Happy New Year!!!

I always like the beginning of the year because it feels like I get a fresh start. Today I was so busy (I hope the rest of 2008 is not this busy). I woke up and right away made cookies. So much for New Year's Resolutions! Actually, they are for a holiday open house at work and I didn't even eat one! Then Adam and I did the Howard County Striders Resolution Run 8k. We did this run last year and had so much fun we decided to do it again. It is a prediction run which means the closest person to 11 am wins! You can start any time after 9:30. Last year a 12 year old boy won. Adam and I got a late start this year so we finished around 11:10 and didn't stick around to see who won.

Then we came home and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! It was great to start of the year with a nice clean house. Part of the reason for all the cleaning (and organizing) is we are getting a roommate. Yes, we are crazy. This summer Adam and I met a young couple in their early 20's. They are really nice and actually came down to Virginia to support Adam in his half ironman race in September. In November, Emanual joined the Air Force and Lisa was still living with Eman's mom. Things were not going well with that situation so we offered for Lisa to rent one of our bedrooms until Eman is done with basic training. It should only be 3 to 4 months.

On the wedding front we finally bought wedding clothes for Adam. This was a little bit harder than I expected. In retrospect, I think it would have been easier to go the formal route and get a tuxedo. But we both wanted to keep it semi-casual. All along I thought Adam would just wear a pair of khakis and a white shirt. But he tried on a light brown colored suit and looked great! I think he will look very nice for the ceremony and the pictures. We also bought a short-sleeved dress shirt for the reception. Adam is worried he will be too hot. Who knew the groom would be the one with multiple wardrobe changes!

This was the last big item on our list of things to do for the wedding. At this point almost everything else is taken care of - only minor things are left to do. I can't believe it is just a little over a month away!

My First Christmas Without Snow

I stayed in Maryland this Christmas. This was my first Christmas away from my parents and Heather and also my first holiday without snow. It was actually a beautiful day today - bright, blue sky and not too cold.

I hope everyone had as great of Christmas as I did. Adam and I went to his parents house and I ate too much food, received too many gifts and overall had a great time. Here are some pictures from my day:


My Tommy the Leprechaun shirt from my sister:


Adam's Montana Grizzlies t-shirt from my parents:

Bride and Groom robes from Adam's sister and brother-in-law:

Christmas Baking

This past weekend I was quite the domestic diva. I spent most of the weekend baking. I made a few cookies that I remember my Grandmother made and also tried a few new recipes. I was proud of myself as only one recipe was a complete disaster and had to be thrown away. They were little Italian cookies that seemed very simple (almonds, sugar, egg whites and vanilla). But they did not have a lot of taste and were too flat and crispy for my liking.

I bought festive Ziploc containers and put a variety of cookies in each container. Yesterday afternoon Adam and I delivered the gifts to our neighbors and this morning and gave them to my co-workers. It was amazing how appreciative everyone was.

I love to bake but do not like having the sweets around the house (because then I eat them!) so this was more of a treat for me than for the recipients. It was so much fun I hope to make it an annual tradition.

Oh, and I had to call my mom twice for help. One would think after 31 years I would not need her help in the kitchen but it is nice to know she is there when I need her!

Thanksgiving Recap

Adam and I survived Thanksgiving in MT. I wasn't sure we would with the way it started out. Our flight was delayed in Baltimore, we didn't land in Missoula until 2 am and we didn't have our luggage.

But things soon turned around. The next morning we went to Wal-Mart, bought toiletries and some clothes and we were set. We went to Helena and spent the day with my mom's family. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. I think I was just a little too sleep deprived. But while we were in Helena our luggage was delivered. It all worked out for the best.

Friday we went to Georgetown Lake to see the cabin my parents are building. It was cold and there was a lot of snow but it was beautiful. Here are some pictures:

Dad shoveling...

It was a little cold. The temperture inside the cabin was 19 degrees!

This one is classic! Dad got the car stuck and Adam and my mom had to push it out. Of course, I had to get a picture of this!

Sunday before we flew out we took the dogs for a walk on Waterworks Hill in Missoula. Here is me and my sis:

These are my friends Kenda and Pete. They live in Seattle so it was a lot of fun to see them!

Gobble, Gobble

Adam and I are off to Montana for a couple days. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and fun!

Happy Birthday Adam!

Now that Adam is 30 he is so much wiser than when he was just 29!

Adventures for the Cure

Yesterday afternoon I went to my first movie premier! The movie is a documentary of 5 guys (3 on bikes, 2 were in a support car) who traveled from Bellingham, WA to Ocean City, MD on fixed gear bikes. They call themselves Adventures for the Cure and did this ride to raise money and awareness for the American Diabetes Association and Kupenda for Children. They raised over $20,000. What is even more remarkable is one of the bikers has Type I diabetes and another biker had his thyroid removed due to cancer 2 weeks prior to the trip. Simply amazing!

The documentary was so inspiring! They were even able to get Greg LeMond (three time Tour de France winner) to narrate. The coolest part about this whole thing is this is just a group of guys (early 20's) who had an idea and acted upon it. How many times do we get an idea but before it is even formed in our heads we find a reason why we shouldn't do it?

If you get a chance check out Adventures for the Cure and look for them at film festivals. They are even trying to get into the Sundance Film Festival.