Decade

Ahhh New Years Eve...the worlds most over-rated holiday (if I do say so myself). Don't get me wrong...I have had myself a jolly great time on New Year's before, but lets be serious...its HARD work to actually get to have fun on this day. The best New Year's I have ever had were when all of our friends headed to the hills of Indiana and rented a cabin for the weekend. I cannot explain to you how easy this is to do, and HOW MUCH FUN IT IS!! And even though we chose not to have plans this year...I still would pay serious dollars if someone called me today and told me that they had it all planned for me (babysitter and all) and could go there tonight with everyone I love.

But this blog is dedicated to the last decade as I thought it would be fun to review where we were and where we are now.

In the Years 1999/2000...
we both were a sophomores in college
I was a fair queen
P-Daddy drove a 1991 Honda Accord
I drove a car named Tyrone

Our favorite party of the year was called "Derby Days" (and in general our parties had names)
Both smoked too many cigarettes to mention...daily
We were both young and "in love"...with other people
We were not 21 (although P-Daddy was closer than I was)
I had a millennium party at my dad's house that ended with china broken, carpet ruined, and police. Wasn't even at all a little bit fun. And my dads basement still has a hint of keg smell in it...
P-Daddy went to see Mellencamp in brand new Conseco Fieldhouse with his friends and had the time of his life.
We both lived on Hampton Drive

P-Daddy traveled to Scotland for a family golf trip
Our favorite place to go was called Broadripple

In the years 2001/2002...
9/11 happened as I was sleeping comfortably in my bed in Indiana
I lived in a house we called "The Front Door"
P-Daddy and I started dating
I planned my first major event as an intern
P-Daddy interned for the local NBC news station
We Graduated college
both had our first jobs...and I had my second squeezed in there too
first big kid apartments...then I had my second (it was a rough go for a while-ha!)
I was FINALLY 21
P-Daddy and I played match-maker and it worked!

I spent New Years Eve with two of my greatest friends in Times Square
We went on Spring Break to a place we like to call "South Party Island" because everything is bigger in Texass (and I took the road trip of a lifetime while P-Daddy took the high road and flew).

In the years 2003/2004...
We were engaged and married
We traveled to the Dominican Republic, went on our first cruise, Martha's Vineyard and Las Vegas
P-Daddy changed careers

We got our first (and probably only) dog and named him Charlie
We built our first home
My mom got re-married
We attended countless weddings of amazing friends
P-Daddy was a best man
We bought 2 cars
the tradition of Friendsgiving was born

In the years 2005/2006...
We watched some of our best friends get married on a beach in Florida
I was a maid of honor for the first time
I was promoted to a job I loved
We celebrated our first year anniversary in Las Vegas
We traveled to Florida, went on a cruise, Puerto Vallarta twice, southern California, and Kansas City
We became Colts season ticket holders
We discovered yagerbombs
We built our second home
I bought my first pair of spanx

In the years 2007/2008...
We found out I was prego in early 2007 (and coincidentally our best friends found out the same day they were prego too...and then a few months later some of our other best friends found out THEY were prego...2007 was the year of the baby!)
We had the most beautiful and healthy baby boy
I trained for a half marathon and didn't run it
We traveled to Wisconsin and Florida (all by car...with our baby...do not recommend)
The Colts won the Superbowl

I started this here blog

We lost a LOT of sleep and I became a wee bit crazy for a bit because of it
Uncle Badgeman met his future wife (Aunt Ricky)
I left the job I once loved to tackle staying at home with our little JD

10 year high school reunions happened. P-Daddy skipped his, we celebrated like high schoolers at mine

We gave our dog away to my Papa President

And finally in 2009...
We celebrated 5 years of marriage by traveling on a cruise to the Bahamas (and having our first long period away from our son)

JD started pre-school
P-Daddy won his work incentive trip (which means if all the stars align we will be traveling to Italy in 2010!)
Uncle Badgeman married Aunt Ricky

P-Daddy joined his first golf league
JD was in his first wedding

I interviewed for, and was offered a great job with a great company...and I turned it down for greener pastures
P-Daddy was a best man

JD went trick-or-treating for the first time dressed as Donald Trump
I was a maid of honor again to another best friend

P-Daddy turned the big 3-0
We spent an exciting Christmas in Lake Tahoe, which included JD's first airplane flight (a whole blog will be dedicated to this later)
ALL of our friends that we watched walk down the aisle (or celebrated with after) are still happily married!

