"To Do"

Now that the holidays are over it's time to start thinking ahead to the future...

Job search:
Not going well. I've sent out my resume to the few accounting positions in my area, but haven't heard back from anyone. I also sent my resume to a contact that I have at a financial firm, and he sent it back to me with some suggestions on improving my resume. I appreciate his help and the time he took out of his day to make suggestions on my resume. However, I realize that these flaws could be the reason why I haven't heard back from any other employer.

Nursery:
Before the nursery is started I have to clean out the office.

Office:
- Throw things away
- Find other places for things
- Move computer out of office
- Get rid of old desk (old as in 4 years old...it was purchased only to use during school)
- Paint (John will do this, not me) :)
- Move guest bedroom furniture into office

As far as the office and nursery go, I wish I could just start with a clean slate. As in, I wish these rooms were already empty and painted so that all I have to do is arrange the furniture and decorate. You know, the fun stuff! When it comes to clearing out a room, I tend to sit and stare at the overwhelming task at hand (or write about it in my blog). If only John would do this for me, he'd have everything cleared out within a day, but that also means that he would have thrown most of it out.

Ugh, I guess I'll see what I can get done today. Wish me luck!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Now that the graduation festivities are over, it's time for Christmas. Literally. I can't believe it's only 3 days away! When did this happen?!

The semester did end well. Much better than I had anticipated a couple of months ago. I ended up with an A (Accounting Applications Software...aka...Excel & Quickbooks), two B's (Auditing & Executive Management Strategies) and a C+ (Advanced Tax). The C+ could have easily been bumped up to a B by my professor, but apparently he did not feel that that was necessary. Maybe I should have played the pregnancy card.

Graduation was a lot of fun (for me) and so was the open house that John put together for me. It was great seeing family and friends.

Now, it's on to Texas. Our flight leaves in 5 hours and I'm almost finished packing. I'm probably already done, but I haven't done the final look over to make sure that I have everything I need/want.

Our ultrasound for Baby W was yesterday, and it went very well. He/She was very active in the womb. Sucking his/her thumb and waving at us every so often. The technician got all of the measurements that she needed and we were given a cd of photos from the ultrasound. The technician said that she knew if it was a boy or a girl, but she did not tell us (we asked her not to). So, it doesn't look like we'll know for a while.

Other than that, things are going well here in J&M W land. We're all healthy and looking forward to all of the things that the year ahead of us are going to bring. We're also very thankful for the events of this past year.

Merry Christmas!!!

Graduation Pics...

After the ceremony there was a reception for the graduates and their guests...

John & I post-ceremony

Literally minutes before we were supposed to leave for graduation, the flower guy showed up with one dozen yellow roses from my parents, sister & brother-in-law and my Grammie H. They are absolutely beautiful!

This is it!!!

Tonight I will turn in my LAST accounting exam. A couple of weeks ago while sitting in my Advanced Tax class something dawned on me.

Two years ago, in the fall of 2007, my very first accounting course was taught by the same professor who has been teaching the Advanced Tax course. Before that first accounting course I was a finance major, but once I was introduced into the world of accounting I quickly changed majors.

Now, two years later the very last accounting class that I will be in has the same professor. Maybe it's just a coincidence or somewhat symbolic of this journey and maybe the pregnancy hormones have made me somewhat delusional. Either way, today is going to be a great, and probably emotional, day for me.

So, 11 1/2 years after high school I'm finally finishing what I set out to do a long time ago.

I still have to finish the exam that is due tonight, but after a good nights rest I feel prepared to finish strong. Family & estate tax planning is somewhat complicated, but I do feel like I've learned more about it in the last few days and that's always a good thing.

Anyway, tomorrow is graduation day! I can't even believe that it's already here.

p.s. There really isn't a point to this post, but I just felt the need to write something today.

The most boring post you'll ever read...

I've lost some weight this week. Not body weight, but the weight of two group projects!

