...One minute to say goodbye...

I cannot believe that another year is coming to a close. It feels like just yesterday I was graduating from high school...man I am getting old! This year has been another great one...looking back I have a lot to be thankful for...good health, a wonderful job, Chad found a job....My beautiful niece's adoption was finalized and my nephew joined our family...

And we got Engaged!!!
I am looking forward to the year ahead...it is going to be chock full of big events and changes! Hope you all have a wonderful and safe night...I am headed to bed soon...you'd think I'd just celebrated my 60th birthday and not my 25th!!

Farewell Holidays...I will miss you!

My nephew's first Christmas

The family ready to open

My sister and I with stocking stuffers

Stockings...my favorite

My nieces

Santa came!

Toasting the big 2-5

Ingredients needed for a yummy Madame Butterfly

My Grandma and I baking...she is too cute

My aunts, mom and Grandma baking

I L.O.V.E the holidays!! Every year I look forward to the season...the family traditions and get togethers, shopping for everyone, the decorations, baking, watching christmas movies by the fire. This year was great as usual....and also as usual I am suffering from a slight case of post-holidays depression. I hate that it is over...I felt like it snuck up on me and was gone before I knew it!!! I think I just hate to get back to the day to day routine. I like to have "special" things to look forward to...I am a little worried that I will have a little case of the post-wedding blues when we get back from HI! Anyways...hope you all had a great holiday season. Keep a look out for a wedding related post soon....I am actually getting some things done...Whoot-whoot!

'Tis the Season

Now that I have finished up finals and only have 4 days of teaching left, I am finally crossing some things off my holiday to-do list!!! I mailed our Christmas cards, put the tree up...It is a 1-footer, it didn't take much. My fiance promised that I could get a "adult" Christmas tree next year when we are married and have a place together and I have the space to store/display it. I also switched all the pictures in my frames on my shelf to Christmas pictures. My dad made me the shelves for Christmas last year, and I decided to display pictures from previous Christmases. I call it my wall of Christmas past...my favorite is a picture of my dad lighting a fire with the stockings hanging down. We almost finished our Christmas shopping yesterday...and while we were out we picked up a very cute puffer jacket for the family pup!!

The countdown is on...

I officially have 10 work days until christmas break...Yipee!!! I wish that I had a little less to-do. I have managed to complete the majority of my shopping, I just have to find something else for my dad and sister. We are completely stumped on what to get the "in-laws" we have racked our brain for days....we got nothing. I have decided to make hot cocoa mix to give as thank you gifts to my students that bring me gifts. As a PE teacher I never expected to leave for holiday break with a box of goodies....it really made me feel special last year. I like to have something to give them so that I don't spend the break writing Thank yous. I have one final and two classes left for this semester of grad school....I can not wait. Then I can totally focus on getting in the spirit...

Turkey Day Timeline

We finally worked out plans for Thanksgiving. It is always tough to divide our time....I can't lie- I love spending time with my family and can't stand to miss out on get-togethers or family traditions. I know I am "that daughter-in-law" that nobody would wish for.....but I think we have reached a compromise. We will spend Thanksgiving morning and early afternoon with my fiance's parents and grandparents....eat dinner #1 and then rush (it is an hour plus drive) to my parent's house for dinner # 2 at 4:00. We will then spend the rest of Thursday, Friday and Saturday there...not quite an even split...what can I see?? I really try not to be selfish...I do love his family...does anyone else struggle to "timeshare" with families?? Oh, well...I think everyone is happy & can't wait to see everyone!!

The Anticipation is KILLING me!

I feel like I live my life from one major event to another! I try really hard to just be in the moment...but I am always thinking about the next big thing...and what I need to get done, how excited I am....ect.

There are...

10 days until Thanksgiving Break

35 days until my Birthday (Turning 2-5...a whole other post!)

38 days until Christmas

200 days until the Wedding!!

I know my "counting down" is a sickness...I just can't help it!!

The 38 days until Christmas freaks me out....I haven't even begun to shop & I have no ideas!! My fiance did his shopping yesterday, I am jealous! Grrr...but I did get my ornament for the ornament swap in the mail yesterday.

'Tis the Season!!

I am officially in the holiday spirit!! I know it is early, but I can't help myself...the holidays are the only way I can make it through the horrid days of winter. I think I have already made 50 lists of gifts to get, things to bake and crafts to make. I love it!! This past weekend I made my first holiday purchase:

I ordered Claymation Christmas from Amazon...I think that it was a made for TV special at some point, but when I was little my brothers and sister watched it sooo many times that we wore out the VHS. It is so cute and we would laugh so hard... it is a collection of little scenes with characters that were animated and looked like they were made out of clay. Has anyone heard of it? We haven't seen it in years and I am sooo excited to take it home at Thanksgiving and watch it as a family!!

I am also hoping to pick up White Christmas and Holiday Inn this christmas...what holiday movies do you love?