A Bride'sMaid Dress that Can Be Worn Again...

So, just wanted to give a little shout out to one of my best friends...Emily! for picking out a bridesmaid dress that can in fact be worn again after the wedding!!!

Side note: I intentionally spelled Bride'sMaid the way I did in the title because I wanted to.  I'm still not sure what the correct spelling is but that's how I wanted it in the title..

Clay and I had a fancy-schmancy dinner to go to for work--the Recognition Dinner.  It's basically a dinner where awards are given out to representatives for accomplishments over the past year.  Working in the life insurance industry you learn that people like parties.  The dinner was nice and it's fun for us to be able to get dressed up and not have to pay for anything, but some of these parties are just a tad overdone..that's beside the point though..but for example, this dinner had an after-party attached to it where a local band was hired that does wedding receptions to provide music for dancing and just staying around..like a grown-up prom of sorts I guess.

Anyway, back to my point.  Clay has it easy when it comes time for these dress-up events but I have a bit of a harder time.  But......I had a fabulous bridesmaid dress from a wedding in October that was just waiting to be worn again!  Woohoo!! 

Emily and all her bridesmaids wearing super cute dresses (they're a halter with a wide open back):

Clay and me at the Recognition Dinner:

Just added a cardigan and a belt to give me a waist-line and I was good to go!  The dinner was enjoyable, and Clay and I got a shout-out for getting married during the past year.  It's always fun for me when Clay gets to mix in with my work-life a bit.  I like that my co-workers know who he is and enjoy talking to him when he's at stuff :)

Finally, here are two of my co-workers with me--Candice and Karen:

Praying these girls come to know Jesus...

A Warm and Sunny New Year

Happy New Year 2011!  2010 was a big year for us--lots of weddings (my sister's, two of my best friends from college, and one of clay's best friends from college) including our own, our first year of grown-up jobs, Mom getting sick and getting healthy again, adjusting to life in New York, and just simply continuing to grow up and trust the Lord for His direction--as a married couple.

Even though there were plenty of good things that happened in 2010, I have to say I am definitely ready to move full speed ahead into 2011--what better way to welcome in the New Year than a sunny weekend at the beach in Florida?!?

Clay and I were blessed to spend New Year's (extended) weekend down in Fort Lauderdale with Dian, Clay's godmom.  Our trip was somewhat of a Christmas gift to us, and living in one of the snow capitals of the US, we were more than willing to take her up on her offer!  Thankfully, the weather was beautiful--we got in plenty of beach time and even some tennis time.  Her condo is right on the ocean so we enjoyed waking up to the ocean breeze coming in off the balcony.  Enjoy some pictures from our trip below:

Clay and me on the balcony:

Clay and Dian on the balcony:

 

Dian and me on the balcony: 

A real manatee that was swimming (if you can call it that..they move so slow!) around a restaurant where we were eating: 

That's about it..we were too busy soaking in the sun to take pictures!  Nick and Kristin (Clay's brother and sister-in-law) were there for half the time we were but we didn't take any pictures with them.  Thanks Dian for a great trip :)

Merry Christmas

 Clay and I got to have our own little Christmas celebration a few days before Christmas.  It was not the dressed-up-in-Christmas-pajamas-candles-lit-and-cinnamon-rolls-coming-out-of-the-oven kind of evening that I was anticipating but instead we-need-to-get-to-our-volleyball-game-right-after-this-so-we're-in-sweats-and-have-someplace-to-go-let's-get-a-move-on-it!  Either way, it was still fun and will always be our first married Christmas together :).  And, if you've read the past birthday entry, you know that Clay cannot wait to give me gifts.  He had been trying to have our Christmas for a week or more so putting it off any longer wouldn't have gone over so well. 

Did you notice the difference in how the presents were wrapped (and labeled)? :)

 For Christmas weekend, we headed home to Illinois.  When my family came out for my birthday in November, Clay and I enjoyed the privilege of joining my dad for a train show.  This led to a request by Clay to have a train set up for Christmas around the Christmas tree.  I think this is one of my favorite pictures from Christmas morning with the family:

Isn't he so cute? :)  Clay would often sit and turn the train on and then Dad would come join him and pour some oil into the engine so that the train's little puffer thing would smoke. 