My Auditing class group project was due on Monday. Our group of 4 did a good job of dividing the tasks included in the project and sought each other out for some advice and tips. The day of the project we all decided to meet an hour before class in the computer lab to make last minute changes before turning the project in. Well, lets just say that we weren't the only group with that novel idea! I believe every other student in our class was there printing assignments to put in our organized binders. It was packed! I walked in and there were NO computers available. Finally one opened up and I pushed one of my team members in that direction. Success! With very few minutes to spare we made our changes and were on our way.

Tuesday night was a very long night. This was my Accounting Application Software class. The first part of the semester we learned all of the ins and outs of Excel, then were required to take an Excel certification test. I'm proud to say that I passed that with flying colors and can now help you with your Excel needs. But anyway, the last six weeks of the semester have been spent learning Quickbooks. Now, I had some experience with Quickbooks during my internship earlier this year, but that was as an accountant, not the business owner. The business owner side of things is very different.

Anyway, Tuesday night we were expected the start of a very nasty storm, but with less than 2 weeks until graduation I had no other choice but to go to class and complete some assignments. I even showed up early to get a head start on things so I wouldn't have to stay too late due to the impending snow storm. Well, that didn't exactly go as planned. I hit some bumps in the assignment which caused some major delays. Finding the teacher was also difficult because she was helping other students and taking a LONG time with them. Long story short I walked out to my car (in the wind and snow) at 10:15 (might have been a little later). Not to mention when I arrived at school earlier that evening there was some event going on which caused me to park in the very LAST row of the parking lot because there were no other spaces. This was not fun walking to at 10 at night in the beginning of a snow storm. But I made it to the car and to home safe and sound!

Last night was also a big night for me. Another group project was due for the Executive Strategies Management class I have been attending. Not to mention we had to deliver a 20 minute presentation to the rest of our class. The paper wasn't so much a big deal because we pretty much had everything done. I did meet my group early to go over the presentation and to do a run-through before class was to start. This was definitely beneficial to us since our run-through went over the 20 minutes allowed, and he would have cut us off. The real presentation went well, and I believe we'll all receive good grades for our efforts.

Tonight, some more weight will be lifted from my shoulders. In my Advanced Tax class I have a research memo due (which is done) and also a tax return due. Actually the tax return isn't a return but a U.S. Gift Tax Return (Form 709). Now, I've never done one of these before, and I don't remember the professor go over this in great detail so it's proven to be a bit of a challenge. At least I have all day to complete it.

Now, I apologize that this post has been all about my classes. I know it's the most boring thing I could talk about. I guess, though, with the end of the semester very near (8 days until graduation) I have so much on my mind. I know it will all be fine in the end, but that does not mean that these last few assignments aren't extremely crucial. Final exams aren't a fun way to see what you've learned this semester or in the last few chapters, they are still a good chunk of your overall grade (like 25%). So, even though I'm at the end it's not a time to start taking these things lightly. Next Thursday night when I turn in my FINAL final mid-Michigan (and some parts of Texas) will most likely hear my shouts of joy, but until then I must remain focused on the goal at hand.

Graduation, Working and Baby W!

Why is it that times flies by so fast at the end? I'm of course referring to the end of the semester, AND my college career. I cannot believe that there are 13 days until graduation, and only 12 days until all of my final exams will be complete. This has been such a long winding road for me, and I am so happy and proud that I will be completing this journey.

So, my grades are back up from when I posted about them earlier this semester. Not awesomely up, but good enough up. At this point all I need is to graduate. I will most likely learn these skills in the workplace and not in the classroom.

Speaking of the workplace, I have none yet. The place where I interned at earlier this year has merged with another company and even though they say that business will go on as usual for clients and employees...the hiring process has changed. Which, sucks for me! The partner who said that I could have a position there upon graduation no longer makes those decisions, but he would "put in a good word for me". Um, thanks but I really needed some money to start paying back my financial aid loans. Do you have any of that for me?

So, in response to that event, I'm looking elsewhere since that position is no longer guaranteed like I had hoped. I've applied at one other place and have plans to apply at other local firms and companies that would have an accounting department. So, wish me luck! It might be kind of late in the game to be looking for an accounting position when the tax season is very close to starting, but you never know. Something will turn up.

