Black Friday

Ahhh, Black Friday. Black Friday is actually one of the (less noble) things I am thankful for. To me it is a firm start to the Christmas season, and I'm on board with anything that has to do with Christmas, especially when it also has to do with shopping and spending money (two very fun things to do!).

I haven't always been a fan of Black Friday. I think it's only been the last few years, but now I'm crazy about it. Everyone in my family thinks it's the weirdest conundrum ever, since 364 days out of the year I am the girl who loves her sleep and won't get up early for anything. But on Black Friday I'm up and out the door before the sun comes up.

This year was the earliest I've ever gone. My alarm was set to 3:00 a.m. and Joe, my dad, and I were in line in the cold at Sears by 3:30! But we had a good reason. Joe wanted a T.V. And while I also wanted a T.V. I didn't want to spend the money for the 46"-er Joe had picked out. But on Black Friday, we could get that T.V. for $300 less, so there was our motivation.

There were only four of the T.V.s we wanted in stock when we got to the register, and the woman in front of us in line as well as the man in back of us in line all wanted the same one. Somehow, we all walked away with one! Unfortunately, the huge box wouldn't fit in the car WITH the two dogs and while Joe was (almost seriously) thinking about leaving the dogs with my parents so we could take the T.V. home, we ended up leaving the T.V. with my parents instead. (They will be up this weekend for an early Christmas celebration, so we don't have to wait long.)

Anyway, that was our big purchase, but we also went to Target, JC Penny, and Shopko for littler things we wanted/needed. It was definitely a successful trip!

Do you do Black Friday?

Thanksgiving Fun: Family Edition

So enough about the dogs, right? There are people in my family, too! :)

It's been a while since I've spent a holiday with my whole family. When Joe and I moved to the East Coast, we promised we would fly home for major holidays. But finances prevented us from ever doing so. My parents flew out for Thanksgiving both years, but I didn't get to see the rest of the family (well, except via Skype).

Also, with so many things going on with everyone in my family (other family obligations, work obligations, vacations, etc.) it's hard to nail everyone down for one big get-together. Actually, my aunt and uncle weren't supposed to be home for Thanksgiving this year, but due to weather conditions on the passes, they were 'forced' to stay home, which was great for all of us! (Unfortunately, my brother and sister-in-law and their kids weren't able to make the big party. Otherwise it would have been complete.)

Thanksgiving was at my aunt Kathy's house, and I always love when holidays are hosted there, because that house used to be my grandma's house. And my grandmas always used to host every major holiday. With my grandma gone, it's nice to have a little bit of her with us (not that she isn't always with us, she definitely is) in her family home.

Anyway, on to pictures!

Joe and Me

The three sisters! My aunt Kathy, my mom, and my aunt Bonnie.

The happy family! My cousin Christi, her boyfriend Brent, and their dog Bogey.

Close friends of the family: Pete, Barb, and their daughter Emily.

My aunt Bonnie and uncle Gary.

My dad and me.

The whole crew! Pretending to be in a 'Turkey Bowl'. (See, we're football players... I know, it's lame, but that is my family.)

Thanksgiving Fun: Dog Edition

We went to Wenatchee for Thanksgiving and yes, I literally have to divide my Thanksgiving post into two because I have so many pictures of the dogs. My cousin, Christi, recently got a new puppy and this was the first time Jackson and Ava were able to meet him. And he is cuuuuuute. I think Ava was jealous because she's always the cute one, but Bogey is frickin' adorable. And even smaller than Ava, so everyone finally could see how chunky Ava really is! He is a three-month-old Chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund mix) and is tiny and full of spunk. He even got Ava to play a little bit, and we all know Ava doesn't play. :)

The moms with the pups. :)

Introducing Bogey to Jackson. Jackson scared him a bit at first, but then they got along great.

See? Bogey is already giving Jackson a little sass.

Bogey is still a puppy, so he sleeps a lot. He liked cuddling with his grandma. :)

Bogey: "What did you get to eat?? I want some!"