Enjoy a brief summary of our trip in the following pictures!  Dad and Clay racing slot cars on Christmas Eve:

Dad reading the Christmas story Christmas morning:

Kelli and Peter before Kelli opened her sewing machine from Kari and me (Clay decorated her wrapping paper):

Dad and Kari with Dad's hands resembling Sammi's paws:

Clay getting his new softball glove from Mom and Dad (those are my cupcake books next to him):

Mom looking all cute with her new purse and about to open up her Coldwater Creek clothes:

Mom and Dad..I believe Dad was trying on his new coveralls and I told him to go take a picture next to Mom :)  They're funny:

Finally, Mom and Dad's big gift was a grouping of re-printed framed pictures of people in each of their families--like their grandparents and parents and siblings and us girls (and boys).  Mom of course started crying looking through the pictures of her grandparents but we were expecting this.  I am so blessed to come from a family where my parents are still married and each of their parents were still married! 

Well, Christmas has ended once again..always a weird time of mixed feelings.  It's weird growing up and being on the "other side" of holidays..knowing what happens the night before and being a part of putting the whole celebration together.  Praise the Lord for saving us and that Christmas truly is an eternal celebration that never ends for those that know Him!

Round and Round We Go..

So Clay and I do our best to take advantage of what Syracuse has to offer and one of downtown's yearly traditions is an outdoor ice skating rink!  Yes..like in the movies!  We only live a few blocks from where the rink is built so one evening we headed over for some skating.  I don't think I had been ice skating since probably junior high when I went with some friends on our neighbor's frozen pond.  Clay had been before as well but not in recent years. 

The atmosphere was fun: Christmas music, a Christmas tree, a nativity set (we were surprised too!), twinkle lights, and of course happy people:

The giant tree is a real tree that is brought in; they have a tree-lighting ceremony for it, but I think its the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and we're always out of town that weekend.  And just to throw it out there, the ice skating rink is the same place down town that the fountains were in the post with Brandon and Amanda.

Sooo, some bonus pictures that I'm just going to tag onto this post.  Clay and I went to the big cheese's house for a Christmas party for my work..its a fance schmancy party and his house is rather large so its fun for us to go and look around and mingle for a couple hours with people:

Finally, we had some college kids over from church.  This is by far the largest number of people we have had in our apartment at one time.  And let me just say, I completely understand now why parents act the way they do when large numbers of people are in their house:

Deck the Halls...

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  Let me just get that out here.  I love it.  I love the memories.  I love carols.  I love white twinkle lights.  I love the family get-togethers.  I love the joy that people let themselves experience for the short season.  I love celebrating our Savior.  I love it all.  And this year I got to spend it with my husband...who doesn't love it all as much.. :)

But..he's been a good sport, and I think he honestly enjoys it more now than he did before the Christmas season started.  We don't have a lot of room to put up Christmas decorations, nor a lot of people to share them with out here, but we were definitely going to have a tree and stockings.  I may or may not have received a lot of slack for insisting that I wanted THIS overpriced tree from Pottery Barn, but I am absolutely positive that it will be able to be used as a decoration later when we are in a house and can have a full size tree:

I "surprised" Clay with these monogrammed stockings for us.  Actually they just had to get delivered when he was home and I wasn't, and I received a text asking what they were for..like we could give away stockings that have our name on them...  Anyway, they are a soft velvet and plenty large to hold Christmas morning treats :).  Someday maybe we will get the matching tree skirt..

Here are a couple pics of Clay nailing into the brick wall to hang our stockings..no fireplace in this loft..and then me being very pleased with them :)

Christmas music has been on constantly and we are enjoying being with each other and figuring out our own traditions..and looking forward to ones we will enjoy with a family of our own someday :)

Fall Decor

Just a little touch of Fall around the apartment..I'm not usually one for sparkles but I loved these pumpkins!  I really enjoy browsing the Better Homes and Gardens section at WalMart..where these, my little pumpkin salt and pepper shakers, and our pumpkin candy dish were found:

Pink Frosting

I was remined more than once this past birthday that I am now a quarter of a century old.  Thank you.  I don't really mind getting older at this point but it was kind of weird to think that being 15 in highschool is ten years ago.

Anyway, for the past few years my parents have been able to celebrate most of my birthdays with me on my birthday.  Obviously this happened all the time growing up but it's a bit more difficult when living 13 hours away from home.  I don't get to see my family enough so it's nice when I get to look forward to my birthday knowing that they will come to us/me in college!  And this year, the whole fam came! 

Let me back up a couple days though..Clay and I celebrated a couple nights before my actual birthday and before family came in.  Our celebration was pretty low key, but he spoiled me with gifts and took me to get some of the best crabcakes we can find in Syracuse (for those of you local--Limestone Grill in Fayetteville--pricey and they're only an appetizer but I had a craving)!  Clay has this problem when he buys me gifts that he doesn't want to wait to give it to me.  Sooo, I actually opened gifts from the beginning of October all the way up to the two days before my birthday because I insisted that he surprise me with something for my actual birthday!  It's not like I can get upset with him for wanting to give me stuff though ;)..he really is the sweetest and gives me the best gifts!!

Here are a couple pictures of me opening Clay's gifts:

The first gift (from this night) was a cake platter that he remembered we had registered for at Williams and Sonoma that I had really wanted, and the second is a monogrammed (with my new initials!) jewelry box!  Clay was a bit disappointed after we got married and he learned I was storing my jewelry (several pieces from him) in a purple shoebox.  I love the white wood and that it's personalized!

Soooo, moving forward a day..family comes in!  My birthday (November 6) fell on a Saturday this year and my workplace actually gives you your birthday off..so I got to make a 3-day weekend out of it without losing my precious vacation time from the year of weddings!  Mom and Dad got in on Thursday evening and we spent Friday with just the two of them.  It has become somewhat of a tradition for Dad and Clay to go pawn shopping while Mom and I usually head to the mall.  I have to admit that sometimes I wish there was some sort of hidden camera to watch Dad and Clay rummage through these pawn shops..or to watch Clay ghost Dad as he tries to keep up :).  When we split up like this I usually get some form of text message informing me of a debate that just happened between Dad and the owner, a new tool that was just learned about, or how exhausted my poor husband is as he tries to keep up with my energizer bunny dad.  Time with family is truly a treasure when you live so far from them.  We laugh a lot and just simply enjoy the time being around each other. Dad is usually his goofy self (until he and Clay start talking politics when they both turn super serious) and Mom tries to keep him under control.  I think Clay pretty much understands what life is like with an engineer and super sweet former teacher.  Below is a picture of Mom and Dad:

Then on Friday the rest of the family arrived!  Kari, Kelli and Peter got in Friday evening just in time for chilli and potato soup.  This picture makes me laugh because our tiny apartment doesn't even have a seat for everyone to eat.  Dad rolled over Clay's computer chair to eat at the bar with Kelli and Peter while Mom, Kari, Clay and I are at the 4-person table:

Then on Saturday we took everyone to Skaneateles to show them the quaint little town and the pier that we got engaged on!  Definitely took advantage of the photo op:

That last one is Clay ruining my picture of everyone walking back.  Stinker.

We finished up on Saturday going out to dinner at a local restaurant, opening gifts, and of course having cake and ice cream!  Growing up, Mom always made our cakes and it was of course up to us what we wanted.  Angel Food isn't my favorite cake by any means but I love the memory of the pink frosting from growing up..she would make a confetti Angel Food cake and then drizzle pink frosting over it..so I chose it to have this year.  Maybe I am getting more sentimental in my old age. 

..notice the cake is on the new cake stand :) 

Everyone but Dad headed home on Sunday morning..he got to stay an extra night with us before heading to Philly for a business meeting..it just worked out well like that.  I got to finish up my birthday weekend going to a train show with Dad and Clay.  I honestly can't complain as it was actually kind of interesting and almost any time with family is good time.

Thanks a bunch to my family for making the trip out..it means so much that you guys make it a priority to see us up here.  Love you all!!!