As for Baby W, he/she is just growing and growing. My proof is my expanding belly. I said to John yesterday, "You know, sometimes it just doesn't feel real that we're going to have a baby next year." His response? He kept looking at my belly like, "Um, maybe a glance in the mirror will help you with that reality check?!". Ha!

Our next monthly appointment is on the 18th (graduation day) and our big ultrasound is on the 21st. Aside from graduation, there's so much to look forward to. For instance, I believe that I found bedding for the nursery. Once school is over I'll need to start cleaning out the current office to move the guest bedroom in here, and then turn the current office into Baby W's nursery. So, if I don't happen to find a job at least I have a project to keep me busy! :)

Ok, must get going. I still have two projects and other assignments to finish before the big day!

The W's Thanksgiving/Christmas Celebration

Well, the W holidays are pretty much over. Since John's dad is heading south in a couple of weeks, we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one day. It was a little weird doing our Christmas tradition on Thanksgiving, but still fun. We have one longstanding tradition (Chinese auction/White Elephant), and a new tradition (Wii bowling tournament).

The Chinese Auction is usually a lot of fun with at least one hot ticket item. We all draw names and then pick a gift in numerical order to open. Then after all gifts are picked and opened we draw another number, at that point we can start stealing other gifts and getting rid of the one we don't want. There is an extra rule to this, and that is that a gift can only exchange hands 3 times, so whoever has it at the 3rd time is stuck with it. Usually everyone is happy with what they're left with, but I know I've been disappointed on some occasions. One year I almost got stuck with a man's sweater, and it really wasn't something I would have given to John either...luckily I was able to switch before the game was over. This year I ended up with a $25 gift card to Target...Awesome!!!

Our new tradition started last year with Wii bowling. It just started out as something fun to do on Christmas day besides eat and open gifts. Then someone came up with the idea for a tournament (I'm thinking it was John's idea, but I could be wrong). There are 4 sets of 4 adults to play in the tournament and then the winner from each game qualifies to play in the finals. This year I made it to the finals! The only woman! The only PREGNANT woman! My score was 194, a personal best I must say. In the finals I played against Diane's son and two son-in-laws...Dean, Dave and Jim. Dave and Jim were in the finals last year, and I believe that Dave won. Needless to say I was a little nervous competing against them. This showed in my bowling performance because I ended the finals with a whopping score of 100. 100!!! Almost half of my first score. Oh well, better luck next year!

One thing I didn't do this Thanksgiving holiday was participate in Black Friday. I didn't participate for many reasons: (1) I'm pretty much done with all of my shopping. (2) Getting up at 3 a.m. to get to Kohl's before 4 a.m. was not something I was interested in doing for the 3rd year in a row. (3) I'm pregnant and need my rest. (4) I was also not interested in driving to the outlet mall 45 minutes away to be there when the stores opened up at midnight, especially since I had been at my in-law's since 1 p.m. and it was 10 o'clock when the "outlet mall bus" was leaving their house.

However, John and I did decide to go refrigerator shopping yesterday, which was a success. We went price shopping at 3 different stores and bought our new fridge at the last store, Home Depot. It's not anything fancy since we don't have that much room in our kitchen, but it is bigger than our current refrigerator, and much newer! I believe the one we have is approaching 20 years old and has been making noises for a long time, so it was better to get rid of it now before it dies on us, especially with the baby coming.

Other than that we've just been spending some quality time with family. I can't believe the holiday season is already upon us, but I'm so excited because there's so much to look forward to! By the way, only 2 weeks and 6 days until graduation! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

3 weeks and 3 days...

Yes, I am still counting down until graduation day.

I can't believe it is sooo close! My grades are much better, and the group projects seem to be going well. So, overall I'm happy with my progress.

I've already done most of my Christmas shopping (Thank God for online stores!), so now I can focus on finishing this semester strong. I've had all of the presents shipped to Texas, since that is where we'll be this year, and I have only a few here that I need to wrap then box up and ship down south. On Sunday I even put up our tree and some other Christmas decorations, so I am all ready for the holidays. I probably won't be doing any Black Friday shopping this year so I can spend that time on assignments and with John's family.

His dad will be going to Arizona early this year, so we won't see them after the next couple of weeks. They've been talking about going down early for years, so it was only a matter of time before it actually happened.

