NEW YEARS

I also wanted to post on the New Year. First of all, I was contemplating my biggest accomplishment of 2007, and it was hard to narrow it done. I guess I would say that graduating from college had to be my number one. Following that path in close seconds and thirds, I would say that getting accepted into Grad school and losing 40 pounds (thus sticking to my New Year's resolution from last year). I just have to say that 2007 was really a great year for me when I think back on it. Things are still going well with Josh and I, I turned 21, and have completed many personal and professional goals of my own.

So this year, I had to come up with a new resolution (since I can't use weight loss as a resolution this year! YAY!!)

• I want to start attending church in East Grand Forks. I have decided that I really enjoy going to church, but do not go nearly enough!
• I NEED to budget my money better. I get paid very little for being a college graduate (it's the price I am willing to pay for the experience of my internship), and I need to save as much as I can. I won't be able to save too terribly much I realize, but if I don't put any away I tend to buy things I really don't need!
• Plus I suppose I need to just say it....continue to tone my body and maintain my weight loss!!

Good luck to everyone on their own resolutions!!

Happy Holidays...to be politically correct!

Okay, I'll just say it...Merry Christmas. Or umm belated Christmas? I have neglected this blog once again! This blog is more for my sanity, but I get a few visitors once in awhile. I just love the Christmas time of year. I start feeling the "bug" on Thanksgiving, and it continues right up until Christmas day! It's almost as if the anticipation for the holiday season lasts so long...and then before you know it, Christmas has come and gone in a flash! I'm sad to see it gone, but it was a wonderful Christmas!

Both Josh and I spent Christmas with our wonderful families together! Christmas is about family time, and we couldn't have asked for a better year or for better families! MY only regret is that more of my side of the family could get together! I love getting together with Josh's family, but it also makes me a bit jealous because, for the most part, they all live around the same area.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!

'Tis the Season!

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I put up our Christmas Tree this past weekend, and that puts me in a good mood. I got frustrated with my tree last year taking it down, and accidently broke the foot of the tree! So the tree tilts a little bit!

I also wanted to put up the picture of my first finished quilt! It's an advent calendar that I wanted to finish before the First so I can really count down the days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day-eve! I probably won't blog tomorrow, so I wanted to send the message out a little bit earlier. Besides the cold weather, this is the most wonderful time of the year (from now until after Christmas). To me these holidays always mean family and family time, which are very precious to me. I wish that I could see more of my family on these holidays! They also help me to take a step back and think about all of the things I am grateful for, and may, at some times, take for granted. My family and loved ones top the list of things I am thankful for. I love everyone, have a great holiday, and don't forget to take some time to remember things that you are thankful for!

Trick or Treat--Smell my Feet!

So HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Sad to say that I procrastinated studying a bit last night, because Charlie Brown and the Great Big Pumpkin were on tv! I love Charlie Brown, but the Christmas episode is the best...can't wait for that one! All holidays get me in a cheerful mood! I always loved to dress up for Halloween. I probaby was a Princess for about 8 or 9 years...and I know I was a witch when I was real little and a unicorn. Otherwise I usually wanted to be a princess in some form or another! There aren't too many ways to celebrate halloween for big kids like me...so it makes me look forward to some day spending all holidays with my children. i know that I want to make my children costumes (just as my mom did every year). There are endless possibilities if you do it yourself!

My issue with Halloween this year (and every year that I've been in Grand Forks), there aren't many kids that go door-to-door. There is a big event at the Alerus center where the children go around the different booths to get candy rather than going out door-to-door. It is supposedly safer than going out at night. I agree it probably is safer, but that's not what it's all about! If parents go with their children trick-or-treating, they should be just as safe! I remember going out in blizzards! And on the few weekends leading up the halloween, we also went out to (I believe Linders Greenhouse??) a Halloween carnival-type. We got to wear our costume more than once, and got to go door-to-door and play halloween games. I know that a lot of kids don't go door-to-door in apartments (where I live), but it's sad what it's become!

FYI...I feel like a really old 21 year old talking like this. Back in the good old days.....HAHA

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Halloween

This last weekend, my best friend Kayla and her son (my Godson), Shaun, came to visit me. We had so much fun! DaShaun was a little bit crabby on Saturday when we were shopping, but that will be expected when little ones aren't sleeping in their own beds and on their own schedules. He was much more interested in hanging out with us Friday night than going to bed! So, needless to say, it wasn't easy to shop on Saturday with him! We were going to go to a pumpkin patch, but he was just too tired. That night, we dressed in our Halloween costumes and went out. I wore a Marilyn Monroe dress, but I ditched the wig because it looked so fake. I just love Marilyn Monroe, and so I knew that's what I wanted to dress as this year. Kayla got a really cute dress from Party America that was suppose to be like Marie Antionette. Josh dressed up at Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Carribean. We found Josh's wig at Target, and I just bought a plain white button-down shirt and a funky belt from a thrift store. I took the shirt and ripped a lot of seams to make the shirt like old and battered. I also tore off the pocket and ripped it in a few places. I also took a pair of his black sweatpants and cut them on the bottom. Josh's brother, Jeremy, also came up to visit, but he didn't dress up to go out that night! It was a lot of fun, but I didn't get much studying done!

Happy 4th of July!!

Yesterday, for the 4th, Josh and I went back to Perham, MN to celebrate the 4th at his familie's cabin on Little McDonald Lake. We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for the 4th. It was a little warm, but it was a perfect day to hang out at the lake and go swimming! A lot of the family went tubing behind the boat, but I don't really care for that! So I laid in the sun and went swimming. It was just a great day to spend with Josh's family. We came back to Grand Forks that night, so we spent probably 5 hours driving yesterday (2 1/2 each way). We got back to Grand Forks about 8. About 9:30 we headed downtown to watch the fireworks. We totally forgot to use bug spray before we left, so the bugs made us a bit miserable. The fireworks started a little earlier than they were suppose too, and they also ended quicker then they were suppose to. I suppose that's because of the storm that started rolling in during the display! So that was too bad! A lot of kids were sad when their parents were pulling them to the car while the fireworks were shooting off! So now we are back to work for two days, and then back home for the weekend! This weekend is the summer celebration in Menahga, and the band October Road will be performing at the street dance on Saturday night. Josh and I saw October Road on Tuesday night this week downtown Grand Forks for Party on the 3rd!! I hope everyone had a great 4th!!