Best of Christmas

Unfortunately another Christmas has come and gone... I always love seeing Christmas come but I hate seeing it be over. It is definitely the most wonderful time of the year and by far my favorite! But it did leave us with a few epic memories. In review, the best of Christmas 2010:

1. My dad's festive foot cast
2. Cleaning the church on Christmas Eve
3. Scavenger hunting for presents (sorry Ashlie)
4. "If Santa comes and I miss him because of you, this Christmas is over!"
5. "It's an... empty shoe box?... with an IOU... really?!"
6. Josh Groban's I'll Be Home for Christmas, and yes... mom crying
7. Wii bowling and Just Dance (nice moves Greg!)
8. Shopping with the nephews (read: them eating McDonald's while you do the shopping)

So much food, family, and fun. I LOVE Christmas!!!

Christmas Time is Here

It's the most wonderful time of the year and so deserves the best treats of the year!

Step #1: Borrow a cute idea from here

Step #2: Get the Goods
Step #3: Dip in Chocolate... what else is there?!

Step #4: Arrange in a Mouthwatering Display complete with Holiday Card!
And voila!!!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Well, we decided that the awful pink paint in our apartment had more than worn out its welcome (if it ever had one) and definitely needed to go! And Tim, being the handy man that he is, jumped at the opportunity for a do it yourself home project. So, I picked out the paint, Tim did the work, and Ta Da! It's like a whole new apartment! We decided on green, a very lovely shade if I do say so myself.

It looks something like this,

and went on something like this,

But for some reason all the pictures turn out like this.

Not attractive! It really doesn't look that green though, and it feels way better than the pink! We never actually officially got permission to do this, but I think it's safe to say they won't mind the improvement.

sick sick sick...

For Thanksgiving this year Tim and I had an awesome time with his family. Everyone congregated in Boise, and besides the fact that they don't watch the Macy's Day parade (still troubled by that one) and us finishing last in the ping pong bracket, being home for the holiday was fantastic! Plenty of good food and good fun!!

I did however manage to catch a nasty case of strep throat... I don't know what it is about me, I'm an illness magnet. I am fairly acquainted with strep throat (read: I get it all the time), but it never gets less miserable to have. And I have a 20 page paper due on Friday. So, unlike last year's swine flu, I went to the doctor, am now 2 days into a 10 day round of penicillin, and I can swallow again mostly pain free. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

Huge shout out to Tim! That wonderful man picked me up last Sunday morning after a 12 hour night shift at the hospital and let me sleep while he drove us to Boise, and then yesterday he made me a bed in the back of the car and let my 102-degree feverish self sleep while he drove all the way back home. Probably not his favorite trip ever, but I am sure grateful!

Halloween

Well Halloween costuming this year was a bust... we went as a stressed out nursing student and a lonely husband. There's just something about no sleep, 12 hour hospital days, and living in textbooks that hasn't really put me in a very festive mood I guess. Unfortunately Tim being off track and ready for some holiday fun makes my nonfestiveness look even more lame. Poor guy has been practically wifeless all semester. A month and a half down, 2 more to go!

We did manage to get into the Halloween spirit a little bit though, treats, a movie and pumpkin carving, not too bad! Never mind that we were almost 2 weeks late...

Tim's pumpkin turned out really cool! Mine would have, but I got too frustrated and it started failing instead. So I decided to let it go and leave it with the happy image of what could have been.

Nobody dips a caramel apple like I do though, Amen.

Tim's 23!

Tim turned 23 yesterday, he's getting to be such an old man! Since his birthday was on a Sunday the lucky little ducky got to celebrate twice! We spent all day Saturday up by the lake, even though it was chilly (read: freezing cold!)...

Red Robin for dinner that night...

And breakfast in bed with homemade fondue for dinner Sunday night. Not too bad birthday boy!

On Headaches

I think I may be on my way to becoming an expert on headaches. I am currently writing the definitive work on the subject actually. It does not have a planned completion date just yet due to the almost constant manifestation of new and unexpected data, but keep your eye out for the publication. It should be epic.

I have determined that these nuisances (or at least mine anyway) can be classified into four different file folders:

File Number 1: Usually not enough sleep and/or not drinking enough water... but sometimes they come and don't match either one. Though irritating, this brand of headache is not usually what I would describe as painful and can often be cured with a few glasses of water and a nice long nap (at least 2 hours). However, if not properly treated, they often progress to the File Number 4 type and require an Excedrin.