Other than that, things are the same around here. John has been working hard and hunting in his spare time. I have been focused on school assignments.

Baby W is also doing well (today is 16 weeks and 1 day). At our last appointment we got to have another ultrasound, and the baby has definitely grown. Our next appointment will be on graduation day morning. They gave me the option of picking the day that week and since it will be finals week, I picked the 18th since I won't have anymore exams to study for or assignments to finish, because I WILL be finished! Then on the 21st we have our appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound tech to check Baby W's measurements and such, also at that time we should be able to find out the gender if we so wish. This is such an exciting time!

Also, 4 weeks from today we'll be flying down to Texas for Christmas. Can't wait since I haven't been in Texas for Christmas since 2003. It will be weird not to have snow on Christmas morning, but I think we can manage. :)

Time flies when you're having fun...

Errr, maybe it flies when you don't feel that great and sleep as much as possible too?!

Wow, I can't believe I'm already in the 2nd trimester! Today I'm 13 weeks and 3 days, which is 1/3 of 40 weeks. So, that means that we're 1/3 of the way done. This is crazy!

I'm hoping to get my energy back during this 2nd trimester, so I can finish the semester strong AND when I graduate I can really start working on clearing out the office to be the new guestroom, and clearing out the current guestroom to be the baby's nursery (oh yeah, that's what we decided from what I blogged about previously)!

There are only 6 weeks left of the semester! SIX WEEKS!!! After that I can get into major baby mode. Along with working, but I have to do something to earn money to spend on the baby and nursery.

Now I really need to start thinking about what kind of theme we want for the nursery. Regardless of whether we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl, I think we should keep the nursery gender neutral for all future babies! Wow, there's so much to do!!!

Belly Shots! :)

I realize this isn't the best picture, but I was outside taking pictures of all of the lady bugs attached to my house and happened to see my reflection in our sliding glass window. I thought that would be a good opportunity for me to take my first belly shot picture. This was taken on October 20th, and I was 11 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Again, not the best picture, but you can still see a bump. We'll try to take more belly shots as times moves along.

49 Days!

There are 49 days until graduation...GRADUATION!!! How did the last two years fly by so fast??? Oh, I know...taking a full load pretty much every semester, and I haven't taken a semester off since I started back in fall 2007. Yes, that means that my past two summers have been filled with text books, studying and exams. YUCK! Next summer, will be completely different. :)

Time for a Self-Pep-Talk:
You've come so far over the last few years. Remember when you were younger and you never thought that school would be a part of your life again. That that break you took in 2001 actually was permanent. And that you would never be able to finish school like you had always wanted. Well, there is no need to worry about that anymore, because you are here! The end of your bachelor's degree! And you've done it pretty well, if I must say so. Mostly A's and B's with a few random C's throughout the journey. In the end, though, the grades and the GPA won't matter once you get that well-deserved diploma. Congratulations, you're about to be a college graduate!!!

Now for a self induced push towards the goal line:
You know what you need in order to graduate. Of the four classes you are enrolled in, you need at least a C in each of them in order to qualify for graduation. Currently, you are not where you need to be in two of your courses: Auditing and Management: Executive Strategies. I know in your defense that you have only had a couple of assignments in these classes so far, but we can't just let this be okay.

You've had the auditing professor once before and struggled in that class as well, so we're going to lean toward an explanation that the professor's teaching skills aren't that great. How else would you explain why you've done so well the last few years and his classes are the ones where you end up with C's? So, instead of this holding you back, you need to try harder and put more of an effort in order to at least finish the semester with a C or higher.

Now on to Management: Executive Strategies. You know you're not management material, and that's okay with you because you don't want to be a manager. At least at the moment. And executive strategies aren't really your thing either. So, you already came into this semester with an uphill battle. Enter the new, YOUNG professor who wants to make a name for himself, and now you've got an uphill war. However, the silver lining in this course is that there is a group project worth 40% of your total grade, and it looks as if you've got a pretty good group. The only grade you've currently received in this course is only worth 10% of your grade, and the professor didn't seem to be too worried about it, so take some relief in that. Again, you need to try harder and put more of an effort in order to at least finish the semester with a C or higher.

