It's A Wrap, 2010

WOW!  This is the best word to describe this year! I cannot believe another year has come and gone so quickly. WOW!  I have been so blessed this year and am so Thankful to God for everything.  What a year, the travels, the memories, the pups, a new job, new beginnings at church, new opportunities, new friends, running, just so much has happened.  Along with all the good, there has been some trying times, but it is in adversity that we grow, so I will watch and see what happens tomorrow, next week, 2011! Ha!

It is amazing what you can accomplish in a year, as I look back, it just boggles my mind all that we have done.  Danny and I have been married for 1 and a half years and it still seems like just yesterday it happened. Love it! Tonight, new years eve 2010, we have decided to do absolutely nothing except spend time together.  Usually we go out and get into something, but tonight is different, we are going to celebrate the new year together, just us!  We are so looking forward to it!  He is out preparing for our night as we speak, or write, or I guess "blog" is more correct! Ha! Anyway I am looking forward to another great year and there is no one more I'd like to ring it in with!

Wishing all of you a wonderful 2011 new year!  Julie Out!

Counting My Blessings

What a crazy week it has been! Let me just say, I am so glad it is friday!  Early in the week I was sick, out of work for 2 days and so much to do there, can anyone say orderset mania! Ha!   So I missed those 2 days and then back to work wednesday for meetings, but really not feeling it at all.  then wednesday night I was getting together with a friend that unfortunately had to cancel :(, but it gave me time to bake for our Thursday celebration at work, which by the way I was hosting and had a lot to do! Especially after being sick!

I am so sad to say that while I am a very good baker, I cannot get the PB Fudge down, I crocked 3 batches, what a waste. Arrgh! Moma, only you have the knack! Ha! But I had everything prepped and ready to go and even got some cleaning done as to not have to do it this weekend! Yay!  

Thursday, up and ready to go I ran some errands before work, yes before at like 6:30 in the morning, and after stopping at the store for Candy Canes, I came out to a Flat! So not in my plans! I called Danny naturally, as f he could do something from 1000 miles away, so I hung up and called my Dad!  Dad to the rescue, he sent his mechanic down to help me! What a relief! And I got to work by 8:30! Thanks God!

With so much to do before my 11A meeting, I was so happy to get to work as early as I did! While at work  my friend Kay followed me to the tire shop and they repaired my tire, with the small spare I was concerned about having to drive 40 miles in the snow! Rightfully so! It was a hot mess, and it was only about 1 inch or so.  I guess people are overly careful or something, yeah more or soemthing! Ha! Anyway I made it to my meetings, threw my party, made it home safe in 2 hours and lived to see another day.  Love it! And now to the weekend, working today then completing my shopping  and starting to wrap, tomorrow baking sugar cookies with my Moma and party tomorrow night, Church Sunday and whatever after that!
Danny comes home this week so naturally I am very excited, prepping for the homecoming. Counting my blessings...  Oh and welcome home Rusty & Monica, have a safe travel back, can't wait to see you!

New York, New York

It's the perfect time of year to visit New York!  And thats just what I did! Ha!  Some frineds and I went to New York, ate good food, walked Times Square, attended Wcked, and just had fun!  We ate at the Stardust which was so fun, the sining and dancing was a blast! Wicked was great, loved it!  And the bus ride with Monica was priceless, even the ticket in Jersey and the wild ride with the Bus driver! Ha!

Rockefeller center was beautiful, as always.  The tree is absolutely gorgeous and the ice skating is magical! 

And as I said before, there is nothing like New York in the Winter, I have been there in the summer and it just isn't the same, for me at least!  And Wicked was everything I hoped it would be. Isn't Broadway great?  Love it!  Ahh, New York, until we meet again.... XO

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Thats right, the time for parties! HA!  It is always this time of year that every weekend is full and every spare moment is used!  Holiday parties fill my schedule, but I am not complaining it is so much fun to spend time woith friends and family!  Family is so important, and friendships are a blessing.  A true blessing because I am posting  picture of myself and friends and I look AWFUL, just awful in it!  Worse then the Grinch, Ha!

This weekedn was our church Christmas party and I had so much fun, great food, fabulous friends, and entertainment you cannot find anywhere else! Ha! Check this out, you'll love it!




It's great right! Ha!  Well I have 90% of my shopping done, I still have alot of baking to do, but hey that is the fun part.  I have more Christmas parties this week, 2 actually, Tis the season! Love it!  I hope this season finds you well and blessed!

Cookie Swap Julie

Cookie Cookie!  The other night we had a gals cookie swap!  Let’s just say I got some great holiday treats in my kitchen now! Ha!  Thanks gals for the fun!  And the chili was to die for! Ha!  I love getting together with the girls and just hanging out,  it is a true blessing to have such great friendships.   So much to be thankful for…. Love it!

Run Run Rudolph...

No just me! Ha!  I am still finding enjoyment in my running!  I am focusing on timing now more then distance and it has proven effective for me.  I am down from my 15 minute mile to about 12 minutes which is better.  I am amazed at the people that have been placed in my life that are also running during this time, beginners and marathoners.  I am loving the support and encouragement they offer.    If I am going to mention running I should mention my distance I guess, I am up to 4 miles but most days I run only 3.  With the darkness moving in earlier and earlier it is hard to get that time in without running circles in my neighborhood! Ha!  But hey I do what I have to, to get the runs in! 

I have to admit as I push the distance, when I am along I do get bored.  I do listen to my Ipod and try to jam out but after 3 miles it is just egh.  Any tips runners? HA!  I am doing well though and am proud of the strides I have made, literally!  I just got new running shoes and they are awesome, the crutching ankle pain has subsided and now it is all mental to just keep going.  I am thankful that God has gotten me this far and I do give him all the fame, because I cannot even run ½ mile without him with me! Thanks God!  I have always wanted a hobby, and I think I have found my nitch!  Praying it continues! 

Home Holiday Décor

I love to decorate for the holidays, outside and in!  The tree is of course my favorite!  Each year with the same decorations I am always surprised how it turns out! Ha!  Of course each year there are always some new additions.  Last year my Moma gave me some Christmas dishes, I was worried they would never be used, oh contraire! Ha!  We decided to decorate our dining room table with them; we always use our island to eat anyway!   Our candy dishes are full and the smell of cinnamon and apples fills our home.  It is welcoming and I am blessed and thankful for our home and the love that fills it!

The outdoor decorations turned out better then expected.  We purchased some new wreaths and such and put this together.  And this year we got the spotlight for the front door. Funny story recap, we put a new wreath on the front door and the heat from the sun between the storm and glass door melted the glue on the wreath decorations, glue was everywhere and it smelled so bad like a hot glue gun riot! Ha!  We laughed and just hung a fresh wreath, should’ve opted for that to start!   This year I was able to put 2 wreaths on our deck, it at least gives the back of the house some color! Ha! 

Christmas music fills the airwaves and the smells of baking fill my kitchen.  Tonight especially, I am baking for a cookie swap gals thing tomorrow night!  Mint Chocolate Chip, um um good!  Then within the next few weeks I will get the sugar cookies made and the pretzel candies, and fudge!  Sweets at Christmas… sweet! Ha!  And the cookie swap, love it, all these different cookies to sample, who wouldn’t like that!  Guess it’s a good thing I am running! Ha!

I have a few poinsettias in the house that brighten things up.  I love the vibrant red tones that catch my eyes as I turn corners in the house.  Did I mention I just love the holidays!  Now that our home is in order I just need to finish my shopping!   Oh and I wish I had my pictures :(  My camera is MIA...hmmm  Anyway pics to come! Ha!

SONS TONIGHT!

SOA tonight, season finale 90minutes! Can’t wait!  Tune in you’ll love it! Ha!  I can’t wait to see what happens next and how they are going to leave it this season!  Thankful for my DVR, what did we do years ago without them? 

