Looky!

Our house is coming along nicely!! It actually looks like a home now. We went out this weekend to take a look at the progress, and to hang out with the Starr's. Great weekend! I can't wait until both of our houses are done :) Only 57 more days to go....

TOFW & Fort Worth Art Festival

I had a blast with these girls at Time Out For Women the weekend before last. I went a couple years ago with family, and this year I got to go with friends and family. My sister-in-law left early, so she isn't in our group photo. If you haven't been before, I highly recommend it! They give you a tote bag. It really is all about the tote bag. Once you go, you will understand what I am talking about. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with the tote bag this year. My other bag from 2 years ago is much cuter. They slacked a little bit on that this year. The messages were great. The music was fantastic. I felt spiritually uplifted for sure. Plus, I got to take a day off from work. It was a great weekend.

We went to the Art Festival in Forth Worth this weekend (the biggest art festival in Texas). It was pretty sweet. The weather was perfect. They had SO many neat things to see. People from all over the U.S. displayed their art. I am glad we went, and I was happy to get out of the house and take a break from working on my talk that I gave Sunday. That was the second talk I have given in this ward, and we have only been in the ward a little over a year and a half. Adam gave his second talk in February. I am sure when we move, we will be giving talks in the new ward fairly soon. We have given talks every year since we have been married, but I wasn't expecting 3 within a 2 year period. Maybe we won't be asked to give talks soon. Not that it matters, I was just surprised. I actually enjoy preparing talks, because I learn SO much.

I am starting to get really excited about our house!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO MOVE IN AND DECORATE!!! We are going to go see it this weekend :)

We are planning to go to a different art show Saturday. They have so many events here in Texas. Should be another fun weekend.

We just bought a HOUSE! :)

I know everyone already knows via Facebook, but I thought I would post it on blogger as well. I have been M.I.A lately, and its because we have been house hunting like crazy the past couple months.

We are SO incredibly excited that we officially own our first house :) We are so ready to get out of the apartment life, settle down, and start a family. This is exactly what it will look like, minus the grass in front of the garage ;) I got lots of comments on Facebook about that. lol

It has 5 bedrooms (we converted one to a media room), a game room, 3 bathrooms, and its 3,100 square feet. It will be ready the end of June. Building is SO fun. Charlie will be excited to have a backyard!

Here is the floor plan of the first floor:

I love that their is a bedroom right next to the Master bedroom. This will definitely be the nursery when we start having kids.

My hubby had a birthday!

Adam turned 28 last weekend. He wasn't all that excited about his birthday this year. I think its because he  is only a couple years away from turning the big 3-0. I still think he looks great for being 28!

His birthday dinner was at BJ's. We got our favorite pizza, and he got his b-day pazooki.

My homemade gift to him: 28 reasons why I love him

Charlie had fun helping him pop all the balloons to discover each message inside.

His real bday gift that we are still acquiring:

We hopefully will find the time to go out to Dallas and get a set. Adam has been working like crazy lately, and so have I (No surprise). Missionaries for dinner tomorrow night after work, and then baby sitting duty the following night. Hopefully next weekend!

March Challenge

I got bored with the photo challenge, so I gave up on it. I am still going strong with my other challenge! I have almost made it two weeks! yay! I am glad I am doing it, but I think I will be having a dessert party for myself when its over :)

Zumba makes me a better person. Looking forward to my classes this week.

Photography Challenge: Day 8

8. Candid

Photo Challenge: Day 7

7. Awesome

My J. Crew necklace just came in the mail

Photo Challenge: Day 6

6. Lines

I like patterns like this

Photo Challenge: Day 5

5. Water

I definitely miss the beach out here in Texas. I could go back to to this St. Maarten beach.

Photo Challenge: Day 4

4. Favorite women

These are the most recent photos I have of these amazing women.

Photo Challenge: Day 3

3. Three

Since it is a disaster every time I try to take a pic of my family of three, I decided to use this pic our brother-in-law took for us.