Ava cuddled up in a blanket, and Bogey settled in on the top bunk. lol

Cutest cousins ever!

My mom with her 'granddog'.

Aunt Kathy showing off Bogey's best feature - his ears!

Sharing laps...

We had such a great time! I can't wait to watch these three dogs grow up together!

Halloween 2010

Sorry, I know this post is a tad bit overdue. :)

So, I was in Wenatchee during Halloween weekend for my cousin's wedding, and unfortunately Joe had to stay home since he works on Saturdays. So, I was alone this year for most of the Halloween festivities. Luckily, my cousin, who loves holidays almost as much as I do, invited me to the Halloween party she was attending, and of course I jumped at the chance!

We had a bunch of great costumes among all the partygoers, and I had so much fun. I asked my cousin what she was dressing up as, and she was all, "Oh, I'm just a referee." Yeah, right:

haha! Everyone was cracking up at her costume! (And there's me, the bunny!)

The party was held in a friend's garage. The garage was wallpapered with Halloween scenes - it was very cool and very well done. Outside there was a bonfire with haybales to sit on.

Avatar and Dolly Parton

Scary Clowns

Pirate, Avatar, and Dia de los Muertos


Ninja, Buddy the Elf, and Cowboy

Dia de los Muertos

This is my cousin's boyfriend, who ROCKED his Buddy the Elf costume.

The next morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. missing my husband terribly, so I headed back to Seattle before the sun even came up (very unlike me!). I got home around 9:00 and Joe and I spent the day lounging on the couch. (It was also our three week anniversary, so I really wanted to spend the entire day with him, which I got to do.) We hoped for trick-or-treaters but didn't get any, and watched "The Crazies", which was actually a scary movie with a good plot. Who knew?

Overall, I wish Joe would have been able to join in on the festivities, but I thought it was a very successful Halloween!

I hope everyone else enjoyed their Halloween.

And now I'm moving on! While I know Thanksgiving is technically next, I now pronounce this Christmas season! Bring on the colored lights, unique ornaments, bell ringers, Santa Claus, and holiday cheer! This is my favorite time of year!

My Cousin Weds in the Rain

On Saturday I had the honor of attending one of the most beautiful and personal weddings I've ever seen. My cousin Bruce married a wonderful woman Grace, at their home outside of Wenatchee. These two are a beautiful couple and a community filled with all walks of life came to celebrate their big day.

The live on a mountain off of a very narrow and bumpy dirt road, so only a few hearty vehicles were allowed up. Everyone carpooled to get there.

My crazy family, waiting to be allowed up the mountain.

Me with my nephew (his mom is in the background). It was a very casual wedding and very cold out and this little guy rocked his Halloween costume. So cute!

We made it up the mountain in the capable hands of my father and his big heavy duty truck. (We also made it back down in the capable hands of my father, which was a bit scarier, but my dad did a great job!)

As I said, it was cold out and on top of the mountain it was extremely foggy. But it was a gorgeous setting and the fog made it feel like this couple had the world all to themselves in that moment. And when it started to rain, no one cared, not even the bride, who was absolutely glowing.

My sweet cousin Bruce tearing up at the first sight of his bride.

A beautiful song by Grace's brother and sister-in-law.

A cleansing ceremony for not only the bride and groom, but the guests as well. Very cool.

Vows. (I bawled my eyes out. Seriously.)

It really was a beautiful ceremony with a variety of readings and stories that really spoke to the couple's lifestyle. They exchanged handmade wristbands instead of traditional rings, and were pronounced husband and wife. Then, they walked up to their home, where Bruce carried Grace across the threshhold. *love*

The reception was held on the other side of the house and included the most amazing food put together by the community of guests. There was also a huge bonfire to keep us warm and several live bands that kept the energy up!

My dad and me at the reception.

Me with the bride!

Congratulations Bruce and Grace! I wish you a lifetime of happiness, honor, and love!

