Thanksgiving 2010 Prep



Source: Right From the Heart

As this is the weekend before Thanksgiving, Nick and I are gearing up for some truly fabulous people to come and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us! We will have a house full of family because all four of my sisters, their significant others and our one niece will be here to celebrate with us. That makes for ten people sleeping at my house, and we hope to have one more person for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. I am beyond excited, and it goes to show how truly wonderful my hubby is that he is almost as excited as I am! Bless him for loving my family so much! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! I love to take the chance to focus on the things and the people I am most thankful for, although, the cartoon has it right, it should be a focus for the entire year!
Last weekend, the lesson I taught my Laurels at church was on Gratitude and Thankfulness. As I was preparing, I was reminded of a lesson about being thankful that I was taught by my very wise Beehive advisor, Sister Garfield. She told us that when someone paid us a compliment, to simply smile and say, "Thank you!" It boosts your confidence and makes the person who complimented you happy as well. I was thinking about that this week, and I notice that as people send compliments my way these days, it is so hard to smile and give thanks. So, that is my goal for the next few weeks/months as I grow bigger and bigger: to accept the compliments of others with style and grace.
This weekend, as Nick and I brave the grocery stores, I will be thankful for the opportunity to have all my sisters here. I will be thankful for the chance to spend the day planning and cleaning with my favorite person. I will be thankful for the people who are working so hard to make the holiday shopping as quick and as painless as possible. I will be thankful for and do my best to spread some holiday cheer to those who need it most!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Week!

Book #27

The Other Boelyn Girl

By: Phillipa Gregory

You know I am seriously behind on posting on my books when I have to look back through the blog to even see what book I posted about last! I read this one forever ago, and I was actually surprised. I have seen the movie, and it disturbed me enough to make me curious about the book. However, it took several years for me to have the courage to actually open it and read it. So, for those of you who are not familiar with the story, The Other Boelyn Girl is about the inner workings of the Boelyn family as they rose to power (and then fell) on the back of a king. The maniuplating. The cunning. The planning. All very, very disturbing. I can't fathom that there are actually people in this world--even now--who are SO driven that they would essentially sell their souls to get where they want. It is filled with betryal, heartache, love, sex, adultery, and incest. Yikes! The book is long, but once one gets into it a little, putting it down isn't always easy. Granted, I had a hard time picking it back up some days, but I was determined to finish it. Read it if you dare. The insight into the crazy royal world, and into the world of one power hungry woman, is a ride into the wild. However, there are normal, wonderful, sweet characters too. I just couldn't get past Anne. That's all.



Happy Halloween

Well, for the first time in a long time, I dressed up for Halloween. This never would have happened if Nick didn't like dressing up for Halloween so much. I love Halloween. I love the kids dressing up. I love the costumes and how creative people are with their costumes, but I have never really felt like I could accomplish the same thing others can. However, I actually liked my costume this year, so I am sharing. Nick was a vampire, and I was his mistress.

A Fabulous Colorado Weekend

Seriously, the title pretty much sums it all up! If you ever read this blog you know that I love Colorado and I could do without Texas, and I very much needed some time to go home and just BE with my friends and family before we embark on the new adventure of parenthood. So, when we had some extra money, Nick and I decided to make a trip home happen for me. He had a really great time, but I promise, this trip was to keep his wife sane. So, because there was just so much, I will share parts of the weekend through pictures.

 We spent a really random Friday running around Denver visiting people and places. We got breakfast at Santiago's--something I have been craving for months! We went to see Adam at work, former co-workers at PVHS, and then had dinner with Ashley, Adam, Kara, Rob, Anya, John and Korina at Old Chicago. Ashley (pictured with me on the left) left for Chicago the next morning, and I am just so glad we got to see her for a little while. It was great to see everyone that evening! I am so blessed with great people in my life!

 Saturday, we picked Nick's mom up! She was able to come to Denver with a friend, and she spent the day playing downtown with us and having lunch and shopping. We got her all settled at her hotel, and then we were headed back to Kristie and Ron's house (where Nick and I stayed for the weekend) to help get ready for a little BBQ with friends.

Okay, truth be told, the BBQ was actually a surprise Baby Shower for me. I kind of knew that it was happening, but what I did not know is that my mom and baby sister, Kelli, were driving over for the event. I walked in and sobbed as soon as I saw them. Yes, yes...I love my mom! She is pretty wonderful. Lots of people came to help us celebrate the new life we will be welcoming in January, and once again, I was overwhelmed by the people who love us so much!

 Pictured here are my two besties, Amber and Kristie. They planned the shower, and they are seriously two of the best people on the planet. It has been too long since we were in same room together, and I was completely emotional when we took this picture. It was good to be together again. I needed their company more than anything else.

From left to right pictured here are: Nick, Seth, Ben, and Parker. These are some of Nick's friends from college. They came to the party, and we were so happy to see them. They really are some of the greatest guys, and it was a lot of fun to see Nick laughing and reminicing with them. I think Cindy had a lot of fun chatting with them as well.

 This is after the party, as I was pondering how we were going to pack the new baby stuff into the suitcases that were already full. Don't you worry! I made it all fit, and the Frontier lady was nice enough to allow our two extra pounds to slide and she didn't charge us extra!

