Travel Fever

This past week I've felt as though I've been transported back to my childhood and the restlessness leading up to Christmas; how many days until Santa will arrive, Nana and Mom filling the house with the delicious smells of treats to come, and Dad and Pappy watching football. (Dad's one chance a year!) Now that I'm grown, the restlessness is the same, but the reasons are a little different; the excitement thinking of family and friends opening their gifts, traveling to get to see the people I love most in the world, and creating new magic and new memories with Adam for our own family. Thursday morning we take off for Hawaii, the first time we've been back together since we got engaged there in 2007, and the first Christmas with my family since. The first year we were married, it was just impossible to make it so soon after our honeymoon, the second Christmas we had big plans to come and ended up needing to buy a car instead---this year we were prepared, and bought our tickets all the way back in July!! The sad part about this year is that while Adam and I are finally able to celebrate my favorite holiday with my family, it's the one year in what seems like forever that my Dad will have to stay behind and work. While it's sad, and frustrating, it makes me grateful that there are things like Skype, and that while he'll miss time with us, he'll be celebrating with Granio (his mother) back in DC this year. So....until Thursday I am here in limbo. Not sleeping terribly well, feeling like there simply isn't enough to do, and packing and re-packing my things as if something is missing and this 5th time when I pack, it'll be just right.

I am driving myself crazy. Anyone else antsy with holiday anticipation?

Packing

I'm never very good at packing for trips. It takes me about 3 or 4 rounds of going through all my selections to make it to the point where it's a small enough amount to make it into the suitcase. This Christmas my dilemma has changed a bit, with my weight loss sine July, my focus hasn't really been on replacing summer clothes. Unfortunately, when you're going to Hawaii for 2 weeks, it's awfully tricky to pack with 1 skirt, no shorts and only a few warm weather shirts that fit. Incredibly frustrating, especially when a "well, let's just go buy more!" is not in the cards. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be getting my old body back, but it would be even better if I were getting free clothes too! ;)

Here's to round 3 of packing!

Christmas Pictures

This year, we decided that instead of using a picture from one of our trips or events of 2010, we were going to take a brand new picture.Partially motivated by wanting to include our pups this year, and also selfishly motivated by my near 30lb weight loss this year! (I know, can you believe it?!) As cute an idea as it was, I had no idea just how difficult getting two people and three dogs to pose all at the same time was going to be! Luckily my friend, and our photographer, Cydney, is quite the animal person and made it work. Now if we could just finish our Christmas letter we could get our cards on the way! Here is the winner, along with a few we loved that didn't make the cut.

Thanksgiving 2010

Continuing our "Cousins Thanksgiving" tradition, we celebrated our holiday of thanks with our cousins Shannon & Kyle for the third year in a row. Last year was the first in Oklahoma, with the addition of a baby Meg. This year it was even more exciting with Meg at an active 15 months and our first races on Thanksgiving day! Next year should prove to be even more interesting since the VanHeests will be up to a family of 4! Thanksgiving started very early for us all this year.

Edmond had its first ever Turkey Trot, where you could either do the 1 mile family "wobble", like Shannon, Kyle & Meg did, or you could participate in the 5k race as Adam & I did!

This was my first race of the year, with my goal being the OKC Half-Marathon in May, and Adam participated for support. It was 28* and we were running into a 15mph N wind half the race, but it was TOTALLY worth it! I was nearly in tears when we finished. Partially because of my hip, ha, and partially because I couldn't believe I'd just run a race, and I loved it! We headed home together, full of smiles and encouragement, ready to start the rest of our day together--which mainly consisted of Shannon & me in the kitchen, although Adam did make our fabulous main dish. We changed up the traditional meal this year, since Adam and I are eating fish, but no longer meat, and it was all wonderful.

We had artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, and cheese to snack on through the day, and dinner was full of salmon, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn pudding, mushroom stuffing, and wild rice! For dessert there was pumpkin cheesecake, buttermilk pie, and a wonderful apple cobbler. YUM! We spent our time talking, chasing Meg, watching the dogs play, puzzling, and watching Jim Carrey's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". We had hobo dinners with Thanksgiving dinners, listened to Kyle play carols on his guitar, skyped all of our parents, and laughed.


