Holiday Break 2012

Goodness, I have been meaning to blog about my holidays for days.  But everytime I thought about it, just wasn't enough time to sit down and do it.  So finally here I am.  I was off of work for about a week and a half.  The break started with us going to the Broncos vs. Browns game on the 23rd.  Thanks to some friends who have season tickets and were out of town, so they sold me the tickets.  I was absolutely thrilled.  Though I have been lucky enough to go to a few Broncos games, for free, and in the suite next to the owner's suite...this was actually my first time going to a regular season game!  Our seats were great, for December the weather was nice (minus the last 30 minutes or so when the sun went down and it got pretty darn cold), and of course my team played amazingly.

All ready to go!

 

View from our seats.

 

 

On Christmas Eve, I went to Christmas service.  It has always been a Christmas tradition of our family for as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid we would go to service on Christmas Eve, then go home and open one gift before bed.  Then the next morning we would wake up and open the remainder of gifts.  My brother was always awake first, and often was the one jumping on my bed shouing "It's Christmas, wake up!"  After church went home and spent the evening with my mom, stepdad, Chris's brother and his girlfriend.  We played Apples to Apples, which is one of my favorite games.  Then began opening some of our gifts.

 

Christmas day we woke up, finished opening gifts, had breakfast, then played a game of Cranium before his brother and his brother's girlfriend left.  That evening we headed to my aunt's to spend the evening with my dad's side of the family.  It was great to see everyone and catch up.  It was definitely a nice Christmas.  And I got some nice gifts which included awesome Coach sunglasses, a fancy Dyson bladeless fan, some cutes clothes, Bronco's gifts, an at home UV gel polish kit, and plenty of giftcards.  So I even got to enjoy some after Chirtmas shopping, where I got lots of cute clothes and a pair of boots I had been wanting.

 

 

 

 

For New Years Eve we went to dinner at a steakhouse called Mackenzie's Chophouse with our friends Megan and Jay.  After dinner we headed up to Cripple Creek.  The boys gambled, Megan and I drank champagne while goofing off at slot machines.

New Years Eve dinner

 

With Megan 

 

 I hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays and are ready to start of the new year!  It's the year of the snake (which I am) so I am hoping it brings nothing but great things my way!

Christmas at Work

So this was the last week at work befoe the Holiday Break.  All week our children/families came in with gifts in hand thanking us for what we do.  The gifts are nice, but I truly love being a teacher at Christmas just because you are reminded of how much you mean to the children and their families.  And it is so nice to be reminded of just why I do what I do, and how rewarding it truly is.  I have taught at another school, but I am so blessed with the school I have been at the past 2 years.  My co-workers, the children, and their families are absolutely incredible.  And I can honestly say that through the relationships I have made with these people, I have lifelong friends because of it.  They are such great families, and I am so thankful to beable to be a part of their lives.

I got so many yummy baked goods, gift cards, adorable coffee mugs, and even a UV lamp and gelish polish from a co-worker to do my very own gel nails at home! I was thrilled when I opened it.  I love having my nails done (and will still get mani/pedis), but it will be so great to beable to paint my own nails and not have it chip off in a few days.  Hooray!  I came home that very night and did both my fingers and toes...it really works!

The very best part though, hands down, were the cards.  I literally almost got tears reading many of them.  It means so much to hear such kind words.  I am so blessed.  I just had to share some of the kind things I was fortunate enough to hear this week...and maybe it can inspire you to share your thoughts and kind words with those in your life as well.  Because though gifts are nice, the togetherness and gratefulness of the holidays is what makes it magical!

• One mother asked her child why Ms. Angela is a great teacher.  He said "Because she makes me Christmas trees...and she makes me nice food and nice drinks... and I like reading books with her.  She's a good dancer.  Yes, I do love her!"
• "You are truly a light in (child's) life - your energy and positive attitude are what I hope for (child's) to be."
• "We just want to let you know how much we appreciate your hard work and dedication...(Child) is thriving and we know her experiences with you are helping to shape the kind, inquisitive girl she is becoming, not mention the awesome dance moves she is picking up."
• "We are so thankful for you to be a part of (child's) early childhood development.  We are truly blessed!"
• "Thank you so much for everything you do. (Child) sure does love getting to see you each day!"
• "Thank you so much for all you do...they just adore you, and you are always so good about welcoming them to school with open arms."
• "Thank you so much for taking such good care of my children.  They are so lucky to have your unconditional love.  I feel so blessed to have you in my life, (the school) wouldn't be the same without you.  You are an incredible teacher."

So thank you to all my amazing families, your kind words mean SO much to me.  Your children and your gratitiude makes what I do so worthwhile, and I love what I do because of it!  I just want to wish everyone a heartfelt and happy holidays!

