Thankful v6

Lately I've been thankful… 

[+] for pillows, comfy clothes, bright markers and blank white boards to study with

 [+] for surprises, because who doesn't love those

[+] for pups who insist on laying as close as possible, who snore and who keep you company

[+] for success, in all meanings of the word

[+] for fresh manicures and bits of sparkle

 [+] for encouraging husbands who want nothing but the best for you

[+] for cuddles and whispers and time spent together

[+] for fireplaces and warm beds on snowy nights

[+] for facing fears, big and small

 [+] for vanilla candles, soft blankets and warm heating pads for late nights in the office

[+] for first dips into fresh frosting tubs and puppy-dog-eyes that want some too

Happy Friday friends!

Five on Friday v3

Today I'm linking up with Christina from Carolina Charm for "Five on Friday" 

Check out the link up below.

[one] I literally haven't taken a picture on my phone or big girl camera in over two weeks. Which I definitely do not like. Granted it might be because there's nothing fantastic going on around these parts lately but I still love looking back at silly moments of our day-to-day so I need to change this anti-photo streak!

[two] Even though January isn't quite over yet, February is shaping up to be a fantastic month. My birthday is in twelve short days which means a handful of celebrations with all the special people in my life. The day after that is the start of the Winter Olympics and I'm a huge sucker for Opening Ceremonies. And then at the end of the month we'll be headed on vacay for a week at the beach. Come on February! Bring me your awesomeness!

[three] Speaking of birthdays and our Mexico vacation, my mom got me a new swim suit from VS for the trip as a birthday present and I love it. It's been quite some time since I've gotten a good quality suit that wasn't just a random purchase from Target or Walmart and I'm loving the bright colors in this one. I might have to make a stop somewhere for some metallic sandals to go with before we hop on the plane.

[four] A few weeks (months? I'm losing track of time these days) I won an awesome giveaway hosted by Meg @ Life of Meg for an 8x10 photo canvas from Easy Canvas Prints. At first I didn't know what picture to use, wasn't sure if I wanted to wait until I got a better picture of J and I or something and basically, just wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it. So I mentioned it to J and he said "why don't you have it printed with a picture of Ollie?" What a fantastic idea, I thought, and I LOVE how it turned out. The canvas is great quality and I love this pic of our silly pup with his fur blowing in the wind and can't wait to get it hung somewhere special. 

[five] Tonight my mom and I are headed to a surprise 60th birthday party for a family friend we've basically known my entire life. Their family used to live across the street from us and I have tons of memories being around their family growing up, especially those NYE nights where our parents tricked us into thinking it was midnight at 10pm! I haven't seen them since our wedding and before that it was long time too so it'll be great to catch up while spending some time with my mom too. 

Happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!

Finish This v3

1. A typical day in my life… usually includes a full day on campus filling my brain to the max, sometimes accompanied by some lab time in the afternoons and always with hours of studying in the evenings. Also thrown in are occasional walks with the pup, catching up with J over dinner and hopefully showering before crashing in bed. All of this is typical for a weekday, weekends are just full of studying. Ahh the joys of being a first year medical student, right?

2. You'll never see me… without my iPhone, water bottle and some form of chap-stick. Otherwise I'll try anything once, go anywhere once, etc. I'd like to say I'm open to most things. 

3. It's really unattractive when a guy… picks fights, is controlling and/or thinks too highly of himself. 

4. If I could buy one thing right now, it would be… a new wardrobe which would hopefully include some new jeans, a handful of adult-style tops (I'm trying to get rid of all the shirts I still have from high school) and some new fashionable pieces to wear on the beach in Mexico next month. 

5. I have high expectations for… the coming year. I feel like things are finally rolling for me in every aspect of my life and can't wait to kick butt in 2014!

Previous posts here: 

Finish This v1

Finish This v2

Linking up with these ladies (Nicole @ Three 31, Lisa @ The Coastal Chicster, and Becky @ The Java Mama, Jen @ The Arizona Russums) for Finish This. 

Finish This v2

1. If I could make anything grown on trees, it would be… time, definitely. I realize that this is a pretty standard answer (between this and money) but with the stress and consuming nature of medical school there are often times I could use extra hours. Sometimes it's too long between dates with my husband, between times seeing friends, between catch-up coffee breaks with my mom. Oh and what I wouldn't give to be able to take a nap without feeling guilty about the hours it wastes that could should be used studying!