That is all. You know what you need to do, so get it done. This isn't something you can't handle, you've done it before and you will do it again.

See you at graduation in your cap and gown!!!

A room for the nursery...

So, since this will be our first child we have two vacant (ok, semi-vacant) rooms that either could be our child's room.

Our first option is currently being used as our office. Once I am done with school we will be moving the computer out to our new desk that is in the living room. Here are the pros and cons to the office becoming the nursery.

Pros:
- It has hardwood floors, so when there are messes to be cleaned up it will not soak into the carpet

Cons:
- This room is right next to the living room, kitchen and entry way (meaning it may be too loud for the baby if we have company over and the baby is trying to sleep)
- Our only phone jack is in this room which means that there will always be a phone in here. I think the volume can be turned off, but it will still have to be in here.
- It is the furthest room from our bedroom. Now, our house isn't that big so it's not that far, but I think it still deserves to be on the con list.
- The hardwood makes the room a little cooler, which won't be good around the winter time.
- There is no shade from the sun, so during the summers the afternoon sun makes the room blazing hot!


Option #2 is currently being used as a guest room, and I have full use of the closet because our closets aren't big enough to hold both of our clothes in one.

Pros:
- It is right across from our room, so when the baby wakes in the middle of the night we'd be about 10-15 feet away
- It is located in the back corner of our house, so it would be away from all of the noise and traffic when we have visitors over
- It does not get as much sun in the room because of the 3 huge trees we have in our backyard, so it won't be as hot in the summers
- It has carpet in the room, which could keep the room warmer during the winters

Cons:
- There is carpet, so most messes with require cleaning the carpet (although a nice big throw rug could be an alternative to protect the carpet)



Also, both rooms need to be painted so that would be a con for both.

For those of you who plan on visiting us for a few days or longer, no need to worry because whichever room we don't use for the nursery will be a guest room. So we will still be able to accommodate your sleeping needs. :) We also have a bed set up in the basement, so if there are more than 2 of you, it will not be a problem.

I think after writing the pros and cons of each room, the answer is pretty clear, but if you're willing to humor me I'd still love to hear your opinions.

Things are moving along!

Today I am 10 weeks pregnant! We're in the double digits now!!! When I first found out I was pregnant, this seemed so far away and now we're here. I realize I have 30 more weeks to go but today we're 1/4 of the way there. How awesome is that?!

Still haven't been to the doctor, yet. Just 8 more days until that appointment. That also seemed so far away when they made the appointment for me, but now we're almost there.

Other than the cold/cough I've had for the last few weeks I'm feeling good for the most part. Instead of waking up when John gets ready for work, I now stay in bed usually until 9.

Do I feel bad that I sleep in while he goes to work? Yes, but he's not growing a baby at the moment, so I don't feel that bad. Anyway, I had noticed that if I don't sleep in I feel much worse during the day than when I do sleep in, so obviously this is beneficial to me and the baby, and I'm not just being lazy!

Other than that, there's not a whole lot to report. We're trying to get our Christmas plans finalized. I know it's early, but this year is going to be different so we need to plan ahead.

Aside from me being pregnant, there is another reason this Christmas will be extra special. My sister and her husband have adopted a 6 year old boy, Dylan, and this will be his first Christmas with them. So, John and I will be flying (doctor permitted) to spend the holidays with them and my parents and one of my grandmothers.

I'm very excited about this for many reasons. For one, I get to meet my new nephew Dylan. I've heard so many stories about him that it'll be fun to see him in action! For two, I have not seen my sister on Christmas day since Christmas of 2003. SIX years ago! Wow, that's too long. I also haven't been in Texas for Christmas since 2003. Also too long. So, this will be a different Christmas for us, but will be so exciting and special! I'm already thinking of my Christmas shopping list and wrapping gifts. Yes, I am one of THOSE women. But in my defense I will need to ship these gifts to Texas, and frankly, I'd like to avoid the overpriced express shipping costs.