JD said his first words
We gave up yagerbombs

But as fun as that was to remember and write down...there aren't words to describe how awesome these last 10 years have been. "To God be the glory great things he hath done!" I hadn't really thought about the fact that we are ending a decade until I signed onto the internets the other day and MSN's ad was about the drama of the last decade. Which, lets be honest, there has been a lot of that for the rich and famous and the not so famous too. While we are on the subject I should mention that I don't believe the most notable is the death of Michael Jackson or the "indiscretions" of Tiger Woods. I think I am going with the innocent lives that were lost on 9/11 and how that affected the way our country is and will be forever.

I don't believe in New Years Resolutions because if you want to change anything about yourself or your surroundings, you will. So raise whatever glass you have in front of you and lets cheers to this New Year, this past decade, and the many decades to come! Cheers!

Oh and LETS GO BULLDOGS!

Fa La La La...

This is a fun post that Amy over at Our Happy Married Life did and I thought I would join in...feel free to do the same! Of course I added a few because it wouldn't be right if I didn't now would it?! And for all of you only following this to keep up with JD, I included some fun photos of him too!

Oh and "Deck the Halls with bows of Holly...Fa La La La Laaaa, La La La Laaaa." Loving myself some Christmas music! (you know you were already singing this...and if not-you are now!! HEHE!)

1. Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags? wrapping paper, with ribbons and bows all the way. I personally think that is just part of the fun of the season!

2. Real Tree or Artificial? We have a 9 foot artificial tree that I LOVE, BUT I grew up having a mixture of both. I am fine with real but I do think they can be a beast to take care of. But I heard today via the blog world that this equals that I don't love Jesus...not having a real tree and all, and am perplexed cause I sure do love myself some Jesus (and just because this quote is in my head I will follow it up with...) "I like the baby version best"...NAME THAT MOVIE!

JD "helping" put out the christmas lights

3. When do you put your tree up? The day after Thanksgiving is normally our tradition.

4. When do you take the tree down? Normally the weekend that follows New Years but this year our halls will be decked until the third weekend in January as we are hosting "friendsgiving" which isn't happening until January 9th and it just wouldn't be the same if the tree wasn't up...

"Uncle VP, let me show you how this is done"

5. Favorite Childhood Christmas Memory? I wrote an entire 8 page paper on this my freshmen year of college for a creative writing class...wish I still had it actually! Anywho I LOVED Christmas growing up. For everything it was...dad getting out the Christmas lights and stringing them all over the house to make sure they worked, and inevitably one wouldn't so we would have to use our electrical skills to try and figure out which one caused the problem...flip to him up on a ladder putting out the lights and yelling at us, to helping my mom bake cookies (and the house smelling like baked goods for a whole month, Christmas programs at school and then Madrigals in high school, to the dysfunction of our extended family's poker game on Christmas night, to dad's obsession with being in the living room, coffee in hand before we could go in and see what Santa brought us...it wasn't perfect but it is what made me love Christmas. I cannot WAIT until we can create our own traditions with JD!

Final Product...

6. Do you like eggnog? That is a negative.

7. Favorite gift you received as a child? My first real Cabbage Patch kid! Why did I say REAL you ask? Oh because my grandma was FAMOUS for trying to make fake Cabbage Patch dolls out of cotton stuffed women's nylons. Funny now...yep it sure is...but not so funny then!

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes I sure do...Jesus is the reason for the season you know. :)

JD doing some "work" on the Christmas tree...noticing a trend here anyone??

9. Favorite Christmas Movie Quote? "Santa-I KNOW HIM!" or "The best way to spend Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"-Elf


10. Hardest person to buy for? P-Daddy's Dad, Papa Lawyer. He asks (jokingly) for boxers every year and that's all we get from him. He better watch out cause one of these years he is going to be getting a fresh crisp pair of boxers from us to him. HA!

11. Easiest Person to buy for? P-Daddy AND JD. I could buy gifts for them all year long if we could afford it! But really in general I love giving to everyone!

12. Worst Christmas Gift Ever Received? It wasn't a gift for me, it was for my brother but still somewhat counts...golf themed toilet paper. And yes he sure does love golf, but really? And no this was not a joke.

