Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Cousin Fest 2009

The friends we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with are like family to us. They have a huge family with lots of cousins that are all about the same age. This year, all the cousins were able to make it home for Christmas so they decided to have Cousin Fest 2009. I was lucky enough to be invited to this gathering. We spent the evening playing Family Feud on the Wii and Cranium. For Family Feud, we played Cousins against Non-Cousins (which was significant others and me). I am happy to report that the Non-Cousins Team won each game! It was such a fun evening and my stomach hurt from laughing so much! Here are just a few pictures I took of us playing Cranium!



Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas 2009

Christmas was fantastic this year! Santa was very good to me and I had a fabulous time spending the holiday with my family and friends. Christmas Eve was spent with our good family friends at their Christmas celebration. They have a huge family and my family is lucky enough to have been semi-adopted by them. We ate lots of yummy food, talked, and opened a few presents. Even though we aren't officially family, I still always manage to get some sort of gift. It's so thoughtful of them to think of me and my family. Christmas morning was just my parents, my brother, and I opening presents and hanging out. Mom and I began cooking our fabulous dinner. Some of our good family friends came over for dinner and we stuffed ourselves silly. For dinner, we had a special fruit salad, prime rib, sweet potatoes, oven roasted potatoes, veggies, and a garlic bread wreath that I made. For dessert, we had peppermint ice cream pie, brownie ice cream pie, banana pudding, and cookies. It was such a yummy meal!
Here's a few pictures from the day!
The tree with all the presents~

Even Leo got a present to open~


Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls~

The table all set, just waiting for the people to eat~

The Yummy Prime Rib we had~

My brother, Ben, carving the prime rib~

The Garlic Bread Wreath that I made~

Dad sleeping underneath the tree after a long day of eating and fun~

Monday, December 28, 2009

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!

Here are a few pictures of all the snow we got in Chicago on Christmas and the day after. The weather people forecasted only 1-3 inches. We got about 12 inches! It's been so much fun to see all the snow and how pretty it looks. But I'm glad I only have to deal with it for another 2 weeks, then its back to the warmer weather of Texas.




Sunday, December 27, 2009

These Boots are made for Snow


I've been visiting Chicago for almost a week and it that time it has snowed, then rained (which melted the snow), and then snowed again. These boots are the perfect boots for the weather. Surprisingly, I've had them for about 6 years. I bought them when I lived in Texas to wear as more of a fashion statement. I never though I'd actually be using them in REAL snow. And you may be asking yourself- Are those HOT PINK COACH snow boots? And my answer is- Yes, they are! They are probably my favorite pair of shoes I own. And since I really can't get a whole lot of use for them in Texas, I'm wearing them a lot here in Chicago.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Spiritual Enlightenment

I saw this video and it really reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. Enjoy!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Are you ready for Christmas?


(My roommate's dog- Patty Cake. Isn't she precious!)

I'm so ready for Christmas. Finals are over. I get a whole month off school. I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet and it doesn't even bother me. I'm working overtime at Williams Sonoma until I go home on the 22nd. I get to be home for 2 1/2 weeks. Life is good!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Out of Commission


I'm dropping out of the blogging world for the next 2 weeks (not that I was ever very consistent at being in it). It's finals time. My first final is Wednesday, then I have one the following Monday, and my last final is on Friday the 18th. It's going to be a stressful and hectic 2 weeks but I know I can make it through. I can't wait to be done with this semester and to go home for the holidays. Think good thoughts and send some extra prayers my way. I have a feeling I'll be needing all I can get!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

A Perfect Evening

This is what a perfect evening looks like. Hot chocolate and White Christmas.


Friday night was a perfect evening. I should have been studying but I needed a mental health break.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Thanksgiving 2009


This year, Thanksgiving was a little different. For the first time ever, I was traveling home for the holiday. I left Wednesday morning and came back late Sunday night. I was lucky that I didn't have to fly alone though. Since my dad is working in Houston now, we were able to take the same flight to Chicago and back. It was a good thing to because I had an extra carry-on that he was in charge of. It was kind of a pain because I had to bring home all my school books so I could study during the break. I had one suitcase for my clothes and another for my books. The break was a much needed change of scenery. I studied most of the day and then met up with friends at night. 5 days went by so fast! Here are some pictures of my Thanksgiving break!

Waiting around for the food-

Dad getting ready to carve the turkey-

The turkey!

The table-

Even the dogs wanted some turkey!


80's Cover Band-

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun!
You can't bring Kristin anywhere! (I love being the designated driver- you get to see the crazy things people do)

Me, Meg, and Char-

Me, Tim (my new friend), and Meg-

Friday, December 4, 2009

What's that white stuff coming down from the sky?


It snowed in Houston today! It came down most of the day but not much of it stuck to the ground. It doesn't snow very often in Houston so Houstonians are ill-equipped to deal with it (no plows or salt). As a result, they closed the university early and even closed the law library (and we have finals starting next week). I was supposed to work at Williams Sonoma tonight but they closed early due to the weather. There is going to be a hard freeze tonight so everyone is worried about people driving on slippery roads. Being from Chicago, I think its a little ridiculous and over the top but it sure was fun to see snow again!




Monday, November 23, 2009

Home for Thanksgiving!


On Wednesday, I'll be headed home for Thanksgiving! It is a much needed break from class, the library, and Houston. I'll be super busy while I'm there studying, eating, and visiting with friends. I can't wait! Now, if I can just make it through the next 2 days of school!

And I got a new camera because I dropped mine and broke the LCD screen so I'll be able to take pictures of my 5 day vacation/ study session!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 29th birthday! In honor of my 29 years on this planet, I decided to write 29 things about me!