Photo Challenge: Day 2

2. The letter C

Photo Challenge: Day 1

1. Green
Yes, I pamper my dog

Challenges in March

I am going to do this photo challenge for fun

and I agreed to take my zumba teacher's challenge: No sweets for a whole month. This I am obviously NOT doing for fun. I think I will be able to pull it off, because I went without sugar for 4 1/2 years during High School. My husband though is Mr "Sweet Tooth." Our cabinets are full of sugary things. My in-laws are staying with us this weekend. I will just have to be STRONG. No sugar for me! Adam's birthday is also at the beginning of this month. I guess he won't complain, because there will be more dessert for him to enjoy. The first couple weeks are the hardest........I can do this right?!

Anyone want to join me in either one of these challenges?

Our lovers day!

Adam and I wanted to have a low key Valentines day this year. We celebrated on Saturday, and didn't have all that much time because Adam had to prepare a talk for church, and I had to prepare for New Beginnings. We would have celebrated on Valentines Day, but my hubby was out of town. I tend to give Adam some type of homemade gift each year. This year his homemade gift was brunch...

I even made a vanilla cream sauce to go with it. I <3 pinterest!

Actually our lovers day was all centered around food. Are you surprised? ha

Papa Murphy's heart pizza

Adam always spoils me though. Every year he takes me to the movies to see a chick flick of my choice, and takes me out to dinner. Since we haven't had time for the movie yet that will come later. He is actually flying back into town tonight, and I am counting down the minutes. 9:00pm can not come sooner! We are SO in love, and its just awesome :) I have missed him.

 He decided to take me somewhere REALLY fancy this year. Let me just say, I am not one with expectations. I would be happy just staying in and spending time alone together with take out and hulu plus. With that said, I was very surprised. Adam didn't tell me beforehand where we were going. I had on jeans, and he hinted around that I might want to change. 

We pulled up right across the street from Ruth Chris, and I was excited because I thought we were going there. Nope, Ruth Chris apparently wasn't good enough. 

This is by far the best steakhouse I have ever been to:

First time having calamari, and it was actually really good.

This filet mignon was to die for. Every piece melted in my mouth. As I stare at this picture while I type, my mouth is watering and I am note even hungry.

The sides were even supper yummy

Of course, I had to get my favorite dessert.

I told you my hubby spoils me. It's okay, I let him sometimes :)

That smile on my face says it all. 

This hot hubby of mine is seriously SO great. I just love him so much. I loved that he let me take a nap before dinner, and that we are able to help each other with talks and lessons. We always share everything together, and give each other insights. I love when we get on gospel topics. The day seems so much more meaningful. He mentioned me twice in his talk, and it was just fun to hear my influence. We make a good team, I think. He is such a great speaker though, and he really doesn't need my help. We just like to include each other. He probably helps me more than I help him. I do not have that natural talent of being a great speaker, and I am okay with that.

More v-day stuff:

This was part of my other v-day gift. I told you our v-day was centered around food, haha.

My boss gave me a red velvet bundt cake from nothing bundt cakes. Isn't that sweet?!? It had chocolate chips in it with cream cheese frosting. It was very yummy! 

Okay, if you ever receive flowers from pro flowers, check the inside of the box. I just assumed these flowers were from my husband. I threw out the box, and called him to thank him. After I thanked him for the flowers, he laughed and told me he didn't send me flowers. I thought he was joking. Once I realized he wasn't joking, I started to freak out. Who else would send me flowers? I called my mom and she informed me that she hadn't sent me flowers either. I was feeling bad because I didn't know who to thank for the beautiful flowers, and I was a little scared I might have some secret admirer or something. When I got home from Zumba, I checked to see if the trash had come. Luckily it hadn't come yet. I pulled the box apart and found the card taped to the top of the middle of the box.

This nice note was inside:

As your husband is away on this Valentine's Day we wanted to thank you for all of your support. We appreciate you and your husband and are grateful that you are a "piece of the puzzle" and part of the DealerSocket family.

-With Love, DealerSocket.

Isn't that SO sweet. Adam's company sent me a dozen red roses, and they are gorgeous!

I think I got spoiled just a little, but I am not complaining. 

