A Few of My Favorite Things for the Holidays

I live in the desert, literally out in the middle of the desert, there are other houses around, but we all have an acre of dirt and weeds that can sometimes pass as "grass", between us. Since it's the desert it's HOT 10 months out of 12 (sometimes 11), which means that I get ONE whole month of fall/winter :). So in honor of that I am going to share some of my favorite Fall/Winter/Holiday things..

1. Normally it would be the colors changing, but out here everything is Brown 365 days a year, so I guess I will say I like watching the colors change everywhere BUT here :)

2. I love the COLD and as soon as it hits 75 degrees I break out my sweaters! HAHA!

3. I love to bake, I usually bake all year long, but for the Holiday Season I tend to go overboard and become a comfort food maniac! Some of the things I bake are...chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, fudge, brownies, cupcakes, pumpkin crisp, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin pie, apple pie and if I keep going I'm going to get really hungry.....

4. I love hot chocolate, mostly the Starbucks kind because I always get a Peppermint Hot Chocolate...if you haven't had one TRY one this year, I promise you won't be disappointed!

5. I love YANKEE Candles, their Fall/Winter Scents are so wonderfully yummy! I have a whole list of those that when you burn them together or even separate they make your whole House smell so good, so here goes..Harvest, Red Apple Wreath, Pumpkin (anything except spice, I'm allergic to it), Christmas Cookies, Jack Frost, Silver Bells, Atumn Gold, Autmn Leaves, Sparkiling Cinnamon....That's just to name a few... I'll add to the list later :)

6. I Love to GIVE presents, sounds corny I know, but since most of my friends and some of my family's Birthdays are during this season I get to give presents for like 3 months! Oh and I like to GET presents too, my birthday is 8 days before Christmas (Dec. 17 for those that don't want to do the math..hehe). Serioulsy though I think giving presents is way more fun, especially when it's a REALLY good present and you get to see the person's face light up, it's just the best feeling!

7. I love Holiday FOOD, not just the baked goodies, but Turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes, and stuffing..did I mention stuffing? And gravy and sweet potatoes, and green bean caaserole, and even though I don't get to eat it anymore, I loved my grandma's Carrott Bread Pudding with lemon sauce, it was something she ALWAYS made at Christmas and only she and I would eat it, I can't think of anyone else ever eating it but us (Brit correct me if I'm wrong please..), I also love my Aunt's Blueberry Yum Yum, it's also a Family tradition, Thanksgiving and Christmas ONLY, but I swear if given the chance I could probably eat it EVERYDAY!

8. I Love Christmas Music and movies, it just takes me back to being a kid and I get soooooo giddy, another great feeling! Some of my favorite singers/movies are Josh Groban, Nat King Cole, the soundtrack to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Carol, T'was The Night Before Christmas....another really long list.....

9. I love TRADITIONS, putting up the tree and decorating it, wrapping presents (even though I suck at it!), watching A Christmas Carol on Christmas eve, singing songs with my family....everyone gathered around opening presents...(man I miss my family!)

10. My favorite thing about this time of year is all the LOVE you can feel from people, except for the crazy ones that are out shopping, some of those people are not about the love...most places you go to though people are just kinder around the Holidays, something about this time of year that just makes you want to LOVE everyone...maybe it's just me?

There is alot more stuff that I really love, but I'll stop here because my child is banging on things.....What do you love about this time of year?

The Wii Fit!

Mark and I had a deal for Christmas this year, the only thing we were getting for each other was the Wii Fit, so for us Christmas has come early! I found the Fit Board and game at Target, it was the LAST one, so naturally I had to buy it! The other night we set it up finally, and I stepped on...Now keep in mind it comes with a warning label that says be aware that others will be able to see your weight and BMI and all the fun stuff that you don't really want others to see (especially your husband!)..So with Mark holding the remote controlling the process, I held my breath and waited for the numbers....I will not at this point disclose that information all I will say is that I have now taken to working out EVERY DAY! Now after the Board/Game tells you how fat you are, what your inside age is and makes your Mii (game version of yourself) fat just like you, it tests your balance. For those of you that know me really well, you will agree that balance and me are not friends, I fall off of sidewalks, I trip or stub my toes at least 2-3 times a day...well the Game is now on to me! It ASKED me if I frequently trip or fall when walking?! What kind of crap is that?! HAHAHA! Also, I did an exercise yesterday (apparently I did it wrong) because at the end of the exercise instead of telling me to do it again, it called me a COUCH POTATO! Usually I get ok scores after each attempt, but not that time! I have to say though that I absolutely LOVE the Game and all the exercises, I have never done Yoga before and I am actually learning alot about it! My legs are killing me today, but I will keep it up! Oh and Nate loves Yoga too! He does all the poses with me :)....So even though it yells at me and beats me up....I have give it to the creators at Nintendo, they did an awesome job!

A new tattoo

Over the weekend my wonderful tattoo artist imprinted upon me a now daily reminder of my mother, as if I really needed one, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I chose this particular piece because it is indicative of who my mom was in a sense, the butterfly represents the freedom that my mom had (when she wasn't chained down by her addictions) and the 4 bears represent the different facets of her personality, each one is different, each one is placed in it's own world and thats how my mom was, she was something different to everyone, but the butterfly contained her while also allowing her to be free. I added a few personal touches, one bear is holding a football (my mom loved her 49ers) and one is holding a baseball (she also loved her Giants), each of those will be done in the colors of her favorite teams. I know you can't really see it at the moment but I placed her name along the lines at the top of each wing, you can sort of see it, but the flash kind of whites it out a little. I know she would be "proud" of the tattoo, since it represents her so well, oh yea I forgot to mention, I chose the Grateful Dead because of her love of the band :) and my love of the band as well. I miss her all the time and I know this holiday season is going to make me a wreck, but I will get through it and pretty soon each year will get easier (I hope). I wanted to share this part of me with all of you since I can no longer share with her in the physical aspect, I feel her looking over me from time to time, and every now and then I hear her laugh especially when Nate has done something truly hilarious :). I guess she's not really gone, she lives on in me and my children and for that I am grateful.

