Merry Christmas

We wish you a
Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Mike, Becka & Darrell

...ing...

Struggling…with my sleeping habits. I sleep wayyy too much and I'm missing out on life.

Hoping…that my sister's wedding planning goes smoothly.

Praying…for the health of my family.

Laughing…at my dog peeking out from under a blanket.

Fighting…the urge to gossip.

Missing…days without responsibility.

Worrying…about traveling this winter.

Pushing…myself to be more fun to be around.

Reading…the last book of the Harry Potter series. Having a tough time getting started.

Remembering…how good Coke tastes from a Santa can.

Wishing…for a productive 2009.

Bags

For years I have been bothered by bags... Like the sacks you get from a store when you buy something. I get angry when I get home from shopping or the grocery store and have all these plastic bags. I do the best I can to reuse them as garbage bags, dog poop picker uppers, etc. but there always seems to be a surplus of plastic bags at my home. Last summer I bought reusable grocery bags. They are wonderful! Inexpensive too (four bags for $5). I want to pinch myself when I forget to bring them to the grocery store. Yes, I'm *that girl* at the grocery store trying to carry ten items out to her car without a sack.

This Christmas shopping season I found this bag:
Love at first sight! And how cute is it? Victoria's secret - $20 (I got it for $10). Worth every penny. I got the blue one. I bring it on all my trips to the mall. You're welcome Mother Nature.

Rant

Who: My husband (Mike) and myself
What: Thanksgiving
When: 2008
Where: Dubuque (Mike) and Sioux City (myself)
Why: Why not?

I heard a lot of snotty comments regarding our decision to go our separate ways for Thanksgiving. Here is what I wish I would have thought of quick enough to say in return...

• It's our decision. Not yours.
• We love spending time with each other's family. It's not about that.
  
• Our families live FIVE hours apart, therefore, not enough hours in a day to see both.
• Just because we go our separate ways for a holiday doesn't mean we're fighting, getting divorced, or don't like each other.
• You have no right to judge us when (gasp) you and your spouse's families live in the same area.
• We are best friends. We are happily married. We are in love. We don't have to go everywhere together to prove this to anyone.

This rant is not directed toward anyone (that I know of) who reads this blog. I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening!

D-U-N

A few months ago, after donating eight bags of clothes to the Goodwill, I promised my husband that I was DONE buying clothes. Our bedroom is overflowing with my clothes. Shopping is my drug of choice. It's an illness. Anyway, I didn't keep my promise and I continued to buy more and more clothes. Yesterday as I put away piles of clothes that I didn't need... I swore to myself that I was DONE buying clothes for a while. D-U-N. And I was done. Until, I saw this coat at TJ Maxx...........
It was practically glowing, it was so gorgeous! With orange being my favorite color, I knew it was meant to be. So I tried it on and guess what? It fits! Plus it was only $15! And now, I am officially D-U-N buying clothes.

Enjoy a couple cute pictures of Darrell:

Engaged

Last week my sister Brooke got engaged! A lovely stallion named Nate Pischke asked for her hand in marriage. You know what this means... I get to be the maid of honor! (It's always about me.) Here is a picture of the happy couple:I'm excited to have Nate as a permanent part of our family. The bachlorette party plans are already in progress. Does anyone know where I can get a three foot tall chocolate cake for a midget stripper to jump out of? (just kidding Brooke)

My fabulous family: (left to right) Leah, Billy, Yours Truly, Mike, Nate, Brooke, Mom, Dad

Yay or Nay?

A couple years ago I bought this tree on clearance for $5. I love it! It's a two feet tall, has wonderful silver tinsel, and to top it all off... it's fiber optic! Purely magical. (OK, I'm exaggerating but I do love it). The only problem is... Mike hates it. He thinks it looks *trashy.* What? He said, "There's a reason it was on clearance." Humph. Any opinions?