What else am I missing? Oh yeah, school is moving along as well (although not as fast as I'd like it to be) and graduation is 9 1/2 weeks away. John has been doing some hunting, but not much yet. He's been pretty busy with work and other projects around our house and helping his dad out.

That's it for now! Have a splendid day!

I told you so...

When I first found out I was pregnant, some people made comments about the labor & delivery process. I jokingly said that the stork would be bringing my baby...

Well, lo and behold, he came by a few weeks ago, probably to make sure he had the correct address...



* Sorry about the bad photo...I didn't want to scare him off by opening the door, so I took the picture from inside our kitchen window with the screen on.

I also realize that this is not a stork, but it's close enough for me!

Reasons I love the fall...

- The cool crisp morning air (it was 34 this morning)
- The leaves changing colors
- Starting to think about the upcoming holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years)
- Changing from the wardrobe from summer to fall/winter clothes
- Shopping on a cool autumn day
- Starting to make holiday plans
- Making a list for who to shop for Christmas
- Not having to shave my legs every day (I know kind of gross, but it just gets old after a while!)

This year I'm especially happy for the fall because that means I'm only 11 weeks away from graduation! Woo-hoo!!!

Pregnancy Update:
Thankfully everything seems to be going well so far, so there's not really an update. I'm 8 1/2 weeks now, so I only have about 5 more weeks to go until the end of the first trimester!!! I haven't been to the doctor yet, my first appointment is set for October 20th, so I'm sure I'll have something to report after that.

Mark your calendars...

May 2010 we will be welcoming the newest addition to our family...BabyW!!!

We just found out last Saturday that we are indeed expecting! We are so excited and thrilled by this news and are looking forward to all of the changes that will be coming in our lives.

Praying for a healthy baby!

Month-long update...

Oh hello there, long lost blog. Been feeling lonely lately? I thought you might.

Well, since the last time I posted so much has happened. For starters I finished another semester. Woo-hoo...go me!!!!

BUT, the big news is that my sister and her husband now have a son. Can't post pictures or anything, but he's a pretty cute little guy! He's 6, soon to be 7 in the winter...just started the 1st grade on Monday...he's into Transformers, Hot Wheels and Spongebob...and I believe he's going to be really happy in his new home with his new family!

John and I have been pretty busy ourselves. Right after my last post we flew out to Washington state for a business convention his company sent him to. While we were there we took the opportunity to drive out to Seattle to meet my uncle (mom's brother...I'd never met him), aunt and cousins (who I haven't seen in 20+ years). It was a 4 hour trip one way, but definitely worth the drive!

Here is a picture of me, my aunt and cousins:

The day after we returned to Michigan from Washington, John left for a one week long fishing trip with the guys to Canada. I enjoyed my quiet time at home, even though I still had schoolwork to do.

John returned home on a Friday night, and Saturday morning we all participated in a 5k that would earn us a donation to our case, The Toni & Trish House. http://toniandtrishhouse.org/

John finished the race in under 30 minutes (somewhere around the 28 minute mark). I finished just over 43 minutes. It was pouring down rain and windy all day long. Not exactly the best weather for a 5k. But overall, we had a good time, despite being drenched.

The weekend after this we went up to northern Michigan for boating on the lake, and then to attend a Kid Rock concert. We went to this same concert last year and had a blast! I wasn't much into seeing Kid Rock again (not a huge fan), but the group had a great time!

This past weekend was the first we'd had in a while that didn't involve any plans and it was GREAT! We did go furniture shopping on Saturday to find some new living room furniture, and found a great package. Two black leather sofas, a set of 3 side and coffee tables, two lamps, and my favorite part a new desk!!! We just picked up the furniture yesterday and it looks great in our small living room. The living room is kind of awkward for furniture set up because it's long (20 feet), but not very wide (12 feet). But the furniture we picked out works great for the area! Once I get some more pictures on the walls I'll take a few pics and post them!

So, this brings me to today. I'm still on break from school, so no homework to deal with yet. But I do have a mountain of a mess in our current office. I'm trying to declutter, toss and organize our belongings in this area so that eventually we can use this room again for a bedroom, as it was intended.

Almost forgot...

It's also mine and John's 3 year anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to us! Woo-hoo!!!

