Traditions

Time to get the Christmas decorations out! I can't believe that tomorrow begins December. Where has the year gone??? Daniel and I have some Christmas decorations for our little apartment. We will be getting our first Christmas tree sometime this week or this weekend. We are excited! I will post pictures when it is up.

I had a great Thanksgiving with the Hoffman's in Raleigh. It was my first Thanksgiving away from my family. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about this. Everything went so well though! We had lots of great food, great conversations, loads of laughs, and plenty of time to relax. Daniel and I ran the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning which I loved. I think this should be a new tradition!!! Daniel has always done this on Thanksgiving. Me, on the other hand usually spends most of Thanksgiving Day in my PJ's watching the Macy's Day parade. Then, we eat around 4:00ish. I like the idea though of getting a good run in before the feast begins!

Daniel and I will be with my family in Richmond for Christmas. We are all going to go see the Nutcracker in a couple weeks. This has always been a family tradition that every year around Christmas we go and see this lovely ballet. I know we didn't always love it growing up, but now I've come to enjoy and admire it. Daniel has never been, so I'm excited for him to experience the show.

We were always given advent calendars from Mom and Dad to countdown until the day Jesus was born. We must not forget the true meaning of Christmas!

Another tradition of ours is to have a Christmas Eve dinner of shrimp creol made by my Mom, then homemade cookies and peppermint icecream for dessert. Then we head to the Christmas Eve Church service. After church, we would come home and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas," leave cookies and milk out for Santa, and carrots out for the reindeers.

Our tradition for Christmas is to first open our stockings all together, then eat a big/yummy breakfast, then open gifts from family members. My Mom is big on traditions...I have a feeling I'm beginning to get that way too... :)

Do you have any special holiday traditions?

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! I have sooo much to be thankful for. My family, husband, friends, our puppy, my good health, and the list goes on and on. I am in Raleigh for Thanksgiving with Daniel's family. Should be a fun time! Daniel, me and Steve (Daniel's oldest brother) ran the Turkey Trot (8K...5 miles) this morning...such a great way to start the day.

I'll write more later...everyone enjoy the day! We are blessed!

Special Treat Night!!!

Daniel and I just got back from a "special treat" dinner. My parents, Daniel and I went to Julep's Southern Cuisine in downtown Richmond. We had a very delicious dinner!!! Daniel and I both had amaaaazing crab cakes, complete with red wine and white chocolate bread pudding for dessert. It was yummo in my tummo!!!! We have had this dinner scheduled with my parents for a couple months. My parents marked it as a celebration for both of their birthdays, for Daniel's birthday in December, and for our "engagement anniversary" (we were engaged last year, November 9th). It was a special treat for us, as we don't go out to fancy dinners very much. Thank you, Mom and Dad for this treat!!!!!!!

My weekend is full of working, but that's ok as I enjoy it. Tomorrow after work, I'm heading to my parents beach house in South Carolina! I am sooo excited. My Mom will be there, so I'll be having some fun time with her. We are going to be doing a lot of baking for Thanksgiving and hanging out. The rest of my family will come late Tuesday/Wednesday...then I'll head to Raleigh on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with Daniel's family. I am sad that Daniel won't be able to join me tomorrow at the beach, but the man's gotta do his job.

I am looking forward to a nice time at the beach, and then to Raleigh for a great Thanksgiving with the Hoffman's! I have SO much to be thankful for!!!!!!!

"Special Treats"

You may have been wondering..."What is this special treat stuff??" Back many years ago, when I was a little girl, I remember my Mom using this phrase. If my memory serves me correct, these words were first used when we'd get some candy, icecream, cake, etc. Growing up in a family whose Mom is a registered dietician, you get "special treats." Most people say to me, "Oh, yikes, you grew up with a Mom who's a dietician? You must have never had candy, chips or any bad food!!!" Well, those people were wrong. My Mom raised her three children how I wished more people raised their children these days. We had plenty of sweets around the house in little hidden stashes...Mom was/is an amazing baker, so we always had lots of homemade cookies and coffee cakes around. What she taught us was how to eat in moderation. We weren't allowed to eat two pieces of cake, but one...of course! I probably shouldn't use the word "not allowed"...if we really wanted to, we could have more than one slice of cake, but for some reason, I think we just knew. Don't get me wrong though, we had many veggies, fruits and always a healthy homemade meal. I am so thankful that I was raised this way!

As I grew older, "special treats" turned into other things besides food. When Mom and I would get a pedicure together, or go shopping, or go on vacation with the family...we would call it a "special treat." These "special treats" are things that don't happen every day...but when a special treat happens, you know you've deserved it (well...for the most part)! Sometimes these words are good to use when you're trying to talk your Dad into something..."Pllllease Dad, it's just a little special treat!!" Then, he usually gives in. ;)

Have you had a special treat recently?

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Where have the years gone?? Just yesterday, he was a high school football player! Today marks a special day, for a special person. My Dad has taught me many things...most importantly how to love and how to work hard. He has always been there for me...to make me feel better and to give me words of wisdom. To this very day, he is a role model to each of his children, works hard to do the best he can, yet still finds time to exercise, take care of house and home, and spend quality time with family. He always wants the very best for his family, and it shows.

On our wedding day, Dad walked me down the isle. It was a special moment I will never forget. I love you Dad!

Beginning of an adventure!

It's the beginning of an adventure for me! I have decided to begin blogging...everyone does it, so why don't I? This is not the first adventure of my life...2009 has been quite the year!!!!!

Fresh into the new year, I was laid-off from my outside sales rep. position. It was tough, but meant to be. Because of this, I have grown in faith and the knowing that God will do what's right for me.

On June, 20th, I got married to my best friend, my confidant and the companion I had always dreamed of (Daniel). After being laid off, I had a lot of time to enjoy wedding planning and wedding parties. After our wedding (the best weekend of our lives!), we went off on our honeymoon to Jamaica. This was wonderful as well....very relaxing and just what we needed. After the honeymoon, we came back to our cozy one-bedroom apartment in Richmond, VA (Daniel moved here about a month before the wedding). Life is good for the newlyweds!

Since the wedding, I have been searching hard for a job. I enjoy being busy, and now that wedding planning is over, there is only so much house-work, cooking and working out I can do! The job search has been tough...really tough. Sometimes I don't feel others truly understand, unless they've been through it themselves. This economy is awful, and I pray everyday that next year will be better. I was finally driving myself (and my husband) NUTS from not working, so decided to get just any job. Now folks, I tried to get a full-time job at retail stores, but nope---they are only hiring part-time. What? I have a college degree, work experience and I can only get part-time??? This is only a small fraction of the frustrations of this economy. Nevertheless in October, I landed a part-time job at ACAC...a fabulous gym in Richmond. For now, I am working with the children, which I love. I may try to work up to a higher level at ACAC, but I also continue to job search to see what else (if anything) is out there.

Throughout all of the adventure's of this year...I am SO very thankful for my loving family, my very supportive husband, and my amazing friends. Daniel and I also have a pug, Zeus, whom you will hear a lot about in later posts. He is our fur-baby...the love of our lives. Everyday I am reminded how LUCKY and blessed I am. I try to see the good in the bad things, and believe that God has a purpose for everything He does.

I hope you like reading my blog posts! Hopefully I will keep them shorter in the future. I told my husband...this is what happens when I'm not working full-time (haha). My blog posts will be composed of my life adventures, work updates, cooking/baking recipes and other fun things.

Enjoy the adventure and the special treats of life!

(I will post soon about what the title of my blog means, stay tuned!)