2. I can't stop smiling… if I have a cup of coffee in my hand, quality time with great friends, success on a test, and/or acting goofy with my husband.

3. I get back to nature by… walks with the pup at a nearby park, walls of windows to watch the sun come up (and then go back down) from school, summer BBQs and yard games. Ahh, I'm ready for summer now.

4. I dread washing… the dog. Ha. Okay so it's not actually the washing part thats difficult considering it usually consists of standing on the driveway with a bucket and the hose. Not to mention that he just stands there and lets you do whatever you need to. It's the post-wash that's a pain. Wet dog for hours, all the loose hair, etc etc. But he always smells so fresh I wonder why it takes me so long to do it again.

To see last weeks answers, visit Finish This v1

Linking up with these ladies (Nicole @ Three 31, Lisa @ The Coastal Chicster, and Becky @ The Java Mama, Jen @ The Arizona Russums) for Finish This. 

Numbers v2

THIRTY-NINE: days until our mexican vacation. bring on the beach!
EIGHT: the number of friends going on said-vacay and it should be such a blast.

TWENTY-TWO: days until i'm 25, yikes!
SEVEN: number of birthday celebrations i will have spent with j. my how the years are flying.

FIFTEEN: number of grams of protein in my new recipe for green drinks. spinach, blueberries, half banana, half scoop of banana casiene protein powder, silk soy milk, ice. yum.

EIGHTY: the number of ounces of water i've drank yesterday. trying to be better about water and reach half my body weight (at least) in ounces each day.

TEN: the number of days i've been back at school. winter break just wasn't long enough and the grind is already setting in.

TEN: bowls of peppermint ice-cream eaten in a very short time frame. i didn't get any during the holiday season so i guess i'm making up for that?

TWO: starbucks trips since christmas. and that's quite an accomplishment for this coffee-addict. but it's all due to my awesome new keurig from j.

THOUSANDS: how many things i'm excited for in 2014, it's going to be a great year!

Numbers, v1 here

#DecemberPhotoADay pt 2

The second half of December seemed to fly by even faster than the first half with the end of the semester, the holidays, our anniversary and somehow the start of school again already. But even thought I wasn't necessarily posting these shots on Instagram (and even though many have already made an appearance here in some other post) I wanted to share with you the second half of my December Photo A Day Challenge even if we're already a good ways into January!

makes you feel merry // tree // big

'tis the season to // i'm listening to // on the door

sparkly // tradition // wrapped

best bit of your day // where you slept // what you're doing now

something awesome // reflect, best bit of 2013 // you // celebrate

I'm not taking on the challenge and continuing with the month of January but I'm glad I was able to complete one month at least. I love looking back through the month plus it helps me document more happenings in our life than just my mind-maps and white board outlines for school. 

To view the first half of December, go here!

Finish This v1

recent pictures of O-dog that haven't made an appearance yet just incase you needed a golden fix

1. I first felt like a grown up… once I was married. All through college I was fortunate enough to have my mom's help on a lot of things like finances, insurance coverage, etc etc and once I got married all of that was different. I was on my husbands insurance, my bills were my own, I was 100% responsible for myself without the underlying "mom's always there" aspect anymore. Not to mention I was part of a new "family" between J and I that was uniquely ours which definitely makes one feel grown up I think.

2. I am one of a kind because… of nothing in particular but everything all together. No one's lived my life exactly as I have, no one has the set of talents and pitfalls that I do, no ones seen vacations and new cities through my eyes, no one knows the effects of my emotions quite like I do.

3. Spanx… never worn them, don't have any intention of ever wearing them but haven't been through a lot of "life" yet so we'll see what my body feels like doing in the coming decade. 

4. My favorite family tradition… Mother's Day trips on educational adventures like the museum, the zoo, etc with my mom and sister. We're definitely nerds. The homemade gift tradition on Christmas with J's mom's side of the family especially since it spurred our fabulous engagement 2 years ago. And the idea of creating new traditions with J and a someday family in the future.

5. The last thing I do before bed is… smooch my husband, definitely. But this sometimes also includes turning off the TV (yep, we're one of those couples that watches TV in bed, oops), setting my alarm way too early, slathering on some chapstick and/or telling the dog to stop snoring.

6. Happiness is… a free weekend, extra hot Starbucks drinks, freshly painted toes, A's in medical school and life with my hubs.

I'm linking up to the first addition of the "Finish This" link up. 

This Weekend I...

 This weekend I….

