My Year in Review: 2011

I can't believe that 2011 is almost over! This past year has gone by so quickly and here we are getting ready to enter a new year. As 2011 draws to a close, I can't help but feel so blessed. B and I have had an incredible year together and I so look forward to what 2012 has in store for us! Here's my year in review:

January

2011 was off to a busy beginning! I was totally caught up in prepping my LHS dance team girlies for their national competition. Between extra practices, regional competitions, bedazzling costumes, and my other regular teaching job, this gal was whooped and running on pure adrenaline. My girls had a great start to the 2011 year. We won both regionals as well Grand Champs and I picked up a choreography award along the way. Not too shabby ;)

February

February was a bittersweet month. My dance team was the first team in LHS history to advance to finals at nationals...ever! Pretty cool and such an awesome opportunity for me, as a coach. The time I spent coaching was definitely challenging but overall very, very rewarding. It was a tough month though because my sweet Papa passed away. He was so very special to our family and brought such joy into our lives. He has been greatly missed but the peace he has now with our Lord is better than anything we could have given him here on Earth. I am so thankful for the time I had with him. The holidays weren't the same without his smiling face. B and I closed out the month by spending a lot of time with my family and B experiencing his first UK basketball game at Rupp!

March

B and I were totally engrossed with work come March. B was studying like a mad man for his final board exam and working crazy long hours to finish up his residency. I was in full recital mode at the dance studio. Long days, long nights, long hours, and lots of caffeine pretty much summed up our month of March!

April

Thank goodness the first week of April was a vacation for me and B... we needed it! We traveled to Charlotte, NC to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. It was so, so, so much fun! Food, shopping, bike rides, lots of rest...it was amazing and so relaxing. April is always a fun month for us. Both of our birthdays are that month as well ;) I am so in love with my sweet, sweet hubby!

May

May was another month of work, work, work and study, study, study. Also thrown into the mix was pack, pack, pack! It was a crazy month that included more recital planning and B taking his Oral Board Examination. In between we were trying to visit and see friends and family before our move to Connecticut.

June

June began with my final recital at DESOD. It was absolutely amazing and so, so sad. I grew up dancing at the same studio where I taught. This past year was my 23rd recital! It was a blast to see all my kiddos on stage. B had his residency graduation as well. I was so proud of him and this huge accomplishment. Oh...we also had a lot of packing still going on ;)

July

July marked our big move to Connecticut and the beginning of B's fellowship. We were so thankful to have my mom and sis help us with the move and we were able to enjoy my sister's first trip into NYC! At the end of the month, I was so happy to go to my sister's dance nationals in Myrtle Beach. It was awesome to watch my kiddos dancing again...they killed it! So proud of them and happy that I had some extra time with my dance family.

August

Well...we experienced a few things in August, haha ;) An earthquake and Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene. I'm so thankful that God protected us during both and that things weren't worse but man...both were scary. Our month ended on a much happier note though. There was a huge "welcome" party for all the fellows. It was so wonderful to finally meet everyone that B was working with and great friendships were made that night. I cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am for the people we have met up here!

September

B was working like crazy and I traveled home for lots of choreography jobs. It was great to be home but it was definitely a work trip...I was so tired by the time I got back up north!

October

We went to our first clam bake at the beginning of the month and it was yummy! B's work set the whole thing up and it was absolutely gorgeous. Good food, great beach, and lots of memories! We also went to the apple orchard with friends, had our first snow, and B was officially named "chief fellow". Pretty good month ;)

November

November was awesome! I made my first Thanksgiving meal, our BFF Shawn came for a visit, we went to the Yale/Harvard game and tailgate, and we snuck in a day in NYC. Lots of memories from this month!

December

Before we knew it, December was here! We've been in Connecticut 6 months now and we can't believe we're halfway through B's fellowship. We were so happy to go to our KY home for the holidays. We got to see both families, catch up with dear friends, and go to a UK game. Fun, fun, fun times!

2011 has been a memorable year! I'm looking forward to ringing in the New Year with my hubby and can't wait to see what lies ahead for us. We have been so richly blessed this past year and I can only hope that 2012 is filled with more exciting adventures!

Happy New Year Y'all!

xoxo

Being A Biblical Wife in a Modern World

Fa La La La La...

"I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you".

~1 Corinthians 11:2~

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. Christmas carols playing everywhere we go, the smell of cinnamon, fresh baked goodies, and young children full of excitement. It is a special time of year and a time that calls for family and tradition.

