Did your pants pop??

It's a few days late but Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope that everyone was able to spend time with your friends, family, and people that matter the most to you.  We went to Bryan's aunt and uncle's house for the big day and stuffed ourselves silly.  I'm fairly certain that had I taken one more bite of pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes I would have keeled over right at the dinner table!!!  It's so hard to resist when its all so good, though. 

I believe this officially marks the beginning of my terrible holiday eating streak.  This time of the year I have absolutely NO will power what so ever against comfort food, holiday favorites, and sugary treats!!!  Looks like I'm going to have to bump up my work out routines to make up for it (HA! yeah right).

Ready for the thankful updates?  Here we go!

17) Doctors/Nurses.  This Thanksgiving I don't know what I would have done without them.  Logan spiked a high fever of 103.7* when we got home from having Thanksgiving.  By the time we made it to the ER it had made its way up to 104.3*!  I was so worried because he didn't have any other symptoms other than the fever.  The doctors took great care of him and got him in very quickly.  He has continued to have a slight fever these past 2 days, and we're hoping that he'll get past it quickly.  If it persists then it looks like we'll be back to visit the wonderful doctors and nurses at Platte Valley.

18) Smiles.  Nothing makes my day better than getting a smile from someone I love and care for.  :) 

19) Days off.  I've had the past 2 days off for the holiday and I'll have another 2 days off starting tomorrow.  I need that little break to regain whatever sanity I have left after a long work week!

20) Photographs.  Photographs have always been important to my family.  After my parent's house fire, we lost everything, except for our family photos.  Some were a little damaged from the smoke and soot, but the majority of them were easily salvageable.  Whether its a photo from my childhood, marching band days, vacations, life in Cali, the day of my sons birth, or these past few months,  I'm able to remember it all just by looking at a photo.  "A photograph is a memory captured on film to forever cherish." 

(Candidate sleep-over 2007)

22) Chocolate & Wine.  They just go so well together, and they both make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside(that could just be the alcohol talking lol).

23) Paper & Pens.  Why would I be thankful for paper and pens you ask?  Well, without either of them, I wouldn't have been able to write my husband a sweet little note this morning instead of waking him up from his snoring dream :).  Plus, I love to make lists, and being able to cross it off makes me feel like I've accomplished so much more. 

Happy weekend everyone!!

My productive Pinterest life!

As you may remember I posted a few months ago about some of my Pinterest adventures.  Since then I've definitely let myself get a little bit carried away with bringing those fun pins to life.  I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that have been taking up much of my limited free time :).  All of the pictures below are how the pin was supposed to turn out.  Most of mine went pretty well, but of course there were some catastrophes.

1) Sent this Thank You to some of my Veteran friends



2) Fabric covered foam boards for some more holiday flare

3) Easy storage for healthy lunch time snack

4) Mini Cheesecakes (I threw some chocolate chips on top for extra sweetness)

5) Christmas decorations (yes, they're already up so don't judge)

 

6) Apple crisps

7) Wreath for our front door

8)Curled updo.  Since I have much shorter hair it wasn't quite as full and voluminous, but still very cute!

9) Olive Garden's Zupa soup.  It was super easy!

10) Current way of thinking

11) Exercise

12) I spread this along flattened chicken and then rolled it up and coated in bread crumbs.  So yummy!

12) Wine cork magnets

I know a lot of my friends are busy pinning away and doing their own projects.  I've already seen a few that my friends Natalie and Megan have done, and they look awesome!  I'd love to hear what your favorite pins have been, and if you've tried them out, did they turn out as well as you thought they would?? 

There's a second one?!

So the biggest news is that Breaking Dawn Part 2 came out Logan now has 2 TEETH!!!  I noticed the second one pop through a few days ago and I was so surprised that it happened so fast.  He didn't seem to fuss nearly half as bad as with the first one.  Hopefully they keep coming in as silently as this last one does. 

Although I do want to see the last Twilight movie, I just don't think I can get myself to go alone.  Bryan brought me to the last one and he said it just about killed him.  Since I'm not ready to be a single mother I won't make him go to this one.  I'm sure he'd just make jokes and ruin it for me anyhow, men ::rolls eyes::. With the winter season starting to rear its ugly head again, I'm thinking it's time for us to take our Christmas photos!  I'm hoping I can find a beginner photographer to do it, because I like to support them, and they're usually a little cheaper. 