+ Had dinner with my momma and sister before she heads back to school

+ Watched the snow fall, and then more snow fall

+ Thought we might be snowed in since neither of us have very "snow-friendly" cars

+ Played tricks on Ollie while he snoozed on the couch

+ Watched him sprawl out on our freshly made bed

+ Finished taking down Christmas decorations

+ Watched football, ate mac n cheese & ice cream and didn't go to the gym

+ Painted my toes and touched up my 4 week old shellac manicure

+ Tried new recipes for dinner

+ And of course, studied, but what else is new!

 

1st Year Anniversary

Some how it's already been a year and what a year it's been!

A year since I married the man of my dreams. 

A year since we said "I do" and promised ourselves to each other forever. 

A year in which I've grown to love J even more. 

A year where we've struggled, triumphed, cried, laughed and grown together. 

We celebrated with a mountain get-away, the perfect escape from the post-holiday stress, constant to-do list and approaching new semester. It was like a do-over mini-honeymoon since I was so sick a year ago. 

We napped and watched movies. 

We ordered bottles of wine with dinner. 

We soaked in the hot tub and ate new wedding cake. 

We sipped champagne cozied up on the couch in a warm condo.

We played in the snow and raced down a snow hill. 

We fell even more in love. 

It was the perfect 1st anniversary celebration, nothing fancy but filled to the brim with love.

I still can't believe this is what we were up to on December 29, 2012.

Dear J, 

People always told me that I would love you more and more and I never thought it was possible. How could I possibly love you more than I did at our perfect wedding? And then the last year went by and I realized how wrong I was. I found a new love for you, a love that warms my soul, a love that I hold in my heart, a love that comforts me every second of every day. Thank you for making me your wife and sharing in this life with me. Here’s to a fabulous first year of marriage, a bright future on the horizon and so many more memories to make.

Christmas & NYE 2013

The holiday season is especially busy around these parts. Between Christmas with both families, our anniversary 4 days later and New Years Eve quickly following... not to mention only having 9 days off school... we've been having a fantastic last two weeks. So let's catch up shall we...
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Christmas is by far my favorite holiday of the entire year.
And this year was that much more special since we are now living in CO. 

Christmas Eve spent with my side of the family. 

Appetizers, drinks, festive music, a few card games and opening presents. 

My sister is in town from school and it was so nice to start off the festive holiday with some quality time with my little family. 

J was making 15+ lbs of pork shoulder on his smoker for the next day meaning it had to start cooking by midnight Christmas Eve. After finally getting the meat started we opened presents between the two of us and then it was off to bed for us!

This year, we decided to host Christmas Day for my family and J's mom's side of the family. 

We decorated the house around Thanksgiving and started prepping for the big day a few days before. 

We woke up in our own beds, sipped mimosas with our cinnamon rolls and waited for everyone to arrive. 

We kept with all the usual traditions, homemade gifts and garage sale gifts included. 

We played a silly game from Pinterest where the winner received a bottle of Bailey's, munched on lots of yummy snacks and finally settled into a full meal that was just delicious. This was the biggest group of people we have hosted for a meal and it all went off without a hitch. 

We ended the night by stopping by J's dad's house. I got to snuggled with J's cousin's sweet little girls, attempt to stuff myself with some more dessert and we called it an early night thanks to exhaustion from the day. It was yet again a fabulous holiday season and I cannot believe that it's already over. 

With school starting this fall Christmas seemed to really sneak up on me but it was also that much more special. 

Our presents: I got a fabulous new Keurig machine, spa and nails gift certificates, scrubs, a custom Northface jacket, my very first Broncos jersey, a gorgeous duvet cover and so many other gifts I'm so grateful for. J got new shoes, sports paraphernalia, snow gear, a new front door, booze and a slew of other manly things.

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New Year's Eve was quite around these parts and I wouldn't have had it any other way. We spent part of the evening having dinner with my mom and sister, stuffing our faces with mexican food and enjoying the last few bits of time off. 

Come 8 ish we figured we better figure out the rest of the night. Either join friends in numerous different places of merriment or spend a quiet night inside. It didn't take us long to settle in with two movies from RedBox, mugs of hot chocolate and just our little family celebrating the end to a fabulous year.

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From our family to yours I hope that the season was filled with memories 

 & sweet moments spent with family and those you love. 

Our first married Christmas was everything I could have wanted 

As was our first full year of marriage and everything that 2013 brought with it. 

We sure are blessed and are looking eagerly into all that 2014 has to offer. 

I bet it will be great!