Christmas Part 3

Each year I spend Christmas Eve night with my Mom's family and then open presents with her Christmas Morning.

Our Christmas Eve was a little different than years past. We typically get together with my Mom's side of the family, but with my Grandma out of town this year (visiting my uncle and his kids in Georgia) we didn't get together with the whole family.

Instead, my sister and I had dinner with my mom and step-dad and then decided to visit with my step-Mom's family. We had a snow storm that night, so the drive was a very scary one. One that I never want to drive again. Thankfully we made it safely to our destination and back.

When we got back to my Mom's all of us kids exchanged gifts. Stephanie got me a Tim Horton's gift card.. love her for that! In exchange I got her a tanning gift certificate. Megan (11) goes to the dollar store each year and picks out gifts for everyone. This year I got a coffee mug with cappuccino mix inside. In exchange I got her a Michigan State sweatshirt (she received that a few months early because it was MSU vs UofM day at school and she didn't have any MSU apparel). I also got her a new pajama set from Old Navy. Madison didn't have any gifts to give this year, but of course I got her a few things. She got an Aeropostale gift card and an Old Navy pajama set as well.

Here's the girls opening their gifts.



My mom is picky about the toothpaste tube. She always pushes the toothpaste up and then when my step-dad uses it, he just grabs it in the center and of course we all know what happens. So... For a silly gift this year I got them a toothpaste squeeze to hopefully help fix that issue!

After we finished opening gifts, my boyfriend came over to exchange gifts. He wanted a juicer this year, so that's what he got! I also got him car wash coupons since he always tries to keep his car clean on the outside. The inside is a different story! He surprised me big time and got me a new pair of Uggs. I mentioned I wanted an off brand kind just because Uggs are rather expensive, but he took it all the way. He must love me or something ;)

This is the only picture I have with me and my Uggs. (Yes the shirt was a gift too, but from my parents).

Christmas Part 2

Each year I go to my Dad's on the 23rd to celebrate Christmas Eve with him and then open presents Christmas Eve morning. I don't have any pictures to share but still wanted to document the memories.

My sister had to work Christmas Eve morning, so we waited until noon when she got home to open gifts. Each of us kids exchanged the gifts we bought one another. I got Stephanie a tanning gift certificate (she didn't open it until Christmas since it was at my Mom's house). I got Dylan a new watch. I got my dad a stylus for his iPad, a UofM grilling spatula, and a home made calendar full of pictures of our pup who passed away over summer (it still had yet to arrive). I got my step-mom 2 glass cutting boards and a candle.

I was showered with love Christmas Eve morning. I received everything I asked for and more.

After we finished opening gifts we had a delicious brunch. We had "Carol's Christmas Morning Delight" which is a creation we came up with a few years back. It's simply an egg bake (I'll share the recipe another day). We also had a French Toast casserole-type dish.

The afternoon calmed down as we enjoyed each others company and began to get ready for get togethers later in the evening. Steph and I headed back to my Mom's to celebrate Christmas Eve with her.





Wesley enjoys when the tree comes out each year!

Christmas Part 1

We had our family from Texas in town with us for a quick 4 days. They flew in Thursday afternoon and left Sunday evening. It was so wonderful to have them here and finally meet my 16 mos old cousin.

We celebrated both my mom's and uncle's birthday as well as Christmas. And managed to survive without power for a little less than a day. Other than that it was a very relaxing weekend for everyone! (Little Olivia was a bit under the weather, so it helped to be home).

I'll let the pictures do the talking!




Soon after Miss Olivia arrived! She is just too cute.





Out to dinner the second night. We unfortunately lost power for about 22 hours, so that was an adventure in and of itself.





The kittens were chilly without any power!




This is the first year she was able to open gifts and be an entertainment for the rest of us!










This is a head massager. It's everything but relaxing to my uncle and myself. It gives us the chills more than anything!





Olivia didn't like it either!!








Merry Christmas!!

Family Christmas Picture

Each year we send out a Christmas picture card to friends and family. This year was no different.

It was about 50 degrees and gloomy outside, so we didn't get the best picture weather wise. And to top it off everyone was a bit crabby for reasons not worth mentioning, so we didn't get the best picture smile wise!