13. Mail or e-Christmas card? Mail...except for you, right here and right now it will be a blogochristmas card :)

14. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really do love them all so this is hard to choose. But Miracle on 34th street is my fav. Elf comes in at a close second though...

15. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Normally around December 1st...but I kind of like to drag it out because I love malls around Christmas time...I know they are crowded as heck but they are part of what makes it Christmas!

JD February 2007 JD December 2009

16. Have you ever recycled a Christmas Present? No and never plan to. I don't recycle gifts at all actually but sometimes I think I should because the ones that we don't use just end up in our garage sale...

17. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peppermint Bark...fun to eat and fun to make! And really it would feel weird eating this at any other time in the year!

18. Colored or Clear Lights? Grew up with colored lights but I kind of hate them now so we are a clear lighted family

19. Favorite Christmas Song? Me: Carol of the Bells P-Daddy: Santa Claus is coming to town (but only the Neil Diamond version) JD: (coincidentally) Deck the Halls (because he can sing the Fa La La part). But I must add that Christmas wouldn't be right without Amy Grant's Greatest hits Christmas CD playing over and over and over again! :)

20. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Well, this is something I am rather passionate about so I am glad you asked! We currently travel here there and everywhere BUT Santa always came to OUR house growing up, and I really liked that every year we got to wake up in our own bed at Christmas so that is the tradition that we are going to have once JD is old enough to understand. If we travel at all it will be to a driveable place for Christmas dinner. Pray for me though...family can be rough on that subject!

21. Name Santa's Reindeer=Dasher, Dancer Donner and Blitzen, Comet and Cupid and Blank and Blank...but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?? Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose...

22. Angel or Star on top of your tree? Sparkly Gold Star

Arts and Crafts time at playgroup

23. Favorite Adult Christmas Memory? First Christmas in our first home with P-daddy. I just knew I would always remember every thing about it. Although what I think is really fun about P-Daddy and I in general is that EVERY.SINGLE.CHRISTMAS we have spent together (going on year 8) we always get each other the same thing. Seriously, no joke and no we NEVER plan it. We've done watches and not just any watch but the EXACT same watch, mine was the girl version, his was the boy...we have done robes and we both had them embroidered, last year we both got each other North Face jackets...its pretty hysterical really because we never make lists for each other and we seriously end up with the same thing! I kind of (no really) love this.

24. Presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning: My family tradition equals Christmas morning...P-Daddy's family equals Christmas Eve. I kind of love Christmas eve because we like to drink a lot after Christmas Eve Mass so Christmas morning can be a rough one...but for JD's sake we will do Christmas morning (that is until he is old enough to drink-HA!)

25. Most annoying thing about this season? In the moment, being dragged a million different directions by family. But really, in the end I would be sad not to have that family so its kind of dumb to be annoyed by this.

26. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? Anything that blows up to giant size that is placed in people's front yards. Hideous. Should be banned by all neighborhood associations EVERYWHERE!

27. Themed trees or traditional/homey ones? I am a fan of "homey" in general so a homey tree it is and will always be.

28. Gingerbread Cookies or Sugar Cookies? Sugar Cookies with Buttercream icing please.

29. Do you like fruitcake? Never had it but I am thinking it would be awful. Brick of dense bread doesn't even sound good.

30. Are you a stocking stuffer? Absolutely yes! I love stockings...I think the most thoughtful gifts are normally in the stocking!

31. Any Christmas Song make you a bit emotional? Yes...Silent Night. Especially when sung in church on Christmas Eve, lights out, candles of the congregation lit. Gets me every time!

Now that was fun! Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did typing! Now off to do some Christmas baking and wrapping! YAY!

Tis the Season...

if you have read my blog for a while, you knew this one was coming! This Christmas is a wee bit different for us because we are celebrating in Lake Tahoe. Our tree is up, the house is decorated, we even made our first attempt at putting lights out in our yard, but the spirit of Christmas (baby Jesus and all) hasn't hit me yet... I don't have any wrapped presents under the tree, actually I haven't really shopped at all. We are sooo excited to go to Lake Tahoe (and yes we do realize how fortunate we are to be able to even have the opportunity to go there), but it just feels a wee bit different (as stated earlier).

This, however, has officially put me in the Christmas spirit! This and making peppermint bark *yummy*

I won't keep this from you any longer...introducing the Rhyme and Reason elves HIP HOP Christmas!

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