Thanksgiving Fun!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my hubby and I made the perilous 13 hour (give or take an hour) journey to Ohio! It was so wonderful to see my parents and to finally get to see my sister's baby bump! :) She's a cute pregnant girl haha. When I felt the little one give a gentle kick, I knew I was experiencing a miracle. And who said miracles don't happen everyday?! I tried very unsuccessfully to find out what the options are for the baby girl's name. Sarah wouldn't even give me a hint! I will have to console myself in the meantime with checking her baby registries every now and then to see if their are any updates ;).

Over the laid back couple of days, my hubby and I went to see two movies (Unstoppable and The Next Three Days...at least I think that's what the second one was called! It wasn't exactly my type of movie!). We also brought along some of our favorite genuine Oklahoma wine. We discovered this delicious wine (a semi-sweet red called 'Maria' and a sweet white simply named 'V') at a vineyard outside of our city after going there the past two Valentine's day for their special romantic V-day wine and dinner event! After going out to dinner at one of my hometown's fanciest restaurants, we all went home to imbibe and play Trivial Pursuit. Alas, the wine did not help Jason and I to victory in either game that we played! But it was still so fun and made me cherish my family even more...which I didn't think was even possible.

For the actual Thanksgiving celebration, we drove up to Ashland, OH which is actually several hours from my hometown to spend the day with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. My mom's youngest brother's family live in the cutest house...it is small, but still seems spacious somehow and very cozy! My cousins love the Lord of the Rings fantasy series, and their small town home of Ashland reminds me very much of The Shire :). We had fun catching up with all of them.

A great holiday/mini vacation...and I thank the Lord for all of the blessings He has given to me in my life in the form of my family and my husband. I am so grateful.

Tuscon

Recently the hubby and I took a trip to the beautiful city of Tuscon, Arizona! We were there for one of Jason's medical conferences and we stayed at an amazing resort and spa in the middle of the desert! While Jason attended his conference, he encouraged me to treat myself at the hotel spa. Very relaxing, ahh :).

Fortunately, while we were there, we were able to do some sightseeing as well. We drove a couple of hours outside of the city to Tombstone, AZ where some famous gunslingers (Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp) had some of their last "stands." Jason and I both love history, so this was a fun side trip. Many of the buildings there are historic, and you can almost just imagine people from the past strolling through the streets still of this little Wild West town.

I have been to the Grand Canyon before, but this was my first time seeing other parts of Arizona. I didn't realize how beautiful it was!! One evening, we went hiking on the trails around our resort, and it was breathtaking to see the sun setting over hills covered with cactus.

On another day, we visited the San Xavier Mission. It is a Catholic church that was built by Spanish missionaries and restored later by the Franciscans. It is known as the "White Dove of the Desert" and it is easy to see why. It stands alone on a stretch of desert surrounded by the Santa Catalina mountains, gleaming like a white flower.

What an amazing trip! A glorious experience of the Southwest.

Thanks wonderful hubby for lettin' me tag along ;)

Through the Rocky Mountains

Recently we went to the "colorful" (as they call themselves) state of Colorado for one of my husband's medical conferences. It was colorful and beautiful!! We decided to make our sojourn into a roadtrip so we had a lonnnng haul across Kansas. I never thought Kansas was going to end!! I loved it though...roadtrips are so fun! Kansas was field after field of wheat and huge windmills...truly the land of "amber waves of grain." I drove across the state line into Colorado as my hubby napped and I felt truly awed and blessed to be getting to see more of this beautiful country. At one point, we passed a field where cattle was grazing on a hillside by a sparkling pond. The scene took my breath away with its peacefulness and simplicity.

I kept waiting for the Rockies to appear, and finally, as we drove into Denver, they finally arose out of nowhere. They were so majestic and green. Breathing in the fresh mountain air was wonderful! We had the opportunity to visit a ski town called Breckenridge while we were there, which is about an hour and a half away from Denver. We took the most scenic drive through the mountains to get there. Not any ski activity going on yet, but we strolled through the center of town, which is literally the cutest, most quaint small town I have ever seen. Little art glass shops mixed with western shops mixed with cheese, chocolate and wine shops dotted the whole area. All of this nestled in the Rocky Mountains. An absolutely wonderful and glorious day!

I love Colorado!!

1st anniversary bliss :)

This past weekend, my wonderful hubby Jason and I celebrated our very first wedding anniversary!! I can't BELIEVE it's already been an entire year...time flies when you are living the life of your dreams!! :) And Jason has made my dreams come true...he makes me feel like a princess. Every day I count my blessings that God led me to the most incredible man in the entire world.

He told me that he can't wait to celebrate the next fifty anniversaries...so sweet, I love you baby :).

