Let us pause for a moment of Erin...

December 26 is upon us. The day where we look back on the month behind us and exhale a big gust of relief that we made it through another year. I love, love, LOVE Christmas, but let's be honest - it's alot to take in. To me it feels like a non stop force that keeps pulling me further along at a faster pace - that starts the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and ended yesterday evening. The reality of the fast paced style of the holiday season hit when I turned 18. Everyone in our family was growing up - and many of them having their own little families. When this happened, it was time to adjust. Change is something I sometimes struggle with, but have gotten better with over the years. Now we have like four different family Christmas gatherings that all happen in a month's time. Let me break down my Christmas for you... Thanksgiving: On the day of Thanksgiving I traveled with my parents to my grandparents' house in Carmi for lunch. We then ventured to Richelle's...

Well the holidays are here again. This time of year is always very fast paced and full of excitement. Me being...totally me, it is also full of traditions. If you haven't gotten this little tid bit about me from previous blogs - I am ALL about traditions and things that hold sentimental value to me. Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season. Of course we traditionally have dinner with our little family - and it is wonderful. It is also great to have the inclusion of our newest addition to the family - Richelle, Konnor, and Kaden. We just laugh and have a great time when we are all together. Another tradition of mine and Nick's is Black Friday. We scope out the ads and decide where we want to go, how early we want venture out, and who is strong enough to go with us :) This year Richelle and Konnor joined us and we had a very successful Black Friday shopping experience. Last weekend was our next chapter in this holiday season - Thanksmas. This was the second year we cel...

Tonight at midnight I will be one of those crazy Harry Potter fans that will wait in line to get a good seat for the midnight showing of the newly released Deathly Hallows. I will admit that I am a big Harry Potter fan. I have read all of the books, and own all the movies. I have a shirt that says Muggle (which I will be wearing tonight), and know to gasp if someone shouts out the spell avada kedavra! I am very aware that there are many skeptics that walk among us Harry Potter fans. I have heard different remarks from the non-Potter fans about my excitement over tonight's festivities. I am here to tell you, don't knock it till you try it! You sit there and say it's so unrealistic, or who wants to watch a bunch of weirdos waving their wands around. You really just have no idea! There are many reasons why I love the Harry Potter series! I would have to say the main reason I love these books is their grasp on imagination. Seriously, JK Rowling has an amazing imaginatio...

When we were kids, life was so much easier. We didn't realize just how great life was being a kid. We were too focused on getting older and becoming an adult to do adult like things. I want to hop into a Delorean with Doc Brown, go back to that little girl, and tell her - sometimes, being an adult is totally overrated. Because I have found that the older I get, I realize, it never gets easier. There is always someone or something that is trying to hold you back or get you down. This past year I have lost two of my grandparents. My approaching birthday and the Christmas season remind me of my loss even more. The even sadder thing, my two remaining grandparents are having great struggles right now as well. I sit and think about their pain and situation, and want to take the pain away. I look at my mother, and wish I could lay my hands on her and take the pain and suffering from her and bear it myself. There are so many hard things we must deal with as we become older. As ...

If you are someone that has been reading my blog since the beginning, you will recall one of my earlier blogs titled, The hardest time in my life. This blog was important to me. It was me putting it out there about how the hardest time in my life made me a stronger willed person. It brought me to the point where I am today. I am thankful and VERY happy taking care of MYSELF. I have taken the time to get to know what I REALLY want out of life, and myself. I am happy with how my life is, and the direction it is going. I am living an adult life, with the only person bossing me is ME! One part of the blog that still speaks true for me today is : "But, when the final countdown started, the realization hit me. I was not the same person I was six years ago. Honestly, I wasn't the same person I was the year before. I was in my early twenties. I was figuring out what I wanted out of life. This man that had become my best friend, just wasn't who the Lord had planned for me t...

I am a very traditional person. I love being this way! Just about every holiday there is some tradition that I feel I must continue to participate in to make it the best time yet. This ties in with how sentimental of a person I am. These traditions are so important to me because of that sentimental side. It warms my heart to feel the memories of my past through continuing a tradition. Well it's Halloween weekend! This holiday season always makes me think of my life-long friend, Whitney. For as long as I can remember, we spent the Halloween night together at some point. When we were kids, we would go trick or treating with our siblings and parents like all other kids. Once we were finished, Whitney and her family would always come to our house. It was so much fun! Our parents would sit in the kitchen or living room. They would talk, play cards, have coffee - grown up stuff. We would have the real fun however! (me, Nick, Whitney, and Kortney) We would begin by all getti...

I love my kitchen. I love the retro looking yellow stove. I love all the cabinets and counter space. I even love my window I look out of when I wash dishes. The truth of the matter is, the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in my house. In any house for that matter. Cooking has always been something that interests me. If you know much about me, you know that a dream of mine has always been to have my own bakery. I remember thinking that over seriously when deciding my career in life. I then remembered how I am not exactly an early riser, and decided I couldn't pursue that dream. Just yesterday I was gazing at all the beautiful baked goods at Panera and wished to be in my kitchen baking away something that would fill the house with a delicious smell. I love to bake. If I had my little way, I would be making pies all day long. I love the movie Waitress, where she sits around and thinks up new pie recipes when the rest of the world gets her down. I would be in heaven if...