Miss you mom, I love you and I hope you like your tattoo :)

Grandma Bush this is for You!

Nathen LOVES the phone and so last night while I was out Mark decided to take a video of him talking to his grandma in Michigan...so Brenda this is for you :)

My 50th Post!

Ok so I know that most of the blogging world doesn't commemorate the 50th post, but for me it's a milestone since I don't blog everyday like I should. So in honor of the 50th I would like to say thank you to my friends and family for stopping by and reading and commenting and stay "tuned" for the next 50, cause once I reach 100 I will be doing the faithful give-a-way!

Crayola Markers Rock!

Nathen is currently becoming quite the artist, he has stopped coloring walls and now colors on other things....I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

At least he is color coordinated :)

Look he colored inside the squares :)

A New Day

Barack Obama is our president. I must say that even though part of me has turned conservative over the years, watching this election unfold the way it did and watching the faces last night in all the different parts of the country, it felt like the whole country was holding a breath and when Obama won there was this huge sigh of relief and hope surged through the country. I know that Senator McCain could have done a great job as president, there was something about him though that just didn't create the hope that I saw last night. I don't know how to explain it, I listened to President Obama's speech after he won and I was crying, I couldn't help it, it's the first time I have ever felt emotion for any kind of political candidate. Most of the time when thinking of politics I would get angry..lol.. But now, it's different, President Obama represents a change, a HUGE change, he's the first black man to be President of the FREE world! I mean who would've thought, I know when I was growing up I was told you can be president some day, a woman in the Whitehouse seemed far fetched and to have a man of color (trying to be pc :p) was beyond anyone's thinking and now here we are. Amazing..simply amazing. I am hopeful and I feel like the country is actually United again. I hope I hope I hope that he will take us where we need to go and that the country will continue to stand together and say "Yes We Can!"

It's Here!!!!

Election Day is here! GO VOTE!!!! Make a difference!!! :)

http://www.BarackObama.com

Be Informed....

Make a Decision...

http://www.JohnMcCain.com

Happy Halloween!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SPOOKTACULAR AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE BE SAFE TONIGHT :)

3 Years (Almost 5) and still going strong..

Mark and I in the beginning

At a Monster Truck Show

At the now Planet Hollywood parking garage

October 29, 2005...our wedding day :)

May of 2006, on our HOneymoon in Cleveland, OH at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The title makes it sound like I'm talking about the Energizer Bunny, but I'm not, I'm talking about me and Mark! Yesterday was the anniversary of our wedding day, 3 years is really not as long as one might think when comparing to FOREVER, 3 years is just like sticking your pinky toe into the pool of wedded bliss, it's still the getting to know you years and the what the heck did I get myself into years (HIS thought not mine..hehe...if you ask him though he'll deny it I'm sure), it's also, for us, when some really HUGE LIFE CHANGING events take place, as if saying "I Do" isn't big enough. I guess we just needed some fun stories to tell our grandkids some day.

In the beginning, way back in December of 2003, we began the dating, or speed dating process actually, within months we were living together and engaged. He proposed to me during the Super Bowl while snuggled up on our friends couch, just before he went to California for 3 months. He came home every weekend and when he was finally done with the job there we were inseparable. That's the very short version of how we became a "we". There were trying times and fights with friends and mistrusts and ALOT of happy times and laughing and even a TON of cuddling, who knew a big scarey biker boy was a cuddler..hehe...

So let's flash foward to October 29, 2005...Wed had originally planned to have a wedding in April and a reception and all that fun stuff, but one night we just changed our minds and within a month we were on our way to gettin hitched at the Little Church of The West, surrounded by a few friends and mostly my family (his parents joined us via cell phone). We said our I Do's at 12:30 pm and from there embarked on quite the journey. It seems that he and I like to do alot of things in a very short amount of time.

6 months later we were pregnant, well I was pregnant and he just got to enjoy me getting fat and swollen and cranky and panicky and mommyish, I'm sure he was wondering where his sweet wife had gone to. So..ta..da..little Nate is born December 11, 2006...6 months later, we MOVE to AZ. Again with the fast moving of things...will we ever slow down..hehe...2.5 to 3 mmonths after we leave my home town, friends and family behind we get a HOUSE! I now officially feel like a grown up!

So here we are, one year and 3.5 months after the move into our house and I'm still not all the way organized (for those that have known me for any length of time organization is just not my forte), but I have learned alot from my husband and I'm hoping I've taught him a thing or two and while it's only been 3 years (some days I'm sure it feels like 3 million..again, his thought not mine..) I have enjoyed every minute of it, even when some of those minutes were full of sorrow or anger or annoyance. We chose each other for better or worse and I'm pretty lucky to have him. There is no one else on this EARTH that would put up with me, of that I am sure.

So, thank you Mark for being the best dad to Nate, the best step-dad to Elissa and the greatest husband to me! I love you! :)