This Christmas holiday will be mine and my hubby's fifth holiday together and our third as a married couple. We are still settling into our own traditions and I'm sure once we have "mini-me's" running around, our traditions will continue to change and grow. For now, we are trying to find a mix of traditions from both of our families that works for us.

The most important tradition that we want to keep alive is the acknowledgment of what Christmas is all about. I love the saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season". It rhymes, it looks cute on a wreath, and it's the absolute truth! Jesus should be the center of our lives everyday but especially at this time of the year. It should be all about Him... it is His birthday after all ;) We hope and pray that we, someday, pass along this lesson to our children just as our parents instilled this truth in us. For us, important traditions that revolve around Jesus are the reading of the Christmas story on Christmas morning and a candlelit service at church, Christmas Eve.

Other fun traditions that our families passed on to us include the reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas", preparing a platter of cookies and fudge for Santa, the sprinkling of Reindeer food on the front lawn, and of course, the viewing of "A Christmas Story" at some point during the 24 hour marathon.

I cannot wait to see how our traditions continue to change as we get older, our families grow, and time passes by. Christmas is such a magical and beautiful time of year and is a time of reflection and creating memories with family and loved ones. My prayer for my family and friends, this Christmas, is that we all have a chance to take a step back from the hustle and bustle and remember what this season is about and to really cherish our time and traditions with each other. May we all relish in old traditions and create new traditions as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May God bless you during this wonderful time of year!

All I Want For Christmas...

Dear Santa,

I first want to say that I am well aware that Christmas is not about receiving gifts. It is about celebrating Jesus' birth and about the gift of giving to others. However, if you and your reindeer happen to fly over KY and want to drop off a few things for this girl, my list is below ;)

I could really use some new lounge/yoga gear from my girl Vicky... Pink collection please!

Bath and Body Works seem to constantly have a sale of some sort. I believe it's "buy3 ,get 3" right now. Santa, you could knock out me and my sis in one visit. She'll take "Warm Vanilla Sugar" and I'll take "Forever Sunshine". Ladies... awesome scent! It's my "go to" for everyday wear.

I am constantly in need of something from Sephora. You can never wrong with a gift card. I already know so many items that I could put it towards. A new Clarisonic brush head, new makeup brushes, new lip gloss... you get the picture ;)

I love to cook and I love Paula Deen. Nuff said!

For a tiny gift to shove into a stocking, this little jar of heaven would be perfect.

My mom always gets me the new Nicholas Sparks book each Christmas. I'm going to go ahead and assume that this will be waiting for me under the tree ;)

Santa... can you send this pic to the hubby? He may need an extra hint or two. haha!

Time to restock on some "Flowerbomb". My absolute favorite perfume! Absolutely divine and I'm in need of a new bottle... I ran out a while ago and I miss it... Santa?

Now, Santa... this gift is totally practical! Our skillet is totally dead. It bit the dust and I've been pining at a new pan set for quite some time. A Calphalon Non Stick Stainless Steel set would look so pretty in our kitchen. And it benefits me and the hubs ;)

In all seriousness though... I'm really looking forward to being home for the holidays and being able to see my family and catch up with friends. It has been an incredible year and I can not wait to celebrate Christmas in KY!

Have a great day ladies!

xoxo

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday y'all! Time for another link up with Jamie. Here's what I'm loving today:

I'm loving that at this time next week, I'll be back in Kentucky for the holidays. B and I are leaving Sunday and are so, so, so excited to spend an entire week in KY. We can't wait to see our families and to catch up with friends. I just love this time of year :)

I'm loving me some Michael Buble. His new Christmas CD has been playing constantly at our house. It is possibly my new fav for the holidays. His voice is perfection!

I'm loving this new baked treat that I made last night. Funfetti cake balls! Ummm...yum! These things should be illegal. I sprinkled mine red and green to make them a little more festive for the holidays. I have had three so far today...oops ;) Here is the recipe that I used.

I'm loving the "Shopaholic" book series. I've been wanting an easy read to get me through the holidays and this has been great. An easy, fun read for any of you gals on vacay over the holidays. Super cute books!

I'm loving some of my holiday Pinterest finds from this past week. You can follow me on Pinterest here.

And, as always, I'm loving my sweet, sweet hubby!

Have a great day ladies!

xoxo