Oh, and who needs Santa...

when you look out the window on Christmas morning and see this!?!

Trying...

to get back into the swing of things after a long holiday weekend.

I feel refreshed and full. Both my stomach and my spirit were crammed full of so many goodies this past week. I was reminded why I love being part of a big family, and I treasure all the warm memories we made together this Christmas. Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, husbands, nieces, nephews. The house was crowded, the kids were a riot, and all was merry and bright.

And of course I had my new camera in everyone's face all weekend. So much fun!! I leave you today with these little goodies:

Ahhhhhhh.....

Bear hugs from brothers...

Dad's omelets and toast...

The classic Christmas tree that I've decorated every year my entire life...

The smells of my childhood...

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!



Happy Holidays!! Enjoy all the love, peace and joy of the season!

Is there anything like it?

Try it sometime this month. Turn off all the house lights, turn on all of the Christmas lights - the tree, the lighted garland, candles - and just sit. Feel free to add some hot chocolate or spiced cider and some traditional holiday tunes, and then just be. Don't think about the gifts you have to buy yet, the cards you have to send, the baking you have to do. Just be in the moment. Soak up the peace, the sparkle, the magic of it all.

Really, is there anything like it?

I DID IT!

And I'm still alive to tell you about it. That's the real treat!

Today, I learned to snowboard all over. You know that landfill-turned-ski-hill I learned on? Yeah, this was a whole different beast. Luckily, the snow here was much, much softer so the tremendous face-plants I did were border-line fun!

It was a gorgeous day on the mountain. Light snow, great temperature, and not really any wind. It was, however, foggy, so for those of us who had no idea where the heck we were going - as we try to guess which is the "blue" run and which is the black diamond that apparently run right next to each other, but I digress - that was the challenge.

So my bum is a little sore, my knees don't like me very much, and I did a little chiropractic work to my neck on one of my spills. But then I remember that moment when we were at the top of the mountain and in the distance the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the surrounding mountains. All I can say is that it was absolutely breath-taking. If for no other reason, that minute the sun was lighting up the landscape made the whole day worth it.

Now, where is that ice pack???

CHEERS...

... to Old Navy for selling me the pair of jeans that I have been searching high and low for for 10 years (and at a VERY reasonable price, I might add) !! They sit on my hips in the perfect spot - not so high I feel like I am wearing a corset, and not so low I moon the poor innocent public when I sit down. They frame my bum just perfectly. And most importantly, they are the perfect amount of lazy-weekend-hang-out comfy.

In fact, I may have found my new "I don't have a job" uniform. So long, comfy purple fleece pajama pants, HELLO COMFY BOY-CUT OLD NAVY DENIM!!

Today I'm loving...

1. oatmeal cookies. Mmmmm.

2. that we finally figured out how to get our fireplace to work without smoking ourselves out of our apartment.

3. (and what I'm loving most) that I got this fabulous little work of art in the mail today from my two-year-old niece! LOVE IT! I am inspired.

There he sits...

...rockin' out on his Jay Turser, totally engrossed in his music and looking oh-so-sexy. And I can't believe I am married to him, this sensitive, loving, number-crunching, guitar-playing hottie. How did I get to be so blessed?

about that time...

Holy smokes, Batman! Only three weeks left until Thanksgiving!

So yesterday and last night it DUMPED snow in the mountains. And lucky me, just two days ago I got my new snowboarding boots in the mail. Just in time! That means this weekend I get to learn how to wax my brand-spankin'-new board, and then we'll be good to go!

Gosh, I almost make it sound like I'm not terrified of snowboarding on an actual mountain. Me being the Mid-Western girl who lived as far as anyone can from a mountain range. I've been snowboarding TWO whole times in my life, and let me tell you, it was not on a mountain. In fact I believe it was on, and I'm not joking here, an old landfill that was covered with dirt and made into a ski hill! Lets just say the reality of snowboarding at a real, live Rocky Mountain ski resort has only given me high blood pressure and chest pains once or twice... It's gonna' be GREAT!!

in 20 years I'm going to love this...

"So, just how old are you, Becca?"

"I turned 24 a couple weeks ago."

"Oh my gosh! Really!?! I have a sixteen-year-old daughter that looks older than you!"

"Mmm... well isn't that special."

where now?

Do you ever feel like some days you are just going in circles? The same circles you've been going in for months?

Today is one of those days. I'm still trying to find a job, and I'm pretty sure I've already seen all of the scenery I'm passing in this little venture I'm going in circles. Mostly though, the circles are my own that I have created.

