Merry Christmas! :)

My new favorite non-Christmas song paired with the Victoria's Secret fashion show! Two of my material loves in one! How 'bout it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYpUavuANJc

Love this man and his Christmas music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G-dTthydW8

I'm a slacker!

Day 30. I am thankful for the upcoming month of December.
Day 29. I am thankful for the leaves turning beautiful colors!
Day 28. I am thankful for a four day weekend!
Day 27. I am thankful for a loving husband. <3
Day 26. I am thankful for the gift of life, because sometimes it can be taken away too soon. Rest in peace, Rob and Brandi (even though I didn't know Brandi, I feel for her family and friends). Rob, your laugh is instilled in my mind even after all these years. You left us all far too soon!
Day 25. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I am thankful for all that I have, all day, every day! :)
Day 24. I am thankful for good friends, today and always.
Day 23. I am thankful for the occasional easy day at work.
Day 22. I am thankful for my health, even if I do get sick from time to time. Could be worse!
Day 21. I am thankful for the memories that my dear grandparents left with me. Gosh, I miss them more than any one can stand to know.
Day 20. I am thankful for still having my five senses. Go-go gadget Eagle Eyes!
Day 19. I am thankful for my sister, Iraida. :)
Day 18. I am thankful for funny movies.

I am ten days behind, so I am going to be thankful for things without having to explain. :)

Day 17. I am thankful for facebook. How else would I have gotten so many Happy Birthdays? :o)
Day 16. I am thankful for my job. This includes my coworkers, most of whom I love dearly!
Day 15. I am thankful for hot chocolate. It kept me warm this night!
Day 14. I am thankful for my hometown.
Day 13. I am thankful for good friends.
Day 12. I am thankful for money. Ha! A day at the casino will do that for you!
Day 11. I am thankful for my Asia baby! If you know me, you know how much I love her! <3
Day 10. I am thankful for the holidays.
Day 9. I am thankful for my vehicle. Actually, both of them! Haha!
Day 8. I am thankful for my sanity. Something a few people who I know are missing in their lives!

Day 7. I am thankful for soldiers.

I was going to post a million different things today that I am thankful for - I was having trouble choosing, but 'soldiers' was not one of them. That is, until I took my weekly trip over to PostSecret, where they have a video for soldiers and their secrets. I am thankful for soldiers and all that they do.

Day 6. I am thankful for cool weather.

In the summer months, when the temperature easily reaches 105, I feel like I might die. I don't like to go outside unless there is a pool nearby, which we don't have. Therefore, in the nice summer days, I prefer to stick to the air conditioned house! However, when this cool weather starts coming around - out and about I go!

Right now, at 10am in Denton, TX, it is a cool 49 degrees and I LOVE IT!

Okay, I'm getting over a horrible bout with a stomach bug, so please bear with me.

Day 3. I am thankful for my job. Just like any job out there, I do get stressed out from time to time. However, when it comes down to it, I truly love my job. I am in charge of eight babies and the fact that their parents trust their baby to be with me eight hours a day is truly an honor. When I see a baby take his/her first steps, I take pride in the fact that I helped him/her get there. When a baby smiles and giggles, or dances, it makes my heart smile! Having worked in every room at some point in time, I have grown to love each different age group. I have learned so much about children, I may just be a tiny bit closer to being prepared for when we have our own! Haha! I just really love my job!

Day 4. I am thankful for my husband. Mark and I have been together for nearly eight years now and while we have surely had our share of ups and downs, today we are closer than ever on so many different levels. He 'gets' me and my craziness, and he can deal with my craziness! :) I'm happy to say that I can't see myself spending the rest of my life with anyone but him.

Day 5. I am thankful for my couch. As silly as that sounds, Mark and I spend a lot of time here - entertaining friends, playing games, watching movies, snuggling. However, while Mark was at work yesterday, our couch served as my only comfort. Even at this exact moment, our couch is my number one aid in feeling better! Well, next to my snuggle bug Asia, of course! :)

Day 2. I am thankful for my childhood.