It was lovely. The weekend went by incredibly fast, but it was a great one. We all thought, and spoke, on what we had to be grateful, and there was a lot to say. The one repeated was, family.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Brandon's Birthday

November 7th, a fabulous holiday because it's 8MS's birthday. Brandon, unlike the rest of us as our birthdays passed, announced that rather then go out he wanted to get alot of people together and make pizzas and drink good beer.

And, being Brandon, he meant HE wanted to make all the pizzas...and if there is one thing you don't turn down, it's 8MS's pizza. YUM!

We had a great night and were able to hangout with some friends passing through town that we hardly see.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

A Christmas Tour

I know I haven't posted about our wonderful Halloween, where my frousin Shannon and her little girl came down for a visit, or about Brandon's ridiculous birthday, or even about "Cousins Thanksgiving" in Oklahoma, that included my first race! That being said, I will get to posting sometime this weekend---I promise! But for now, and mostly for my mother, a Christmas tour of the new house.

Happy Holidays!

PK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yQKqNPzzo0

Halloween Weekend 2010

This year, for the first time in many, we kept our costumes packed away, attended no parties, and had but 3 trick-or-treaters. Instead, we were lucky to get a 4 day visit from my cousin, and close friend, Shannon and her adventurous toddler, Meg.

We got plenty of much needed girl time, the chance to celebrate the surprise when she told us of the new baby to be, and pumpkin carving. On one of our afternoons, we took Meg out to my best friend Cydney's barn to run around and play with all the animals.

We had a great weekend and were sad to see them go Sunday afternoon.

Sunday night we did have the Seals children as our only trick-or-treaters, and enjoyed some pizza and scary movies with Cydney & Brandon. Another holiday well celebrated. :) I hope your Halloween was just what you were looking for this year!

Anniversary Surprise

Our best friends, Cydney and Brandon McCullough, are our family. They cross the boundaries of friendship and have worked into a rhythm of life with us like only family can. We eat dinner with them weekly at our homes, in the summer there were long bike rides with snocones as the end prize, and there's always time for movies with them. When their anniversary came around in September, Adam and I dropped off a surprise gift them; some champagne, chimay (for non-beer people, it's an incredible, single bottled beer), and left them a note. Easy to do since we have keys to each others homes. (Like I said, family.) When we came home from our date Monday night, celebrating our anniversary, we were met with this:

The note on our log read, "Happy Anniversary! We love you both so much. PS: Share the wood and follow the trail. Love Cyd & B". We did just that and followed the cut wood throughout our home until it led us to the back door. Outside, waiting for us and our new yard, was a beautiful chiminea. I had to wait until the next day to get a good picture, but it was one of the sweetest gifts we've received, and we can't wait to share it with them, or anyone else who cares for a visit!

Also, just for fun, I've included a couple pictures of some of our "babies"....

Here you have Marzapan, basking in the sun and enjoying her new found freedom as an indoor-outdoor cat. Unfortunately Adam was attempting to build at the time, and her perch was his lumber!

And ofcourse, last but not least, Kitri, posing in all the bush we had trimmed over the weekend, smiling for the camera!

Two Years of Happiness and Excitement

Today marks the day, two years ago, that Adam & I became our own family. That once we turned towards our families and friends we became, as Holly said "Adam & Kaitlin, the couple that will never have to change their monogram". Every year has its ups and downs, and every year I feel our bond grow stronger, and tighter as if an invisible piece of twine runs between our hearts, no matter how far from each other we are. The perfect compliment to my soul and being, I can imagine myself with no one else. Every time we are struck with a moment of bliss I take pause to remember how much I love this man, and how lucky I am to be loved and cared for by him. Our love causes me to remember my favorite, and I feel the truest, line from Les Miserables, "To love another person is to see the face of God."

Disposable Cameras: Lost, and then Found

This summer, we stumbled upon an old (we learned after developing, 6yrs old to be exact) disposable camera and decided to use up the rest of the film and discover what was on there! It turns out that the camera was originally Adam's from his senior year of high school, and due to it's natural camera quality, and that it had spent years in the Accord, experiencing all of Texas's seasons...the pictures came out with a nice 70s effect to them. Either way, I thought I would share a few of our favorites of the roll with you!

Our niece Elizabeth, and nephew Ethan came for a week in the summer and we were lucky enough to have them for a day. The highlight for them, and obviously to Dutchess, was the time spent lavishing attention on our grunty sweetheart in the papasan chair.

