"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." Matthew 5:5

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

{Non-White} Christmas

When I heard these dreaded words last Tuesday I couldn't fight the serious disappointment that followed:

"If you're hoping for a white Christmas, the chances of that are ZERO"
- Weatherman


Gasp!  No snow for Christmas?  I racked my brain for a memory of another Christmas that came and went without at least a dusting of snow... fail.   Neither Kurt or I can remember another non-white Christmas in all our 25 years.  Much to my surprise, the weatherman was right this time.  We had no choice but to up the Christmas cheer with extra carols and cookies.  I went into crazed baking mode and whipped out an embarrassing amount of goodies, which of course isn't a problem this time of year because we had plenty of people to share with. :) 
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge & Snowmen on the Stick
Candy Cane Kiss Cookies, puuurdy.
 Rolo Cookies

As it turns out, Christmas doesn't have to be white to be wonderful.  In fact we even enjoyed the comfortably cool weather and ideal driving conditions.  Now that Christmas is over my constant "let it snow" cry has disappeared and we are counting this abnormally mild winter amoung our many blessings. (Let the record show that a light layer of nice fluffy snow on Christmas morning would still outweigh the aforementioned pros)

Speaking of blessings, the holiday season has an awesome way of reminding everyone how lucky they are.  We always feel extra grateful to be surrounded by family and friends at Christmas time and this year was no exception.  Although we've been sharing holiday traditions for the past few years, it was exciting to share in each other's family gatherings as an "official" member this time around.  Here's a little glimpse at the fun that we had:
 Yes, we did have a cowboy themed Christmas.  Awesome right?
 
Christmas Eve with the Kelly Family
 
Love this picture with Kurt's Mom, Siblings and their families!

 Wonderfully chaotic = Christmas at the Simon's.
Cousins on the Westra side! =)


PS.  HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, MAX!  Look how little and cute he was!! It's been a fun memorable year... Here's to a many more (and hopefully calmer) years to come!


PPS.  CONGRATULATIONS to our great friends, Lauren & Kevin, on their recent engagement!! We couldn't be more excited for you.  XOXO


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Wowzers!

What an amazing month!  This very well may have been the most entertaining month yet -- we've managed to do a little bit of everything.   Last time you heard from us we were gearing up for a fun concert and counting down the days until our honeymoon, now we're looking back at the all the fun we had and all the unforgettable memories we've made. Wowzers!

Backtrack a few weeks and imagine us in the front row of the Zac Brown Band concert.  Um, yeah, that really happened.  Talk about the best birthday gift ever -- I can't even put into words how awesome the show was.  We had a blast hanging out with Emilee and her boyfriend (Zach) before, during and after the concert! We learned to be a seamless team in order to hold our sweet spots in "the pit". It's amazing how many people will try to befriend you when you have a better view than them.  Luckily, I'm not afraid to hold my ground (or push, squeeze and talk my way back to our spots after each and every bathroom break)... especially after a couple beers. =)
Ahhh best band ever. =)
Fun Fun Fun!
Next up was Thanksgiving and we ate as much traditional feast food as possible and enjoyed the company of our families!  We even hit up a near-by Walmart for the 10pm sales but when we looked for the check-out line we decided to head home. Ha!  My mom and I did score some good deals and finish up our Christmas shopping on Black Friday though --- not in the middle of the night but mid-day without the long lines and stampeding. 

Before we knew it we were on a plane heading towards Punta Cana.  Ok actually we hit Atlanta for a night before continuing to our real honeymoon destination.  We had a ton of fun every step of the way!  Our flights were smooth and we navigated the airports without problem -- even in Punta Cana where they literally roll up a staircase and have you walk off the plane and onto the tarmac before you wander into a huge hut-like building without walls.  Pure proof that the weather there is gorgeous, always.  And it was... 85 and sunny every single day.  We did get sprinkled on for about 5 minutes a day but before you even thought about going inside the sun was shining again.  It was perfect.
Maybe I felt a tiny bit like the President walking down those stairs... or maybe not.
The BEAUTIFUL (sunrise) view from our balcony.

Just another gorgeous day in Punta Cana!!





  







Our trip was everything that a honeymoon should be - fun, relaxing and romantic!  We stayed at Secrets Royal Beach and it was (as you can see in the pictures) gorgeous.  We'd totally recommend it to other couples, too.  The service was great and the rooms were clean.  The only so-so part was the food.  At first we thought it was great but by then end of the week our stomachs didn't think so.  None-the-less it was an amazing vacation!! We spent time on the huge white beach everyday, we swam in the ocean, learned to "drive" a catamaran, floated in the lazy river, frequented the pool/beach bars, snorkeled, swam with sharks and sting rays (which sparked child-like fear in Kurt, which seriously cracks me up), met tons of great couples, got dressed up for dinner at night, got a couples massage on the beach and even caught a few impressive performances by the resort's Entertainment Team.  *Sigh* Although it is nice to be home again, I miss that place and literally dream of it at night. 


After re-adjusting to life at home, we celebrated my 25th birthday, in style!  I kind of still can't believe that I'm 25.... it just sounds so much older than 24 did.  With this in mind, we opted for a theme party to help embrace my "old age" and it was a knee-slappin' good time!  See what we mean....

Clearly the coolest friends ever... Right?
So there you have it.  I'm not generally one to use weird words but I bet you want to say "Wowzers" now, too. There's just not a real word that appropriately communicates the overwhelming amount of memory making that took place in the last few weeks.  Now that this whirlwind of once-in-a-lifetime events is wrapping up we're preparing to dive into the excitement of Christmas!  Our tree has been twinkling for weeks already (yes, I totally put it before our trip) and we're getting anxious for our first of 6 (yes, six) Christmas gatherings which is taking place this weekend. 

Until next time we hope you're all staying warm, counting your blessings, shopping smart but also taking time to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday season.  Merry Christmas to ALL!