Today is my Mom's birthday, so I was going to say that I am thankful for her (which I am), but then I would be leaving my Dad out, and I don't want to do that because of course I am thankful for him, too! So, I was just going to say that I am thankful for both of my parents or all of my family, both of which I am, however it would be far too general. Therefore, I have decided that today, and every day, I am thankful for my childhood, that was made so great by all of my family - that's how I tied them in to this one!

I'm not sure how many people know this, but I am adopted. I was legally adopted before I was born and met my Mom and Dad at three days old. When people ask, "Do you ever want to meet your parents"?, I always tell them that I have known them my whole life and correct them by asking, "You mean my birth parents"? The thought has crossed my mind, but I already have the best family anyone could possibly ask for. They have given me the best childhood a human being could ever begin to imagine.

My parents gave me opportunities and a life that I can never fully thank them for. I have traveled the country, traveled the world (and I'm not done yet), seen plays, loved musicals, made tons of wonderful friends, attended great parties, ate exotic foods, shared many laughs, learned my manners, read tons of books, etc. I could go on and on, but I won't.

I just hope that one day, I will be able to give the same happiness to our own children. I am forever grateful for my wonderful childhood.

Counting My Blessings!

Happy November! :)

While I do not need this month to realize that I am blessed beyond words, it is a good excuse for a project, so to speak. Here's how it works: since November is the month of Thanksgiving (as well as my favorite month of the year), each day in this month, I will post something I am thankful for. They won't be in any particular order of importance, it will simply depend on my feelings of the day. Of course, I have way more than thirty things I am thankful for, but considering how regularly I blog ... well, let's just say that I will be lucky to make it through these thirty days!

So, 'thirty days of thanks', here we go!




Day 1. I am forever thankful for my home.

When Mark and I first walked through our house, we were shocked at the way the people who were here before us lived - they simply had no respect for this place. I have pictures that would make someone wonder why we even signed the papers in the first place. Something about this house just had us! It grabbed our attention in a way that the other hundred houses we looked at didn't. It isn't perfect, it still has it's faults, but we have made this our home - our first home, at that. This is where we laugh, we smile, we play, we cry, we argue and we plan for our future together. I would not have it any other way.

My First Love

I have always been a parent's worst nightmare. No, not like you're thinking - I have been told I was actually a pretty good kid (even though I have a few cousins who might disagree). I was their worst nightmare in the way that if I saw a dog or cat on the road, I would want it. With it being impossible to say no to a cute only child, we ended up with quite a few animals over the years, even if only for a day.

This is how we ended up with Little Bit and Figaro (sibling kitties). They were my first 'rescues'. I don't remember where they came from, but I do remember that I was in preschool and my Mom had told me that I was getting to pick out one kitty. Then I told my Daddy that I wanted two, and the rest is history. They both lived until a ripe old age.

We adopted my first pup, Meggie, through the SPCA. She was such a sweet heart! My Dad says I picked out the ugliest dog there, but boy did she turn out to be wonderful!

Then came Oreo, who was a stray. I pet her and loved on her for a long time and she started following me to school. My Dad said he wouldn't be able to stand it if she were hit by a car trying to find me, so in the house she came!

Next was Pollyanna! The same kind of dog as Oreo, but she wasn't a stray! She was a birthday present! She was by my side all throughout high school, and even met Asia! She was so sweet!

Along the way, we also adopted other animals thanks to me! There were Holmes and Dodger (dogs), Jasmine, Prince Ali, Juliet and Coco (cats) and a bird (Ophelia). Yes, a cockatiel! I hate to say it, but she is one we probably should have left alone! Haha!

I'm missing the few that I kept home until their owners found them! I remember being very sad they were claimed a few times, but it was all for the best! I mean, it's not like my Mom was a dog breeder and we didn't have a house full of animals already! Ha! My Mom bred and showed Russian Wolf Hounds, or Borzois, when I was growing up!