♥ "Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish.  Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself." ♥

Christmas Shopping

I feel like Christmas shopping s all I have done the past several days.  I have no problem shopping for myself, but shopping for others is always a little more tricky.  Not to mention I absolutely HATE shopping in crowds!  I don't like feeling crowded or like I need to move and make room for others while I am shopping.  It makes me lose any motivation for shopping.  I love being one of the only people in a store...I also am an online shopper for this reason.  It's no fun being swarmed when you are looking for something to buy.  So needless to say the idea of holiday shopping is not on my list of un things to do.  Thursday after work was attempt number one.  I headed to the mall and roamed around for a bit....left the mall empty handed and tired to my dismay.  I am sure that the fact my feet hurt after a long day at work didn't help the matter.  Friday after work was attempt two and much more succesful.  I managed to knock a big chunk off the list and felt much more succesful going home.

Saturday Chris and I met up with his brother and his brother's girlfriend for lunch and then headed to the mall.  A mall on a Saturday is crazy enough...add in the holidays and it was absolutely insane.  I only had two things to get at the mall, most of it was the boys needing to do shopping.  When we finally finished (it felt like we were at the mall forever!), we headed to the Denver Zoo and met another two friends to see the zoo lights.  I have gone once before when I wa sin high school...and I must say I do not recall it being such a mad house!  It was packed to the brim with people!  Every lot at the zoo was full, along with half the lot at the museum next door.  Our only saving grace for parking all day was the fact Chris gets handicap parking!  Once we got through the madness of getting into the zoo the crowds weren't too too bad, and the lights were very pretty.  We even got to some animals (though not tons cinsidering it was night time).

 

After the zoo lights we grabbed some dinner and ended the night with some games at Dave & Busters.  They remodeled the Dave & Busters while ago and this was my first time going since.  It was interesting...like Dave & Busters meets...nightclub? lol, I am guessing they wanted to modernize it or make it "cooler".  So they changed up the interior design, but they also added a DJ with speakers everywhere.  I liked the music and think it was a nice change...except for the fact that it is in fact not a nightclub.  The music was SO loud...too loud.  There were numerous times we all had to say "What?", and getting very close and yelling was the only way we could hear each other.  Then they eliminated the age limit.  It used to be you had to be 21 plus after a certain time, but not any more.  SO it's less kid friendly in my opinion and now kids are allowed there all hours of the night.  Then we kept getting a good laugh at the people completely over dressed for what is essentially a fancy arcade!  It was still fun though, and we got a good laugh walking around doing our amazing dance moves in between games.

 

Another weekend come and gone.  I was so sleepy going to work today and no idea why.  Just one more week though, and then a nice little end of year break.  And I even finished up the very last of my Christmas shopping on my lunch break today. So 8 days to go and this girl is all done :)

 



"Weather Team"

So the other day my co-worker showed me one of these videos and it was pretty funny.  This evening while I am waiting to go get Chris from the airport (he had a medical conference he spoke at this week), I was on youtube looking at these videos.  I found this one and was literally in tears watching it and laughing.  I can totally see a conversation like this occurring in my class...the guys did a great job acting it out. So funny...enjoy! :)

Army Ball 2012

This past Thursday was our Army Ball this year.  I know some folks don't really like them, but I do.  I love getting to go buy a pretty gown and get dolled up....there aren't many occassions in life that give you that opportunity.  Sure you can put on a pretty dress and go out, but the whole full on ball gown is reserved for special occasions.  And perhaps part of the reason I love it so much is because I never went to prom in high school...so now I just get to go to balls :)  Plus I appreciate the traditions that go along with balls.  Anyways, I had fun.  It was good to see old friends and laugh and enjoy the night, and to meet some new people as well.

The guest speaker for the night was retired four star General Gordon Sullivan, who was the 32nd Chief of Staff, who was also there with retired CSM Don Thomas.  Because of Chris and his accomplishments of being an amputee and returning to active duty, they invited us up to speak with them.  Chris chatted with General Sullivan a lot and answered various questions.  I chatted with CSM Thomas quite a bit, who was a very nice guy.  General Sullivan gave a nive speech, and of course the night wouldn't have been complete without the amazing dancing which took place after the formal portion of the evening.

*Us all ready to go!*
 

*Dance floor fun*

 

 

The next morning I woke up starving...all I wanted to do was order breakfast.  Sometimes the best part of staying in a nice hotel is room service!  Something about being served breakfast in bed....I love it.  We order breakfast burritos and they were huge and very yummy!