 This is just a sample, but at the shower, people could decorate a onesie for Quincy. This one is one that my mom decorated, They are all really cute, and I can't wait to get her little body into them! She is such a loved little girl already!

 This was the cupcake cake that Kristie picked out. It was so cute and so convienent! No cutting, not too much mess. There were chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. I had one of each, and they were divine!

This should probably have been the first picture, but this is the car that we drove all weekend. You see, when you are chatting with someone else at the rental counter, and your husband is given the option of an H3 to drive all weekend, apparently the logical thing to do is take it. It was fun to drive for a minute, but getting in and out was a chore for me. We thought we looked cool, but I am not sure why anyone would own one. It wasn't all that comfortable...just a fun story!

I have said time and time again that last weekend was the greatest weekend. We did so much, and I am just sad that we were unable to see more people. I loved being able to spend so much time with Adam and Kara! It was fun to see the Beutens. The Broncos played a horrible game, but we were glad to be at home watching the game with others who were suffering. I was able to refuel with good company, beautiful fall weather, amazing colors, family, and, of course, my love by my side the entire time. Colorado is my home, but it would not really be home without Nick there with me. So, for now, we make Texas our home and dream of Colorado winters...well, I do!

A little hike and now some pain...

http://www.kellytools.com/lakepointe/lake.htm

I/We have been kind of bad about going to the gym lately. I know I need to be going more, and I know how much it will help me when it comes time to delivering this baby, but even cleaning the house is so exhausting these days. I like to bake and take naps, and while those things keep me happy, I am not going to pretend that eating cookies and laying around the house are helping me any. So, when I casually suggested to Nick that we head out to Eagle Mountain Park and take a little hike, he jumped at the opportunity. It has turned into a rare thing for me to suggest a walk/hike or a trip to the gym, so I think he was excited. We actually only hiked about a mile and a half, but that mile and a half completely kicked my tush! I already feel sore, and I can't believe how hard our outing was on my body! The biggest surprise with being pregnant is how hard all the things I have always been able to do so easily have become. Vacuuming requires a thirty minute rest. Cleaning the bathroom takes twice as long. Emptying the dishwasher has me winded. It is unbelieveable! In fact, I can't believe that I am up right now. I am tired from today. Very tired. So, on that note, I wish everyone sweet dreams!  

New Furniture and Other News...

When we moved into this house we Nick and I made the best of the furniture and other decorations we had (and didn't have) between the two of us. Earlier this year, we traded our squeaky queen bed for a gorgeous platform King size bed. Now, as we prepare for the new person to join us in a few months, we decided it was time to trade in our couch and chairs for something nicer and cleaner and more modern. So, a few weeks ago, we did just that! We now have a real house with real furniture in it! This is just another check mark on the long list of ways I have grown up in the last year and a half since getting married and moving to this place. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

 Here is our new couch. It is sitting against the picture wall, and our only issue right now is getting Joey to stay off of it when we aren't around. She loves it, and she misses the chair we used to let her sit on. I think Nick is going to go crazy trying to get her to stay off of the couch. I don't know who I feel more sorry for, Nick or Joey!

This is the cocktail table that we chose. The table that actually went with this set was a glass table, but we had to swap it out! I can't imagine having a glass table with little fingers around. Besides, I really love this table.

This is our new lamp, and I love it too. It gives off great light, and I love the shape!

This might be my favorite thing we have. This chair is SO comfy, and I cannot wait to snuggle a little on this chair. Nick calls it his "Dad Chair" but he is nice enough to share with me.

This is the love seat which sits right across from the couch. Our ottoman fits in front of it nicely, and it is nice to curl up on and watch a movie together.

This is the end table that went with the set. I love this table, and the cocktail table was similar to this. I can handle the end table being glass, and I am glad we kept it.

The only thing not in the living room yet is this TV console. We went to a furniture store that offered a deal--buy the living room set and get a new TV! So, we should get the new TV sometime this week, and then we will make the big switch. I will post pictures then too.

In other news...we are taking a trip to Colorado in ten days! Just a quick weekend one, but I am so excited to go to Denver and see everyone! I can hardly wait! So, to all my Denver peeps, SEE YOU SOON!

Book #26



Picture from http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/2010/09/mockingjay-quiz/





Mockingjay

By: Suzanne Collins

I promise that this contains no spoilers. I am not even going to discuss the plot. I actually just need to write out my feelings about this book.

I finished it less than two days after it was released in August, but it has taken me this long to write about it for a reason. For those of you who have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and have fallen in love with the characters in these stories like I have, just beware! Please understand that this trilogy is brilliant. The plot will snag you and keep you on your toes. The characters are very real and very believable. The story cannot end well for anyone involved. The reader, the author, Katniss, Peeta, Prim, Finnick...no one. The world that Collins created is too corrupt. It is too evil to be able to completely wipe out evil, and it makes me sad. Probably because it is too much like the world we live in. We can get rid of those who revel in the power they crave, but there will always be someone else to take their place and introduce another kind of evil. I will never say NOT to read this book. I loved the others too much, and you MUST finish this story. I will say, proceed with caution. I couldn't talk about this book for days after reading it, and I still feel pangs of depression and regret as I think about all the things that happened.