File Number 2: These are kind of mean little buggers. They like to come on right before I go to bed, wake me up from a decent sleep, or even be there to meet me when I wake up. They are mostly just a bothersome kind of pain, and I can usually beat them by getting right to sleep. But if they A: outlast the sleep, B: come while I'm asleep, or C: are there when I wake up, then typically I can count on them being my companion for quite a while. They can progress to, again, that blessed File Number 4 and sometimes need meds. But usually I can outlast the discomfort.

File Number 3: This one is the most recent addition. I think they are "tension headaches" & are probably from carrying 500 books all over campus all day... but they are fairly painful. It usually hurts in my neck and up to the very base of my skull. It gets super tender to the touch and I often end up feeling nauseated. I usually try to sleep it off, and if it's early enough that can work. I've also discovered that putting pressure on the sore spots, massaging them, or laying on a rolled up towel with my neck slightly flexed can sometimes do the trick. But again, if they persist they can lead to File Number 4 type and really be a treat.

File Number 4: This one is my migraine file and could probably have it's own filing cabinet and system. Oh blessed migraines... unfortunately I have yet to discover just what it is that brings them on, but it is by far my favorite (read: most painful, most miserable, most common, and longest lasting). From a wise father who suffers with the same kind of fun coupled with some unfortunate experiences, I have learned to carry Excedrin Migraine with me everywhere. It is a lifesaver!!! Of course this file has subgroups: miserable, more miserable, and most miserable.... but I think I will save this for another day and expound on them later.

I have a lot of fun with headaches, as you can tell. Lately the days I end up with some kind of headache have far outnumbered the days that I am headache free - such a drag! Tim and I have been getting into the green smoothie fad, hopefully that helps. And I'm wondering if I'm allergic to something in the salsa we buy. Every time I eat it my tongue gets all sore... could be a lead? Who knows, the journey to answers never ends!

I'm glad I have a place like a blog where I can thrill you all with my pointless ramblings...

Oregon!

This past weekend was my cousin's mission farewell in Oregon . She and I did a lot of growing up together and I really wanted to be there. Besides, aside from the honeymoon, Tim and I had never really gone on any kind of road trip together... sad... so we went! And it was so fun! My mom and Amy and the little boys decided to go too, and Amy had the GPS, so we followed her. It worked out pretty nice. I think we could easily make this road trip thing a regular happening, Tim is a pretty fun car companion, and I love to go see things! We'll have to see what we can map out next... Oregon today, the world tomorrow!

Pool Party

My wonderful father had a birthday last week, and what says Happy 51st Birthday Dad! like a surprise BBQ and pool party with all of your kids and grandkids! So much fun! I really love surprise parties!!! Tim and I snuck over to Boise and my siblings kept everything else quiet... at least I think they did, maybe he really wasn't surprised. We had a blast anyway though! Happy Birthday Dad, sure love you!

At Grandma's House

Tim had to work all day today, so I packed myself into the car and went down to Idaho Falls for a day of jamming and gardening with grandma and grandpa. I truly am the product of wonderful people, my grandparents are absolutely the best! I left the house today with empty plastic containers and came home with a year’s supply of freezer jam, a fridge full of fresh greens, lots of hugs and some wonderful memories! Love you grandma and grandpa!

 

Living Room Striping

Well school has been out now for a couple weeks, very nice! And as it turns out it had been a while since we last made it over to Boise. Never to fear though, we found a free couple of days and a fun project! Not having your own home doesn't have to be an excuse to put off home makeover projects. Meet mom's living room:

Very nice! Thanks to my Aunt Barbara for the idea and pat on the back to Tim for the straight lines, he's good! And thanks mom for the breakfast at Cracker Barrel, one of our favorites! We'll come paint for you any time!

Year One Down

One year ago today we were married and have been just as happy as two people can be! It's hard to believe it's already been that long. It's awesome and such a blessing to know that you have your favorite person to be with for the rest of forever and we look forward to plenty more joys the years will bring!

Oh July

Well this month is almost over and has been quite busy! We saw a holiday, the end of a semester, some nice weather and lots of family!

4th of July was wonderful! Good food, good company, and of course good fireworks! Idaho Falls always does an impressively good job with their show, definitely another Eastern Idaho must!

A few weekends ago my dad and Dianna came over to IF. Dianna has some family that is involved in theater over here and we plus them and my grandparents all went to see Oklahoma! Would you believe I had never seen that one all the way through? It was really good though and lots of fun!