What did we do to celebrate our special day? Well, right now we are trying to start building a nest egg and save some money for rainy days and so we did it up low cost! In the afternoon, we went antiquing and had sooo much fun! I absolutely love anything that's vintage or "old" and so it was wonderful to see and pore over all of the unique items in the stores. We saw old birdcages, hats, furniture, dolls, coins, dishes...you name it! I love thinking about the people who used to own these things...what their lives were like and how the item was maybe important to them. Now, a piece of their lives is sitting in a store waiting for someone else to admire and perhaps even buy it...it makes you nostaglic for the past and for the people and things that you have loved and lost.

Anyways, later in the day we packed up a delicious picnic of cheese, crackers, fresh peaches, and sandwiches and headed to a beautiful park in our area. It was so refreshing to feel the cool evening breeze and relax amidst trees and families enjoying their free time. We didn't stay too long as bugs began eating us up, but it was long enough for us to have had a wonderful time!! When we got home, we shared a bottle of wine and pieces of cake...no, not our original cake unfortunately (which was delicious!!) but my amazing mother thought to save some of the intricate sugar flowers from off our wedding cake. They were so sentimental to me that I decided to save the ones that I had placed on my piece of cake, but Jason asked if they were edible! I thought he was kidding, but I had replied that yes, I was pretty sure they were made out of sugar. Next thing I know, I hear a loud crunching sound haha!! Definitely illustrates how men aren't always too sentimental about things lol :).

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Jason sent me a beautiful huge bouquet of pink roses...my favorite flower. Breathtaking. Fragrant. Gorgeous. They are the most beautiful flowers I have ever received. He did a good job!! The roses opened beautifully and have been filling our house with their sweet, delicate fragrance. I told Jason the other night that I think God created roses especially for women, because he knew how much we would love them and how much enjoyment we would get out of them. His reply? That God created flowers so men could have a way to get out of trouble when they are in the doghouse hahaha! My hubby makes me laugh all the time, he has such a great sense of humor.

Anyways, I do love roses though...the symbolism of beautiful, fragile petals combined with the sharp thorns always reminds me of what life is like. There are happy, peaceful moments interspersed with pain and sorrow. But in the end, you still have something that is beautiful and meaningful.

Happy anniversary baby...thank you for an amazing first year and for making me the happiest woman in the world...I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you...

love,
your wife

Labor day fun!

Shortly after getting back from Jamaica, we went to visit my parents in Ohio for Labor day weekend. My sister, Sarah, and brother in law, Andy, were in town as well for my sister's 10th highschool reunion. It was wonderful to just have some family fun time and to get to be in my childhood home again. We spent time at the mall, at a park, church, and eating at our favorite Italian restaurant, Bravos! Jason and I were also successfully able to beat the rest of the family at Trivial Pursuit, thanks to my husband's brilliance and to my knowledge of Grumpy Bear's (from the Care Bears) raincloud "tattoo." Jason and I also went to the Ohio Renaissance festival in Harveysburg. I know a lot of people think Renaissance festivals are corny and wierd, but this one is actually really well done. All of the buildings are permanent structures, built specifically for the festival and stay there year-round. I love the crafts and other items for sale there (including jewelry, swords, tapestries, mugs etc...). They are totally unique and many of them are handmade. I just like the idea of having something that is handcrafted and is something that is not mainstream...that you couldn't just run up to Target and pick it up. It is also a great people-watching place! I'm pretty sure it's the one time of year when people stop playing Dungeons and Dragons in the basement and come out into the light of day! We also watched a jousting tournament and ate mutton, a "turkey leg." Very Renaissance of us haha.

Another great part of the weekend was the news that I am going to be an Aunt (again!). Sarah and Andy are expecting their first baby in March! I'm excited about baby showers and a trip to Boston in the Spring to meet the new little guy or gal. I think it's going to be a girl, but my sister thinks it's a boy! I guess we'll see! :) Congrats again you two!

Jamaica

We recently went on vacation to Negril, Jamaica (near Montego Bay) and had a blast! We stayed at an all inclusive resort called Couples which was worth every penny! Our room had a very authentic, "island-y" type of vibe with wooden shutters all around the room instead of windows, a Jamaican wood ceiling which came to a point and white linens on the bed. Outside, we had a huge balconey which had a built in couch with a coffee table on one side and a hammock on the other side. We were on the 2nd floor, so we looked right out into magestic palm trees! We spent our days eating rum cake, laying on the beach and floating in the crystal blue waters on rafts. Are you jealous yet? hehe :).

Jamaica was much different from our honeymoon destination of the Bahamas. It is much more lush, tropical and rainforest-y. The colors of the flowers there are so vibrant and bold. Our drive from the airport to the resort took almost 2 hours and during this time, we were blessed to see much of the countryside and the "real" Jamaica...the towns and people. It was amazing and beautiful to see the lush mountains sloping gently down into bays of softly waving water. I was saddened to see however, the absolute poverty of the Jamaican people. Many of them live simply in shacks. I'm glad though, that tourism is able to help lift them out of some of this poverty.

Overall, an amazing trip...I definitely miss it and hope to one day return! Check back for some photos soon!