 

 

 

Friday was spent Christmas shopping.  We got gift wrap, bows, and all that jazz along with some gifts for family.  And tried to give each other some gift ideas while we were at it.  That night we had dinner at the Olive Garden.  I was excited because a friend had told me that they have a creme brulee martini right now.  For those who don't know I love creme brulee...I try it almost every where we go (though I definitely have my favorites at certain restaurants).  And the carmel brulee latte at Starbucks is like greatest thing ever...I get sooo excited every year when it comes out and sooo sad when it goes away.  So naturally I had to try this martini...and yup it was yummy!

 





Saturday Chris had to go into work for a few hours (he is on funeral duty for the next several weeks), so while he was away I busied myself with wrapping gifts.  That evening we decided to head up to Cripple Creek.  It is a little gambling town in the mountains just west of CO Springs, and it used to be an old mining town.  Even though I turned 21 a few years ago, this was my first time going gambling.  I understand both roulette and blackjack, but I sort of get "stage fright" and didn't really want to play with other people at the tables ha.  I sat next to Chris and helped tell him where to put the chips for roulette.  He waled away up in both games.  I blew some money on a few slot machines for the heck of it, and I was good.  The best part for me was they have The Hangover (the movie) slot machine.  It was awesome.  The game is hilarious, with clips from the movie.  At one point I hit a bunch of bonuses and was up...but of course kept playing til I lost it all. Ha.  Chris managed to snap a photo of me playing it...don't mind the ridiculous look on my face :)

 

It was a nice long weekend.  Sunday morning we woke up to snow.  It has been very warm and dry so far here in CO...and I for one was not complaining.  I can enjoy a little snow every snow and then, and yes it is pretty and I prefer to admire it from inside.  It was so stinking cold with this snow though!  Teens and single digits...this girl does not fair well in such conditions!  If it must snow can it at least not be so frigid..those temperatures should be illegal!  But since the mountains did look pretty I snapped a photo.

 

 

♥ Take care of all your memories.  For you cannot relive them. ♥ 



The Liebster Award

So last week I was excited to see that one of my followers, Ileana @ Simply Inspired Me had nominated me for the Liebster Award.  Granted at first I had no idea what it was but I was happy my blog was nominated for something!  After reading her post I learned what it is all about and think it is a great idea!  It is a blog award given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The award is passed on to other new and upcoming bloggers to help spread the word on their blogs.  I love this, I think it's great when we can come together as bloggers and support each other!

If you receive this award , here's what you do...

• The nominated blogger has to post 11 random facts about themselves
• Answer the 11 questions the person who nominated them asked
• Create 11 new questions for the those you nominate to answer
• Choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post
• No tag backs!

Ok so here it goes...11 random facts about me:

1.  I am a complete neat freak, with OCD tendencies.  I am super organized, and mess/clutter give me anxiety. I can't relax if things are messy.  Which makes me wonder how in the world I became a preschool teacher ha.
2. I absolutely love interior decorating.  I once wanted that to be my career actually.  I love design and day dream shopping for things to decorate my home with. The day I purchase a home I will go crazy decorating!
3. I love Etsy.com  I think it's great the neat crafty things you can find on there, and best of all you are supporting everyday people who make things rather then large businesses.
4. My favorite colors are grey and green.
5. I love to dance.  Whether it's randomly dancing in my car, playing the game Just Dance, or going dancing with my friends.
6. I also am known for turning things I say into a song.  I do this mainly at work....my kiddos probably think I am insane half the time since I am always making up random songs.
7. I love food. It's a good thing I have a good metabolism, cause I eat a lot.  Which often surprises people since I am a tiny girl.
8. I am a bit addicted to manicures and pedicures. I typically get one or two a month because I can't stand the thought of chipped nails or bad cuticles.
9. I often obsess over making sure my hair, skin, outfit are just right.  I am probably far too critical of myself in reality, and am definitely my own worst critic.
10. I love to bake.  I sit around and random creations pop into my head and I get sudden urges to make it.
11. I love photography...and am thrilled that one of my best friends is a photographer.  I am always so excited when she does photos for me, and secretly look forward to the day I have kids so that she can take amazing photos for me!

And here are the questions Ileana asked:

