2010 Rewind

As we near the end of 2010, I like to look back on the year & all that it offered. That is the nice thing about keeping a blog! I find it hard to believe that this will be my last blog post of the year - of the decade! It's been an interesting year for us - a lot of good & a little bit of bad. But for the most part, we leave 2010 behind us feeling blessed, thankful for our family, our friends, our health, our jobs & thankful for the roof over our heads & money in our pockets!

Here is a recap of what went down in 2010:

January - I got to meet my newest nephew Cael: February - one of many fun nights with wonderful girlfriends:

March - Mama got a new "toy":

April - Vegas Baby: May - celebrated our 6th year anniversary:
June - my little brother was finally married: July - attended my 20 year High School Reunion:
August - celebrated another birthday:
September - spent Labor Day in Mitchell, SD with my family: October - road-trip to Minnesota for my nephew Cael's Baptism: November - trip to Wisconsin for my nephews' B-day party: December - spending the month with those that mean the world to me:

And there you have it. So long 2010.....hello 2011!

Here's hoping you all have many blessings & a wonderful, healthy & happy New Year!

Hugs to you all - HT :)

X-mas Party #4

Tonight I was supposed to be going over to my girlfriend Deb's house for the 4th & final Christmas party of the year with my girlfriends but the plans changed slightly. Instead, the x-mas party got moved to our favorite "happy hour" mexican restaurant - Rudy's! Why? Because my dear friend Deanna was in town & what better place to go than to our old stompin' grounds!

Deanna was home for the Christmas holiday & it was SO good to see her & catch up over margaritas while we reminisced about the good old days! Seeing her makes me miss her even more & it was sad to say our goodbyes & see her go :( HK & I are hoping to make it down to Austin, TX to see her in the spring! As always, we managed to get a few photos: L to R: HT, Deb, HK & Deanna

Oh how I love these girls :)

Christmas Whirlwind

On Thursday, Dec 23rd I headed up north to South Dakota to spend Christmas with my side of the family. Shane unfortunately had to work into Christmas Eve morning so he was unable to go with but was quite content staying home for the weekend tending to the furry kids & enjoying some peace & quiet!

I went over the river & through the woods to my mother & father's house I did go - all in about 7 hours time. When I walked through the door, I was greeted with hugs by two very cute little 3 year olds & it warmed my heart. Oh how I have missed those little punkins!

Once I got settled in, I let my niece open her birthday present which I have had since her birthday on Nov 27th. It was a "princess set" which included a dress, tiara, gloves, jewelry, a purse & glass slippers & she didn't hesitate in trying it on:So cute! She wore that outfit the rest of the night! Score one for Aunt Heather! The rest of the evening was spent visiting & catching up with family & playing with the little ones. We all turned in early as everyone had been traveling all day & as I laid down for the night, I said a little "thank you" prayer that everyone had made it there safely.

Friday was Christmas Eve & proved to be a very busy day for all of us. We began our morning by spending some time all curled up on the couch watching cartoons with the kids:

After lunch, we all got bundled up & headed outside for some sledding, cross-country skiing & LOTS of fun:

Joslyn & Tanner all bundled up (above)

<-My sister Jen, husband Ben & Tanner

Heather & Tanner ->

My niece Kyra & Joslyn (below)

After our afternoon outside festivities, we warmed up inside & got ready to make our way down to Parkston, SD for Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family. I talked about this yearly tradition here & the same tradition occurred yet again & was enjoyed by all.

After dinner & the gift opening, we managed to get a rare photo with my grandparents, most of their grandchildren & great-grandchildren - 3 generations:

<-My nephew Lane

My sister Jen, me & nephews Tanner & Cael ->

And our Christmas Eve wouldn't be complete without the homemade vanilla ice cream w/strawberries! I just love tradition....

Once we got back to my parents house, the kids put a plate of cookies together for Santa & even included a carrot for the reindeer to snack on. Then it was time for the little ones to go to bed & for Santa to make his appearance. We got all the presents under the tree, left some cookie crumbs behind on the plate for Santa & took a couple bites out of the carrot :) Then we too were off to bed anxiously awaiting the kids reactions to Santa's visit in the morning.

