it again! The energy and Christmas spirit was awesome!

A few highlights from the week...

Shopping with Mom is always such an experience. She often makes me try things on that I would never buy...well, this time I might have bought a few things. I know Christmas is soon but I don't get to shop with just my mom ever! We had a lot of fun and I look a lot cuter going to work! My students no longer make comments like, "didn't you already wear that?" Yes I did, afterall, I am made of money remember!

What Thanksgiving would be complete without a kitchen disaster! We have lived in our house for 8 months and have so far been lucky, until Wednesday...the disposal clogged. It was like something out of a movie. I'm pretty sure I was running around like a turkey with its head cut off. But my mother and husband are amazing and we got it all taken care of with a little help from a home warranty and what my dad called a "cowboy" plumber!

Another milestone over Thanksgiving week happened with our little love...Wrigley. We dropped her off at Doggy Day Camp! I am sorry and a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I got a little choked up when we dropped her off. She was so excited and had a blast! She has been there three times in the past two weeks! A happy, tired Wrigley equals happy, relaxed and rested parents!

Graduation and such...

For all three of you that read this blog and have been keeping up with Wrigley's progress...we have news...Wrigley passed beginner training! She has even been invited to join an intermediate class with another dog! Can you believe it! Let's go back to week one (seven weeks ago) when we were told that Wrigley should be in private classes...progress!! She has made huge progress and growth, by growth I mean she is now 51 pounds! Apparently, we adopted a horse...We are so thankful for her and very much in love. We love her more every day and can't imagine life without her! Thanks for all the support! We will keep blogging about the intermediate training with another dog, only one but still, baby steps!

In other news, Patrick and I are the proud new owners of "big kid" bedroom furniture! This was the first room of furniture either of us has ever bought...let me be the first to say...it is beautiful! And the new mattress to go with the new bed...wow! I have been sleeping on the wrong mattress for years! We have a hard time getting up in the morning, but no one cares about that so lets just move on. Why new furniture you may ask? We are hosting Thanksgiving!!! Mom, Dad, Brian and Brittany and some friends of ours from the area will be here, nine in all! I could not be more excited. Patrick is being a good sport as I can only imagine how he is feeling, one crazy close, a little out there loving family all under one roof, HIS roof! I love you honey and thank you for letting us host! Mom is of course helping me...well, I am helping her! I love my family and I am eager to see them! More on that...happy reading!

Engagements...

Last night, under the Vegas lights, my girlfriend

and college roommate got engaged. In May, on their couch on a quiet night, my other college roommate got engaged. In December 2002 the first of three amazing college roommates got married, I followed July 07. I was thinking this morning how awesome friendship is.

We started our journey as friends in August of 1996, (yes, that does make us in our 30's). We were fresh out of high school with lots of lofty aspirations but not a whole lot of direction. We were scared, homesick and completely lost. Some of us far from home in a completely new state. I knew that what we had that first month of August would be life changing but I had no idea that I would have three of the most amazing women as friends today! We have been through a lot together, since those tiny dorm rooms (really meant for one) and a not much bigger apartment. We have watched each other grow through breakups and makeups, family drama and trauma, career changes and graduate school. We have had an argument or two, we have moved across the country, some of us more than once. We been there from online dates and the scary meet-in-person to the "YES" and "I do". We have been in each others weddings and watched one us bring life to two sweet little boys. Despite all of life's changes and uncertainties one thing has stayed the same...the love we have for each other. I would not be the person I am today without the love and support of my three fearless roommates. Girls, you know who you are and I love you dearly. I am who I am because you are in my life.

As new engagements are celebrated reflect on what a ride it has been. We are lucky to have the special women in our lives. Tell them you love them, often. They matter to me and I know they matter to you!

Pictures...

I don't really have anything to post but I thought I would humor you all with a few pictures from the last month or so. I really can't believe that it is October. As a teacher, October is usually the month where you start to breath again! I can't believe it is already here! It will be Halloween before we know it and then Thanksgiving and well...the year might as well be over!