1. Why did you start blogging?  Originally, it was because I wanted a new hobby.  And it quickly turned into so much more for me.  A way to express my thoughts and feelings, and to keep others updated about my life.
2. What do you most enjoy about blogging? It's my little sanctuary.  I can ramble and just let my thoughts flow, which I sometimes need.  I also love connecting with other people.
3. What did you want to be when you were a kid? Oh gosh I think like a famous singer. Haha, I won't even sing karaoke in front of people, what was I thinking. 
4. What is your favorite day of the week? Saturdays for sure.  I can wake up and take my time in the mornings, and enjoy my day knowing I don't have to wake up early the next day either.
5. What is your dream vacation? Anywhere on a beach.  The sun on my skin, sand in my toes, and staring off at crystal clear waters.  There are so many beaches I want to go to.
6. Think back to high school....is this what you imagined your life would be like? Not at all!  I could have never imagined in a million years that the events of my life would have ever happened to me. 
7. What is your favorite movie? As cliche as it is The Notebook will always remain one of my all time favorites..it's a classic to me.
8. Who is the biggest inspiration in your life? This is a hard question for some reason.  I don't know that I could pick a single person for this.  I think it's an accumalation of the things those around me accomplish from day to day. 
9. What is your favorite candy? I actually am not really into candy.  I can't remember the last time I even ate candy...I am more of a sweet dessert kind of girl.
10. What is your guilty pleasure? Ecards...I can look at different Ecards and just laugh and laugh at them.
11. What is your love story? It's a long story but the simple version....I met Chris August 2008 when he was home on R&R from Iraq.  We had two dates and then he left to go back to Iraq for 7 months.  Four years later...here we are.

And here are my nominees(Ok so I don't have 11, but I'm close!):

• Danae @ The West Family
• Jamie Lynn @ A Soldier's Angel
• Caitlin @ The Gavina Family
• Amy @ Dreaming Wishing Doing
• Jennie @ Our Family of Four
• Caitlin @ Household 6
• Heather @ The Fox Family
• Katie @ Time of Your Life
• Conner @ Heart Adrift
• Ashley @ Life as Lucy

My questions for my nominees:

1. Why do you blog?
2. Outside of blogging, what are some of your favorite hobbies?
3. What is a goal you hope to achieve in the next year?
4. If you could pick three words to describe yourself, what would they be?
5. Where is somewhere you really want to visit or vacation to?
6. What did you want to do when you grew up...what do you do?
7. How many places have you lived?
8. What was your most and least favorite place you've lived and why?
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
10. I think everyone is addicted to something...what are you addicted to?
11. What is your love story?

Tis the Season

So I realized that I never got around to posting a Thanksgiving blog. Ahh life's been hectic.  So without going into too much detail since I am way behind, Thanksgiving was pretty mellow.  Did dinner at my moms and for the first time actually participated in the whole cooking and helping host a Thanksgiving dinner.  Let me just say it is a lot of work!  I don't think I have ever spent so many consecutive hours in a kitchen.  The night before I made my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with a vanilla glaze, and began my apple pumpkin brown betty.  This dessert I baked right inside of a pumpkin.  You make the filling (apples, bread, brown sugar, amongst other things), put it inside a pumpkin that you have cleaned out, and bake for several hours.  Once the inside walls of the pumpkin have baked long enough and are soft, you mix it in with the filling and wallah!  It's done.

 

 

 

After dinner, Chris and I decided to head to a movie.  We went and saw Lincoln.  It was a pretty good movie, and I recommend seeing it.

 

 

 

This weekend, was to be the weekend we got Christmas decorations up.  Thursday evening I began feeling a little off, and all day Friday I had what felt like insanely awkful allergies.  I woke up Saturday with completely congested sinuses.  I did a sinus rinse and took some medicine and hoped it would get better.  That evening we put up the Christmas tree and some other decorations.  Our Christmas tree decorations are red, white/silver, and blue...quite patriotic :)

 

 

 

By Saturday evening my sinus congestion was still there, but had also moved into my chest.  I had developed a deep cough as well.  The chest congestion mixed with the cough was starting to effect my breathing (I have asthma).  By the time I woke up Sunday, I was having a really tough time breathing so we headed to the ER.  I was hooked up to an IV (which I absolutely hate getting IVs!, I almost passed out and they had to do it twice to get a good one), which caused me to have extreme chills and I was just shaking.  I had an IV in one arm, a heart rate/blood pressure monitor, two blankets on, and a constant need to blow my nose.  It was miserable!  Not to mention all the fluids made me have to go to the bathroom constantly.  They gave me steroids and a breathing treatment to help open up my lungs and get me breathing easier again.  They say it's a viral infection (great! no antibiotics), prescribed me some decongestants and sent me one my way.  Needless to say I took it easy the rest of the day...went home and wrapped myself in a blanket.  Chris was very sweet and took care of me all weekend.  He cooked, he ran to the store to get things I needed, and tried to help in any way he could.  We did manage to accomplish getting our little gingerbread houses done that evening though.

 

 







The sinus pressure has gotten better thankfully, but my chest congestion and hack of a cough are quite a pain still.  I am hoping these meds start working at breaking this stuff up in my chest.  My cough has not only caused me to have a sore throat and shortness of breath, but now I have a pain in my abdomen from all the coughing. Ugh...I just want to be healthy!  I swear with all these meds, something has to improve soon!