AND we are not even done celebrating... :)

We LOVE being in LOVE

The End

awesome giveaway

@ Simply Bold  <------ 

You should check it out. One of the items they are giving away is this necklace from J. Crew, and I am kinda obsessed with it

I am an addict

Pinterest is SO hard to resist....

...but at least it makes me crafty. I really like how the heart wreath turned out. Valentines day is just around the corner :)

Last time I made something was when we first moved to Texas. I wanted some unique pillows for the couch, so I made 2 of these pillows:

Where does time go?

Wow. Christmas has already come and gone. Ours was great b.tw. We did everything I mentioned in my last post, and more. We mostly just enjoyed spending time together, and having time off from work. We are such workaholics now.  Charlie got so excited when we pulled out his stocking on Christmas eve.

 

 Charlie definitely enjoyed his treats :)

 It is now the New Year, and most people have probably quit some or all of their New Years resolutions. Sorry to remind those of you who have. Actually, I am not sorry! I don't think you should give up if you have already failed. Its okay to fail sometimes. It doesn't mean you should stop trying. If it is something you really want to do, you should continue to set goals until you get there. I think we should always have a goal we are working on. We are here to learn and progress right? 

 Is it really almost February? Seriously, where does time go?

Here are some pics from New Years:

Charlie was too focused on the cider, so we were unable to get a family photo. 

I am wearing the necklace Adam got my for Christmas :) 

haha Adam caught me in action, pushing Charlie away from the bottle.

My baby <3's me :)

Adam spoils him sometimes. Don't worry, there was no ice cream left.

Does anyone else feel like this month went by way too fast? I feel like I just talked to the yw about setting goals for the New Year, and now New Beginnings is just right around the corner. Glad I am not fully in charge. I also have to teach next week because it is fast sunday. I better start working on that! I guess when you work 6 days a week, and most of the time work 10hr + days, you really don't have that much time. I still somehow find time to exercise, cook, take care of my boys, and do my calling. I guess this is preparation for having kids? Love my job, but I am starting to get tired of all the hours. With 8:30am church, I no longer have one day to sleep in past 6:30am.

Wow. I feel like I just vented a little. Sorry guys, but I am just realizing that my life if passing by so quickly, because I don't have much time to stop and smell the roses. I do have a great job, and a great life. I am just struggling with time. Finding time to do everything I want to do.

Christmas is almost here

Can you believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away? 

We really like our snowflake lights we put up this year

I have enjoyed the presents I receive at work

Cute little bunt cakes that were heavenly

+the best peppermint bark

+Paul Evans newest book

but I enjoy everyone's company so much more

Our Christmas decor:

We don't have much yet, but its enough for our little apartment.

Our little tree

Such a cute little tree :) With all our ornaments that we have collected on vacay and what not. Charlie even has his own ornament.

I have already made Christmas cookies (recipe by Hershey's and can be found on my blog)

We made our gingerbread house

Sang some Christmas songs with little Charlie

I tried to take some pictures with Charlie, but he still doesn't understand that he needs to look up when I say, "look over here"(As I am pointing at the camera). He always looks down searching for a toy or what not. I guess Adam will always have to take our picture. Kinda an awkward, close up angle of me, but I wanted to show my mom my festive new scarf.

I am looking forward to going out and looking at lights, having time off from work, spending time with Rachel's family Christmas morning, Going Christmas caroling on Christmas eve, going to a Christmas party this weekend, drinking lots more hot chocolate, but mostly just spending time with family and reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas, because nothing else matters. 

Patients come into work all stressed out about decorations, and buying gifts. The expectations are getting ridiculous. Christmas has become so commercialized that people forget the true meaning of Christmas. There is no need to get stressed out. Its the thought that counts. People should only do whatever they can afford, or skip buying things in general. Thoughtful notes, or homemade things are much more meaningful in my opinion. Better yet, having and showing charity towards others tops everything. There should be no expectations. Christmas should be centered on Christ. Lets not expect to receive this year, but instead spread the true meaning of Christmas around the world. 

Here is a story to get everyone in the Christmas spirit:

The "W" in Christmas Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were  welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those  in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love." The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason  we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "C H R I S T W A S L O V E" And, I believe, He still is. Amazed in His presence... .humbled by His love. HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON!