Looking back on 2010

Tomorrow is the last day of 2010. We'll be ringing in the new year with some wonderful friends and we so look forward to that. It's been a BUSY year for us and we've learned and grown a lot. Here's my top ten list of things we've learned in 2010.

1. Weddings are fun, but incredibly stressful. We loved our wedding. We think it was one of the best in history. But the shit we had to go through to get to that day... we could have done without that.
2. Puppies are gifts that keep on giving. The second most life changing event for us this year was the addition of Lilly. We love her dearly and she's been a new challenge for us. She keeps on giving though... giving us lots of poop to clean up.
3. It's good to get away. We went on two trips this year -- our pre-moon cruise and our honeymoon to Hawaii. We LOVED both. And what did we learn from both of our tropical escapes? They are so necessary for us to have time to simply be with each other and reconnect.
4. Our cars don't know how to sit still. We've both been in school part-time this year while working full-time jobs (commuting 40 mins +). We are on completely different schedules and I'm not sure how we haven't gone crazy yet. We very rarely just sit around the house... we are constantly on the go when we are together.
5. Friendships are two-way streets. One of the biggest lessons we learned this year. I especially learned this and have been blessed by getting to know better an incredible group of people who understand this lesson. It's amazing that through our wedding we saw the true feelings come out about some people we would have bent over backwards for but they wouldn't for us.
6. Weddings aren't a race. This continues from the last lesson. Marriage is a big decision that you want to share with family and friends. It isn't something you go into lightly. When you are at a point in life that it makes sense and you are financially and emotionally ready then do it. Nobody cares who gets married first.
7. Home remodels are a pain. Especially when you are living in it day in and day out. We do not plan to ever live like that again. It was horrible. I'm not very good with chaos and I need my home to be in somewhat of an orderly disaster.
8. Family is a huge part of our lives. From the Granddaddy scare at the beginning of the year to other things in our life, we've found that we rely on our parents and family waaay more than we thought. My mom is my best friend and she keeps me grounded. Blake and his dad are super close and we see our parents all the time. We are blessed to live so close to both of our parents and know that will be a blessing.
9. Marriage isn't as easy as it looks. Marriage is a huge change in life. While we did live together **gasp** before we were married, actually being married is so different. I think the living together part actually helped us because we had already figured out quirks so we just had to get used to the married thing. And it's hard. Don't get me wrong... I absolutely LOVE my husband but marriage is constant work. And it's well worth it ;)
10. Let go and let God.  I wish I had truly learned this lesson. So many times this year we just needed to step back and trust in the Lord. He isn't going to do something that is going to cause us harm... He's too cool for that. But this Type A-OCD-Control Freak has a hard time not being in control but I'm learning how to understand His plans and work with that.(This should probably be up there at #1...)

We look forward to 2011 and seeing what life has in store for us. I'll be graduating (for the last time, hopefully!) in May. Blake will be switching over and beginning at ECU. Several friends are getting married in the Summer so that will be exciting to watch. Tons of new babies are arriving in the Spring. And we have a few surprises planned to keep life interesting... so stay tuned! :)

Our First Christmas

Our first Christmas together went pretty much like the Christmases before. Blake's parents joined us and my parents for Christmas Eve service... one of my favorite of the year! We went back to my parents' house and visited before calling it a night. We got up on Christmas and spent the morning with Blake's family and then the afternoon/early evening with mine.

We have spent SOO much money this year we didn't do gifts for each other. Neither of us are lacking for anything and it's pretty pointless to buy each other gifts just to open presents and have junk around the house. Blake's parents spoiled us as usual and we all saw my parents' gift to us about a month ago. One of the coolest gifts we got was a flock of chicks donated to the Heifer Project from my brother's girlfriend (and I guess him too...). We don't need anything so why don't you spend that money on something others truly need. And of course the puppies were spoiled with new doggy steps, treats, and tons of toys!

But one of the coolest things about our first Christmas together was the fact that today, the day after Christmas, the day most of us go back to our usual, incredibly busy lives, we are snowed in. I was totally planning on going to church and possibly shopping before (and after) to get all those awesome After-Christmas deals. But not now. And I think that's awesome. Nobody really has to be anywhere -- Blake doesn't go to work until tomorrow night. It's a really cool way for God to give us some extra time to make sure that we stay at home with our family and enjoy each other. We sure have enjoyed playing with the puppies outside and are looking forward to some exciting football this afternoon :)

From our family to yours...

Christmas cards were put in the mail today! I joined the tons of other families who have made it a tradition every year to send out cards... my mom was always just too busy to do Christmas cards but our first year together--I made sure we had something cute.

And now... (maybe) coming to a mailbox near you...

The back side says, "The gift of love, the gift of peace, the gift of happiness. May these be yours at Christmas."

Merry Christmas! :)

The Meaning of Christmas

So many people today have taken the focus of Christmas away from the birth of Christ to the point where we all feel obligated to give so many ridiculous gifts when we all know that we really don't need any material things. And many have made a point to bring the point of Christmas back to the true meaning--something I can really follow--most of the time...

The "Holidays" are a politically correct term for all the holidays that are celebrated from Thanksgiving through New Years. For Jewish people they enjoy Hanukkah and honestly in a way Christians should enjoy Hanukkah too (because if Christians have forgotten, Jesus was Jewish... just thought I'd throw that one out there for controversy). And then there's Kwanzaa, and New Years, and Christmas. 

Not to be bashing anybody but recently a favorite MIL (who I truly love so much!) came over talking about the fact that a recent sermon at church had been about the meaning of Christmas. She mentioned that Santa was actually "Satan" because it's the same letters just switched around..... really? I'm not a total expert but I'm pretty sure that the word Santa came from St. Nick... like SAINT Nicholas. Unless you want to completely discredit the Catholic church even though without them Christians wouldn't have a religion... (sorry.. rant.) And St. Nicholas was known for his secret gift giving. And nativities? Even though the Three Wise Men didn't go see baby Jesus together, nativity scenes are an important part of Christmas decorating. The cross hanging on my wall wasn't the actual cross Jesus was crucified on but it is a symbol to remind me of His sacrifices.

So I am all about saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" but I'm also cool with a "Happy Hanukkah" too... or even "Happy Kwanzaa." Because the "Holidays" have gotten to be so chaotic and PC that we really need to celebrate each "Holiday" individually as it comes.

For me, Christmas is the birth of Christ and is an important season in the year and life of a Christian. And it is an important time to press the pause button on life and stop to spend time with family. These two are the meaning of Christmas, not those presents that you insist on buying.