Amazing how much I depend on technology and what it does for me!  Not only TV, but if I leave the house and forget my cell, I drive myself crazy thinking about it and oh what if I need it.    My husband, loves his HTC Evo, but hates texting and how much we as a society depend on our phones and information systems and networks.  It drives him crazy, he thinks it is very impersonal, he is old school! Ha! And FB, don’t even get him started, Ha!  I love all the different gadgets and phones and advances we make each day, I am dying for an IPAD! Ha!  But I see Danny’s point what new does it offer me that any other thing I have doesn’t?  Hmmmm…

Anyway, back to SOA, love it & can’t wait for tonight!

RAVENS SUNDAY

Go Ravens!  And yes that’s right they beat the Bucs! Danny and I want to the game Sunday with my parents, we had a blast!  The atmosphere, the crisp cool weather, the bus, the company, the food and the WIN of course!  We bought a new Ravens throw for the house, thanks baby! Thanks Mom & Dad for the tickets, we loved it!  Whoop Whoop!  We had a blast with my family, we love spending time with them!  Can’t wait until March when we go away together!

cHOcoLATe

Have you ever been to the Chocolate Spa at the Hotel Hershey?  One word-Amazing!  Danny surprised me with a spa evening in Hershey as a belated birthday gift.  It was wonderful, anything chocolate is of course! Ha!  They did this cocoa bean scrub and then this fondue wrap, simply fabulous!  Danny had a massage during all of this.  This was my second time to the spa, the first was with my Moma last year for her birthday. 

After the spa we went to dinner at Devon, yum!  I had the swordfish, so good especially with the sweet mashed potatoes and asparagus.  The Riesling was very good as well, it complimented my dinner nicely.   We ended the night by driving through the lights at Hershey, we listened to our first Christmas tunes of the year and just had a great time.  The lights were nice, I was surprised at the amount of time it took to travel through.  Bithdays are great no matter when you celebrate them!  It is a day to celebrate you and it’s just fun!  Thanks baby for the surprise XO!

I’M BACK!

Well once again it has been a while! Ha! My husband has been home so you know how it is, husband over blog! Ha!   What an amazing time we had while he was here.  It was our first Thanksgiving together with family since we have been married, so that was fun!  Food is always great! Ha! We are mostly done our holiday shopping so that is also a bonus!  Just a few more things and check!  And what’s hot this season, I don’t know how many people have asked me what I’d like for Christmas and ya know I am just not sure.  It’s funny how when you are older and can get anything you want whenever you want for the most part the holidays just aren’t the same!  When you were young and had to wait on Mom and Dad it was totally different! Right?  But you know this is still my favorite time of year.  From October through New Years, I just love the holidays and spending time with family and friends.  The celebrations, the decorations, the music, ahhh…  What are your holiday plans, I know from here until Christmas Day, my weekends are booked and my evenings are jam packed, amazing how I  handle it all :/

Husband, Running, HP7, BD, Life... Love It!

My husband is home! It is fabulous!  I am so in love! Ha!   It has been so busy the last week or so, crazy!  My birthday weekend was last weekend, so much fun!  My running group started last weekend, love it! My husband came home this week, ecstatic!  And now I am off work for 6 days, perfecto!  And the new HP 7 is tomorrow which I cannot wait to see, yes I am one of those! Ha!   Anyway things are just really good, I am so blessed with everything around me! Thanks God for sure!

Please PRAY!

This morning I just received clarification on a very sad phone call I got from my Moma last night.  Please Pray. It seems her neighbors were out of town visiting family and the husband, Paul, was in a horrible hunting accident where he fell from the tree stand.  His back is broken and the doctors have deemed him paralyzed.  He has undergone surgery at this time, earlier this week, but the prognosis is still poor.  Please Pray.

These friends are so young, late 20's early 30's and they have 2 small children under the age of 3, one is just an infant.  Please Pray.  The wife, Tanya's, father has also recently passed away. Please Pray...

"But certainly God has heard me; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer."

 -Psalm 66: 19

While the information granted here is minimal, prayer is not... Please Pray...