Here I am apparently channeling Ryan as we took our "gangsta" photo at Sally & Donald's Rehearsal Dinner

Here we are...at our finest, and fuzziest.

Last, but not least, my favorite. Adam's AP-Calculas class at Amarillo High, the week of AP tests (we were in separate classes, so thankfully I'm not pictured).

Ahh, memories... :)

Finding a New Home

So, our decision has been made---a commitment to a year lease on an amazing house here in Amarillo. We're still staying in the Bivins neighborhood we love (f0r my Fort Worth friends, think historic district/craftsman style). Our new address is not far from our old, you can now find us at 1024 SW12th Ave! I will be sure to post pictures soon, we are VERY excited! Days before we found it, we had been talking about our needs and wants in a home, and happened upon this one, which meets all of them. To fully experience just how wonderful it is, you'll have to come down for a visit!

We're All Getting Older, And The Parties Are More Fun

Adam's 25th birthday was upon us about a week ago, September 19th to be exact. We've adopted the O'Connell tradition of a "friends" party the weekend of your birthday followed by a family party on your actual birthday. Growing up, family dinner was always so special because for me it meant an abundance of cheesy spaghetti and plenty of double chocolate cheesecake, as the rule was you got your favorite food. We started our weekend off Friday night with dinner with our partners in crime-Cydney & Brandon. Recently, Adam and Brandon have joined a Men's Group that meets for 4 hours on Wednesday nights, and they had all planned to meet out Friday night at our local wine bar with their wives. So, after dinner---which was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, and I have to slide in the detail that Adam told Cydney (who was trying to help by making reservations) "just pick something yummy", we headed out to meet everyone at Crush.

The first of Adam's birthday surprises was that his best friend Mitchell met us at Crush, having just driven all the way in from College Station for the celebration.

It was fun to get to meet most of the guys Adam spends so much time with, and their wives especially!

After hours of talking and laughing, we headed to Mitchell's to swim and hangout in the hot tub, a very lucky thing to have a friend with such fun things at his disposal! Saturday brought us out to Greenbelt lake where we camped, cooked HoBo pizzas, played games and Adam opened presents. His first, from Cydney & Brandon was a beautiful pipe that is so very much Adam, and fitting too since Adam gave Brandon his first pipe last year.

I swear they're both really 65, trapped in 25yr old's bodies! The best surprise of all, although I am quite biased, was getting to give Adam his violin he's wanted for 4 years. He was so excited, and a day later already had a song down!

Sunday, his actual birthday brought us family day, and Adam's choice was to watch Mythbusters re-runs and eat grilled cheese with tomato soup, a very, very easy request to fulfill. I love that our way to celebrate is to spend as much time with our friends as possible, and then to relax and cut away the world on our family day, even if it's just for some grilled cheese. Happy Birthday Adam! I love you very much, and can't wait to celebrate the next!

Wedding Magic

This past weekend has been a flurry of activity, with one of my childhood friends finally getting married to her military man. They have waited several years, and after their wedding and honeymoon, will have to wait 6 more months before they get the chance to live together as a real family, so keep them in your prayers. Bright fall colors, beckoning a break from the heat, a beautiful bundle of girls, and a night of dancing made a gorgeous Saturday! Weddings in Amarillo, or in any smaller town, are always a treat because there are so many people you know, and from so many circles! Always someone to talk to in line, someone to dance with when your spouse needs a break, and someone to laugh with while certain people (read, Brandon and Adam) show their dance moves. Adam, Brandon, Cydney and I were among the last to leave, the dance floor's call was just too strong. At one point I was literally dancing all alone on the floor, I believe it was Lady Gaga, calling my name! I give you now, proof of a wonderful wedding....

Adam, Donald, Sally & Me

Adam & I Show How It's Done, Opening Up the Floor for the Twist

Our Family of Friends

Have I Mentioned Before How Much I Love This Man?

Brothers and Weddings and Camping--Oh My!