O to the M to the G

OMG!!! I'm trying to contain my excitement, but all of the posts on facebook are not making it very easy (Since my mom doesn't have FB...she should know that there's tons of support out there for Carin & Rusty right now...it's enough to make a girl cry!). My sister and BIL are VERY close to adopting a 6 year old boy!!! I say almost because they still have until Monday to make their final decision, but as of right now, all signs point to Go!

I can't wait to see what he looks like, find out what he's into, and start buying him things! Too bad I live so far away...but good thing there's such as thing as UPS, FedEx, etc.!

Three's

So, I was tagged twice to do this by my sister and cousin...here goes:

A game of Things happen in threes... And don't lose interest before you are done - you just might be tagged at the end!

Three childhood memories:

Going to the lakehouse every summer, swimming, and getting burnt to a crisp.
Christmas at my parents. They always made it so special.
Spending a week in San Antonio with my cousins at my grammie's place to go to Sea World and do some outlet shopping.

Three sentences about me:

An accounting student.
Texan at heart.
Love my life.

Three bedtime rituals:

Let dogs out, and back in.
Wash my face, brush my teeth, take contacts out.
Pray with John.

Three sites that I visit daily:

Yahoo
Facebook
SVSU

Three reasons I live where I live:

VERY close to John's family.
We've made it OUR home.
Four seasons.

Three pictures on my computer with 3 people in them:


Me, my father-in-law and mother-in-law in Arizona, March 2008.




This is me, my mom and my sister. I love the expression on my sisters face...it is priceless!

This is my brother-in-law Joe, nephew Jack, and husband John. This is the boat John bought himself for his birthday.

And last, tag three people with blogs who you want to copy and paste their own threes game and write three words about each one:


Mom: loving, supportive, analytical :)
Jill: sweet, cousin, new mommy


The only other people who read my blog already tagged me, so I guess if there's someone who stumbles across my blog, considered themselves tagged!

Happy 30th!

Happy 30th Birthday to John!!! Here's to another 30!!!

40th Weekend Celebration

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad! Here's to another 40!!!

This weekend I was in Texas celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary with my family. Man, it was sooo good to see everyone! I hadn't seen my sister since August 2008 (almost one year) and I realized that's just too long to go without seeing your loved ones, so hopefully we'll be able to catch up sooner next time.

It was a really awesome weekend! We spent Friday doing some prep work for the big party, and then spent the afternoon at the slab (a low-running water spot in Kingsland, Texas, where many a beer/adult beverage has been drank (grammar?!)), then it was an evening of Mexican food with the family where we got pretty loud and obnoxious, I'm sure.

Saturday we spent the whole day preparing food, rearranging furniture for the large crowd, and getting ready for the big night. The party was great! Almost everyone who rsvp'd showed up. Out of 59 rsvp's, we had 54 show, and pretty much at the same time! So, the house got crowded pretty quickly. My parents neighbor has a music background and so he provided some live entertainment for about half an hour singing and playing the guitar. I wasn't sure what to expect when we lined this up, but he was actually pretty awesome! Oh, then there was the live farm animal show! My sister had brought a Shetland pony (I think?!) up to my parents because he had eye issues and needed medication on a regular basis, so when the party started to quiet down a bit she brough him out for all to see. He did pretty well with all of the people gathered around him. My sister told me to pay her $10 to bring him into the house, but I wasn't having any of that (Mom would not be pleased). Someone would have died for sure!

So, that brings us to Sunday! We spent the morning visiting with my Aunt, Grammie A, and my mom's very good friend, Pat. After they left we quickly changed and headed down to the lake again for some drinking and laughing! My sister and her husband had to leave that afternoon, but I could have stayed in that water a lot longer. I didn't really want them to go, but they had a 3 hour drive and had to be at work Monday morning.

It was a really great weekend and makes me wish I lived closer so we could enjoy these moments together more often! Until next time family...I love you and miss you!

Winter Project 2009 (a little late)

I just realized that I never posted an "after" photo from Winter Project 2009...so, here it is: our new laundry room. I must say that I actually love being in this area now, even when I'm doing laundry!

