Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Times They Are A-changin'

It's getting a bit late to plug the camera into the computer and do a Christmas post justice, so for now I want to update with one little (big, actually...enormous) piece of news that has consumed most of our thoughts for the last week.

We're moving to Denver.

Brent interviewed for a job with another federal agency last Thursday, was offered the position the next morning, and officially accepted on Monday morning.  He'll move out there by the end of the month and I will follow when I have my own employment lined up, which we are hoping is sooner rather than later.

We are excited, nervous, happy for the opportunity, and sad to leave our families and friends...but we're really looking forward to going on this adventure and seeing where it leads us.  I don't consider my blog as a place where I often share the testimony of my life, but I feel like I'd be missing a real opportunity here if I didn't say that this is something that I very much feel that God is pushing us to do.  All the details of him getting this position from out-of-state seemed "meant to be", and for lots of other reasons it's a great time in our lives to move away and go on a little adventure for awhile.

That being said, I'm sure once we find a place to live I'll feel much more at ease about the whole thing.  :)  Call me spoiled, but I like knowing that I have a place to live.  We'll head out to Denver in a few weeks to look at houses (to rent, for now), and my plan is to not leave there without signing a lease.  It looks like there are lots of options and I'm not anticipating having much trouble.

The blog will probably become more of a moving journal for awhile, so I'll keep you all posted of our progress and the ridiculous situations that are bound to ensue when you're trying to move across the country in a four-week timeline.      




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Monday, December 13, 2010

Annual Christmas Dinner!

My girlfriends from the ex-BKD Girls' Club got together recently for our annual Christmas dinner and gift exchange.  I'm trying to get away from the term "ex-BKD Girls' Club" because we're so much more than that.  So there, it's the last time I will say it.  I just love these women and am so happy that we've hung together despite lots of changes in our lives and jobs.


Yay - Debbie is back from her time in Alaska with AmeriCorps!  She always has some amazing stories to tell of her many adventures post-accounting life.



She must have thought the absence of her reindeer placecard was merely a terrible oversight and decided to take a seat anyway.
 
I scored the Macy's gift card this year in the gift exchange and am PUMPED to purchase some jeggings! (If they ever come back in stock again...thanks a lot, Pioneer Woman, for advertising them on your blog.)


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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

We spent Thanksgiving in Kendallville again this year.  Brent's parents were in Knoxville with Larry's family, so we caught up with them the next weekend.  I think the best part of this year's Thanksgiving celebration was spending it with Lori, Bay, MaMa, and Uncle Jeff.  It's not very often that we get to spend it with extended family because of distance, but they all made the trip up and I'm so glad they did. 



"And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen."
Terri Guillemets

Two of my three favorite men.




The results of our annual Black Friday shopping.  We were "aggressive, but friendly" as always, but I have to say that this might be my last year for awhile.  We always go for the experience and rarely have any big ticket items in mind.  Normally the crowds don't bother me because I have the proper expectations, but I was almost sent over the edge this year.  I won't rule it out, but I think it's going to take a pretty good deal to get me out of bed next year.

WAIT - I remember now why I was on edge.  It probably has something to do with this lil' critter...


...who whined and paced between our air matress and the door ALL NIGHT LONG on Thanksgiving night.  Yeah, that could be why I was a little crabby.


I was in charge of snacks and breakfast food for Thanksgiving Day/Friday, and here's a recipe I'd like to share with you.  This is a perfect and easy appetizer to take to a party.  It's from Annie's Eats, of course. 



 



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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Fall Catch-Up Post

It's been a long time since I've had an actual update and all our comings and goings have started to get a little jumbled in my mind. I guess that's why I do the blog in the first place - to remember! Here's my best attempt at a catch-up post, organized into categories with the best of my ability.

Interest Rates, Mortgage Refinancing, and Unidentified Wetness.
We finally refinanced on our house last month. We really meant to do it last fall but just kept putting it off. I'm glad that we did, because we got a much lower rate in the end. Who knew those rates could get any lower than Nov. 2009? Here's a funny anecdote from the afternoon of closing:

We had to stop at our bank first and get a bank check for closing costs. As we were standing at the teller window, I looked down at the tile floor and noticed water drops. It wasn't raining that day, so my mind immediately skipped to urine. "Hmmm, did someone pee right here at this teller window? Sick!" (I know, pretty unlikely...but it's the first place my mind went.) We headed to the bank where our closing was held, and as we got out of the car, I noticed that the floorboard of the car was wet, too. Weird! It wasn't until we were standing on the tile floor of bank #2 and I heard the dripping that I realized the leaker was ME! The cap had come off the water bottle in my purse, and the entire purse bottom was filled with water - a lot of water. There was a trail of water all the way back to the door. I quickly moved to the carpet so I could drip indiscreetly. Everything was soaked, including the six sheets of Forever stamps I have been hoarding in expectation of an increase in postage next year. But at least it wasn't pee.

Fall Concerts
My friend Carrie works at the Speedway, and was able to score two of the company's box seats at Conseco for the Zac Brown Band concert. I liked a few of their songs before I went, but honestly that concert gave me a whole new appreciation! I was absolutely blown away by this group...and think that Zac Brown is adorable. I mean, he looks like a little cuddly bear cub, so give me a break.  Thank you, Carrie, for the awesome seats to this very excellent concert!






Brent celebrated his golden birthday last week! He turned 29 on the 29th and is now on the slow descent to 30. He stirred from his Purdue sports-induced depression long enough on Sunday to enjoy dinner at Sapporo and have a slice of DQ ice cream cake before the Colts lost to the Chargers. On his actual birthday, we met up with Adam and one of his friends at Scotty's downtown before the main event - a Shinedown acoustic concert at the Murat.





Another great concert, but a little late for me.  It was a Monday night, and I knew when they had only played four songs by 10:20 that my 6:30 a.m. work start the next morning was in jeopardy. 


November is the month when college football and college basketball collide, so we made several trips to West Lafayette recently. Most of those trips have ended poorly on the football end, but basketball seems to be a little more promising...hopefully. At halftime of the Austin Peay game, we got to visit with my friend Deric from high school. It had been, oh, maybe 6 or 7 years since we'd seen each other, so that was a nice surprise! He and his lovely wife, Amanda, live in Arkansas and are expecting their first baby in January.


Update on off-brand yeast:


The dough - it riseth.




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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

"Christmas Lights" is Here!

Coldplay's long-awaited single is out!  They teased that it would be released last Christmas, and I had read on some fan pages this fall that it wasn't going to be ready this year, either.  What a nice surprise on this cold Tuesday morning. 

I think it was worth the wait!




Oh Christmas lights, light up the street.
Light up the fireworks in me.
May all your troubles soon be gone.
Those Christmas lights, keep shining on


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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Family Photos/Christmas Card Sneak Peek...

A couple of weekends ago our very talented friend Emily took Christmas card photos for us.  The Sinders needed one for their card too, so you'll see their Corgi make an appearance in this sneak peek.  I LOVE how they all turned out!  Thanks again, Emily!!










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