Christmas morning was spent sleeping in until 7am - much to our surprise & the kids were very excited by all the presents under the tree. They had so much fun opening all their gifts from Santa & the big kids even had a few presents under the tree.

After the gift opening, mom cooked everyone a fabulous breakfast & we spent the rest of the day hanging out, playing with the kids & all their new toys & just enjoying time with the family.

Later that evening, my grandparents, uncle & a family friend all came over & mom fixed a yummy dinner of turkey, BBQ'd pork ribs & all the sides. Eating a great dinner & visiting with family was a wonderful ending to a most fabulous day.

Sadly, on Sunday morning I said my goodbyes to the family & made my way back home to Kansas. Upon starting the SUV, this is what my temperature gauge said:

And it felt every bit of 3 degrees! It was a lovely visit with the family but I was looking forward to getting back home to the hubby & the furry kids. Hard to believe Christmas has come & went already - definitely a whirlwind of a weekend & I loved every minute of it!

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas weekend with your families as well!

Holiday Travels

I'm off to South Dakota tomorrow morning for 4 days of holiday fun with the family. Sounds like there is going to be snow up through Iowa so it could get dicey. Please pray I make it there safely!?

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with your families wherever you may be spending it! Will return on Sunday & update the blog shortly after with lots of pics & this weekends happenings.

Merry Christmas to you all :)

Pukey

On Tuesday, Dec 14th I posted about how I was off work sick for a couple of days with a cold & now it is a week later & I still feel pukey. I don't feel bad enough to NOT go to work but I don't feel 100% either. The dry cough is gone but I have tons of drainage & a sore throat along with feeling no energy & am extemely tired all day long.

So while I was at work today, I ran up to the Family Practice Clinic to be seen by my favorite family practitioner Dr. Teegarden. I needed to be seen anyway to refill a couple of prescriptions, order some yearly labwork & just do an overall check. During the exam she noticed my tonsils were red, swollen & had some pus pockets on them - eeewww :( Like I said, I didn't feel that bad but she still fussed at me for being at work with tonsils that looked like that. Who knew!?

Come to find out, my glands were very swollen, I had a low-grade fever & the throat swab results came back saying I have strep throat (lovely pic of A streptococcus on the left in lime green attaching themselves to healthy cells) NICE! No wonder I have felt bad this past week!? Probably have had a low-grade fever for over a week now! SO I left there with a prescription for a Z-pack & went straight to the pharmacy to get it filled. As much as I try to avoid going to doctors & being on antibiotics, I am thankful I went in. I am heading home to SD for the holidays & will be loving on little nieces & nephews & would hate to have passed this nasty bug onto them! My sister & SIL can thank me when I get there :)

Fast forward to 8 hours later & I awake from a deep sleep with instant nausea & run to the bathroom. Ended up getting sick (sorry for the TMI) & went back to bed with an upset stomach. Damn antibiotics. For something that is supposed to be good for you they can sure make a person feel like poo :( So I am at work, it is time to take another round of antibiotics & I am nervous for another "repeat episode" of last night. Thank goodness I only have to be on these for 3 more days!?

It is the holidays, I still have tons more to do before I leave town & I don't have time to feel this yucky! Hopefully I will start feeling better soon & the GI issues remain calm for the next few days!? And to all who have come in contact with me this last week - I am sorry :( I didn't know. I pray you all remain healthy & have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Hugs...

Top 2

Top 2 Favorite Christmas Memories

1) To this day, I don't think my mom knows this but growing up I would always make it my mission to find the "hidden" X-mas presents. "Santa" was pretty predictable year after year so they were usually found deep in my parents closet & I would "sneak a peek" at what was to be wrapped under the tree...every year. Sorry mom :( On Christmas morning there were a few surprises so I wasn't always able to see all the gifts! I also used to pick one gift under the tree not from Santa & would slit the tape open to see what it was & would ever so carefully tape it back up. LOL - definitely naughty was I :)

2) Growing up we made alot of holiday traditions & they have continued on all throughout the years. My siblings & I have grown to "expect" these traditions & when they change, it is not accepted well by any of us.