For those of you who are keeping track of Wrigley's training, Tuesday's session was awesome! She even got a compliment from the trainer! Wrigley will usually (not during bad weather) walk on a loose leash and sit on command. Keep the advice coming and prayers. She is still not crate trained and is eating the door to whatever room we put her in...anyone coming to visit will have to deal with some teeth marks on the guest bathroom door!
Have a great weekend friends...

Voiceless teaching...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to teach without a voice? Everyone has a voice, and it is our job as teachers to teach and demonstrate voice, when you lose it, it changes your perspective...completely. I had that happen yesterday. I am still struggling to recover my voice after a cold has settled in (for what feels like a long haul). I learned several things yesterday:
~ you NEED your voice (it is really hard to be me and not talk...VERY challenging, some of you are probably really thankful)
~ I sound super sexy...according to my husband
~ my students will talk as loud as I do, this was a blessing...my decibel was so low and they mimicked it.
~ my students can be super independent...I could only give the directions once and then it was fend for yourself...they were amazing!
This blog entry has turned out to be rather boring but I like writing and there is someone out there that will read it.
On the dog training front...she is great on walks and enjoys the guest bathroom (well by enjoy I mean she does not get out and has not eaten anything). Our trainer recommended that we attach her leash to a piece of furniture when we need her to settle down or stay in a specific place. It is all about letting her know that we are boss and she does what we want her too (that is so comical :)). Putting her leash around the coffee table was a great idea and worked, until she chewed through her leash! I just laugh now! She is so freaking cute and has such a personality that I just can't be mad. She will get better...I say that now since I have been up with her since 6:30. I guess this makes us ready for parenthood...yeah, not quite!
Have a great weekend blogger friends...

Puppy training class...

We had our first training class with Wrigley. We got there a little bit early because we had a few questions for the trainer. Well, there are no other dogs in our class, (this proves to be a good thing). The trainer brings her dog, but other than that there are no others. Patrick and I were so worried about getting kicked out...well that can't happen when you are the only ones. Had there been other dogs, she would have recommended private lessons! Private lessons! That means my dog is BAD! This comes as no surprise since Wrigley ate Patrick's memory foam pillow today...I know. But we bought a bunch of new toys and treats so maybe tomorrow she will stay occupied. We are going to try the guest bathroom tomorrow. We have guests coming this weekend so hopefully they will have a bathroom...

We were ready to give up today...but, she is so darn cute we just can't! Pray for us...I hope that things get better. On a better note, we bought this Gentle Leader collar and Patrick said it was the best walk ever! That is a huge step!

Cuteness can be deceiving...

I know my dog is adorable but let me assure you that looks can be deceiving. She is a terror at the moment! I have read article after article about crate training..."your dog will like its crate, dogs are den animals, crate training is highly successful" blah, blah, blah! Wrigley, hates her crate. I know I mentioned this before but it has not gotten better. I of course made the mistake of praying for patience...are you kidding me! Don't get me wrong, we love Wrigley and she has been an amazing addition to our family. I am just ready for training to start and some positive changes.

Here is your dose of puppy love for the week...

We left her in our bathroom last Friday and she did a great job! So we try again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Well, the other three days she got out of the bathroom and had free roam of a bedroom, no problem (we are getting excited now). Tuesday, the bedroom door was left open and she had free rain of the house, nothing was even so much as out of place.

Wednesdays we volunteer at the church so we came home briefly and then Patrick put her back in our room...you know what happens next. We came home and there was paper from one end of the bedroom to the other. She tore up every magazine and my leather Bible! There were pages of Genesis and Romans (must have thrashed the book around) all over the place! Did I mention that it has been raining here for a week straight and she has not been outside to play? I could only really laugh at the situation and it is even funnier today!

