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!