It all starts with Christmas Eve. We usually go to the evening service, then head over to my grandparents house where my aunts, uncles & cousins would gather for a late meal & gift opening. Every year we all sat in the very same spot & my aunt Denise would hand out the presents....always! Then after the gift opening, we would have homemade vanilla ice cream with strawberries along with many other desserts! It is always a treat that everyone looks forward to on X-mas Eve!

On Christmas morning, my siblings would wake everyone up at the crack of dawn & we would gather around the tree & open our presents. After the gifts were all opened, we grabbed our stockings to see what was stuffed in them. Then my mom would make everyone a fabulous breakfast & later in the afternoon everyone headed to a movie & when we returned home mom was making yet another fabulous meal for dinner.

38 years old & we still stick to these traditions every time I go home for the holidays. I hope to instill these kinds of traditions with my children & provide them with many pleasant memories as I have throughout the years.

Lunch & Gifts

I met my girlfriends Deb & HK for lunch today at Mia Ranchito's for our annual gift exchange! It is always a good time with these girls - especially when presents are involved :) I got a Yankee candle & warm, fuzzy socks from Deb & a cute pic of me & HK, scarf, & tons of candy from HK. It was a great lunch date with some holiday flare & wonderful friends!

X-mas Party #3

Christmas party #3 involved a Progressive Dinner-type gathering with our neighbors in the cul-de-sac. This is the 4th year that we have been doing this & a good time is always had by all. Shane unfortunately missed out on this year's festivities as he was headed up to WI for the weekend to pick up a camper shell for his truck. More on that later...

We started out at Dave & Gael's house where cocktails were provided & an appetizer was served.
Everyone mingled, ate, & had a cocktail & after an hour was up, we made our way over to the next house - Brian & Julie's - where there was soup being served.

There was Hot Apple Cider with Cinnamon Schnapps & Eggnog Martini's being served along with Taco Soup & our neighbors Tom & Laine brought over a Beer Cheese soup. Everything was so very good & hit the spot on a chilly night!

As we were all mingling, a Santa hat was brought out for everyone to wear! Now it's not just any Santa hat - this one has a little button on it that you push & the hat goes crazy bouncing back & forth to music. It was a hit at the party & everyone took turns wearing it - first Gael, then Julie & then me :)Next stop was the Taylor house. I had made several "heavy" appetizers which included: shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, meatballs, boneless chix wings & a meat/cheese tray. I figured since everyone would be drinking, that it might be a good idea if we fill up on some food with "substance" which seemed to be enjoyed by all.

Another hour had gone by & we were moving on to Mike & Linda's for cigars & martini's. The men moved outside to enjoy their cigars while Linda was stirrin' & a shakin' chocolate martini's for the ladies.While we were sippin' on Choco-Tini's & Black Santa's we also did our White Elephant gift exchange. There were many laughs as the gifts were being opened up & even quite a bit of "stealing" went on amongst the neighbors. The gifts usually consist of grabbing something random from around the house & putting it in a Xmas bag to be exchanged. Some of the gifts are pretty interesting to say the least.

Next place we were headed was over to Susie's for desserts & more cocktails. She had some yummy sweets for us to try: Cranberry Orange cookies, gooey chocolate bars, pumpkin dip & sweet liquors. After we indulged in the treats, we all gathered around the fireplace for a game of "What's Your's Like" which had us all trying to think & ponder the answer to the clue as well as many laughs from the group. We played & drank well into the evening & by midnight everyone decided to call it a night.

It turned out to be yet another successful holiday party in the cul-de-sac & much fun was had by all! As this year comes to a close, I think back these last 11 months & feel so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors. Not only are they our neighbors, but we consider all of them to be close friends & am thankful for all of their friendships. We look forward to what 2011 has to offer with these wonderful people!3 parties down - 1 more to go! Happy Holidays to you all :)