Here's the one we chose for our card this year. Merry Christmas!

Update!

Our wrapping is done and it's only December 16th! We have family coming into town this year and wanted all our wrapping done so we could enjoy their company.



The kittens have had a field day with all the wrapping paper and tissue paper :)




Oh and the crinkly bags!


This is our oldest cat, Chloe. She's slowly coming around the kittens and figuring out what they're all about.


I was having a difficult time wrapping gifts this year!


Santa made it! We had a very successful day yesterday.


Nolan and I went to our first college hockey game this past Friday. We are both hockey fans and without the Red Wings this year we are going crazy for some hockey! So we saw the next best: our Michigan Wolverines. Sadly they lost against Western, but we still enjoyed the experience. We enjoyed it so much that we forgot to take a picture of ourselves. Oh well, maybe next time!






The lights in downtown Ann Arbor were so pretty. I could not figure out how they strung the lights on, but nonetheless it was beautiful.

It's been an exciting time of year that's for sure!

Trouble!

We (my family) have two 5 month old kittens: Maverick (the brown one) and Claudia (the black one).

They became quite the handful when we brought the Christmas tree out... Take a look for yourself!

p.s. Don't mind the terrible iPhone pictures. They are a bit blurry and the kitties were moving!

This is super blurry but if you look on the top of her head, there is a small piece of the tree on her! I couldn't help but post it!

Happenings

I've been a bit scarce around here lately. I'm still alive, still breathing, and still busy! I think it's just that time of the year where things become chaotic and you begin to wish some days had a few extra hours.

I left off with what I was thankful for and of course I still need to catch up on that. Bare with me!

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to see Tony Lucca. For those that don't know him, he was on The Voice. This is similar to American Idol. Tony is from my local area and was going to be performing at the local trampoline park. To top it off, it was FREE! It was so cool to meet him in person and see him perform. It was so nice of him to take a picture with us ladies.














Thanksgiving was better than expected. My Uncle left at the beginning of November to serve over seas. We missed him terribly, but handled the situation pretty well. To all of our surprise we were able to Skype him. It was so great for him to be there with us and so great to talk to him for the first time since he left.





My little cousin's birthday was the following Saturday. So we celebrated on Thanksgiving.





I braved the crowd for the third year in a row on Black Friday and helped my mom get some shopping done. Surprisingly the lines weren't too bad. Maybe because we got in line around 10:30pm and stores didn't open until midnight. And we didn't stand in check out lines for long at all.

To add some fun to the evening we created signs that said, "Team Holly." My mom is obsessed with Black Friday. She even has a color coded, super organized list she brings with her.





We have been decorating for Christmas here at my house. Once our tree is officially decorated I will post a picture. I've also been wrapping lots of presents. I love the holiday, but not all the work that goes into it! My family and friends are so worth it though :)

School is almost over... One more week to go! I have lots of prepping and studying to do for my exams. The semester flew by (that's good right?!) and I can. not. wait for a break! I am excited to have family coming into town from Texas this year. It will be so good to see them and meet their newest addition (who is sadly already 18 mos of age) and congratulate them on their second!

If I'm not back before Christmas, have a wonderful holiday. Hold your family close, give lots of hugs, and laugh like you never have before. Merry Christmas everyone!

I am Thankful

It's that time of the year where you begin hearing about the different things people are thankful for. I have been slacking this year for a perfectly good reason... School and work have just taken me over. I have never been so stressed to accomplish my homework in a timely fashion. However, I've managed to find about 45 minutes to write this post!

So hear we go...

Day 1: I am thankful for my Mom. My #1 fan who never loses faith in me. When I need her most, she is right there. She is always willing to listen no matter how many other things she needs to get done.

Day 2: I am thankful for my Dad. I am thankful that he loves me unconditionally and never let's me down. He has been a wonderful example of a true man... He exemplifies the traits in which his daughters should be looking for.

Day 3: I am thankful for my siblings. I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for each of them. I am a better person because of them. They have taught me things some people don't understand until they live on their own. For that I am forever grateful.

Day 4: I am thankful for Nolan. He has been a huge blessing to my life. He has shown me the meaning of unconditional love and has brought me closer to our Lord. I am again forever grateful.