Now time for some catch up:

13) The snooze button.  Its a small luxury parent's have in the morning time.  Those couple extra minutes can mean the difference between 2 and 6 cups of coffee some days!  I personally just feel so refreshed and excited after I wake up 10-15 minutes later, knowing that I got to take that time just for me.  Its a tiny victory that I treasure each and every morning. :)

14) Sunny days.  Living in Colorado we have about 300 sunny days a year.  Coming from Minnesota where winter season is known to give many people seasonal depression and cabin fever, this is truly a beautiful change of pace!  I always have my sunglasses handy and enjoy getting outside whenever the weather is nice.  Another great reason to be thankful for the sun is that IT MELTS THE SNOW!!! 

15) Pinterest.  I've been coming up with a big fat question mark lately about what to make for dinner.  It's so easy to fall into routines with the regulars so I have to continually make sure to challenge myself to find new recipes.  Pinterest has been a god send lately for fun, new, and delicious ideas.  I'm a very visual person so if the picture makes my mouth water, it's bound to be amazing!  Between that and finding new ways to spruce up my home, DIY projects, and anything else you can imagine under the sun, I always have something that I can do to keep me busy!

16) Having a vehicle.  It's a luxury many people take for granted.  After going through a few spouts of only have 1 vehicle for both Bryan and I (damn Ford) I'm so grateful that we both have working, nice vehicles to bring us where ever we need to go.  The heat and AC work, I have heated seats, 4 wheels, an engine that starts up when I turn the key (without coaxing it), and only a little bit of time left until it's completely paid off.  

What a weekend!

It's been a weekend of Thanks, Happy Birthday, and family time.  I couldn't be more excited!  This past Saturday was the Marine Corps 237th birthday.  Of course, if you're a Marine it's your birthday as well (and you'd better celebrate).  So after I got off work Logan and I took Bryan out for a birthday dinner.  It wasn't anything too crazy, but it was nice to get out of the house.  Now I'm seriously thinking that someone very strategically decided when the USMC birthday was going to be, because the very next day is Veteran's day.  For all active duty USMC that means they get a party thrown for them one day, and the next 2-3 days off for an extended holiday.  How lucky is that?!

Sunday was a little more low key.  We cleaned the house, started watching the 1st season of The Walking Dead (great show!), and celebrated his 3 years of being home from his last deployment.  It's always an emotional time whenever we reflect on his years in the Marine Corps, but once we get through the tears and long talks, it never fails that nights like this always bring us closer together. 

Now to do some more thanking for the past 4 days!

9) The military.  I just have to say that I appreciate and respect everything that our veterans and active military members have done for our country through out the years. I can't begin to imagine everything they've had to give up and sacrifice just so that I can live the "American Dream" however I may choose. I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart, especially my husband, all of our USMC family across the country, my brother and best friend Megan in the N.G., and the men and women that I know in the Army. Your service is never forgotten or overlooked in my eyes.

10) Thick hair.  Gah, never thought I'd say that one!  As much as it drives me nuts most days, I'm very grateful that I have a full head of thick, curly hair that has as much personality as I do!  It definitely has a mind of its own and when it decides to cooperate, its a total boost to my confidence.  I've made some major changes to it recently by cutting off 10+ inches, and it's been a struggle to find new ways to style it, but it's also shown me think outside the box and become a little more creative.  Who would of thought hair could do all that?!

(2 months after I chopped my hair)

11) My Genes.  Woohoo for having awesome genes!  I am sooooo thankful that I (still) have the metabolism that I do.  Being able to eat pretty much anything I want without gaining much of anything.  Being pregnant, having a baby, and bouncing back to my pre-preggo weight in less than a month!  Even now after doing only the little amount of exercise that I have time for, my body is in almost the best shape its ever been in!!!  I couldn't do any of this without giving thanks to my parents for passing on these amazing genes.  ::side note:: I am a little surprised I haven't developed diabetes yet considering my deep love for Dairy Queen!  Definitely need to keep that one in check.

(1 month after having Logan.  Wow my hair was really long!)