4 MILEstone

Last week 5K, this week one up! Ha!  I did a 4 mile run last night, boy did it take it out of me! Ha! The muscles I didn't know that I have ;)  I think now, that I am able to add on about 1 mile a week, I may slow down to work on my timing, although tonight I really pushed and did better each mile.  I am loving the way I feel with my new running habits! I have more energy and more esteem! I am going to keep marking the miles stones as they come, so you'll be in the loop! Oh and my running group starts this Saturday, so I am definitely praying for timing improvements! Motivation Motivation Ha! Thanks God!

Fashion and then Some

Such Cute Outfits!  I have much of this in my closet, go figure! Ha! I am always looking for a good put together for work, these are just that! Yay!  Although some are a bit summerish, like the pink skirt! Ha!  And even better tomorrow is kinda like my Friday, b/c on Fridays I work from home! Hope you are getting over the hump today!

Birthday Celebration

Happy Birthday Amy!  This past week we celebrated a friends birthday, just us gals!  We went out for dinner, then we went out for dessert, restaurant hopping is always a fun time! Ha!  It was perfect, friends, good times, good food, memories... the makings of fabulous small town friendships!  Thanks God! Next time, my BFF Monica will be joining us for gals night, I know she'll love it, I can't wait!  Thanks God!

5K, Check!

I am very excited to tell you that I ran my first 5K! And I am still smiling! Ha! Just 8 weeks ago I started the C25K program and could hardly run a minute without wanting to die! Ha! Today I can proudly say, no more! While I didn't run an organized event a friend and I mapped a course and I did it for the first time, all running! Well I did walk for about a minute if I am going to be completely honest.

I am totally motivated to Run, I am bridging to 10K now and am just going to continue to build up!  I am not trying to brag on myself, that is not my style, but I am hoping that this may encourage you that anything is possible, especially with a lil prayer! I have found a new nitch, a new hobby!  So do you want to challenge yourself today? Ha!  http://www.c25k.com/  One more box ticked! Ha!

Happy Birthday Moma

Happy Birthday to my Moma today!  I am so blessed to have such a great Mom.  I hope you have the best day ever and I can't wait to celebrate!  Pictured, 3 generations of fabulous! Ha!  I love you XO

More TV-egh :/

Well it looks like this is going to become a habit, yes another TV show I have enjoyed- The Big Bang Theory.  So this and SOA are my Fall TV line up.  And I need to catch up on Big Bang because I haven't been faithful at all this season. I don't want to get carried away you know! But tonight it will be captured either Live or DVR; either way I will love to be back catching up!  Ha, love it!

SOA-Loving it!

Okay all, I am on the edge of my seat with this show!  It is one of my new favorites and I just got caught up on the latest season the other night! Thanks to my DVR of course! Ha! Sons of Anarchy, anyone watch it, I am obsessed.  This whole situation with Jax and his son, ahhhh just crazy over the show.  And for me I usually don't get crazy over TV so you know it's good!  Check it out if you don't already watch it, warning addiction may occur! Ha!

Good Times

"SMILE... your on candid camera."  You know one of the memories  that always stands out is my grandmother, Amma, always use to say this to me when I was grumpy or sad.  It always made me laugh.  Sometimes when life gets so ridiculously hectic and insane I think of this and it makes me SMILE and laugh.  Thanks Amma for the memory- one of the million we have together and are still going strong!  Do you have a standout memory?

Ahh.. Do you Remember?

Ahh this time just a few short years ago my Baby and I toured Europe for 3 fabulous weeks.  I can across an old camera card with some of our photos... traveling is so much fun I am so glad I have had the opportunities I have had, many with a great guy!  Ahh love, ahh memories, ahh just ahh!

Oh how I miss this adventure. The sights, the fun, the friendships, the love;  I am so blessed to have these memories and I cannot wait for the years ahead to make many many more.  XO

Halloween 2010

Turtle, Turtle Maggie

Rock Lobster Roxyanne

& Squirrley Beans

Happy Halloween 2010!