Let me clarify: It's not that there are no jobs here. There are just not the kind of jobs that I can see myself being passionate about. Like every sane person, I want to find a job I will not just like, but love. A job that fulfills me. BUT... the jobs in my chosen career field just don't look all that appealing to me from the outside. I've been doing some soul-searching, and I am coming to a scarey conclusion; I spent four years getting a college degree that I just am not that thrilled with anymore. Great.

Here is just a little glimpse of what I am learning about myself. I haven't had a job for 4 1/2 months now, so I've been discovering hobbies like crazy. I dove right into scrapbooking, pretty much have every room of my future dream home designed and decorated in my head, and have gotten very excited about photography. Each of these hobbies has just reinforced what I always knew: I am a visual person. DESIGN MOVES ME!! Colors inspire me. Line, form, light facinate me. The act of creating drives me.

So now my challenge is to put the pieces together and decide what I want for my future. At this point, I don't know what direction that will take me. But I'm on my way. I'll get there. I'll get out of my rut and find new scenery. I'm sure of that.

How I know we're not in Fargo anymore...

I just had to laugh when I saw this outside this afternoon. Note the neat piles of fallen leaves under the trees. Are you kidding me? If this were Fargo, those leaves would be blown and scattered ALL OVER that pretty green grass like you wouldn't believe.

huh??

Ok, a weird thing is happening to me as the thermometer drops... I'm a little excited for fall to be here! WHAT?!?!

Here's the thing... every year right around August, I start getting deathly afraid that winter is getting closer and closer. It's true. May is my favorite month of the year, because the weather is beautiful and winter is FAR FAR AWAY. Then once June passes, I can hardly enjoy the rest of summer because I know that winter is creeping itself closer and closer to me. It's ridiculous, I know, but I'm not kidding.

But this year, something has gone awry and I am finding myself pulling out fall decorations with glee. In fact, I was excited yesterday to buy apples at the grocery store to match the wonderful new decor the apartment is sporting. And I can't wait to light those vanilla and pumpkin spice-scented candles I put away after Thanksgiving last year. Huh?? What is going on?

Perhaps a change in geographic location has prompted this paradigm shift. Or perhaps all the rich, warm colors and smells and the comfy blankets and the cool breezes of fall remind me of home.

Mmmmm.... I miss home.

The mother of all comfort foods...

I have this great memory from my childhood: I was probably in 5th or 6th grade. It was a Sunday evening, and I had a terrible sore throat. Dad went into problem-solving mode and made me a cup of hot chocolate. Then he got out the honey jar, added a spoonful to the drink, and told me that is the secret ingredient to fix a sore throat. What a Dad, and what a cure! Mmmm...

So, today I woke up with a doozy of a sore throat. You know, those kind that feel like you have a fireball lodged in your esaphagus. You could spend the day drooling and not feel bad, because there is no WAY you want to even try to swallow. Well, I dug into my favorite memories of home remedies and got to it. One cup of milk, a packet of Swiss Miss and a spoonful of honey later I was good as new! Honestly, that little trick works like a charm.

Thanks, Dad. You can bet that is one thing I will never forget.

And now I must wipe the drool from my chin and get on with my day!

It's the little things, really

Friday night, a little miracle happened. Phil and I walked in the rain.

Now, sure, if that would have happened five months ago I certainly would not have considered it a miracle. But moving from Fargo to a desert has definitely changed my perspective. That was the first chance we had in 3 months to feel raindrops trickle down our faces, or splash in fresh puddles on the sidewalk. It was unbelievably refreshing.

So it makes me wonder; what other little gifts from God have I taken for granted? I look for big things to get excited about, to measure my successes and my quality of life. But then a walk in the rain happens, and I remember that a great life is not about drama. It is about the walks in the rain, the phone call from a friend, the good-night kisses. It's about the little things.

Enjoy!

Gotta' have some...

Color!!
Today I found out exactly how long I can live in a place with white walls. Three months and two weeks after we moved into this apartment, I just could not take it anymore. I needed color!

So, here's what happens when they tell Becca she can't paint the walls: Becca finds a loop-hole. All it took was 3 yards of awesome red fabric, a can of spray-on starch, and a good iron. Voila! We have a red wall!!


I'm soooo loving our living room now. Funny how all it takes is 3 yards of color, and it feels as though we have a whole different apartment. It is a wonderful, glorious jolt of character to our life. Ahhhhhh......

And we're off...

I'm starting this blog to give myself motivation to write every day. Tried the journal. Didn't work.

Anyway, I really hope this becomes a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. We're missing you all!

Things I'm loving today:

1. Dave's new masterpiece, "Stand Up"

2. that I could make myself stop playing Chuzzle (silly internet games!) after just one round!