Big news for me.....I quit my job. My last day there is the 28th of this month. After 5 years of putting up with drama drama drama it is just time to move on. Especially when it was my name getting dragged through the mud. Why do people think it's okay to talk trash on other people that they really don't even know?? Just had to let that out.

Because of all the drama at work, it's been a little hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit like I usually do. And I hate that. I hate that I let it bother me so much I can't even enjoy the freakin holidays!! But, slowly and steadily I am gathering gifts to give out this year. To some people this sounds really weird, but I'm using money we got from people at the wedding to buy Christmas gifts. My mom thinks we should spend it on ourselves, but this is what makes me happy-buying for other people. I find it really difficult to buy things for myself, and almost always feel guilty afterwards. I feel much better spending it on other people. :)

So, to get myself in the spirit, I am going to share a few pictures of my Christmas tree and ornaments....

Time for cuteness

Here is my beautiful baby Charlie! He was born March 31 of 2006, full bred miniature schnauzer. He was the only boy in a litter of 5, he has 4 salt and pepper colored sisters! He is what I look forward to coming home to every night. Okay, my husband too. :) He is just so playful and full of energy, but also can be so sweet and gentle it makes your heart melt. He is a small dog, about 15 pounds, and loves to sit on laps or right next to you on a pillow. His fur is silky soft and I love to sit and just rub his ears until he gets annoyed with me! Seriously, I don't remember living at my house before we got him. I suppose that's how I'll feel about having kids someday. How did I live without them? How'd I live without a dog for so long? Now I just want another one. *sigh*

Official as official can be

I finally made it official, I am now Mrs. A. I actually feel like I'm really married now. Got a new license picture, thank god, it finally looks like me!

For the next few days, I'll have the house to myself. DH is going hunting. He's been eagerly awaiting this for months now and is just chomping at the bit to get up north and shoot something. In all honesty, I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself. Oh that's right...I'll be working. Babysitting Sunday, working Monday and Tuesday while he's out stalking deer. Monday night I have my workout class so that won't be so bad. Might actually be able to get stuff done around here. LOL I'm kidding...all in all, I will be lonely without him. We've lived together for 2 years now and once you get used to that, well, it makes coming home to an empty house kinda hard. Especially when I know he'll be enjoying himself. But then again, he's earned it.

On a side note....we have been doing fairly well cooking for ourselves and eating at home lately. It's really amazing to me, because it's a whole lifestyle change. And I'm hoping that in the end it will prove to be very helpful in my whole weight-loss challenge. I'm also hoping to buy an elliptical. :) Doesn't hurt either that I put a bug in Jason's ear about wanting Dance Dance Revolution for my PS2 for Christmas. Hey, it's cardio!

Name changing and casserole making

The more I read about it the more I think this whole name changing business is going to be such a frikkin hassle. Ugh. Not my idea of fun. But, I have been looking forward to changing my last name for oh, how many years now? Yeah, I better get on with it. First the social security card, then the driver's license, the bank, my job, my insurance, my utility companies, landlord, vehicle registration (what a PITA!), and I'm sure I'm forgetting something here but geez. What a list.

I've never been much of a cook, especially when you've got someone like my DH who really enjoys cooking. I just let him throw the meat on the grill and I make a few sides. Easy, right? Well I thought I better start helping him out so I've been looking through cookbooks and finding easy recipes that even I can follow. How domestic of me right? So far so good. Two different chicken casseroles, two yummy dinners, if I do say so myself. And now lots of leftovers. These recipes make servings for 4-6, so yeah every other day there's leftovers for dinner. But, considering how much we just said what the heck and ate fast food, this is a huge thing for us. It'll help me learn to cook more, maybe him to clean more (keep your fingers crossed), and for both of us to learn to cook for a family someday. Neither of us want our kids to get in the habit of eating fast food so much. That was me as a teenager. Picture it, a newly licensed 16 year old, who drives to work a few times a week, maybe to school if mom doesn't need the minivan. What's for dinner? Mom-"oh i don't feel like cooking", me-"hey i'll go get us something!" And thus started an endless cycle of me driving to get food and do other errands that I suspect my parents had been waiting for since the day I was born. I'm sure the day I turned 16 they were thinking "yes finally someone to run our errands and bring us food!" No, seriously. Anyway, I digress....I don't want my kids eating like I did. Because of this I am now a small person trapped in a fat person's body. :( So now I'm trying to change that before it gets passed down to the next generation.

I'm a married woman

Finally!! I have only waited for this to happen to me since I was a little girl. lol Everything went very well. I was so very impressed with my beautiful flower girl and the way she led my nephew down the aisle with his pillow in hand. She is a pro! I thought for sure he'd freak out on me last minute and that his dad would have to walk him down but he did great! I am so very excited to see our pictures. Our photographer was really sweet and very efficient at her job. It only took an hour to take all our posed pics before the wedding. She is wonderful! The ceremony was short and sweet, and we actually got compliments on it! Then we had some good food, GREAT margaritas, good music. We sang some karaoke, did a little dancin (my hubs is a good dancer!), drank, had great fun! Then we snuck off to the Marriott hotel to stay the night. ;) Today we had brunch at my mom's, opened presents, then came home and took a much-needed nap. Now I have the next three days off work to organize my house with all these presents! All in all it was a very busy weekend, but sooooooo worth it. :)

the shower

Last Saturday was my wedding shower. I was truly overwhelmed that all the people there came to celebrate me getting married! It brings me to tears thinking about it. My mom and sister and my aunt organized it all and everything was really really nice. The weather was a bit cool at first (we were at a park), but we all sat out in the grass in the sunlight and played wedding scattergories and then they watched me open presents. :) I've never opened that many presents in front of that many people by myself. Not even on birthdays cause my mom and I usually share a birthday party because hers is 2 days before mine. But let me say, it was the coolest thing ever! I felt like a little kid ripping wrapping paper and throwing around tissues paper from the bags. And they all got me such nice things, it really gave me a warm feeling knowing how much these people cared for me.

RSVPs.....68 y...3 n.

911

I won't share my story of where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001, because it's like most everyone else's. I was here, 2,000 plus miles away from where it happened. Yes I did cry. I cry thinking about this day. But September 11 has another meaning for me. My mom's dad died on this day in 1965. He had sold his horse and couldn't get it loaded in the trailer, it was being very stubborn. So instead, he decided to ride it over to the man he sold it to. He was on the highway and the horse got spooked and ran into traffic. They both got hit and he died. My mom was 10 years old when this happened. And on March 11, 1999, her mother died of lung cancer....exactly 33 and 1/2 years after her dad died. I don't know if you know the significance of this, but Jesus died when he was 33 and 1/2 years old. Just seems to me that somehow God brought my grandparents back together.

Anyway, I don't want to make it seem as if that was more important than the WTC attacks. I never felt so sad after it happened. And every September 11 I feel even more sad for the people that have to deal with their losses on this day. But it also makes me feel like a very proud American to know that we didn't just lay down and take it. We fought back. WE FOUGHT BACK.