Birthday Notes

For my birthday this year Justin took the day off to hangout with me! He didn't tell me until the night before...so that was a sweet surprise. For my birthday I dropped the hint that I wanted a Juicy Couture Charm Bracelet. He got the hint! :o) He also bought me the book Twilight. His co-worker recommended it...she said it was like fast food for the brain and it really is. I have already read all four books! The first two I read in the course of about 3 days.

For my birthday dinner we went to eat at Treo a restaurant in Lone Tree. I L-O-V-E Birthdays!

Muir Woods

Hello All! My December was great! I always love that time of the year. This Christmas Justin and I went to California for the Holidays. We spent a lot of time with his family and just enjoyed ourselves. We even managed to get in his parents hot tub almost every day...personally I got a little spoiled. :o)

On the Friday after Christmas we went to San Fransisco to visit the Muir Woods. The Muir Woods are part of the Redwood Forest. This was my first experience with hundred year old trees. But even better than the beautiful tress was being able to continue to build relationships with Justin's family.

On Friday night we stayed in a hotel close to the city. Justin and I were to share a hotel room with Justin's sister Cassie. We all went to sleep around 11, but I woke up at 12:30 because Cassie was snoring. (She had recently been sick, so I think she just had a lot of gunk in her chest.) Anyway I couldn't sleep so I decided to try my luck with Nathan (our 8 year old nephew). I went to sleep with Nathan on the fold out couch (definitely not the most comfortable bed!). At some point during the night I woke up to Nathan saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh." I knew he was surprised to see me out there. So I said, "Sorry your Mom was snoring." He looked at me like OK that is a satisfactory answer and then I said, "Thanks for not kicking me out." He said,"I don't usually do that." Then he rolled over and went back to sleep. What a great kid!

The FIRST Snow...

Here is a picture of our first real snow of the season! However we are about a month overdue. I always especially love the first snow of the season. It's the start of a new season and at this time of the year it definitly boosts your Christmas Spirit!

It wasn't really a snow that you could play in; it was a really wet snow and when you walked on it or anything it melted pretty quickly. However when I took Winston out to use the bathroom once he was done with his "business" he started pouncing on snow balls and rolling around in the snow. So I asked him if he wanted to go play; yes I talk to my dog. And he immediately ran over to the side yard and ran around and around in circles, up and down the hill, then he would come and make sure I was still there. Then he went back to his playing. Once he was done running around he proceeded to roll around in the snow some more. He looked like a giant snowball! Once I got him back inside I had to put him in the shower to melt all of the snowballs attached to his fur. But he was one happy dog!

It reminded me of how when I was a kid I loved to play in the snow. I would go out for a few hours and then come in to warm up, then go back out until I was totally frozen. You had to make the most of it because it could literally be years before you got another snow like it! So I encourage everyone to get outside and play in it! And if you don't have any of your own...come play in mine!!! :o)

A Thankful Thanksgiving Week

This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving and this is going to be a crazy week for me. My parents and aunt are coming into town tomorrow. So we will have 6 people (plus a Winston Doggy) staying in our condo. I usually get so excited about Christmas that I just want to skip right over Thanksgiving. But this year as so many people in our country are struggling; I feel that I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for the best husband a girl could ask for. I am very thankful for the overall health of our families. I am thankful for our jobs and the roof over our heads that God has blessed us with. I am thankful for our friends and the blessings that they have been given. I am thankful for Winston and the joy he has brought into our lives. I am thankful that Justin and I are able to go and visit our families, since they do not live nearby. I am thankful for our church and the Newlywed Group that we meet with every week. I am thankful that we are able to pursue interests that we enjoy. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given and for the blessings that are still to come.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

My First Ballet Class

Yes, you read that correctly. I promised Amy I would write about my ballet class once I started, so here it goes.

On Wednesday nights for the next few weeks if you can't get ahold of me that's because I am at ballet. :o) Originally it was supposed to be a beginner ballet class; because the last time I had ballet shoes on I was 6 and wearing a yellow tutu. But surprisingly when I got to class last week, there weren't a lot of people signed up for the beginner class...so they combined it with the Continuing Ballet class. To be more specific these are girls already dancing in pointe.

Class started by doing lots of stretching. There was one stretch that kept giving me cramps in my feet, I was starting to wonder how in the world I was going to be able to dance on them. But that would prove to be the least of my worries. Our teacher taught us a series of steps and in my head I was thinking,"If I could do that I would be dancing in The Nutcracker." :o) But in the end everything went pretty well and I learned that I am better at jumping or leaping than twirling. But I hope to learn a little more each week.

Rock Band 2

I probably should have blogged about the "Engaged & Newlywed Group" that we belong to before now; but what better time than the present???

We meet every Wednesday night and have dinner at someone's house and then we discuss things going on in our lives as well as other marrital topics. In addition to that the boys talk about their Fantasy Football league. The girls have a running joke to see how long it takes for Fantasy Football to come up when we all get together. And it's usually Justin that starts it. :o) Right now we are also going through the book Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires The Respect He desperately Needs.

But this week we played Rock Band 2! Here are some pictures of us "rocking out"!

13.1 Miles!

Well I did it! This past Sunday I ran the Denver Half-Marathon with my friend Megan. We trained together and separate for about 3 1/2 months. During that time I went through almost an entire jar of Tiger Balm, many Function Shock Sport drinks, and a pair of tennis shoes. (Never underestimate the importance of good running shoes when you run 5 times a week!)

The race went really well and I had a really good time...although it is weird to say you had fun running 13 miles, probably sounds more like torture to most people. I got to see parts of Denver I hadn't seen before and there was some really great people watching as well! Afterwards I was really sore, even walking was quite the task. But after some more Tiger Balm an another Shock Sport drink by Monday I was almost back to normal. Only my knees are still a little tender.

Now I am trying to decide what my next challenge will be???