Hello world!

So, the holidays make it next to impossible to do anything other than holid-ize. There were Christmas parties and ham dinners and birthdays and then birthday parties and birthday dinners. Sometimes it's really expensive having a birthday in the month of December. I try to keep Justin's birthday as separate as I can, but sometimes it's just to dang hard. Anyway- this is how the month went.

And just so you know, there is construction going on in the lot next to our building, and it's causing the whole building to shake... kind of mimicking an earthquake. Which in fact, one of the techs actually thought it was. Haha!

December started off nicely. Kind of slow (except for at work where we steadily got more calls each day) since our family parties didn't actually start until the 17th, but when they started... they started hard! We had our friend Ham Dinner at Eric and Lisa's house on Friday the 16th. The white elephant party that accompanies the dinner every year was quite fun. Some of the gifts were MIA so we're wondering if they moved to Maryland...
The next day (Saturday) I had 3 parties scheduled. Justin's family party at 4, the Greenwall party at 6, and then my work party at 8. Wow. I know. We started off by going to his grandma's house and eating the homemade Cafe Rio salads that everyone provided. Super yum. We opened gifts and did the game where you can steal... I came out on top with a gift card to Barnes and Noble (sorry Heidi) which will fuel my addiction to journals and pens. Justin is thrilled about it. I only have like... 3 empty journals. So no biggie.
Once we were done there, we went to my family party. I really love being able to hang out with all my cousins. They're a lot of fun, and we enjoy each others company (at least, I do.... I guess I can't really speak for them) but unfortunately schedules are just so freaking hard to work around! And it doesn't help when some of them live 4 hours away. Either way, it's really fun to get together and talk with all of them. It's especially fun when they text you like 2 weeks later announcing their engagement! YAY NICOLE!
We didn't leave my family party until 10, which is when the work party ended. So that one got the boot. It's okay, I see them M-F 8-4:30 which I feel is enough.
The next morning (Sunday) I went to my mom's house to babysit my niece while my sister taught in Relief Society. That's always fun. She has this thing where she grabs your finger, and then takes you with her WHERE EVER she goes. It's really cute and I just can't say no to her. So we walked all over the basement. Once my sister got home, I went to church with my mom. It's been a while since I've been in my home ward, and it was fun to go back. I don't know too many of the people there anymore, but it's crazy to see the kids that I used to babysit passing the sacrament or just be all grown up. That night we celebrated Justin's birthday with my family. We had some angel food cake with fruit which is delish.
Monday night we had Justin's birthday with his family. We all went over to his parents and had dinner, opened all of his gifts, and then had cake.
Tuesday night we went to Ruby River with Justin's parents for his birthday. It's always nice when you can have a little one on one time with the parents.
Wednesday night was Justin's birthday. I told him that he could open one of his Christmas gifts since I'd already spent too much on him. I tried the whole "You can pick a present if I can pick one" but he wasn't going for it. He ended up picking the jacket present. I was worried that it wouldn't fit, but it did. PHEW. We then went to Italian Village, which we both love. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. After dinner we went home and watched... something. Probably House. We're super exciting.
Then Thursday and Friday were nights to relax. Saturday was Christmas Eve, so we did our traditional dinner with king crab legs and steak, then we did the book contest (we didn't win) and then my dad read the story of Christ's birth, then we all got some gifts and went on our ways.
Christmas morning, we got up about 7:30 and opened our gifts. It's always kind of funny to sit there and watch each other open gifts, but it's so fun! Justin and I are our own family, and we have our own little traditions that we do, and it's fun. I love just spending time with him. After that we spent the day at Justin's parents, and then his grandparents, and then we finished the night off at my parents.

That was a little exhausting writing that all out. I love the holidays.. but it's kind of a relief when they're over. It's like I can finally breathe.


Oh, and 11 days until my birthday.

Lucky

I normally don't really care for the song "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend" but Justin really made me feel that way today.
First of all, I can be a spaz. I was having one of those typing spaz days (while we're at work, we chat over gmail) and I was being all sorts of crazy, talking about him taking me to see Taking Back Sunday for my birthday. He informed me that we'd have to go to either Brazil, New Jersey or Pennsylvania to do so, and I didn't see what the problem was... but that's not what I'm talking about now.
We just had an email go around our dept. that told us to clean because the CEO is going to be walking around looking to see what it looks like (clean, dirty, unlivable, etc), and so while we're quite busy, all the guys start cleaning their desks (the noise level went way up, people opening and shutting drawers, air being sprayed on keyboards, boxes being moved). To make a long story short, I was getting really irritated. I started going off on Justin about the guys, and then I moved on to friends. How I really can't count on a lot of them (not all) but being the dramatic, ornery, short tempered person that I am, went off about how I can only count on Justin and I continue to think I have friends when I don't (I really do) and what not. Well, Justin responds with this :

yep:  I am glad I married my best friend

 

 me:  Me too.

 yep: <3

 

And magically, I am okay again.  He's pretty great :)

Bring it on, Christmas!

So this year, I got my tree up a week BEFORE Thanksgiving. I couldn't wait any longer to put up my Christmas Decorations. They're so cute! I'll post pictures later. My husband was wanting to feel the Christmas Spirit a little more this year as well, so what better way to feel the spirit than to have some holiday music on while we look at our tree?!

Anyway, I've been thinking about movies that make me shed a tear or two, and this is what I came up with.

PS I Love You
Charly
Phenomenon
Titanic
Pearl Harbor
Dead Poets Society
Moulin Rouge
Finding Neverland
Bridge to Terabithia
The Lion King
Atonement
The Green Mile
My Girl
Beaches
Marley and Me
Benji the Hunted
Charlie St. Cloud

By all means, these aren't the only ones. There are some that make me cry in fear, but I left those out.

I don't often watch these shows, because I'm not a huge fan of crying, but there are just some days that you need a little swelling of the heart, and leakage of the eye.

The feeling is mutual.

I love when I'm able to bond with someone over mutual feelings over another person. Whether those feelings be good or bad, it's always nice when you can say, "So you know so-and-so? They said the DUMBEST thing yesterday!" Or "You follow this blog, right? Did you see this post? Custest thing ever, huh?!"

Sometimes it's nice to know that you're not crazy for thinking your thinks. (Yes, I know thinks isn't used correctly, but I'm referring to Dr. Seuss-genius.)

But then there are those times when everyone loves a person, and all you can think is, "Really? THAT PERSON? They're one step above dog poop rolled in nuts."
And then there is another time when you just can't help but like that person, and everyone else thinks they're just a big, giant, idiot stick. (ex-boyfriends, what?)

But such is life. So the sayings go, people are brought in your life so you can teach them, or they can teach you... some are brought in for a season, a reason, or a lifetime... so on and so forth. There are hundreds of different sayings, but I could only think of those ones at the moment. You get my point though.

Am I right?!

Best time to see a spider : while holding a vacuum.

Worst time to see a spider : getting out of the shower.