Day 5: I am thankful I have the opportunity to have an education. I come from a family that is fortunate enough to help me get through college financially. If it wasn't for them, I would not be perusing my dream.

Day 6: I am thankful to have a roof over my head and food on my table. We have all seen the heart wrenching commercials with little innocent children from other countries. My heart aches for them and I dream that one day I could be of some help.

Day 7: I am thankful to have a job. Today times are tough. I am so blessed to have a well paying job that allows me to do things that I won't be able to do when bigger decisions come my way.

Day 8: I am thankful for my English professor. Reason being is because he has offered many times to be a reference for jobs and a proof-reader for my future papers that aren't for his class. How many teachers really offer to do that for their students?

Day 9: I am thankful my step-dad has enough frequent flyers to send my uncle, aunt, and baby cousin (whom I have not met and she's already 15 mos old) up from Texas for Christmas. I cannot wait to be with them. They have never been up for Christmas so it should be a good time!

Day 10: I am thankful for my best friend. She is always there for me no matter how long it's been since we last talked. We can go 2-3 weeks, even a whole month without talking (because ya know life gets in the way) and still pick up right where we left off.

Day 11: I am thankful I have heat. It has been rather chilly this last week or so and heat has been most certainly needed. I can't even imagine how the easy coast is surviving without power from Hurricane Sandy.

Day 12: I am thankful to have a winter jacket. We adopted a family for the holiday last year and it was very sad to see 9-10 year olds asking for hats, gloves, and... Winter jackets. I am thankful to be fortunate enough to own one during these cold, winter months.

Day 13: I am thankful for Nolan's loyalty. It's not often you find an 18 year old guy who says they want to spend the rest of their life with their 19 year old girlfriend and actually mean it. I have never felt so loved and wanted before. I have faith in our future.

Day 14: I am thankful to have enough money to afford gas for my car. I would have to find a ride if I didn't which can be an inconvenience to others.

Day 15: I am thankful my Aunt and Uncle have Skype so their daughter (my cousin) can see her dad (my uncle) while he is on a one year leave in Kuwait. Without it I don't believe she would be handling the situation as well. It's a huge reassurance.

Day 16: I am thankful for my boss. He is very understanding and very flexible. I came down with the flu a couple weeks ago and was going to come in but he knew rest was more important and the only way together better.

Day 17: I am thankful for this blog. I have finally found a way to document life's events. I can finally put everything in words and not rely on my memory.

Day 18: I am thankful for The Lord above. He has never failed on me when I need Him most, even though I fail Him weekly.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Toby!

He would have been 8 years old today. I am still in disbelief that he is gone.
I love you dearly and miss you more than I can find the words to describe. I can't wait for the day when I see you again waiting for me at Rainbow Bridge, jumping up to put your paws around me. It's been a very odd year without you around. Miss you bud.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1382"] Toby could always be found laying next to me or within a 10ft radius of me.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1382"] Just a cute stance he was in that I thought was worth capturing. He always gave us that head tilt when we would ask him if he wanted a treat :)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Toby's 7th Birthday (the last one we celebrated with him).[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] This was our last Thanksgiving together. My grandma doesn't have a dog (my guess is because they can be a bit too much work for her or the hair) but it was especially kind of her to invite Toby over so the whole family could be with him one last time.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Just me and my boy (summer 2010)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Toby went wherever the crowd was. He was most certainly a family dog. We happened to be cleaning upstairs one evening and he had to be a part of it. He laid right at the top of the stairs with his paws crossed. Of course I couldn't pass up a picture![/caption]

Saying Goodbye

This past Sunday (October 28th) we had a family get together to say goodbye to two important individuals; my Uncle and the little guy my parents were trying to adopt. My Uncle has been deployed to Kuwait for at least 10 months. He is leaving behind a wife and a 7 year old daughter. The little boy my Dad and Step-Mom were trying to adopt has been adopted by his paternal grandparents. We also celebrated my Grandma’s birthday.