Pictures...

For my birthday/anniversary/graduation present I bought myself a Canon Digital SLR, so while I was in Texas I spent some time taking pictures of the hummingbirds that frequent my parents house. They are fast little creatures, so it was a challenge to get more than one in a photo...they are also pretty aggressive when it comes to their food.

Also during my trip I took many photos of my parents for a "now" picture to have at their 40th wedding anniversary party. There were plenty of good ones, but these are the best in my opinion.

Birthday goals...

Wow, where has the time gone?! I just turned 29 on Thursday and I can't believe I'm only 363 days away from turning 30...it used to seem so far away, and now I'm almost there. For the last year of my 20's, here are the things I want to accomplish:

- Earn my Bachelor of Professional Accountancy degree (only 7 more months until this goal is met)
- Get into shape & lose weight (and by weight I mean lose the fat and tone the muscles)
- Start planning for a family (my mom's going to LOVE this one!!!)

Those are the major things I want to accomplish. I'd love to take one more big vacation before we start a family, but we'll have to see how that goes.

Also, feel free to see how I'm doing with getting into shape...I could use the accountability!

She's 7 today....or 49?!

Today is Misty Buttons 7th birthday!

I know she's not a child, or even a person, but she's my bud and she's been with me her whole life almost.

This four legged, hairy person has traveled with me from Houston, to Burnet, to Rochester, to Midland (MI, not TX), then to Vernon, VT, then back to Midland again. This is not to mention all of the other trips we've taken while living in these places. I believe she has more miles on her than a lot of people.

Besides her easy traveling style, she's a lovable, friendly dog! She'd rather lick you to death, than bite you. And only snaps when Waldo is too close during feeding time. She's gentle with children, and has even let a few tug and pull at her! She also knows when you're talking about her, and wags her short little tail in response!

At one time in her life, she was also a great protector from scorpions. During our stay in Burnet, at the family cabin, she would find scorpions in different rooms of the house and begin barking at them nose to nose (if scorpions even have noses). Then I would get the scissors and cut the little suckers up. It was a team effort!

Needless to say she's been a great little dog, with a wonderful personality! Happy Birthday Misty!

Time to play catch up...

Well, I guess it's been a while since I last blogged. We've been really busy lately. I started my internship on January 5...working 40 hours per week. Then January 12 I started another semester at school...classes on Monday and Wednesday nights. So, with work, classes and studying I haven't had much free time. But being so busy has made the winter go by really fast, so I am thankful for that. This is me on my first day to work.

John's been pretty busy himself. He's been working hard as usual, and even took the time to play hard by taking a guys trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to go snow-mobiling. Couldn't he have done that here?! Well, he had a great time, and while he was gone I got a massage, so I can't complain about that too much either.

OH, also "Winter Project 2009" has officially started. Our back hallway that leads from the kitchen to the basement, garage, laundry area and outside, was basically a narrow hallway with the washer/dryer and cabinets at the end. There was a closet back there, too, but we didn't use it much except to store coats we hardly wear. Well, we've torn out the closet to make room for a bench and shoes, and such. We should begin painting it next weekend. Right now we're thinking a pale, lemony yellow. We'll see how that turns out.

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day yesterday! Ours was very nice. We ended up furniture shopping in the morning. Then while I made dinner and set the table up, John took a nap. Something seems wrong here?! Well, it was a nice day, anyway!

I hope that everyone's doing well, and I'll try to get back to regular blogging! Take care!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has started the new year off happy and healthy! We stayed in last night, so no partying for us. Just played cards with our neighbors. I can't believe how fast 2008 flew by. Has anyone made any New Years Resolutions? I have. Here's my list:

- exercise regularly (we bought a treadmill for Christmas)
- drink more water
- take a daily multi-vitamin
- continue to do well in school (I graduate next December)
- beat my time of 41:40 in the 5k I did last summer

So, there are a few things I need to work on, but they are reasonable goals.

John wants to exercise regularly, too.

I'd also like to lose weight, but I say that every year and so far no success. So, I think if I make exercising my resolution that should take the pressure off of losing a certain amount of weight.

Happy New Year!