My Babies

So, I'm not technically a mother (in other words, I don't have any human babies yet) but my hubby and I are the proud parents of TWO fur babies! Before these two little guys, my only pet had been a rabbit named Floppy (remember the bunny from Bambi with the down turned ears?...at least I think I'm thinking of the right Disney movie!). Anyways, I have always felt like I might be a "dog person," and now I know that I am for sure! We found our first puppy, Zeddicus from an ad in the newspaper and rescused him from kind of a filthy home. Zedd is a Lhasa Apso breed...for those of you who don't recognize this, he looks a lot like a Shihtzu. Lhasa Apso dogs originated in Tibet where they were watchdogs at monasteries for Tibetan monks.

Zedd is now almost 8 months old and is quite a pill! His misadventures include chewing up both my phone charger cord and my laptop charger cord, eating everything in sight including grass, worms, diamond earrings (and other things you don't want to know about), and just basically being quite the handful! Sometimes I get frustrated, but overall, I feel so much less lonely during the day and happier overall since we have gotten him. He is named after the wizard on one of our favorite tv shows, Legend of the Seeker (which has since, sadly, been canceled).

We've only had our other baby, Atlas (named after our love of traveling), for only a few days. He is a mix of a Yorkshire Terrier and a Maltese. Sooo cute and little! Yorkshire Terrier's are supposedly the most popular toy dog breed in Europe, and Maltese's go as far back as the 17th century. I read online that Maltese's were brought back to England by the crusaders to give as gifts to their ladies. There are very old portraits of ladies painted with a Maltese in their lap.

I think Atlas will be a great addition to our little family. Not sure why I chose two male puppies instead of mixing a female in there, but I'm starting to feel outnumbered...it is now 3 to 1! Zedd and Atlas have yet to start getting along as Zedd has been trying to bully poor little Atlas quite a bit, but I have high hopes that they will learn to be the best of friends. I will post pictures of both of them as soon as I can!

Tribute to Grandma

My Grandma passed away in July after 90 incredible years of living. It is still hard for me to talk about, or write about for that matter. Mary Frances Meixner was an amazing woman of high morals, strength, dignity, integrity, and a true role model of how to live a Christian life. She loved the Catholic Church and dedicated her life to upholding it's ideals in every aspect of her life. Probably her most outstanding quality though, is the way she loved her family. She was unfailingly generous with her time, money and most of all, her love. Throughout her life, she gave of herself to others, whether it was making three decent meals a day for her family (including always having something for dessert!), or praying for others, giving valuable things away to complete strangers, doing the church laundry, or donating money to charity. She did all these things and more. I remember so many things about my Grandma and my childhood growing up near her. She made the most incredible veggie soup you'll ever taste, and the prettiest Easter baskets. Grandma was at every event from school events to most special of all, my wedding last September. I feel so blessed that she was able to be there and the reading that she stood up and did is something which I will never forget. If I live to be only half the woman she was, it will be enough. Grandma, there is no doubt where you are now...I miss you and love you and I will never forget you. Thank you for all your prayers throughout my life...Rest in peace.

Thoughts on turning 27...

I turned 27 this past July 16. A milestone in a way because I'm now in my late 20's instead of my mid 20's (as my husband, Jason, so kindly pointed out!!). I'm truly flabbergasted (great word) about this strange occurence lol. The age old question, "Doesn't it seem like just yesterday when?..." seems cliche, but it is soo true! Time really does fly. I honestly feel as if it WAS just yesterday that I was still so carefree and living the good life during college. I don't know where the time went! I do feel older, but not quite so old as my husband probably feels (he is 31 hehe!). Sorry, I like to tease him! At first, I was depressed about turning ripe old 27, but the more I think about it, I'm ok with it. God gives us a certain amount of time on this Earth and the only reason we should feel bad about getting older is if we aren't doing anything good or worthwhile with the time He has given to us. I read a book recently and the author talked about the feelings which come with getting older. She talked about how you aren't just the age you turn on your next birthday...you are also every age that you have already been! I love this way of looking at it. I'm not just 27, but I'm also 2, 10, 18, and 25! All of those ages belong to me and are still a part of me...we are only as old as we choose to feel. Another cliche for ya...you can always remain young at heart. There is nothing stopping you from this...embrace the age that you are and remember where you've been because it will always be a part of you :).

I'm a Blogger!

Well, I've officially entered the world of blogging! Even though I'm shy, I love sharing thoughts, ideas and feelings with family and friends...and blogging seems like a fun way of doing this! I'll probably post something once a week. Not only do I plan to share what's going on in my day to day life, but also, I'd like to use this blog to share inspiring quotes, music, art etc that I happen to come across. There's so much beauty in this world that I feel blessed to have this opportunity to share a few pieces of the beauty which I find inspiring...I also love to read, so I might even give book suggestions once in awhile. I hope to make this little blog into a cozy corner of becoming closer to those who read it, but also using it to learn more about myself. And couldn't we all use a little more true insight into ourselves in this crazy world? Happy reading!