I say that my habit of bringing home animals made me a parents worst nightmare, but I do know that isn't true. I know this because I inherited that big space in my heart for animals through my parents (my Mom, in particular)!

Now, Mark and I have our sweet Asia baby! She thinks she is human - 'arguing' when we tell her no, nagging us when she isn't getting enough attention, pushing us out of the bed, and the list goes on. She is our entertainment for the moment! I volunteered for Legacy Boxer Rescue a few times, but haven't been active in quite a while now for reasons I'm not exactly sure of.

I still have the drive to pick up animals that I see on the road. The first time I really tried to save one, it ended terribly and I have nighmares about it to this day. At the moment, saving a dog in a field across the Loop from our house is fresh on my mind. I don't know how to go about doing it, but I do believe that it's possible.

I get a lot of flack from people about being such an animal lover - I always hear "there are soldiers dying, babies that are sick, humans with horrible diseases, etc and you are worried about dogs". Unlike most humans, dogs possess the incredible ability to love unconditionally, even when they have a bad day. Yes, even pit bulls! And I happen to find that amazing!

labor day

every weekend needs to be a three day weekend! who shall i contact about making this happen? :) haha!

funny story of our saturday:
i woke up from a short nap yesterday afternoon to find mark outside fixing broken boards from the fence. just as soon as i walked outside, he was running away from the fence at a sprint! i laughed and asked him what in the world he was doing and he proceeded to tell me that some wasps had built a nest on the other side of the board and that they were flying everywhere! the "big momma" wasp was chasing him, flying off, chasing him, then flying off again. he kept telling me how mad they were but he was going to kill them and get that board up quick! he asked that i have his back with a can of wasp spray - but if you know me, you know i do NOT do flying insects! so instead, i back tracked a little and told him that i didn't see the "big momma" but wanted to (he told me she was way bigger than those really big bees that fly around and buzz loud). so, a hornet of some kind flies by and i ask him "was that her?" and he tells me, as serious as ever, "no, that one isn't involved, it's those other ones" and points toward the fence.

"that one isn't involved" ... haha! i don't know why i found this to be so funny, but he and i laughed about it for a while!

it didn't take long for him to finish the fence and he hasn't seen the "big momma" since!

goodbye, summer!

I have not written in so long - I am feeling a little rusty! Bear with me as I get back in to the routine of things ... :)

Mark, Asia and I are doing wonderfully, in case you were wondering! Haha!

In the meantime, what a summer we have had! Lots of traveling and spending time with incredible friends - just as summer should be!

We spent a week with my Aunt Jane and Uncle Jack in their beautiful home in Creede, Colorado. Let me tell you, it was very difficult to leave such an amazing place made even more amazing with such great company! We drove up quite a few mountains to find waterfalls and have picnics, watched wildlife in its natural habitat (I pet quite a few chipmunks, but unfortunately did not see any moose), fished, or at least watched the men fish, spent quality time with family, watched a parade, ate delicious food and just enjoyed the cool, fresh air!

A few weeks later, we headed to our family beach house in Port Aransas - I cannot begin to tell you how much I love that town and house! We had a lot of fun and came back with plenty of stories to tell - none of which I will be telling on here! Ha! However, I did not love the headache of having to repeatedly drive across the ferry to 'save' my husband and friends from a broken down boat! Haha! Good times had by all ...

Just recently we had our annual trek down to my old stomping grounds for the Schulenburg Festival! Boy, oh boy was that a load of fun! It's funny because in high school, I never really cared much about going to the festivals around Weimar. Now, I use them as my excuse to see people that I seriously only see once a year! I think it gets better every year, just as it should!

With summer coming to an end, I can honestly say that I am so glad! This 105 degree weather is getting the best of all of us, I think! I'm ready for the trees to turn colors and the cool, crisp fall air to take over! It reminds me of being a kid again - forever young!