12) Forgiveness.  I make a lot of mistakes on a fairly constant basis.  Most of them aren't anything too crazy, but I've definitely caused some damage with others. I'm no where near perfect, and I don't claim to be.  All I can do is make sure to learn from my mistakes.  I'm grateful for others that have gotten hurt or been caught in the middle of some of my mistakes in the past and have found it in their hearts to forgive me.  On the other side of things, I've personally learned that it's much better to forgive than to hold a grudge.  It is such a weight off of your shoulders when you've decided to forgive someone, to give them a second chance, and to start fresh.  More than anything, I'm glad that the only one who really counts on this whole forgiveness thing (you know, the big guy upstairs) will forgive me as long as I ask for it and try my best to live how He wants me to. 

(Credit goes to Google Images)

Crazy thing called work!

This week has been utter chaos to say the very least.  My boss had her last day on Tuesday and now I'm pretty much left here to run the show all by myself (ahhhh scary!!).  Things are turning out to be quite the cluster-eff and everyone is looking to me for the answers.  On the bright side, being on my own is forcing me to realize that I know a lot more than I thought I did.  Yay me!  We don't get our new property manager until the beginning of December and won't know who it is until about a week before then.  They actually won't know themselves that they're being transferred here until a week or so before it happens as well.  It'll be more changing and adjusting.  I just hope none of the major things fall through the cracks in the mean time.

Now to catch up on my list of things to be thankful/grateful for!

6) Megan. She is without a doubt my other half.  I honestly don't know how I would have made it through the past almost 4 years without her in my life.  She has been my rock, my best friend, my partner in crime, my conscience, my roommate, my workout partner, my road trip/travel buddy, my mover, my therapist, my personal chef, my coffee date, my co-worker, my cheering section, and my very best girl since day 1.  We have been through it all together and stayed by each other's side no matter what.  To people on the outside, we might look like two crazy chicks with waaaaay too much time on our hands, but we're ok with that.  There isn't a single thing in the world that I wouldn't do for her, and I know she'd do the same for me.  I'm so so SO very grateful to have her in my life each and every day!  Love you doll face!

7) My job. Although I may complain about it now and again, it is still something that I'm very lucky to have.  I happen to enjoy my job most days, and I just happen to be pretty good at it too!  I felt very fortunate that my company was willing to go out on a limb and hire me at 6 1/2 months pregnant, when they knew I'd be gone in only a few months for maternity leave.  It pays well enough that I can help to support my family.  Even though I get the short end of the stick or get chewed out by residents for things out of my control, I'm still thankful. 

8) Social media- We live in a very technology friendly world these days.  I mean, if it wasn't for things like Facebook, Twitter, ect. it would make it a little harder to stay in touch with people both near and far away.  I am pretty much all by myself out here in Colorado with my friends and family being spread all over the US.  Knowing that I can reach so many people just by my FB status or sharing my blog to give a little more in depth update on what's going on in my life is such a great feeling.  My parents are missing out on a big part of Logan's life by not getting to see him more than a few times a year, but now that they've both gotten FB they get to see every picture that I post!  It's never going to be as good as physically being there, but every little bit helps.  Especially with the holidays coming up, I'm so thankful that I'll still be able to feel like I'm sharing it with them a thousand miles away!

I hope everyone is having a great afternoon and remembering all that they're thankful/grateful for!

Ladies and gentleman we have teeth!

Hurray!!  Yesterday afternoon Logan finally had his first tooth come through!  He's been so crabby all weekend and we had a feeling that it might be his teeth, but waiting for it took forever.  It isn't super noticeable yet, but I'm sure once it is I'll be taking lots of pictures of my silly looking boy.  I was so excited for him that we did a little dance together.  Little things like this make being a mom so awesome.  He's going through so many changes that I seem to be having trouble keeping up, especially in his baby book and scrapbook. Looks like I'll have to make a night of it one of these days. 

On a more not-so-popular obvious top, today is election day!  I'm proud to say that I exercised my right to vote this morning at 8am.  We had to bring Logan with us since we voted before work/day care started.  He had fun people watching as we stood in line more than anything. I like to think that we were teaching him a valuable lesson about how important it is to participate and let your voice be heard whenever you can! 