We gathered for lunch at a local restaurant and tried to make the best of the afternoon. We all enjoyed our lunch and tried to save room for dessert. We headed back to my Grandma’s where she had way too many desserts set out! Of course she sent all the left overs home with us! We spent time talking with one another and tried to keep the environment a happy one despite what would be happening in just less than a week. My cousin and the little boy we tried adopting were ready for present time and couldn’t wait any longer to help Grandma open them. She is an individual who is very frugal with her money, so each year we load her up with the basic essentials (mainly from the dollar store). We also get her 1-2 nice gifts as well. This year she got 2 sweaters. She gets a kick out of it each year!

The evening started to wine down a bit and we still had one last thing to do before we all left. My Aunt (my Uncle’s wife) brought with her Chinese Lanterns. I have posted a picture for those who aren’t exactly sure what they are. There is a small piece of cardboard that has already been soaked in fluid. So all you do is light that piece of cardboard and allow the lantern to fill with air. Once it is filled you let it soar into the sky for good luck. Note: I would suggest doing this on a day where there is no wind. We learned that the wind doesn’t allow for the lantern to go straight in the air, it moves in the direction the wind is going.

source

Once we let both of our lanterns into the sky we watched them drift off into the distance for a while and then headed back in. We said a prayer for my Uncle and a prayer for Little Boy. Many tears were falling because of how much we will miss each of them. We hugged and hugged and hugged my Uncle goodbye and wished him the best of luck. Little Boy hugged and hugged and hugged everyone goodbye and would say, “I’m going to New York and I will never see you again.” Struck my heart every time.

We as a family know that both my Uncle and Little Boy have God watching over them. We know both of them will be just fine, but are selfishly wishing they were still with us.

Uncle Don- We will see you in what we are all praying to be a short 10 months. We will certainly miss you. Your wife and daughter will not be left alone. They have us to keep them company and distract them from what is happening to their lives. I will spend as much time with them as possible.

Little Boy- I sure hope I get to see you next time Grandma and Grandpa bring you back to visit your foster family. You will be missed tremendously. I hope you are beginning to live the life you deserve and will be a good person like you promised us. We miss you and love you so much.

Happy Halloween! (a day late)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="303"] "GREEN!"[/caption]

This sweet, handsome, one of a kind chatter box is leaving tomorrow... Forever. He is off to New York to be with his new family and finally gets to be placed in his forever home. It kills me when he says, "I'm going to New York and I'm never going to see you again." He understands way more than the average 4 year old should.

However, I got to spend one last night with him... Halloween! He brought home tons of candy and even shared some with me :)

I will miss everything about him. Even his non-stop talking.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Summer 2012- As cute as ever.[/caption]

DJ, I wish you nothing but happiness in your future. I hope you grow to be a good man like you promised us you would. I hope we gave you comfort while you were here with us in Michigan. I really hope your little 4 year old self remembers us and tries to find us one day. I will miss every bit of you. I love you DJ! You will be forever missed by all of us. See you soon buddy!

2 Years

It really has been 2 years.. Hard to believe, but it has.

Nolan asked me to be his on October 14, 2010. Of course I said yes.

So in honor of our 2nd Anniversary he treated me to a super fancy dinner.

We went to the Roast in downtown Detroit. Unknowingly Michael Symons is the owner, so I found that to be a bit interesting. Anyways, we made reservations (the only time they had available was 8pm). We arrived to the site of what looked to be rich people taste. It was very dark inside and very romantic. We certainly felt out of place.

The waiter greeted us with an iPad.. Yes people an iPad! It displayed the drinks we aren't able to enjoy yet. Something I've never seen restaurants do!

I don't think this restaurant served fountain drinks, because 1, he never asked if we wanted coke, sprite, etc and 2, not one person in the place had a regular looking glass filled with pop.

We began to look at the menu knowing it was going to be expensive. Somehow I was still caught off guard. $36 for a ribeye!!! $39 for a Newyork Strip!!! Everything is ala carte by the way. I ordered a side of potatoes ($5) and that was enough for the two of us to share, so we did.

The server put our order in and came back to replace our butter knives with steak knives. Then he proceeds to give Nolan a spoon and says, "this is for your bone marrow." We let the server walk away and then quickly looked at each other with very odd looks. "BONE MARROW?!" Is exactly what each of us were thinking.