The end of July was a busy and exciting time for us here in Amarillo. My younger brother's best friends were getting married and that meant that we were lucky enough for him to be in town for nearly 2 weeks!!! Ryan is a man of popularity, and has missed his friends over the last year with his new life in DC. While we were happy he got the chance to hangout with all his friends, and enjoy being back in town, it was a little sad to just see him a few days. I embarrassed him terribly when it was time for him to go, crying at the airport when it was time for his check-in. We did get the chance to go camping at the lake, eat at our favorite hole in the wall, and watch some movies. The wedding was great, and Adam and I enjoyed ourselves (perhaps a bit too much) on the dance floor, particularly for the twist!

An American Holiday

The 4th of July has become one of Adam and my favorite holidays, next of course to Christmas and Halloween. (We are very big on the Christmas decorations and love love love dressing up for Halloween!)We were so excited to be back together again after the 2 weeks and 6 hours apart, that Adam surprised me with a romantic weekend trip to Santa Fe, one of our favorite cities!

It was a wonderful, sweet surprise and we had a fabulous time. We stayed at a hotel down the street from the square, and ate at our favorite and most amazing restaurant ever, Cafe Pasquals. YUM!

We spent the weekend walking around looking at art, eating from street vendors, and socializing our dogs. We brought both Dutchess and Kitri, and they were incredibly popular! We spent about 20min one day talking with an older couple there with three of their five shelties! One of which was so old, and with such terrible arthritis that he was being pushed around in a "doggie carriage!"

We also stopped by one of our favorite grocery stores that we miss here in Amarillo, Whole Foods. On our way back to the hotel we saw a Thrift Store with a vintage bike out front. Most of you know, we've been searching for bikes for us for some time. Of course we HAD to stop! I know, I know, we're dorks. Most people come back from Santa Fe with some turquoise or art, we come back with groceries and a bicycle! That's right, we bought her! A 1974 Free Spirit bike that I impulsively named Charmaine, and now no one will give me a 'do-over.' (pictures coming soon!!) :) We made it back to Amarillo the evening of the 4th in time to buy some fireworks and head over to Cydney & Brandon's to shoot some off and celebrate with our friend-family!

We had a wonderful weekend, and a great holiday!

Happy 4th of July to all of you!!!

Home in Hawaii

My time in Hawaii has been busy, emotional and less familiar. The years we spent here growing up have made this place my second home. I know the neighborhood intimately, can navigate all over the island, and know all the places the tourists don't. But this trip, things are different. While Mom & I have been making a morning escape to the beach as usual, we are coming home to help my grandfather manage everyday tasks, talking to my grandmother about help & options, and trying to stay on top of all that needs to be accomplished.

It's been good to be here, but it's been a difficult trip, and not at all like the past. Though, just when it seems the joy is gone from this house, and I feel as though things are changed forever, I can hear from the other room "Harriet, will you get me some ice cream? 3 BIG scoops!", or perhaps "Geraldine, where is she hiding all the chocolate in this place?!". As long as I can remember my Pappy, I can remember not understanding his nicknames for me. And I love them. Geraldine & Harriet, used interchangeably, and while cousins were about, Jade & I made the pair Tuesday & Wednesday.

Leaving makes me sad, but Adam and I have plans for Christmas, and hopefully without a car to buy, or a move to make, we'll be able to do it this year!! The plan is to buy our tickets August 1st, so hold me to that! Until then, I leave my Mom here to help continue the work we all started and know that at least they have the CNA at the house 4hrs a day now, which is a start. Hopefully with the time and attention, he will be able to focus more on his physical therapy and regain some of his finer motor skills and strength. While my mind has been here these last two weeks, my heart has been racing back across the ocean daily with Adam in Amarillo, and I am really looking forward to seeing him again.

Fathers Day

Fathers Day weekend this year is a little different then those of the past. While I'm celebrating with my Dad, who is off in New England with my younger brother, I am lucky to have almost all my family here in Hawaii to celebrate with our patriarch, my Pappy. A weekend of cousins giggling in the distant bedroom, uncles cooking in the kitchen and grandparents beaming with the luck of having almost all of us here at once for the first time in years.

Jade & I were together often when we were younger, trips to my great-grandmother's in Pennsylvania, the first trip to Disneyland when we were toddlers, and many summers at my grandparent's on Oahu. The older we've gotten, the less we've seen each other, and it had been 5 years since we'd last gotten together. It didn't take long to start laughing and joking again, and was fun to include "baby" Sarah this time. Weekends like this make me incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful family, and strengthen my desire to have children, because I know how lucky our kids will be to come into a family like this.