1. I have great hair. And it's even been cooperative in this humid Houston weather.
2. Apparently, I'm a good listener because everyone seems to tell me their problems.
3. I'm a fantastic baker and just an okay cook.
4. I have a love/hate relationship with law school at the moment.
5. I have an obsession with shopping and have missed it greatly the past 3 months.
6. I am a planner- I like to plan everything in my life. Although I've come to learn that no matter how much I plan, Heavenly Father might have a different plan for me.
7. I have incredibly high expectations of of my self. Sometimes to high.
8. I've read more in the last 3 months than I think I have in the rest of my life combined. Kind of sad to say this.
9. I love reality TV but don't get to watch any TV right now.
10. I have amazing friends and the older I get, the better I have become at keeping in touch with them.
11. Christmas is my favorite time of the year.
12. I'm okay being single right now. It's kind of fun not having to answer to anyone but me!
13. I often feel guilty for not doing things I know I should do. I need to work on this.
14. I can't say no when people ask me to do things. As a result, I over program myself a lot.
15. I'm set in my ways but flexible at the same time, if that makes any sense.
16. I'm looking forward to being a wife and a mom (some day in the distant future- gotta finish law school first)
17. People in general don't upset me. There is one person that still gets to me no matter how much time has passed. It's something I'm working very hard to overcome.
18. My favorite thing to drink is water and I need to drink more of it.
19. One of my best friends is my mom. I talk to her almost everyday.
20. I love to travel and hope to have enough money to do so one day.
21. I love living in Texas but also want to live in some other places one day.
22. I am a pack rat (but its all organized and labeled)
23. My favorite food is mexican. I could eat it almost everyday.
24. My handwriting is like that of a 1st grader (perhaps that's because I taught 1st grade).
25. I'm not a very sappy person.
26. My 26th year was not a great one and I'm glad it's over
27. I love to fly and will fly anywhere given the chance. I used to want to be a flight attendant.
28. My dream job would entail being able to work part-time from home so I when I have kids, they don't have to be in daycare.
29. I have big plans for my last year in my 20's.

And finally, no blog is complete without a few pictures. Here are a few from a Birthday Celebration I had with 2 other friends (Ashley, my roommate, and Sheryl, my college friend) who also have birthdays this week. I ended up dropping and breaking my camera so I didn't get a group shot of the 3 of us, I'll have to post that one when I get it off of my friend's camera.

Me, Ashley, and my friend May

Me and my law school friend, Kourtney

Me and Ashley- roomies!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year. I went to 2 parties and saw some crazy costumes! Here are a few pictures to remember Halloween by:
My roommate carved this awesome pumpkin!

Costume #1- Southern Belle (although some people thought I looked like I was going to prom so I went with that too)

Costume #2- 50's girl

Friday, October 23, 2009

California Caramel Company

A blog that I read, http://have-joy.blogspot.com, is doing a free give away. Below is the information for the give away. Check out her blog too! She is really funny and has a great perspective on life.



Give Away: California Caramel Company



I am really excited to do this give away from the California Caramel Company!! The owner, Kristina, is a friend of mine, and she writes the following about her sweet company:

"My beautiful 7 year old daughter and I started this business in the kitchen together, making sweet gifts for teachers, family and friends. It has since grown into a magnificant company where people all over the country have come to love our products. Our caramel is handcrafted from scratch, batch by batch, using only the finest ingredients making our caramel "all natural" and preservative free. It has been said that the California Caramel Company simply makes the best caramel on earth and we think you would agree! We take pride in making everything fresh to order and personalized for that extra touch. We are so grateful to all those who support us in our endevours in making the California Caramel Company a huge SWEET success!"


The California Caramel Company is giving the winner of this give away their Deluxe Apple Gift Box. Mmmm, mmmm.... Caramel apples are one of my favorite fall treats! This beautiful gift comes in an adorable box with two (yummy yummy) gourmet dipped apples, complete with free local or nationwide delivery!

To enter, please write a post on your blog about this give away, and leave me a comment. That way, I will for sure enter you into the contest and can come check out your blog post about us! This give away will close at 9:59 pm PST, on Thursday October 29th.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Looking Forward~

Life has been pretty busy lately. I'm having a difficult time motivating myself to keep up with the pace I've been going at for the past few months so I decided to make a list of all the things I have to look forward to in the next few months. Maybe this will motivate me to get through all my reading and outlining this week.

My Dad moves to Houston in a week for his new job and that means I will get to see him at least once a week. I'm sad my mom isn't moving too but she will be coming to visit in November!


Halloween- I don't particularly like to dress up but I do love seeing all the funny costumes other people wear. Plus, that means that cool weather is coming. I've been feeling the urge to buy pumpkins and have a pumpkin carving party. I need to find time to put that into my busy schedule.


My birthday is just around the corner (Nov. 11)! I love birthdays (especially mine)!


The Nutcracker Market- a tradition that my mom, me, and one of our old neighbors have done for many years. I look forward to this day every year. For those of you who don't know what it is, its a giant craft/holiday fair held at one of the convention centers in Houston. It takes just about the whole day to go through the entire market. So much fun!

(This is an actual picture of the market)

Thanksgiving! I get to go home to Chicago for 5 days! I can't wait to just be home and eat lots of yummy food. I can't wait to go back to my old church and visit. Even though I have to study like crazy while I'm there, I can't wait! And hopefully, it will be cold but not too cold.


And then finally, after finals I get to come home again to Chicago for Christmas! Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. I'm only going to be home for a little more than a week but I have so much I want to do! I really want to make sure I get to go here-

Its the Walnut Room at Macy's (used to be Mashall Fields) in downtown Chicago. They have great food and the tree is always so beautiful.

These are just a few of the things I'm looking forward to in the next few months. Now, back to the books and the never ending task of law school!