Our meal took about 30 mins and finally came out! Sure enough there was a bone sliced in half with some lovely looking brown stuff inside on Nolan's plate. He tried it and 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over it.. Me on the other hand, not so much. You know how things taste like the smell of other things?? No- just me? Okay well, the bone marrow tasted to me like the smell of dirt. Not appetizing!

He loved every bit of his meal, just as I did. The meat was so good and the mashed potatoes were the best mashed potatoes I've ever had.

We finished. Our bill came out. Our eyes about came out of our head. But we had an excellent time celebrating another wonderful year together.

One HOT Day

Nolan and I have gone to Cedar Point together for the last couple years. We thought about going again this year, but neither of us wanted to drive and really weren't up for riding the same rides at the same park all over again.

So.. We decided to look into Tiger tickets. We found some for August 26 that were pretty low cost. And the best part was they were pretty good seats.

We probably picked one of the hottest days of the year to go. We started the day out by going to church together. Once church was over we had a homemade lunch on our way to Comerica Park. I made some turkey and cheese sandwiches, with chips, and ice cold Coke.

We obviously dressed for the weather but it was so dang HOT. The back of my legs were so sweaty I had to change clothes when I got home. Nolan wore his baseball hat and it was stained from sweat! Eventually the sun moved behind us and the last 2-3 innings were much cooler.

Made us both a little less crabby, but nonetheless we were still warn out from the heat.

It's that time of the year!

CIDER MILL TIME!

I was more excited to go to a cider mill this year than I have been in years past. Maybe it was my uncontrollable craving for donuts and cider! Or maybe it was the fact that Nolan actually wanted to do something I would never expect him to do that made me that much more excited.

It was a cold day.. 59 degrees for September in Michigan is COLD! Nolan really wanted to pick apples and I really wanted to pick raspberries and blackberries. But because of the weather conditions this summer the opportunity to pick apples wasn't all that great. So.. we had to drive an hour away to the one orchard that had apples to pick. We ended up at Blake's Big Red Orchard in Armada.

We took a hayride back to the apple trees. We really had no idea what kind of apples we were picking, but they were delicious. And of course, what's the point of apple picking if you don't have one along the way?!



He was determined to only get the best of the best!



The raspberry and blackberry selection wasn't all that great either. The raspberries were super small so we didn't come home with many. I'm not sure when the blackberry season is, but those babies were red and no where near ready to pick! So we came home with NONE!

We finished our little trip with donuts and cider, in the car, because we were frozen by the end of our 4 hour trip. Still trying to finish the 2 dozen of donuts and 1 gallon of cider we brought back for 2 people. Anyone up for grabs?!

We came home and washed all the apples. The day would not be complete without warm, homemade Apple Crisp. I don't have any pictures of that because it smelt too good to let it sit there any longer and not be scooped into. But take my word, it looked awesome!

Where I Stand Today

I'm new to blog world (the writing part of it) so bare with me! I've been reading blogs for a couple of years now and decided it's time to start my own. I love the idea of having a place to document life's events that are thrown my way.

So here we go...

I'm 19 and living what I consider a happy life. I have been able to attend a college, I have a job and I have a loving boyfriend who has been by my side every step of the way. And of course I have my family that supports every decision I am forced to make on my own. Can you say blessed?! I truly am.

I'm currently attending Oakland Community College. This is my second year there. Starting in the Fall of 2013 I will be transferring to Oakland University for Nursing. Nursing has always been a passion of mine.

I work with an individual who needs 24 hour care. She suffers from brain damage due to a car accident. She is always in a good mood, which makes being with her that much more enjoyable.

My boyfriend, Nolan and I have been dating for nearly 2 years. I cannot believe how much time has flown. Like any man can, he gets under my skin but I love him nevertheless. He has always been there when I need him and has shown me the true meaning of unconditional love.

My family is my biggest fan. I am so thankful for all of them. I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for all the encouragement and support over the years.

So there's a little about me to get started. I intend for this blog to be just a mish-mash of stuff. Nothing specific, no organization, just anything I feel is worth remembering and want to document.

Thank you for reading and following me on my journey through life.