And last but certainly not least, this weekend Tim and I needed a good cheap date idea, so we built a fort! And it was the most awesome fort ever made by man... and woman!!!! Nuf' said

Enough is Enough

Wednesday marked a month and a half since my first bad dream fiasco, and since then it has only been an ongoing, losing battle.

I've tried Sleepy Time herbal tea, reading something good before bed, watching a good movie before bed, humming a favorite hymn, making Tim stay awake until I fall asleep, falling asleep with a dim light on, sleeping with the door open, sleeping with it closed... you name it and I've checked it off the list. All to no avail.

But I am constantly exhausted and was barely making it through finals week... not to mention now the happiness of my summer vacation is at stake. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I decided to ignore studying for a while a few afternoons ago and I did a little bedroom makeover. I totally rearranged everything; moved the bed, washed all the blankets, switched the dressers, rearranged the books on the shelves, I even vacuumed everything. And wouldn't you know we are going on restful, bad-dream-free night number four. I am just as thrilled as can be. I hate to jinx it, but could it be that we may have found the cure?!

Fun Times Four

What a busy weekend! Darcy came, Amy and Aiden came, dad and Dianna came, and the Blue Angels came… I think I’ll go ahead and review them in that order.

First of all, my best friend came to visit!!! So much fun! Every time we get together it’s just like the old times! Poor Tim was quite the trooper, he spent the night on the couch so Darcy and I could have the bed and he suffered through Michael Jackson's This Is It movie with us… what a guy. She stayed til Saturday evening, definitely not long enough, love that lady!

Amy and Aiden showed up Friday afternoon so Friday night we had a full house. They had come up for the Blue Angels air show (see item number 4, which is also why dad and Dianna came actually, see item number 3). This time though Amy and Aiden took the bed, and Tim and I took the air mattress in the living room with Darcy on the couch. Again, poor Tim had to deal with the giggling, but so it goes!

Saturday morning was the air show at the Idaho Falls airport. We met dad and Dianna in IF for breakfast at North Highway Café (where else is there?) and then went on over. It was way too hot, but really cool. They put on such an awesome show, I’d go again today if I could! The day would have ended better though if it weren’t for the 2 hour line we had to stand in to get back out of the place when it was over... sheesh

Hands down the best part of the whole experience was getting a migraine headache and throwing up all that yummy breakfast in a nearby flowerbed, classic. It’s a shame no one saw, it was one of my prouder moments for sure… no bueno! :/

I cannot take credit for any of these pictures, my camera died, of course. These are the product of my dad’s handy work.

Sleepless Nights

Well, it's been a few weeks now since my first bad dream episode and unfortunately my potential for restful nights only has a more dismal prognosis. I don't know what the deal is but they are still happening, they are still just as vivid, and if anything has changed it's that they are more frequent.

I've worked myself into some horrible cycle now I'm afraid:
Round 1: I go to bed thinking of the dreams and even if I wasn't going to have one, I wake myself up every few hours afraid that one is going to come. I sleep on and off all night in some kind of subconscious hope that there won't be enough time for a bad dream to come... unpleasant.
Round 2:After so many nights of sleep like that, I finally get tired enough to really fall asleep, but then a dream does come and I'm up anyway.
And then we're back to round one for a while.

It's starting to wear me down. I love naps, that's no secret.... I'll snag one whenever I can. But lately they've become a way of life. Sleeping in daylight keeps the dreams from coming and I have to make up for the lost time somehow. Unfortunately life doesn't stop for sleepless nights...

...if only....

Awesome Award

My mom’s birthday was last Tuesday and to celebrate she and my sister and my two darling nephews came to visit! And though those arrangements may seem a little backwards, it was really fun. We had a good time, and Tim and I successfully completed the “How To Be the Coolest Aunt and Uncle Ever 101” course. Let me share some wisdom:

Step #1: Make “baby pizzas” and let them put as much cheese and pepperoni on as they want.

Step #2: Play really cool games

Step #3: Send mom and grandma away for a relaxing sleep at a hotel and let them sleep at your house

Step #4: Make lots of popcorn, let them play in a tubby, and have pancakes for breakfast

Step #5: Have pizza for lunch and play at the park

Successfully complete these 5 steps and bam! “Nanny and Tim are totally the coolest”! Plus we’re on mommy and grandma’s good list for a little longer, double bonus. Happy Birthday Mom! Thanks for a fun weekend, you’re the greatest!