Men at Play

While the girls were getting all dressed up for a photo shoot, the boys were heading to the golf course. Joe was able to golf with my family for the first time, and he said he had a great time (and 'didn't even make a fool out of himself' - his words!).

Pete, Brent, Joe, and Gary

Manly men doing manly things.

I love it when Joe gets to go golfing. Since we have been together, he really hasn't been able to hit the course as much as he would like (school, then finances got in the way). And he gets so incredibly happy when he gets to go - I can tell it's in his blood.

Hopefully these four will get to golf a lot more together now that we are back on the West Coast.

Surprise Birthday Party for my Aunt

As I've mentioned, we went to Wenatchee this weekend. We had a lot to do while we were there, but everything was fun, fun, fun!

That Friday night, when we rolled into town, we headed straight to the Country Club. My cousin Christi, the same one who threw Joe and I a shower Saturday afternoon, had planned a HUGE surprise 60th birthday party for my aunt Bonnie (her mom). She literally had been planning this thing for a year, and it was a huge success. (I'm telling you, Christi should be a professional party planner. She is that good.)

The party started at six and even though Joe and I left work early to head down there, we still didn't make it until 8:30 p.m., a half hour before the party ended (damn Seattle traffic!). But the party was still going pretty strong and we were able to see the birthday girl and my family.

This was before we got there - the moment of the 'surprise'.

She looks like she is trying to eat me, but she was just excited that I made it. :)

Chatting with my brother and sister-in-law.

The party planner and the guest of honor. :)

My brother and sister-in-law.

Me and my mom.

Okay, so the surprise party was awesome. But then, on Saturday, after the bridal shower, we had to continue celebrating my aunt turning the big 6-0. We decided to head up to Leavenworth to take an 'old time' picture of all the girls! It was sooooo much fun. We had a blast! (Mostly because my family is crazy and hilarious and can make ANYTHING fun!)

All dressed up!

The shot!

After the photo shoot we headed out for drinks and dinner.

My crazy family.

Drinks.

Dinner at Visconti's.

What a fun night! And the best part was that my aunt was completely surprised and kept saying it was the best birthday she had ever had. I would call that a success!

Wedding Shower Fun

What a weekend! We were in Wenatchee this weekend and we were going non-stop from the moment we arrived until the moment we headed out of town!

One of the events Joe and I went to was in our honor - a wedding shower hosted by my cousin (and bridesmaid) Christi! She definitely went above and beyond, making amazing appetizers that were all vegetarian and chocolate cupcakes from scratch.

Delish.

My whole family attended and Joe and I were just blown away by everyone's support and generosity. The theme was 'honeymoon' and everyone donated to our honeymoon fund so we can have an amazing week's stay in Cancun, Mexico. I know that once we say our 'I do's' we will be ready for a nice beach vacation to relax!

Joe, Aunt Kathy, and my dad

Our two under-age attendees, Emily and Mason. How cute are they?

My cousin had us all play this great game as well. She placed a bunch of stuff related to the honeymoon in a pillowcase and tied the end. Each person had two minutes to feel the outside of the pillowcase and write down what they thought was in there. I would definitely suggest this game if you are throwing a shower. Everyone got really into it! And then I got to pull each one of the items out of the bag to keep!

Me playing the game. I totally thought I was going to win, but my neice (in pink, behind me) and my cousin's fiance were the winners, with 7 correct guesses. Impressive!

My dad, me, and Joe. I love this picture because it shows off my shoes. I love those shoes. ;)

Me with the planner extraordinaire!

Digging through the pillowcase.

Opening cards.

One of the items in the pillowcase - a shirt for Joe. As you can read, it wasn't very nice. haha.

mmmmm.. cupcake.

This is a terrible picture of me because Joe kept asking me to scrunch down because in my kick-ass shoes, I was taller than him. But it makes me look like a squatty weirdo. Lesson learned.

It was such a wonderful celebration and I can't thank everyone enough for their generosity. I am very lucky to have the family I do (even though they are complete wackos, let's be honest) and am so happy that they have accepted Joe with open arms.