Although I don't exactly associate myself as a democrat or republican, I feel fairly strongly about issues that both parties have to say, which made my decision a little difficult this year.  For me, there's never been an election where I've felt 100% positive that the candidate that I was voting for would be amazing.  I'm still secretly hoping that during my lifetime we'll have a president that will go down as one of the best president's in the history of the good ol' U.S. of A.  Of course, with such a diverse population it makes it pretty difficult to please even the majority of Americans.

 I'm happily wearing my "I voted" sticker, because, well I did it!  There are so many people who are either "undecided" or just don't care how the election turns out that refuse to use roughly an hour out of their day to vote.  To these people, I have a few choice words.  Not even 100 years ago, there were so many laws and restrictions that prevented people from voting.  Men and women of different ages and races fought, refused to move, and went to jail so that we can vote today.  I'm not going to let that right go to waste, not today not ever, and neither should you!  So get off your couch, your chair, or whatever it is that you choose to sit on and GO VOTE!  Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

More to be thankful for

It's Monday, which means that I have the day off (yay me!) and I'm chilling at home with the little man.  To be honest, it feels a little strange to be posting from my home computer since I usually don't have much time to myself for things like this.  Thank goodness for nap time!  Which reminds me, I still needed to post what I've been thankful for for the past 3 days. 

3) Older people.  This may sound a little weird, but I'm so thankful for the older generations.  They're so important to our current and future generations for so many reasons.  They help to remind us that there used to be a world that didn't revolve around phones, facebook, technology, and materialistic things.  They show us that love is something worth fighting for, period.  It happens without fail that every time I get to meet one of these special people, I'm always amazed by the stories they have to tell and what I end up learning from them. 

I have to give a shout out to my great-grandma Lil who is 101 years old and is still very much alive and kicking!  I've learned so much from her and can only hope to be as strong as she is.

(This photo is courtesy of Google Images, but it was just too cute not to post.)

4) My family (immediate, extended, and very extended).  This summer I was able to fly home for a family reunion on my father's side.  It was amazing to see everyone again, especially since we're close with our first (and even second) cousins.  I'm constantly reminded of how much they love and care about me and the family that I now have out here in Colorado.  They help to keep me grounded and to focus on what's really important in life.  I don't know what I would do without them!

(This is just Ole's family line.  There were 4 other siblings that had their own groups!  My great-grandma Lil is sitting 4th in from the right side.)

 



5) Nap time!  Haha I kind of already mentioned this one, but seriously, thank goodness for nap time!!  I'm able to get so much done during this short amount of time, whether it be: cleaning the house, catching up on my tv shows that are stock piled on the DVR, doing a recently pinned craft project, or simply taking a nap.  I LOVE NAP TIME! :D

(It's an old photo of Logan, but nap time is still nap time!)

 

Of course, as I'm finishing writing this sentence I hear the little man starting to wake up from his very short 15 minute nap (bummer) so I guess that means I'm going to have to wrap this one up!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!

Time to say grace err I mean thanks!

I can't believe it's already November!!!  My parents weren't kidding when they said that time flies by much faster when you're older.  Although I didn't think I would start feeling this way when I'm only 23!  Oh well, I guess this just means that I get to all of the good stuff that much sooner.

November is the month that everyone remembers all that they're thankful for before becoming greedy snobs celebrating the giving festivities of Christmas.  So, I've decided that I'm going to list something that I'm thankful for for each day in November.  I'm also going to make a very conscious effort to be mindful each day of what I've listed.  It doesn't really help if I have a big long list of things to be thankful/grateful for and then forget all about it in the next two seconds.  Today is the 2nd which means that I'm one day behind in posting already (oh no, this isn't a good start) so today I'll list 2 things.

1) My loving husband.  He is always encouraging me to be my absolute best.  He loves me unconditionally.  He takes care of our family, and I'm always safe in his arms.  We're constantly learning new things from each other, and I couldn't be more grateful to have him by my side each and every day. 

2)My beautiful baby boy.  Logan is more than I could have ever dreamed he'd be.  He continues to amaze me each and every day.  No matter how my day went, he's always doing something that makes me smile and laugh.  I'm so thankful to have him in my life to help me grow as a person and become the awesome mom that I'm meant to be!     

I'm curious as to what you're thankful for in your own lives.  Who knows, maybe some of ours are the same!