The Goodbye Chronicles- Part 1

I am no fan of goodbyes. Never have been. I have been saying "goodbye" a lot lately. I don't know why it has all happened at once, but they must be chronicled! I apologize in advance for all of the sappiness that will likely ensue over the next few posts.

So I may be a nerd for blogging about a bike, but this was not just any bike.

This was the bike that I bought my hubby to replace the beloved bike he sold to buy my wedding ring (tear).
This bike was the first major purchase that we made as a couple.
This was the bike that James had been dreaming of for so long that when he first laid eyes on "his very own" I though his mouth would split he smiled so big.
This was the bike that rode James to victory in his first century. (the ULCER)

These are the reasons why it was so hard for me to part with this beauty.

Goodbye old friend. We had some good rides together. We hope your new owner loves you as much as we did!

Shoot 'Em Up... The Clay Pigeons That Is!

You see that there? That is a REAL LIVE GUN. I have never held a real gun in my hands, much less shot a real gun. I even have a hard time holding a water gun. Although that may have something to do with the torturous memories of my brothers and their "super soakers" when we were kids.

That is why when my uncle (pictured below... and no, that is not his real hair, thank goodness) invited us to go shooting, I was slightly reluctant.

Turns out, I am a pretty good shot! I hit a few clay pigeons, and better yet I got the closest to the bulls eye on the target we were shooting at. James got a little carried away and started looking for other targets, but all in all we had a really good time!

Who knew that goin' out shootin' could be so much fun? Maybe my hick roots are finally surfacing. Let's just hope I don't start saying "Americin Fark" and teasing my hair to death!

Holiday Season in Review

I felt our 2009 holiday season deserved a recap post. Since James and I were married December 2008, it seemed as though our wedding and honeymoon replaced Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. That was something I was happy about and wouldn't have changed for anything, but by the time April came around, I was having withdrawls... holiday magic withdrawls.

To make a long story short, 2009 was one of the best holiday seasons EVER for several different reasons. Read on!

Since this was our first holiday season in our apartment we decided to go all out! This included holiday goodies and decorations of all kinds! Our little gobblers were pretty delicous! Thanks Kevin and Rach for the idea and skillful execution ideas :)

We got to add a new holiday to our season! Now climbing the list of my favorite holidays is our anniversary. James really out did himself this year.

As James and I discussed our favorite family traditions, we decided to start one of our very own... a 7 course meal with our good friends! You can see them here enjoying their sorbet palate cleansers. It was an enjoyable night of refinement and will be repeated.

Speaking of food, that is what Christmas mostly consisted of while at my in-laws home in Arizona. You see here the best homemade pizza I've ever had in my life! Pesto, sausage, onions and mounds of feta cheese adorned this flavorful crust and it was delicious to the last bite!

No, it was not a white Christmas (although we had to drive through a blizzard), but it definitely felt like Christmas. Celebrating with my new family was better than I could have ever hoped it could be, despite being hopelessly ill the entire time. My in-laws are such wonderful, generous and loving people. I love them so much.

I don't have any pics of of our New Years Eve bash, but I'll just say it was a blast. We shot off confettim, drank sparkling cider when the ball dropped and I got to kiss the hottest guy I know at midnight. The festivities continued until about 4:00am when we finally finished our last games of Bang and Ticket to Ride. Ah, what a good way to bring in the New Year! (More on our New Years Day activities later)

Precious

To me, there is no better feeling in the world than rocking a baby to sleep. It really doesn't get any better than that.

I love these two girls...I just had to share the sweetness of this moment with you.

Love, true love...

I am late, late, late, posting about a very important date! December 18th, 2009 marked one year from the day I married my best friend in the whole world. Some say the first year of marriage is the hardest. That may well be true, and if so I am one lucky girl!

James decided he wanted to be the one to plan out our first "real" anniversary, and I have to say, he did a fantastic job. He started off our magical evening by taking me to our favorite sushi joint, Tsunami. He even used chop sticks for me...

Oh, such fabulous food. It was perfection.

Then we went for a romantic stroll to see the lights on temple square. Unfortunately I was ill prepared for the weather, so James came to the rescue with a thermos of my favorite hot cocoa. *insert sigh here* Unfortunately something went wrong because after blowing on it for a few seconds, you know, just to make sure I didn't burn my mouth, I drank to find out it was already cold! We had a good laugh about it anyway.

The last surprise was most definitely the best... James took me to stay at the Grand America, the hotel we stayed at on our wedding night. It was so beautiful and relaxing, just what I needed.

We even got a little crazy and ordered room service at 1:30am.

Who wouldn't die to have this bathroom?! Ah... heaven.

The next morning I woke up to this...

I am not a morning person, but it was well worth getting out of that comfy bed to see this...

It was the most beautiful evening I could possibly imagine. Babe, I don't know how you're going to top this next year. Happy Anniversary sweetheart!

Beauties of the Season

Gingerbread men, twinkling lights and stockings are all a great part of the holiday season, but what would Christmas be without some hideous sweaters? This year marked my second and James' first ugly sweater party! Boy has he been missing out. Unfortunately, I only came in second place!
I have NO idea why...

Well, yes, I managed to include a message with my entry (Make a home, not a litter. Spay or nuder your pets) and mine included flashing lights, but I'm afraid C-bass bested me this year. Noble victory my friend!

The entertainment wasn't bad either. Thanks to Bryce and Beth for an unforgettable evening!

On a quiet December evening...

These two sweethearts... Went to this special place...

For the first time!

Thanks for letting us be a part of your moment. We love you Jordan and Ashley! Congratulations!!!

(P.S. Doesn't my hubby look so HOT with his new beard?!)