Back to her crate she went...yesterday she broke the plastic liner of her crate and tore up the carpet remnant that her crate sits on. Today, she bent the base of her crate! Are you serious!

If there is anyone out there in cyber blog world that has ever trained a dog to be in a crate or behave for that matter, please send any and all advice our way. Puppy training begins on Tuesday, we will update and let you know how it goes!

We love our puppy very much despite the training challenges. Here are a few pictures...she is stinking adorable!

An attempt at training...ineffective

This bone takes less than a week...it looks huge but she is a lab afterall!

Absolutely true stories...

I promise I will not bore you with a really long post about my not so interesting life. I have one dog story and a few from the start of the year...

Wrigley has decided that she does not like to sleep through the night anymore. Last night, we are still hoping it was the full moon, she decided at 11:30 (we had been a sleep for over an hour - come on now we are teachers!) to bark and wake us up! It took some cajoling (thank you Gooney Bird Green - more later) but finally after about 30 minutes of attention she went back in her crate and went bed. I guess this is why people say that getting a dog is great parent practice. I have to say I was no more tired than usual!

The school year is off to a great start! I love my job and I love teachable moments. Last week I read my favorite book, Gooney Bird Green to my class. It is about a 2nd grade class and one student in particular who tells "only absolutely true stories". My kids LOVED it! I wanted them to write about themselves so I had them write an absolutely true story about them. It was awesome what they produced! And this my friends...is why I teach!

Wrigley...our newest addition

Puppy love! It is probably one of the most innocent and unique things. A couple of weeks ago we adopted a black lab mix who caught our eye at a local shelter. She is adorable! Of course when we adopted her, she had just been spayed and had shots so was very mellow! She stayed that way for a few days and then we found out she had kennel cough (very typical)...well, a week on some antibiotics and we have a puppy! Wrigley (yes, she is named after Wrigley Field in Chicago) is 6 months and 35 pounds of puppy...rumbustious, spunky, and cute as can be!

We have attempted crate training...so far we have been unsuccessful. To say that she hates it would be an understatement. She will sleep in there only because we put her crate in our bedroom and she sleeps with the door of it open. We have been leaving her outside during the day and she is happy as a lark (by happy I mean not barking and scratching at the door).

She is a work in progress, and although there are days when we wish she would go in her crate willingly or leave us alone for two minutes to cook dinner, we love her! She has been a wonderful addition to our family! We are happy pet owners...more updates later! There will be more pictures to follow...the start of school happened, makes puppy training and photography hard!

Sibling pride...

Being the oldest of three I have tremendous pride for my siblings. My
pride was brimming this weekend as I watched my younger sister, by
nine years, walk across the stage and graduate from college!

I am so proud of the amazing woman she has become!

Spending time with my family always makes me miss them more. This
visit was a little different in the emotions department. Let me
preface by saying, we are driving home at the moment, so I miss them
terribly. I also felt really old this week. Being on a college campus
and being so far removed causes anyone to feel a little nostalgia. My
parents are now empty-nesters (although my brother and sister are
temporarily living at home) and I am happily married and teaching, a
lifelong dream. When did we all get so old? This long drive to Atlanta/
Auburn takes no less than 12 hours so I have had plenty of time to
think and reflect, neither one are very good for an emotional person
as myself! Besides feeling old, I feel very appreciative. I love my
family and I'm so thankful for the experiences and memories that we
are creating. Thanks!

With that said, we created some great memories this weekend while
eating and celebrating our way through Auburn! Congratulations
Brittany...oh the places you will go! War Eagle!

Memory lane...

Look at this, two posts within a week!

I took a trip down memory lane today, by accident. My husband and I went to this new little yogurt place near our house. It is a self serve, soft serve yogurt place. You fill your cup and they charge you by the ounce (this is both good and bad). They give you a huge cup so it takes some serious self-control to walk out of there spending $10 on yogurt.

Anyway, they had cookies and cream soft serve! Anyone who went to college with me knows what that means!! When I was in college we had an amazing soft serve ice cream place that had cookies and cream! We LIVED for this stuff. Well, a few years ago I was back visiting and it's gone! They closed down. It was a sad day when we realized there would be no more Sweet Temptations. Well...today, I relived that sweet, creamy temptation that I remember from all those years ago!

I'm back...I know you are thinking "sure she is"....

Ok, so I lied! I swore (not literally) I was going to blog more frequently this summer...clearly not the case! But I have a good excuse...it is SUMMER. And what a summer it has been! We have relaxed, traveled and done a whole lot of nothing.

We are fortunate enough to be able to go to Chicago for summer vacation. Especially since Texas has been "blessed" with extreme heat, when I say extreme heat I am talking 100+ temperatures! We missed that, thankfully. I like warmer weather and would certainly choose that over the arctic winter temps, but really that's HOT! My parents lovingly welcome us into their home each summer for close to three weeks. This summer was no different! We had an amazing time. I will spare all the boring details, but there were some highlights worthy of mention.

In all the years that I lived in Chicago, or have visited, I have never been up to the observation deck in the Sears Tower. This is sad for several reasons but the main one being that my mom works in the Sears Tower! I mean really...this year we finally went. The much anticipated "ledge" is open, I use "open" causiously. Let me paint you a picture...four feet wide, and four inches thick of plexiglass essentially suspended 103 stories! Have I mentioned that I am terrified of heights? I am! I was literally shaking as I took a leap of faith, if you have seen Indian Jones and the Holy Grail you know what I am talking about. I can't really do it justice but I do have apicture...remember we are 103 stories in the air, that is 1, 353 feet!

A few more highlights from summer...

~ We celebrated two years of marriage bliss. We had a great dinner at my favorite restaurant back home and a long, sweet, romantic walk on the beach, there is nothing better than cold sand on your feet. Thank you Patrick for loving me, all of me. I love you more today than the the day we married. I am a blessed woman to be your wife.

~Quick trip to Michigan to see my extended family.

~ McNeal family reunion in San Angelo.

Well, that about sums up summer...a very quick summary. We are in a gifted and talented training this week enlightening our minds before school starts...there will be more updates. Happy reading!

Summer read

School is out and I get a 2 and half month vacation so, I have a little bit more time to blog. I know those few of you that read our blog are thinking "great, we can read some more of her day to day blogs," I don't make you read! I do promise to write about more than just journaling my life. I know some of you hate us teachers because you say that it must be nice to work for nine months and get three off. Trust us, if you dealt with 22 children all day everyday for nine months you would earn a few months off. This blog (at least this entry) is not about jealousy or how much people work or don't work

Summer is the perfect time to get involved in some good reads. I can't read books during the rest of the year  because I read the whole book in like two days and I can't get anything else done. I have no self control when it comes to reading. The house could go untouched for four hours while I am consumed in a book. Hence, why summer is a good reading time for me. We hit the library yesterday...

Book 1 of the summer is sTORI Telling by Tori Spelling (you figured that one out). It was really entertaining, not award winning but well written. Completely celebrity hearsay and TV dramaesque (is that a word?) but it is nice to get lost in someone else's life. So, if you are looking for something mindless and easy to read, to kill a few hours this summer (I know most of you don't have time to kill between families and work) I recommend it.

Happy reading!

Summer...finally!

Wow, it has been a long time! I am so sorry for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting another post. Here it is...condensed of course and complete with several pictures! Happy reading...

I have officially made it through my first year of teaching! What a year! It has been humerous, exciting, sad, fun, exhausting, challenging but most importantly memorable! I have the most amazing team of women that I get the honor of teaching with. Without them, I would never have made it through the year. As if that is not enough, I have a husband who ALWAYS believes in me. There was nothing that I brought home this year or talked about that he did not think I could handle. He was right, funny how that works out! It was an amazing year filled with ups and downs and one that I will not soon forget! Thank you to everyone who made this year successful. In case you are wondering, I still love teaching and can't wait to see a fresh bunch of faces in August...in the meantime I plan on thoughouly enjoying summer!

Since our last post (2 months ago...surely things have happened), we have been a revolving door of visitors and parties...awesome! In May I was blessed with a week long visit from my brother then my sister and a long weekend over Memorial day with my parents! For those of you that know me, you that my family is precious to me. I see them only a couple of times a year so to have them come and visit and stay in MY house was quite special. Showing my family around where we live and doing the things that we call life was really a cherished time. We had a great time! A milestone happened over Memorial Day weekend, we hosted our first party! Thank goodness my mom was here to help. We entertained 25 family and friends! Probably one of the highlights of the year. It was such a hit that next year will be the second annual MD BBQ!  May culminated with my birthday and dinner out with friends at my favorite restaurant. I am so blessed that I have friends to share special days with. We were lucky and honored to celebrate a great couple's wedding on my birthday as well. Weddings always make me feel so fortunate and blessed that God put Patrick in my life. I pray that people get to experience this amazing thing called love. I am constantly amazed each day at the power of love. I love my husband more today than I did the day we got married...lucky girl I am! Ok that was a random side note, sorry. Back on track with the update...

I think that since I have now exhausted you with the randomness of our life I will leave you with a few pictures from that past several months. Happy Summer fellow teachers...enjoy it and relish in every sweet moment that summer brings. We have some fun travels ahead so we will keep blogging...as long as you keep reading!

Me and my sister...she loves cupcakes!

Baseball game during a rain delay...

Memorial Day BBQ

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! To the five of you that read our blog I hope that you had a blessed Easter. Easter is a that time of year when the "newness" of life appears. The plants start to bloom (maybe not after all the storms and cold weather), the spring clothes are brought out and there is a spring in your step. As I was sitting in church today listening to our pastor talk about the amazing God that we serve, I realized that I am not always filled with that newness that Easter seems to bring. So my goal...live a "new" spring-in-your-step kind of life! I challenge you to do the same! Life has enough challenges already so we don't need to live stagnant lives! Have a blessed and wonderful week, and thanks for reading!

A new discovery...

I have discovered my new favorite thing about our house (please, you know that I find something new everyday)! Let me just preface this by saying it has been a week. If you are a teacher or have ever worked with kids then you know that these weeks happen. You think it is Friday on Wednesday and when you realize that Friday is still two days away, you pray it goes fast....ever been there? I am there! So what did I discover...let me describe it. A glass of chilled white wine, candles with the faint scent of lavender, and bubbles!!! Not bubble bath but bubbles coming out of the jets in our bathtub! It was heavenly! I think I may have even fallen asleep briefly. This is a simple pleasure that I got to enjoy today after a long, tiring and draining week...it was fantastic! 

Patrick has re-discovered his love for grilling...burgers, chicken, asparagus, basically whatever we are eating he is grilling! Healthy eating is so much more fun when you can grill and enjoy the outdoors. I take a special liking to this grilling thing because it means less dishes for me to wash (or for me to put in the dishwasher)! 

Changing gears for a minute...

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to a 60th birthday celebration for a family friend. What a great time we had! It was so refreshing to talk to people of my parents generation and to see them so eager to hear about our lives. It is funny how usually the younger generations look up to the older ones for wisdom and advice. But what was equally as interesting was that the people we were talking too were genuinely interested in the lives of a younger generation! I guess we all have something to offer regardless of age! Someone is always learning from you so make sure that your character is shining through (that is the teacher in me)!  

Our First House!

Welcome to our first house! We are getting settled and VERY happy. I have already managed to fill the kitchen and have something in every room! What did I do before? I was amazed at the amount of stuff that came out of our apartment! 

Here are a few (although I LOVE everything about our house) of my favorite things...

~We have yet to run the air conditioner, it has been in the mid 70's!

~I can sleep with the windows open and not hear annoying street traffic!

~It gets dark at night, and I can see the stars!

~We have a backyard...a small one but a backyard!

~We can both park in the garage and it is attached to our house!

~There is more than one way into our house.

~I don't have to store everything in the master closet!

Well, those are just a few things! Here are a few photos...come and visit!

Spring Break...

Spring break has officially started! I am so ready for a break. As a kid spring break was a time for vacation and hanging out with family. I never really thought about how much my teacher would appreciate the time off. I get it now! I have a very chatty class of students and I asked my mom a few weeks ago if I was chatty in school...you guessed it, the answer was yes! So I guess this is my payback. But regardless, I will take the week off and rest...actually no that is not what we are doing! We are MOVING! We close on our house on Monday and the movers come Tuesday...I will upload pictures as soon as I have some. It felt a little weird to take pictures when someone else was still living there! 

For those of you on who teach and are fortunate enough to have Spring Break, enjoy it. I know it is a well deserved break! 

Boys and Tornadoes

Why are boys so fascinated with tornadoes and bad weather? We have been anticipating bad weather all day...we knew it was going to hit tonight. I, being a person who LOVES (can you hear the sarcasm) bad weather, was thrilled, glued to the TV and ready to cover in my closet. My husband, however, was outside! No, not standing at the window looking out, but out on our patio. OK, so, some of you are thinking that this is not a big deal. We live on the THIRD floor!! The news is telling us that we should take cover, the sirens are going off and I am in the closet (buried under pillows) while my fearless husband is outside. I know the weather has hit the worst level when he joins me in the closet. 

I am starting to like Texas, (afterall, I am in the process of buying a house...did you catch that?) but I will never get used to or like tornadoes. I am thankful that I was home with my husband and not out and about. Or worse yet at school with kids that need me to be calm. I made my team hang out with me this afternoon so that I would not think about the weather...come on! I am a baby when it comes to bad weather...welcome to Texas! We are safe, that is what matters!

House Hunting...

Have you ever noticed the series of questions that go with life stages? When you graduate high school people ask where you are going to college. When you graduate college people ask where you are going to work. When you have been working for a little while and meet a boy they ask when are you getting married. Once you are married the question of when are you buying a house comes up and then well you can take it from there. 

We have graduate to the stage of when are you buying a house...having put in our sixty day notice with our apartment complex the time crunch is on! Good thing we have narrowed our search to just a few. 

I knew that choosing my first home would be so exciting! I have dreamt about it for most of my adult life. What I did not realize was how my priorities have changed. It is funny how the things that I once thought we absolute necessities in a house don't really seem to matter as much when you are looking at the whole picture. There are new things that I have come to realize are really important. I still have my lists of wishes...most of which are cosmetic but I can see past the few decorating mishaps. I have seen, in our search for our first home, some serious decorating blunders. Many of the houses (including one of my favorites) have wallpaper...seriously, that went out in the 90's, these homes are less than 10 years old! I can handle one room that I can change, I'm sort of looking forward to that! But when every room has nasty wallpaper with the matching border...I mean really. 

I am very thankful that my husband and I share the same tastes...we have agreed on almost every house! We are both torn between two...we will update soon when we make a decision. 

New Year...

Clearly 2009 has not caused me to blog more frequently! We have had a wonderful start to 2009. We made it home safely from Chicago and were welcomed by good friends and some much warmer weather! Last week was back to the grind at work. I have to admit it was actually nice to get back...ask me that in a few weeks when I am counting down to spring break and my answer might be different. We have enjoyed some much needed "home" time. We have been dressing up our apartment with a new rug and some drapes in the dining room...maybe I will have a house some day soon and I can do some more decorating! Well, that about sums the year up so far...afterall we are only 11 days in! Here are a few more pictures from Christmas break...more updates later...I promise!